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black dragoon
2008-04-24, 12:47 PM
Hey guys! New to the site but I kinda was wondering if there's anyone out there looking for to help me with some worldbuilding. Any way here's the base premise.
With astounding advancments in the fields of alchemy, enchanment and transmutation the continent of Wiirdahl was undergoing a massive revolution in both megitech and thinking. Among the most advanced of the numerous continental nations were Hiirlan and Murlaet. Both great nations had seized ahold the reins of progress and were developing at fantastical speed.
Sadly this is not a time of peace roughly a hundred years ago, Hiirlan suddenly became bent on subjegating(sorry if misspelled) surrounding nations and gathering as much land as possible. The nation of Murlaet responded in kind and allied itself with(or forced depending upon who's asked) several smaller nations. The result has been the grand kingdom of Hiirlan and the united empires of Murlaet, Hayzark and Gargos. The Cold war of two empires had begun.
Roughly the same time this had been taking place many new discoveries about the now ruined empire of Chitin were being discovered. The Thri Krinn, the once rulers of this now defunct empire are insectoid creatures that in ages past had ruled much of Wiirdahl enslaving the mammalian races and crushing any who opposed them with gigantic entities known as the Eth. This Empire crumbled approx. two thousand years ago and since then many Kreen have forgotten the glory of their ancestors.
Amongst the discoveries made was that of a ruin since dubbed the cradle of Eth. within this structure were hundreds of strange alchemical machines the likes of which were only mentioned in obscure records from the Empire. However, not all of these machines were ruined. A single massive egg like machine was discovered by the young mage Arilanis. Upon inspection Arilanis believed the egg to hold one of the fabled giants of Eth. Following the vague legends Arilanis broke open the egg of Eth and triggered a new age...

Table of Contents:
- The continent of Wiirdahl and her nations.
- The united Empire of Murlaet
- The grand Empire of Hiirlahn
- The independent nations of Maelar and Hayzark
- The Neautral Quartet
- Major landmarks and regions
The Role of a man in a land war
- player races and their roles in the world.
- Classes and specialties(occupations)
- new feats.
-New Equipment,weapons,armor,mystral etc.
The Shadows of the Past
- The Eth and their role in the world
- Eth Varieties and equipment.
- New vehicles and V.weapons
- Monsters and new templates.
The Eth are effectivley giant living insectoid mecha that I'll eventually stat out using DP9's mech compendium. The classic PHB classes are replaced with the D20 modern classes out of personal ease of use and the fact that this is suposed to feel more modern with the exception that many of the advancment of the early twentieth century are magical instead of mundane.
Yes, the Kreen mentioned are Thri-Kreen(Krin?) by the way.
Thanks Draco Dei for the tip!

Lappy9000
2008-04-26, 12:16 AM
It doesn't seem bad at all. It's just....not a lot to go on. I know you're probably just spitballing ideas around but it's just not much for anyone else to offer advice on.

Try to get a bit more in-depth with it. Think about races: all typical fantasy races, some monstrous, or brand new home-brew races; Do they all get along? Do they follow the "typical" mould for a race? Are they unified? Do they have their own nations?

Think about the cultures of the world: What religions are there? Are there religions at all? Are there actual deities or not? Does each race conform to a certain culture, or are there many overarching and subcultures scattered throughout the race?

Think about the world itself: How many planes are there? What are they? How many continents are there? Does the world generally conform to a certain type of landscape (jungle, desert, etc.)? Are there powerful historical undercurrents (think Eberron with the Age of Demons or the Age of Giants)?

I always find that it helps me to flesh out a world when people ask me questions about it. Hope it works for you too :smallwink:

BTW, I'll help where I can, but d20 Modern ain't exactly my thing.

black dragoon
2008-04-26, 10:37 AM
Thanks, Yeah I know it was a vague outline(i wrote the thing up in about fifteen minutes) but here's a bit more the itty:
-Fantasy races do exist but at this point have lost many of their 'historic stereotypes' an orc is as likley to be a brilliant scholar as an elf is to be cruel and muderous. there are still thri-kreen but, many are now nomadic savages.
-History more importantly lost pieces of it play a large part in the way the world is going. The age of the Kreen empire was important but, in reality the kreen were just doing what an even older race had done to them. There's the fact that the eth made a sudden appearence in the lore of the kreen begging the qeustion of where and why they are here.
-Wiirdahl is the primary continent it's roughly the same size as NA but is closer to equator allowing for a warmer climate. large sections are grasslands and lush forests but there are still deserts which are the Kreen came from.
-The PHB classes exist in a manner simaler to the modern ADV. classes.
hope this helps!

Moff Chumley
2008-04-26, 12:44 PM
Whenever I'm making a campaign setting, I fill out this (http://www.sfwa.org/writing/worldbuilding1.htm). Incredibly helpful.

black dragoon
2008-04-26, 01:58 PM
Thanks. that a realy in depth quiz thing...
anyway more info! Feedback much appreciated.

- magic does not exist in the traditional sense. Instead magic is something of a resource. Disttilled from a crystalline substance and liquified or used as is magic can be used to enchant transmute or cast powerful spells.Certain living entities have 'magic' flowing through them from being exposed while in the womb. These innate magicians are called throughout wiirdahl Sorcerers. unlike their wizard kin they can use spells without using crystals. Essentially the wizards and clerics of this world need X amount of crystal to cast a spell. EX. one gram of Mystral(magic crystal)='s one spell LVL. Sorcerers however can focus the Mystral within to cast magic at the expense of using up a portion of it. The amount fo internal mystral is expressed by by their CON. mod. times three. with each spell level costing the level times two. Magic items function on a simaler system needing either a pound of mystral or gallon liquified magic for each +1 bonus. Eth also use mystral to live and fight. A day of full activity takes five pounds of mystral to function for each size category above large. Wow that sounds overly complex...moving on.

