Lord Loss
2012-04-14, 10:31 PM
Here's the Campaign Setting I've been working on for a little while. It's very much a work in progress and I will liberally borrow from other sources, or make things up as I go along, or whatever. It doesn't really have a specific tone, different contienents, areas, whatever have different feels to them, anyways i'm rambling, here's the setting.
Any comments, ideas and criticisms are welcome, they encourage me and give me fresh ideas I never would have thought up.
The World
Ier (The Continent of Man)
Iedura is a fairly large continent divided into five important sections. The Kellerman Empire, which occupies the east/northeast of the continent, the Zaqzi (also written as Zaqzhi, the spellings are interchangeable) Empire, occupying the southwest and a bit of the center of the continent, the Industrial Empire, occupying the central north and northwest of the continent, the Wild Kingdoms which occupy the south/southeast of the continent.
The three Empires originally sprung up from a single great empire which eventually splintered into three completely different empires due to cultural and ideological differences, amongst other things. They now have completely different cultures it is now impossible to see that they were once one single culture.
Industrial Empire
This empire is mostly made up of Warforged and Gnomes (the latter of which make up the majority of the population), although the mountain ranges in the east of the continent are home to a good deal of Dwarves. People live clustered in sprawling, packed cities and advanced technology such as Constructs, Airships, Elevators, etc. improve the quality of living, still those of low class lead short, laborious lives.
The Empire is ruled over by the Emperor, one of the most powerful psychics to ever live who is said to match the greatest of the Illithids in terms of power.
Magic is rare in the industrial empire, a war with the Illithids, in which the Emperor used powerful Mind Flayer technology against it's makers, tapping into a wellspring of psychic powers (I use the Green Ronin psychic rules, not the WotC ones) and forcing them to retreat to another continent. This event caused people born in the area to be born psychics with regularity, more so than anywhere else in Caedura. However, other forms of magic are rare, Arcane magic is still common but far less so than psychic ability and divine magic is nearly nonexistant.
The advanced technology, which is adapted from Illithid technology that was left after the war, is exported all over Caedura. The Industrial Empire is the greatest producer of powerful magical and psychic items and creations. The presence of Airships and Warforged are a notable example of this.
The dwarves live a traditional dwarven lifestyle, taking advantage of the technology at hand, but continuing to worship Moradin (religion is relatively nonexistant in this Empire) and live the way they always have.
Races such as Changelings, Shifters, Minotaurs, Doppelgangers, etc. - anyone perceived as weird or abnormal - find themselves at home in the Industrial Empire. There, people are rarely judged or persecuted.
Kellerman Empire
A more traditional fantasy empire, the Kellerman Empire is mostly composed of humans. An Empire in name only, the Kellerman Empire is actually a monarchy. The King recently died and his young and inexperienced son was left in charge of the Empire. Which is bad, because the Empire is at the brink of war with the Zaqzhi Empire, and the Kellerman Empire has noticeably less forces at its disposal and less supernatural allies.
Composed mostly of villages and small cities, the population of the EMpire is well disperesed all over the Emire's territory. Many religions exist all over Caedura, it is a very polytheistic region.
A unified group of ''horde'' races, mostly orcs, under the command of a military genius have been laying waste to many human settlements, they rarely if ever leave survivors, and their attacks are expertly coordinated. They have spies in many human settlements and they are one of the most terrifying forces in the Empire.
Secret Orders. A variety of secret orders and organizations exist in Caedura. Most notably, The Order of Balance, a secret order that attempts to keep a balance in the Multiverse bewteen the forces of good and evil, and The Keepers, a division of the Order of Balance that protect an Oracle who's soul contains the essence of Éru Illuvatar, the twisted and corruptor creator god (and only definite god in the Campaign Setting, more on that later), who was imprisoned by his creations when he tried to destroy them.
Another Secret Order is the Midnight Huntsmen, a group of misguided paladins (in this Campaign Setting, you need only believe that you are doing good/sacrifice for what you believe is right in order to retain your powers), rangers and others who hunt those they see as evil. Unfortunately, their judgment is often clouded and their interpretation of evil means that they often murder innocent, but peculiar people without justification. They function as a sort of Inquisition, sometimes carrying out executions publically, pinning crimes real or imagined to their targets, other times assasinating their victims under the cover of night.
