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GrandDM
2013-04-09, 02:21 AM
Hi everyone. I'm creating a new campaign setting, and I thought the creative process would work best with a whole forum-full of D&D-er's to bounce ideas off. So, here's the thread!

I know the following already:

> The continent is divided into the North and South regions
> In the North, there's a famous adventuring town called Turell. It has an inn called the Stallion. My PC's will start here (clichéd, I know, but it works)
> There's a huge mountain range, with enormously valuable mineral deposits, inhabited by dwarves. It runs between the North and South.
> There's a volcano worshipped as a god (it actually is inhabited by a god - Aelan, god of fire)
> Another god of the setting is Ilmau (pronounced ILL-maw), god of power, energy and knowledge. His symbol is a clenched fist with an open eye on the back of it.

Any feedback, ideas and suggestions are welcome!

DRutledge
2013-04-09, 03:30 AM
Perhaps, the North and the South are seperated by a river aptly named "The River Divider." Many times in the past, wars have occured at this river as it happens to be a great source for irrigation.

In The North, on one of the mountain tops, is a temple dedicated to the Light Tribune (The Homebrew Diety I PM'd you about). Here, many warriors can claim Sanctuary, an oath that swears no matter who you are, your alignment, or anything of the sort, you will not be attacked. Anyone who goes against this oath is instantly struck down by Olaf's Smite, a lighting bolt that was named for the first one to break the oath, a Dwarf named Olaf Blazesmith.

In the South is a great Dragonborn city named New Flare, a city named for their previous emperor, Flaregon Mishnotar. This Dragonborn, somehow in his life, developed the great and long thought lost power of Quadwing, a power that activates the long dormant blood of the Dragonborn to give them four wings. However, this is only accessible to the followers of Bahamut.

Caelnias
2013-04-09, 07:29 AM
Hey, great idea to have some brainstorming included.

I had the idea that while the north and south are divided by the great mountain range there exists one singular pass between the two that is large and flat enough for easy travel. In the middle of this pass is a massive fortress (owned by a neutral party like the dwarves, or co-owned by northerns and southers), which mediates travel and trade.

Maybe Turell is actually an old crossroads that developed into a town as retired adventurers started to create business for other adventurers?

Perhaps the mountain range dividing the continent was created by some great primordial-like being in ancient times?

Is the continent racially divided, or are most races represented equally everywhere?

GrandDM
2013-04-09, 09:38 AM
Thanks, great ideas!

Here's the revised version:

> The principal deity of the world is the Great Volcano. At its base is the Holy City, that has somehow remained untouched throughout millenia of the Great Volcano's constant eruptions. The Church of the Volcano persecute any non-believers or followers of different gods. The Great Volcano is situated on the Southern Peninsula.

> The two other main gods are Ilmau and the Light Tribune. The Light Tribune has a mountaintop shrine in the far reaches of the North (thanks to DRutledge) where anyone can claim sanctuary. Those who attack people under the shrine's protection are struck down. Ilmau has a sacred site on a tiny island far north of the mainland, but since his last followers were killed by the Church of the Volcano six years ago, it has become overrun.

> The Worldspine Mountains, rich in minerals, divide the North from the South. The Mountains are riddled with dwarf-tunnels, and it is common knowledge that the best swords come from the Deep City, the dwarven capital. No non-dwarf has ever seen it, or knows of its location, but there are several dwarf traders who have access to it. In the center of the Mountains is a great pass (thanks to Caelnias), carved out long ago by the sorcerer-lord Flaregon Mishnotaur (thanks again to DRutledge), who founded the Southern city of New Flare, populated to this day entirely by Dragonborn. Admission to the city is granted only on the condition that a respected citizen accompanies non-Dragonborn at all times.

> The North is mainly human, with the few examples of nonhumans that do live there treated with disrespect and bigotry. Tolerance increases closer to the Worldspine Pass, but in the Far North it isn't uncommon for elves, dwarves, Dragonborn and other nonhumans to be lynched in the streets.

> In contrast, the South has very few humans compared to its total population. The South is subdivided into regions; each race has one region, and there are several shared regions. The elf capital is Vuellnar, New Flare is the principal city of the Dragonborn, and the Dwarves own the land bordering the Worldspine Mountains, somewhere within which is the Deep City.

