The city of Minöst - Campaign Setting take 2

[ddude987]

Forward:
Hello and welcome to Minöst. This is take number 2 of my campaign setting, and before it is completely finished I will probably end up revising it further and further. I am really looking for some comments, critiques, thoughts, ideas, you name it! Thanks for anything and everything you have to give.

Concept:
Minöst was originally designed because I wanted to play a city campaign. Originally the entire known world was going to be a city but as time went on the plan changed into being more of a nation. The majority of Minöst still feels like a large city, most points of interest being within a day's journey, and there are varying cultures. However, being more of a web like city with gaps and non-urban areas allowed for some better concepts thematically.

The world being small and close together, I am designing the campaign setting with e8, or possibly e10, in mind. I am revising base classes with 20 levels in mind even though the players will not level that high. I am capping at e10 because I don't want wizards blowing the entire known world up and also the less powerful mortals are, the more interesting and awe inspiring the high powered supernatural elements of the setting seem.

Campaign Style:
Originally I had thought I would never be able to play this setting with my current DnD group as they seemed the type who just love murderhoboing. However, currently Xervous is running an intrigue campaign for us and it is going very well. I have not settled on what kind of campaign I will run, though I am leaning towards intrigue. Perhaps the players will have to discover the lost secrets of Minöst and try to make Minöst great again by reintroducing them. Maybe they will instead find these secrets and overthrow the government and then stay in power with powerful artifacts or knowledge. I plan to have the world full of secrets as well as small things the players can do and run the campaign as open world. Small things would include joining guilds and doing work that way, or helping the common folk out of the goodness of the players' hearts. Secrets such as lost history found in ancient tombs, ancient artifacts, technologies and more will be spread throughout Minöst and the players will be able to piece together lost parts of Minöst.

Overview of the world:
Minöst was once a great city. That city has since been broken down and spread apart. The kingdom of Minöst, instead of one united city, now consists of several provinces. The coast to the east makes up the Minöst's mainland border. Farther out, over the ocean, Minöst controls towns built on coastal islands. These islands are included in the coastal province of Minöst. To the south are the marshlands. Once a cultivated city, these lands have since become flooded and turned into large swamps. Any remains of Minöst's golden age in this area have since sunk deep below the earth and disappeared. On the western border of Minöst lies the lone mountain. Here is home to farmers and small towns.

Underneath the mountain is a dwarven stronghold. These dwarves are proudly considered part of Minöst and offer valuable crafts and raw materials that are otherwise unattainable in Minöst. The main city of Minöst stretches from the Lone Mountain into the center of the kingdom. The city has branches from there in all directions.

The city thins out in population as the urban sprawl turns into farmland, forests, or rolling hills. Cobble roads lead from the eastern coast through the heart of the city and all the way to the Lone Mountain. Other roads, though not paved, connect Minöst around the coast, marshlands, and Lone Mountain. These paths travel through forests where towns can be found in large clearings, or high up in the trees. Minöst's great highways connect the city itself and though the highways can be seen outside of where the city is today, outlying highways have fallen into disrepair and roving bandits make them no longer safe for travel.

Past the Lone Mountain to the west are the great plains. Roving bands of nomads and barbarians travel around these parts. These tribes are naturally warring, enslaving other tribes and taking their food, horses, and women. These tribes are attributed as the lords of horses. The horses they breed are rivaled by none except elven bred horses. Though warring, these tribes often trade with Minost's people. Towards the end of the golden age, several large tribes banded together and lay waste to the parts of Minost that had crept into the plains.

Age:
I found a lot of inspiration for this setting from the Roman Empire. Though I am including things from medieval times such as crossbows and full plate armor, the basis for a lot of things is primarily Roman. There are aqueducts and public baths. From what I have written now, the state Minöst is in when the players will be playing is actually akin to ancient Rome, even though I didn't look at Rome for history of Minöst. Minöst fell out of its golden age after invasion from barbarian tribes and has not been able to recover. The government suffers from corruption and many technologies are lost or becoming lost.

Magic Level:
There are many things in Minöst that are highly supernatural, and the setting is a high fantasy setting. However, I wanted the players, as well as everyday people, to have limited access to personal magical items. There are very powerful magical effects that exist, both manmade and natural, but having a low-magic setting relative to individuals, even wealthy powerful ones, makes those elements even more spectacular.

Gods, Magic, and the Ancient Ones:
Gods do exist in Minöst though they are slightly different from regular DnD deities. Gods in this setting are truly immortal and cannot die. Also I am either limiting or fully replacing the regular pantheon of gods. All magic in the setting comes from beings known as the ancient ones. The gods siphon this power and bestow it to mortals, including arcane users. See the magic section in later posts.

Past:
There is an entire history on Minöst that I will be rewriting in more detail. One of the reasons the setting is low-magic is because a lot of technology was lost when Minöst fell out of its golden age. Some of the man-made feats throughout the setting are lost technologies or magicks that have not been able to be replicated since the fall of the golden age. As it stands, I want the players to feel inspired to work towards change because of the loss of such great things. I also want the really complex or powerful things in the setting to make the players taken back and make them feel like actual people would. For example, when I look at the roman coliseum I feel strong emotions and think "Real people built that. They built something that would probably be a challenge to build today with all the technology we have." I want the players to feel that way when I describe certain things they come across.

[ddude987]

Table of Contents
Terrain (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16194405&postcount=3)
Structures (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16194431&postcount=4)
Culture (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16194446&postcount=5)
Magic (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16195389&postcount=6)
History (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16205656&postcount=9)
Races (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16218322&postcount=13)
The Player Perspective - General (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16240444&postcount=14)
The Player Perspective - Advanced (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16240449&postcount=15)
The Player Perspective - Specialized (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16240454&postcount=16)
Adventure Sites (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16263911&postcount=17)
New Creature: Zieel (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16366593&postcount=19)

[ddude987]

Terrain

Mountain Region
The climate in, near, and around the Lone Mountain ranges from moderate to highland. Rolling hills at the base of the mountain turn into rocky outcroppings with a thin layer of soil as one travels up the mountain. Small rivers are found coming out from underground higher on the mountain and traveling down to the base of the mountain. These rivers provide freshwater for terrace farmers at the base of the mountain and snake southward through Minoshi.

Small deciduous woods grow in patches around the eastern base of the mountain. Here is home to many species of animals. During the cold winters these animals travel south to the marshlands or hibernate in the many natural caves in the area. Edible root plants and herbs are found growing naturally in these woods. It is thought here is where the terrace farmers first got their seed for their crop.

Many of the natural caves in the area lead down into the depths of the mountain. Here is a dry and cold place. Many dwarven ruins can be found in the heart of the mountain. Though the dwarves still inhabit the mountain, their strongholds reach is nowhere close to what it was before the dwarves closed the mountain. These ancient ruins are now home to vermin. It is rumored the ruins are also inhabited by supernatural creatures of darkness.

Southern Marsh Region
The swamplands are humid year round and are subject to heavy rains. The inhabitants of these lands have little dry land to live on and stick to floating platforms or the trees. Dozens of unique species of mushrooms and mosses grow in these lands. Some edible, most so poisonous a touch could leave a rash and ingestion is sure death.

Below the dense groupings of deciduous forest lay a land secretly teeming with life. Many animals living here live below the surface of the water, or move across the land silently. Animals in these parts tend to blend in with their natural surroundings, reptiles and birds range from muddy browns to deep greens while mammals tend to be brown or black. Bottom feeding fish longer than a man's arm live in the muck below the surface. Completely harmless except for a few small teeth, these fish are easy to catch and are the regular meal of the swamplands inhabitants.

