[Setting] Secrets of the Dragonstones

[Swooper]

Greetings, Playgrounders.
For the past months, I've been working on a campaign setting. It likely be used for a PbP game I plan to start Soon(tm) here on these very boards, and if I manage to find a group here, for that group too if they make me/let me DM. It's not complete yet, but I'm still going to post it right here in the hope that some of you can add something interesting, point out flaws and stuff like that.

Without further introduction, I give you the Timeline, featuring most of the world's history so far. You might notice that it's recent history is not incredibly.. rich. Ideas as to things that might have happened in the past few hundred years appreciated.


Timeline

BC - Before Church. AC - After Church

[Prehistoric] – Dragons rule the world.

[10000BC] – The numbers of dragons are dwindling, elves found their first cities and their empire.

[8000-3000BC] – The golden age of elves, they rule the lands surrounding the Golden Sea, worship the Old Gods in great temples, practice powerful magics and build glorious cities of white marble.

[3000-2700BC] – A vast horde of orcs surges from the north across the mountains, attacking the unprepared elves. A massive war breaks out, resulting in several ruined elven cities and thousands of elves slain. Three centuries are spent, attempting to drive off the orcs, but they are impossible to rout except by exterminating them all – for each time a leader among them is slain, another takes his place – and for ridding their lands of them, the elves pay a high price in blood. Even after the war ends, the elven empire is weakened and goblinoids rise in numbers.

[2500BC] – Dwarves migrate from the north and found their domain in the mountains they name the Doranak Mountains. The name sticks. One of their clans thought it wiser to head further east to look for a suitable living space – nothing is heard from this clan for the next millenia. The elves initially consider the dwarves to be the same savages as the goblinoid races they had encountered previously, and their first encounters are not peaceful. After a brief period of fighting, the elves realise their mistake and offer peace and apologies to the dwarves. The dwarves’ Clan Council accepts the apology grudgingly, not willing to forgive but unable to match the elves’ might.

[2100BC] – Gnomes make their home in the forested valleys just south of the western Doranak Mountains.

[1800BC] – The dwarven clan Nerak digs their mines deeper and deeper, eventually discovering, by coincidence, a network of caves deep below the mountains. The entire clan moves there in search of riches unknown, but alas – an earthquake only two years later caves in the tunnels leading to the surface. The clan is considered lost.

[1650BC] – The dwarven city Kosh Tarrog is attacked by strange, grey-skinned dwarves with bizarre powers, who dug into the city from below. Casulties are high initially, but when defences have been planned against this new threat the attack is repelled – for a while. The next decades are marked by frequent raids by these mysterious Grey Dwarves on dwarven cities, soon linked to the disappearance of Clan Nerak.

[1200BC] – Elves start teaching humans, who have untill now been considered irrelevant savages, of civilization and all it brings, including the Old Gods. Humans soon spread widely around the Golden Sea, quickly adapting to different areas and climates. A few tribes even head further south, into the jungles.

[900-800BC] – A group of elves with an inferiority complex doesn’t like the success and fast increase in numbers humans are enjoying, and start attacking human settlements. The largest part of the elves, however, disapproves of these brutal methods and tries to stop them. This is largely unseccessful, and ends in a bloody civil war among the elves. The man-hating elves, little by little, adopt a different lifestyle and become nocturnal, avoiding other elves. Their numbers are thinned enough so that humans are no longer threatened by them regularly, and the remaining ones go into hiding, deep in the darkest, most primeval forests and some even into caverns beneath the mountains in the east. These elves become known as Shadow Elves.

[700BC] – The elven empire starts shrinking because of the war with the shadow elves, which left deep scars, and the procretation of other races. Human countries (Toris, Saldea) founded in the west. Forests surrounding the Golden Sea slowly cut down by humans as the elves retreat further east, to create space for agriculture.

[481BC] – The kingdom of Tesh-Kaljame is founded on a large island to the west of the main continent. The residents are fierce worshippers of Tersha, the Sea Goddess. Their kingdom prospers in the next decades and centuries.

[435BC] – A new emperor is crowned in Theriopolis, the capitol of Toris – Gorsas I the Militant. Gorsas plans enlarging his domain greatly and begins military preperations and training of soldiers.

[432BC] – The first border skirmishes between Toris and the small neighbouring countries to the east. The neighbouring countries are completely unprepared when Torisian phalanxes conquer the most of them in only a few weeks.

[432-403BC] – Toris grows fast under the rule of Gorsas I, and later his son, Gorsas II the Great. In -430 the borders reach Iron Mountains, in -425 to the current borders of Saldea, and in -416 most of what is now Istaria has been conquered. The king of Saldea (Szertan IV) sees the stormclouds forming up and orders the construction of border fortresses to guard his land, should Toris dare invade. Gorsas II has the intention of taking Saldea as well, but intended to take his time to do so. When he hears of the construction of border fortresses he sees no other choice but to sound the attack prematurely. This results in heavy casulties on both sides, especially the Torisian one, in the winter of -414. Sieges are started all over Saldea and last for years in some incidents, thanks to the defensive might of Saldea and the perseverence of Gorsas II. In the end, the fortesses are captured one by one, and the rest of Saldea is embodied into Toris around -403.

[400-390BC] – The son of Gorsas II, Helestan I, takes overs the work of his father and grandfather when a Saldean patriot murders his father. Helestan directs his focus to the north-east, where a non-militant trade federation has risen. In -399, Torisian soldiers march into the Federation’s territory and face little resistance. The next years are spent conquering the lands north of the Golden Sea completely. The areas beyond, to the east, do not tempt the emperor, since they are mostly forests under the protection of the elves at this time.

[330-319BC] Filnios IV The Foolish is crowned emperor of Toris. Soon after his crowning, he orders the invasion of the Doranak Mountains. His phalanxes, however, are ill suited for fighting in the mountains and never manage to gain a foothold there, let alone capture a dwarven cliff-city. The dwarves, annoyed by this, start providing Saldean rebels with weapons and assisting them in other ways, helping them prepare to overthrow Toris.

[315-302BC] – In the spring of -315 there’s a rebellion in the former capitol of Saldea, Tarádrisz, agains Torisian occupation forces. At the same time, a dwarven military force invades the northern provinces and captures the city of Orosz. In the mid-summer, the entire capitol is controlled by the rebels. Similar rebellions occur all over Saldea in the next years, and the dwarven military assists the rebels destroying the Torisian phalanxes. Filnios IV is forced to retract his troops from the lands north of the Golden Sea to control the rebellions in Saldea, but that was seemingly not enough, and after a great battle at Readai in -304 the last foreign regiments retreat from Saldea, which is free once more, thanks to the dwarves. With no supply lines by land to the lands of the trade federation, it proves too hard for Toris to maintain troops there, and in -302 the occupation force is retracted by sea.

