bayonder
2012-06-23, 01:40 PM
hey, here's a setting I'm running a game in that I thought might be interesting to some people, I figured I'd toss it out there. As many old-schoolers will probably guess, it took quite a big chunk of inspiration from the old Spelljammer setting.
Arcane Space
There are many stories in the world, stories of warriors and mages who wield the might to shatter mountains, stories of adventures that range across the lands and seas that are familiar to most. What most do not realize however, is that these adventures are but a footnote to the struggles that range across all the known worlds, for beyond the sky lies a threshold of adventure that not all are privileged enough to know, an airless void spanned by great ships of wood and stone. Within this void lie worlds beyond number, worlds of all kinds imaginable, from flat discs upon the backs of great void-sailing beasts to enormous orbs of pure water upon which drift free floating motes of earth topped by the towers and spires of mighty kingdoms. There is untold danger in the void, indeed that is true, but untold adventure as well, as well as rewards beyond the measure of any mortal man.
The Flow
The Flow is a web of arcane energy that acts like the currents of an ocean that is massive beyond mortal imagination, its scintillating auroras span distances so vast that it would take many years to cross them unaided, a daunting proposition for all but the most determined. Luckily, The Flow facilitates travel at unbelievable speed, making travel between stars a matter of weeks rather than years, making star spanning empires not only a possibility but a reality.
Arcanite
Those who are cast adrift in the Flow find that their own personal air envelope is not nearly as robust as the one aboard their ship, luckily running out of air in The Flow (Unlike running out of air in the void) causes the arcane energies surrounding living beings in such a situation to seep into their flesh, turning them to a pale green, metallic substance called Arcanite . Arcanite is nearly indestructible, making it useless for forging as it cannot be bent, broken or molded. Even if it could be forged it would be needlessly difficult to do so, as Arcanite begins to turn back into the creature it once was the moment it touches fresh, breathable air. Luckily the process takes long enough that most creature cast adrift can survive the dangers of atmospheric re-entry, in fact, many ancient tales of champions fallen from the heavens are actually the tale of Void-Sailors who were cast adrift before making a dramatic entrance onto a nearby world.
Void-Sailing
The secrets of void-sailing are ancient beyond reckoning, some say it was the gods themselves who created the first void-ships, others claim an ancient race from before even the time of elves were the first to ply the stars. Whatever the case there are many ways to sail the void, the most common being to attach a “Helm” or enchanted throne to a standard sailing ship, allowing it to be piloted by those with magical talent. Other methods have been found of course, from the patchwork wrecks that gnomes construct that hurtle them through the void on trails of white hot flame, to the Forge Engines of the dwarves that power the massive dwarven citadel ships on the minerals that the dwarves mine from the very asteroids the ships are constructed from.
The Core
The core of the galaxy is encircled by a dense fog, it is said to sail the fog unaided is certain death, and the only ones who might guide a mortal are the heralds of the gods themselves. Beyond the fog lay vibrant and grand and terrible worlds, heavens and hells, paradises of every mortal conception and hells of all kinds. Chief among these however are the realms of the highest gods, such as Kord, Bahamut or Tiamat, those whose worship is known on nearly all worlds. Only the most privileged of mortals will see these realms before they die.
The Far Reaches
Originally there was a great crystal sphere that encompassed the whole of the galaxy, unimaginable in scale, even the Primordials have no idea who created it. The gods once grew curious about what lay beyond the sphere, Ioun used her power to craft a spell that would open a small portal in the sphere, upon casting it there was a cataclysmic crash as the sphere shattered, it's energy released as a psionic pulse that filled the life of the galaxy with the psionic energy that lead to the powers of the mind that many of the galaxies peoples use. The remnants of the spheres physical matter became the race of Shardminds, who guard the edges of the galaxy to this day. For what the gods unleashed that day was the Madness of the far reaches, as the reaches of space went further and further order began to break down, it seemed the natural state of the outside universe, the terror that the sphere was meant to keep out, was madness and entropy. Many beings have come from the Far reaches since, some benevolent, some benign, but most hostile or underhanded, if not toxic to the structure of life itself.