Between the dense clumps of trees and bogs are clean rivers. Shallow clear rivers flow from North to South bringing the fresh water out to sea. These rivers have little sediment as the trees surrounding them act as natural filters for the muck that turns the bogs an opaque brown.

Western Plains
West of the Lone Mountain are the plains of Alikar. These hot dry flatlands expand westward across the continent. Grass, taller than a man ahorse, covers much of the plains. The grasses roots are deeply imbedded in the soil and hold large quantities of water gathered during the semiannual rains. Twice a year, on the summer and winter solstice, rain falls upon the plains. Lasting a week, heavy downpour floods the fields as lightning streaks across the sky and thunder booms, echoing for miles.

Snakes, horses, large cats, gazelle and birds are found roaming the vast plains. Like most biomes, the plains have their own food chain. The large cats prey on snakes and large mammals, snakes prey on smaller mammals, and birds are often scavangers.

A peculiar type of fish that breathes mud comes alive during the semiannual rains. They rise from the ground to mate and lay eggs before sinking back beneath the soil. What these fish do the rest of the year, and how the survive, is unknown; however, it is known these fish taste terrible and no animal dare touches them even when starving.

Though the plains are relatively dry, there are oases dotted around. Here animals, and roaming tribes, come to drink fresh water. Animals also hunt fish in the oases, though no land roaming animal will hunt another land roaming animal within sight of an oases. The local tribes say it is the spirit of the protector who created these oases so that there could be life and killing within sight of these sacred creations will invoke the spirits wrath.

Eastern Coast
The eastern coast has a wide range of features, from sky high cliffs to bottomless tide pools, from jungles to volcanic activity. Stretching from high in the north, nearing the island of [name], a sub-arctic island devoid of life, to southwest in the marshlands, the eastern coast has a wide range of climates. The similar feature all these climates share is cool ocean breezes year round keeping the air moist and preventing freezing. This allows some of the hardier crops to be grown along the coast year round.

Several large fresh water rivers connect with the ocean on the coast. Here a blending of fresh and salt water creates a different environment for life under the surface. The sediment from these rivers clouds the otherwise clear blue water hiding both creatures and boat hazards beneath the surface. Shipwrecks can be found here both above the surface, beached on sandbars, and deep below the surface masked from view.

Natural harbors and inlets are found along the coast. It is common for towns to use these natural harbors as their shipyards so docked ships are safe from harm. Natural harbors found near the tall cliff faces on parts of the coast often have large waterfalls, many of which have caves behind them. Others are surrounded by green rolling hills covered in grasses and flowers that only grow so near the ocean.

A wide range of life is found below the surface of the water. Different species of fish, from bright vibrant colored schools to muddy brown bottom feeders, live here. Clams and oysters attach themselves to rocks or shipwrecks at the bottom of the seas making harvesting them dangerous but well worth the effort. Several large coral reefs are found towards the south close to shore, but far away from any fresh water or sediment runoff from rivers.

Islands
Hundreds of islands with varying sizes and features exist all along the eastern coast. The islands closer to shore have been colonized by the people of Minost and do not support the exotic wonders found on more remote islands. Some of these remote islands are barren rocks, others cold and frozen, and still others full of jungles and exotic animals. Islands far north tend to be colder and dryer than those in the south. Northern islands are generally low rocky outcroppings covered in ice and fully devoid of visible life. During the peak of the summer the ice melts allowing grasses and shrubs grow.

Islands along the mid and southern portions of the eastern coast are far more interesting than their northern cousins. Some of these islands have volcanoes or tall mountains with lush forest growing on the lower altitudes. Freshwater lakes and rivers are found meandering through the forest providing local wildlife and natives with drinking water. Species of colorful birds, giant insects, and large reptiles found on these islands exist nowhere else.

Other islands support tall, sheer cliff faces with vines growing down them and tree roots peeking out of the earth. Bats and birds make nests in natural caves along these cliff faces. Native tribes on these islands carve giant turtle statues in the cliff faces. Oftentimes these cliffs are broken up by rivers flowing between them creating wide gaps. Tribes construct rope bridges out of vines and wood to span these chasms.

Forest
Forests, new and old, can be found throughout the land of Minöst. Before the golden age of Minöst entire forests were cut down and have been slow to recover. Those that were saved contain trees thousands of years old safe from the ravages of time. Deep within the oldest of forests lies the tree of life. It is thought by the elves this great tree was an elvish queen of old who gave her life up to save her people. The elvish goddess saw her noble sacrifice and put her soul inside of a tree. This tree is self-luminescent and it is said all of the smaller self-luminescent trees are her children. To this day she watches over all forests ensuring they are safe from complete annihilation.

Forests grow all across Minöst, and have varying climates. Small, steamy jungles exists on the southeast tip of Minöst while pine covered tundra spreads far and wide in the north. Natural caves and rock formations inside these forests are home to birds, bats, and hibernating mammals.

Forests can be found on the sides of mountains or spanning across rolling hills. Other forests are relatively flat. A varying diversity of trees, animals, and sentient inhabitants are found depending on the kind of forest. Forests higher in elevation or farther north have many pine trees while forests near the swamplands have tall deciduous trees so close together it is hard to see the sky through the canopy. In these jungles long vines snake down trees making them easy to climb, and entire towns are found build on platforms supported by the trees.

This is by no means a finished list and I wish to extend it to include more animals, and be more specific for each type of animal.

Mountain: eagle, hawk, snake, goat, mountain lion, squirrel, skunk, fox, deer, rabbit, chipmunk, porcupine, lynx, elk, crow
Marsh: crocodile, codfish, beaver, crayfish, frog, lizard, raccoon, woodpecker, hawk, turtle
Plains: coyote, fox, wolf, rabbits, mice, bison, ox, lion, horse, jackal, hyena, elephant
Coast: seagull, pelican, fish, snail, crocodile, bat, turtle, shark, snake, coral, octopus
Island: seagull, pelican, fish, snail, bat, turtle, shark, monkey, parrot, hawk, lizard, frog, snake, octopus, squid, coral
Forest: hawk, bat, snake, lynx, bobcat, skunk, fox, deer, rabbit, chipmunk, beaver, porcupine, wolf, mouse, lizard, otter, monkey, opossum, squirrel

[ddude987]

Structures

The great feats of social ingenuity and engineering combined with the mysterious prowess of magic have created some of the most efficient structures ever seen, even when compared to other planes. Challenges that face such a large city have been conquered with solutions from raised highways to massive aqueducts. Though usually only accessible for the wealthy, these structures can still be viewed in all districts of the city.

Roads
Stretching from the eastern coast all the way to the main entrance into the Lone Mountain is the Sovereign Road. This road is paved with cobblestone and is well maintained. Merchant caravans travel along this road buying wares at the coast or under the mountain and distributing them to other places across Minost. The Sovereign Road has other roads branching off of it leading to towns around Minost. These branching roads are often unpaved dirt roads that travel across the countryside, through forests hills and valleys. Though the Sovereign Road is the most direct route to cross Minost, these back roads are interconnected enough to avoid the Sovereign Road completely. Journeying across Minost solely on backroads is a confusing and laborious process full of unlabeled roads unfit for carts or carriages.

Highways
The massive highways, reaching up a hundred feet or more into the sky, allow high speed travel throughout Minost. These highways have been built from stone and made to last millennia. After the end of the golden age of Minost, the dense city receded and shrank. The highways that had once spanned all of Minost fell into disrepair everywhere except where the city remained.

How these highways were created has been lost to time though how they function is commonly known. Magical runes decorate parts of the highway, created from an incredibly rare and magical substance known as quicksilver. While traveling on the highways, creatures are able to move at twice their regular speed and are able to travel for twice as long before tiring. The process to create and use quicksilver has been lost making the highways unique and one of the last remnants of a past age.

