4e Campaign Setting, Input welcome PEACH-Cliffrunner (/WorkingTitle)

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Welcome and hello! The aim of this thread is to nail down a campaign setting for a Campaign, which will take place in a couple of weeks. This will mainly be my own work, but input and criticism is welcomed.

The basic campaign was/is and idea from Horngeek, and will be city-based. The settings one of mine though.

-this will be subject to edits. looooots of edits....

If anyone has any ideas at all, or suggestions for changes or such, please, please post .

Setting-

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Cliffrunner is set on the side of an immense cliff, a truly huge structure, taking up the entirety of its plane. Imagine the inside of a great tower, as tall as the solar system is wide across, its walls stone, of infinite thickness. This cliff is a construct of the elemental energy of earth,solidified and given material form. Where the earth of the `tower wall` meets the hollow space inside, rents and tears form, the cliff rippling with immense slowness. Standing on many of the many rough and broken ledges, you cannot even see the turn of the cliff, appearing as it does, to the naked humanoid eye as a single infinite span. The air of the cliff is full of banks of cloud and mist, the visible horizon changing day by day with the shifting of the wind and cloud. In the center of `tower` is what appears a single column, a typhoon, a hurricane of wind and cloud. High above, unbenownst to all but those who live close enough to see it, or feel the cold, that emanates in shivering waves, is a Plane of Ice, Physically coterminous with this plane, floating a mile or so above the top of the tower, held up by the hurricane pillar at its center. Far bellow is a similar Plane of water, though this physically touches the base of the tower, extending under much of the infinite plain of earth.

As a rough image- take a tube or cylinder, a rolled up piece of paper or toilet roll tube, put a circle of paper on top that just about covers it, push a skewer threw the center of the paper, and place the tube in the middle of a plate.

The light of day is given by the center pillar of elemental air- inside of it is a series of pillars of elemental energy, nested like russian dolls. in the center is pure necrotic negative energy, around which is a wrapping of positive energy, again surrounded by the air. This pillar of air is made up of many smaller pillars, alternating in flow of up and down the center of the `tower`. One pillar pulls freezing air down to the base from the Ice above, the other draws up warm moist air from the water below. The change in currant of these alternating pillars produce seasons in the tower, and as the pillar of positive energy grows brighter and dimmer, day becomes night for those on the cliff edge. At `night`, two faint glows can be seen- the first from above is an aurora effect, a shimmering nest of light- formed where souls of those who die in the tower filter through the ice to the Ethereal plain above. bellow, bright points of light create a soft shimmering whiteness- these are souls traveling down through the plain of water, compacted by the enormous pressure. On a clear night, with a good telascope, you can just about make out these effects, as on a exeedingly clear day you can see a bright line flowing down in the distance from above to bellow.

Of course, to an average humanoid, standing on an average day on one of the rents or tears, the great gashes or the varied ledges of the cliff face, all you will see is mist- bright and glowing with radiance during the day, and dark and cold at night, when the wavering blue-green above and shimmering white bellow produce an effect like pale moonlight, on a night not full of cloud and fog.

Thanks Just-Ice! I wouldn`t have noticed this till tomorrow otherwise. If ever. I will add more to this passage tomorrow on other features of the cosmology, and add some bits on elemental magic geology.

Of course, the things to remember are A) this is really frickkin big, you could have a nigh infinite number of settings with little in common and no contact on this plane alone. B)Infinitely thick earth makes up the tower, and it is longer than the solarsystem- but the gap in the middle is only perhaps a couple of times wider than the circumference of the earth. The `hollow` part of the tower is really quite thin.

More stuff that comes to mind, that I cannot remember if I mentioned above-
1- the small piece this setting takes place on is called Midgard by the CCS
2- directions are Upcliff or UP, Downcliff or DOWN, Incliff or IN, Outcliff or OUT, as well as RIGHT and LEFT. Right and left have two meanings- one, uncapatalised, the direction of your hand-right. As in, `Turn right!`. Two, Capatalised, the direction that your right hand is in when you face out from the cliff. As in, the `The Asylum? Bad Business thaat. Turn Roight when you get ou` the rift, an` you`ll be just abou` on top o` it.`. phonetically, its just pronounced louder. RIGHT and LEFT are objective. Incliff and Outcliff can be measured with a kind of vertical compass developed by the colleges, Up and Down with a barometer.