> Running through the Far North is the Great River, an excellent source of irrigation that provides one of the few ways to survive in the harsh climate. Countless wars have been fought over as little as a few miles of its banks.

> The famous adventuring town of Turell, just north of the Worldspine Pass, is a hotspot for budding heroes of all calibers to meet. Many a successful adventurer began his career in Turell.

> Finally, a portent was recently seen across all the continent. Six blazing lights in the sky circled in a ring. They shaped themselves: one into the symbol of the Light Tribune, one into a flame, one constantly changed form, but the other three were fuzzy and indistinct. They appear every night, and each night, the three indistinct lights become sharper, and their shapes clearer.

Feedback is welcome and appreciated.
-DM

Surrealistik
2013-04-09, 08:06 PM
I'm thinking that there might be a sprawling technocrat port citystate of artificers predicated on science and Eberron-like magi-technology. It is a glittering, bustling metropolis of churning steel and shimmering glass known as Sol, often colloquially called the City of Scintillation. The city is heavily populated, an ultra-dense bastion of civilization, and perhaps its most notorious example, submerged in the cacophonous din of ceaseless industry and commerce.

A great tower looms over the shimmering expanse below where the ruling senate makes its decrees, alight like an artificial sun, rising as a glorious beacon above seas of toiling metal... and choking blankets of roiling grey smog that have unfortunately become characteristic of the wondrous cityscape below. Streams of acrid exhaust belch from all its considerable engines of industry, countless smokestacks and seething vents riddling the crowded skyline.

Within the deepest foundations of the central tower is the beating heart of the city, where portals to elemental wells of lightning and flame provide the staggering amounts of energy required to fuel Sol's tireless automatons and whirring mechanisms of production.

The populace is thoroughly mixed, with humans, gnomes and dwarves slightly dominating. First and foremost a meritocracy, discrimination is subdued and though tribalism may exist in places, there is a relative lack of interracial friction.

Sol is rapidly growing, expanding at a breakneck pace as vast demolishing engines known as levellers fell the surrounding forests whilst they drill and grind obstructing rock formations. In their tremulous wake is laid the infrastructure of civilization, complex webbed networks of rails and buzzing power lines. Naturally, such unfettered expansion couldn't progress for long without attracting unwanted attention, communities of natives and several powerful druids contesting with the mechanized forces of the technocratic city state. Thus far, Sol is winning, the formidable combination of magic and science proving too much for its indigenous opposition, though powerful and strange spirits have recently begun to join the fray to devastating effect, impelling an uncertain future for the region...

Baj
2013-04-10, 12:35 AM
If you use Caelnias' idea and make a massive fortress control the North/South pass then you create all kinds of opportunities for conflict (i.e. story hooks).

I like the idea of the fortress-city (I personally think making it a fortress-city would be coolest, but whatever floats your boat) being controlled by a third party and I'd stick with Caelnias' suggestion of the dwarves. They maintain the fortress to keep the pass safe for trade and as a rest stop/meeting place for traders. The dwarves can also use it as a place to sell dwarfish goods from the Deep City to traders from both continents. Since you seem to be setting up very divisive religious and racial conflicts between the North and South the fortress can also serve as neutral ground for traders unwilling to venture into possibly hostile territory to meet and conduct business. The fortress and soldiers to patrol the pass are funded by tolls that every trader must pay when they pass through the fortress.

Now for conflict: some traders/merchants would obviously not want to pay the toll, but they still have to get around the mountains. This would help contribute to the develop of maritime trade routes (which could tie into Surrealistik's city-state). Alternatively, you can create reasons why such a trade is dangerous/unworkable. Something that (I think) would be really cool would be smugglers trying to use old abandoned dwarfish tunnels that run through the Worldspine Mountains. Traders trying to use the tunnels would have to hire guides and probably guards to get them through safely (goodness knows what's moved back into the darker tunnels) which creates more opportunities for adventurers.

One other thought, unrelated to the mountain pass. What if the reason that the humans of the Far North are so hostile to non-humans is because of religious differences, especially the crusade the Church of the Volcano launched against the followers of Ilmau (though admittedly you haven't told us how many humans worship Aelan)? I think there's some definite ideas that could be pursued in that direction, but you'd need to flesh out what shape the prosecution of non-Aelan worshipers takes. Is it all-out war, or do they just prosecute unbelievers already in their local jurisdiction?