These highways are used for high speed travel to transport goods and wares of traveling merchants from hub to hub all around the city. The tax prices are steep for use of these highways, but most of the taxes are refunded into maintaining the highways, much to the church's dismay.


Aqueducts
The great aqueducts, stretching from high in the mountains all the way down to parts of the city, bring fresh water to places in Minöst. Since the end of the golden age, the aqueducts have not been solely for the upper middle and high class but have instead been readily available for public use. The aqueducts farther outside of Minöst's have fallen into disrepair and no longer function. Inside the city of Minöst, the aqueducts are kept in pristine condition by the engineers guild. Maintenance of these structures is crucial as knowledge of their creation has been lost. The citizens inside of Minöst depend on the constant supply of water heavily for cleaning, drinking, and bathing.

Public Bathhouses
Public bathhouses are common in wealthier parts of Minöst. Water is heated when passing through a series of pipes and is then pumped into baths. These baths are made of carven marble sunk into the ground, and surrounded by decretive statues. Inside a regular bath house are many baths all in a large indoor room. However, there are also private rooms.

Private rooms in bathhouses consist of a small marble room where steam is pumped into the room through vents in the floor and on the walls. In these places businessmen or government officials meet to discuss private matters. Occasional rumors of the information broker's society buying off bathhouse workers to listen in on these conversations surface. These rumors are often dismissed by the public as those who spread them tend to disappear.

Note: Who hires people to remove those who spread these rumors is left ambiguous for a reason. Both the bathhouses and the information brokers have reason to quiet them. The bathhouses so they don't lose business of either rich cliental or the information brokers. The information brokers have reason to quiet the rumors so they are not discovered and shut down.


City Squares
These city hubs are places of dense population with many stores selling all sorts of goods. Local markets held under tents that are raised daily are located here. Other permanent stores are found in these squares and along adjacent streets. Here people share daily gossip or local news and governmental postings are put up around these hubs. Service men look for work here and thieves cut many a purse amidst the crowd.

To be done:
Dwarven stronghold
Temples
Tree towns
Marsh towns
Cliff towns
Cliff statues

[ddude987]

Culture

Farming
Farming is one of the largest and vital industries in Minöst. Without the amount of land dedicated to producing food for all of Minöst's people, such a city could not exist. Over the ages farming has grown and developed more efficient technologies. Farmers learned to rotate their fields annually so the soil does not become exhausted of its nutrients. Plows are made of iron or steel, allowing them to last longer and take less force to push. Animal refuse is collected and created into a fertilizer to help the crops grow.

Island Farming
The world is full of natural wonders, from self-luminescent trees to floating islands. The islands were abandoned after the plague wiped out all the citizens living on them. After centuries of abandonment the islands were overgrown with wildlife and the old remnants of the city were mostly gone. The islands have been slowly retaken, little by little, each year the number of those farming on them increases. Once people had gone to and from the islands with the use of quicksilver, but that knowledge had been lost centuries ago. Wooden elevators were created to climb the islands. Though most of the islands remain unpopulated, several of the lower islands have been almost completely converted into usable farmland. Farmers still occasionally find treasures among the ancient ruins buried deep under the soil.

Terrace Farming
Terrace farming, which inspired much of the island farming, has existed in the lone mountain since before Minost became unified. While most of [world name] is flat, several chains of mountains, as well as the occasional sole mountain, exist. It is here, centuries, nay, millennia ago , that farmers started terrace farming. The practice was large enough that entire communities were founded around areas of terrace farming. These communities had a very unique culture and their own gods. They refer to their gods as the "old" gods that used to exist and will one day return to the world. Since the barbarian invasion, the area around the terrace farmers has become less of a metropolis though the city still relies on the farmers' harvest to feed its people.

Underground Farming
Many large hills or mountains have been hollowed out by communities of dwarves or occasionally humans for houses. Several species of plants grow well underground, including several varieties of edible mushrooms and edible roots. As such, several hill dwarves make a living growing these plants to bring to market, or to brew into dwarf spirits. While the mountain dwarves often scoff at their kin for living in the dirt and farming, the hill dwarves are quite comfortable living in small underground houses instead of the vast cavernous abyss of the underground.

Hunting
The Eastern coasts have been fished daily longer than any living being can remember. Hunting in the swamps and forest near Minöst, however, has not been popular for many centuries. After the cities united into what is now known as Minöst, the forests began to disappear, and the animals in them with it. The only animals still hunted around Minöst are the crocodiles in the swamplands. Their skin is prized for leather and their meat is said to taste like chicken.

Before the forests disappeared, or were declared sacred and not to be touched, game was hunted there. Wild boar was prized for its meat and its tusks and deer were taken for meat and leathers. An ancient tradition was to send boys into the forest to hunt a boar. If they succeeded they would become men. Many bears, black and brown, also roamed the forest, making natural caves their homes. Packs of wolves scoured both the forest and the surrounding plains for food, though rarely approaching men.

Fishing
Parts of the city, or former city, fish the ocean daily. They bring a variety of fish to the market as well as several species of crustacean for those who can afford it. For the fisherman who travel past the coastal islands and venture out into the open sea, bigger fish, such as sharks, and the occasional giant squid are caught. The open waters see fishermen few and far between, and those that do come stay for several weeks, completely filling their fishing hold. Only the sturdiest of ocean craft can survive out in these waters, and rarely can any ship stay afloat during a large storm.

Guilds
Minost is full of different interactive groups in society. These groups, or guilds, are collections of people working together for a common goal. The merchants guild is for making money whereas the engineers guild is for innovation and rediscovering, or preserving, lost technologies. Each guild is explained here in minimal detail. Feel free to expand on these guilds, giving them signs, clan colors, and more!

City Guard:
The job of the city guards is to keep the peace within the city. Disputes between wealthy lords can sometimes turn into blood wars and so the city guard is always on patrol. Members of the city guard must swear a sacred oath to always do their best to keep the city's peace. Failure to uphold this vow can lead to exile or even death.

Much of the city guard is comprised of guards born as second sons to lords and wealthy merchants. Other guards were commoners at birth who had a certain respect towards being a city guard. Though most high ranking officials in the city guard strictly care for the protection of the city and keeping the peace, some commanders in the city guard are loyal to the church as are the guards under their leadership, and their loyalty will often lean in favor of the church when performing duties.

Patrols of the city guard are sent out of the city to other towns in Minöst. New recruits are often found training in the fields outside the city walls daily. Here they learn to use bows, swords, and hand to hand combat. The training to become part of the city guard is rigorous and exhausting. Often the patrols traveling to other towns around Minöst are full of new members of the guard. Jogging to and from these local towns keeps the roads clear of bandits and keeps the guards in shape.

Obedience is required in the city guard. Those who do not follow orders are stripped of their rank and demoted. New recruits who do not follow orders are sent back to day one of training. Former members of the city guard are well respected in society and are diligent workers. Guards who rise high in the ranks are often given land and a lordship for their service to Minöst. Members who do not rise high receive no compensation after retiring from the city guard, but as mentioned before are respected in society.


Rogues Guild:
The rogues guild is comprised of a collection of information brokers, thieves, and assassins. The majority of the guild is in the information brokers and thieves, many of which fill both roles, however several assassins do exist. While not every member of the rogues guild is an absolute professional, they rarely fail to complete a job.

Information is often passed to those who wish to buy it for some money and another piece of information. It is this way that the rogues guild keeps current when not sending information gatherers into the field. People gathering information for the rogues guild are nearly impossible to distinguish from your average person. Of the crowd of people craning their heads to see the latest arrest, or watch a building burn down, no average person could pick out the member of the rogues guild that is most likely in the crowd.