- Religion is something of a conudrum at this point.Many of the old religions have fallen out of favor due to the recent revolution in thinking and the fiding of a supposed legendary godlike weapon that in reality was mass produced and used by the Kreen as a tool. Certain races have maintaned religion as part of their culture however. The orcish god Goulak a form of creator diety whose doctrine is something of brave warrior code. The Dwarves have varied pantheon mostly revolving around the arts of metalworking and the Very ground and soils itself. The Kreen practice a form of ancestor worship in which to consume the dead is something a 'freeing' of the spirit. To leave a dead body unconsumed is one of the greatest affronts that can be done to the Kreen. The human religious mindset has steadily fallen into two camps the avid believers of recent monotheistic religion and those who have devoted their faith to progress.

- Cultures vary wildley. The two great kingdoms are very forward thinking and progressive believing that they will be able to solve the problems of the world through the continued blend of magic and science. Of course this can't be said for every member nor for the remaining Free nations of Aust ,Riindahl,kalmin and Steinheart. These four nations treat this forward march is just an excuse to feed the two empires bloodlust. The Kreen have devolved to savegry and once again roam their desert home lands as nomads. Elves have become varied in culture. old world elves or those who have come to resent the recent advancments are in a constant struggle to push for politcal power in their native land of Murlaet by shoving at the ruling progressives who hold that the only way to survive is to embrace the times and 'go with the flow'

- With the findings of Arilanis, Eth are now being used once more for war. There are dedicated frotresses to the growth and research into new varieties and applications for this lost art. Amongst these new discoveries have been flying ships propelled by wings like a great insect, replacment body parts simaler in structure to the eth's own though scaled down and the creation of powerful Magitech cannons that can be used to even destroy the eth with a single shot. Both empires have greatly studied the imformation that arilanis has let known to all willing to pay.This has made him EXTREMELY wealthy and able to start his private organization dedicated to searching out more of the 'Kreen born' Eth.
-Gunpowder does exist though not much past the basic musket and Civil War era of technology. The mystral cannons have yet to replace these simple weapons due to their diffuculty to manufacture as a standard issue. Instead GP weapons fill the role of infantry weapons while M-type weapons serve as heavy weapons or Eth killers.
- Hiirlahn has taken on a very militeristic nature in recent years and has started to turn captured prisoners into slave labor for their massive stripmines located throughout the desert wastes that lay at the southern end of the continent.


Brief historical Overview-
approx five thousand years ago- Kreen(henceforth spelled Kriin) were turned into a slave race by a ancient and unknown species. Originally the Kriin were little more than large dumb insects. This ancient race seemed to raise them sentience.
approx three thousand ya- Kriin rebel finally against ancient rulers destroying nearly all trace of their existence in the process. Kriin then move to fill power gap and assimalate the anscestors of the modern races using them as slave labor. This Empire lasts for approx. one thousand years. Eth appear
Approx two thousnad YA- The Kriin Empire falls apart at the seams as infighting and slave revolts tear the nation apart. This is also when the last recorded appearence of the Eth is known.
period known as the chaos.
Five hundred years ago- The nation Deistray is formed under the banner of Gran king Empalis. Deistray leads the continent of Wiirdahl out of the chaos by blood and steel.
Three hundred fifty YA- The grand kingdom of Deistray is destroyed in the conflict of the Grand War. Under the allied banners of Murlaet and Hiirlahn. The two kingdoms seize the the new territories opened up by the power vacuum and become the new superpowers.
one hundred YA- Cold war of the Empires begins. The half dwarf Arilanis discovers the first lost Eth of the Kriin Empire and begins reasearch into making them.
seventy five YA- First Eth fieled by Arilanis. Nowhere near the same level of power as the original but still able to dispatch the captured giant used in the exihbition.

black dragoon
2008-04-29, 12:54 PM
*cracks fingers* Alrighty mateyes I've done some more fleshing out and am currently in my vain attempts to keep this thread alive am begging for feedback!
Basics of the World of Kiirlahnis:

the world is very earthlike. Normal physics apply in standard ways save the presence of magic. The conventional fantasy races exist (elves dwarves orcs etc.) But, over the years have changed in ways simaler to how the human race has. (rcs from the north generaly are very pale when compared t orcs from prairie lands.) As stated before Magic/mystral is a natural resource that acts in certain ways like a radioactive element(harmful radiation, needs to be pulled from other elements and refined to be used for power sources on the large scale). Kiirlahnis is a near copy for earth in terms of size density etc. there is a slightly higher percentage of water though since the four major continents are smaller than our seven. It also features two moons and has tidal forces stronger due to this fact.
The non-humans and humans alike are fairly well intergrated. Years oppressed in one way or another have led to a very unified collection of races that except in a few rare circumstances gets along admiradbly. Certain specist groups do exist and are sadly tolerated particular in Murlaet a primarily Elven nation.
Wiirdahl shall serve as the start point for design. It is roughly the same size as north america 24,490,000 square Kilometers. It lies along the equator though slightly more than half sits north of it. Three smaller continents also exist though the nearest is as far away as the indian ocean and has yet to be officialy discovered.
Wiirdahl

