DiscipleofBob
2015-01-21, 12:26 AM
After receiving the books for D&D 5th edition for Christmas I decided to try and do what I originally did for 4th, create a setting that I can use to DM games that incorporates as many if not all the main elements currently available to players.
To some who browse through all the many worlds and settings posted on these forums, I'm afraid this might come across as a bit boring. I'm not trying to reinvent the fantasy genre with my creative, unique world of homebrewed snowflakes, just something I can run for people and not having to worry about explaining all the basics of a pre-established setting like Eberron or worry about whether my plot to save the world even remotely fits in with "canon."
I'm also taking some elements that I still like from a 4th edition campaign I used to run and bringing them back. No, that's not posted anywhere online, it's just a hodgepodge collection of maps, unorganized notes, and crayon drawings (it made sense at the time).
Even though this is all a work in progress, I only intend for this to be little more than half-finished by the time I (hopefully) use it for 5e campaigns. I don't even have a world map other than a rough sketch of countries, and I don't want one. I don't want to define anything in concrete until I absolutely have to, because ideas can always come later which I hope to leave room to fit in here, whether they be from my own deranged mind, my players, or even from any suggestions you might have.
Feel free to give as much constructive criticism and suggestions as you like. A lot of this will just be me writing stream of consciousness while on my lunch break, so I apologize in advance for any poor writing or format. I'll go back and fix anything like that at a later date.
First of all, some basic concepts about the world in question:
((Disclaimer: ALL names including Country, City, Region, or NPC names are for the most part placeholders until/unless I think of something better. Right now they're just meant for easy remembering.))
- Anything in 5e is available somewhere or another here. Human, Elves, Dwarves, Half-Elves, Halflings, Half-Orcs, Dragonborn, Gnomes, and Tieflings all have significant enough presence here to be player races and not something completely strange.
- Conversely, most "monster races" like Goblins, Orcs, etcetera, are often seen by most as monsters or vermin and see nothing wrong with killing them. Whether the PC's adopt that mindset is up to the players. There will always be exceptions of course.
- All classes are available as well. All classes also have some kind of support organization, some more loosely defined than others. Guilds, military, and other organizations exist to help as plot hooks for PC's.
- Every subrace is specifically available as well. High Elves, Wood Elves, and Drow are statted in the PHB? They all exist prominently in the setting. The Drow maybe less so, but there are at least opportunities for anyone who wants to to make a Drow character.
- Similarly, every class archetype exists in-universe as well. Bards can choose between College of Lore or College of Valor? They're both literal prestigious institutions in this setting.
- The only gods are those from the Nonhuman Deities appendix in the PHB. The lack of a default pantheon in the 5e PHB threw me for a loop, but the more I thought of it, the idea of a world where all the gods were of other races and the humans were screwed from a divine perspective had some interesting plot potential behind it.
- Gods act through their clerics and paladins, but through a divine treaty, cannot directly interfere with the material plane (though that hasn't stopped some from trying).
- The main continent, currently called Primera, is mostly civilized with each region in contact with each other to some degree.
- The world is mostly unexplored beyond Primera, though future islands and continents will be reserved for inevitable future support books for 5e.
- The one exception to the main continent is a vast desert region to the west of Primera that remains completely unexplored. Everyone who's tried, including sailors following the coast, has either been turned back by one danger after another or never heard from again.
I'll probably put more here as I think of it, or when the glaringly obvious is pointed out to me.
Now for some more specific stuff, to be organized into a more readable format at a later date:
COSMOLOGY
In one popular origin myth, the worlds of the gods existed before the material plane. Each god, good and evil and in between, had their own plane of existence. They knew of each other, but paid little attention to one another. After all, they each had their own reality to mold and shape as they saw fit. Continents, ecosystems, and civilizations could be created, altered, or destroyed at a whim. Then the material plane came into existence, a literal godless realm. The gods would have been curious but uninterested if not for the fact that the material plane had its own geography, its own ecosystems, its own civilizations that inexplicably had a parallel effect on each of the gods' worlds. A mountain or forest or even an empire in the material plane would exist in some form or another in the other realms, and despite the gods' power, they could not change their own realms to differ from the material plane. Their creative visions spoiled, the gods grew angry. They accused each other of secretly creating the material plane as a means of sabotage. The infighting escalated until one god decided to lay claim to the material plane, as changes to the material plane could change their personal divine realm to their liking, but it would affect all the other divine realms the same way. Thus all the gods hastily tried to lay claim to the material plane, causing a heavenly war fought between gods, their angelic armies, and whatever creations they could conjure, including monsters that still prowled the world today. But their war not only damaged the realm they fought over, but in turn, their own worlds as well. After a long and bloody war, the gods called a truce. They agreed, among other things, that no god or direct divine servant could directly affect the material plane, but they would be allowed some degree of influence, and their will could be carried out by mortal clerics, paladins, and the like. That hasn't stopped the gods from trying to find loopholes to exert more influence.
RACES
HUMANS
Occasionally referred to by other races as the Godless, humans have no patron racial deity. Some humans take up worship of other races' gods, hoping they can be accepted for following the proper teachings and tenets. Others take the lack of a driving divine force as a sign of greater free will and live their lives without the will of gods influencing them. Either way, humans are driven by a personal drive to find their individual role in life, be it a ruler, soldier, scholar, merchant, or hero. Humans are the ruling class of several nations, including Stonewall, Eyrebourne, and Crescent Bay. They used to also control Newhope and Churnabaug, but the former is now ruled by a council of guild leaders and representatives (which while including multiple races are predominantly half-elf) and the latter were cursed by a mad king's foolish pact to become tieflings. They're predominant here by can be found in most parts of the continent, even in the more isolationist cultures as long as they make the effort to adapt or respect the culture of the area. Some races see humans can only for their relatively short-lived lives and often fail to take even their warriors and kings completely seriously, but humans are overall the easiest to get along with of the races.
ELVES
High Elves hail from the magic cities of Arcanis and claim to be the original creators of magic, or at least the arts of wielding them. They claim to be responsible for many inventions, including longswords, bows, democracy, the highway system, most forms of transportation, and even some species. Whether or not this is actually true is taken with a grain of salt (another thing the high elves claim to have created). Regardless, their talents and actual contributions to society are widely recognized, and the majority of those who wish to study the practice of arcane magic go to them. High Elves have a unique perspective on nature. They see deforestation and strip mining just as horrible as their Wood Elf cousins, but they see nothing wrong with using magic to bend and shape wood or transmute natural materials to build their grand magical cities.
High Elves and Wood Elves suffered a schism several centuries ago, whereas part of Elven society believed that the excessive use of magic on nature was just as destructive as the environmental damage caused by other races. The other Elves essentially replied that their methods were just fine because they said so, and they could always use more magic to repair any actual damage they'd done. Thus the Elves divided into Wildhearth and Arcanis. The Wood Elves do use some magic, but they are much more careful about implementing it and value nature over their personal convenience. The Wood Elves actually do export lumber and other natural resources, but they do so only in a way that is harmonious with nature. Rather than chop trees down in logging camps. Trees just seem to fall down when appropriate, animals seem to offer themselves for the hunt. As long as the Wood Elves respect nature they are provided for in return.
Eladrin once ruled their own kingdom. They were also elves, though with a much stronger connection to their fey ancestors. Their kingdom of Feygrove revered and welcomed the Fey as probably the main source for the chaotic trickster outsiders to enter the material plane. Some time ago, the majority of fey retreated back to their home plane, possibly as a result of a divine dispute, and with them they took most of the Eladrin. Now Eladrin are a distant memory with no record of an appearance in over a century. In their stead, the Gnomes, who were once second-class citizens under their rule, were more than happy to take over the land and cities left behind.
