World of Lies [campaign setting, D&D]

[Dhavaer]

World of Lies


Campaign Setting

The World of Lies is a homebrew campaign setting with a fairly typical prime material plane but a non-standard cosmology. It has civilised and savage lands, champions both virtuous and villainous and opportunities to kill the rats in the basement or preserve the existence of the planes themselves.


Power Level

While the average person in the World of Lies is still a 1st level Commoner, Expert or Warrior, players can expect to find 3rd level NPCs in villages, 6th level in towns and 9th level in cities. An entire nation may have a handful of characters above 11th level. There are no epic levels in the World of Lies, although a few creatures (mostly powerful dragons or outsiders) have challenge ratings over 20.


Magic in the World

Magic is more difficult in the World of Lies. Except for the mighty Sorcerers, no arcanist can master all the schools of magic; if they were not lucky enough to enjoy being born with magical power, they must confine themselves to only two or three schools, with perhaps a smattering of others. Beguilers, Dread Necromancers, Warmages, Bards, Hexblades and Sorcerers are the only arcane casters in the World of Lies.
Divine magic is also limited; not only by the nature of the caster’s faith but by their own personalities. While one cleric of Pelor might be of a nurturing mould, and gain spells of healing and strengthening, another might be combative, and be granted the power to strike down necromantic abominations. The Spontaneous Divine Casting variant is used.
Magic is draining, not only to the caster’s mind and soul but also to their body. Excessive casting without rest will tire you as surely as a cross-country run. On the other hand, resting the body can replenish a little magic, if not as much as a full night’s sleep. The Vitalising Spell Point Variant is used.
Magic of all shades, whether arcane, divine or psionic requires not just long study or deep understanding but also a powerful personality to suborn reality into carrying out one’s wishes. All manifesting and casting classes use Charisma to determine their save DCs.
Some forms of magic are classed as ‘witchcraft’ and are banned in most civilised lands, punished by death or exile. As two forms of witchcraft are inborn, this is justly viewed as injustice by individual witches, but few of them gain the power to make their objections heard. ‘Witch’ is also sometimes used as a generic term for an outlaw spellcaster. Hexblades, Binders and Warlocks are all considered to be witches.


The Sublime Way in the World

The Sublime Way has a long and distinguished history in the World of Lies. The vashar claim to have invented at least two of the schools, and their claim to the Shadow Hand, at least, is widely accepted. The Stone Dragon school is widely accepted as a creation of the dwarves, Steel Wind as a skarn invention and Tiger Claw as developed by humans. Diamond Mind is claimed by both the vashar and the elves, and Desert Wind is of uncertain providence, as is White Raven, although white ravens are known to be common in Ruukhane, so it may be a hobgoblin invention.
In any case, each of the schools has spread throughout the world and practitioners of the Sublime Way can be found almost anywhere.

Races in the World

Humans: live in Jas, Numitium, Dragon Isle and the Eastern Marches. Are related to vashar.
Elves: live in the High Forest and Theralaith. Do not gain the ability to detect secret doors; Forest elves gain +2 to Survival checks and have it as a class skill, Theralaith elves gain +2 to Balance and Profession (sailor) checks and have them as class skills.
Dwarves: live in the Serpentcoil. Have -2 Dex instead of Cha. Wintervein clan dwarves are Deep Dwarves, as in the Monster Manual.
Halflings: Live in Numitium (settled) and the Eastern Marches (nomadic).
Gnomes: Live in skarn.
Orcs: Live in mountains west of Jas and north of Eastern Marches.
Half-elves: Live in Sharulhensa.
Half-orcs: Live north of Jas as the Bloodfist tribe.
Skarn: Live in Skarn.
Maenads: Live on Isle of Mists.
Vashar: Soulless humanoids, related to humans. Have an affinity for Shadow.