The Zaqzhi Empire
An oriental-style Empire containing many monks, samurai and mages, the Zaqzhi Empire is ruled over by its God-Emperor, the Blood Emperor who inhabits a horrid palace where innumerable atrocities are commited daily. He is in leage with some sort of evil creatures, Demons, Devils or perhaps something else entirely, and has great supernatural powers at his disposal. It is said that he could fight wars on his own, if only he bothered to leave his throneroom.
Most of the people of the Empire are Neutral or even Good, most have a lawful bent. However, due to the propaganda and lies they are fed, they truly believe their Emperor is right. Nonhumans are often shunned by government officials in the EMpire, but the people don't generally discriminate against them.
Incarnum wellsprings, fonts of magic that draw from the very souls of creatures living, dead, and who have yet to be, lie sprawled across the Zaqzi Empire. A notable one lies beside a Half-Minotaur village that lives secluded from the rest of the Empire. Many meldshapers (Incarnum-wielders) spring forth from that area, unfortunately, their vein of Incarnum has been tainted by Necrocarnum (The energy of souls that were never meant to be) and as a result, not only do freakish abominations stalk the land, but people are often born soulless, empty shells that breath and require food but do not think or act. A rare few Soulless are indistinguishable from regular folk, until they die. They do not possess Souls, so they are forever lost when they die. They do not go to any sort of afterlife and cannot be raised from the dead.
Warpaint Gnomes, savage gnomes that live in tribes and are known for their barbary and prowess with Posions and Illusions live in the South of the Empire, their faces are covered in white, black and/or red warpaint and they attack enemies (which to them means almost everyone) on sight. They often train magical beasts or simple animals to fight with them, or build cunning traps. They also posess a few innate magical abilities.
The Zaqzhi Empire is preparing to go to war with the Kellerman Empire, for reasons known only to the Blood Emperor. Whispers say that a dark power behind the throne has decreed this, and this is but the begnning of a war between entities far greater than mortals.
The Wild Kingdoms
The wild kingdoms are a massive forest land inhabited by various creatures with no unified government who sometiems band together, sometimes war with each other, it depends. The Pantera (Homebrew Panther-people), Grippli (Frog-folk), Centaurs, Satyrs, Wood Elves, Silithar (Humanoid hive-minds dedicated to acquiring knowledge that are made up of tiny worms each containing a sliver of knowledge, see Lords of Madness), Killoren (Fey defenders of Nature, see Races of the Wild) and many others inhabit the wild kingdoms.
That's it for now. Soon I'll post soemthing about the gods (lack thereof) and what I've used to replace them.
Any comments, ideas and criticisms are welcome, they encourage me and give me fresh ideas I never would have thought up.
The World
Ier (The Continent of Man)
Iedura is a fairly large continent divided into five important sections. The Kellerman Empire, which occupies the east/northeast of the continent, the Zaqzi (also written as Zaqzhi, the spellings are interchangeable) Empire, occupying the southwest and a bit of the center of the continent, the Industrial Empire, occupying the central north and northwest of the continent, the Wild Kingdoms which occupy the south/southeast of the continent.
The three Empires originally sprung up from a single great empire which eventually splintered into three completely different empires due to cultural and ideological differences, amongst other things. They now have completely different cultures it is now impossible to see that they were once one single culture.
Industrial Empire
This empire is mostly made up of Warforged and Gnomes (the latter of which make up the majority of the population), although the mountain ranges in the east of the continent are home to a good deal of Dwarves. People live clustered in sprawling, packed cities and advanced technology such as Constructs, Airships, Elevators, etc. improve the quality of living, still those of low class lead short, laborious lives.
The Empire is ruled over by the Emperor, one of the most powerful psychics to ever live who is said to match the greatest of the Illithids in terms of power.
Magic is rare in the industrial empire, a war with the Illithids, in which the Emperor used powerful Mind Flayer technology against it's makers, tapping into a wellspring of psychic powers (I use the Green Ronin psychic rules, not the WotC ones) and forcing them to retreat to another continent. This event caused people born in the area to be born psychics with regularity, more so than anywhere else in Caedura. However, other forms of magic are rare, Arcane magic is still common but far less so than psychic ability and divine magic is nearly nonexistant.
The advanced technology, which is adapted from Illithid technology that was left after the war, is exported all over Caedura. The Industrial Empire is the greatest producer of powerful magical and psychic items and creations. The presence of Airships and Warforged are a notable example of this.
The dwarves live a traditional dwarven lifestyle, taking advantage of the technology at hand, but continuing to worship Moradin (religion is relatively nonexistant in this Empire) and live the way they always have.