All-in-all, this looks like the beginning of a very exciting setting. I coincidentally ran into your other thread looking for players and I'm pretty tempted to join, but I don't know if I could manage it with the end of my semester approaching (yay finals).

GrandDM
2013-04-10, 02:30 AM
Thanks for showing interest, Baj, but even if you can't join my group, you're still welcome to post on this thread as long as it's running (probably quite a while). I think your ideas are excellent; the reason I didn't use the fortress-pass in my previous post is because I was thinking of bandit attacks (muahaha!) but your ideas are much cooler.

Surrealistik, I like the idea of a technocrat city, but I don't think it would work in my setting. However, a magic-tech city would probably work...

Here's what I've got now:

> The principal deity of the world is the Great Volcano (which is actually inhabited by Aelan, god of fire). At its base is the Holy City, that has somehow remained untouched throughout millenia of the Great Volcano's constant eruptions. The Church of the Volcano persecute any non-believers or followers of different gods. The Great Volcano is situated on the Southern Peninsula. Nearly all beings in the South, and most in the North, are followers of the Church of the Volcano.

> The two other main gods are Ilmau (pronounced ILL-maw) and the Light Tribune. The Light Tribune has a mountaintop shrine in the far reaches of the North (thanks to DRutledge) where anyone can claim sanctuary. Those who attack people under the shrine's protection are struck down. Ilmau has a sacred site on a tiny island far north of the mainland, but since his last followers were killed by the Church of the Volcano six years ago, it has become overrun with monsters.

> The Worldspine Mountains, rich in minerals, divide the North from the South. The Mountains are riddled with dwarf-tunnels, and it is common knowledge that the best swords come from the Deep City, the dwarven capital. No non-dwarf has ever seen it, or knows of its location, but there are several dwarf traders who have access to it. In the center of the Mountains is a great pass (thanks to Caelnias), carved out long ago by the sorcerer-lord Flaregon Mishnotaur (thanks again to DRutledge), who founded the Southern city of New Flare, populated to this day entirely by Dragonborn. Admission to the city is granted only on the condition that a respected citizen accompanies non-Dragonborn at all times.

> In the center of the Worldspine Pass is a great fortress, owned by the dwarves, that makes sure of peace between North and South. It is used as a trading post for dwarves and humans, and those wishing to cross between North and South must pay an extortionate toll.

> Many merchants, instead of paying the toll, choose to smuggle their goods through old, abandoned dwarf-tunnels in the roots of the Worldspine range. They often pay well for guards and navigators, as the tunnels interlock like warrens, and are infested with all manner of vile creatures. (Thanks to Baj)

> There is no sea travel, and thus no ports, in the world. The seas are in a state of constant turmoil, with waves of four to six meters being normal. In a storm, waves can reach twenty meters. The only reason that the whole continent hasn't been eroded is that it sits on a plate boundrary which is constantly pushing upward, creating new rock deep under the continent and forever raising it higher, only to have it eroded away. (Thanks to Baj for mentioning sea travel)

> The North is mainly human, with the few examples of nonhumans that do live there treated with disrespect and bigotry. Tolerance increases closer to the Worldspine Pass, but in the Far North it isn't uncommon for elves, dwarves, Dragonborn and other nonhumans to be lynched in the streets.

> In contrast, the South has very few humans compared to its total population. The South is subdivided into regions; each race has one region, and there are several shared regions. The elf capital is Vuellnar, New Flare is the principal city of the Dragonborn, and the Dwarves own the land bordering the Worldspine Mountains, somewhere within which is the Deep City.

> Running through the Far North is the Great River, an excellent source of irrigation that provides one of the few ways to survive in the harsh climate. Countless wars have been fought over as little as a few miles of its banks.

> The famous adventuring town of Turell, just north of the Worldspine Pass, is a hotspot for budding heroes of all calibers to meet. Many a successful adventurer began his career in Turell.