Classes in the World

Barbarians: Mostly Merata Kon and Bloodfist tribe.
Bard: Mostly Numitium and Theralaith. Bards in the World of Lies gain a d8 hit die.
Cleric: Mostly Jas and the Serpentcoil. Clerics in the World of Lies do not gain proficiency with shields or heavy armour, and their spell list does not contain divine favour, divine power, or righteous might.
Druid: Mostly Merata Kon and High Forest. Druids in the World of Lies use the Shapeshifting variant from the PHB2.
Fighter: Universal.
Ranger: Mostly High Forest, Bloodfist Tribe and Merata Kon.
Rogue: Mostly Numitium and Restenford.
Sorcerer: Universal. Sorcerers in the World of Lies use the Wu Jen spell list and gain Wu Jen class abilities, except for the Taboos.
Psion: Universal.
Psychic Warrior: Mostly Isle of Mists and Numitium.
Hexblade: Mostly The Exile’s realm. Hexblades use the Dark Companion variant from PHB2. Note that use of curses and possession of a Dark Companion is considered witchcraft, and is punishable by death or exile in Jas, Numitium, the Serpentcoil and much of the Eastern Marches.
Swashbuckler: Mostly Numitium and Theralaith.
Ninja: Mostly nomadic halflings.
Scout: Mostly Numitium and High Forest.
Warlock: Mostly The Exile’s realm. Use of invocations is considered witchcraft, and is punishable by death or exile in Jas, Numitium, the Serpentcoil and much of the Eastern Marches.
Warmage: Mostly the Serpentcoil and Numitium.
Beguiler: Mostly Numitium and Theralaith.
Dragon Shaman: Mostly Isle of Dragons and Merata Kon.
Knight: Mostly Numitium and the Serpentcoil.
Binder: Mostly The Exile’s realm and Ruukhane. Binding vestiges is considered witchcraft, and is punishable by death or exile in Jas, Numitium, the Serpentcoil and much of the Eastern Marches.
Shadowcaster: Mostly the Well of Shadows. Mysteries are replenished after five minutes of non-use.
Crusader: Mostly Jas and the Serpentcoil.
Swordsage: Mostly the Well of Shadows and Numitium.
Warblade: Mostly Skarn and Ruukhane.
OA Samurai: Jas only.
Dread Necromancer: Mostly Jas.

[Dhavaer]

Nations in the World

Before listing the various nations of the World of Lies, it is probably best to mention the League of Nations. The League is not exactly an alliance; more a group of nations whose leaders can talk in a reasonably civilised manner. This is normally facilitated by magic allowing the various heads of state to meet each other somewhere in no-one’s territory where violence is impossible; effectively, an unreal place inhabited solely by the minds of whichever head of states are there at the time. The member nations are: Jas, Numitium, the Well of Shadows, the High Forest, the Serpentcoil, Skarn and Theralaith. There are other nations, but most of those are not considered ‘civilised’ by the member nations (this is a general attitude. For example, the skarn greatly respect the Merata Kon, despite their non-membership, and the vashar consider everyone else barbaric to a greater or lesser degree).

Jas is the westernmost of the human civilisations. It is ruled by the rigidly theocratic Cult of Wee Jas, and all citizens must at least pay lip service to her. There is also a monarch, currently Queen Jagu (it’s not her parents’ fault, Jasite names are generated randomly), but the office is more an administrative position, the duties mostly regarding the maintenance of infrastructure. Jas has mostly been occupied by its apparently eternal war with the orcs that live in the mountains on its western border, with occasional break resulting in military assets being reassigned to take land in the marches to the east.
Most Jasites are human, but frequent contact with orcs means that half-orcs are a noticeable minority.
Jas has no particular friendship with any other nation, but aside from the orcs they are also quite hostile to the vashar, who live on their south-eastern border, for religious reasons. This has been amplified greatly in recent years after they suffered a humiliating military defeat at the vashars’ hands several years ago and, being the aggressors, were forced by Numitium and Theralaith to pay reparations.

Numitium is the largest human nation in terms of area and also the oldest, having been founded 10,000 years ago. It is east of Jas. Theoretically ruled by the Emperor Vespasian, the nation is actually incredibly politically fractious, the only thing the nobles managing to agree on being that they don’t trust each other, the Emperor in particular. Order is maintained through nobles interfering with each other as little as possible.
Most Numites are human, but half-elves and halflings are also very common.
Numitium has excellent relations with the High Forest elves and Serpentcoil dwarves, but is highly distrustful of The Exile and of Jas, who they suspect means to invade them the next opportune moment.

The Well of Shadows is a large ring of mountains surrounding bottomless pit, which leads to the Shadow-world. The Well is south of Numitium. The vashar live here, in homes carved into the sides of the pit on both ends of the portal. They are a democratic society, voting for officials called Speakers and the First Speaker, their head of state. The First Speaker for the last 2,000 years has been Isshaethyr Slaughtersend.
Vashar consider all other civilisations somewhat barbaric but are mostly politically neutral, approving of the skarn but going no further. They do, however, have an alliance with the behirs, who live in the mountains surrounding the Well. Alignmentals of all shades are their natural enemies, and they spend much of their forces hunting them in the Shadow-world.