Drow exist primarily in the Underdark, and primarily as a Lolth-worshipping spider-obsessed evil matriarchy. Some Drow outcasts do exist and a small handful have even made it to the surface. A surface Drow almost has to cover themselves completely, including a mask, if they want to travel the rest of the world without considerable attention. A few Drow have even formed small isolated settlements, usually in the deep cover of a thick forest as sunlight does bother them. They even have spider equivalents of pets and livestock. Silk from a drow's spiders is a highly valuable commodity, and many affluent people would do terrible things to acquire some.
DWARVES
Dwarves trace their ancestry to deep in the bowels of the Earth. Elders spin tales about how their great-great-great grandfathers were born underground never knowing the light of the sun, only through divine providence were they driven to dig upward. If one journeyed underground they could find abandoned Dwarven cities from multiple eras depending on how far they went down. The dwarves finally reached the surface at the top of Highthrone, the peak of the mountain range that separates the continent. Seeing it as a holy place, the throne of the gods as lore tells it, the dwarves founded a nation on and in the mountain, eventually carving networks of stone mountainous roads to connect the continents. Dwarves are master craftsman, patient and resilient beyond measure. They are often deeply religious, and foster cooperation with other races rather than competition. To a dwarf, everyone sinks or swims together. Responsibility, reward, failure and cost are all spread around as much as possible. When something goes wrong, dwarves don't ask who to blame, they ask how they can fix things regardless of whose fault it was. At least that's how they all used to be. Now that life is no longer a perilous journey towards the surface, some dwarves have found comfort in a position of prestige, and see it as their reward for their ancestors' hard work, or that processing paperwork and gathering coin IS their life's work, and damn if anyone else tries to hinder that. At their best dwarves can be hard-working, friendly, and helpful. At their worst they can be greedy, stubborn, and bureaucratic.
The distinction between Mountain Dwarf and Hill Dwarf is blurry at best. As the Dwarves expanded and settled across the nation, those living closer to sea level where grass grows and other people live have been come to be known as Hill Dwarves while those living higher up the mountain as Mountain Dwarfs. Most individual dwarfs don't identify one way or the other. Anyone living below them is soft and pampered and therefore a Hill Dwarf. Anyone living above them is an isolated, mentally unhinged, backwater Mountain Dwarf, even though the largest Dwarven cities are at the peak.
HALFLINGS
Halflings are cheerful, light-hearted, high-spirited, and should never be screwed with. Transport between the nations is difficult. Modern roads leave a lot to be desired in terms of protection from bandits, monsters, and the elements. Dwarven mountain roads are unsuitable for any but the most determined travelers. Transportation by ship is impractical as many important destinations are landlocked or would require sailing around the continent. The halflings and their fleet of river boats are the primary means of international travel and transport for most nations. Halflings hail from Rivergill, a land of swamps and marshes whose rivers feed into nearly every nation. Many halflings live on the riverboats they serve on for the majority of their lives, heading back to Rivergill only in times of emergency or specific halflings holidays. Halfling society is one giant family-run business with the higher-ups acting like surrogate parents for everyone, managing trade routes and taking the personal troubles of other halflings very seriously.
Stout and Lightfoot halflings live together with no real cultural distinction between them. Lightfoot halflings are leaner, more athletic, more adventurous types while Stouts tend to have a more squat build. Stout halflings aren't nearly as adventurous as their Lightfoot cousins, preferring security, consistency, and familiarity. Both serve on the riverboats, with Lightfoots wanting to explore the many waterways of the world and Stouts being content as long as they get to sleep in their cabin bunk at night. Despite their differences, halflings tends to prefer halfling mates with the opposite temperament. This is by no means enforced, but most halfling couples tend to be with one Lightfoot and one Stout, regardless of gender, and regular fights and screaming matches are considered healthy relationship qualities in halfling society.
HALF-ELVES
Humans often find elves fascinating with their unearthly grace and beauty. Elves find humans' ambition and force of personality intriguing, especially given their relatively short lifespan. Human/elf pairings aren't uncommon, especially for elves who see human partners as temporary at best. The story is old enough that their offspring, called Half-Elves or Helfs in less formal terms, are common enough to be a sub race all their own. Half-Elves combine the ambition of humans with the supernatural charisma of elves to form a being who either fits in both worlds or none. Most half-elves in the modern era are actually the children of two half-elves, or in some cases, a human/half-elf or elf/half-elf. Most of the time if one of the parents is a full elf, the elf recognizes that they will be around long after the other parent will die of old age. Since such romances often end in tragedy, a half-elf child is typically given to the human or half-elf parent with the expectation that when they pass, the half-elf child if they wish will seek out the Elven parent and then learn that part of their heritage. Half-Elves that apply themselves succeed in most ventures, having the best traits of both worlds. Although half-elves don't have their own nation, the fledgling country of Newhope is run by a council of business leaders and guildmasters, many of which are half-elves who have worked their way up.
HALF-ORCS
In times past, roving bands of savage Orc raiders were a common hazard of everyday life. They burned their way across the countryside with little care for anything that stood in their way. They were most known for pillaging and slaughtering, though in the rare cases they were in a good mood, they would just throw wildly destructive celebrations. Thus while half-orcs are widely believed and often the product of rape, more often than would believed they'd simply be the product of drunken revelries between intoxicated orcs and humans of either gender.
Generations of adventurers and military action later rid the countryside of the various Orc tribes, though some humans have adapted specific traditions for their societies of new age self-proclaimed "barbarian tribes." A full half-Orc is very rare nowadays, but Orc genes are very resilient. Even people who have only one orc out of several generations of ancestors is still visibly and noticeably a half-Orc or Horc as they're colloquially known. Half-orcs try to fit in, but have aggressive, temperamental natures that are difficult to control. They rarely achieve positions of power without brute force or intimidation. Half-orcs are most common in the islands of Crescent Bay where they can take jobs as sailors or dockworkers, and there are rumors of surviving Orc tribes inhabiting some islands that raid nearby ships occasionally.
DRAGONBORN
Many species can claim distant relations to dragons, from drakes to kobolds to the proud dragonborn. The Dragonborn nation is dry and arid, varying in climate from scorching deserts to frigid tundras. They used to war with each other under clans divided by the color of their scales. Then they united to wage war with other races. Now the race of warriors must learn to thrive during an uncomfortable time of peace. The clan structure still exists, but the whole nation of Draconis is ruled first by a Warchief in an election decided mostly by gladiatorial combat, then by a War Council made up of representatives from different clans. The War in their titles is only because the Dragonborn society is based on conflict, and life without it is fairly new to them.
Dragonborn mostly come from Draconis, a nation filled with species that evolved from Draconis ancestors. Drakes of various shapes and sizes are considered pets, livestock, even vermin. Kobolds are either pests to be eradicated or second-class citizens too dumb to do much but serve. Attacks by wyverns and minor dragons are semi-common occurrences, and slaying one of these creatures is considered a great honor. If a Dragonborn slays such a beast, they almost always keep at least part of the creature as a trophy.
GNOMES
Gnomes have always had a strong connection to the fey. In the past they served directly under the Eladrin as second-class citizens. When the Eladrin went back to the realms of the fey, the Gnomes were forbidden from following. Instead the gnomes were left with empty cities designed for a species double their size. Gnomes are anything but not inventive, and made do with the oversized palaces they helped build for their fey overlords.