> In the far North is the magic-tech city of Vudrall (thanks to Surrealistik). It is ruled by the council, a group of powerful magic-users and skilled artificers. They can produce, among many other constructs, war-suits not unlike a man, but thrice the height and broad to scale, powered by magic, that can turn a single adventurer into a match for an army. Even dwarven weaponry cannot match the workmanship of Vudrallian Grand Smiths.

> Finally, a portent was recently seen across all the continent. Six blazing lights in the sky circled in a ring. They shaped themselves: one into the symbol of the Light Tribune, one into a flame, one constantly changed form, but the other three were fuzzy and indistinct. They appeared every night after that, and each night, the three indistinct lights became sharper, and their shapes clearer. A fourth sign became legible a few nights ago, in the shape of a flitting shadow.

Feedback is welcome and appreciated.
-DM

Cigam3679
2013-04-10, 01:46 PM
One thing i like to use in my campaigns are old ruin forts and cities, for historical references and possible ancient relics of power that is hidden and booby traped somewhere within.

Maybe some place in the East there was once a orc city of Hi'lorith (Sounds Orcish enough) that long ago got raided by the followers of the Great Volcano. In the process almost every orc that lived there is now dead or hidden in the south. The city is in crumbles, some buildings still stand but are, just broken. The walls have holes all through them. Under the ruins could be an old labyrinth with treasure, and monsters, lots and lots of monsters.

Surrealistik
2013-04-10, 04:54 PM
Yeah, I like the sound of that; remnants of the 'old world' to explore alongside the new.

It may even be that Vudrallian levels of technology were once widespread and the norm until a great cataclysm far in the past; perhaps a devastating MAD style apocalyptic war, or promising new innovations gone horribly wrong.

Some of the old technologies, constructs and artifacts survive, no doubt highly prized by most factions cognizant of their worth, especially Vudrallians whom pay handsomely for such ancient salvage.

GrandDM
2013-04-11, 02:11 AM
Thanks again for the great ideas, guys. Changes are in bold.

> Spread across the continent are many ruins. These are made up of a white stone that almost glows. It doesn't seem to ever get dirty. These ruins come from the cities of the Ancient Ones, masters of magics far beyond what the peoples alive today can conceive of, who were exterminated by the humans in a brutal war. There are often relics within these ruins.

>The cities of the Ancient Ones were not only centers of knowledge, learning and power, but also stood atop great prisons where many monsters were contained. With their fall, the creatures now roam the twisted tunnels freely, and a handsome bounty is paid for every monstrous head.

> The principal deity of the world is the Great Volcano (which is actually inhabited by Aelan, god of fire). At its base is the Holy City, that has somehow remained untouched throughout millenia of the Great Volcano's constant eruptions. The Church of the Volcano persecute any non-believers or followers of different gods. The Great Volcano is situated on the Southern Peninsula. Nearly all beings in the South, and most in the North, are followers of the Church of the Volcano.

> The two other main gods are Ilmau (pronounced ILL-maw) and the Light Tribune. The Light Tribune has a mountaintop shrine in the far reaches of the North (thanks to DRutledge) where anyone can claim sanctuary. Those who attack people under the shrine's protection are struck down. Ilmau has a sacred site on a tiny island far north of the mainland, but since his last followers were killed by the Church of the Volcano six years ago, it has become overrun with monsters.

> The Worldspine Mountains, rich in minerals, divide the North from the South. The Mountains are riddled with dwarf-tunnels, and it is common knowledge that the best swords come from the Deep City, the dwarven capital. No non-dwarf has ever seen it, or knows of its location, but there are several dwarf traders who have access to it. In the center of the Mountains is a great pass (thanks to Caelnias), carved out long ago by the sorcerer-lord Flaregon Mishnotaur (thanks again to DRutledge), who founded the Southern city of New Flare, populated to this day entirely by Dragonborn. Admission to the city is granted only on the condition that a respected citizen accompanies non-Dragonborn at all times.

> In the center of the Worldspine Pass is a great fortress, owned by the dwarves, that makes sure of peace between North and South. It is used as a trading post for dwarves and humans, and those wishing to cross between North and South must pay an extortionate toll.