The interior of Wiirdahl is for the most part vast grasslands and savannahs upon which the first nomadic species roamed.The coastlines vary between Densesly forested to rugged cliff faces. In the past when the palnet was more volcanic several mountain ranges formed creating the harsh deserts that would give rise to the Kriin in later ages. Ruins from the past dot the landscape. Upon the grasslands or in the harsh deserts Kriin cities lay in ruins there interors safley kept underground after centuries of dissuse. The ruins of Deistahn also still stand. The ancient capital city lies upon the jagged clifface of the Haidan Straits looking upon what was once one of the most important seaways of the empire. Wiirdahl has seasonal storms that can vary between mild inconvience to devastating as well. Most of what is considered Magical creatures are the result of normal life being exposed to M-type radiation that has over time resulted in new species.twisted by magic(no not spellwarped that's a whole different kettle of fish). Resources are abundant if you know where to look. Large deposits of metals and other minerals are found throughout especially in the foothills of the mt. ranges that border the desert.
fishing is a way of life in Hiirlahn and crop farming it's brother in murlaet. From coast to coast there is large lakes and rivers help feed the growing empires ,and if one has an eye for spotting magic there is money to be had. Sadly there are no uninvasive techniques for mining the commonly underground deposits leading to much ecological disruption where a mine has been established.
The United nations of Murlaet,Hayzark,and Gargos(historical overview as recorded by the Sage Entran of Heidarhk

the central nation of Murlaet had long existed before the coming of the Deistahn Empire and in fact dates back to the Chaos itself. It was in this ancient timeperiod that an elven warlord by the name of Asrtanis Murlae seized several large territories from his neighboring warlords and declared himself the Grand Warlord of the Niisin Plains a large stretch of central grassland near the muirae river. It was upon this river that he constructed the capital fortress of Mui. Throughout the Chaos it seems that this small warlike nation served as something of a standard in the wild and barabaric Easter lands.
By the time of the Deistahn Empire the wardom of Muir as it called itself was hoplessly behind and caught off guard by the use of early gunpowder weapons employed by the Deistahn at this time. Muir lost more than half of it's territory and was forced to move it's capital to the city of Shiihan located along the now Teriin straits. Under the guidance of Halcio Murlae the great grandson of arstanis The muir persued a form of cultural diffusion that allowed for them to quickly emulate the Deistahn but, remain at the basic levels intact. It was at this time the first colleages of magic were founded in Shiihan as well. Utilizing the long untapped wealth of the Muir nation Halcio and his predeccesors began to trade and accumalate a vast treasury that would prove invaluable in later years..
When the then sepretist nation of Hiirlahn began to wage war upon the deistahn the 'Warlord' Arstanis IV took action. Using speccialy trained raiding parties and tapping into the roots of his ancestors he struck crippling blows upon the Deistahn's major supply routes effectivley crippling the massive nation. It was at this time the nation of Muir loosed the amassed armies it had aquired from years of trade. After a series of strategic battles and the recapture of Mui the Empire lost it's footholds in the great grasslands. In it's wake it left two nations: Hayzark and Gargos. These foundling nations qiuckly sought the aid of the reborn and renamed nation of Murlaet and entered into rather binding treaty with them. Murlaet was unable to savor this victory hoever for in the Wester lands the nation of Hiirlahn had started to amass forces and prepare to assume the now vacant spot of Empire.
Brief Historical Overview of the Hiirlahn Empire as told by the Sage Meitinas of Mohre

Unlike Murlaet,Hiirlahn is a very young and violent nation. Founded during the Deistahn Empire. Originally a fiefdom located in the region surrounding the Orleis desert. The lord whose ancestors would become emperors was Justein Aronak a brave and intellegent general of the Empire. Over time the Aronaks and in turn Hiirlahn built into the Hiir mountains the city of Mohre through the aid of the local races and the use of the fiefs massive wealth. By the height of the Empire the land of Hiirlahn was known as the Star of the Southerlands.
This of course as we now know was only the beginning.
Juriano Aronak a brilliant product of the noble line became power hungry and began to incite riots within neighboring regions all the while plotting with the Murlaen proto-nation to construct the most powerful wepon of the age. As civil war broke out across the Empire Hiirlahn smuggled a brigade of mages to the Imperial Capital of Donein. The mages working along side their brothers of Murlaet who had constructed a gateway to the planes beyond our own. Using captured soldiers they committed a blood sacrifice and sundered open a gateway within the center of the sleeping capital. From the cliff face across the straits they watched as their projected doorway swallowed the city in pure and terrible darkness. This day became known simply as the night of shadows. In the horrific aftermath the ruins of the city left a stark impression upon the Hiiran mindset. Juriano now near death imposed the strictures of the Magi. These laws would greatly limit the powers of the mages of Hiirlahn but opened the avenues of steam and metal that would speed the new empire to power.
Over the next generations Hiirlahn anexed neighboring territories slowly that was until the current elected emperor Martinias Adahm assumed the throne. Marstinias quickly began an aggressive campaign and took much of remaining free nations into Hiirlahn setting the paranoid Murlaet Empire on it's edge.We are now locked into stalemate both sides fearing another night of shadows. but, there is hope. The half dwarf Arilanis has discovered the ancient weapons of the Kriin Empire and may have circumvented such options...

The Seceeded Nation of Maelar

The 'sepretist' nation of maelar once a colony of Hiirlahn has according to recent news broken off of the empire under the guidance of several millitary leaders. In reality this is Hiirlahn's proxy nation that it shall use to wage war upon the muir empire. Marlae is in fact still supplied by Hiirlahn in all aspects. Eth,mystrahl weapons,skyships,food all come from Hiirlahn by means of several
merchant caravans. Even the people first and foremost belive themselves to be Hiirahn before Marlaetian.
The allied Nation of Hayzark

Though technically part of the Murlaet United Empire Hayzark has always considered them little more than very close trading parteners. The news of the nearby nation of Marlae breaking away from Hiirlahn was regarded as a waring sign and already Hayzark is preparing for an all out that may all to likely follow the current border conflicts
The neutral Quartet
Aust

Located in the regions of the now extinct Deistahn Empire. Aust was first started by the refugees of this fallen kingdom. Aust is comprised primarily composed of orks,gobs,hobs,and humans. These peoples still speak the old Deistahnii language and use their currency. Austers as their called are typically hardended to the world since the Night of Shadows and view the upstart Hiir and Muir empires as overzealous and brash.