Powersources
Arcane

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Arcane power is the bending of reality to ones own wims, the control or creation of forces outside oneself- it is magic, the primal power of bending creation to ones own designs. Elementla energy suffuses the cliff, and is readily available for use by one of sufficiant mental strength. Such control is often aided by already existent elemental patterns, the formation of the patern of the spell through spell componenents, that can then be forced onto reality. All physical movements, including the phonological, have a direct effect on the elemental energies, the threads that make up the cloth of reality, and as such are often great aids in spell controll- though rearly are they neccesery.

These magical, arcane processes known as spells have been succsesfully automated in many forms, the most basic of which, the Ritual, is older than recorded history. A ritual functions by physically enscribing a spell onto the world, which can then be activiated and cast by arcane means- many rituals can cast spells impossible to cast by other means, and need much less power and controll to cast than a spell dependent on the individual. More recent developments have often been focused on Alchemy, in which arcane controll is entirly dependent on the controll of patterns of physical elements (made up as they are of Arcan energies) to create a spell from alchemical reactions- for which arcane power is often used as a catalist. Other such automated process, frequantly indipendant of individual casters, include mechanical processes - made up entirely of manipulation of elemental energies through means of phonological and physical motion- usually via clockwork and hydraulics.

Recently, many of the individual dependent methods of arcane casting have fallen out of favour with the main guilds, and some colleges, who now utalise combination `engine` technology, where a power-source, most frequantly alchemical, is formed into a `spell` via a controll system, most frequantly hydraulic, powered by a seperate or in some cases the same power source.

Divine

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Divine
Divine power is the power of souls, of spirits themselves, formed of pure energy. `Natural` Divine energy is formed from emotions, and faith- and most powerfly by hope- both positive and negative, though only incredibly strong emotions from a massivly determind individual can have any measurable physical effect- however the natural source is most often weaker for its lack of controll. Gods and some other powerful biengs can foist divine power directly onto a mortal by the means of their own immensly powerfull souls- in the forms of individual and precise set effects- however, use of these effects is limited by the souls own power. Further, some powerfull rituals can create those orderd effects directly onto a soul without intercession by a god; these can be brought about by outside intercession or by the soul itself, yhough the soul must be willing and strong. These rituals are self sustaining on the soul, growing with the souls strength- these take the form of a permenent ritual around the soul, that is part of the soul itself, changing the ssoul, both freeing and constraining it in equal measure. Some, rare few, particularly powerful souls can even force ther own freedom, setting themselves on a path that has a similar effect to a ritual. The rituals themselves are highly controlled by the church using them- it is usually te case that those who have even a bare understanding of the rituals basic workings, and the lack of neccesity for a god, can be counted on one`s own hands. To the majority the rituals involve calling upon the direct intercession of a god through prayer, the rituals true nature hidden behind the smoke and mirrors of church traditions.

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This will be eventually re ordered to make more sense.

Setting- La Giustizia, leading city in the Confederation of City States (CCS)

Location- Midgard, the name given by most of the CCS to the infinite cliff on which they live

The Confederation is ripping itself apart at the seams. With many of its favored sons and daughters now occupying, and ruling, the city of Dokkelalfar, recently defeated in the great war, much trade has been diverted to fuel the engines of the city, no longer capable of maintaining itself. The old high-born trader families chafe at the New Rich of the successful wartime officers. The great contracts put forward by the CCS to fund its army, to research and build its weapons, have been fulfilled. The people, flocking from to the cities to take advantage of the wartime work, have been made jobless, forced into slums, joined by refugees from up and down the land, displaced by war. At the rise of the highly religious Pentridge`s as Mayors of La Giustizia, many luxuries have been prohibited, and the ever present underground has exploded, mob violence now common as gangs war, and the black markets flourish.

The Great War

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The war, a spiraling conflict over a border dispute between the Dokkelalfar empire and a Borkian tribe allied to the CCS, ignited growing tensions between Dokelalfar, its neighbors (including many CCS partners or member states), and the CCS itself, led by La Giustizia. Years of bloodshed followed, a generation lost the flames of war.