The rogues guild often trains small children to become footpads, cutting the purse of the casual passerby. Members of the rogues guild are all trained based on their assigned duty, though some commonalities between them all are being good at blending in with their surroundings, a basic understanding of avoiding being caught, and the ability to steal unnoticed in a crowd. After succeeding in all of those basic principles, trainees are then trained in more depth for the jobs they will be undertaking.


Information Broker's Society:
The information brokers society have posts throughout Minöst. They are willing to sell common information for money and another piece of information. More sensitive topics are kept secret and only privileged to high ranking members of the society. All information brokers are trained to resist torture as well as being trained in combat. They are known to always protect each other as they would protect themselves.

Information brokers pass off common knowledge through coded reports sent by runner. These runners are experts in disguise and are almost impossible to identify. More sensitive information is passed only by word of mouth and the words are still encoded. The runners who pass off information, both in letters, or by word of mouth, do not know the encryption by which the information is sent. Several different encryptions are used by the guild, each representing a different post. There are also fake encrypted letters with no true meaning. The letters are written such that all but the most powerful magic users would simply fail to translate them into anything more than meaningless sentences.


The Mercs:
The mercenaries guild was founded to ensure mercenaries got their proper pay after performing a service as well as a way to conveniently hire somebody who will fill your needs. The jobs they take range from collecting a debt to protecting a merchant caravan moving outside the city towards the coastal regions. Their order is made up anybody from grizzled city guards looking for some extra pay, to thugs from a disbanded organized crime group.

The guild is often trying to improve the outlook on themselves and does not take kindly to members swindling those that hired them. Members that do not do honest work are considered lucky if they end up with broken legs, the regular punishment being death. The same policy goes for people that hire the mercs, though customers are usually not punished with death.

Members of the mercs are sometimes hired by the city guard to go undercover in organized crime gangs or to crack down on known criminals. The mercs get these jobs from past connections some members had with the city guard or because the city guard thinks of themselves above rooting out petty criminals.

Engineers:
The engineers are primarily comprised of gnomes, though many a humans join. The engineers guild gets hired by those in charge of city planning. The jobs they undertake are anything they believe will improve the technology in the city or make the city run smoother.

Some of the most famous creations of the engineers are large aquifers spanning through the city providing many people with running water and the sewer system, which is even implemented in most of the slums and ghettos. The paved streets often have a very slight peak in the center, allowing water to run off into the sewer system. The engineers have also constructed a vast and complex highway system raised high above the city. This stone structure stands a hundred feet high and connects several of the more popular, and wealthier, areas of the city. This highway is taxed but does not create much profit because of its high maintenance costs.

The engineers guild stores blueprints for everything structure and street in Minöst. These blueprints are dispersed among several of the guilds larger locations and are held in locked vaults along with the guilds treasury. The Engineers guild know many of the secret tunnels and passageways throughout the city, their knowledge of the city second only to the rogues guild.


Merchants:
Merchants are in every populated area and Minost is no exception. The merchants are primarily composed of the wealth middle class. They specialize in buying and transporting goods throughout the city through the cities highways. Ever since the break off of the swamp and coastal regions the merchants guild has sent large caravans roaming those areas both buying and selling goods.

The members of the merchants guild pay an annual tribute to the government in exchange for a lower tax rate on goods they bring into the city. The merchants guild was founded by craftsman looking to sell their works at fair prices, and to this day that foundation is upheld.

Merchants are attacked by thieves and goods traveling by sea are subject to piracy. These pirates often do not associate themselves with Minost though occasionally a gang in the city is found responsible for taking ship and raiding merchant vessels. Thieves often steal very rare works of art, or the occasional magic item, and sell it for a low price, not knowing what it is really worth.


Dwarves
Minost is home to two different types of dwarves. There are mountain dwarves, who's city is beneath the Lone Mountain, and there are hill dwarves, who live throughout Minost and are regular citizens. Below is a semi-detailed history of the two kinds of dwarves as well as some differences between the two societies.

History:
As Minöst's golden age came to an end the dwarves under the Lone Mountain became distant. The city near their home was under constant attack from barbarian invaders. The king of the dwarves made a drastic decision and ordered the dwarves to seal off the mountain. As the sun set that day the dwarves evicted any non-dwarves inside their mountain home and sealed the main entrance. They collapsed any side tunnels that led to the outside and became completely independent. Thousands of mountain dwarves who lived in Minöst to be closer to their work were locked outside of the mountain.

The dwarves who were shut out of their home cursed the king and all dwarves under the Lone Mountain. As time passed the dwarves adapted to surface life, becoming more limber than dwarves whose lives were spent in caves. After hundreds of years passed, the mountain reopened. Though citizens of Minöst graciously welcomed the return of the dwarves, the hill dwarves, as they were called, still held a grudge.

As years passed the wounds between the hill dwarves and the mountain dwarves did not heal. To long had they been separated. Hill dwarves hardly resembled their mountain cousins and the betrayal they had felt had left to deep a scar to be healed. A feud still exists between mountain and hill dwarves. As tempers flare, it is only a matter of time before a breaking point is reached and catastrophe strikes.

Interaction between Mountain and Hill Dwarves:
The mountain dwarves bear a grudge against the hill dwarves for being allowed to continue their successful livelihood. The hill dwarves bear a grudge against the mountain dwarves for stealing their birthrite from them. Mountain dwarves and hill dwarves will never befriend each other, and rarely will either side back down from a chance to fight. The feud is so strong certain taverns are considered "hill" or "mountain" territory. Though not official or legally binding, taverns that are populated by large amounts of one type of dwarf or another will only serve that type for fear of invoking violence from the other side.

Note: Mountain dwarves and hill dwarves will never adventure together, and it is recommended the DM enforces this to keep in flavor with this campaign setting. Hill dwarves will never go under the Lone Mountain unless circumstances make it unavoidable. It is up to the DM to ensure no player is excluded from any part of the campaign.

Plothook: One type of dwarves begin open genocide of the other dwarves. This does not have to be the entire race's doing but instead could be the work of a group of fanatics.

Hill dwarf society:
Hill dwarves live in houses made of stone, or carved out hill sides. Unlike mountain dwarves, hill dwarves do not have close bonds with others of their race. Instead they are independent and get along with all races equally, except mountain dwarves. The majority of hill dwarves make their livings as blacksmiths or brewers. They have mastered brewing the most potent dwarf spirits from mushrooms only found in very specific places. As blacksmiths, hill dwarves make excellent masterwork tools, weapons, armors, and shields. Their handiwork is exquisite and each hill dwarf has their own unique insignia imprinted on all of their creations. Hill dwarves are not stoneworkers, though they still craft gems and jewelry like no other.

Mountain dwarf society:
Mountain dwarves are natural stone workers. They are born and raised underneath the mountain where they learn everything there is to know about stone. Mountain dwarves also share a strong kinship with one another. Excellent craftsmen, mountain dwarves make the finest works out of metal, stone, and gems. These dwarves treat the day they returned to Minöst as a holiday and have huge festivities around their city. This day is a day of meat and mead, and as such all mountain dwarves take the day off from any paid work.

Elves
Minost is home to several different kinds of elves. There are the elves on the mainland, which are elves as they were originally created and there are wild elves from the Grimlock Archipelago that adapted to live on the islands after being stranded there. In both races, some elves are born with a knack for books. These elves are known as Intellectual Elves. They are frailer than their brethren but more intelligent and eager to learn more.