The Elemental Chaos
the elemental chaos of a dimension of Raw, roiling energy, there is little order to be found here, cities and civilizations do exist here but there is no place guaranteed to be safe from moment to moment. It has been said that the material plane is but a skin or a thin fabric floating on the roiling seas of the elemental chaos, a small veneer of stability over the true nature of the universe. In some places it is advantageous to enter the elemental Chaos at one place to exit at another in an abbreviated time span, but it is always understood that a major risk is being undertaken in cases when this become preferable or necessary.
How Do You Breath In Space?
I’m glad you asked, when a ship leaves the atmosphere of a planet there is an envelope of air that adheres to the ship, enabling the crew to breath, this envelope is usually big enough to facilitate a month or two of travel.
That Makes No Sense!
No, it makes perfect sense.
What About Gravity?
Gravity is not only a harsh mistress, but a strange one, any object free from the gravity of a planet extends a flat plane of gravity out in all directions to the edge of its air envelope, any object above this plane is drawn down toward it and any object below it is drawn up towards it(it is a favorite pastime of newly initiated void-sailors to toss objects from the ship and watch them bob up and down through the gravity plane until they reach the edge of the air envelope and fly off into the void). Most ships are designed so that the gravity plane will be extended from the keel, meaning crew will be drawn straight to the bottom of the ship, though there are examples of ships whose design takes advantage of a gravity plane which bisects the crafts at its middle decks. Planets are unique in that gravity will always draw objects toward its surface, regardless of the planets shape.
That Doesn’t Make Sense Either?!?
Yes it does, and stop contradicting me.
The History of the Galaxy in Brief
The Creation of the Flow
In the time of the Dawn War the void was seen as a perfect means of covert travel by the Primordials, the gods took little interest in the voids barren emptiness and the strange beings that dwelt within it. The Arcane Flow is a shifting highway network of elemental energy, the routes shifted every few decades or centuries, which was more than enough time in the eons of the dawn war to give the primordials a great advantage. Luckily, when the Primordials where imprisoned the flow remained, still shifting, but far more predictable and stable once Avandra gave it a few adjustments.
The Arkhosian-Turathi War
Arkhosia and Bael Turath existed for nearly a thousand years, two mighty empires bestriding the stars, their clashes devoured worlds whole and snuffed stars like candle lights. Some say the galaxy was noticably shrunk by the war between the two empires, but the nearly ten thousand recorded stars throughout the galaxy make this seem unlikely, it was devastating to be sure however. There are still relics of the old empires scattered thoughout the galaxy, uncovered from time to time and often upsetting the balance of power in whole sectors when they arise. The Dragonborn and Tieflings were scattered by the war, the dragonborn fled back to the fringes and the tieflings stayed and rotted amongst their ruined palaces in the galactic core.
Empires Established: 5029 A.D.W.
Empire Fell: 5998 A.D.W.
The Empire of Nerath
Left as second class citizens throughout the time of the Arkhosian-Turathi Dominance, Humans truly came into their own when their masters finally fell, after all they had been servants, laborers and crafters for the former masters of the galaxy. Only fifty years after the fall of the two empires they created an empire that united the galaxy, using the remnants of the two shattered empires they were able to accomplish what their predecessors failed to do, with the combined might of the artifacts and relics of both empires the Nerathi military was unstoppable. Unfortunately, the empire became far too large to run, bloated under its own weight the Naerathi empire quickly fell to corruption and greed, finally collapsing as the last of their masters relics began to fail, the knowledge of their maintainence lost.
Empire Established: 6048 A.D.W.
Empire Fell: 6257 A.D.W.