Gnomes are optimistic and tend to think outside the box, but as a result they tend to overlook obvious solution to a problem, instead inventing needlessly convoluted solutions that work about a third of the time. They're used to living in an oversized world and are rarely phased by something as trivial as a high shelf, sometimes even going so far as to carry footstools wherever they go. Most city-bound gnomes, or Rock Gnomes, constantly build or tinker to expand their fey cities or retrofit it to their needs, exploring ancient Eladrin mansions like ruins. Before the Eladrin departed, gnomes who didn't take to their rule lived in secreted communities hidden in the forests, rebelling against the aristocracy and fending off chaotic fey beasts. Now both gnome factions are busy cleaning up everything the fey left behind, often antagonizing each other for their roles in the previous government.
TIEFLINGS
Tieflings were once humans of the proud kingdom of Churnabaug, a land known for its art, architecture, natural beauty, and exotic goods. But generations ago, the king made a pact with a powerful devil. What exactly he bargained for is lost to history, along with most of Churnabaug, as the entire kingdom's population was corrupted by infernal power. The once paradise was surrounded by jagged mountains as black volcanic smoke filled the air, and dark iron gates closed to block off the entire country.
Since then contact with Tieflings has been extremely rare, usually with refugees fleeing the country's oppressive rule. From what little information the rest of the world has gathered, Churnabaug suffers from regular revolutions and regime changes, altering between those having fully pledged themselves to the service of Devils and those seeking to purge all infernal influences by any means necessary.
Tieflings come from an oppressive regime of a once-proud paradise, though none are alive to remember what it was like in its glory days. Tieflings tend to be isolationists who feel that their personal problems should remain personal. Their culture of self-reliance is one reason that their kingdom has remained closed off. In either regime, a large population of rebels must be dealt with before they can even consider contacting outsiders.
Even for refugees that make it outside the country, their devilish appearance and discretion carries stigma in any culture, despite the fact that they had no control over such. All Tieflings are touched by dark magicks and can invoke powers to remind those that anger them, sometimes losing control over said powers in times of mental weakness or emotional turmoil.
REGIONS
ARCANIS
Ruled by the High Elves, Arcanis is the seat of arcane magick. The country and every facet of life there is shaped freely by magick. Buildings are shaped out of the earth and trees and transmuted into the appropriate material. Most basic goods and everyday needs are conjured out of thin air. The very nature of magic seems to be more powerful and more versatile here. The ruling classes adopt seemingly paranoid magical security measures as a hobby, warding their homes, offices, vaults, and even their minds against intrusion. There are strict laws about the usage of certain types of magic, namely those that have caused great political scandal or embarrassment in the past. Arcanis has many organizations devoted to teaching magic to the masses. In addition to a mandatory public education system where all high elves learn basic magic as one would learn math or science, specialty schools exist that are the envy and dream of every wizard in the world. Arcanis is welcoming to outsiders, especially students who wish to study magic at its seat of power, as long as visitors are polite and acknowledge the superiority of their society. While contradicting them on their pride isn't illegal, it does cause residents to shun the offender whenever possible. The many locales of Arcanis are diverse, from floating islands to hanging gardens and much more, all bred by magic. Of course there are also the mishaps and failures, magical quarantined zones, escaped magical creatures, the remnants of work of mages that went mad, and much more, but these things aren't spoken of when there are such wonders to brag about.
CHURNABAUG
Once a beautiful paradise under human rule. Now a land walled off by large iron gates, curved jagged mountains, ash and soot filled skies, and twisting shadows everywhere. The entire population is made up of Tieflings, once human beings twisted by infernal power, but these days many people from Churnabaug only know about their human heritage through stories. Some grow up never even knowing humans or other races look like. Churnabaug has been locked in a bloody, ever-changing civil war since most can remember, between those who wish to embrace their new devil heritage and those who seek atonement by purging those influences. The ruling regime constantly changes every few years with revolutions and coups. Someone who had the full support of the ruling class one day could have themselves thrown in prison for treason the next without ever getting a chance to react. The majority of the citizens are stuck in the middle of the war as their homes are destroyed and their families separated by a suspicious military and military class, taking neutrality as a potential future gain for their enemies. The majority of exposure to tieflings for the rest of the world come from refugees who have managed to sneak out of the country, despite major efforts by both sides to contain the nation until the civil war is won or lost.
CRESCENT BAY
Crescent Bay is a large circular gulf with one narrow waterway leading to the open ocean, giving the country from a map view the shape of a crescent move. Inside the gulf are numerous islands of different sizes and populations. The islands vary widely in climate, habitat, and people, some being full cities, others having primitive barbarian tribes, others being completely devoid of sentient life. The monarchy has its own private, isolated island, ruling mostly through a series of regents, dignitaries, and reliance on local governments. There is a sizable navy, but its primary purpose is to keep the seas free from various sea monsters and to protect the one inlet connecting the gulf to the ocean. Piracy is still a problem, one that other vessels are often left to find ways to protect themselves.
DRACONIS
Draconis is a rocky, arid region interspersed with multiple mountain ridges to divide and separate the land. Once it was divided into multiple warring Dragonborn clans, forging and breaking alliances as need be. The influence of neighboring kingdoms eventually drove the Dragonborn to unite under one banner to test their mettle against the rest of the world.
Many years later, the Dragonborn have been convinced to reluctantly join the rest of the world in peace. They are still led by a Warchief decided through combat trials, and still have a War Council consisting of representatives from all the tribes, but the "War" part is just a formality at this point, much to the irritation of many soldiers who'd prefer to be fighting on the front lines.
Draconis's ecology is full of reptilian and draconic creatures, faring much better in the climate that furry mammals or the like. Drakes of different sizes make unique pets, livestock, labor animals, mounts, or even vermin in the case of Spiretop Drakes. Draconis wildlife is on average more temperamental, difficult for even druids to handle, but the native people of Draconis seem to prefer the challenge. Kobolds are also plentiful as second-class citizens, often used as servants or for menial jobs.
Draconis has a long trade relationship with the Dwarves of Highthrone. Draconis has the best smiths when it comes to metalwork, but for raw ore and gemstones they are very dependent on Highthrone to keep up with the demands of their population.
EYREBOURNE
The proud human nation of Eyrebourne was once a flourishing kingdom, filled with rolling hills, lush valleys, and large metropolis-size cities. Their monarchy stepped down to avoid a violent revolution, leaving the power in the hands of mercantile noble families. Said families then began altering the laws to work in their favor, letting their capital grow exponentially until the lower classes, becoming poorer and poorer, also threatened violent revolution. The ruling class, not wishing to start a war, allowed the lower classes to start their own country of Newhope, but not before securing nearly 99% of the nation's wealth in various forms for themselves. Eyrebourne in its modern state is relatively small with an even smaller population density, made up almost exclusively of the ruling noble classes and their servants on private estates, with very few actual cities. With all their accumulated wealth, the various nobles buy what they need from other countries, including Newhope, as well as make investments throughout the world to gain capital. In theory, the nation is in decline, spending far more than they generate, but their vast wealth permits them to keep their extravagant lifestyles, for now. Eventually the various families and estates will either spend too much and be forced to declare bankruptcy and move on to a life of mediocrity, or find new ways to generate capital, with more than one family realizing that one family's loss could very well be another's gain.