[300-278BC] – Inspired by the success of the Saldean rebellion, the peoples of Terenoc (who was, prior to conquest, separate kingdoms) rise against their Torisian masters. A bloody freedom war erupts, leaving Terenoc free and united but war-torn some twenty years after it’s start. Saldea extends a hand of friendship by helping them rebuild. Skirmishes with Toris continue for decades.

[276BC] – The Lironan Principalities are founded from the roots of the old trading federation by merchant princes, who become the rulers of this new oligarchy.

[156BC] – The Sea-goddess Tersha destroyes the island of Tesh-Kaljame as punishment for the inhabitants’ arrogance, who had over the ages stopped worshipping her as the nation profited on trade. Most of the island sinks into the ocean in a great cataclysm so only the mountain peaks remain above sea-level, and form a range of islands. The few survivors of the cataclysm, those who repented for their sins, are chosen by the Goddess to sail the seas forever, must refrain from stepping on dry land and from now on, and be her humble servants. They become known as The Seaborn.

[15BC] – A human prophet, called Aedan, starts preaching the word of a fifth god, who he claims speaks to him and calls himself Ether. He soon gathers followers as well as enemies. A religious war breaks out around the Golden Sea.

[0] – The New God emerges superior, Aedan dies a martyr’s death and is made the first Saint. The Church of Ether is founded officially along with the city-state of Istaria, then but a small dot on the eastern shore of the Terim-peninsula on Terenoc’s east coast. In the next hundreds of years Istaria grows substantially as more and more provinces of Terenoc choose to belong to this new church rather than the Terenocan aristocracy. The effect reaches into the Lironan Principalities, and eventually the entire Terim-peninsula pays tithe to the Church of Ether.

[2-10AC] – Those still following the Old Gods retreat east, across the Starlit Sea. There, they find a fertile land where they found an empire based on the old values. They run into the descendants of the dwarven clan who moved east millenia ago. This clan had formed a small empire in the mountains there. A short war is fought because of the suspicious nature of the dwarves, who hadn’t met anything sentient for the past 2500 years except goblinoids and giants.

[143-145AC] – The War of the Heretic. King Rovan III (later known as The Heretic) of Terenoc decides to punish his barons for what he sees as betraying him by joining the growing theocracy of Istaria, and declares war on the holy land. He masses his army, a hundred soldiers to each Istaria could muster then, and marches towards the town of Velitia, which had recently joined Istaria. Velitia is beseiged for a year and a day, with great casulties. Then, as the Terenocan army prepares to finish it off and is moving towards the town gates with battering rams, a bright pillar of light shines down from the heavens upon the battlefield surrounding, and the dead bodies littering the battlefield start rising to their feet, and attacking their former brothers in arms. The soldiers, terrified of the undead, turn and flee. This divine intervention is attributed to a captain in the militia of Velitia, Morden, who had ordered his troop to pray with him for aid from above. A large temple was built in Velitia as a memorial to Morden’s miracle, that was later to be the headquarters of the Holy Order of St. Morden, for Morden was made a saint after his death.

[178AC] – Akhdor, the empire of the giantkin, is founded on the northern coast of Sharrad by desert nomads who choose to settle by the coast.

[266AC] – An Istarian noble called Verdian assembles a small fleet and sails due east over the Golden Sea to found a kingdom there. He arrives at the ruins of the city of Nessith Tel, which the elves had abandoned centuries ago. He founds the city Khalast and the kingdom of Marathia, becomes King Verdian I, later known as The Godless.

[270-271AC] – Kobolds threaten to overrun the mountainous region in western Gnubel. The gnomes mass an army under one General Herfeiddiwch Twcker, and with great ingenouity the kobolds are thwarted and driven off.

[275-310AC] – Immigrants flock from Istaria, Toris and Terenoc to Marathia in hope of a better life. Hence, Marathia grows fast in the first decades and more towns and cities are founded, many on the ruins of abandoned elven cities. The son of Verdian I, Ridias I, takes over from his father after his father’s death in the winter of 289. He establishes a feudal system similar to that of Istaria, but without such strong connections to the Church, however.

[435AC] – A horde of gnoll tribes emerge from the southern High Forest, and start raiding and pillaging the southern countryside of Marathia. The king dispatches his fastest knights in response to the threat, and during the next months the knights hunt down and rout most of the tribes, earning great prestige and being considered the elite soldiers of Marathia. To this day, Marathian knights are considered some of the finest in the world.

[703AC] – A large tribe of barbaric humans who call themselves the Velkieth migrates from the north, through the Doranak Mountains, led by a prophet who spoke of a promised land of milk and honey south of the mountains. They settle in the highlands northeast of the Lironan Principalities, much to the dismay of their new neighbours.

[1020AC] – The goblin kingdom of Glartzik is founded in the Ironshield Mountains. Goblin raids cease nearly completely in the surrounding countryside. The Duke of Tyrans is suspicious, but cannot justify sending a military force into the mountains to wipe out the goblins.

[1022AC] – The present year.



I'm sure this is all rather confusing without a map, however, I haven't been able to find a site that will host a 3k * 3k pixel .png image. Both imageshack and photobucket shrink them, though here's the best I have for now:


Map (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_uyq5nx5momI/Si6N9qzK20I/AAAAAAAAAk4/QONAOIiU9h8/s1600-h/SotD+Map.png)

Edit: Added the Orc Wars at 3000-2700BC. Also changed positive/negative years into BC/AC.

[Swooper]

Nations and Races


Nations

Akhdor
Capitol: Akhbad
Government: Strict feudalism
Ruler: Grand Tarkan Raajok ud-Nekheef
Description: The giantkin established their own land, Akhdor (meaning “The Land of the Rivers” in their own language) hundreds of years ago, on the northern shores of Sharrad. They had before that been desert-nomads, herding camels from oasis to oasis – but eventually they changed their ways to that of irrigation farmers. The giantkin are not overly fond of working the fields or digging ditches themselves however, for that, they have copious amounts of slaves, taken on raids on Torisian or Rhajarkan port cities. Giantkin pirates are fearsome enemies, sailing the Sea of Daggers on galleons measuring two- or three hundred feet long, loaded with ballistae and eight-foot warriors. Akhdor is ruled by a strict pyramidic feudal system of Sub-Tarkans, Tarkans, Gol-Tarkans and Nur-Tarkans, with a Grand Tarkan on the top of the pyramid. But even he bows before their cruel, vulture-headed god, Tass – the undisputed ruler of the the desert.