The Current State of the Galaxy
The Current reigning Dynasty is the Elven Empire, through developing new means of harnessing magic to technology the Elves and Eladrin have been able to spread thoughout the worlds surrounding the galactice core, stopping just short of taking the worlds that are now known as the Kingdoms of Men, a collection of fractured and warring stellar fiefdoms that are all that remains of the Nerathi Empire. The Elven Empire has declared them to be Protectorate States of the Elven Empire, they use this as an excuse to keep their military in place among the worlds of Men and extract tax from them when they can. Beyond the Kingdoms of Men lay the Dark Worlds, a ring of harsh and dead worlds, many are small and some are drifting hunks of cold rock with no star to hold them in place. These worlds are a refuge for pirates and scum of the worse kind, hiding on the fringes of civilized society they only enter the inner worlds to raid and plunder, only the brave(or the mad) dare to raid as far in as the Elven Empire and even they only strike at the fringes. Beyond these places lie the Fringe Worlds, Often called the scattered kingdoms, out here it is common that those who are worldbound may not even know of the existance of other worlds or the voidsailors that travel between them as anything more than myth and allegory. Only a handful of interstellar kingdoms exist out this far, most voidsailing settlements are Elven or human colonies harvesting resources, All are under the protection of the Lucid Patrols. The Lucid Patrolls are an organization of psionic police that patrol the fringes and attempt as best they can to keep the abberations of the far reaches from entering our world, they have a complex relationship with the Imperial Navy, though technically listed as a pirate group to appease the beholder and illithid fleets they don't often come to blows unless one trys to get in the others way.
Current Empire Established: 6387 A.D.W.
Current Year: 6698 A.D.W.
And for those who are curious, here is the party I'm running
Magnus Starwind is an Eladrin Sorcerer, he is played by my fiancee Becca. The second born in his family, he is the heir to arcane power which he draws from the very cycles of the stars and planets themselves, partly because upon his planet it is tradition to expose the (expendable) second born child to sources of arcane power in hopes they survive with sorcerous power in tack, most do not. He is a deserter from the Elven Imperial Navy(the elves hold a vast majority of the planets near the galactic core), losing his stomach for the work when a group of neogi slaves who were forced to take up arms were slaughtered, most as they tried to surrender. He is mostly just trying to get off-world and head out to were the elves have less hold.(Neutral Good)
Darius is a Dragonborn Paladin, played by my buddy Josh. He is the retainer of a fringe world noble, a king of an entire world, and one of the last dragonborn left on his planet (They are fairly rare throughout the galaxy, thought extinct until about two centuries ago.). His ship was attacked on it's maiden voyage, a first attempt to save their dying home, ravaged by a terrible world war perpetrated by the mad king of the last dynasty. After only stopping at only two planets, neither of which could offer enough supplies to see their world through its reconstruction, the ship was attacked by Neogi slavers, Darius himself was cast into the Arcane Flow. It preserved him as he drifted for an unknown amount of time, waking up on the beach of a world in the outer reaches of the Elven empire, now he seeks his homeworld, if he could not defend his liege he can at least deliver news of his fate.(Lawful Neutral)
Hunzuh is a Shardmind Psion, played by my friend Jean Luc(Yes, he was named after Picard.). Part of the Lucid Patrols, an organization that patrols the galaxies edges for creature of the far realm seeking to infiltrate our reality, he was kidnapped and displayed as a curiosity throughout the Elven Empire. After killing his captor and escaping, he is seeking to return to his post and expand his psionic potential along the way. (Chaotic Neutral)
Lantasia Borrogeti is a Half Elven Bard, played by Emily. Not much has been revealed about her yet, all that is known is that she is fleeing the Galactic Thieves Guild and hopes to do so by leaving civilized space.(Chaotic Neutral)
Adran Silvereye is an Elven Druid, played by Andrew. He is somewhat eccentric, but claims he was sent on a mission by the strange and mysterious spirits that dwell in the void, warned of a terrible darkness rising on the fringes that is threatening to devour entire worlds. (Neutral Good)
Infinius Madblood is a Half Elven Warlock, played by Chase. He draws his power from the mad stars that dwell on the galaxies edges, corrupted by the Far Realm, he merely seeks power. He hopes by traveling to the galaxies edges he will be able to draw greater powers from his fell stars, he also sees the threads of destiny intertwined among this group, the stars have shown them to him, and he hopes that if he can ride along with that destiny it might take him to heights of arcane puissance he might not otherwise reach.(He's our token Chaotic Evil character, I always find it best if a low key evil character is in the party to shake things up a bit, as long as the party can keep a good hold on him for at least the majority of the time.)
