RFLS
2012-05-07, 12:44 AM
Hey everyone, I have a homebrew campaign setting. I designed it specifically for my current group. It's got abundant but not generally high magic, and much higher technology than Greyhawke, on a par with Eberron or above. PEACH it, and ask any questions you've got. Anyone that wants to use it can go right ahead.
Politics
The elves live in a parliamentary monarchy. The seat of their kingdom is Telrain, where King Leoros sits. Their politics are subtle and long sighted, as befits their long lives and cunning minds. The major cities, of which there are nearly a hundred, all have ruling Houses, with each House getting a vote in the parliament. These cities also have lesser, subsidiary cities and towns for which the Houses speak as well. Among the most powerful of these houses are House Coren, House Ardeth and House Kor’sis. Recently, the ruling Lord of House Coren was assassinated, and both of his sons fled during the ensuing chaos. Neither of them has been seen since, and the King has ordered a kingdom wide search. The political repercussions could very easily shatter the kingdom, with many Houses already beginning to consider seceding.
The centaurs have, in the last few hundred years, expanded both in numbers and boldness. There is a long, deep-seated hatred between the centaurs and the elves, and neither group affords the other any mercy. The centaurs have recently ramped up their raiding of the elven cities. There are rumors that they've begun quarrying and logging, but no one knows why....
The dwarves are a loose republic of various independent city-states. There is no standard form of government from state to state, and the range is everywhere from near-tyrannical monarchy to pure democracy. Dwarves, being by nature argumentative and stubborn, only ever work together to face a genuine threat to dwarven society. This has not happened in hundreds of years, since the last Great War with the human race. Not too much is known about dwarven politics by the outside races. The only similarity between the dwarven states, other than their mining prowess, is the crystalline caves they clear and maintain, much in the same way other races maintain gardens.
The minotaurs roam the faces of the inner mountain range, in tribes sizing anywhere from 20 to nearly 100. They recognize brute strength alone as a sign of leadership, and when someone can best the current chief in stylized combat, the new chief is recognized. They rarely attack, but will defend themselves and their own to the death from any attack. They have, in general, a wary understanding with the dwarven states, with the dwarves recognizing that tribes are only responsible for their own actions and not those of the other tribes.
The gnomes are an anarchist state inhabiting the asteroids. They have long since discovered the technology necessary to clear out the interior of an asteroid and fill it with breathable air, as well as being able to purify it as necessary. Crime is dealt with by what could almost be called mob justice, and, oddly, crime is at its lowest in the asteroids compared to any of the other nations. The gnomes have the most advanced technology and magic of any of the nations, but, luckily for the other nations, are small in number and stature, as well as being almost universally pacifist.
The humans live on the fringes between the elven plains kingdom and the dwarven-ruled mountains. Their war-like nature long ago turned on them in the last Great War, in which mankind sought to rule the other races. Since then, they have been few in number and are still subject to scorn, derision, and shunning by the other races, with the exception of the gnomes, who are a forgiving people. Recently, humans have been growing a little in power and number, with a few of them even attaining wealth and status. There is no unified human government, and the governments are mostly limited to towns and cities. The exception to this is the dual-city state of Ankh-Morpork, which sits in a series of canyons at the edge of the mountains.
Transportation and technology
The dwarven cities are connected to each other via a steam-powered tram that runs around the inner rim of the disc. It is possible, if you wait long enough, to do a complete circle in it. The gnomes are in possession of airships, which they use between the more distant asteroids, as well as occasional trips to the cities of the world. None of the other races possess the technology to make these ships; however, the elves and centaurs both trade them the special wood required to make them. The elven cities are connected by a series of waygates. These gates, while powerful, have a limit to what they can transport at a time, preventing massive amounts of trade between cities. They can also be closed from either side of the gate, a feature built in long ago to prevent surprise attacks. The magic required to make these gates is now known to only a few elves, and of them, even fewer are willing to share it. The humans get by as they can, either by using the other races' transportation or just by walking.
Technologically, the gnomes are the most advanced. They have extensive knowledge of explosives, bionics, flight, steam power, and automatons. However, they rarely choose to create large items, given their limited space in the asteroids. The dwarves are the next most technologically advanced, but their technology focuses on the large. They are well practiced in making near-impregnable gates, as well as steam powered walkers and other forms of transport. Additionally, their mining technology is unrivaled. The elves have little need or use for technology, however, they recognize that such an important force should not be ignored, and the occasional elf will learn the technological arts from the gnomes or the dwarves. The humans, while not advanced as a race, have produced some of the finest engineers and inventors on the planet.
The only place where all four races come together, with no one race in a clear majority, is in the gnomish city Glimmergaunt. This city sits near the planet's only hot springs, making it both a massive trade hub and destination for relaxing nobles or business tycoons. No one knows what causes the hot springs, but the myth is that that a massive creature of fire slumbers in the earth, heating the water.