Wild Elf History:
Some time after the race of elves came to be, a group of elves decided to adventure out into the world instead of remain stagnantly in the forest. They traveled to what is now known as the Eastern Coast, boarded ships, and sailed out. A great storm descended upon them crushing and destroyed their ships. The elves upon washed up on the shores of nearby islands. Some of the elves landed on islands inhabited by cannibalistic tribes while others landed on uninhabited islands. The elves realized being stranded was their fate for being curious and impatient. They began to live on the islands they landed on, starting civilization anew. Soon they lost touch with their old roots, began new traditions, and learned to survive in harsher lands than before.

To be done:
Humans
-Minost
-Barbarians
Elves (WIP)
Halffolk
-halflings
-gnomes
Orc
Goblinoids

[ddude987]

Magic

Kinds of Magic:
There is divine and arcane magic. These types of magic are subcategories of true magic. No being can wield true magic, but must convert it into another "form" before using it. Other kinds of magic are shadow magic (and possibly more to come).

Where Magic comes from:
In the realm of the gods there is an enchanted lake so ancient even the gods do not remember its creation. It is from here that magic enters the world. The water of the lake is a deep black and the surface impossibly smooth. Imprinted on the surface of the lake is a fortress of infinite beauty. The fortress is crafted of stone that rivals the greatest stone masters, mortal or divine. It is said the beauty of this fortress is so great even the gods can become enthralled if they look at it for too long. Gods and mortals who have become so obsessed with the fortress they cannot resist the urge to go to the fortress. They enter the lake, disappear below the dark surface, and never return. What happens to those who enter the lake is only answered in myth. Some stories tell of the lake being a portal while others tell of the lake being an intelligent superbeing who consumes those who enter. Still other tales tell of the fortress as existing at the bottom of the lake but those who try and swim there swim forever never reaching their goal.

The Fortress:
The image of the fortress captured on the surface of the lake is impossibly captivating. Tall imposing towers and walls with complex inlay make up the brunt of the fortress. This inlay tells stories of heroics and tragedies. Gardens full of flowers in well-crafted arrangements line the paths through and around the fortress. Carved statues bear a likeness to reality more than reality itself. Marble columns of pure stark white or black blacker than void hold up domed roofs near the top of the fortress. Inside fires burn hotter than the sun, glowing hues of bright blue. Grand doors made of deep, brown wood marking the entrance to the fortress stand closed for eternity. Gold relief on these doors show images of creatures of unimaginable power destroying the planes of the multiverse.

Forces of Nature:
The forces of nature are the supower powered beings that are imaged on the main entrance doors to the fortress. Section coming soon.

Arcane, Divine, and Shadow:
Magic is granted to mortals through the gods. The gods draw power from the lake and send it to mortals. Some gods do so without price, while others require prayer. This differentiation is the difference between arcane and divine magic.

Arcane: Three gods entered a pact with each other to give this power to mortals in exchange for nothing. These gods represent the good, neutrality, and evil of magic. These gods produced children of magic. Angels were created from the god of good, demons from the god of evil, and the god of neutrality created dragons. These creatures had extremely long lives, high gifted intellect, and the natural ability to wield magic. Some mortals are descendants of angles, demons, or dragons and have the innate ability to wield magic. These mortals become sorcerers and learn to wield this magic. Those who draw power from the lake being to go insane. These gods release their inner madness by sending it into nature. Such is how islands float, trees glow, and supernatural creatures are born.

Divine: Many gods, driven by their greed for power from the lake, demand worship from mortals in exchange for magic. Mortals gladly knelt down to the gods for this power. Though the lake drives gods to madness and eventually swallows them, the gods discovered they could relieve some of their madness. As they granted power to mortals so too could they grant part of their corruption to cleanse themselves. Gods of good refused to do such a thing without mortals consent. The gods of neutrality only granted enough insanity to mortals to keep themselves functioning. Gods of evil granted their followers madness without care. Such is why followers of gods of good and evil have fanatical followings. Followers of good have no madness and are blinded by their purity as they seek to make everything pure. Followers of evil are insane and will do anything to further themselves or their god. Only those of neutrality are spared from what is known as the plague of alignment.

Shadow: Unlike the other kinds of magic which harnessed through deities, shadow magic is embodied directly from the lake. This magic is unwieldy and hard to control. Most creatures that have been inhabited by this magic are transformed into shadow creatures. Mortals who can wield this magic are looked upon with suspicion and constant fear they will lose control and turn into a shadow beast.

Note: The concept of magic granting madness is flavor and as such should not give mechanical benefits or disadvantages. Role play is a great way to use this flavor without imposing mechanics.

To be done:
Magic in everyday life

[SquidOfSquids]

This is awesome!

I would love to see a map of this. Would it be sorta like fantasy-Detroit, where you have the Downtown and pockets of well-to-do suburbs in the outlying areas with empty lots and run-down buildings in between?

[ddude987]

Something like that was probably what Minost was like in her golden age, when the entire area was united as one city. Now a days its more like a city that has urban area stretching out in multiple directions but thins out and turns into natural or farm land. Small parts of the city remain near the Lone Mountain and on the coast, though the rest of Minost is towns.

[ddude987]

History
The history of Minöst reaches back many centuries to a time when several independent towns and cities existed in the area. They were friendly offered great trade between each other. It is said the largest of the cities lay at the heart of what is now Minöst, though its name has been lost for centuries. As the towns and cities grew, they expanded their borders and soon grew into one another. A kingly man suggested they band together in a mutual exchange and become one city. He became the ruler of this new city and the other town heads became his counsel.

As Minöst’s wealth grew, elves from forests near and far, and dwarves from the hills and dwarves from deep under the lone mountain came to the city to sell their arts. Craftsmanship from the dwarves was greater than any living resident had ever seen and elvish wine the finest. Soon many craftsman of these races left their homes and settled shops in Minöst. These people were the first to start a merchants’ guild in Minöst, which helped all who crafted sell their wares for fare prices. At the same time elves and humans began a movement to preserve the nearby forests, and began constructing their houses in and around them. Wondrous gardens were made deep within the exotic woods as the city grew around the forests. Alas, this golden age was not to last.

Soon Minöst was attacked, orcs by the eastern sea and barbarians from the western plains. Minöst was battered and destroyed all along the coast and beat the city back to the east of the lone mountain. After the onslaught, Minöst did not return to those areas. They relinquished ownership of their former city areas as well as the hillands and the southern swamps. Though no longer officially part of Minöst, those areas continued to claim being part of Minöst. The city began to rebuild slowly but surely the city grew back towards its former glory.

Many decades later, the city was hit with a plague. Many in the city began to die, and the presiding ruler put a quarantine on parts of the city. One of such locations were the floating islands, which at the time were an integrated part of the city. With no influx of food, and the plague ravaging them, all the islanders perished. Forsaken by the city, the islands remained void of city dwellers, save the occasional adventurer, for centuries. The origin of the plague is unknown, though many claim the plague was a curse from the gods thrown from the heavens onto the highest of the floating islands. Still others claim the plague originated from the swamps, the people living their unaffected from a natural immunity.

[Elemental]

This sounds very interesting, but something has been nagging the whole time since I read it...
What's the point of a system of magical highways that allow horses to travel at one mile per hour when the walking speed of humans already ranges from 2.8 to 3.4 mph?

[ddude987]

That is a typo. I changed it to be at twice their regular speed. I forgot to update the highways section. There is now a bit more to the highways.

[ddude987]

Here is a rough sketch of the known world with respect to Minost's populace. Not sure how it is going to turn out but here it goes.
http://s21.postimg.org/l8nvz7p3r/20131014_151245.jpg

[ddude987]

Races
This section is to cover the mechanics of all available player races. My goal is to buff all races to about the power level of whisper gnomes.