So there is our party, all drawn together, unknowing, on a world at the edges of the Elven Empire. Each of them with something to run from, or run to, all unified by purpose, but further unified by the destiny that awaits them among the stars.
Arcane Space
There are many stories in the world, stories of warriors and mages who wield the might to shatter mountains, stories of adventures that range across the lands and seas that are familiar to most. What most do not realize however, is that these adventures are but a footnote to the struggles that range across all the known worlds, for beyond the sky lies a threshold of adventure that not all are privileged enough to know, an airless void spanned by great ships of wood and stone. Within this void lie worlds beyond number, worlds of all kinds imaginable, from flat discs upon the backs of great void-sailing beasts to enormous orbs of pure water upon which drift free floating motes of earth topped by the towers and spires of mighty kingdoms. There is untold danger in the void, indeed that is true, but untold adventure as well, as well as rewards beyond the measure of any mortal man.
The Flow
The Flow is a web of arcane energy that acts like the currents of an ocean that is massive beyond mortal imagination, its scintillating auroras span distances so vast that it would take many years to cross them unaided, a daunting proposition for all but the most determined. Luckily, The Flow facilitates travel at unbelievable speed, making travel between stars a matter of weeks rather than years, making star spanning empires not only a possibility but a reality.
Arcanite
Those who are cast adrift in the Flow find that their own personal air envelope is not nearly as robust as the one aboard their ship, luckily running out of air in The Flow (Unlike running out of air in the void) causes the arcane energies surrounding living beings in such a situation to seep into their flesh, turning them to a pale green, metallic substance called Arcanite . Arcanite is nearly indestructible, making it useless for forging as it cannot be bent, broken or molded. Even if it could be forged it would be needlessly difficult to do so, as Arcanite begins to turn back into the creature it once was the moment it touches fresh, breathable air. Luckily the process takes long enough that most creature cast adrift can survive the dangers of atmospheric re-entry, in fact, many ancient tales of champions fallen from the heavens are actually the tale of Void-Sailors who were cast adrift before making a dramatic entrance onto a nearby world.
Void-Sailing
The secrets of void-sailing are ancient beyond reckoning, some say it was the gods themselves who created the first void-ships, others claim an ancient race from before even the time of elves were the first to ply the stars. Whatever the case there are many ways to sail the void, the most common being to attach a “Helm” or enchanted throne to a standard sailing ship, allowing it to be piloted by those with magical talent. Other methods have been found of course, from the patchwork wrecks that gnomes construct that hurtle them through the void on trails of white hot flame, to the Forge Engines of the dwarves that power the massive dwarven citadel ships on the minerals that the dwarves mine from the very asteroids the ships are constructed from.
The Core
The core of the galaxy is encircled by a dense fog, it is said to sail the fog unaided is certain death, and the only ones who might guide a mortal are the heralds of the gods themselves. Beyond the fog lay vibrant and grand and terrible worlds, heavens and hells, paradises of every mortal conception and hells of all kinds. Chief among these however are the realms of the highest gods, such as Kord, Bahamut or Tiamat, those whose worship is known on nearly all worlds. Only the most privileged of mortals will see these realms before they die.
The Far Reaches
Originally there was a great crystal sphere that encompassed the whole of the galaxy, unimaginable in scale, even the Primordials have no idea who created it. The gods once grew curious about what lay beyond the sphere, Ioun used her power to craft a spell that would open a small portal in the sphere, upon casting it there was a cataclysmic crash as the sphere shattered, it's energy released as a psionic pulse that filled the life of the galaxy with the psionic energy that lead to the powers of the mind that many of the galaxies peoples use. The remnants of the spheres physical matter became the race of Shardminds, who guard the edges of the galaxy to this day. For what the gods unleashed that day was the Madness of the far reaches, as the reaches of space went further and further order began to break down, it seemed the natural state of the outside universe, the terror that the sphere was meant to keep out, was madness and entropy. Many beings have come from the Far reaches since, some benevolent, some benign, but most hostile or underhanded, if not toxic to the structure of life itself.
