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AtwasAwamps
2010-02-05, 04:26 PM
So, I'm starting up a 4.0 game for a few people. This is some fairly basic info about my world that I'm putting together for people to take a look at while making their characters. I'm putting it here in hopes that someone will see if I left something super-important out (like an entire race or something). If you have the time, please take a look and point out any glaring omissions or contradictions I've made. YEs, this is a very straight-forward, stereo-typical fantasy world. The players will start out as level 5 heroes and mercenaries, hired by Arus to strike back against Volksragian raiding parties.



Arus, the Central Kingdom

Primary Exports: Food (agriculture is the primary occupation), Finished Products (clothing, armor, weapons)
Imports: Luxuries, Raw Materials (metals, jewels, fuels)
Races: All
Government: Monarchy
Capital: Sirium

Brief Description: Arus is mostly flatland, with a few hillier regions to the East, bordering the Dakkari Empire’s mountains. These mountains have often been described as “Dakkari’s Wall”, but the people of Arus describe it as the source of their strong agricultural basis…indeed, many of the rivers that start in the Dakkari mountains find their end in irrigating the lands of Arusian farmers. The country is also known for solid craftsmanship. Armorers, weaponsmiths, and other craftsman make good money in Arus as reliable workers with reliable products…nothing exotic or fancy, but products made in Arus are products you can trust.

Government Details: Arus’ government is a monarchy. The current king is Dalen IV, descended in a supposedly unbroken line from the first king of Arus, Sirius I. The King is considered to be the absolute authority in Arus and is considered to be the premier agricultural expert, warrior, and military commander. The royal family is extensively educated on all matters of the kingdom. Most Arusians are happy with the current regime, but like any monarchy, Arus has its dissidents. Most rebellions are put down quickly and efficiently by the military, with as little wanton violence as possible and executions only when appropriate. The ruling family is almost always human.

THE ROYAL FAMILY
Dalen IV: King of Arus. Seems to be significantly more interested in agriculture than the military. A shrewd politician and businessman, he has the admiration of many of his more business-minded subjects. 53 years old.

Milina: Queen of Arus, she is known mostly for having been a fiery tempered courtier in her youth. She remains just as fiery now and is a good match for her shrewd husband. 48 years old.

Sirius IXX: The Crown Prince, he has a more military mind than his father and has been named head of the military. As Grand Commander, he controls the entire military of Arus, only vetoed by his father. 30 years old.

Irina V: The princess. She has few responsibilities, but has received the same practical education as her brother. She clearly takes after her mother, both in hair color and in fiery temper, but has her father’s shrewd sense of cunning. She is often included in his decisions, despite her comparative youth. 25 years old.



MILITARY:

Led by the Crown Prince as Grand Commander, the military of Arus is well-oiled and strong. A good chunk of money earned by the kingdoms taxes and government subsidized farming is put back into the military, as a country with the strong resources Arus has has much to fear from its neighbors. The majority of the military is salaried soldiers and officers. However, the military does employ powerful mercenary squads when necessary.

OTHER POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS

The Farmer’s Guild: Led by James Thurman, this guild seeks to protect the interests of the strong agricultural community in Arus.

Craftsman’s Guild: Led by Mastersmith Trius Enbra, this guild protects the interests of the crafters and smiths in Arus, especially when addressing imported and exported goods.

MAGIC IN ARUS

There exists in Arus a number of magical academies, but the most prominent is the Sirium Academy, located in the capital. It is here the military mages are trained and where the greatest magicians of Arus come to learn, teach, and research.

RELATIONSHIPS

Dakkari Empire: Friendly. Open trade arrangements and communications.
Kampra: Neutral. Trades on occasion, but relationships are strained from past animosity.
Wotran Wastelands: Neutral, but violently opposed to the Reaver Tribes.
Volkragia: At War

RACES

All races are present in Arus. Dragonborn, Tieflings, Warforged, and Shifters are often looked at with suspicioun. Eladrin and Elves are respected, as are half-elves. Humans are the majority of the population, with Halflings as a close second. Dwarves are also a major part of the population, especially in smithing communities, but many dwarves prefer the mountains of Dakkari. Other races are generally accepted without much comment.

FAITH: All religions are accepted, but the royal family worships Pelor. Many follow suit.