The servant class of Eyrebourne has always been treated with dignity and respect, even before the separation of the countries. There are laws in place to make sure servants are not mistreated, as a underpaid disgruntled servant class could spell disaster for Eyrebourne. As such, the servant class is treated as just below the people which they serve in terms of social class, which means still above everyone else. As long as the servants perform their duties, they consider themselves above outsiders and guests.
FEYGROVE
The Feygrove, once ruled by the Eladrin, is an isolated mind designed by minds of chaotic fey whimsy, resembling more of a theme park than an actual place to live. Feygrove was originally going to be a staging ground for all sorts of Chaotic Fey Outsiders to come to the Material Plane, but this violated the agreement between the gods, and they were forced to be banished to their home plane.
All except the gnomes who until then had served as the lower class as servants and laborers, who had more of a connection to the material plane than the realm of the fey, so they were discarded along with the rest of the city. Making the best of a bad situation, the gnomes took over the city they had helped build for themselves, even though everything is hilariously oversized for them. Feygrove architecture is not designed with any sort of pragmatism or practical use in mind, instead being based off of whatever strange and wild thought was in the Eladrin architect's fancy or the gnome engineer's mind at the time. Sometimes, structures are so warped they defy the very laws of physics and space-time. Not even the gnomes know how to navigate every strange facet of Feygrove.
The majority of rural Feygrove is occupied by dense forests, sometimes experimented on by the Eladrin, and sometimes just home to some of their forgotten creations or experiments. Forest gnomes, descended from gnome clans rebelling against their fey overlords and hiding in the forests, police these lands themselves with a tense relationship between them and the city gnomes. Although both castes work together, their relationship is strained by the past.
FORBIDDEN WASTES
Far on the west of the continent are the Forbidden Wastes, vast, uncharted deserts, filled with all sorts of monsters, lethal natural and magical phenomena, and ruins of empires that predate known history. Some even say that this was where the gods fought over the material plane in the Divine War before they agreed to not interfere with the material plane. No one knows what lies beyond these deserts. Expeditions either turn back after barely surviving a fraction of the challenges the Wastes present, or are never heard from again. Even sea vessels can't follow the coastline west without running into currents, storms, sea monsters, and other dangers that keep them from exploring west. With the region never being explored, all sorts of wild tales have cropped up about what might be beyond the wastes: Immeasurable wealth? Unsurpassed power? Unspeakable horror? Something even more fantastical than can be imagined? Many have tried to find out for certain. None have succeeded.
HIGHTHRONE
Highthrone is a massive mountain range that divides the continent in two, with a few ridges spreading off to further separate the land. The western portion has a typically dry, arid climate with winds blowing in from the Forbidden Wastes. The eastern portion is typically more damp and rainy with lush environments. The mountains themselves have been claimed by the dwarves, having emerged on the peak centuries ago after spending their entire existence digging up from the Underdark. The tallest peak is considered by folklore to be the throne of the gods, hence the name. It is also the center of Dwarven lands as well as the seat of religious authority with representatives from every denomination of clerics and Paladins. Narrow roads are carved into the mountain for travel, but aside from some Dwarven specific methods of transportation, are only navigable by foot due to the many stairs, steep inclines, and long perilous journeys between safe havens. The Halflings river trade reaches Highthrone through a large complex canal/elevator that connects to a mountaintop lake. Highthrone is the site of many academic and religious institutions. The vast network of roads and tunnels runs dangerously close to forgotten ruins and the Underdark, and Highthrone often finds itself having to defend against threats from below and sealing breaches. Between this and being in the unique position to view much of the continent from their perches, the dwarves of Highthrone see themselves as guardians and watchers of the rest of the world, sometimes overstepping their bounds to police it.
NEWHOPE
As the name suggests, the youngest nation on Primera. Newhope splintered off from the longstanding proud nation of Eyrebourne in light of an increasingly destitute lower class. Eyrebourne allowed the people to secede, but not before securing all the wealth for themselves. Newhope now lies in economic ruin, with laborers, criminals, and the like to govern themselves. Infrastructure is shoddily maintained, and once grand buildings have fallen into disrepair. New buildings and their attachments have noticeably different styles, built without many trappings or decorations, but with practicality in mind. Some of the guild leaders and crime lords have nicer dwellings, mostly taken from offices and townhouses abandoned by the nobles of Eyrebourne. The buildings and cities are rife with secret passages and hidden compartments, even before the revolution, many of which were forgotten and remain hidden to this day.
Despite their financial troubles, Newhope's economy is on the rise, albeit slowly. Political infighting combined with figurative and literal backstabbing prevent Newhope from making significant progress, yet the nation has achieved a higher level of technology with a population of innovators unstifled by traditionalists afraid of change, almost reaching steampunk levels.
RIVERGULLY
Rivers flow to and from nearly every nation, and they all converge in the marshlands of Rivergully. Most of the small nation is accessible only by riverboat. While halflings are the only civilized race to populate the area, though the area is dotted with hermits and tribes living in primitive condition, as well as several hidden tribes of monstrous races. While the halflings control the rivers, people are warned to not stray from the path. The deeper parts of the bog are filled will all sorts of horrors. While outsiders are uncommon, halflings do welcome visitors when available. Their control over the river trade give them unprecedented access to exotic goods and information.
STONEWALL
WILDHEARTH
CLASSES
BARBARIANS
The continent of Primera is mostly civilized already. Most "barbarian" tribes have either advanced their societies to join civilization or have been wiped out by expanding nations and adventurers. However, the old ways are still followed. Barbarians, Druids, Rangers, clerics of nature, ancient oath Paladins, and more all maintain a connection to the natural order, forming new age tribes and circles that extend beyond national borders.
Barbarians in particular embrace older faiths that don't rely upon actual gods. A barbarian can be an outdoorsman who grew up in the forest, a roughneck sailor in touch with the sea, or even an inner city muscle that sees beneath the stone and metal. Some barbarians embrace their primal faith completely, others just follow through the traditions casually as a matter of course, some don't even know the path they're embracing.
All barbarians whether they realize it or not have a spirit animal, as part of their totem. This spirit animal can grant special abilities and eventually even manifest as a guide. Barbarians that share a specific spirit animal share a connection that's led to several tribes and lodges formed around the world. These spirit animals include the bear, the wolf, the eagle, and the dire animal. Dire animals are exceptionally large and vicious forms of existing animals. Some people believe that dire animals are the results of magic gone awry, but many nature-oriented people, especially barbarians, see them as part of the ecosystem, a violent reaction to the encroaching of civilization.
Some barbarians end up ignoring or trying to ignore the spirit animal guiding their actions and growth, especially if they worship a god of war or slaughter like Gruumsh. The spirit is always there even if the barbarian thinks or wishes otherwise.
BARDS
In this time of peace, there is an academic and cultural renaissance taking place. At its head are two prestigious academies known as the College of Lore and the College of Valor. Before, education was limited to apprenticeships and a few arcane schools. Now the Colleges offer an education to anyone. Each college has its own sizable campus and accepts people based on talent and desire to learn, rather than race or nationality. The Colleges share a friendly rivalry, with the College of Lore focusing on academia and history and the College of Valor focusing on creative expression and discovery. The Colleges are supported by most, though there are rumors that some of the ruling class would prefer a more segregated system to reinforce traditional thinking. Both Colleges offer correspondence courses, sometimes without even being asked, to adventurers willing to traverse and experience the world, and encourage students to take up field trips and sabbaticals to learn whatever and wherever they can.