The High Forest is a vast woodland inhabited primarily by elves, located to the east of Numitium. Most of the inhabitants are elves, but there are also tribes of forest giants, flocks of pegasi and troupes of fey, among other woodland creatures. The elves have a tribal society, normally led by a druid or sorcerer.
The High Forest have a long and cordial history; the elves allow a certain amount of logging and keep paths open to the Serpentcoil in exchange for things they cannot create themselves, mostly powerful magic items and metal objects. The High Forest is represented by Emperor Vespasian in the League of Nations, as it does not have a single ruler of its own.

The Serpentcoil mountain range is east of the High Forest, stretching from the Northern Wastes to the Well of Shadows. It is inhabited by dwarves on the inside, and many very unpleasant monsters on the outside. The dwarven nation is divided into clans and ruled by clan fathers, each of whom has fealty to the Underking, who is effectively the King of all dwarves. The current Underking is Snil Highpeak. The two most powerful clans are the Brightmantles, who oversee most trading and other contact with outsiders, and the Winterveins, who captain the armies that fight off attacks from below. The current Wintervein clan father is Hrosta Wintervein (despite the title, Hrosta is female. Dwarves don’t generally use gender-distinct titles), and Hlorndar Brightmantle is the Brightmantle clan father, and represents the Serpentcoil in the League of Nations.
The Serpentcoil has a good relationship with Numitium, trading rare metals for leathers and wood. They are less than friendly towards Ruukhane, who attack Brightmantle caravans en route to Skarn.

Skarn is a coastal nation inhabited by gnomes and skarn. Skarn aren’t noted for their imagination. The climate is noted for both heat and constant, though rarely heavy, rainfall. It is on the south-east coast of the main continent, separated from the Serpentcoil by the Eastern Marches. The skarn are ruled by a king or queen, who is selected based on wit, intellect and mastery of the Sublime Way. The current king is Alekk Dal. The gnomes are not integrated with the skarn; they live in the same places and serve in the same armies, but normally go about their business separately.
Skarn is the only nation to have a positive relationship with The Exile, and desire to ally with her against Ruukhane, who they have been at war with for a greater or lesser extent for much of their history. They are part of the League of Nations.

Ruukhane is a large goblinoid nation built on a land dominated by rivers and badlands. Dominated by warlike hobgoblins, Ruukhane has raided Skarn and the Marches for millennia, occasionally invading or being invaded. The hobgoblins are organised in a military fashion; soldiers and sergeants and captains all the way up to the supreme warlord, who rules the nation. Goblins and bugbears do not take direct part in the nation’s governance, being less inclined to organisation.
Ruukhane has no friends but many enemies, primarily Skarn, the Merata Kon and The Exile. After The Exile demolished one of their fortresses in retaliation for a raid, the Kon have been sensing weakness and stepped up their own raids. They are not a part of the League, having rejected membership.

The Merata Kon are a collection of nomadic tribes mostly consisting of humans, dwelling in the Eastern Marches. They are deeply meritocratic, position in the tribe being measured by combat and hunting prowess and by number of wives. Unlike most other societies in the world, they do not have gender equality; Kon men do not have an option other than to be warriors, which combined with the lethality of the warrior lifestyle has developed a gender imbalance sufficient to make attaining a number of wives a reasonable prospect for most warriors. Kon women have the option of being warriors, those who elect to take it generally have a lower death rate than the men simply because most of them are from the upper echelons of the women in terms of fitness.
The Kon raid everyone unless doing so would be self-destructive. Ruukhane and the towns around Restenford are favoured targets. They no longer raid The Exile’s realm, having been threatened with genocide if they persisted.

The Exile is a warlord who has carved out a small fiefdom of several towns and villages for herself in the north of the Eastern Marches. This area is usually referred to simply as ‘The Exile’s realm’. She does not rule it in the sense that she provides any kind of administration; rather, she exacts tribute and in return provides military protection. Local authority is shared between mayors or reeves and The Exile’s lieutenants.
The Exile is not known for an interest in foreign policy, but Skarn has recently approached her, following an exchange of attacks with Ruukhane. A skarn ambassador has been staying at her fortress for several months, so things are presumably going well. Apart from Ruukhane, her main opponents are the cult of St. Cuthbert, whom she ousted from her realm as part of her grab for power. The Exile is not a member of the League of Nations, and whether this will change in the future in debateable. Skarn is likely to support her if she decides to do so, but the Cuthbertine cult has influence in Numitium, which trusts her little enough already due to her encouragement for witchcraft.