Magic
The elves and the gnomes are nearly equal in terms of magical ability. The differences in magical practice reflect on their homes; the gnomes require magic that fits in a compact space, whereas the elves have nearly the whole of the plains for their magic. This leads to the more practical magics being used by the gnomes, while the elves focus on the grandiose. The dwarves have little time for what they consider a mysterious and dangerous subject, but dwarf mages are not uncommon. Humans, once again, are outstripped by the other races, but will produce extraordinarily talented mages from time to time. These mages are feared and shunned by almost everyone, as it is remembered that at the time of the Great War, it was mages that led the humans both on and off the battlefield. The centaurs and the minotaurs both practice druidic magic, but not much is known about these druids, other than the fact that many of the tribes are led by them.
Trade
None of the races, other than the elves and the centaurs, refuse to trade with each other. At the same time, all of the nations are self-sufficient, and thus do not require trade, if they were to be shut off from any other for whatever reason. The dwarves produce far more in the way of mineral resources than the other races, while the elves produce much in the way of foodstuffs and art. The gnomes trade almost exclusively in technological and magical gadgets that serve nearly any purpose. The humans, while having no resource exclusive to themselves, act as tradesmen, middlemen, and general go-betweens for the other races.
Planet
Much of the magic and technology of the planet functions because of the planet's high-intensity magical and magnetic fields. These fields are what give the planet its odd shape, as well as being what hold the asteroids in place. They have also been known to capture stray asteroids, but this is a very rare occurrence. Recently, asteroids have begun falling out of orbit more often. As the only nation on the plains, the elves are practiced at dealing with these, and use a modified reverse gravity spell on them to shove them back into space. More often than not, the asteroid is recaptured by the planet and return to the asteroid field.
The trolls
Not much is known about the trolls and the edge of the world. The edge is a frozen tundra, ruled by the trolls. Trolls are an odd species; they are living rock. Their brains and nervous systems are silicon based, and, as the temperature of the troll drops, their conductivity and intelligence increase. Likewise, as they heat up, they become dumber and dumber. At the hottest temperatures on the plains, trolls can actually heat up to the point where they become dumb and still, until they cool down once more. This has led to the myth that trolls turn to stone in daylight.
History
The defining historical event, at least in written history, was the Great War, nearly two hundred years previous in the past.. During this time period, the alignment of power was vastly different than what exists today. The elves were a small, peaceful race, dwelling almost exclusively in the forests, and having little to do with the other races. The dwarves were much as they are now, but the various city states that now make up their republic were separate, and constantly at war with each other and the minotaur. The gnomes lived peacefully almost everywhere on the planet, and are rumored to have created the first waygate, and had yet to inhabit the asteroids. The humans, meanwhile, were separated into five nations across the plains area, each ruled by a powerful mage or group of mages. These nations formed a loose alliance between themselves and the centaurs, whose warlike nature they understood more than the other races. The Great War began when the humans attacked the sole elven city, with their centaur allies at the front of the charge. As the battle began, the humans turned on the centaurs, wiping both the sole elven bastion and the main body of the centaur army out in one decisive battle. The War continued for nearly ten years after that, with rebellions springing up behind conquered lines on an almost daily basis. The War was going badly for the other races, which had formed an alliance against this unexpected threat. The humans had just captured their first dwarven city, and forced many dwarves into slavery. They demanded more steel and other minerals for their war machines, and forced the dwarves to delve deeper and more greedily than they ever had before. A dwarven mining party opened up a mineshaft into what appeared to be a paved hallway, and for the first time, the surface world knew of the drow. They were elf-like in appearance, but darker, and that was where the similarity ended. They were fierce and deadly fighters, to the point where no drow was ever captured alive. The human nations hated the idea of a group outside their control, and channeled resources into amassing their greatest army yet, outfitted with as many war machines as they could devise, with the sole purpose of subjugating the drow. This army descended the mineshaft, flooding into the hallways of the drow. The first few reports indicated the hallways to be empty of even the few drow that had been sighted. After the first few scouts returned, though, no more was ever heard from the invading army. To this day there exists no indication as to what happened to them, and when it became apparent they would not return, the mineshaft in question was filled from the bottom up. Such a loss of manpower and resources was devastating to the human nations, which quickly turned in upon themselves, both politically and militarily. The other races took their opportunity and destroyed the humans, driving them from every last one of their cities, and utterly routing every last one of their armies. After the war, the elves, and their leader in particular, saw the need to fill the void the humans had occupied, lest they grow in power once more. The elves occupied the human cities, and found them to their liking. They also built new cities, the first of which was Telrain. The leader of the elves at that time was King Leoros, who is now far older, and far, far more powerful in the ways of magic. Many of the elves still remember the Great War, as do some of the oldest of dwarves. After the war, the gnomes grouped together, and, after many years of secret, furious, working began their cities in the asteroids, away from what they considered the unnecessary violence of the other races.