The Elemental Chaos
the elemental chaos of a dimension of Raw, roiling energy, there is little order to be found here, cities and civilizations do exist here but there is no place guaranteed to be safe from moment to moment. It has been said that the material plane is but a skin or a thin fabric floating on the roiling seas of the elemental chaos, a small veneer of stability over the true nature of the universe. In some places it is advantageous to enter the elemental Chaos at one place to exit at another in an abbreviated time span, but it is always understood that a major risk is being undertaken in cases when this become preferable or necessary.
How Do You Breath In Space?
I’m glad you asked, when a ship leaves the atmosphere of a planet there is an envelope of air that adheres to the ship, enabling the crew to breath, this envelope is usually big enough to facilitate a month or two of travel.
That Makes No Sense!
No, it makes perfect sense.
What About Gravity?
Gravity is not only a harsh mistress, but a strange one, any object free from the gravity of a planet extends a flat plane of gravity out in all directions to the edge of its air envelope, any object above this plane is drawn down toward it and any object below it is drawn up towards it(it is a favorite pastime of newly initiated void-sailors to toss objects from the ship and watch them bob up and down through the gravity plane until they reach the edge of the air envelope and fly off into the void). Most ships are designed so that the gravity plane will be extended from the keel, meaning crew will be drawn straight to the bottom of the ship, though there are examples of ships whose design takes advantage of a gravity plane which bisects the crafts at its middle decks. Planets are unique in that gravity will always draw objects toward its surface, regardless of the planets shape.
That Doesn’t Make Sense Either?!?
Yes it does, and stop contradicting me.
The History of the Galaxy in Brief
The Creation of the Flow
In the time of the Dawn War the void was seen as a perfect means of covert travel by the Primordials, the gods took little interest in the voids barren emptiness and the strange beings that dwelt within it. The Arcane Flow is a shifting highway network of elemental energy, the routes shifted every few decades or centuries, which was more than enough time in the eons of the dawn war to give the primordials a great advantage. Luckily, when the Primordials where imprisoned the flow remained, still shifting, but far more predictable and stable once Avandra gave it a few adjustments.
The Arkhosian-Turathi War
Arkhosia and Bael Turath existed for nearly a thousand years, two mighty empires bestriding the stars, their clashes devoured worlds whole and snuffed stars like candle lights. Some say the galaxy was noticably shrunk by the war between the two empires, but the nearly ten thousand recorded stars throughout the galaxy make this seem unlikely, it was devastating to be sure however. There are still relics of the old empires scattered thoughout the galaxy, uncovered from time to time and often upsetting the balance of power in whole sectors when they arise. The Dragonborn and Tieflings were scattered by the war, the dragonborn fled back to the fringes and the tieflings stayed and rotted amongst their ruined palaces in the galactic core.
Empires Established: 5029 A.D.W.
Empire Fell: 5998 A.D.W.
The Empire of Nerath
Left as second class citizens throughout the time of the Arkhosian-Turathi Dominance, Humans truly came into their own when their masters finally fell, after all they had been servants, laborers and crafters for the former masters of the galaxy. Only fifty years after the fall of the two empires they created an empire that united the galaxy, using the remnants of the two shattered empires they were able to accomplish what their predecessors failed to do, with the combined might of the artifacts and relics of both empires the Nerathi military was unstoppable. Unfortunately, the empire became far too large to run, bloated under its own weight the Naerathi empire quickly fell to corruption and greed, finally collapsing as the last of their masters relics began to fail, the knowledge of their maintainence lost.
Empire Established: 6048 A.D.W.
Empire Fell: 6257 A.D.W.