Lappy9000
2008-05-02, 12:14 PM
- magic does not exist in the traditional sense. Instead magic is something of a resource. Disttilled from a crystalline substance and liquified or used as is magic can be used to enchant transmute or cast powerful spells.Certain living entities have 'magic' flowing through them from being exposed while in the womb. These innate magicians are called throughout wiirdahl Sorcerers. unlike their wizard kin they can use spells without using crystals. Essentially the wizards and clerics of this world need X amount of crystal to cast a spell. EX. one gram of Mystral(magic crystal)='s one spell LVL. Sorcerers however can focus the Mystral within to cast magic at the expense of using up a portion of it. The amount fo internal mystral is expressed by by their CON. mod. times three. with each spell level costing the level times two. Magic items function on a simaler system needing either a pound of mystral or gallon liquified magic for each +1 bonus. Eth also use mystral to live and fight. A day of full activity takes five pounds of mystral to function for each size category above large. Wow that sounds overly complex...moving on.

...so all magic requires a material component in the form of these crystals, correct? I won't be able to help you much on the mechanics, but you did just give me a really cool way to cheat around it and still stay true to the original idea: If you don't want to make a whole new set of mechanics for this, you could just replace the wizard's spellbook with a crystal.

It's just a cosmetic change, but it gives the sense that a wizard gets much of his power from the crystal. A wizard could "record" spells into his crystal just like a spellbook. Besides, a crystal looks a heck of a lot cooler than a spellbook (it could even change colours depending on the spell cast).

This also may work really well with a psion's psicrystal if you're gonna use psionics.

On an unrelated note:

Magical creatures are the result of normal life being exposed to M-type radiation that has over time resulted in new species

Does this function in for abberations too? Or are aberrations simply mutated or twisted by some power or person?

That's all I got at the moment.

black dragoon
2008-05-02, 12:36 PM
Yeah I looked back at the crystal idea and am thinking of chaging it to the spellbook concept.(mostly because that looks way cooler) :smallbiggrin:
Yeah abberations are ...different some are the result magical rad. but others havea way older and more artificial origon.*cough*mindflayers*cough* The Thri-kriin are one of these artificials as well.

Nerd-o-rama
2008-05-04, 10:31 AM
Just letting you know I received your PM about this, and I'll help you out once I've had time to parse the walls of text in those spoilers. One thing I can suggest is using a little formatting to help your presentation; obviously this is just brainstorming right now, but making your work easy to read is important when looking for others' help with it.

black dragoon
2008-05-07, 12:34 PM
Alright The real work is starting once more! I've drawn up a rough table of contents and am hastily trying to figure out how to use autorealm properly. For those of you I have contacted please post any comments and concerns and at least confirm I have'nt gone totally nuts here.:smallbiggrin:

Lappy9000
2008-05-07, 01:18 PM
Oh, you've totally gone nuts. Hi-five!

I'm only a few steps ahead of you in terms of brewing a campaign; it probably won't be posted here, though, 'cause it's in a really nice format that looks great on paper but not so good outside of Microsoft Word.

Have you checked out the AutoRealm tutorials and their forum? Both are extremely helpful.

Aleron
2008-05-07, 07:25 PM
I think the crystal for a spellbook is a great idea, fits flavor good. My Mageborn and Mageblind races were origonally an almost symbotic set of sub races. The Mageborn, which would have been named different, would have been able to cast both types of spells, but would have required you to have a Mageblind around as they were the ones that actually had the ability channel the worlds magic, but not the ability to shape it. The Mageborn could syphon the magic from the 'Blinds and shape it, but were incapable of touching the worlds magic unless without this assistance. I abondoned this early simply because it forces a level of co-operation that a lot of group may not have.

I'm also curious as to what your planning on doing with the races since you said they're not going to fulfill their traditional roles. Are they getting adjusted ability scores and features or just "fluffing" them to be different?

black dragoon
2008-05-07, 09:18 PM
>.< I never thought of that! I help you guys where I can but this beast is my focus. The matter of races I'm fluffing them a little bit different from the norm. The nature of a character in Kiirlahnis has moved away from their racial background and more to where they're from and what they do. Not to mention the fact that there are going to be two more races I plan to add the first being the half-dwarf(arilanis himself was in fact a 1/2 dwarf) they'll probaley originate more out of Hiirlahn than anywhere else and also the Mahrii the leftovers of the Deistahn empire that were exposed to the Night Of Shadows causing a massive dose of M-rad and completly changing whoever survived. These guys literally are going to have mystrahl in their veins and have become something of a race of nomads acting as traders for various companies that offer up enough cass and can speak Deis(the language of the Deistahn empire). I'll continue to add as I go here's hoping our respective projects can take flight and get off the ground!:smallsmile:
P.S. does anyone have Dream pod's Nine's mecha conpendium or Mecha D20 by Guardians of Order? Cause statting out the Eth is gonna be rreal pain by myself the systems good just very labor intensive at times when you have to stat out around ten mechs and a couple vehicles:p

Aleron
2008-05-07, 09:47 PM
I help you guys where I can but this beast is my focus.
No big. I went off on a bit of a tangent :-P

black dragoon
2008-05-07, 09:50 PM
S'alright don't worry like I said I'll help where I can and like I said try to playtest even just a quick battle between you and someone else can really help on balance issues. BTW I use spellpoints for magic I hope that does'nt toss a wrench anywhere!

Aleron
2008-05-07, 09:58 PM
I've never tried the spellpoint variant, not sure if that would be any sort of a problem.

black dragoon
2008-05-07, 10:02 PM
It works a lot like Mp off of video games each spell level has a certain point value and can be increased in power by using more points. It allows for more flexibility in spellcasting and makes spellcasters more useful. It's in unearthed Arcana if you wanna look at it.