In desperation, both sides utalised great and terrible weapons, the CCS invoking and in many case forcing pacts with terrible beings to create warlocks to bring to the field, and reared contingents of Slaadborn warriors, touched by chaos, where the Dokelalfar turned to a new technology, of lighter than air flight, of spirit fueled weapons, of dark rituals to Bind living souls and elemental spirits into bodies of steel and stone.

For all its length, and convolutions, for all the rage at the blasphemy and heresy of the opposing side, its end came quickly. Using technologies and magics stolen from the heart of the Dokelalfar empire, the citadel of Dokelalfar, the CCS initiated the greatest massacre known to history. Waiting until the Citidel was coated in storm and cloud, five great Zeppelins descended from the sky, disgorging attack team into the aerial defenses of the city, carrying a awe-full cargo. Upon reaching the Sky-Docks in the base of the cities great fortress wall, built into a rent in the cliff, the Zeppelins vomited up their forces. An army of Slaadborn, touched with chaos, spilled through the docks into the streets of the city. In the escape tunnels and caves out of the city proper, many hundreds of Warlocks, most driven utterly insane by contact with things Far beyond mans knowledge were released from their shackles and cages, driven forwards, into the heart of the citadel as its populace sought to flee the frontal assault. Many of the warlocks and Slaadborn disapeared in the hell that followed, along with other, far worse creatures released by the CCS, uncounted amoungst the bodies of the living or the fallen.

Such was the devastation that the very Titans and Elementals themselves took not, the caretakers taking action at last, establishing a bastion in the city in the name of the Titan of Steel, her children forged from the wreckege of the fallen Zeppelins and set with the task of hunting down the released creations of each side. when the smoke and haze cleared, each city state set a garrison in the ruins of the citadel, to rebuild and watch the comings and goings of the strange new arrivals, children-creations of one of the great titans.

Four years Later
La Giustizia

Significant Features

Uptown

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The home of the aristocratic founding families and New Rich alike, Uptown is a playground of music, food, and theater, with each family trying to top the next in its lavish parties, desperate to climb to the top of the social ladder. Most of the old blood are merchants and traders, who founded the origional trading post on Openfield below hundreds of years ago. Many hold government contracts for the cities public services. The new blood is made up mainly of the successful officers of the CCS forces, many with conections to the city military and police, as well as some of the more popular Guild Leaders, Preists of the four great religions, and thinkers and masters of the collegiate.

Riftown

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Built around the base of Uptown, Riftown spreads itself along the both sides of the Titans Gash, with its upper class section clinging to the cliff below uptown, while the poorer enjoy the damp below the Waterworks on the opposite side of the Gash. Riftown is the main population hub of La Geustezia, and includes the main markets and shopping districts, while craftsmen of all types cluster around the base of Guildbridge. it is the home of Union Miners, Openfield Farmers and Guilders alike, all dissatisfied with the rising taxes and falling economy, with many of the poor struggling to feed their families and keep out of the slums. Though much of it is built into the cliff itself, unlike uptown far more buildings extend out into the open air, clinging to the cliff, with some uncovered walkways that can be deadly during storms and high winds. Recent protest action has risen as far as the bottom of Uptown itself, though no action from the constabulary has yet been provoked. Many street gangs however have provoked a stronger reaction to their dissatisfaction at the changing times.

Guildbridge

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Once the center of a thriving produce economy, many of thewind-powered factories and foundries stand empty, the ore of the union mines processed then shipped out to better prices in the steadily rebuilding Dokkelalfar. Guildbridge is a great arcing span of magically enforced, steel braced stone,spanning the two sides of Riftown, still a center of architectural and engineering skill and advancement known across the cliff. Guildbridge is the home to the Guilds, of architecture and engineering, but alsoseat of the main colleges of the Physical and Arcane Science, Art and Culture. Under the Guildbridge on the Riftown side cluster many warehouses and trading offices, which make use of the great docks of La Giustizia, serving the In-cliff and Underground, as well as the new lighter than air trade of the skydocks, where the Zeppelins of the great Massacre were crafted. Many Inns, Outs and Taverns cluster around the docks, serving the through trade of commerce as well as the Guilders and Colleges.