Politics
The elves live in a parliamentary monarchy. The seat of their kingdom is Telrain, where King Leoros sits. Their politics are subtle and long sighted, as befits their long lives and cunning minds. The major cities, of which there are nearly a hundred, all have ruling Houses, with each House getting a vote in the parliament. These cities also have lesser, subsidiary cities and towns for which the Houses speak as well. Among the most powerful of these houses are House Coren, House Ardeth and House Kor’sis. Recently, the ruling Lord of House Coren was assassinated, and both of his sons fled during the ensuing chaos. Neither of them has been seen since, and the King has ordered a kingdom wide search. The political repercussions could very easily shatter the kingdom, with many Houses already beginning to consider seceding.
The centaurs have, in the last few hundred years, expanded both in numbers and boldness. There is a long, deep-seated hatred between the centaurs and the elves, and neither group affords the other any mercy. The centaurs have recently ramped up their raiding of the elven cities. There are rumors that they've begun quarrying and logging, but no one knows why....
The dwarves are a loose republic of various independent city-states. There is no standard form of government from state to state, and the range is everywhere from near-tyrannical monarchy to pure democracy. Dwarves, being by nature argumentative and stubborn, only ever work together to face a genuine threat to dwarven society. This has not happened in hundreds of years, since the last Great War with the human race. Not too much is known about dwarven politics by the outside races. The only similarity between the dwarven states, other than their mining prowess, is the crystalline caves they clear and maintain, much in the same way other races maintain gardens.
The minotaurs roam the faces of the inner mountain range, in tribes sizing anywhere from 20 to nearly 100. They recognize brute strength alone as a sign of leadership, and when someone can best the current chief in stylized combat, the new chief is recognized. They rarely attack, but will defend themselves and their own to the death from any attack. They have, in general, a wary understanding with the dwarven states, with the dwarves recognizing that tribes are only responsible for their own actions and not those of the other tribes.
The gnomes are an anarchist state inhabiting the asteroids. They have long since discovered the technology necessary to clear out the interior of an asteroid and fill it with breathable air, as well as being able to purify it as necessary. Crime is dealt with by what could almost be called mob justice, and, oddly, crime is at its lowest in the asteroids compared to any of the other nations. The gnomes have the most advanced technology and magic of any of the nations, but, luckily for the other nations, are small in number and stature, as well as being almost universally pacifist.
The humans live on the fringes between the elven plains kingdom and the dwarven-ruled mountains. Their war-like nature long ago turned on them in the last Great War, in which mankind sought to rule the other races. Since then, they have been few in number and are still subject to scorn, derision, and shunning by the other races, with the exception of the gnomes, who are a forgiving people. Recently, humans have been growing a little in power and number, with a few of them even attaining wealth and status. There is no unified human government, and the governments are mostly limited to towns and cities. The exception to this is the dual-city state of Ankh-Morpork, which sits in a series of canyons at the edge of the mountains.
Transportation and technology
The dwarven cities are connected to each other via a steam-powered tram that runs around the inner rim of the disc. It is possible, if you wait long enough, to do a complete circle in it. The gnomes are in possession of airships, which they use between the more distant asteroids, as well as occasional trips to the cities of the world. None of the other races possess the technology to make these ships; however, the elves and centaurs both trade them the special wood required to make them. The elven cities are connected by a series of waygates. These gates, while powerful, have a limit to what they can transport at a time, preventing massive amounts of trade between cities. They can also be closed from either side of the gate, a feature built in long ago to prevent surprise attacks. The magic required to make these gates is now known to only a few elves, and of them, even fewer are willing to share it. The humans get by as they can, either by using the other races' transportation or just by walking.
Technologically, the gnomes are the most advanced. They have extensive knowledge of explosives, bionics, flight, steam power, and automatons. However, they rarely choose to create large items, given their limited space in the asteroids. The dwarves are the next most technologically advanced, but their technology focuses on the large. They are well practiced in making near-impregnable gates, as well as steam powered walkers and other forms of transport. Additionally, their mining technology is unrivaled. The elves have little need or use for technology, however, they recognize that such an important force should not be ignored, and the occasional elf will learn the technological arts from the gnomes or the dwarves. The humans, while not advanced as a race, have produced some of the finest engineers and inventors on the planet.
The only place where all four races come together, with no one race in a clear majority, is in the gnomish city Glimmergaunt. This city sits near the planet's only hot springs, making it both a massive trade hub and destination for relaxing nobles or business tycoons. No one knows what causes the hot springs, but the myth is that that a massive creature of fire slumbers in the earth, heating the water.