Aleron
2008-05-07, 10:06 PM
Oh, I Know what it is, I've just never used it. And I don't really know that spellcasters CAN be more usefull :-P

black dragoon
2008-05-07, 10:17 PM
Wall of blades whenever you need it. I took out a hoard of mezzoloths that way. I'm bout done for the night and I'll be posting new stuff probaley on Murlaet and Hiirlahn culture languages and money tommorow. Stupid AP tests...:smallsigh:

Aleron
2008-05-07, 10:21 PM
ROFL, night and good luck tomorrow

black dragoon
2008-05-08, 12:33 PM
Thanks. Well back to the fun work!
Races

Orcs and other goblinoids(spelled Orks from here on out)

The goblinoid races native to Wiidrdahl share a common ancestory from roughly the same time as all humanoids orginated upon the continent. Their normally heavier builds and tougher bodies were an adaptive trait developed from their home region of the Mashruk highlands at the northern regions of the continent.Over time Through adaptive radiation several varieties emerged. Chief amongst these being the Ork. A pack hunter that was nearly as adaptible as a human. Upon the Mashruk plains orks and their brethern roamed freely till the kriin stumbled upon the primitive hunter-gatherers and enslaved them as simple attackdogs and for the mere sport of hunting down a 'wild animal' After the rebellion the orks along with the other races quickly became set upon establishing themselves and preventing another such empire. In fact many believe (and rightly so) that the Deistahn aided by cerrtain orks and other goblinoids established themselves as rulers first upon the highlands then moved down upon the southern territories. It was an Ork that first developed the use of gunpowder that led to the Deistahn Empire and since then many have taken up the art of the 'gunsmith'. In most cities now Orks work diligently to develop new technology and beat out there rivals at all costs. The nomadic origons of orks and goblinoids has had it's effect as well. Many troupes of hobs and gobs(Hobgoblins and goblins) travel arcross Wiirdahl offering a variety of services and goods. In fact amny trading companies hire Hobs or gobs to move goods if they cannot find a group of mahrii that are willing
Playing an ork
If it explodes or makes a loud noise it's a good thing. You are most at ease when you're moving and doing something. Other races especially those stuck in the ground dwarves think you're a busybody or have a short attention span in reality you just like to be on the move. You hate staying in one place for to long and would rather be using your hands than sitting around waitng for things to come. Sides if there something worthwhile out there you may as well go to it and save it the walking right?

Gnomes

The gnomes of wiirdahl are close cousins to dwarves and share a recent common ancestor with them.Gnomes have long held a prohibition against offensive use of magic and believe that it and technology should be used for the betterment of all. Of course, this does'nt mean they have'nt had a hand in developing new ways to create death. The first murlaetian skyships were designed by gnomes as we're the Iron crawlers(effectivley tanks simaler to those of WWI) of the Hiir Empire. Gnomish culture has developed into a metropolitan lifetstyle. Gnome ghettos are in almost every city and due to a natural inclination for buisness many own small shops or emporiums that cater to those willing to pay. It is rumored that certain members of this race are now acting as weapons dealers under the commmand of Arilanis.
playing a Gnome
Creation is not something limited to gods. You can build whole machines that rival anything of theirs. You're people have stood the test of time and taken the many hardships they've faced in stride. And because of this you have become stronger. You can always give the day a little bit extra even if you feel ready to give in and you know waiting wherever there are gnomes you'll have a warm hearth and bed waiting for you.

Humans

The short lived humans. The weakling humans, the foolish humans. These are names the other races call them behind their backs. The resentment sparked by the Deistahn Empire still hot in their veins. Sadly, many humans fail to realize this as they have taken on a what's done is done state of mind. They have lost much in name and face andin many lands still scorned. The one place where they still hold sway Hiirlahn is viewed by the East as imperialistic and overaggresive while in the West it has been called new Deistahn or the Youngling Empire. Humans do however have a unique upperhand ther ability to adapt. where other races have become specialized humans have are able to roam as they please in any climate that presents itself. IT can also be said that they are...promiscous. Of course this could just be a rumor created by elven mothers to keep the virtue of their daughters safe but how does that account for the large number of half-breeds....
playing a human
They call you weak,they call you slow. But you what? It really does'nt matter.Because you they'll be able to keep up with you and the rest they always have been beat down and humiliated. Look at the Deistahn Empire A bunch of 'lowly' humans and they took over nearly everything. Sure the dwarves treat you pretty good and the orks are kindred spirits but you know they still insult you behind your back. They're as bad those stuck up elves and gnomes who wo'nt even give you the time of day let alone treat you as an equal.

Elves

The first elves were nomads wanderers of the great central plains. With the Kriin they quickly became warriors...Elves hold no love for those not willing to fight for something and the years of hardship they've endured since the Kriin have not helped to levy this. Quick to draw their blades upon those who pose a threat Elves also are masters at the long term. Tactics they devised against the Deistahn would take months to unfurl and normally with crippling results. The elves also embrace magic to its fullest. Many mages of elven descent have shards of Mystrahl embedded in their bodies willingly taking the illeffects for a taste of true power. It is no surprise that many Elves seek out the Kriin due to their love of magic and power. The Eth represent an untold wealth of both.
playing an Elf
Your people were raised in fire and baptised in blood. War is part of the way the world works. Sure if it can be avoided it should be but more often than nought there is no other option than breaking open some heads. So your people the mighty people have made it part of everything. You look for the fight and how to win it now. you dream of dying in the most glorious of battles ever to grace Wiirdahl. War is life, life is war is your motto. Live by it, die by it.

Dwarves

Native to the Hiir moutains dwarves have become well adjusted to life after the Deistahn. Dwarves have a love for technology and have for many hundreds of years used steam powered technology and were fascinated by the orkish gunpowder weapons. It was the dwarves that built Mohre incoporating many aspects of their architecture into it. A rivalry has grown between the dwarves and orks since their first encounter during the rise of the Deistahn. Many orks claim that the dwarves had stolen much of their knowledge of guns. The dwarves simply claim to have improved upon it.
playing a dwarf
The planet gave you life, it is your duty to keep it alive. when your people first arose from their beastial state you fled to the moutains. She protected them and gave them wealth and knowledge. The minerals that you take from her are precious treasures she let you have. The other races don't see this. The humans and elves fueled by their bloodlust rape kiirlahnis and tear at her flesh. Your people have slowly steered the Hiirahns from that and have taught them to love the planet as you do. The orcs though annoying deserve adimiration and though rivals are still equals and should be treated as such. Steam the heat and passion of the planet are the strength of your people with it you can move moutains and change the flow of rivers. Steam can be trusted unlike magic which can corrupt and consume it's wielders. Steam does'nt eat your soul at least.