Glartzik
Capitol: Gveggvest
Government: Tribal
Ruler: High-Chieftain Vartgrab
Description: Two years ago, a group of five unarmed goblins came into the city hall in Tyrans, a city on the western coast of Terenoc, under a white flag. They were there with the sole purpose of announcing the foundation of Glartzik, a goblin kingdom in the Ironshield Mountains. The Duke of Tyrans was puzzled at these news, ordered them reported to his king, and had the guards on the wall doubled. Not much has been heard from these goblins since, and no-one seems to know why they are there or what they´re up to. The Duke has never been able to justify it to himself to send an expedition to the mountains to wipe them out - since Glartzik was founded, goblins have ceased raiding his lands almost completely.


Gnubel
Capitol: Dwyllume
Government: Loose Feudal Monarchy
Ruler: ??
Description: Gnubel is the short name for the gnomish kingdom in the rolling hills and valleys just south of the Doranak Mountains, and a part of it actually runs up into the mountains. In truth, it is not one kingdom, but about two dozen. However, the gnomes don’t wish to confuse the poor humans or dwarves beyond their borders with needless information for them, so they tend to act as if there’s only one gnomish kingdom.
Gnubel has stayed largely off the pages of historybooks written by humans, mainly because the gnomes have stayed out of any major conflicts in history, and for some reason human history seems to revolve around conflicts. One of the few bits that have been recorded by humans of gnome history is that at one point centuries ago, the mountainous regions in west Gnubel were very close to being overrun by a horde of kobolds, but due to the valiant and ingenious action of General Herfeiddiwch Twcker they were driven back. Ever since, kobolds have been the sworn enemies of gnomes everywhere, and Twcker is a national hero.


The Doranak Mountains
Capitol:
Government: Clan-Communism
Ruler: The Clan Council
Description: The Doranak Mountains are the second oldest still standing country in the known world, having been founded well over four thousand years ago – and as any dwarf will tell you, the dwarven empire has been mostly stable all this time, unlike the elven one who has shrunk to the east, and is now nothing like it was in it’s days of glory. During all this time, the dwarves have fought countless wars with orcs and other goblinoids, as well as giants, kobolds and other creatures considered pests by the dwarves, and even a short one with Toris long ago. Doranak officially considers both the gnomes of Gnubel and the humans of Saldea to be trusted allies – others are either trading partners or irrelevant to the dwarves. Dwarven society is organized into clans, and those form the building blocks of the state. Each clan governs itself mostly, with little interference from others, but each clan has a representative in the Clan Council, the highest body of authority in the Mountains.


Istaria
Capitol: Istaria
Government: Feudal Theocracy
Ruler: King-Priest Jerdias XI
Description: Istaria was originally, just over a thousand years ago, a single city-state on the eastern coast of Terenoc, built around a temple-palace where the King-Priest now lives. As the Church of Ether gained followers, Istaria expanded - Terenocan Barons chose to pay their taxes not to their king in Tarabon, but to the King-Priest in Istaria, as did some Lironan Princes. Within two centuries, most of the Terim Peninsula and some neighbouring provinces were a part of Istaria by choice.
Only once has there been hostility with it’s neighbours, when Rovan I king of Terenoc besieged Velitia, then but a town surrounding a small castle, that had previously left the rule of Rovan I to join Istaria. With the aid of a miracle performed by St. Morden, then a captain in the Velitian guard force, the dead rose, driving the invaders off. Since then, deathless have been an important part of Istaria's armed forces, often serving as city guards or such. It is considered a great honour to be allowed to serve the Church in this way past death. The clergy of St. Morden, as well as his Holy Order of Knights, serve partly to keep the deathless in check.


The Lironan Principalities
Capitol: Sebnesta
Government: Oligarchy
Ruler: The Videri Council
Description: The Principality of Lirona was once an informal trade alliance between several small kingdoms in the area. As happened with Terenoc, after the Torisian occupation, the smaller kingdoms merged into the Lironan Principalities. Because of it’s root as a trade federation, Lirona (as the Principalities are often called in normal conversation) is still a heavily trade-centered nation. They are ruled by a body called the Videri Council, comprising of the twenty richest merchant-princes. Despite this apperantly liberal form of government, the Council does in fact rule Lirona quite confidently, and is known to maintain a vast network of spies and hitmen all over it’s neighbouring lands. It is said that if there’s a secret that is whispered of in a court somewhere, very soon at least one merchant prince will know of it. The Council actively enforces this belief, in the knowledge that it will keep them safe from invasion – and it has.


Marathia
Capitol: Khalast
Government: Feudal Monarchy
Ruler: King ???
Description: Marathia was founded by a former Istarian noble named Verdian, who disliked the influence the Church of Ether had on his rule. He denounced the faith and set off with his family and supporters accross the Golden Sea in search of new lands. The small fleet came upon the ruins of the elven city of Nessith Tel, which had long ago been abandoned by the elves. Upon it’s remains, the pioneers built a new city they called Khalast. Verdian became King Verdian I the Godless of Marathia. When news of this new, unspoiled land reached the ears of the population of Istaria, Terenoc and the Lironan Principality, many of them followed Verdian’s example and sailed across the Golden Sea to settle there. More cities were founded further inland, and Marathia flourished. They soon made contact with the elves living in the High Forest further inland, and have remained friendly with them since, both nations enjoy mutual trade and diplomatic relations.
Marathians have always had to contend with savage humanoids for living space, for their borders don’t touch any other borders, merely wilderness. In particular, nearly six hundred years ago was a difficult time, for a horde of gnolls surged from the forests to the south, wreaking havoc as they raided and pillaged the countryside. It was then that the Marathian knights earned their status, for no other force could get across the plains to reach the southern country fast enough, and the knights succeeded in routing tribe after tribe of gnolls, ‘till there were no groups left large enough to pose threats. Since then, both gnolls and others have threatened Marathia, but large companies of knights patrol the lands, prepared to impale with their lances and drive off any gnoll, goblinoid or foul beast they encounter. At least one chapterhouse for one of the several knightly orders of Marathia can be found in any of the major cities.


Nerakia
Capitol: Tronpauk
Government: Clan based feudal monarchy.
Ruler: High King Larzak Coalhammer I
Description: Nerakia is the underground kingdom of the grey-dwarves, located deep under the Doranak Mountains (and thus not marked on any regular map). Until recently, very little was known of this secretive and xenophobic society, but a few years ago the spies of Prince Thescit, a Lironan oligarch, managed to infiltrate one of their smaller cities using magical disguises. Those that managed to return alive to the surface after months underground told stories of the harsh conditions in their cramped cities, the wicked overlords abusing their power over those weaker than themselves (indeed, Nerakians believe that one possesses only what he can protect by force or cunning, including power) and the strange crystals mined endlessly by these grey-skinned cousins to the regular dwarves (none of them could find out what the crystals were being used for - even the miners seemed not to know). A few grey-dwarves have found their way to the surface, but most unfamiliar with dwarven history mistake them for odd specimens of the standard dwarf race.


