A great campaign idea from an Avatar song.

In 2018 Avatar released its seventh studio album Avatar Country, a sort of concept album about a mythical heavy metal nation. A companion film was recently released, chronicling the was between Avatar Country and an evil nation dedicated to Electronic Dance Music.

You really should watch it, it's fun. But be sure to watch the video for A Statue of the King immediately after, as it should have been the ending of the movie.

But enough about that. There's one song on the album, King After King that struck me as a great basis for a fantasy RPG campaign. Let's look at the lyrics, shall we?

The last spoken will of a warrior King:
"Bury me next to my soldiers
Set my horse free and let people sing
Of their son with the world on his shoulders
Then look to the mountains
I left my grave wide open."
Eyes fixed on the mountains
"I was buried at dusk, at dawn I'll return."

Here it comes
Death undone
King after King

From this tomb we shall build you a throne
In your name we shall sing
Light your torch, let the flames lead you home
Long live the King!

OK, a great start. a heroic warrior king is struck down and tells his followers that he will return at dawn. Let's take some license with that. After all, a king who comes back after a good night's rest isn't much of a legend.

The heart of a King can be measured in dreams
Reaching the sleep of his people
A whisper of ghost saying we'll be redeemed
From our sins he will build us a castle
One day we'll be stronger, we will ride right beside you
Until we are stronger, we put stone upon stone
Await your return

Here we go! The dead king is reaching out, calling his people to . . . build? Fight on? The call to grow stronger so that when the king returns his people will ride beside him.

The longing for sun and a heartbreak undone
Breaking the back of false idols
Bring our King home, for among us are none
Who is worthy to be his disciple
Out there in the wasteland, there's something coming for us
A call from the wasteland:
He was buried at dusk, at dawn he returns

There it is. The King fell battling a menace, and since his death, the sun has vanished and the world is a wasteland. And something is coming. We need to find out how to bring the King back, for he is the child of the Sun God, and since the other gods have fled (the "breaking the back of false idols" line)the world needs heroes to step up, face the threat, and brave death itself to bring back the King and bring the dawn!

I could write this up as a full level 1-20 campaign, starting with defending a city, then scouting and fighting the enemy, to greater quests for information and artifacts, and finally, awakening the Sun King and saving the world!

This would be like the old Dark Sun campaign setting; a dim star burning like a coal, widespread food shortages, gold is no longer worth much. Also, there would be severe restrictions on clerics in the beginning. Probably no more than 5th level until quests have been completed to begin bringing on the dawn.

I have time, I might start doodling this up.

Glory to our king
Our lord
The master of steel
Glory to our knight in shining armor
Long live our king
My lord
We raise our swords
The legend has come true
You've come to save us