> Many merchants, instead of paying the toll, choose to smuggle their goods through old, abandoned dwarf-tunnels in the roots of the Worldspine range. They often pay well for guards and navigators, as the tunnels interlock like warrens, and are infested with all manner of vile creatures. (Thanks to Baj)

> There is no sea travel, and thus no ports, in the world. The seas are in a state of constant turmoil, with waves of four to six meters being normal. In a storm, waves can reach twenty meters. The only reason that the whole continent hasn't been eroded is that it sits on a plate boundrary which is constantly pushing upward, creating new rock deep under the continent and forever raising it higher, only to have it eroded away. (Thanks to Baj for mentioning sea travel)

> The North is mainly human, with the few examples of nonhumans that do live there treated with disrespect and bigotry. Tolerance increases closer to the Worldspine Pass, but in the Far North it isn't uncommon for elves, dwarves, Dragonborn and other nonhumans to be lynched in the streets.

> In contrast, the South has very few humans compared to its total population. The South is subdivided into regions; each race has one region, and there are several shared regions. The elf capital is Vuellnar, New Flare is the principal city of the Dragonborn, and the Dwarves own the land bordering the Worldspine Mountains, somewhere within which is the Deep City.

> Running through the Far North is the Great River, an excellent source of irrigation that provides one of the few ways to survive in the harsh climate. Countless wars have been fought over as little as a few miles of its banks.

> The famous adventuring town of Turell, just north of the Worldspine Pass, is a hotspot for budding heroes of all calibers to meet. Many a successful adventurer began his career in Turell.

> In the far North is the magic-tech city of Vudrall (thanks to Surrealistik). It is ruled by the Vudrallian Council, a group of powerful magic-users and skilled artificers. The city's better mage-smiths can produce, among many other constructs, war-suits not unlike a man, but thrice the height and broad to scale, powered by magic, that can turn a single adventurer into a match for an army. Even dwarven smiths cannot match the workmanship of Vudrallian Grand Mage-Smiths.

> Vudrall is the only remnant of a great mage-smith empire that once dominated the continent. There are magic-tech artifacts scattered across the North and South, and the Vudrallian Council pays exorbitant sums for the delivery of such things. In the cases of rarer items, it is not unknown for an adventurer to be gifted a Vudrallian-make weapon or armour.

> Finally, a portent was recently seen across all the continent. Six blazing lights in the sky circled in a ring. They shaped themselves: one into the symbol of the Light Tribune, one into a flame, one constantly changed form, but the other three were fuzzy and indistinct. They appeared every night after that, and each night, the three indistinct lights became sharper, and their shapes clearer. A fourth sign became legible a few nights ago, in the shape of a flitting shadow.

shanester1120
2013-04-11, 01:49 PM
I think it's cool when there are unexplained/mystical objects around that everyone knows about but no one really knows what they are. So, maybe there are archways dotting the land both north and south. They have been studied before but no one has ever been able to deduce what their purpose is. Some say they are portals to the realm of the gods, some say they were traveling gates used by an ancient society in order to move around the land easier, and others yet say that they are repositories of arcane knowledge that are somehow locked and unusable without the right key. Of course, they could just be arches... However, any information on them would indeed be valuable.

GrandDM
2013-04-13, 01:28 AM
Change in bold
Thanks to shanester for the idea of the 'strange relics which scholars want to find out about'.

> Spread across the continent are many ruins. These are made up of a white stone that almost glows. It doesn't seem to ever get dirty. These ruins come from the cities of the Ancient Ones, masters of magics far beyond what the peoples alive today can conceive of, who were exterminated by the humans in a brutal war. There are often relics within these ruins. Another common feature of these ruins is the presence of a strange floating orb. The magical emanations they give out are off the scale, but no-one knows what they do. Scholars have studied them in vain for centuries, and substantial awards are offered to anyone who can find out.

>The cities of the Ancient Ones were not only centers of knowledge, learning and power, but also stood atop great prisons where many monsters were contained. With their fall, the creatures now roam the twisted tunnels freely, and a handsome bounty is paid for every monstrous head.

> The principal deity of the world is the Great Volcano (which is actually inhabited by Aelan, god of fire). At its base is the Holy City, that has somehow remained untouched throughout millenia of the Great Volcano's constant eruptions. The Church of the Volcano persecute any non-believers or followers of different gods. The Great Volcano is situated on the Southern Peninsula. Nearly all beings in the South, and most in the North, are followers of the Church of the Volcano.