Dwarves

Hill Dwarf Racial Traits
• +2 Con +2 Dex -2 Cha
• Medium size
• 30 ft. movement speed
• Low light vision
• Sturdy: +4 racial bonus to resist opposed Strength checks
• +1 racial bonus to attack roles and armor class against goblins and orcs
• Hill dwarves only suffer half the movement speed penalty from wearing medium or heavy armor
• +2 racial bonus to resist poisons
• +2 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.
• Mountain dwarves treat dwarven waraxes and dwarven urgroshes as martial weapons.
• +2 racial bonus on Craft and Appraise checks that are related to stone or metal.

Mountain Dwarf Racial Traits
• +2 Con -2 Cha
• Medium size
• 20 ft. movement speed, 15 ft. climb
• Low light vision, darkvision 60 ft.
• Sturdy: +4 racial bonus to resist opposed Strength checks
• Mountain dwarves only suffer no movement speed penalty from wearing medium or heavy armor
• Mountain dwarves can only use their climb speed to climb rock or dirt but suffer no armor check penalty when doing so
• +2 racial bonus to resist poisons
• +2 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.
• Mountain dwarves treat dwarven waraxes and dwarven urgroshes as martial weapons.
• +2 racial bonus on Appraise checks that are related to stone or metal items.
• +2 racial bonus on Craft checks that are related to stone or metal.
• Stonecunning: This ability grants a dwarf a +2 racial bonus on Search checks to notice unusual stonework, such as sliding walls, stonework traps, new construction (even when built to match the old), unsafe stone surfaces, shaky stone ceilings, and the like. Something that isn’t stone but that is disguised as stone also counts as unusual stonework. A dwarf who merely comes within 10 feet of unusual stonework can make a Search check as if he were actively searching, and a dwarf can use the Search skill to find stonework traps as a rogue can. A dwarf can also intuit depth, sensing his approximate depth underground as naturally as a human can sense which way is up.

Elves

Elves, as a race, sleep as regular races and do not trance.

Elf Racial Traits
• +2 Dex -2 Con
• Medium size
• 35 ft. move speed
• Superior low light vision
• Immunity to magical sleep, and a +2 racial saving throw against enchantment spells or effects.
• Elves receive the martial weapon proficiency feats for the longsword, rapier, longbow, and shortbow as bonus feats.
• +2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot. Elves who pass within 5ft. Of a secret or concealed door are always entitled to a Search check.
• Elves speak both Common and Elven
• SLA - 1/day light, prestidigitation. An elf may cast each of these spells once per day as a spell-like ability.

Elf, Intellectual (varient) Racial Traits
Intellectual elves are the same as normal elves except where noted
• +2 Int -2 Str
• 30 ft. move speed
• Intellectual elves do not receive the martial weapon proficiency feats normal elves do.
• Well Read (Ex.): An intellectual elf gains a +1 on all knowledge checks. Their result still defaults to 10 if the knowledge skill is untrained.

Wild Elf Racial Traits
Wild elves are the same as normal elves except where noted
• +2 Str +2 Dex -2 Con
• Wild Elves can ignore movement or any other penalties imposed by terrain that has not been magically altered to impede movement.
• Wild elves are not immune to magical sleep and do not gain a +2 racial saving throw against enchantment spells or effects.
• Wild elves do not receive martial weapon proficiencies.
• Wild elves receive a +2 racial bonus on survival checks instead of search checks and do not magically detect secret doors.
• Wild elves do not have racial SLAs.


Halfolk

Halfling Racial Traits
• +2 Dex -2 Str
• Small size
• 20 ft. move speed
• A Halfling receives no penalty to their jump check from having a low move speed.
• +2 racial bonus to Bluff, Climb, and Move Silently.
• +1 racial bonus to all saves.
• +1 racial bonus to attack roles made with thrown weapons and slings.
• Halflings, having no language of their own may select one bonus language in addition to the bonus languages gained from a high intelligence modifier.
• Halflings are immune to fear and fear effects.

Gnome Racial Traits
• +2 Dex +2 Con -2 Str -2 Cha
• Small size
• 20 ft. move speed
• Low light vision
• +2 racial bonus to Craft, Listen, and spot checks.
• +1 to the DC for all illusion spells cast by gnomes.
• Gnomes treat gnome hook hammers and gnomish quick razors as martial weapons.
• Gnomes are immune to spells and effects from the figment subschool.


Human

Human Racial Traits
• Humans gain a +2 to any ability score. This choice is made at character creation and cannot be changed.
• Medium size
• 30 ft. move speed
• Humans gain a bonus feat at 1st level.
• Humans gains 1 extra skill point per level (4 at 1st level).

Half-Elf Racial Traits
• Half-elves gain a +2 to any ability score. This choice is made at character creation and cannot be changed.
• Medium size
• 30 ft. move speed
• Low light vision
• Immunity to magical sleep, and a +2 racial saving throw against enchantment spells or effects.
• +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy, Gather Information, Listen, and Spot.
• Half-elves are considered elves for the purposes of all effects related to race.
• Half-elves speak both Common and Elven.

[ddude987]

The Player Perspective

General:

Where do PCs live?
Player characters may live in any of the various regions in Minöshi. Renting apartments in any of Minöshi's cities, including Minöst herself, follows the rules found on page 51, table 2-1, in Cityscape. Players do not have to have any place to live. In the case of being members of a guild, housing may be provided depending on rank and open use of the guild hall is permitted, if any.

Are PCs different from everyone else?
Player characters can look like anything from your average fellow to a person so well-known there are legends written about them.

Level 1: At this level the player characters look just like any other person found in Minöshi. They may be recognized as adventurers by some, but the overwhelming majority of people will see them as ordinary.

Level 3-5: At this point the player characters will start being recognized as adventurers. Their names and affiliations will be unknown to most people, though some will recognize them. The may gain a large local recognition but they will not be identified on a large scale.

Level 6: At this point the PCs draw the attention of powerful people around Minöshi. Guilds/organizations will desperately want to recruit them. Some of these organizations may seek out specific PCs and may even ask them to keep their affiliation hidden, even from their other group members.

Level 8-10: At this point, knowledge of the PCs adventuring group has spread across a large portion of Minöshi. Specifics may be unknown but the group as a whole will be recognized as "that" group and may even have been given a name. If the PCs have been working for a guild or organization they will have risen several ranks and carry heavy weight. At this point the PCs may even chose to start their own organization and some people will be eager to join.

How do they make a living?
Player characters can make a living in several different ways and which of these are available may depend on the type of campaign being run. In a political campaign they players will make money and gain reputation by influencing government officials and the general populace. Being paid off or performing tasks to assist different government officials positions/plans will be a large portion of their wealth. Eventually when the PCs are well known enough, they may try being in a high ranking position of government official. Here they will earn salary as income and be granted an estate to live in. In an intrigue/discovery campaign the PCs will earn income from performing tasks for guilds or other organizations, seeking and finding lost artifacts, and rediscovering lost history or technologies. They may take ancient technologies and sell them for money or wield them to gain power. The PCs will gain followers and could become leaders of guilds or start their own organizations.

Do they have to represent another group?
No, the PCs do not have to join another group. They may join out of their own interest but they do not have to. Most organizations do not care about the affiliations of the people you travel with so different PCs may be members of different groups.

Who/what is their enemy?
Depending on who the PCs work for throughout a campaign will determine who or what becomes their enemy. Working against one groups goals will make the PCs enemies of that group. The PCs will also find enemies on their quest for knowledge or treasures. Other adventuring parties trying to discover it first will try and stop the PCs and creatures that have taken up residence inside of the ruins PCs explore will also try and stop the PCs. While many of the enemies the PCs will encounter are subjective, there are several plotlines built into this campaign setting are some quest lines that are designed to appeal to PCs regardless of their alignment.