Rhajarka
Capitol: Sapurmaut
Government: Feudal.
Ruler: Rhaji Padhoor XIII.
Description: Rhajarka is a very old kingdom, founded by a tribe of humans initially untouched by the elves as the tribes to the north were. The Rhajarkans never worshipped the Old Gods, and as a result, have somewhat different world-views than the northerners. They adhere to a rigid caste system, forming a pyramid with the king (or, the rhaji) at the top and slaves at the bottom, and castes of farmers, craftsmen, soldiers, merchants, priests and nobles in between. City streets as well as the most important roads are patrolled by knights in chain mail over coloured silk, who are a part of the king’s elite order.


Saldea
Capitol: Tarádrisz
Government: Feudal Monarchy
Ruler: King István IX
Description: Saldea is one of the oldest kingdoms of man, around 1700 years old, and as such, has a rich history. It’s inhabitants are said to be descended from tribes of horse-nomads, who settled on the high plains of the west. When the emperors of Toris sought to conquer the lands, Saldea put up a hard fight, thanks to the border-fortresses King Szertan IV ordered built. Yet, in doing so, Szertan lost much of his power within the kingdom, for he was forced to acknowledge the wizard-families who constructed the fortresses with their magicks as noble houses, and lords of the fortresses. Perhaps due to the internal struggle between the king and these new noble houses, Saldea eventually fell, and Szertan IV was executed. Eighty-eight years after the conquest, there was a carefully planned rebellion in Tarádrisz. Simultaneously, allied dwarven troops marched into the northern provinces, and eleven years later, all of Saldea is free. The wizard-families placed a token king on the throne, content to be the real power behind the throne. Today, Saldea is famed for it’s wizards, who claim to be the best in the world, but Tarádrisz is known for it’s Royal War Academy as well, who trains some of the finest blademasters in the lands.


The Seaborn
Capitol: None
Government: Tribal
Ruler: None
Description: The Seaborn are the last survivors of a nation who once lived on a large island west of Saldea, where there are now but mountain peaks sticking up from the deeps. Their goddess, Tersha, sunk their ancient kingdom Tesh-Kaljame over a thousand years ago, as punishment for their arrogance. Today, the Seaborn are Tersha’s most devout worshippers, many families even refuse to step on dry land, and most avoid it except to do trade or gather wood for building or repairing boats. Their isolation has lead to different traditions than the landfolk, most notably their preference for tattooing much of the skin.


The Sinti
Capitol: None
Government: Tribal
Ruler: None
The Sinti are, for lack of a better word, a 'nation' of semi-nomadic half-elves who travel in caravans all over the lands around the Golden Sea, particularly Saldea, Terenoc and Toris. They are merry folk, many are entertainers of some sort, but do not underestimate them – it is considered to cause severe bad luck to cross a Sinti, and their curses are feared. Where they come from, no-one seems to be sure of. If asked, most Sinti will simply shrug and smile, or ignore the question. It is however clear that some of their customs and traditions seem partly similar to Saldean ones, so some have speculated whether they might be descended from a race of elves who may once have lived in Saldea, but whose blood has been mixed with human blood for millenia.


Terenoc
Capitol: Tarabon
Government: Feudal Monarchy
Ruler: King ???
Description: Terenoc is among the oldest of the human kingdoms, having been founded around the same time as Toris and Saldea. It is also the largest of the human kingdoms, though only slightly larger than The Lironan Principalities. The folk who live in Terenoc are impossible to describe in a few sentances, for they are as varied as the land is vast. Most of them would even hesitate if asked whether they are Terenocan, choosing to identify themselves by their town or province instead.


Toris
Capitol: Theriopolis
Government: Imperial
Ruler: Emperor Mydianos II
Description: The empire of Toris spanned most of the lands to the west and the north of the Golden Sea around 1400 years ago. However, the lands they controlled eventually rebelled one by one and their occupation forces were driven back. Today, individual Torisians might be proud of their glorious past, or slightly bitter over losing so much, or both at once. Whatever they might feel, Toris has a long military tradition and has produced some of the finest generals and soldiers through the years. Of particular note is the Diderian forest in the easternmost provinces, where a small nation of wood elves live with little care for the rest of the world. In ages past, however, these elves took a more active role in the empire, acting as scouts, spies and even archers in the Imperial Legions.


Velkaria
Capitol:
Government: Tribal
Ruler: High-chieftain ???
Description: The Velkieth, barbaric human tribes united behind a prophet, broke their way through the Doranak Mountains from the northern regions around three hundred years ago. They came to highlands previously uninhabited by humans, and settled there, for prey was bountyful and there weren’t as many goblinoids and giants to compete with for territory as there had been in their old home.
The Velkieth worship dragons, and have for time immemmorial. Those who can claim ancestry among dragons hold a special place in Velkarr society, and frequently become leaders among their people if the connection is strong enough (such as in the case of half-dragons and powerful sorcerers). Indeed, the newly chosen high-chieftain of Velkaria is both a half-dragon and a sorcerer.


Races
Dromites
Dromites live nearly exclusively on the (Peninsula on Sharrad, west of Akhdor). They have many natural enemies, the most dangerous of whom are the thri-kreen who live in the northern desert. Because of this, dromite communities are kept underground as a defensive measure. Few dromites leave their hive-cities, although once in a while, a handful of them show up in one of the port cities of Akhdor.
Racial Abilities: As shown in XPH.


Dwarves
The vast majority of dwarves live in the Doranak Mountains. However, small communities of them may be found around most of the lands surrounding the Golden Sea, working as craftsmen, merchants, mercenaries or offering specialty service of some sort. There is another race of dwarves however, the Grey-Dwarves. Grey-Dwarves are descended from the Nerak clan, which disappeared underground thousands of years ago, only to reappear centuries later when they attacked several dwarven cities. They are thought to have been among the first to discover psionics, which may be the reason most dwarves dislike psykers.
Racial abilities:
Dwarves: As shown in PHB, but choose -2 Dex or -2 Cha.
Grey-Dwarves: As Duergar in XPH.


Elves
The elves of today are divided into three ethnic groups. The first, largest and most original one lives in the High Forest, by the Starmirror Lake is called High Elves. They avarage slightly taller than most humans, with the males taller and heavier. They have fair skin and hair colours ranging from coppery browns through blond and into silvery white. The second group is called Diderian Forest Elves, and live in the forest with the same name in Toris. The males avarage around 170 centimeters, and the females around 160 centimeters. Their skin is darker than that of high elves, and so is their hair – most of them have dark brown or black hair. They prefer light clothing in colours that match the trees and the earth, the better they may hide in the forest. The third group is called the Shadow Elves, for the shadows are their preferred domain, being nocturnal. They are thought to live mostly in the Dimwoods and in caves in the the (??) Mountains. They are pale-skinned, but have dark hair and eyes, and avarage around the same height as humans.
Racial abilities:
High Elves: As shown in PHB.
Diderian Forest Elves: As shown in PHB with the following adjustments:

+2 Str, -2 Int in addition to normal elven racial adjustments.
Lose proficiency with swords, gain +2 racial bonus to Survival checks.
Shadow Elves: As shown in PHB with the following adjustments:
Gain Darkvision 60’ on top of Low-Light Vision. Also gain Light Sensitivity.
+1 to attack- and damage rolls against Humans.