CLERICS
DRUIDS
FIGHTERS
MONKS
PALADINS
RANGERS
ROGUES
SORCERERS
WARLOCKS
WIZARDS
To some who browse through all the many worlds and settings posted on these forums, I'm afraid this might come across as a bit boring. I'm not trying to reinvent the fantasy genre with my creative, unique world of homebrewed snowflakes, just something I can run for people and not having to worry about explaining all the basics of a pre-established setting like Eberron or worry about whether my plot to save the world even remotely fits in with "canon."
I'm also taking some elements that I still like from a 4th edition campaign I used to run and bringing them back. No, that's not posted anywhere online, it's just a hodgepodge collection of maps, unorganized notes, and crayon drawings (it made sense at the time).
Even though this is all a work in progress, I only intend for this to be little more than half-finished by the time I (hopefully) use it for 5e campaigns. I don't even have a world map other than a rough sketch of countries, and I don't want one. I don't want to define anything in concrete until I absolutely have to, because ideas can always come later which I hope to leave room to fit in here, whether they be from my own deranged mind, my players, or even from any suggestions you might have.
Feel free to give as much constructive criticism and suggestions as you like. A lot of this will just be me writing stream of consciousness while on my lunch break, so I apologize in advance for any poor writing or format. I'll go back and fix anything like that at a later date.
First of all, some basic concepts about the world in question:
((Disclaimer: ALL names including Country, City, Region, or NPC names are for the most part placeholders until/unless I think of something better. Right now they're just meant for easy remembering.))
- Anything in 5e is available somewhere or another here. Human, Elves, Dwarves, Half-Elves, Halflings, Half-Orcs, Dragonborn, Gnomes, and Tieflings all have significant enough presence here to be player races and not something completely strange.
- Conversely, most "monster races" like Goblins, Orcs, etcetera, are often seen by most as monsters or vermin and see nothing wrong with killing them. Whether the PC's adopt that mindset is up to the players. There will always be exceptions of course.
- All classes are available as well. All classes also have some kind of support organization, some more loosely defined than others. Guilds, military, and other organizations exist to help as plot hooks for PC's.
- Every subrace is specifically available as well. High Elves, Wood Elves, and Drow are statted in the PHB? They all exist prominently in the setting. The Drow maybe less so, but there are at least opportunities for anyone who wants to to make a Drow character.
- Similarly, every class archetype exists in-universe as well. Bards can choose between College of Lore or College of Valor? They're both literal prestigious institutions in this setting.
- The only gods are those from the Nonhuman Deities appendix in the PHB. The lack of a default pantheon in the 5e PHB threw me for a loop, but the more I thought of it, the idea of a world where all the gods were of other races and the humans were screwed from a divine perspective had some interesting plot potential behind it.
- Gods act through their clerics and paladins, but through a divine treaty, cannot directly interfere with the material plane (though that hasn't stopped some from trying).
- The main continent, currently called Primera, is mostly civilized with each region in contact with each other to some degree.
- The world is mostly unexplored beyond Primera, though future islands and continents will be reserved for inevitable future support books for 5e.
- The one exception to the main continent is a vast desert region to the west of Primera that remains completely unexplored. Everyone who's tried, including sailors following the coast, has either been turned back by one danger after another or never heard from again.
I'll probably put more here as I think of it, or when the glaringly obvious is pointed out to me.
Now for some more specific stuff, to be organized into a more readable format at a later date:
COSMOLOGY
In one popular origin myth, the worlds of the gods existed before the material plane. Each god, good and evil and in between, had their own plane of existence. They knew of each other, but paid little attention to one another. After all, they each had their own reality to mold and shape as they saw fit. Continents, ecosystems, and civilizations could be created, altered, or destroyed at a whim. Then the material plane came into existence, a literal godless realm. The gods would have been curious but uninterested if not for the fact that the material plane had its own geography, its own ecosystems, its own civilizations that inexplicably had a parallel effect on each of the gods' worlds. A mountain or forest or even an empire in the material plane would exist in some form or another in the other realms, and despite the gods' power, they could not change their own realms to differ from the material plane. Their creative visions spoiled, the gods grew angry. They accused each other of secretly creating the material plane as a means of sabotage. The infighting escalated until one god decided to lay claim to the material plane, as changes to the material plane could change their personal divine realm to their liking, but it would affect all the other divine realms the same way. Thus all the gods hastily tried to lay claim to the material plane, causing a heavenly war fought between gods, their angelic armies, and whatever creations they could conjure, including monsters that still prowled the world today. But their war not only damaged the realm they fought over, but in turn, their own worlds as well. After a long and bloody war, the gods called a truce. They agreed, among other things, that no god or direct divine servant could directly affect the material plane, but they would be allowed some degree of influence, and their will could be carried out by mortal clerics, paladins, and the like. That hasn't stopped the gods from trying to find loopholes to exert more influence.
RACES
HUMANS
Occasionally referred to by other races as the Godless, humans have no patron racial deity. Some humans take up worship of other races' gods, hoping they can be accepted for following the proper teachings and tenets. Others take the lack of a driving divine force as a sign of greater free will and live their lives without the will of gods influencing them. Either way, humans are driven by a personal drive to find their individual role in life, be it a ruler, soldier, scholar, merchant, or hero. Humans are the ruling class of several nations, including Stonewall, Eyrebourne, and Crescent Bay. They used to also control Newhope and Churnabaug, but the former is now ruled by a council of guild leaders and representatives (which while including multiple races are predominantly half-elf) and the latter were cursed by a mad king's foolish pact to become tieflings. They're predominant here by can be found in most parts of the continent, even in the more isolationist cultures as long as they make the effort to adapt or respect the culture of the area. Some races see humans can only for their relatively short-lived lives and often fail to take even their warriors and kings completely seriously, but humans are overall the easiest to get along with of the races.
ELVES
High Elves hail from the magic cities of Arcanis and claim to be the original creators of magic, or at least the arts of wielding them. They claim to be responsible for many inventions, including longswords, bows, democracy, the highway system, most forms of transportation, and even some species. Whether or not this is actually true is taken with a grain of salt (another thing the high elves claim to have created). Regardless, their talents and actual contributions to society are widely recognized, and the majority of those who wish to study the practice of arcane magic go to them. High Elves have a unique perspective on nature. They see deforestation and strip mining just as horrible as their Wood Elf cousins, but they see nothing wrong with using magic to bend and shape wood or transmute natural materials to build their grand magical cities.
High Elves and Wood Elves suffered a schism several centuries ago, whereas part of Elven society believed that the excessive use of magic on nature was just as destructive as the environmental damage caused by other races. The other Elves essentially replied that their methods were just fine because they said so, and they could always use more magic to repair any actual damage they'd done. Thus the Elves divided into Wildhearth and Arcanis. The Wood Elves do use some magic, but they are much more careful about implementing it and value nature over their personal convenience. The Wood Elves actually do export lumber and other natural resources, but they do so only in a way that is harmonious with nature. Rather than chop trees down in logging camps. Trees just seem to fall down when appropriate, animals seem to offer themselves for the hunt. As long as the Wood Elves respect nature they are provided for in return.
Eladrin once ruled their own kingdom. They were also elves, though with a much stronger connection to their fey ancestors. Their kingdom of Feygrove revered and welcomed the Fey as probably the main source for the chaotic trickster outsiders to enter the material plane. Some time ago, the majority of fey retreated back to their home plane, possibly as a result of a divine dispute, and with them they took most of the Eladrin. Now Eladrin are a distant memory with no record of an appearance in over a century. In their stead, the Gnomes, who were once second-class citizens under their rule, were more than happy to take over the land and cities left behind.