Theralaith is a small archipelago south of the Well and west of Skarn, inhabited by elves of a nautical persuasion. Unlike the High Forest elves, Theralaith is quite close to the human view of civilisation, being ruled by a number of merchant houses, each of which possesses a fleet of some size. Theralaith is the premiere naval power in the world; Jas devotes too many resources to keeping the orcs bottled up to allow a large navy, Restenford, while large, is still only a city-state, Skarn has a lack of lumber and Ruukhane has very little coast that is not unscaleable cliffs.
As a nation of merchants, Theralaith has good relations with all nations it has as customers: Jas, Restenford, Skarn and the Isle of Dragons. It’s relationship with Jas has soured somewhat, however, after Theralaith joined with Numitium in pressuring Jas to pay reparations to the vashar. However, as it is Jas’s only trading partner aside from Numitium, business has not suffered unduly.

Restenford is a large metropolis in the south of the Eastern Marches. Originally a cluster of hamlets around the half-elf city of Sharulhensa, Restenford has grown vast, and is now a major power in the Marches. It is not actually near the coast, but sits astride a massive river wide enough for naval ships to sail along, allowing Theralaithian merchants access to its ports. Sharulhensa’s population remains the primary power in Restenford, being the only organisation permitted to raise soldiers or guards. However, as the half-elves are disinterested in the goings-on outside the walls of the City of Spires, this has allowed corruption to flourish among Restenford’s guards and criminals to gain control of many of the city’s most influential guilds. So long as they don’t cross Sharulhensa, it seems likely that they will restrain themselves only enough to keep the merchants coming.
Restenford is likeed by no-one and tolerated by everyone, because it has money. Some geographical quirk has placed it in such a way as to be easily defensible, and yet easily accessible to merchants. Most goods from Numitium or the Serpentcoil to Skarn, or vice versa, go through Restenford, and the city turns a good profit from tariffs.

The Isle of Dragons is a great distance from the main continent, far enough that most people know it only from the occasional bit of exotica brought by Theralaithian trade ships. Its sole intelligent inhabitants are humans, dragons and mixed breeds of the two. There is no distinction made between chromatic and metallic dragons, although lawful dragons are generally more common. The island is ruled by a council of the oldest dragons of each colour.
The Isle has very little relation with the outside world other than trading with Theralaith. However, the vashar’s alliance with the behir has angered the draconic population, and they now count the soulless ones as their enemies.

The Isle of Mists is even further from the main continent than the Isle of Dragons, and is shrouded from view by the massive fog banks that give it its name. It is constantly warred over by gnolls and maenads, neither of whom seems to be able to tolerate the other. The gnolls build massive stone temples on which they sacrifice either captives or each other; the maenads live underground and grow psionically attuned crystals. Fighting tends to break out quickly whenever the maenads leave their caves, normally in order to forage.
The Isle of Mists has no contact with outsiders.

[Dhavaer]

Religion in the World

Despite the vashar’s efforts, there are a great many deities in the World of Lies, and only the most diligent of planar or theological scholars knows them all. Presented herer are some of the more popular or better known:

Boccob, the Uncaring: God of knowledge and magic. Sometimes also considered a god of trade or mercantilism. Worship of Boccob is common in Numitium and Theralaith, mostly among the upper class. Boccob’s clergy work mostly as advisors to the wealthy and powerful, or as sell-spells.
St Cuthbert of the Cudgel: God of vengeance and common sense. Worshipped mostly in Numitium. Was formerly the most popular deity worshipped in the northern areas of the Eastern Marches, until The Exile razed the main fortress of his cult. Cuthbertine clergy work as sheriffs and advisors to the poor.
Ehlonna of the Forests: Goddess of woodlands and agriculture. Worshipped mostly in the High Forest, Theralaith and some areas of Numitium. Patron goddess of elves. Ehlonna’s clergy are often farmers or work closely with them; among elves they act as advisors or as chiefs in their own right.
Fharlanghn, the Dweller on the Horizon: God of roads and travel. Worshipped by merchants and the Merata Kon. Patron god of halflings. Clergy are often wandering tinkers or other travellers.
Heironeous, the Invincible: God of valour and righeous warfare. Worshipped little; but several Numite knightly orders are devoted to him. Clergy are generally knights or military officers.
Hextor, the Herald of Hell: God of tyranny and conquest. Worshipped little, but several Numite knightly orders are devoted to him. His high priest is a Numite prince; clergy are mostly his administrators and enforcers.
Kord, the Brawler: God of strength and courage. Worshipped mostly in Numitium and The Exile’s realm. Clergy are often warriors and mercenaries.
Maglubiyet, the Battle-Lord: God of war and leadership. Worshipped in Ruukhane. Patron god of goblins. Clergy are generally military officers.
Moradin, the Soul Father: God of smithing and protection. Worshipped in the Serpentcoil. Patron of dwarves. Clergy are often smiths or soldiers.
Nerull, the Reaper: God of murder. Worshipped is banned in all nations. Clergy are assassins and serial killers.
Olidammara, the Laughing Rogue: God of music and revelry. Worshipped in Numitium and Restenford. Clergy are often innkeepers.
Osprem, Lady of the Waves: Goddess of ships and sailors. Worshipped in Theralith. Clergy are generally naval officers or captains.
Pelor, the Shining One: Goddess of healing and protection. Worshipped in Numitium. Clergy are generally healers.
Wee Jas, the Stern Lady: Goddess of death, magic and beauty. Worshipped in, and head of state of, Jas. All Jasites of rank are clergy.