The Current State of the Galaxy
The Current reigning Dynasty is the Elven Empire, through developing new means of harnessing magic to technology the Elves and Eladrin have been able to spread thoughout the worlds surrounding the galactice core, stopping just short of taking the worlds that are now known as the Kingdoms of Men, a collection of fractured and warring stellar fiefdoms that are all that remains of the Nerathi Empire. The Elven Empire has declared them to be Protectorate States of the Elven Empire, they use this as an excuse to keep their military in place among the worlds of Men and extract tax from them when they can. Beyond the Kingdoms of Men lay the Dark Worlds, a ring of harsh and dead worlds, many are small and some are drifting hunks of cold rock with no star to hold them in place. These worlds are a refuge for pirates and scum of the worse kind, hiding on the fringes of civilized society they only enter the inner worlds to raid and plunder, only the brave(or the mad) dare to raid as far in as the Elven Empire and even they only strike at the fringes. Beyond these places lie the Fringe Worlds, Often called the scattered kingdoms, out here it is common that those who are worldbound may not even know of the existance of other worlds or the voidsailors that travel between them as anything more than myth and allegory. Only a handful of interstellar kingdoms exist out this far, most voidsailing settlements are Elven or human colonies harvesting resources, All are under the protection of the Lucid Patrols. The Lucid Patrolls are an organization of psionic police that patrol the fringes and attempt as best they can to keep the abberations of the far reaches from entering our world, they have a complex relationship with the Imperial Navy, though technically listed as a pirate group to appease the beholder and illithid fleets they don't often come to blows unless one trys to get in the others way.
Current Empire Established: 6387 A.D.W.
Current Year: 6698 A.D.W.
And for those who are curious, here is the party I'm running
Magnus Starwind is an Eladrin Sorcerer, he is played by my fiancee Becca. The second born in his family, he is the heir to arcane power which he draws from the very cycles of the stars and planets themselves, partly because upon his planet it is tradition to expose the (expendable) second born child to sources of arcane power in hopes they survive with sorcerous power in tack, most do not. He is a deserter from the Elven Imperial Navy(the elves hold a vast majority of the planets near the galactic core), losing his stomach for the work when a group of neogi slaves who were forced to take up arms were slaughtered, most as they tried to surrender. He is mostly just trying to get off-world and head out to were the elves have less hold.(Neutral Good)
Darius is a Dragonborn Paladin, played by my buddy Josh. He is the retainer of a fringe world noble, a king of an entire world, and one of the last dragonborn left on his planet (They are fairly rare throughout the galaxy, thought extinct until about two centuries ago.). His ship was attacked on it's maiden voyage, a first attempt to save their dying home, ravaged by a terrible world war perpetrated by the mad king of the last dynasty. After only stopping at only two planets, neither of which could offer enough supplies to see their world through its reconstruction, the ship was attacked by Neogi slavers, Darius himself was cast into the Arcane Flow. It preserved him as he drifted for an unknown amount of time, waking up on the beach of a world in the outer reaches of the Elven empire, now he seeks his homeworld, if he could not defend his liege he can at least deliver news of his fate.(Lawful Neutral)
Hunzuh is a Shardmind Psion, played by my friend Jean Luc(Yes, he was named after Picard.). Part of the Lucid Patrols, an organization that patrols the galaxies edges for creature of the far realm seeking to infiltrate our reality, he was kidnapped and displayed as a curiosity throughout the Elven Empire. After killing his captor and escaping, he is seeking to return to his post and expand his psionic potential along the way. (Chaotic Neutral)
Lantasia Borrogeti is a Half Elven Bard, played by Emily. Not much has been revealed about her yet, all that is known is that she is fleeing the Galactic Thieves Guild and hopes to do so by leaving civilized space.(Chaotic Neutral)
Adran Silvereye is an Elven Druid, played by Andrew. He is somewhat eccentric, but claims he was sent on a mission by the strange and mysterious spirits that dwell in the void, warned of a terrible darkness rising on the fringes that is threatening to devour entire worlds. (Neutral Good)
Infinius Madblood is a Half Elven Warlock, played by Chase. He draws his power from the mad stars that dwell on the galaxies edges, corrupted by the Far Realm, he merely seeks power. He hopes by traveling to the galaxies edges he will be able to draw greater powers from his fell stars, he also sees the threads of destiny intertwined among this group, the stars have shown them to him, and he hopes that if he can ride along with that destiny it might take him to heights of arcane puissance he might not otherwise reach.(He's our token Chaotic Evil character, I always find it best if a low key evil character is in the party to shake things up a bit, as long as the party can keep a good hold on him for at least the majority of the time.)
So there is our party, all drawn together, unknowing, on a world at the edges of the Elven Empire. Each of them with something to run from, or run to, all unified by purpose, but further unified by the destiny that awaits them among the stars.