Giantkin
(Description pending)

Gnomes
(Description pending)

Goliaths
Goliaths have only recently migrated away from the (??) Mountains, where they have lived in peace for millenia. Many of their tribes have moved to the Doranak Mountains, much to the bewilderment of the dwarves.
Racial abilities: As shown in Races of Stone.

Goblins
Goblins are common all over the (Northern Continent), from the cold lands north of the Doranak Mountains to the steaming jungles of the south, from the Western Reaches by the Sea of Storms to the outskirts of elven territory within the High Forest in the east. Most of them eke out their miserable lives by hunting and trapping, as well as the occasional raid on human villages. As recently as two years ago, however, a nation of goblins was founded in the Ironshield Mountains in Terenoc – Glartzik. Goblins all over Terenoc moved into the mountains when they heard these news, eager to live on their own without humans hunting them.
Racial abilities: As shown in the Monster Manual.

Half-elves
See: The Sinti (under Nations).

Halflings
Halflings have never had a land of their own. Instead, they prefer to live among other races (mostly humans for obvious reasons), sometimes in their own ghetto-like communities in human cities (this is common mainly in Saldea), but usually just mingling in wherever they fit.
The halflings of Tilaria are much more like Tolkien's hobbits than PHB halflings - hairy feet, a belly, tobacco and a carefree attitude.

Hobgoblins
Hobgoblins are the only goblinoids who are accepted into human society. They are more civilicised than their goblin- and bugbear cousins, despite not having a nation of their own. Some hobgoblins live among humans (particularly in Terenoc and Lirona), indeed, such is the case with most young hobgoblins and parents with young. However, the majority of adult hobgoblins (male and female) travel around in warbands, selling their services as mercenaries. They are considered honourable, but have a reputation of brutality.
Racial abilities:

+2 Constitution and Dexterity, -2 Charisma. Hobgoblins are fast and tough, but their reputation as brutal mercenaries makes their dealings with other races somewhat difficult.
Medium: As Medium creatures, hobgoblins have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Hobgoblin base land speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision (Ex): Hobgoblins can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and hobgoblins can function just fine with no light at all.
+2 racial bonus on Move Silently checks.
LA +0.


Kobolds
(Description pending)

Orcs
Orcs are rather rare in both Tilaria and Sharrad, existing mostly in the frozen tundra north of the Doranak Mountains, kept at bay by the dwarves. Half-orcs are even rarer, but there are a few of them in Terenoc, possibly descendants of orcish tribes that lived there once but have long ago vanished.


There's yet some blanks in there, and several important nations missing (most notably The Lironan Principalities, but also the Sinti, the Seaborn, the Halflings and the Hobgoblins), and I'll continue to update this when I have more bits ready.

Edit: Added The Seaborn.
Edit2: Added The Lironan Principalities.
Edit3: Added Races part, with descriptions of Dromites, Elves and Hobgoblins.
Edit4: Added Sinti, Dwarves, Goliaths and Goblins, and adjusted Istaria slightly.
Edit5: Added halflings and orcs.

[Swooper]

Religion

The Old Gods
The Old Gods were discovered by the elves, or so they claim themselves. There are four of them, each tasked with guarding a part of the world – The heavens, the earth, the sea, and the underworld. Each of them is known by many names, among different peoples, however – the elven names are the ones most widely used, and many of these names have been forgotten by most. Whence these mysterious entities came, no-one seems to know, indeed, the question can serve to insult their priests and priestesses gravely.

Athron
Greater God (Lawful Neutral)
Athron is the god of the heavens and elemental air. He controls the winds and the weather, as well as being a sun god. Farmers pray to Athron for rain in a dry spell, and sunshine in time of floods. Those who intend on long journeys are wise to leave him a sacrifice before heading off, for he is also the protectors of travellers. His third aspect is that of the judge – those rulers who seek to be just often revere him, as do judges and magistrates in the hope that his wisdom will guide their judgement towards justice. In fact, his clerics often serve the part of a magistrate in some communities. Those clerics often try to read his will from various signs in the sky, from stars, cloud shapes and rainbows (who are seen as a sign of his favour) to the movements of birds. His temples are large, open buildings of pillars accurately placed to watch the skies, and are therefore often built high up where the sky is clearly visible and unobstructed by trees or such.
Portfolio: The heavens, weather and the sun. Travellers by land. Justice.
Domains: Air, Law, Protection, Travel, Storm, Sun.


Waiten
Greater God (Chaotic Neutral)
Waiten is the guardian of the underworld and the dead, as well as that of elemental fire. He demands that the bodies of the dead are purified on a funeral pyre, otherwise their souls will never find rest in an afterlife. He is called the trickster god, and said to bring luck to those favoured by him. He is therefore sometimes worshipped by rogues, gamblers and swindlers, as well as merchants and traders who wish for good fortune in their line of work. He is also often portrayed as a keeper of secrets of all kinds, and so, those who seek to unravel those secrets are attracted to his cause – sages and wizards often revere him. His clergy is a secretive lot, and his temples are generally hidden in deep, torchlit caverns.
Portfolio: The underworld, death and the afterlife, fire. Trickery and luck, secrets.
Domains: Cavern, Death, Fire, Knowledge, Luck, Magic, Trickery.


Carandil
Greater Goddess (True Neutral)
Carandil, the earth-mother, is the goddess of elemental earth. Her domain is the natural world – the soil, the forests, the rocks and the mountains. She is the protectress of the hearth and of family, and by extension a goddess of fertility and health.Her clerics act as midwives and healers, and are also generally those who bless couples on their wedding day. Her temples are small shrines built of natural materials in natural surroundings, where hunters, trappers and farmers can leave a part of their bounty as a sign of gratitude for her generous gifts.
Portfolio: Stability, family, crafts, fertility and health. Nature.
Domains: Animal, Craft, Earth, Family, Healing, Plant.


Tersha
Greater Goddess (True Neutral)
Tersha is the goddess of the ocean, the rivers, the lakes, and of elemental water. She is said to control every beast that resides beneath the waves, from fish and crabs to much more dangerous ones. Even after the rise of the New God and the Church of Ether, most sailors and fishermen slip her an offering before heading to sea, in hope for safe return. For she is a destructive goddess – it was she who pulled the island kingdom of Tesh-Kaljame beneath the waves in a fit of rage when they failed to respect her as they should. Those who lived are now her faithful, the Seaborn. Her temples are generally damp seaside shrines, tended by a clergy whose interest lie not with drylanders.
Portfolio: The ocean, as well as rivers and lakes. All travellers by boat, as well as fishermen. Destruction and the power of the sea and it’s creatures.
Domains: Destruction, Ocean, Strength, Travel, Water.