[ddude987]

The Player Perspective cont.

Advanced:

Who controls what?
Minöshi has a monarch who is born into rulership. He has his court which contains people he appoint for positions of treasurer, first hand, and more. Each town or city in Minöshi has a mayor which is voted in by tax paying citizens of those establishments. Each guild also has a head ruler. How people come to rule these guilds is dependent on the guild. Some have votes while others appoint their successor.

Is there an army?
Minöshi does not have a standing army, though the city guard has over 50,000 trained guards. The Minöst city guard, though not considered an army, is a collection of elite warriors as strong as most seasoned armies, though not as large. The dwarves under the Lone Mountain also have an army. Their army is constantly fighting back creatures or other armies that are invading through planar rifts in their home. These rifts have been kept secret and even most dwarves are not aware they exist and are constant assault.

Does money mean power?
In Minöst, as with most societies, anything can be bought for the right price. Information can be found from the information broker's society and exotic goods can come from dwarves, elves, or islanders. Inside of Minöst's government, money cannot buy your way into the monarch's royal family, but can be used to influence voting for becoming a mayor, representative, or guild leader.

Who has money?
Government officials are well respected and paid highly. People of high rank in guilds also often make lots of money. Wealthy merchants that operate independently of the merchant's guild make little money if they are a small operation and significantly more if they run a monopolistic operation. Merchants belonging to the guild earn more money than average labor workers but not enough to be considered upper class.

Who has Power?
More so than money, connections grant power in Minöst. Knowledge is power when doing business or running the government. The monarch and his family also have power. Though they are advised by a court, any decision they make is treated as final and as law. All mayors and lords of towns are expected to follow any decision the monarch makes and support him in it.

How badly do poor people live?
Poor people that live in the city are threatened by starvation on a weekly basis. Poor people in cities are subjected to organized crime or being taken advantage of, and what meager money they earn from their job is barley enough to feed them and their families as well as afford housing. In some sections of the city, the government officials responsible for those parts are corrupt and do nothing to improve its conditions. Organized crime groups in these parts are a lot more powerful than the street gangs in other sections of the city. Territory wars, robberies, and the like are seen on a daily basis. Poor people living outside of cities are almost always farmers. Farmers do not make enough money but make enough to keep their houses and equipment maintained. Farmers are sometimes victims of roving groups of bandits that travel through the country side looting people they come across.

What methods of travel exist?
Minöst is full of interconnected roads and highways. Inside the city, the superhighways are operational and allow for quick travel to places in the city itself. Chartering a ship to travel along the eastern coast and through some of the interconnected rivers within Minoshi is another popular method of travel.

What are some landmarks?
The Lone Mountain marks the western edge of Minöst's territory. The east and south are not marked by anything specific and simply extend as far as civilizations that consider themselves Minöshi can be found. Other landmarks such as a great river, lakes, smaller mountains, or specific ancient ruins are TBD.

What are large holidays?
The Minöshi celebrate the yearly passing of the two moons. This even lasts an entire week and marks the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. Behind these two moons, Balendas can be seen. Balendas is larger than either moon in the sky but during this week is translucent and allows stars to be seen through her. Balendas is not the only thing in the sky that looks different during this week. The silver moon takes on a purplish glow and the red moon becomes so dark it is almost black.
In the marshlands the summer solstice is a day of rest and relaxation followed by a night of revelry. Barbarian tribes on the western plains celebrate both the summer and winter solstice. They celebrate for an entire week during which war between tribes is forbidden.

How does the calendar function?
The calendar is divided up into ages. The end of these ages are caused by some significant even instead of actual measurements of time. Each age has years which are counted by the appearance of Alandar's neighboring planet Balendas blocking the sun for a full 24 hours. The setup of the solar system is such that Minöst's method of counting years is consistent.

Is it standardized throughout Minöst?
Yes, the calendar is standard throughout all of Minöst. The barbarian tribes in the west do not use the calendar for time though it is easy to convert from their system to Minöst's calendar.

[ddude987]

The Player Perspective cont.

Specialized:

Where did this world come from?
Popular folklore is that this planet, Alandar, and her sister, Balendas, are children of the sun. The moons in the sky are Alandar's children and one day Alandar will glow like the sun and bring life to her children.
Remnants of research done in the golden age tell of Alandar being a child of the sun, but that she will not turn into a sun and shed light on the moons that rotate around her. The same goes for Balendas. Other bits of research also says the moons that orbit Alandar are not her children but children of the sun that Alandar captured. The majority of this research was lost during the golden age and the above is all that has been recovered thus far.

What constitutes a god?
Gods are immortal beings that exist on higher plane. Each gods domain is connected to this realm. Fighting between gods on this realm is forbidden and the punishment is being thrown into the lake. It is here the pantheon of gods meet to discuss events of the cosmos among other things. A mortal cannot become a god except by defeating an existing god. Though gods are immortal, the connection between them and their domain can be destroyed by a mortal, or by entering the lake. If a mortal destroys a gods connecting with their domain, that mortal becomes a god and has rule over that domain.

Where does magic come from?
The origin of magic throughout all the planes is attributed to the lake. However this is not a concept mortals have knowledge of. Mortals that understand magic believe all magic comes from gods. (DC 15 Knowledge Arcana or spellcasting class feature)
The truth of this matter is that only arcane and divine magic are granted by the gods on the high plane.

What happens after death?
The common belief is that after death mortals leave their bodies and live with whatever god they worshipped in life. If they did not worship a god, they go live with the nameless god who has no worshippers and cannot be worshipped. This nameless god is the same nameless god shadow magic users attribute their power to.
In reality, all souls travel to the lake and disappear below the surface. The nameless god does not actually exist.

What is advanced technology?

What is advanced knowledge?

Where did the lost technologies go?

[ddude987]

Adventure Sites

Don'Khar Keep

Far north, beyond Minoshi control, lies an ancient keep that guards the northern pass through the Kah'allisar mountain range. The keep has been deserted for as long as anyone can remember, and if the stories about it are true, it was never under Minoshi control. Legend says the keep was founded by a rich lord who was a powerful sorcerer. The purpose of the stronghold was to guard the only known pass through the mountains to keep unwelcome visitors away from the northern tower of the magi. After the fall of the towers, the ruler of the Don'Khar keep worked powerful magicks to ensure none could get to the remains of the northern tower through the pass. The keep and all surrounding lands were blighted, cursed so nothing living could grow or live there.

Recently, the past several decades, the blighted land has been expanding. Those that have viewed the keep from a distance report a strange darkness surrounding the stronghold and those that have traveled to the keep have not returned.

Note: There are several different things that could be happening at the Don'Khar keep. The following plothooks are suggestions that you can tailor to your campaign.

Plothook (undead): Inside the Don'Khar keep lies a powerful and intelligent magical item left behind after the ruler's disappearance. The magic item has been raising the dead and is amassing an army to invade Minöst. Perhaps this item was created by the ruler before his death or perhaps the ruler put his lifeforce into the item and now lives inside it. The army of the dead could be being raised as revenge for causing the downfall of the towers of the magi or the army of the dead's goal could be to kill people to create more undead.

Plothook (planar invasion): A planar rift has spawned inside the fortress. Supernatural creatures of darkness are entering the mortal plane looking to enslave the Minöshi. For the past few centuries they have been scouting and gathering information around Minöshi and are preparing for their invasion.