Kriin

The insect rulers of times past. The Kriin have long since lost this glory and are looked upon as savage barbarians of the vast desert past the Hiir mountains.The Kriin are known for their supposed cannalbilism in reality this is a religious practice that dates back to their most ancient history. Kriin have been known to be civil and will trade for the right things(water,food,metal weapons) it is also noted that though the Eth are magical in nature the Kriin are the only naturally occuring species with psionics. Any other species that manifests morethan likely was touched by some form of Kriin alchemy to help enlighten the lesser species during their days of empire
playing a Kriin
Your people are lost. You know this but, never admit it. Once in times before the soft fleshed ones took the rich and vibrant lands from your kind. They had ruled over all they surveyed. You weilded the weapons of the gods, now you scrounge and scrape out a living. The soft-fleshed see you as a monster for the past and your worship of the ancestors. They don't understand that by consuming the dead you grant them peace and prevent the horror of necromancy and the perversion of the dead. You feel at home in the open desert away from the cities and towns. The vast expanse of nothingness soothes you and allows for introspection and communing with the ancestors. On occasion your poeple will make pilgramges to the ancient fortresses of them leaving offerings of blood and water. The other races desacrate these places now and chase you from them however. Perhaps one day they shall face a simaler disaster as the one that took away your kinds might so you wait and watch anxious to see them get what they deserve.
http://www.coveworld.net/eberron/thri-kreen.jpg
Stats coming soon!

Half-orks

The children of man and ork. The first common site of the half-ork was during the deistahn empire. At first treated as an oddity and commonly frowned upon by their human parents as time passed by the half-ork became a common sight in the highlands. Now, it is almost impossible not to find half-orks in human or orkish communities.
playing a Half-ork
Life has'nt been bad to you. You've had a loving mother and father and been raised right but. The urge has taken over. Call it wanderlust or simply curiosity but you want to see the world and what it has. Sure you gotta leave alot behind but then again who does'nt? 'sides there's plenty more out there to fill the gap anyways. So you pack up pull stakes give one last hurrah for old times sake and roll on out with the next caravan looking for adventure and ready for whatever the world's gonna throw at you.

Half-elves

Abomination,hate breed,bastard child. These are the names of the half-elf. The cold war between Muirlaet and Hiirlahn has led to a rarity of these half breeds. In this day and age they are almost unheard of and nearly always the product of rape. Love had no hand in these poor souls conception only spite. Their mindset reflects this. Many say that they are lucky to be alive. This is a sad truth as many humans and elves all to often are willing to commit infanticide upon these poor wretches.
Playing a half-Elf
Pain,suffering,misery these words are close friends. All your life you've been called monster, scum, beast all because of someone you never even met. You've been forced into the life you have chased from your home by your own parents. Many stare at your strange eyes your pointed ears they call them demonic or horrid but you've learned not to care. you roll with the punches and can seem callous or even manic to the wrong people. Who cares your alive that's better than most of your kind can say.

Halflings

The savages of the Easter lands. The halflings live along the jungle coastline of the East. They are said to not be from Wiirdahl and rather may have first come from one of the far continents. This is reinforced by the Halflings love of sailing and religion revolving around the sea and their lost homeland.
Playing a halfling
You are a child of the sea. You were raised around water and could swim before you could walk. The odd tallies from the West see you as svage and feral. In reality you just live a simpler life. The elves treat you as underlings callling servents and making you slaves as they need you.
Half-Dwarf

The product of a union of human and dwarf. The half-dwarfs are a ver recent racial group.
physical appearence: A typical Half-dwarf stands somewhere between four and half to five and half feet tall. They are of a lighter build than their dwarven parents but are still stockier and more heavy set than the normal human. Most manle half-dwarfs have a beard they proudly flaunt as a sign of their heritage. Their hair color lies within the normal human hair colors though they lean twoards darker colors. Females though of a lighter frame are still more heavily built than their human counterparts.
personality: Half-dwarfs are normally jovial and free wheeling in nature. They look forward to the future and seek the thrills they can find. MAny take the life of an explorer up and pursue treasure and lost bounties from ages past. They also at the same time tend to plan ahead of everything they do calculating cost travel time and needed supplies with meticuolous care.
Racial statistics
+2 Con.,-2 wis.
though more durable than a human they also can be very brash and eccentric when angered.
Low light vision- a half dwarf can see as normal in torchlight,moonlight etc. due to there dwarvish heritage.
Fortitude- a half dwarf recieves a +1 bonus to Fort saves vs. poisons.
Flexible Endurance- A nuber of times per day equal to half their Con. bonus rounded down a half dwarf can add twice their constitution bonus to a Fort,concentration or other Constitution based save.
favored class- Tough Hero
Favored specialty- fighter