Races such as Changelings, Shifters, Minotaurs, Doppelgangers, etc. - anyone perceived as weird or abnormal - find themselves at home in the Industrial Empire. There, people are rarely judged or persecuted.
Kellerman Empire
A more traditional fantasy empire, the Kellerman Empire is mostly composed of humans. An Empire in name only, the Kellerman Empire is actually a monarchy. The King recently died and his young and inexperienced son was left in charge of the Empire. Which is bad, because the Empire is at the brink of war with the Zaqzhi Empire, and the Kellerman Empire has noticeably less forces at its disposal and less supernatural allies.
Composed mostly of villages and small cities, the population of the EMpire is well disperesed all over the Emire's territory. Many religions exist all over Caedura, it is a very polytheistic region.
A unified group of ''horde'' races, mostly orcs, under the command of a military genius have been laying waste to many human settlements, they rarely if ever leave survivors, and their attacks are expertly coordinated. They have spies in many human settlements and they are one of the most terrifying forces in the Empire.
Secret Orders. A variety of secret orders and organizations exist in Caedura. Most notably, The Order of Balance, a secret order that attempts to keep a balance in the Multiverse bewteen the forces of good and evil, and The Keepers, a division of the Order of Balance that protect an Oracle who's soul contains the essence of Éru Illuvatar, the twisted and corruptor creator god (and only definite god in the Campaign Setting, more on that later), who was imprisoned by his creations when he tried to destroy them.
Another Secret Order is the Midnight Huntsmen, a group of misguided paladins (in this Campaign Setting, you need only believe that you are doing good/sacrifice for what you believe is right in order to retain your powers), rangers and others who hunt those they see as evil. Unfortunately, their judgment is often clouded and their interpretation of evil means that they often murder innocent, but peculiar people without justification. They function as a sort of Inquisition, sometimes carrying out executions publically, pinning crimes real or imagined to their targets, other times assasinating their victims under the cover of night.
The Zaqzhi Empire
An oriental-style Empire containing many monks, samurai and mages, the Zaqzhi Empire is ruled over by its God-Emperor, the Blood Emperor who inhabits a horrid palace where innumerable atrocities are commited daily. He is in leage with some sort of evil creatures, Demons, Devils or perhaps something else entirely, and has great supernatural powers at his disposal. It is said that he could fight wars on his own, if only he bothered to leave his throneroom.
Most of the people of the Empire are Neutral or even Good, most have a lawful bent. However, due to the propaganda and lies they are fed, they truly believe their Emperor is right. Nonhumans are often shunned by government officials in the EMpire, but the people don't generally discriminate against them.
Incarnum wellsprings, fonts of magic that draw from the very souls of creatures living, dead, and who have yet to be, lie sprawled across the Zaqzi Empire. A notable one lies beside a Half-Minotaur village that lives secluded from the rest of the Empire. Many meldshapers (Incarnum-wielders) spring forth from that area, unfortunately, their vein of Incarnum has been tainted by Necrocarnum (The energy of souls that were never meant to be) and as a result, not only do freakish abominations stalk the land, but people are often born soulless, empty shells that breath and require food but do not think or act. A rare few Soulless are indistinguishable from regular folk, until they die. They do not possess Souls, so they are forever lost when they die. They do not go to any sort of afterlife and cannot be raised from the dead.
Warpaint Gnomes, savage gnomes that live in tribes and are known for their barbary and prowess with Posions and Illusions live in the South of the Empire, their faces are covered in white, black and/or red warpaint and they attack enemies (which to them means almost everyone) on sight. They often train magical beasts or simple animals to fight with them, or build cunning traps. They also posess a few innate magical abilities.
The Zaqzhi Empire is preparing to go to war with the Kellerman Empire, for reasons known only to the Blood Emperor. Whispers say that a dark power behind the throne has decreed this, and this is but the begnning of a war between entities far greater than mortals.
The Wild Kingdoms
The wild kingdoms are a massive forest land inhabited by various creatures with no unified government who sometiems band together, sometimes war with each other, it depends. The Pantera (Homebrew Panther-people), Grippli (Frog-folk), Centaurs, Satyrs, Wood Elves, Silithar (Humanoid hive-minds dedicated to acquiring knowledge that are made up of tiny worms each containing a sliver of knowledge, see Lords of Madness), Killoren (Fey defenders of Nature, see Races of the Wild) and many others inhabit the wild kingdoms.
That's it for now. Soon I'll post soemthing about the gods (lack thereof) and what I've used to replace them.