Cosmology

Under construction.

[Umarth]

Nice world you've got Dhavaer.

Looks a lot more balanced than the standard D&D type world as well. I especially like the changes to arcane casters.

Are you planning on running games in it till only about 11th level?

[Dhavaer]

Thanks very much.

As to level 11+ adventures... the campaign I had in mind while designing the setting would go from about 6 to 18, but that was a 'save the world' adventure, not the kind of thing that would happen every day, or even every decade. Higher level adventures would probably be either some very unique dungeon crawls (ancient troglodyte temples in the Northern Wastes are something I've been thinking a lot about), intrigue-conspiracy stories (Prince Erlend Chilse is being threatened by the Cult of Nerull!) or wars (Skarn/The Exile/Merata Kon vs. Ruukhane is something likely to happen), unless you just go off-plane.

[Umarth]

You could also have a lot of fun in a world like this if it's "discovered" by a higher power world like Ferun and your PCs have to try and save the world from powerful off world individuals and consortiums that are intrested in exploting the natural "resources" of the new world.

Imagine something like what happened to Africa but on a world sized scale.

[Dhavaer]

Numitium

A large, cosmopolitan empire, Numitium, both city and nation, are widely considered the crowning jewel of the Prime Material, contested only by Sharulhensa and the Well of Shadows. Within its borders can be found citizens of almost every race on the Prime, students and masters of every martial and magical art and settlements from the lowliest hamlet in the marshes to the great capital itself.
Numitium was founded five thousand years ago after the warlord Numitia defeated or cowed her enemies and enthroned her lover Aelius as the first Emperor. Between Numitia’s battle skills and Aelius’ silver tongue, the Empire swiftly grew, absorbing or conquering other tribes until it reached similar proportions to what it has today. The northern border reaches along the Great Wastes, hotly contested until 50 years ago by the troglodyte pharaohs, the eastern border meeting the High Forest, whose elven inhabitants have been firm allies for several millennia, the southern border nears the foothills of the Well and the western, once undefined as it faced the wild Western Marches, now looks onto the eastern border of militaristic Jas.
The bloodline of Numitia and Aelius has not yet faltered, although they have experienced many waxing and waning fortunes. The succession is somewhat complicated, being patriarchal but matrilineal, but the result is that there is a single Emperor who rules from the capital, protected by the Eighty Empresses, an order of female warriors made up of his sisters, wives and mistresses. Curiously, all Emperors have possessed some of Aelius’ diplomatic skills, and no Empress has disappointed her foremothers’ fearsome reputation. It is assumed by most that some odd magic or quirk of bloodline is responsible for this.
At current, the office of Emperor is not a powerful one, its remaining prestige mostly a result of tradition and fear of the Empresses. The Princes and Princesses, descendants of the leaders of powerful tribes who swore fealty to the Emperor, or of upward climbing merchants or honoured heroes, suspect the Emperor of wishing to curtail their power, and are constantly ready to ally against him. Of course, the dukes, countesses, baronesses and knights below them think the same thing of those above them, and so no feudal lord can exercise much power on those below without extreme caution and diplomatic skill. Numitian politics are sometimes ludicrously complex, with the result that the nobles are kept busy long enough for the commons to bring the harvest in.