black dragoon
2008-05-09, 12:36 PM
The Eth
Once called the weapons of the gods the Eth were used originally by the Kriin Empire to enslave the humanoids of Wiirdahl. No one actually has a concrete answer as to where these war beasts came from, many believe they were originally relics from the Dreamer Empire. The mysterious times before Humanoids were the dominant species. This of course is probaley not true due to the fact that the first recorded Eth are noted at roughly one quarter of the Kriin era.
Either way it can be assured that these strange entities have changed the way the world wages war. Eth are being fielded by both Hayzark and marlae as they wage a series of border conflicts and both empires have started large research programs into improving upon the Eth and applying the ancient alchemy involved in their creation.A prime example of this recreated alchemy has been the ability to replace lost body parts by growing new ones in specialized tanks or vats simaler in nature to those used to grow the Eth.
The Ecology of the Eth
Eth Creation
The creation of an Eth is unique process that mimics natural life. All Eth are grown in special alchemical machines known as cages. These ovoid structures appear almost to be living things as they seemingly grow from the structure they were built in. A Eth starts as a simple fleshy sphere the size of largish egg. This is called a Seed from this A mage through special training can create nearly any of the dozen or so modern eth if he has the knowledge and skills required. It takes roughly two months for an Eth to mature to full combat ability.
Varieties of Eth:
True Eth
True Eth are the eth born of the original Kriin manufactured cages. More powerful than the modern Eth they are able to fly and create a powerful blast of energy without any weapons or modifacation. The only true Eth is currently in the Hands of Arilanis due to the fact that the Eth cage that created this one seems to have ceased to function and will not produce a new one. True Eth are long limbed humanoid shaped Eth. They have four arms and are gargantuan sized.
Bind armor

These form fiitting symbiotes encompass the body of their user ampilfying there strength,speed and endurance. Bind armors move like a suit of armor worn and can equip various weapons and gear to augment there abilities. There is a drwaback however since like all Eth the Bind armor is fueled by mystrahl many of their users suffer from exposure and will suffer the various ill effects that will follow. Bind armors are the same size or one larger than the wearer.
Shell armour

The most common varieties of Eth. Shell Armours are larger than the wielder who sits within the hollow chest cavity. Within this cavity a wielder is linked to the Eth by a special organic structure that reads the wielders' thoughts. they are further attached by a chestplate like structure and bracer like ones that 'read' their internal status and reflex movements. This allows for the Eth to move with the same speed and agility as a normal creature rather than some construct.

Lappy9000
2008-05-09, 12:44 PM
Do you play Warhammer 20K perchance? Just curious :smalltongue:

Races look quite spiffy. It can probably wait for later but you should start thinking (if you haven't started already) about adding little blips along the lines of "Playing a (insert race here)"

It helps encourage role-playing and is especially helpful since you want to break away from the common fantasy stereotypes.

black dragoon
2008-05-09, 01:14 PM
I'm working around to it. No I don't play WH honestly I just like that spelling better:smallbiggrin: I'll ad them over time as I have with the races reallly I need more feedback from you guys on how consistent this is and if there is race here you want to help flesh please feel free.

Aleron
2008-05-14, 10:26 AM
The one thing I was say at the moment is work on the formatting a bit. Each race's data entry is a single "blob" paragraph, and while that's not a bad thing to have as a tool to work from, after time it becomes sort of a drawback. If you have time I'd go in and work on expanding a bit on each race. The "generic" races don't need near as much information, just say what is different about them from the PHB samples and be done with it, but the new races, Kriin, Eth, what ever new races you impliment should start being fleshed out in more detail, not to mention adding what ever crunch(stats) that you invision them having.

black dragoon
2008-05-14, 12:08 PM
Yeah I noticed that the 'blob' format is a temporary thing that'll grow and change over time like most of the entries. till then just keep watching and telling me about any probs or inconsistencies.:smallwink:

black dragoon
2008-05-15, 10:18 AM
Mystrahl Overview and applications
The mysterious source of magic mystrahl. For thousands of years it has been a source of power and might. Now with the Two Empires looming Mystrahl may very well shape the coming battles. In it's most natural state Mystrahl appears as a glowing piece of qaurtz-like rock. Normally it is found as veins running through stones and must be extracted to be used. When removed from the host stone Mystrahl can be refined into two forms the first being a single solid shard of the glowing mineral that can be used in a number of appilcations andd the second further refined form is that of glowing bluish ooze that can be used to power various machines. Mystarhl over the years has been turned to a number of uses both benign and violent. It's natural radiation can be used to heal as well as terribly deform a person and when used in the proper hands it can be used to cast magic. Strangley no one is entirley sure as to where this mineral first came from and though by many is considered a natural resource it may actually be artificial in origon.
The Truth:
Mystrahl is not a natural substance rather it a cleverly disigned method powering machines from the Lost Empire of Dreams. The Dreamers as they are called were the only innately magical entites on Kiirlahnis but even they had little natural power. As a method to bolster this power they began the development of a series of vast and complex machines deep below the surface. These machines would collect the souls of the dead distilling them and turning it steadily into Mystrahl. This process took hundreds of years to be noticble and as such the Dreamers created the abberations to steward these machines. The mindflayers who lurk in the caverns across the world are the descendent guardians of the earth whilst the Aboleths guard the seas. The Kriin the third of the abberant races born of the Dreamers served the purpose of powering the great machines and maintaining them. The ritual of eating the dead is a perversion of the consumption of the body by fire a method that expediated soul release. Wherever there are large deposits of Mystrahl there is an access point to the machines. These buried points are far deeper than the veins and can only be acessed by using the lost language of the Dreamers. This of course is knowledge that has been lost even to it's stewards who believe that the great macnines are little more than ancestral birthplaces that have been lost for millena where the Dreamers slumber waiting for something to happen or change.

black dragoon
2008-05-19, 01:01 PM
Classes

Fighter

Trained to fight in the small conflicts that are beginning to crop up more and more often. Some serve regular armies trained from youth to be a proud and agressive soldier. Others however travel between the kingdoms offering their swords to the highest bidder. These wandering swords are frowned upon and considered by many cowards as they hop from lord to lord in search of pay. Many newer members to the craft have started to use Eth based weapons and equipment including the various lower-quality shell-armors produced by various companies trying to match the skill of Arilanis.