The Dakkari Empire, the Eastern Home of Contemplation

Primary Exports: Luxuries (gems, spell components, etc.), magical services, metals
Imports: Food, Finished Products
Races: Eladrin, Elves, Dwarves, Shifters, Genasi, Gnomes
Government: Mage-ocracy
Capital: The Walled City of Tieri

Brief Description: Dakkari is bordered on one side by heavy mountains that lead to Arus and on the other by the Eastern Sea. These mountains are a source of much wealth for Dakkari, as the dwarves that reside here mine them for valuable metals and jewels which are exported or crafted into fine enchanted weaponry and arms. The country is noted for its dedication to the accumulation of knowledge and gentle nature. Dakkari is studded with high mountain ranges and deep forest vallies.

Government Details: When the Dakkari Empire was founded, it was founded by the Eladrin wizard Dakkar, who declared that the ruler would always be the most enlightened of the kingdom’s residents. The strongest magicians of the Dakkari gather every 70 years to choose a new ruler, most often an Eladrin, though the occasionally elf and dwarf has been nominated. The ruler must have lived in Dakkari for at least 20 years to be nominated. The current ruler is Fionia the Golden-Eyed, an ancient and powerful Eladrin. She has fostered good relations with Arus and Kampra, and has sent emissaries to the Wotan Wastelands.

THE RULING BODY.
Fionia the Golden-Eyed: Enlightened Ruler of the Dakkari Empire. She is a powerful and kind wizard who seeks nothing more than to share and expand the sum of knowledge in the world. Despite her otherwordly nature, she understands the worldly nature of the

Kratoros Flamehand: A deathly and powerful elven sorceror, Kratoros commands the more worldly pursuits of the kingdom…he controls the business aspects of ruling the kingdom. He is rumored to be Fionia’s lover.

Jacen Kreese: A half-elf and one of the few physically-oriented members of the political powers in Dakkari, Kreese commands the military with help from his adjutant, Danyara Coldblade, a water-genasi.


MILITARY:

The Dakkari Empire has a small standing military, but it is a powerful one. The army is mostly oriented into small task-squads, mostly more physically oriented warriors, with occasional swordmages, protecting powerful wizards or sorcerers who act as artillery…and the absolute final word in warfare.


OTHER POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS

The Silver Heart: A collection of devoted divine magicians who try to combine the study of the arcane and the divine.

Burning Soul Society: Sorcerors and Warlocks who seek to expand their powers and perhaps improve their appearance in the public eye.

The Organization of Ornate Toymakers: Mostly dwarves, gnomes, and a few others who craft incredible and intricate items of wonderful and magical natures.

MAGIC IN DAKKARI

Magic is the root of the Dakkari Empire. Wizards, sorcerors, warlocks, swordmages, artificiers, even invokers…everyone has a place here. Many wizards from this area are often more skilled than those from other regions. There are few, if any, formal academies for magic, but many notable wizards have their own apprentices and teach small groups or classes.

RELATIONSHIPS

Arus: Friendly. Open trade arrangements and communications.
Kampra: Friendly. Open trade arrangements and communications.
Wotran Wastelands: Neutral…too far to be affected.
Volkragia: At war.

RACES

The Eladrin are generally the top of the social structure in Dakkari, due to their nature as powerful creatures of magic and their general nature as a race. Elves also often hold high positions, for the same reasons. Eladrin tend to reside on the mountains, while elves occupy the forests. Genasi are spread throughout the area, drawn by the powerful magics. Shifters live in the forest areas and tend to be looked down upon because of their physical nature. The dwarves here keep quiet and to themselves, but its well known that the best magical items come from their forges.

FAITH

All faiths are accepted here and a number of invokers reside here to refine their own arts and mystical connections with their gods. Churches to many gods and goddesses crop up in the woods and in the mountains.


Kampra, the Wildlands

Primary Exports: Food (rare fruit, rare meats), Raw Materials (rare skins/plants), Narcotics and Poisons
Imports: Finished products, luxuries, magical care
Races: Shifter, Elves, Genasi, Warforged, Half-Orcs, humans
Government: Triumvirate
Capital: ChakiAkari

Brief Description: In the southern part of the continent, heat and humidity have combined to create the exotic land of Kampra. Bordered on the north by the salt river Etrus, which separate Kampra and Arus, Kampra is a jungle-and-savannah nation of wild and untamed power. Shamans and druids hold power here, as do barbarians and similar members of the primal brotherhood. Many rare and exotic beasts hail from here. The country is ruled loosely by a triumvirate of spiritual shamans, reputedly reincarnated in each generation.