The city of Numitium is of course the capital of the empire, currently seating Emperor Vespasian. A cunning and amicable man, he is well suited to the current political climate, balancing threats, favours, reasoning and rhetoric to preserve both his nation and dynasty. His aunt, Hekaline, is currently the senior Empress, and her skill as a Sublime is famed throughout the empire. It is said that her sword once touched the skin of Isshaethyr Slaughtersend in a duel.
Numitium is the largest city in the empire and the second largest behind Restenford on the plane. It is built on eight hills overlooking what were once river valleys; the central hill holds the imperial palace and each other hill holds the mansion of a prince. As a general rule the lower the altitude, the poorer the residents, although every so often there is a fashion among the wealthy for riverside living. The riverside lands are very fertile, and the main produce of the imperial principality are grain crops.

The empire is made of seven principalities in addition to the imperial province; Pelirdon, Vorbil, Atititon, Chitelet, Otorvoton, Zilde and Chilse. Each is controlled by a prince or princess. The rules of succession are similar to those of the imperial family, except that the principalities are not patriarchal.
Pelirdon is one of the two principalities bordering on the High Forest, and it is the only one ruled by a non-human. Princess Tatyana is a half-elf who, prior to her mother’s sickening, had spent her life with the family of her elven father. She remains largely ignorant of Numitium’s politics, leaving the details of running her realm in the hands of regents and castellans. Despite this she is likely the most powerful noble in the empire, partly due to the size of her realm but mostly because she spends the majority of her time travelling, using her druidic magic to encourage crop growth and heal her subjects, giving her ferocious popular support. She is a devoted follower of Ehlonna, and clergy of the Lady of the Woodlands are encouraged to preach and settle in Pelirdon. The terrain in Pelirdon is mostly lush grassland and plains, becoming more hilly towards the south and more wooded to the west.
Vorbil is southwest from Pelirdon, a long, thin strip of land connecting the imperial province to the border with the Well. Not so lush as its eastern neighbour, the people of Vorbil are largely shepherds or miners in the quarries. Prince Askold is an older man and the highest ranking cleric of Hextor in his territory. Throughout his reign he has integrated the cult more and more with the workings of the state, and so there can be little done that does not come under the sedition-seeking eyes of a cleric, at least in the capital. However, Askold’s sister Sunnild has cloistered herself in their family’s mansion in the imperial city and has taken her son, Askold’s nephew and heir, with her. She does not like the Hextorian cult on intends for her or her son to remove it from Vorbil after Askold is dead. In addition to the problems with the succession, Askold has been harried by several other groups intent on his downfall. The two most powerful are a large group of bandits who attack his tax collectors and other minions, and the Nerullian cult, who have for some reason taken a particular dislike to him and send assassins constantly. Despite his many enemies, however, Askold is a skilled leader who has made Vorbil prosperous, if tyrannical. He is also the most personally powerful of the princes, being a high ranking priest in full favour of his patron.
Atititon is a small principality in the northwest of the empire, bordering on the wastes and very close to Jas. It is not terribly fertile itself, but it has a slight connection to the Elemental Plane of Earth, making gems and rare metals more common that is natural. The harsh climate also means that Atititon’s plants are very different from those in other parts of the empire, and several are in great demand as herbs or spices. It also does a trade in prisoners with the other principalities; the mines are dangerous but profitable, and forced labour in them is a common sentence for criminals. However, its great wealth relative to its size makes Atititon a potent lure for raiders, particularly the Bloodfist tribe, and fending off these raids has given the local soldiery a solid reputation, and they are prized as caravan guards. Princess Raisa rules here, and rarely leaves the comfort of her capital. She worships Hextor, and as such is aligned to Askold in political matters, but she is too narcissistic for either her worship or allegiance to be much of a force. Between the temperament of its ruler and the strong trade in exotic herbs and spices, the city of Atititon has gained a mostly deserved reputation for debauchery, although most of the wilder stories are far exaggerated.
Chitelet is north of Pelirdon, and the other principality bordering on the High Forest. Smaller and less fertile than its southern neighbour, it tends more towards industry than farming, most particularly lumber. A long standing agreement with the elves allows some border villages to harvest the trees of their Forest, the timber of which is in very high demand. However, recent ‘poaching’ of the trees, in secret operations masterminded by Prince Askold Vorbil, have soured relations with the elves and also with Princess Tatyana. Prince Omer, the ruler of Chitelet, has been put in a very bad position by this, and only the Emperor’s favour and his formidable diplomatic skills are keeping his head above water.
Otorvoton is south of Atititon, and by far the largest of the principalities. While most of the realm is plains and hills, there are numerous lakes, both large and small, dotting the landscape. Fishing and pearl diving are both common industries. Prince Idris, a warlike man with experience against both the Bloodfists and the troglodytes, is the ruler here, and unlike his peers he is fiercely loyal to the Emperor. He is a dedicated worshipper of St. Cuthbert, but unfortunately for the cult he has been restricting their actions with his laws for some years. Idris met his wife, a woman of the western Kor tribes, between skirmishes against Jasite forces. He loves her deeply, and she him, and because of this love he has concealed the secret that she is a warlock, a fact that would see her killed or exiled for witchcraft if it were to be known. A cabal of binders has discovered this and has been blackmailing him to keep the cult leashed. His inability to do anything about the situation enrages him, but he cannot see any way out of it.
Zilde is a northern principality, comparable in size to Pelirdon. It is a grim, harsh land not so different from the wastes that it borders. The primary produce is glass products. Princess Zhenya is a former adventurer who is less than fond of her position, inheriting the title far earlier than she had expected. While her adventuring career was much shorter than she expected, she did manage to make a few enemies, among them the Golden Helm Guild. When Zhenya and her companions investigated the disappearance of a Golden Helm caravan, they discovered a book written in Gnome. She concealed the book, and later paid a priestess to translate it. It revealed secret gnomish glassblowing techniques, which Zhenya had taught to the craft guilds of Zilde. The gnomes were angered at this distribution of their secrets and have been seeking revenge.
Chilse is in the south-west, a small realm between Otorvoton and Vorbil. It is famed for the quality of its cheeses. Prince Erlend is a rather pathetic man who once worshipped Nerull the Reaper. After realising just what Nerull’s goals were, however, he backed out, and has been hiding from his former allies ever since. He has allied against the Nerullian cult with Prince Askold, devoting much of his considerable resources to their destruction, but unlike Askold he lacks the personal power to defend himself from the cultist’s periodic assassination attempts. As a result, he spends his time hiding in his castle, defended by sublimes, psionicists and mages. Anyone giving him information about the cult, or better yet, killing a cleric of Nerull, will get a great deal of gratitude from him.