The New Gods
After the prophet St. Aedan was visited by Ether in his visions, it soon became known to those who would listen that there was a fifth god. Most found his teachings disturbing at first, and unbelievable. But he gained followers faster than anyone would have thought possible, and soon a war broke out between the factions all over the lands to the west and north of the Golden Sea. At the end of the war, the Church of Ether had been founded, although the prophet Aedan died a martyr’s death near the end of the war. He was given a special place in the religion after his death, for no-one had heard Ether’s voice as clearly as Aedan had, and many found it easier to pray to him than to Ether directly. Over the centuries since, select extremely pious individuals were elevated to a similar status for miscallaneous reasons – many for performing miracles.

St. Aedan the Wise
Greater God (Neutral Good)
Saint Aedan was the prophet whom Ether chose to reveal himself to, and as he gathered followers he became a great leader. After his death, his followers started praying to him instead of Ether. Many found that he provided inspiration in times of need, and so, the Church of Ether declared Aedan the first Saint.
Portfolio: Leadership, wisdom, martyrdom.
Domains: Community, Good, Knowledge, Nobility, Protection.


St. Heylan the Holy
Greater God (Lawful Good)
Saint Heylan was one of Aedan’s most devout followers and closest friends. He is said to have been the greatest healer to walk the earth, he could cure the most serious of diseases with but a glance and raise mortally wounded warriors from their deathbeds with but a single touch. He became the high priest of the Ether after Aedan’s death, and lived to become over a hundred years old. He was made the second Saint soon after he passed away.
Portfolio:
Domains: Glory, Good, Healing, Law, Purification, Retribution.


St. Daarel the Destroyer
Intermediate God (Chaotic Neutral)
Saint Daarel was a great hobgoblin warrior who in his brief time in the mortal world single-handedly slew some of the most horrible monsters of his age – including at least four dragons, a kraken, a twelve-headed hydra and an entire army of giants. He is also said to have sunk a whole fleet of giantkin pirates with nothing but his trusty hippogriff mount, Terrorbeak, his greatsword and a barrel of Saldean brandy. He disappeared mysteriously before the age of thirty, likely in the lair of some great beast – at least, his body was never found. Which of the tales told of his deeds are true is hard to say, but thousands of people were immensely thankful for them. Other warriors soon started praying to Daarel for guidance in tough fights, but it wasn’t until about 150 years after his presumed death that he was made a Saint.
Portfolio: Warriors, War and slaying of monsters.
Domains: Chaos, Competition, Courage, War.


St. Ildred the Just
Intermediate God (Lawful Neutral)
St. Ildred was a magistrate in the city of Tarabon centuries ago. He was thought wise beyond others, and made just and fair judgements, and easily settled many disputes others had found impossible to solve – in ways that made both sides content. For these reasons, and for the fact that he was always extremely pious, his judgements were thought to be divinely inspired, and he was made a saint by the Church of Ether after he passed away at the age of eighty-four.
Portfolio: Law, order and justice.
Domains: Inquisition, Justice, Law.


St. Emily of the Weirding
Intermediate Goddess (True Neutral)
Description pending.
Portfolio: Magic, wizards and arcane spellcasting in general.
Domains: Fate, Illusion, Magic, Mysticism, Spell.


St. Morden the Pale
Greater God (Lawful Neutral)
Description pending.
Portfolio: Death and undeath.
Domains: Death, Deathbound, Law, Undeath.
In what is referred to today by the Church as the War of the Heretic, St. Morden was the captain of the guard in the city of Velitia. He was known to be a pious man, and when all seemed lost and King Rovan's armies were moving in to end the siege, Captain Morden ordered his men to pray as one. As history knows, their prayers were answered when the corpses littering the battlefield rose and fought the attackers. The invasion force broke and fled from this terrible threat and Morden was hailed as a miracle-worker and hero.
Morden lived to become a very old (some say unnaturally old), thin and pale man, earning him his title. He was made a saint nearly immediately after his passing, and quickly became a very influential and powerful among the Church of Ether. By his decree, soldiers serve Istaria even after death - to be raised to fight again is considered a great honour among the faithful. However, while animating the body is an honoured tradition, to prolong one's life through undeath - to keep the soul still attached to an undead body - as vampires, liches and other undead do, is considered an abomination to St. Morden's will. Such creatures are hunted mercilessly by The White Order, St. Morden's elite knights, who also serve to keep Istaria's mindless undead legions in check.


St. Getria the Green(?)
Lesser God (Neutral Good)
Description pending.
Portfolio: Agriculture, farmers, craftsmen, forests, nature.
Domains: Animal, Craft, Plant, Travel.




Other Gods
Tass
Greater God (Lawful Evil)
Tass is the vulture-headed god (some say daemon) worhipped by the giantkin. He is a cruel god, demanding bloody sacrifice rituals to satisfy his eternal thirst, and encouraging his worshippers to abuse those below themselves and enslave nonbelievers. He teaches the giantkin to be tough, for one needs to be tough to survive the hazards of the burning sands. His temples are huge, dark, extravagant buildings with large, golden statues of his avatar spreading it’s wings at the center, tended to by a cowled, bloodthirsty priesthood.
Portfolio: The desert and it’s creatures (particularly vultures), giantkin, the sun, tyranny, slavery.
Domains: Animal, Death, Evil, Fire, Law, Tyranny.

Tarash-Pruthnet-Kaam, The Three-fold Goddess
Greater Goddess (True-Neutral)
The Three-fold Goddess is the deity worshipped above all others in the isolated yet populous kingdom Rhajarka. Tarash is the creator, the mother of all life. Pruthnet is the preserver and protector of the world and Kaam is the one who will, the Rhajarkans say, will eventually destroy existance. Then, Tarash will create it anew and the cycle repeats itself, over and over for all eternity. This has also happened an infinite number of times in the past. A similar cycle applies to the souls of the faithful, for they believe that every soul has lived before and will be reborn after death. This unusual world-view will often serve to confuse those unfamiliar with it, such as northerners and the giantkin.
The Three-fold Goddess is worshipped in highly decorated temples of white marble, where the monks and the priesthood accept sacrifices (food or other valuables, never bloodletting) and conduct the masses in prayer. Though one aspect of the goddess cannot be without the others, individual worshippers often focus their belief on one of them.
Portfolio: Creator / Preserver / Destroyer.
Domains: Creation, Craft, Renewal / Community, Healing, Protection / Death, Destruction, War.