Government Details: The government is run by a spiritual trio. Each member of the trio represents a factor of the Kamprese people: The Spirit, The Mind, and the Body. Each is known only by those names. Reputedly, a new representative is born the moment the old one dies. The day after the death of a member of the spiritual triumvirate, a group called the Soul Hunters scour the country for newborns and bring them before the remaining two representatives, who can recognize the soul of their reborn partner. This newborn is then given to the triumvirate and their staff to raise. The triumvirate’s rule is absolute and their law is final. However, they are relatively lax and much of the country is run practically by tribal chiefs and local family leaders, with only major matters left to the triumvirates details.

THE STAFF OF THE TRIUMVIRATE:

The Triumvirate themselves appear to have no individual identities. Only one person is allowed to see them talk amongst themselves. Otherwise they speak as one.

Kaya D’n’dara: A matronly shifter and powerful druid, Kaya speaks for the triumvirate in public matters.

Harya Bandya: A half-orc of indeterminate age, Harya leads the Soul Hunters. He is considered to be a powerful warrior and many of the men and women of Kampra respect him deeply.

MILITARY:

The Soul Hunters are the only real military that Kampra has. They answer directly to the triumvirate and are considerably terrifying. Most of Kampra defends itself in tribal traditions.


OTHER POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS

None worth mentioning.

MAGIC IN KAMPRA

Magic is mostly a matter of the spirit here. Wizardry and sorcerery are less common, though powerful invokers and warlocks seem to abound. Little, if any, formal schooling is available. Most arcane-like powers are spiritual in nature.

RELATIONSHIPS

Dakkari Empire: Friendly. Open trade arrangements and communications.
Arus: Neutral. Trades on occasion, but relationships are strained from past animosity.
Wotran Wastelands: Friendly, but violently opposed to the Reaver Tribes.
Volkragia: Neutral…too far away to care.

RACES

The elves of Kampra differ from those of Dakkari. They are wild and fey creatures, more mischevious then the forest-dwellers of Dakkari, but no less noble and powerful. Shifters, humans, and half-orcs form the backbone of the primal Kampra society. While Orcish tribes exist, they mostly keep to themselves…or violently assault those who get in their way. Surprisingly, a large number of warforged seem to take up residence in Kampra…the primal nature of the land helps them “feel more alive” and Kampra has few people who object to them.

FAITH

Most of Kampra has little time for organized religion, worshipping mainly powerful spiritual totems, but the gods do find respect here. Ancient temples indicate that there was once heavily organized and powerful religions in the region, and there are still hold-outs and priests of those faiths here.


The Wotran Wastelands


Primary Exports: Adventurers, Sand, Corpses, Sand, Ancient Treasures, Sand, Violence
Imports: Whatever you just had with you when you ran across the Reavers.
Races: Humans, Various Goblinoid/Orc/Giant Races
Government: None
Capital: None

Brief Description: Once, this vast wasteland held a mighty kingdom called Wotran. But the people of Wotran crossed a line somewhere…whether they angered a god or a particularly powerful wizard, no one can be sure, but something scythed the entire country of life. Even magic can only hold so long, though, and turning a nation into a desert does not make it wholly unhabitable. Various exiles, hermits, and utterly insane madmen, not to mention wild races and foolhardy adventurers, have journeyed into the wastes and survived in the way any desert dwelling race survives…by being stronger than the desert itself. Many nomadic tribes wander the Wotran Wastelands. Many war against one another and spill their blood across the sand. Some send warbands into Arus and Kampra. These raiders are referred to generally as Reaver Tribes and even other tribes in the wasteland seek to exterminate them…but the reavers are wild and deadly and quite often unstoppable.

Government Details: No official leaders or government. Each tribe is ruled by its own chieftains and its own laws. Few care about the others.

NOTABLE TRIBES:

The Lion Hunters: A massive tribe, the Lion Hunters are the closes thing to civilization the wastelands has ever seen. Word has it they have a permanent outupost deep in the wastes. Adventurers heading into the wastes are advised to hire a guide from this tribe…or perish in the sun.

Hellbreakers: The most well-known Reaver tribe, Hellbreakers will kill, steal, and rape anything, sometimes in that order. Bloodlust and fury run deep in this tribe’s veins, and most other tribes will kill them on sight…if they see them first.

The Walkers in the Waste: According to many, seeing a Walker is a blessing and a curse. Rumored to be the last remnants of whatever race populated Wotran before the apocalypse, these pale, cloaked figures invoke fear and awe wherever they go…both in the tribes that know them and in the adventurers that spot them.

MILITARY:

None…but that doesn’t mean invading is a good idea. Beyond the fact that the land is a brutal and harsh murderer of men, there is little of value to the average person in Wotran. Some ruins are said to hold incredible treasure…but it takes the truly foolhardy to venture there without a guide, and no guide will take anyone to a treasure-hole his own tribe hadn’t looted first.