Drow exist primarily in the Underdark, and primarily as a Lolth-worshipping spider-obsessed evil matriarchy. Some Drow outcasts do exist and a small handful have even made it to the surface. A surface Drow almost has to cover themselves completely, including a mask, if they want to travel the rest of the world without considerable attention. A few Drow have even formed small isolated settlements, usually in the deep cover of a thick forest as sunlight does bother them. They even have spider equivalents of pets and livestock. Silk from a drow's spiders is a highly valuable commodity, and many affluent people would do terrible things to acquire some.
DWARVES
Dwarves trace their ancestry to deep in the bowels of the Earth. Elders spin tales about how their great-great-great grandfathers were born underground never knowing the light of the sun, only through divine providence were they driven to dig upward. If one journeyed underground they could find abandoned Dwarven cities from multiple eras depending on how far they went down. The dwarves finally reached the surface at the top of Highthrone, the peak of the mountain range that separates the continent. Seeing it as a holy place, the throne of the gods as lore tells it, the dwarves founded a nation on and in the mountain, eventually carving networks of stone mountainous roads to connect the continents. Dwarves are master craftsman, patient and resilient beyond measure. They are often deeply religious, and foster cooperation with other races rather than competition. To a dwarf, everyone sinks or swims together. Responsibility, reward, failure and cost are all spread around as much as possible. When something goes wrong, dwarves don't ask who to blame, they ask how they can fix things regardless of whose fault it was. At least that's how they all used to be. Now that life is no longer a perilous journey towards the surface, some dwarves have found comfort in a position of prestige, and see it as their reward for their ancestors' hard work, or that processing paperwork and gathering coin IS their life's work, and damn if anyone else tries to hinder that. At their best dwarves can be hard-working, friendly, and helpful. At their worst they can be greedy, stubborn, and bureaucratic.
The distinction between Mountain Dwarf and Hill Dwarf is blurry at best. As the Dwarves expanded and settled across the nation, those living closer to sea level where grass grows and other people live have been come to be known as Hill Dwarves while those living higher up the mountain as Mountain Dwarfs. Most individual dwarfs don't identify one way or the other. Anyone living below them is soft and pampered and therefore a Hill Dwarf. Anyone living above them is an isolated, mentally unhinged, backwater Mountain Dwarf, even though the largest Dwarven cities are at the peak.
HALFLINGS
Halflings are cheerful, light-hearted, high-spirited, and should never be screwed with. Transport between the nations is difficult. Modern roads leave a lot to be desired in terms of protection from bandits, monsters, and the elements. Dwarven mountain roads are unsuitable for any but the most determined travelers. Transportation by ship is impractical as many important destinations are landlocked or would require sailing around the continent. The halflings and their fleet of river boats are the primary means of international travel and transport for most nations. Halflings hail from Rivergill, a land of swamps and marshes whose rivers feed into nearly every nation. Many halflings live on the riverboats they serve on for the majority of their lives, heading back to Rivergill only in times of emergency or specific halflings holidays. Halfling society is one giant family-run business with the higher-ups acting like surrogate parents for everyone, managing trade routes and taking the personal troubles of other halflings very seriously.
Stout and Lightfoot halflings live together with no real cultural distinction between them. Lightfoot halflings are leaner, more athletic, more adventurous types while Stouts tend to have a more squat build. Stout halflings aren't nearly as adventurous as their Lightfoot cousins, preferring security, consistency, and familiarity. Both serve on the riverboats, with Lightfoots wanting to explore the many waterways of the world and Stouts being content as long as they get to sleep in their cabin bunk at night. Despite their differences, halflings tends to prefer halfling mates with the opposite temperament. This is by no means enforced, but most halfling couples tend to be with one Lightfoot and one Stout, regardless of gender, and regular fights and screaming matches are considered healthy relationship qualities in halfling society.
HALF-ELVES
Humans often find elves fascinating with their unearthly grace and beauty. Elves find humans' ambition and force of personality intriguing, especially given their relatively short lifespan. Human/elf pairings aren't uncommon, especially for elves who see human partners as temporary at best. The story is old enough that their offspring, called Half-Elves or Helfs in less formal terms, are common enough to be a sub race all their own. Half-Elves combine the ambition of humans with the supernatural charisma of elves to form a being who either fits in both worlds or none. Most half-elves in the modern era are actually the children of two half-elves, or in some cases, a human/half-elf or elf/half-elf. Most of the time if one of the parents is a full elf, the elf recognizes that they will be around long after the other parent will die of old age. Since such romances often end in tragedy, a half-elf child is typically given to the human or half-elf parent with the expectation that when they pass, the half-elf child if they wish will seek out the Elven parent and then learn that part of their heritage. Half-Elves that apply themselves succeed in most ventures, having the best traits of both worlds. Although half-elves don't have their own nation, the fledgling country of Newhope is run by a council of business leaders and guildmasters, many of which are half-elves who have worked their way up.
HALF-ORCS
In times past, roving bands of savage Orc raiders were a common hazard of everyday life. They burned their way across the countryside with little care for anything that stood in their way. They were most known for pillaging and slaughtering, though in the rare cases they were in a good mood, they would just throw wildly destructive celebrations. Thus while half-orcs are widely believed and often the product of rape, more often than would believed they'd simply be the product of drunken revelries between intoxicated orcs and humans of either gender.
Generations of adventurers and military action later rid the countryside of the various Orc tribes, though some humans have adapted specific traditions for their societies of new age self-proclaimed "barbarian tribes." A full half-Orc is very rare nowadays, but Orc genes are very resilient. Even people who have only one orc out of several generations of ancestors is still visibly and noticeably a half-Orc or Horc as they're colloquially known. Half-orcs try to fit in, but have aggressive, temperamental natures that are difficult to control. They rarely achieve positions of power without brute force or intimidation. Half-orcs are most common in the islands of Crescent Bay where they can take jobs as sailors or dockworkers, and there are rumors of surviving Orc tribes inhabiting some islands that raid nearby ships occasionally.
DRAGONBORN
Many species can claim distant relations to dragons, from drakes to kobolds to the proud dragonborn. The Dragonborn nation is dry and arid, varying in climate from scorching deserts to frigid tundras. They used to war with each other under clans divided by the color of their scales. Then they united to wage war with other races. Now the race of warriors must learn to thrive during an uncomfortable time of peace. The clan structure still exists, but the whole nation of Draconis is ruled first by a Warchief in an election decided mostly by gladiatorial combat, then by a War Council made up of representatives from different clans. The War in their titles is only because the Dragonborn society is based on conflict, and life without it is fairly new to them.
Dragonborn mostly come from Draconis, a nation filled with species that evolved from Draconis ancestors. Drakes of various shapes and sizes are considered pets, livestock, even vermin. Kobolds are either pests to be eradicated or second-class citizens too dumb to do much but serve. Attacks by wyverns and minor dragons are semi-common occurrences, and slaying one of these creatures is considered a great honor. If a Dragonborn slays such a beast, they almost always keep at least part of the creature as a trophy.
GNOMES
Gnomes have always had a strong connection to the fey. In the past they served directly under the Eladrin as second-class citizens. When the Eladrin went back to the realms of the fey, the Gnomes were forbidden from following. Instead the gnomes were left with empty cities designed for a species double their size. Gnomes are anything but not inventive, and made do with the oversized palaces they helped build for their fey overlords.