Ancestor Worship
Demi-God to Lesser God (alignment varies)
Dwarves had their own type of religion long before they even settled in the Doranak Mountains. Instead of the gods of the elves and the saints of the humans, dwarves worship their ancestors. Every dwarf clan has at least a small shrine dedicated to the spirits of the clan's honoured dead, who according to dwarven belief became one with the mountains and the rock upon death.
Portfolio: The dwarven race and it's ideals, the earth, mountains, rock, wealth, mining, communism and so forth - depending on the clan.
Domains: Any, as deemed appropriate by the DM.

There. As you can see, the Old Religion is quite ready, but the new one needs work. There should be more saints, I've got 7 now and would like to have about a dozen or so. I'm just not sure saints of what exactly five more could be. All help in this area welcomed.
I need some more for my 'other gods' bit, too. I'm thinking the dwarves should worship their ancestors, although I'm not sure how I'd pull off ancestral clerics. I've also wondering what to do with all the numerous humanoid races, the easy solution there would be to keep Gruumsh, Maglubiyet, Kurtulmak etc., and I certainly don't need new gods for them at the start of the game so that bit is kind of low on the priority list. I would however like to do some kind of mock-Hindu type of religion, perhaps with a single multi-aspected god-spirit-thing for a specific nation I have (more on those later).

Edit: Added descriptions for St.'s Aedan, Heylan and Daarel.
Edit 2: Added Tarash-Pruthnet-Kaam.
Edit 3: Added Ancestor Worship.

[Swooper]

Other noteworthy features

Dragonstones
No-one knows the true purpose of these runed obelisks dotting the landscape. All that is known is that they were most likely placed there by dragons before the elves' rise to power, and that powerful arcanists feel the power they emanate, and the ley-lines between them. Once in a while, a mortal wizard or sorcerer tries to research the stones, but none has been successful yet.

Cosmology
Dragonstones uses mostly the 4E type of cosmology. For those unfamiliar with it, it's something like this:

Two planes overlap the Material Plane: The Feywild and the Shadowfell.
The Shadowfell is basically the Plane of Shadow, the Negative Energy Plane and the Ethereal Plane packed into one - a dark reflection of the material plane, where buildings seem to fall into ruin much faster, where trees seem dark and twisted and colours fade. Undead have a strong link to it.
The Feywild goes in the other direction, mostly being covered in a lush, virgin forest full of wonder, everything seems brighter and more beautiful there. It represents the untamed and wild forces of nature, both good and ill. It is the home of all kinds of fey, magical beasts and some elven communities even.

"Below" the three inner planes is the Elemental Chaos. It is a swirling turmoil of raw elements and clashes between them, home to all kinds of elemental creatures. In the centre of the plane is the dark, deep pit that is the Abyss, home and origin of all daemons.

"Above" it all is the Astral Sea - an infinite plane of silvery night, lit by a billion stars. In it float the Outer Planes as islands in a stellar sea, home to all outsiders not native to other planes (mostly the same as the Great Wheel outer planes, except the Abyss). No creatures are native the Astral Sea itself, but nevertheless some make their home there, including the githyanki who sail endlessly in their astral ships, looking for prey.

[Swooper]

Wow, no replies yet? :smalleek: I was sort of hoping for some feedback. Is the huge wall of text a deterrent? Or am I just being impatient?:smallconfused:

[Mewtarthio]

It's perfectly normal to come to a topic after a few hours and find no replies. Now, if it's dropping to the bottom of the page, you might be worried...

I think you should go into more detail about how the Golden Age of the Elves ended. The Golden Age ends at -3000, but nothing particularly important happens around then: They meet the dwarves at -2500, but the civilizations appear mostly separate, with the first major blow to the elves occuring at -900 (the Shadow Elves). I know you probably mean that the empire just becomes decadent on its own (as empires inevitably do), but if you're looking to expand the history, the key differences between the Golden Age and the Not-So-Golden Age could use some fleshing out.

[Swooper]

Hmm, valid point, although it happened so long ago it's hardly very consequential. Thanks for pointing that out. I'll have to sleep on it.

[Volug]

I'm quite interested in this... *reads a bit more*

it seems to me there is apparently lots of war. (they are fun i got to admit)
and religeon plays quite a big impact on it as well (from my point-of-view)

I've played a similar campain to this (with not as much history though, good job on the history part too! even though i was a wee-bit confused.)
and i loved it. The DM was really good at handling wars and such.

very good job on making the Gods, they are interesting as well.Tass is very interesting:smallbiggrin: .

Have anything else planned that might interest me? I like reading, the more, the better.
I'm doing a campain backgroud myself too:smallbiggrin: . Check it out if you have time, yes?

good job and good luck on the rest! i like how it is so far!

Rating
9.1/10

[Swooper]

Thanks for the complements, MasatoHyuga. I am working on a bit about Regions and Nations... I might as well put in the ones that are ready. Yeah, I'll go do that.

Edit: There, the nations I have ready have been added.

[Swooper]

There, updated the Timeline with an explanation for the start of the elves' decline. I know it's a bit cliché, but it works. It also explains why the dwarves would move south - the north was swarming with orcs...

Also changed the dates, negative years don't make all that much sense, it was originally just a placeholder 'till I had something to put at Year Zero (the founding of the Church of Ether, hence Before- and After Church), and I forgot to change it before I put it in here. Fixed now.

Also: Shameless bump. :smallbiggrin:

C'mon guys, some more feedback would be nice :smalltongue:

[Swooper]

Is no-one else even remotely interested in this? How come? Ought I have presented it somehow differently? Should I have posted it on another forum? I put it here to get some ideas thrown at me, pointers to what needs fixing, perhaps even suggestion for what I could call it (maybe the thread name isn't doing much to attract attention like this...) or some of the unnamed things on the map (heck, even a pointer to where I could host the map full-size would be good)... Is it too much crunch-free fluff for you guys to bother reading? :smallfrown:

[puppyavenger]

Looka good
why is there no profile for Ether in the New Gods section?

[Swooper]

Thank you.
Ether is no longer worshipped directly, his Saints are instead.

[puppyavenger]

okay but could you worship Ether, if you were say a crusdader with a superiority complex. Also what alignment is Ether.

[Swooper]

I suppose you could, although it's highly unusual, and clerics will likely dislike it. I suppose he'd be True Neutral, with no associated domains - he wouldn't grant divine magic to clerics himself, not anymore.

[puppyavenger]

And what DvR is he?

[Swooper]

No idea... I don't bother with such details, I don't even know how Divine Ranks work.

[puppyavenger]

ok how about, how powerful is he in comparison to the old gods? that is since some of the saints are o the same strata.

[Swooper]

Well, I think of him as individually more powerful than any one of the Old Gods... Are you getting at something? No offense but those questions do sound a bit... odd :smallconfused:

[puppyavenger]

no just curios and this is the first intresting thing I found.