As a large, powerful and complex nation, Numitium generally has more options available to it in foreign relations than ‘attack’ and ‘offer cease fire’. The troglodytes to the north reject all approaches, and the vashar rarely leave their mountain home, but Jas, the High Forest and the Serpentcoil Mountains all have much history in common with the Numites.
Until about six centuries previously, Jas was considered a distant and exotic land, reached only by adventurers and the hardiest of merchants. After the rise of Xian Hordebreaker, however, the western land has expanded rapidly until the two nations are less than a day’s ride from each other. This expansion has been cause for some alarm among the more westerly nobles, who have been expanding their military strength as much as possible in preparation for the invasion they see as inevitable. Despite this military distrust, the two nations continue to trade, although both nations are self-sufficient enough to make this trading infrequent.
The High Forest elves are a much different situation; they have as much desire to attack Numitium as to bathe in lava. While mostly they stay within their forest, the elves have several emissaries in the forest-side villages, who instruct the loggers as to which trees are permitted to be cut. This is mostly the limit of human/elven trade, although the occasional skin of elven wine makes its way into a noble’s cellar.
The Serpentcoil is a different matter again; dwarven caravans make yearly treks through the Forest and into Numitium, trading rare metals and dwarven weaponry. These caravans are the only source of materials such as mithral or adamantine, and they sell at almost ruinous prices.

Despite the presence of an inherited aristocracy, there is a considerable amount of social mobility in Numitium, most because the nobles are too busy watching each other suspiciously to care what the commons are doing. The most usual method of advancement for the common-born is to join the army and serve long enough to be considered a veteran, at which point they can leave the army, usually with some skill which they can apply to a civilian or adventuring life. Most merchants are commoners who founded their businesses on inheritance from an adventuring parent. Nobles, of course, can usually afford to be tutored instead of joining the army.
Being founded on a collection of tribes and city states, names in Numitium vary wildly, often having elven, dwarven or halfling influences. Some near the western border have adopted Jasite naming traditions. The most common name by far is Sorra, a female name traced back to any of several hundred heroines known to have borne it. It is believed by some that the name grants greatness, but in reality the sheer number of Sorras throughout Numitium and beyond ensure that every generation has a few heroines to inspire parents to give the name to their daughter. For the record, the original heroine Sorra was a sorcerer born some seven thousand years ago in the eastern marches, but the name was probably popularised in Numitium by an imperial general who defeated an invading force of troglodytes against extraordinary odds.
The majority of Numitium’s population is human, with a significant halfling minority and a number of elves, dwarves and half-elves. Numitian humans tend towards dark skin, with black, brown or red hair. Further west, blonde hair and pale or olive skin become more common, further east, elven features are more noticeable, further north, orcish heritages are more apparent.
Psionics, the sublime way and magic are all esteemed in Numitium; Psychic Warriors, Warblades and Warmages are all common. Necromancy, and thus Dread Necromancers, are widely reviled, and witchcraft (invocations, binding and hexes) are all punishable by death or exile.