Gnomes are optimistic and tend to think outside the box, but as a result they tend to overlook obvious solution to a problem, instead inventing needlessly convoluted solutions that work about a third of the time. They're used to living in an oversized world and are rarely phased by something as trivial as a high shelf, sometimes even going so far as to carry footstools wherever they go. Most city-bound gnomes, or Rock Gnomes, constantly build or tinker to expand their fey cities or retrofit it to their needs, exploring ancient Eladrin mansions like ruins. Before the Eladrin departed, gnomes who didn't take to their rule lived in secreted communities hidden in the forests, rebelling against the aristocracy and fending off chaotic fey beasts. Now both gnome factions are busy cleaning up everything the fey left behind, often antagonizing each other for their roles in the previous government.
TIEFLINGS
Tieflings were once humans of the proud kingdom of Churnabaug, a land known for its art, architecture, natural beauty, and exotic goods. But generations ago, the king made a pact with a powerful devil. What exactly he bargained for is lost to history, along with most of Churnabaug, as the entire kingdom's population was corrupted by infernal power. The once paradise was surrounded by jagged mountains as black volcanic smoke filled the air, and dark iron gates closed to block off the entire country.
Since then contact with Tieflings has been extremely rare, usually with refugees fleeing the country's oppressive rule. From what little information the rest of the world has gathered, Churnabaug suffers from regular revolutions and regime changes, altering between those having fully pledged themselves to the service of Devils and those seeking to purge all infernal influences by any means necessary.
Tieflings come from an oppressive regime of a once-proud paradise, though none are alive to remember what it was like in its glory days. Tieflings tend to be isolationists who feel that their personal problems should remain personal. Their culture of self-reliance is one reason that their kingdom has remained closed off. In either regime, a large population of rebels must be dealt with before they can even consider contacting outsiders.
Even for refugees that make it outside the country, their devilish appearance and discretion carries stigma in any culture, despite the fact that they had no control over such. All Tieflings are touched by dark magicks and can invoke powers to remind those that anger them, sometimes losing control over said powers in times of mental weakness or emotional turmoil.
REGIONS
ARCANIS
Ruled by the High Elves, Arcanis is the seat of arcane magick. The country and every facet of life there is shaped freely by magick. Buildings are shaped out of the earth and trees and transmuted into the appropriate material. Most basic goods and everyday needs are conjured out of thin air. The very nature of magic seems to be more powerful and more versatile here. The ruling classes adopt seemingly paranoid magical security measures as a hobby, warding their homes, offices, vaults, and even their minds against intrusion. There are strict laws about the usage of certain types of magic, namely those that have caused great political scandal or embarrassment in the past. Arcanis has many organizations devoted to teaching magic to the masses. In addition to a mandatory public education system where all high elves learn basic magic as one would learn math or science, specialty schools exist that are the envy and dream of every wizard in the world. Arcanis is welcoming to outsiders, especially students who wish to study magic at its seat of power, as long as visitors are polite and acknowledge the superiority of their society. While contradicting them on their pride isn't illegal, it does cause residents to shun the offender whenever possible. The many locales of Arcanis are diverse, from floating islands to hanging gardens and much more, all bred by magic. Of course there are also the mishaps and failures, magical quarantined zones, escaped magical creatures, the remnants of work of mages that went mad, and much more, but these things aren't spoken of when there are such wonders to brag about.
CHURNABAUG
Once a beautiful paradise under human rule. Now a land walled off by large iron gates, curved jagged mountains, ash and soot filled skies, and twisting shadows everywhere. The entire population is made up of Tieflings, once human beings twisted by infernal power, but these days many people from Churnabaug only know about their human heritage through stories. Some grow up never even knowing humans or other races look like. Churnabaug has been locked in a bloody, ever-changing civil war since most can remember, between those who wish to embrace their new devil heritage and those who seek atonement by purging those influences. The ruling regime constantly changes every few years with revolutions and coups. Someone who had the full support of the ruling class one day could have themselves thrown in prison for treason the next without ever getting a chance to react. The majority of the citizens are stuck in the middle of the war as their homes are destroyed and their families separated by a suspicious military and military class, taking neutrality as a potential future gain for their enemies. The majority of exposure to tieflings for the rest of the world come from refugees who have managed to sneak out of the country, despite major efforts by both sides to contain the nation until the civil war is won or lost.
CRESCENT BAY
Crescent Bay is a large circular gulf with one narrow waterway leading to the open ocean, giving the country from a map view the shape of a crescent move. Inside the gulf are numerous islands of different sizes and populations. The islands vary widely in climate, habitat, and people, some being full cities, others having primitive barbarian tribes, others being completely devoid of sentient life. The monarchy has its own private, isolated island, ruling mostly through a series of regents, dignitaries, and reliance on local governments. There is a sizable navy, but its primary purpose is to keep the seas free from various sea monsters and to protect the one inlet connecting the gulf to the ocean. Piracy is still a problem, one that other vessels are often left to find ways to protect themselves.
DRACONIS
Draconis is a rocky, arid region interspersed with multiple mountain ridges to divide and separate the land. Once it was divided into multiple warring Dragonborn clans, forging and breaking alliances as need be. The influence of neighboring kingdoms eventually drove the Dragonborn to unite under one banner to test their mettle against the rest of the world.
Many years later, the Dragonborn have been convinced to reluctantly join the rest of the world in peace. They are still led by a Warchief decided through combat trials, and still have a War Council consisting of representatives from all the tribes, but the "War" part is just a formality at this point, much to the irritation of many soldiers who'd prefer to be fighting on the front lines.
Draconis's ecology is full of reptilian and draconic creatures, faring much better in the climate that furry mammals or the like. Drakes of different sizes make unique pets, livestock, labor animals, mounts, or even vermin in the case of Spiretop Drakes. Draconis wildlife is on average more temperamental, difficult for even druids to handle, but the native people of Draconis seem to prefer the challenge. Kobolds are also plentiful as second-class citizens, often used as servants or for menial jobs.
Draconis has a long trade relationship with the Dwarves of Highthrone. Draconis has the best smiths when it comes to metalwork, but for raw ore and gemstones they are very dependent on Highthrone to keep up with the demands of their population.
EYREBOURNE
The proud human nation of Eyrebourne was once a flourishing kingdom, filled with rolling hills, lush valleys, and large metropolis-size cities. Their monarchy stepped down to avoid a violent revolution, leaving the power in the hands of mercantile noble families. Said families then began altering the laws to work in their favor, letting their capital grow exponentially until the lower classes, becoming poorer and poorer, also threatened violent revolution. The ruling class, not wishing to start a war, allowed the lower classes to start their own country of Newhope, but not before securing nearly 99% of the nation's wealth in various forms for themselves. Eyrebourne in its modern state is relatively small with an even smaller population density, made up almost exclusively of the ruling noble classes and their servants on private estates, with very few actual cities. With all their accumulated wealth, the various nobles buy what they need from other countries, including Newhope, as well as make investments throughout the world to gain capital. In theory, the nation is in decline, spending far more than they generate, but their vast wealth permits them to keep their extravagant lifestyles, for now. Eventually the various families and estates will either spend too much and be forced to declare bankruptcy and move on to a life of mediocrity, or find new ways to generate capital, with more than one family realizing that one family's loss could very well be another's gain.