The Waterworks

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Built on the far side of Guildbridge around the Goldspun falls by the Guilders, opposite Uptown, the Waterworks provide freshwater to La Giustizia, and additional water driven power to Guildbridge. A series of waterwheels make up much of the base of the waterworks, while an immense number of pipes and chanels, water-lockes and aqueducts deliver water from the falls head at the top of the gash to Openfield and Uptown bellow on the other side of the rift. The Goldspun Falls feed into a raging torent far below, that spills out from the open cliff. A great number of caves formed have been formed by the falls through the ages, many of which see new use as homes to the Ettercap Migrants, who quite enjoy the damp conditions.

The Sewers

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Running through Uptown, much of the better side of Riftown, as well as both sides of the Guildbridge, the sewers are another great achievment of the guilds, and is one of the few sewer systems within the CCS that actually works as it was meant. Operated by its own Sewer Guild, the many miles of pipes and tunnels have removed much of the Stygian atmosphere of Riftown, whence the waste and detritus of both Uptown and itself run through before pouring into the rift. The Guild fights a constant battle against infestations of vermin and beasts attracted by the waste, and though the far tunnels are meant to be secure enough to keep the worst of the cliff life out - In truth, the network of water eroded caves and tunnels around the Goldspun falls and waterworks are very badly mapped, and poorly defended. The overstretched Guild is forced to hire out to teams of jobless and unfortunates forced to live in the slums to keep the Sewers safe, unblocked, and as clean and hygienic as a sewer can be. Recently however many of the new inhabitants of the slums have begun to cluster around the outlet-tunnels of the sewers, with a roaring trade being done in the many items accidentally dropped into the sewers by residents, or `accidentally ` by the Flash-mobs. Some however, driven by reputation, lack of housing-space or just stupidity, have begun to set up homes within the tunnels themselves, resulting in much spread of disease. This is of great annoyance to the guilders, and the but of many Uptown jokes.

The One Path

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A work currently in progress, the path is set oto be another of the Guild`s wonders. It is planned to be a single great, safe, In-Cliff roadway to provide easy travel between the CCS city-states of Cathanii and Stonelanding to the Right, and to Openmark Plateau to the Left and Up. The construction is mainly financed by the old-blood of Uptown, to whom a safe trade rout to the other cities would be priceless. Much of the support however has been drummed up by the Pentridges alongside the curent Mayor of la Guistizia, Gideon Kiril-Lamberti, and has been fading in recent months due in no small part too the recent raids by Borkian tribes and an increasing number of gruesome `accidents`. Much of the progress on the tuneel itself has ground to a halt, while the roading is only relatively complete within a few miles of the City. Much of the workforce has recently shifted from Union Miners to the unfortunates of the slums, held in conditions of near wage-slavery, and the few non-Union Miners who choose to brave the risk of accidents and tunnel raids.

The Slums

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The Slums are new settlements that cluster about the border of Openfield and Riftown, and can be found clustered around the base of the Waterworks. The slums are filled with those made jobless by the cancellation of the war contracts of Guildbridge, as well as many refugees, and entire displaced villages from the Union Mines. many veterans of the great war, both foot troops and some Zeppelin crew can be found here, though the few Slaadborn and Dokkelalfar Warforged who choose to live here are given a wide, WIDE birth. Recently they have been joined by those made redundant by the cessation of much of La Giustizia manufacture industry. The buildings veer between the stable and well crafted homes of those trained by the engineers and architects during their time working on the guildbriidge, and the ramshackle creations of most others, often prone to collapse- the dirt, grime and crime however, are ever present. The slums include several thriving blackmarkets, and many Gangs can be found within the well built homes, often displacing the original occupants, each waring with the others, while paying tribute to the ever present hand of the Flashmobs.

The Shadar-Kai Enclave

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The enclave is a series of warrens built into the cliff-side around the waterworks, spartan and servicible, but incredibly well made, never leaking despite their proximity to the falls. Such enclaves exist in most of the cities of the CCS, meritocratic and matriarchal. Led by powerful females known as witches, they hire themselves out as mercenaries and bodyguards, with many working within the waterworks. Though all races and creeds are welcomed by the Shadar-Kai, whisper and rumor speak of a hard price for true acceptance. The Enclave is one of the few areas untouched by the ever present crime of La Giustizia.