> The other main gods are Ilmau (pronounced ILL-maw), the Light Tribune, and Kael. The Light Tribune has a mountaintop shrine in the far reaches of the North (thanks to DRutledge) where anyone can claim sanctuary. Those who attack people under the shrine's protection are struck down. Ilmau has a sacred site on a tiny island far north of the mainland, but since his last followers were killed by the Church of the Volcano six years ago, it has become overrun with monsters. Kael has no temple; he resides in the axes of his followers. A cleric of Kael may use an axe as a holy symbol, and gains a +1 divine bonus to attack rolls with axes

> The Worldspine Mountains, rich in minerals, divide the North from the South. The Mountains are riddled with dwarf-tunnels, and it is common knowledge that the best swords come from the Deep City, the dwarven capital. No non-dwarf has ever seen it, or knows of its location, but there are several dwarf traders who have access to it. In the center of the Mountains is a great pass (thanks to Caelnias), carved out long ago by the sorcerer-lord Flaregon Mishnotaur (thanks again to DRutledge), who founded the Southern city of New Flare, populated to this day entirely by Dragonborn. Admission to the city is granted only on the condition that a respected citizen accompanies non-Dragonborn at all times.

> In the center of the Worldspine Pass is a great fortress, owned by the dwarves, that makes sure of peace between North and South. It is used as a trading post for dwarves and humans, and those wishing to cross between North and South must pay an extortionate toll.

> Many merchants, instead of paying the toll, choose to smuggle their goods through old, abandoned dwarf-tunnels in the roots of the Worldspine range. They often pay well for guards and navigators, as the tunnels interlock like warrens, and are infested with all manner of vile creatures. (Thanks to Baj)

> There is no sea travel, and thus no ports, in the world. The seas are in a state of constant turmoil, with waves of four to six meters being normal. In a storm, waves can reach twenty meters. The only reason that the whole continent hasn't been eroded is that it sits on a plate boundrary which is constantly pushing upward, creating new rock deep under the continent and forever raising it higher, only to have it eroded away. (Thanks to Baj for mentioning sea travel)

> The North is mainly human, with the few examples of nonhumans that do live there treated with disrespect and bigotry. Tolerance increases closer to the Worldspine Pass, but in the Far North it isn't uncommon for elves, dwarves, Dragonborn and other nonhumans to be lynched in the streets.

> In contrast, the South has very few humans compared to its total population. The South is subdivided into regions; each race has one region, and there are several shared regions. The elf capital is Vuellnar, New Flare is the principal city of the Dragonborn, and the Dwarves own the land bordering the Worldspine Mountains, somewhere within which is the Deep City.

> Running through the Far North is the Great River, an excellent source of irrigation that provides one of the few ways to survive in the harsh climate. Countless wars have been fought over as little as a few miles of its banks.

> The famous adventuring town of Turell, just north of the Worldspine Pass, is a hotspot for budding heroes of all calibers to meet. Many a successful adventurer began his career in Turell.

> In the far North is the magic-tech city of Vudrall (thanks to Surrealistik). It is ruled by the Vudrallian Council, a group of powerful magic-users and skilled artificers. The city's better mage-smiths can produce, among many other constructs, war-suits not unlike a man, but thrice the height and broad to scale, powered by magic, that can turn a single adventurer into a match for an army. Even dwarven smiths cannot match the workmanship of Vudrallian Grand Mage-Smiths.

> Vudrall is the only remnant of a great mage-smith empire that once dominated the continent. There are magic-tech artifacts scattered across the North and South, and the Vudrallian Council pays exorbitant sums for the delivery of such things. In the cases of rarer items, it is not unknown for an adventurer to be gifted a Vudrallian-make weapon or armour.

> Finally, a portent was recently seen across all the continent. Six blazing lights in the sky circled in a ring. They shaped themselves: one into the symbol of the Light Tribune, one into a flame, one constantly changed form, but the other three were fuzzy and indistinct. They appeared every night after that, and each night, the three indistinct lights became sharper, and their shapes clearer. A fourth sign became legible a few nights ago, in the shape of a flitting shadow, and very recently the last two revealed themselves as the axe-symbol of Kael and a strange, stylized representation of an insect.