The servant class of Eyrebourne has always been treated with dignity and respect, even before the separation of the countries. There are laws in place to make sure servants are not mistreated, as a underpaid disgruntled servant class could spell disaster for Eyrebourne. As such, the servant class is treated as just below the people which they serve in terms of social class, which means still above everyone else. As long as the servants perform their duties, they consider themselves above outsiders and guests.
FEYGROVE
The Feygrove, once ruled by the Eladrin, is an isolated mind designed by minds of chaotic fey whimsy, resembling more of a theme park than an actual place to live. Feygrove was originally going to be a staging ground for all sorts of Chaotic Fey Outsiders to come to the Material Plane, but this violated the agreement between the gods, and they were forced to be banished to their home plane.
All except the gnomes who until then had served as the lower class as servants and laborers, who had more of a connection to the material plane than the realm of the fey, so they were discarded along with the rest of the city. Making the best of a bad situation, the gnomes took over the city they had helped build for themselves, even though everything is hilariously oversized for them. Feygrove architecture is not designed with any sort of pragmatism or practical use in mind, instead being based off of whatever strange and wild thought was in the Eladrin architect's fancy or the gnome engineer's mind at the time. Sometimes, structures are so warped they defy the very laws of physics and space-time. Not even the gnomes know how to navigate every strange facet of Feygrove.
The majority of rural Feygrove is occupied by dense forests, sometimes experimented on by the Eladrin, and sometimes just home to some of their forgotten creations or experiments. Forest gnomes, descended from gnome clans rebelling against their fey overlords and hiding in the forests, police these lands themselves with a tense relationship between them and the city gnomes. Although both castes work together, their relationship is strained by the past.
FORBIDDEN WASTES
Far on the west of the continent are the Forbidden Wastes, vast, uncharted deserts, filled with all sorts of monsters, lethal natural and magical phenomena, and ruins of empires that predate known history. Some even say that this was where the gods fought over the material plane in the Divine War before they agreed to not interfere with the material plane. No one knows what lies beyond these deserts. Expeditions either turn back after barely surviving a fraction of the challenges the Wastes present, or are never heard from again. Even sea vessels can't follow the coastline west without running into currents, storms, sea monsters, and other dangers that keep them from exploring west. With the region never being explored, all sorts of wild tales have cropped up about what might be beyond the wastes: Immeasurable wealth? Unsurpassed power? Unspeakable horror? Something even more fantastical than can be imagined? Many have tried to find out for certain. None have succeeded.
HIGHTHRONE
Highthrone is a massive mountain range that divides the continent in two, with a few ridges spreading off to further separate the land. The western portion has a typically dry, arid climate with winds blowing in from the Forbidden Wastes. The eastern portion is typically more damp and rainy with lush environments. The mountains themselves have been claimed by the dwarves, having emerged on the peak centuries ago after spending their entire existence digging up from the Underdark. The tallest peak is considered by folklore to be the throne of the gods, hence the name. It is also the center of Dwarven lands as well as the seat of religious authority with representatives from every denomination of clerics and Paladins. Narrow roads are carved into the mountain for travel, but aside from some Dwarven specific methods of transportation, are only navigable by foot due to the many stairs, steep inclines, and long perilous journeys between safe havens. The Halflings river trade reaches Highthrone through a large complex canal/elevator that connects to a mountaintop lake. Highthrone is the site of many academic and religious institutions. The vast network of roads and tunnels runs dangerously close to forgotten ruins and the Underdark, and Highthrone often finds itself having to defend against threats from below and sealing breaches. Between this and being in the unique position to view much of the continent from their perches, the dwarves of Highthrone see themselves as guardians and watchers of the rest of the world, sometimes overstepping their bounds to police it.
NEWHOPE
As the name suggests, the youngest nation on Primera. Newhope splintered off from the longstanding proud nation of Eyrebourne in light of an increasingly destitute lower class. Eyrebourne allowed the people to secede, but not before securing all the wealth for themselves. Newhope now lies in economic ruin, with laborers, criminals, and the like to govern themselves. Infrastructure is shoddily maintained, and once grand buildings have fallen into disrepair. New buildings and their attachments have noticeably different styles, built without many trappings or decorations, but with practicality in mind. Some of the guild leaders and crime lords have nicer dwellings, mostly taken from offices and townhouses abandoned by the nobles of Eyrebourne. The buildings and cities are rife with secret passages and hidden compartments, even before the revolution, many of which were forgotten and remain hidden to this day.
Despite their financial troubles, Newhope's economy is on the rise, albeit slowly. Political infighting combined with figurative and literal backstabbing prevent Newhope from making significant progress, yet the nation has achieved a higher level of technology with a population of innovators unstifled by traditionalists afraid of change, almost reaching steampunk levels.
RIVERGULLY
Rivers flow to and from nearly every nation, and they all converge in the marshlands of Rivergully. Most of the small nation is accessible only by riverboat. While halflings are the only civilized race to populate the area, though the area is dotted with hermits and tribes living in primitive condition, as well as several hidden tribes of monstrous races. While the halflings control the rivers, people are warned to not stray from the path. The deeper parts of the bog are filled will all sorts of horrors. While outsiders are uncommon, halflings do welcome visitors when available. Their control over the river trade give them unprecedented access to exotic goods and information.
STONEWALL
WILDHEARTH
CLASSES
BARBARIANS
The continent of Primera is mostly civilized already. Most "barbarian" tribes have either advanced their societies to join civilization or have been wiped out by expanding nations and adventurers. However, the old ways are still followed. Barbarians, Druids, Rangers, clerics of nature, ancient oath Paladins, and more all maintain a connection to the natural order, forming new age tribes and circles that extend beyond national borders.
Barbarians in particular embrace older faiths that don't rely upon actual gods. A barbarian can be an outdoorsman who grew up in the forest, a roughneck sailor in touch with the sea, or even an inner city muscle that sees beneath the stone and metal. Some barbarians embrace their primal faith completely, others just follow through the traditions casually as a matter of course, some don't even know the path they're embracing.
All barbarians whether they realize it or not have a spirit animal, as part of their totem. This spirit animal can grant special abilities and eventually even manifest as a guide. Barbarians that share a specific spirit animal share a connection that's led to several tribes and lodges formed around the world. These spirit animals include the bear, the wolf, the eagle, and the dire animal. Dire animals are exceptionally large and vicious forms of existing animals. Some people believe that dire animals are the results of magic gone awry, but many nature-oriented people, especially barbarians, see them as part of the ecosystem, a violent reaction to the encroaching of civilization.
Some barbarians end up ignoring or trying to ignore the spirit animal guiding their actions and growth, especially if they worship a god of war or slaughter like Gruumsh. The spirit is always there even if the barbarian thinks or wishes otherwise.
BARDS
In this time of peace, there is an academic and cultural renaissance taking place. At its head are two prestigious academies known as the College of Lore and the College of Valor. Before, education was limited to apprenticeships and a few arcane schools. Now the Colleges offer an education to anyone. Each college has its own sizable campus and accepts people based on talent and desire to learn, rather than race or nationality. The Colleges share a friendly rivalry, with the College of Lore focusing on academia and history and the College of Valor focusing on creative expression and discovery. The Colleges are supported by most, though there are rumors that some of the ruling class would prefer a more segregated system to reinforce traditional thinking. Both Colleges offer correspondence courses, sometimes without even being asked, to adventurers willing to traverse and experience the world, and encourage students to take up field trips and sabbaticals to learn whatever and wherever they can.
CLERICS
DRUIDS
FIGHTERS
MONKS
PALADINS
RANGERS
ROGUES
SORCERERS
WARLOCKS
WIZARDS