Ettertown

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Migrants from the many small Ettercap villages around La Giustizia have begun to flood into the city, in search of work and food. The struggles of war, and expansion of the Union Mines to feed the war contracts of Guildbridge, and the introduction of Hunter-Contracts and Powersink farms by the Mayor to feed the growing city have pushed the Ettercap`s out of their territory, bringing them into the growing city. Some College-men hold that the Ettercap are descended from the Kruthik horde, both a food source and vermin to the CCS, while the ettercaps own creation stories hark back to descent from beings of elemental earth, born with souls of metals that define their fate. Though many humanoids dislike them for their appearance they are highly pragmatic, interest and many have achieved jobs within the guild, where their manual dexterity and climbing ability is of great architectural and engineering merit- though none have yet found Guilder status. Many musicians have begun to take interest in traditional Ettercap Music, fusing it with their own style, to produce what is becoming a widely popular genre even within Uptown itself.

Openfield

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One of the two true reasons for the location of La Giustizia, as such a area of flat, open air, arable land is a truly valuable commodity in a land of infinite verticle cliffs. Openfield was fed by a series of springs- but the growth of population made this nonviable, resulting in the commission of the waterworks- this increased the production, with Openfield hailed as `the city`s bread-plate`, which persists sarcastically in the slang of the city, despite the migrant influx after the war resulting in most of the food now being drawn from imports from around the CCS, the Mayors hunting initiative, and the Borkian Kruthik herders. The farms however are still wildly lucrative, but require great amounts of fertilizer to function. the farmers, shying away from the Collegiate`s suggestion of making use of the sewer waste, depend on a supply of earth elemental Oozes to feed their crops. many uptown residents maintain small plots in Openfield, barely the size of a Riftown street, for the growth of fruit trees and the keep of Honey wasps. these are protected by high walls, and are favored retreats from the hectic city life. many gaurds, usually mercenaries, are employed by these landowners to prevent theivary and damage from the nearby slum, the Mayor recently implementing constabulary patrols in the so-called garden districts, to, as he puts it, `keep out the riff-raff`.

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Major Institutions

The Pentridge Asylum

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This great Madhouse serves as home to the unhinged of the city, or at least to those odd enough decreed to be `unsuited for polite society`.Though it runs the usual gamut of psychopaths and the disordered, the majority of its Inhabitants are the Spell-shocked and War-torn veterans of the long conflict against Dokkelalfar, from across the entirity of the CCS. Its high security wing is also filled with teh products of the war, the majority of those pressganged by the military and forced into Warlock-hood by the collegiate research groups under CCS command driven completly insane by the process. well, those who survived, anyway. They are kept under continual sedation, rendered comatose alongside many of their officers, and the paticularly lunatic.

The Asylum is owned and operated by the Pentridge family, created by Linden Pentridge, (father to Keats Pentridge, current lord of the manor) in the period following the War, as a gift to the City. The Asylum is centered around the Pentridge Manor, created before even the founding of the city, and still home to the Pentridge Family. The manor juts out from the rock of the cliff, Up and to the Right of the entrance to the Rift and the rest of the city, supported by giant stone buttresses. Many other wings of the asylum are located within the large cavern to the rear of the manor, once the family gardens. Several small springs and In-cliff rivers are diverted by an ingenious number of Guilder flood gates, creating rushing rapids around the Asylum, preventing escape and driving the many waterwheels that power the asylum. Further aiding security is the single entrance, consisting of a open-topped ferry ride along a flooded passage filled with asylum Guard and traps.

The asylum guard are a mixed bunch, though mainly stern and dour in demeanor, and amount to a small private army. They are recruited, for security purposes, by the Pentridge family, led by highly paid and trained Circle-Knacht Officers.

Many of the darker and less favored colleges cluster around this grim establishment, and rumors persist, despite official condemnation, of gruesome experiments and strange noises in the night. One of the darker preisthoods, titan-Singers of Death and Shadow, choose to administer to the spiritual needs of the asylum and maintain a large chapel in the manor grounds.

The Union Mines

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Scattered around the city and the Rift are many mines, supplying the city with Iron Ore, Condensed Elemental Essence and Blacksludge deposits, much of which no longer make their way Guildbridge, the Colleges and the City`s lamps, but is exported to provide for the wealth of uptown. Many complain of this sale of the `life blood` of the city, and while the mines threaten `union action`, little can trully be done while they depend on the traders to make any profit at all, requiring the blimps of the Aerial Guild to transport their stock- Blimps held in contract by the traders. While the One Path could provide alternative transport for the Mines produce, construction has slowed with only a single mine connected, and no road as yet to speak of.