The Towers of the Magi

In four places just outside of Minoshi lie tall abandoned towers. These towers, known as the Towers of the Magi, are ancient relics of a once powerful organization of mages. Why they were abandoned is unknown but stories tell of the mages working on experiments to create the perfect life form. The towers were abandoned as many of the mages disappeared. Those that did not disappear went insane and would not speak of the reason the towers were abandoned.

People have gone exploring the towers, looking for ancient and powerful magic items or spells lost to this age. People that adventure to these towers usually do not come back, and when they do they refuse to discuss what horrors befell them or their adventuring companions.

What people do not know is that the magi succeeded in creating life. They created a race, now known as the Zieel. This race is controlled by an overlord who resides in one of the towers. This particular tower has disappeared from its original location and has not been found. The three remaining towers are full of its minions. Though the overlord does not have an overarching goal, it does do whatever it takes to ensure its race lives on.

Plothook: The overlord decides to expand his territory and starts invading towns and creating more minions. The players must find and destroy the overlord before the countless hordes of Zieel overrun Minost.

Plothook: The players must are tasked to find the missing tower and document its whereabouts and solve the mystery of what happened to the Towers of the Magi.

In progress
-The Flooded Stronghold
-Veroudash Temple

[ddude987]

Here is a more updated and slightly better image of Minoshi and surrounding territories

http://s23.postimg.org/bowbtim17/20131019_200644.jpg

[ddude987]

Introducing a new creature here. This creature was created by experiments in the Towers of the Magi. It is the reason for all of the magi going disappearing and the towers being abandoned.

Zieel

What is the hivemind? The hivemind is a collection of minds all communicating to a single overarching mind that can process vast sums of information. This overarching mind, henceforth known as the overlord, can send data across the hivemind giving orders to its minions or giving them necessary information. The overlord can also control said minions directly regardless of their will though it can only independently control one minion at a time. Essentially, the overlord knows everything any Zieel creature knows and it shares this information with every other Zieel creature that it may pertain to. All Zieel are fully loyal to the overlord and free-will is not something any Zieel, except for the overlord, possesses.

Ecology
Zieel live much like a colony of ants. Smaller, worker-like Zieel go out the harvest food, being living flesh or, if none is around, a special plant that grows on the habitat created by queens. This plant is made of living flesh of a similar consistency to a human's insides. Larger Zieel protect the colony from harm and ensure the workers are doing their jobs.

Though all Zieel answer unerringly to the hivemind, queens are allowed to grow and have full control of their brood. Warring between queens for territory, enslavement, and consumption of each other is common among different broods. Zieel have very unstable genes, and mutations are fairly common. These mutations are what make individual broods unique from others.


Zieel, Parasite
Tiny Aberration
Hit Dice: 2d12 (12 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 10 ft. Climb: 10 ft.
Armor Class: AC 16 (10+ 3 Dex + 2 Size + 1 Natural) Touch: 15 Flat-Footed: 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/-9
Attack: Bite (touch) +4 (1d3 Wis + burrow)
Full Attack: Bite (touch) +4 (1d3 Wis + burrow)
Space/Reach: 2 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Ability Damage, Burrow
Special Qualities: Hivemind, Lifesense 120, Eyeless, Not-living, Mindless
Saves: Fort +0, Ref +0, Will +3
Abilities: Str 6, Dex 16, Con --, Int --, Wis 10, Cha 1
Skills: --
Feats: Weapon Finesse [racial]
Challenge Rating: 1/2
Advancement: --

Burrow: If a parasite successfully makes a melee attack against a creature of small size or larger, it burrows into the targets flesh, dealing 1 point of Con damage (may vary). Every round on the parasites turn the creature it is burrowed in takes 1 Con damage (may vary). If the target does not have a Con score it takes Wis damage instead. The damage done from burrowing ignores immunity or resistance to ability damage. A creature reduced to 0 Con (or Wis) from burrowing dies and if it was of small, medium or large size, becomes infected. 1d4 rounds later they rise as an Zieel slave. A burrowed parasite can be targeted as a normal target and falls off its host if it is reduced to 0 hit points. A burrowed parasite can be forcibly removed as a standard action with a successful touch attack.

Lifesense: A Parasite has a general feel of all of its surroundings within 120 ft. In addition, it senses any living creature it has line of effect to within 120 ft.

Eyeless: A Parasite does not have eyes making it immune to flanking and blinding.

Not-living: A Parasite does not have a Con score, making it immune to anything that requires a Fort save that does not affect objects.

Mindless: A Parasite does not have a mind of its own and instead carries out general instructions sent to it from the hivemind, making it immune to any mind affecting effect.

Hivemind: See "What is the hivemind?"

Zieel, Crusher
Large Aberration
Hit Dice: 4d8 + 20 (36 hp)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 30 ft.
Armor Class: AC 14 (10 + 1 Dex + 4 Natural - 1 Size) Touch: 10 Flat-Footed: 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+11
Attack: Tentacle +7 (1d8 + 4); Bite +7 (1d6 + 4)
Full Attack: 2 Tentacles +7/+7 (1d8 + 4), Bite +2 (1d6 + 2)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Paralyzing Tentacles
Special Qualities: Hivemind, Lifesense 120 ft.
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +4
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 13, Con 20, Int 6, Wis 10, Cha 3
Skills: +11 Jump
Feats: Combat Reflexes , Improved Natural Weapon (Tentacles), Improved Initiative
Challenge Rating: 3
Advancement: 5; 6 (Huge)

Lifesense: As the Parasite Lifesense ability.

Hivemind: See "What is the hivemind?"

Paralyzing Tentacles: A Crushers tentacles have 10 ft. reach. A creature struck by a crushers tentacle must make a DC 16 Fortitude save or be paralyzed for 1d4 rounds. If a Crusher hits an opponent with both tentacles during a full attack, the duration for paralysis is 2d4 instead. This save is Constitution based.

[B]Zieel, Queen
Large Aberration
Hit Dice: 5d8 + 25 (45 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 20 ft. Climb: 10 ft.
Armor Class: AC 16 (10 + 3 Dex +4 natural - 1 size) Touch: 12 Flat-Footed: 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+13
Attack: Claw +9 (1d6 + 5+stab); Bite +9 (1d8+5); Sting +9 (1d6+5+poison)Full Attack: 2 Claws +9/+9 (1d6 + 5), Bite +4 (1d8+2), and Sting +4 (1d6+5+poison)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Poison, Stab
Special Qualities: Hivemind, Lifesense, Birth Parasite, Convert Habitat
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +6
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 17, Con 20, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 9
Skills:
Feats:
Challenge Rating: 4
Advancement: 6 (Huge)

Lifesense: As the Zieel Parasite's lifesense ability.

Hivemind: See "What is the hivemind?"

Poison: A Queen's poison does 1d4 Con damage, save DC 16. This save is Constitution based.

Birth Parasite: A Queen can birth parasites. She does this by laying eggs, which she lays at a rate of 1 per hour. These eggs have an incubation period of 1 week, after which 1d4 fully grown parasites emerge. A Queen will not birth parasites unless necessary.

Convert Habitat: A queen can secrete an ooze like substance to convert any environment into one natural to her. She can convert habitat at a rate of 20 ft. per day. The new habitat is a living connected organism that gives her information through the hivemind. If attacked, the habitat does bleed and can be killed much like a regular creature. However, it has statistics like an object. The habitat has a hardness of 2 and 20 hp. Per inch of thickness. The floor is slick and it is hard to keep yourself steady. As a result, creatures that are not of the hivemind suffer a -2 penalty on balance and tumble checks and cannot run or charge. Generally a queen only converts her living and birthing chambers though more powerful queens will convert much more territory.