As a note, certain portions of this disagree with the previously posted information, mostly about the Jas/Vashar war. I'm not sure which is accurate yet.

[Dhavaer]

Well of Shadows

At the centre of the Prime is the Well of Shadows, home to the soulless, insular vashar. This city-nation spans two planes, but despite its vast size it is entirely homogenous; there are no non-vashar residents.
The Well is as old as the Prime, and likely the multiverse, itself. What spawned the vashar is unknown, they were already established when the elves and dwarves first met them, already warded and fortified in their mountains. Their civilisation could be as old as the multiverse itself, as no celestial, infernal or divine being remembers a time before them.
The Well is divided into districts on both planes, and each district elects one among its population as its Speaker. The Council of Speakers then elects one of its number as the First Speaker, a position similar to the Numitian Emperor, or the skarn’s King. The current first speaker is Isshaethyr Slaughtersend, who has held the position for two unbroken millennia. She gained her unprecedented popularity as she earned her name, by defeating and slaying Erythnul, the God of Slaughter, in single combat.
Politically, the office of First Speaker is more ceremonial than powerful; Isshaethyr still has only one vote on the Council. The primary responsibility of the office is judiciary; the First Speaker is the final arbiter for any dispute and final appeal against any sentence. Any citizen may make a suggestion to their Speaker, and any Speaker may present a law, project or other matter to the council for it to be voted on. Speakers are also lesser judges below the First Speaker, taking care of lesser legal matters in their own district or advising the First Speaker in more difficult cases. The Council is not known for political manoeuvring, and the office of Speaker is not a notably highly paid one; wealthy Speakers generally have another source of income.

The Well is, as previously mentioned, in the exact centre of the Prime. It is a bottomless pit connecting to another such pit in the plane of shadows; jumping into the Well causes the jumper to land on the edge of the Well on the other plane. Surrounding the Well on both planes are rings of mountains; on the Prime these connect to the Serpentcoil. The vashar carve out their buildings from the sides of the mountains, making a vast city looping all around the Well. The vashar do not have any other settlements, but they do maintain watchtowers and fortresses on the other side of the mountains to supply patrols. Vashar patrols on the Prime do not go beyond the mountains, but in the shadow-world they go all throughout the plane, hunting fiends and celestials attempting the reach the Prime.

The vashar have minimal contact with other races and nations. However, they have been known to make alliances and agreements, most recently with the High Forest. The vashar agreed to aid the elves in ridding the Forest of green dragons, and at the current time they appear to have succeeded. This has put the elves in the debt of the vashar, and also strengthened relations with the behirs, who have in the past occasionally served the vashar as mounts.
Less positively, Jas attempted an invasion of the Well some hundred and twenty years ago and suffered a humiliating defeat at the vashar’s hands. The loss of a large army and the death and consumption of three allied dragons would certainly swing Jas/Numitium relations away from the Jasite’s favour if it were to become generally known.

Egalitarian and wealthy, the vashar have many options to develop skills beyond those needed to work. Military service is compulsory for all vashar from age fifteen to twenty, and they are trained in whatever they are deemed they would be skilled at. Most learn shadow magic or the sublime way, but a very few show an aptitude for the ways of the ur-priests. Ur-priests, even novices, are accorded great respect by vashar, who have no other way of accessing divine magic.
Vashar names are long and complex, generally being made up of three to five syllables. They are often remarked to be similar to elven names, but a vashar name can generally be identified by the last letter of one syllable being repeated as the first letter of the next. They do not have last names, but are often given second names relating to a significant accomplishment or event in their lives.
The Well is inhabited solely by vashar and their allies, mostly behir. Vashar are possessed of a sameness the other races often find creepy; all vashar have some family resemblance, and same-sex vashar siblings are often indistinguishable to outsiders. They average six feet tall and have black hair, pale skin and grey eyes. All of them. Older vashar are often infused with shadowstuff, gaining the ability to fade from view.
Vashar are attracted to both shadow magic and the Shadow Hand path of the sublime way. They also have a great appreciation for psionics, but rarely possess the talent for it. Lacking a soul, they are incapable of many forms of magic, most notably divine, but also pact magic.