Many empty and disused mines stand about The City, many made use of by the criminal element, street gangs pushed out of the city, smuggling and gambling dens for the Flash-Mob, while some are re-purposed as research stations and observatories for the collegiate- though now many of these also stand unused. Those built in or around Up-Wellings, areas where the elemental energies of the cliff are present in pure form, are generaly still in use by the collegiate however. Other mines and caves are occupied by slums or simply infested by wild beast...for the most part.

The union mines, though not the reason for the city`s creation, are certainly teh reason it grew to be the metropolis it is today. They fed the production centers that were the cities forges and foundries, while the now mainly closed quarries provided for the architectural guilds, necessitous for cliff-life. Much is now shipped of to cheap labor else where, or to the growing rebuild of Dokkelalfar, and the strange fortress of Iron warforged in what was the center dock, who will pay exorbitant sums for pure elemental essence and metal ore.

The mines were originally part of the Guilds, who broke off in an ettempt to gain freedom from the power of the Uptown traders, somewhat unsuccsesfully it seems. Close contact still remains between the Union Mines and the Guilders, who provide equipment the mines cannot create themselves- relatively little, admittedly. the mines are run by a fraternaty of mine chiefs, with many workers now living in the mines themselves during month long work contracts. Many have Riftown family.

The Collegiate- The Colleges

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A loose collection of colleges of the physical and arcane arts and sciences, the collegiate provide teaching to much of Up-town and the wealthier Rift-folk, though disdaining the ever practical guilds. More to come.

The Guilds

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MAJOR RELIGIONS

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Titan Singers, The Archive Of The Death Born Earth, The Spear and The Circle-Knacht make up the four main religions of the CCS. They each have a strong presence in La Giustizia, with temples and order-houses across Uptown, Riftown and Guildbridge, each with Ministries in the slums for `care` of the poor, Missionaries to the Borkian tribes, and convents around the cities for `quite reflection and study`. Each is mainly made up of preists and Clerics, and most support Paladins and grant Warlocks. Each has different cosmologies and world views.

Titan Singers

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Titan Singers hold that Midgard was sung into existence by the Titans, and honor them with their songs. They mainly honor the Titans of earth, Fire, Storm and Death, though small shrines exist in each temple to other Titans, particularly The Titan of Iron. They believe all humanoids are descended from the titans through Giants. The Giants are hailed as saints to the Titan Gods, with each god assigned saints. Each Titan is also ascribed a list of things it in particular has lordship over, and qualities and characteristics it posses. They believe each should hold themselves. The titans have little true interest in their descendants, and there is little chance of their interest being drawn- and even that would be very unlikely to be A Good Thing. The Titan Singers preach tenents of honesty to the self, that all should seek to better themselves to draw the Titans notice, and that those who do not draw the notice of the Titans will not be taken to heaven by them when they die, and will fall to become Devils and restless spirits, unreleased from the sufferings of life. This church is unforgiving and mainly concerned with those with interest in the self, either in self discovery, self aggrandizement or pure egomania.

The Archive Of The Death Born Earth

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The archive preaches that the Iron Lady, the Lord of Names, slayed a mighty beast in the mists of pre-history, and forged Midgard from its flesh, before settling in his-and-or-her throne at the top of her creation, to watch for resurgences of dark beasts. They preach of the foolishnes of those who seek power for the self alone, and promote study of the world around them.They tell legends that their one eyed god hung itself on the Sun, in the Cave of The Sky for seven years to gain the secrets of the world it had made before his/her ascension, and that all her children should do the same. a study of seven years is required to become a Speaker For The World, a true priest of the Archive that seeks to map his/her wonders- often including periods of travel and seeing the world with their own eyes. They say all falls under their lords domain of control, the elemental energies and spirits just tools to use. after life, they preach that spirits rise to the soul city above, ruled by their lord, where the wisest will be re-made as angels. They sponser few paladins, but are followed by many wizards, and hold a notable sect of Divine Warlocks, who have made contracts with the angels and other divine creatures, or have taken the power in the tool that is the world around them to better worship the Iron Lady/Lord. they are favoured by the Guilders and Collegiate, and keep great libraries and records.