Barbarian

Less common than during the Chaos this group still exists roaming the plains to the north leading bandits or mercenary squads on raids and jobs that require less finesse than normal. Certain barbarians especially those hired by the two Empires have become fond of using a variety of Shell-armour known as the Beserker. This heavy armour allows a barbarian to channel their rage ability into the armour and increase their fighting prowess exponaetianly.


Rouges

Infiltrators and spies that are employed by many factions of Wiirdahl rouges range the common criminal to master burglars and assasins. Most rouges do not use eth weapons or equipment primarily due to their heavy and loud nature that works against their nature. However certain rouges employed by the Empires or Arilanis use a special stealth bind-armor that is designed for easy movement and infiltrations.

Clerics

A dying breed, the clerics of wiirdahl are few and far between. Certain minor religions still persist in this day and age mostly due to the fact they survived through the relentless purges of the Deistahn Empire as it tried to ensure that nothing stood in it's way. Many regard clerics as a relic from days before order and reason. However, there is an exception to this trend. The Thri-krinn still rely heavily on their ancient ancestor worship and devotion to various vauge forces of life such as Death birth and Conflict.

Druid

Another steadily failing group, though for very different reasons. The druids of today have become vanguards across the continent committing acts of Eco-terrorism as they try desperately to stop the vicious strip mining that comes with procuring Mystrahl. Of course, they must also draw upon this force though in a much more subtle method. Druids pull upon the life-force of the world around them to create their spells Clerics and other divine casters do this as well.

black dragoon
2008-08-18, 03:26 PM
Yo plaease review! I want to here people's opinions on this and whether it should continue updating once again!

Zeta Kai
2008-08-18, 04:26 PM
Do you have or need a map?

black dragoon
2008-08-19, 03:50 PM
probaley need I've never been very good with maps...:smalleek:
Odd since I DM fairly frquently. But yeah if you want feel free. SO I get the feeling I have your support?

Lappy9000
2008-08-21, 12:10 AM
You definitely need to keep updating this. I didn't know you'd been adding new stuff, actually :smallredface:

I do like the new fluff with the Dreamers and all. So, yeah, you gotta keep this up!

black dragoon
2008-08-21, 02:30 PM
Yeah...I'm kinda a flake on updating sorry:smallfrown:
But yeah...

Zeta Kai
2008-08-21, 04:18 PM
probaley need I've never been very good with maps...:smalleek:
Odd since I DM fairly frquently. But yeah if you want feel free. SO I get the feeling I have your support?

PM me your geography, & I'll see what I can do.

black dragoon
2008-08-21, 04:22 PM
Right-O! I've updated the classes and have returned to the good ol' fashoined 3.5 core classes. which Have been Updated! W00T!!

black dragoon
2008-08-25, 12:26 PM
Zeta Kai Thank You!!
I'm gonna have to ask you to post it apprently...
CURSE YOU VISTA!!!!!!!:smallfurious:

Zeta Kai
2008-08-25, 05:28 PM
Here's the map of Wiirdahl (at 1024×512); enjoy:
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s228/zetakai/Wiirdahl.jpg

For the record, the scale in the bottom left corner is 2,000 miles wide. It's illegible at this resolution, I know.

black dragoon
2008-08-25, 05:41 PM
W00T!!!
I'm thoroughly impressed if you couldn't tell. I can fiddle with this to place landmarks correct? also what program did you use? I really would love to have something that can make maps this nice.:smallbiggrin:

Zeta Kai
2008-08-25, 05:56 PM
It's your world, my friend. You can edit the image as you see fit. Consider it a gift.

As for the program, it's Photoshop CS3, although PS7 or above would work just as well. [shameless bragging]I have a degree in Digital Media & a decade of digital art under my belt though, so I'm not sure how helpful the program alone would be.[/shameless bragging] Good luck, at any rate. My work here is done.

UP, UP, AND AWAY!

Lappy9000
2008-08-25, 06:35 PM
It's your world, my friend. You can edit the image as you see fit. Consider it a gift.

As for the program, it's Photoshop CS3, although PS7 or above would work just as well. [shameless bragging]I have a degree in Digital Media & a decade of digital art under my belt though, so I'm not sure how helpful the program alone would be.[/shameless bragging] Good luck, at any rate. My work here is done.

UP, UP, AND AWAY!

Worthy of an epic limerick;

Who is that guy? Soaring into the sky?
With no more than a sigh, he fades from the eye,
The one, the only, Zeta Kai.

black dragoon
2008-08-25, 06:41 PM
True, true. Damn This means I have to go out and find photoshop now...

Lappy9000
2008-08-25, 08:37 PM
For a less-than $700 program, I'd suggest AutoREALM (http://sourceforge.net/projects/autorealm/). It's free and has a fairly lenient learning curve.

black dragoon
2008-08-25, 08:45 PM
That's what I was thinking of doing. I've played arond with it before so yeah.

Lappy9000
2008-08-25, 08:49 PM
Oh, wait, I already suggested it :smallredface:

Not sure how much more I can contribute. Just keep going with what you've got for the moment.

Edit: And put a bigger link to your world in your signature. Be sure to post unique races and such. It helps :smallbiggrin:

black dragoon
2008-08-25, 08:52 PM
Already present It's the word Kiirlahnis.

black dragoon
2008-08-27, 06:39 PM
First of the Eth Stats! W00T!!:smallbiggrin:

Infiltrator Bind armor


Type- Bind armour
Size- medium
Hit points- 30Hp
Occupency- Pilot only
Amour Hardness- Five
Defense- 14+Dex modifier
Speed- 1.5 times normal speed
Manuever modifier- +1 to pilot checks
Strength- +5


Special Abilities- Improved Jumping(+10), Stealthed(+5 to hide and move silently)


Exotic Abilities-


Defects- Reduced Endurance( Eight Hours)


MP Cost- 86
Cost in Drace*- 14,792 gold Drace

Drace are actually not that valuable one Drace is worth about 20 regular Hiirahn 'dollars' and 16 Murlaetian 'dollars'