[Mewtarthio]

I'm interested in the Seaborn. A nation of seafaring nomads that rarely sets foot on land is intriguing. What, exactly, do they trade in? They'd have to have something pretty valuable to get the landlubbers to keep repairing their ships and constructing new ones (unless they have access to some sort of mystic ritual that repairs boats). Transportation and deep-sea seafood seems the most obvious to me (as well as exotic goods that the nomads have acquired at foreign ports). What sort of relations do they have with everyone else? Are they given any special privilige with regards to docking at ports or mooring in harbors? How do they feel about navies constructed by terrestrial civilizations? What about relations between Seaborn; I figure that a ship would contain an entire tribe, but what about when two Seaborn ships meet each other? Lastly, how is space on a Seaborn ship? Unless they have limits on the number of children they have, space is bound to get pretty tight in there.

As a side note, have you considered using Deathless for Istaria?

[Swooper]

Ah, interesting questions, Mewtarthio.

Let's see. They trade mostly seafood and transport yes (due to over a millenium at sea, their knowledge of ship construction remains superior, and their ships are hence the fastest and most reliable in the world), as well as more exotic items unavailable to land-folk like shells, pearls and so on. They also sail between ports in different countries and even the different continents, trading goods between several nations. In return, they buy the things that can only be aquired on land - wood, for instance, which is quite essential to repair ships and build new ones, as well as various metal objects, ropes, cloth and so on.

Their relations with the land-folk are generally peaceful, the Seaborn do not seek war with anyone. Their war is with nature, for surviving at sea year-round your whole life is a struggle in itself. They are not given special priviliges per se, but they are usually welcomed in every port because of the goods they bring. Usually they would simply ignore the ships of the land-folk and avoid them (which they easily can, with their fastest ships around), unless circumstances called for something else. A Seaborn ship could contain anywhere from a whole tribe down to a single family. Generally, the smaller boats can't get too far from coastlines while the bigger ships sail the Sea of Daggers between the two (still unnamed, damnit) continents. Relations within a tribe are usually good, with a bit more variation between tribes. Open hostility is rare, however. Space on their ships is limited, of course, but the Seaborn population tends to remain rather steady, so as many die as are born on avarage. This might of course mean that some times cargo space must be sacrificed temporarily untill a new ship can be constructed to split a tribe.

Right, hope I answered everything there. I *did* consider using Deathless, yes, although I don't have the Eberron books. I'm not sure exactly how they differ from regular undead... can you enlighten me? The current plan is to eventually design a Prestige Class for paladins- or clerics of St. Morden whose abilities would focus around controlling large amounts of undead, but perhaps using deathless would remove the need for that.

[Swooper]

There, added more stuff to the 'Nations and Races' post. Will try to add more races soon. Feedback/ideas appreciated, as always.

[puppyavenger]

Deathless are undead powered by positive energy, they're from the BOED.

[Swooper]

Ah. Hmm, well, I guess they fit, sort of, although I was meaning to make the Istarian undead army a sort of a 'grey zone'. I think I'll go edit the stuff above to change undead to deathless.

[Swooper]

There - three more race descriptions up, as well as the Sinti. Enjoy, criticise, complement, ask etc.

[Swooper]

...Right, no feedback on those. And there I was thinking half-elf gypsies was a fresh and interesting idea. Oh well. There, put some stuff about three of the Saints up. I plan on writing more tonight, hopefully, but now I'm going to go fry some bacon for dinner.

As usually, feedback, questions, criticisms and ideas welcomed.

[Swooper]

Added some more info in the previously empty section, and changed the name of the thread. Let's see if it attracts some more interest with the new name :smallbiggrin:

[Holocron Coder]

I found this interesting :) Lots of detail in comparison to other compaigns I see. Many cliché, but still original, ideas. I mean, how often do you see an undead race being a GOOD thing?

I may have suggestions later, but don't have any at the moment. Class is distracting me :smallwink:

[Swooper]

Thank you. I meant to have it a bit generic, a bit cliché, to keep as much available as possible. I have made settings in the past that were quite unusual, didn't have certain PHB races (heck, the last one had only humans and some unusual ones, like githyanki, dromites, thri-kreen and a home-made race called erg). This setting is meant to let players be what they like, and yet remain interesting. Hope I'm doing a good job at that.

Do come back with whatever questions and suggestions you may have.

[Swooper]

Hmm, there's been a bit of a silence on my part 'round here for the last week or so, but now I've added Rhajarka in the Nations part, and The Three-fold Goddess in Other Gods. Please give your feedback, I had some trouble writing about Rhajarka - what more would you want to know about the country or the nation?

[Sir Woodrow]

I really like this setting! It's got a lot of flexibility for characters. I've never had a lot of luck when adding in different religions from the basic Greyhawk pantheon... but my group is sometimes a little slow on the uptake:smallbiggrin:

For additions to the Saints, maybe you could have a Saint that extols the virtues of poverty and asceticism? Seems like that would mesh well with the religious climate you've created.

Also, I like the literature references in your country names... Istaria? Saldea? Lol. And the Sea Folk analogue... very nice :D

[Swooper]

I really like this setting! It's got a lot of flexibility for characters. I've never had a lot of luck when adding in different religions from the basic Greyhawk pantheon... but my group is sometimes a little slow on the uptake:smallbiggrin:

For additions to the Saints, maybe you could have a Saint that extols the virtues of poverty and asceticism? Seems like that would mesh well with the religious climate you've created.

Also, I like the literature references in your country names... Istaria? Saldea? Lol. And the Sea Folk analogue... very nice :D

Thanks for the positive comments. I might add a saint like you suggested, the idea could work.

As for references... I have no idea where 'Istaria' is from, and I took 'Saldea' from a campaign my regular DM ran. I know now that he took it from the Wheel of Time series, but I learned that after I decided it would be the name of my semi-Hungary, and I'm not gonna change it now. :smalltongue: Also, I don't know what you mean by the 'Sea Folk analogue', unless you mean Laura Resnick's books (In Legend Born & In Fire Forged I & II)...

My policy of campaign building, by the way, includes the fact that I shamelessly yoink stuff and names that I think are cool from other places, but I try to take only a little bit from each place so that no-one but me will recognise everything, and I try to use sources I know my players aren't familiar with. :smallwink:

[RocketMan]

Whoops. Posted in the wrong thread.

[Vas Drel]

hey, would this world support templates such as the lich or half-golem?

[Swooper]

I... can't see why not. I believe the section on St. Morden specifically mentions liches as being a kind of undead not appreciated by him or his knightly order. Half-golems are a weird idea imo, but I can't see why they wouldn't work here.

Also, this probably counts as necroposting.

[Harperfan7]

I take it you don't care for Chaotic Good too much?

Not a single CG deity.

(Unless in your world elves take the CG cake, in that case nevermind)