Magic
The elves and the gnomes are nearly equal in terms of magical ability. The differences in magical practice reflect on their homes; the gnomes require magic that fits in a compact space, whereas the elves have nearly the whole of the plains for their magic. This leads to the more practical magics being used by the gnomes, while the elves focus on the grandiose. The dwarves have little time for what they consider a mysterious and dangerous subject, but dwarf mages are not uncommon. Humans, once again, are outstripped by the other races, but will produce extraordinarily talented mages from time to time. These mages are feared and shunned by almost everyone, as it is remembered that at the time of the Great War, it was mages that led the humans both on and off the battlefield. The centaurs and the minotaurs both practice druidic magic, but not much is known about these druids, other than the fact that many of the tribes are led by them.
Trade
None of the races, other than the elves and the centaurs, refuse to trade with each other. At the same time, all of the nations are self-sufficient, and thus do not require trade, if they were to be shut off from any other for whatever reason. The dwarves produce far more in the way of mineral resources than the other races, while the elves produce much in the way of foodstuffs and art. The gnomes trade almost exclusively in technological and magical gadgets that serve nearly any purpose. The humans, while having no resource exclusive to themselves, act as tradesmen, middlemen, and general go-betweens for the other races.
Planet
Much of the magic and technology of the planet functions because of the planet's high-intensity magical and magnetic fields. These fields are what give the planet its odd shape, as well as being what hold the asteroids in place. They have also been known to capture stray asteroids, but this is a very rare occurrence. Recently, asteroids have begun falling out of orbit more often. As the only nation on the plains, the elves are practiced at dealing with these, and use a modified reverse gravity spell on them to shove them back into space. More often than not, the asteroid is recaptured by the planet and return to the asteroid field.
The trolls
Not much is known about the trolls and the edge of the world. The edge is a frozen tundra, ruled by the trolls. Trolls are an odd species; they are living rock. Their brains and nervous systems are silicon based, and, as the temperature of the troll drops, their conductivity and intelligence increase. Likewise, as they heat up, they become dumber and dumber. At the hottest temperatures on the plains, trolls can actually heat up to the point where they become dumb and still, until they cool down once more. This has led to the myth that trolls turn to stone in daylight.
History
The defining historical event, at least in written history, was the Great War, nearly two hundred years previous in the past.. During this time period, the alignment of power was vastly different than what exists today. The elves were a small, peaceful race, dwelling almost exclusively in the forests, and having little to do with the other races. The dwarves were much as they are now, but the various city states that now make up their republic were separate, and constantly at war with each other and the minotaur. The gnomes lived peacefully almost everywhere on the planet, and are rumored to have created the first waygate, and had yet to inhabit the asteroids. The humans, meanwhile, were separated into five nations across the plains area, each ruled by a powerful mage or group of mages. These nations formed a loose alliance between themselves and the centaurs, whose warlike nature they understood more than the other races. The Great War began when the humans attacked the sole elven city, with their centaur allies at the front of the charge. As the battle began, the humans turned on the centaurs, wiping both the sole elven bastion and the main body of the centaur army out in one decisive battle. The War continued for nearly ten years after that, with rebellions springing up behind conquered lines on an almost daily basis. The War was going badly for the other races, which had formed an alliance against this unexpected threat. The humans had just captured their first dwarven city, and forced many dwarves into slavery. They demanded more steel and other minerals for their war machines, and forced the dwarves to delve deeper and more greedily than they ever had before. A dwarven mining party opened up a mineshaft into what appeared to be a paved hallway, and for the first time, the surface world knew of the drow. They were elf-like in appearance, but darker, and that was where the similarity ended. They were fierce and deadly fighters, to the point where no drow was ever captured alive. The human nations hated the idea of a group outside their control, and channeled resources into amassing their greatest army yet, outfitted with as many war machines as they could devise, with the sole purpose of subjugating the drow. This army descended the mineshaft, flooding into the hallways of the drow. The first few reports indicated the hallways to be empty of even the few drow that had been sighted. After the first few scouts returned, though, no more was ever heard from the invading army. To this day there exists no indication as to what happened to them, and when it became apparent they would not return, the mineshaft in question was filled from the bottom up. Such a loss of manpower and resources was devastating to the human nations, which quickly turned in upon themselves, both politically and militarily. The other races took their opportunity and destroyed the humans, driving them from every last one of their cities, and utterly routing every last one of their armies. After the war, the elves, and their leader in particular, saw the need to fill the void the humans had occupied, lest they grow in power once more. The elves occupied the human cities, and found them to their liking. They also built new cities, the first of which was Telrain. The leader of the elves at that time was King Leoros, who is now far older, and far, far more powerful in the ways of magic. Many of the elves still remember the Great War, as do some of the oldest of dwarves. After the war, the gnomes grouped together, and, after many years of secret, furious, working began their cities in the asteroids, away from what they considered the unnecessary violence of the other races.