MAGIC IN WOTRAN

Wizards are rare here, but more natural magic does exist…many tribes seem to have sorcerers and shamans at their disposal, not to mention the wild magic of the ruined desert. Few clerics or priests come from the desert, but rumor has it that there is an order of paladins that has delved deep within the desert, seeking to purify the shattered land.

RELATIONSHIPS

Dakkari Empire: None…minimal contact, generally.
Arus: Neutral, (Reaver tribes assault regularly)
Kampra: Neutral, (Reaver tribes assault regularly)
Volkragia: “Neutral” – Volkragia wouldn’t bother attacking them and no tribe has bothered with boats yet.

RACES

Most tribes pay little attention to race. The strong, the hardy, the worthy are elevated…the weak die. Race is irrelevant. Survival is paramount.

FAITH

Spirit totems are the primary faith of this land, though some shamans claim to receive their orders from a higher god. Most tribes are remarkably pragmatic. Gods rarely give you water, so knowing which type of cactus you can get a drink from is more important than knowing how to pray for rains that will never come.


Volksragia, the Warrior Isles

Primary Exports: Bloody, violent death
Imports: Your stuff
Races: Humans, Half-Orcs, Half-Elves, Goliaths
Government: Monarchy
Capital: Volken-Cutric

Brief Description: The islands to the north of Arus are far from tropical. The bitter cold of the region once made people think they were uninhabitable, but this is far from the case. Volksragia, ruled by the Divine Emperor Volksrag the Immortal, is a nation forged in its own furnace. A military nation, originally Volksrag had kept mostly to itself. However, fifty years ago, Volksrag the Immortal united all of the islands under a single rule and then the attention of the warrior nation turned to the ripe pluckings of the south.

Government Details: Volksrag the Immortal, a mighty human warrior, is the absolute ruler of Volksragia. Legend says he is descended from the first man to walk the earth…or perhaps he IS the first man to walk the earth. No one is sure. He appears to a might, but ancient man, and he rules with an absolute iron fist, aided by only a few trusted advisers.

THE TRUSTED ADVISERS:

Shania Flaxweave: A half-elf who has traveled with Volksrag for many years. She is his closest adviser and adjutant. She is also clearly the closest thing he has to a wife. She seems to wield powerful divine magics in service of Volksrag, especially proficient with thunder and lightning.

Taurag the Just: Commander of Volksrag’s personal guard, a mighty goliath who favors brutal and vicious tactics over simpler ones.

Roland, the Hand of Iron: A half-elf paladin who commands the military, Roland’s power and military cunning is unmatched. He is known to be a brutal combatant who shies away from nothing, despite his connection to the divine.

Kristoff Vertrammis: A half-orc and Roland’s right-hand man, Kristoff commands the naval might of the Volksragians…and this makes him perhaps the most important man in the empire.

MILITARY:

The Volkragian military is incredibly powerful and well-organized. While the ground based forces are quite impressive, nothing can stand up to the absolute might of the Volksragian Navy. Facing a Volksragian Fleet on open water is certain death. Most of Volksrag’s aggression has been in the form of coastal raiding, though the country has established a few strongholds in certain areas. Volksragian warriors are known for their incredibly strength and determination, not to mention the extreme power they display in times of trouble and fury. Many of these berserkers are backed up by powerful paladins and clerics, who seem to worship Volksrag himself as a god, or another related storm-god.

MAGIC IN VOLKSRAG

Like almost anything, Volksrag’s magic is turned to war. Wizards are educated for war, Sorcerers are used as artillery…if it can blow something up, it is used to do so. Even subtle violence is discouraged…magic in Volksrag grabs the elements by their necks and bends them over till they like it.

RELATIONSHIPS

Volksrag the immortal has made it absolutely clear that he seeks to conquer the world. Relationships are mildly strained. Arus and Dakkari are openly at war. Kampra and Wotran have little to care about…yet.

RACES

Volksragia is populated mostly by half-elves, humans, half-orcs, and goliaths. No distinction is made between races. A sword will cut you, one way or another.

FAITH

Volksrag the Immortal is mostly worshipped as a kind of god-emperor, though many also profess an absolute faith to one of the many storm gods that has cropped up in the area. Volksrag neither encourages or discourages the belief in his divinity, nor does he support one god over another.


ADDITIONAL NOTES:

Daeva and Warforged are really everywhere…their nature means they are not particularly found in any one area, though many warforged do find Kampra a hospitable place to live. Monstrous races are present in every one of the nations mentioned…some are peacable, but most are dangerous.