The Spear

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The spear teaches that Midgard itself is a great spear fashioned by the elementals, to drive into the heart of pure evil. The most popular religion in Riftown, they teach balance and unity, that those who attempt to disrupt society and damage The Spear be at best shunned and exiled, at worst, thrown of the cliff itself into the screaming void bellow. They hold to objective moral `good` and that the elementals will reward those who Revere them well with gifts of power and knowledge. A church of elemental wizard priests, with many Clerics and a few elemental warlocks, `the Spear Blessed`, they have little strong presence but are perhaps the largest of the churches. The curant mayor of La Giustizia holds to the spear.

The Circle-Knacht

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The Circle-Knacht is mainly a martial force, holding to the existence of no `true` Justice, and that whatever the strong say is just, Is. They have many Paladins, and strictly follow the laws of the city that they hold to as sacred for their strength.They preach that the truly good will take power, will train themselves, and reshape the world in their own image, make their own justice the strongest. They fund many schools and training houses across the city, to find the truly strong to become paladins and Clerics of the circle of life. Many of the Uptown aristocrats, old and new, had their first taste of disciplined and training in a Circle-Knacht Dueling School. They also run many healing temples in the lower city, so that the truly strong will not fall to sickness, and have the chance to find their own strength.

Races

There is very little racial tension in Midgard, with most tension Culture and City based. The CCS is very open minded towards colours and creeds, and La Guistezia is a true Melting Pot of different Races.

No race is automatically assigned to an alignment.

War-Races

Though the CCS preaches open-mindedness, they are infact still fairly anxious around those races that saw their creation in the great war- the various constructs of Dokkelalfar, and the Slaadborn of the CCS.

Races by relative presence in La Guistizia.

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Halfling - A race of short Humanoids, Halflings make up most of the Uptown population, in both the old trading families and the new blood of officers from the war. Many own chains of Riftown shops, and hold trade deals across the CCS. Most of the Trading Barges that utalise the cave rivers are sponsored and manned by Halflings, and much of the Guilders work is financed by them. They can be found across Riftown and the slums.They are fully intigrated into La Guistzian society.


As PhB 1

Elf- Many Cliff-Elves (Standard elves) flooded into La Guistizia from their cliffside settlements during the War, and Drow from their underground villages, displaced by newly built Forts or Kruthik-Farms, those who lived in the spots where elemental energy floods the cliff displaced for Collegiate research stations, now mainly disused, the origin of the Slaadborn. these joined the already large Elvish population of the city, and many now are forced to make their living in the cliff side slums. Many Elves were also employed by Guilders to fulfill the war contracts on the Zeppelins, and other, darker weapons. Mostly redundant, many of these also make their homes in the slums.They are fully intigrated into La Guistzian society. Dark elves are creatures of shadow, whose legends speak of descent from the Titans of Death and Fire.


As PhB 1 and MM 1

Ettercap- In the last few years the ever-present trickle of Ettercap immigrants have become a flood, journying to the city to find work in the booming production industry, and war-trade. To them, it was a city roofed with gold, though many were disappointed to find it located outside of the cliff proper. They now make homes beneath the Goldspun falls, the moist climate very popular, and excellent for farming their many Fungi. They see much employment in the Militry, many work in Guildbridge though none are guilders as yet, and as proficiatn farmers, many are employed in Openfield. They are creatures of the earth, and legends speak of their soul bieng instilled with metal.



Shadar-Kai-Shadar-Kai generally live within large enclaves in the various cities of the CCS, there enclaves Meritocratic and heavily driven to Success, lead by powerful females known as witches. The enclaves tell many stories and legends, and the goal of many Shadar-kai is to be Imortalized by memory of their dded. Many of these stories are fairly popular across Riftown, such as Sevan the Sewer Builder, or Aleksanders triumph in the Dueling ring. some Shadar-Kai choose to live outside their enclaves, and though this is accepted by the witches, they are looked on with distrust by their enclave kin. Shadar-Kai have souls of Air and Shadow, able to manifest itself in a short-ranged teleportation effect, as their bodies become nothiong more than wind and shade.

As MM 1

Human-Humans make up a fairly small percent of the CCS as a whole, and are certainly a minority in La Guistizia. They are fully intigrated into La Guistzian society.


as PhB 1

Gnome- Gnomes live throughout Riftown and Uptown, with those working war contracts now made redundant and living in the slums. Many are Guilders, where their natural short stature is usefull for cramped industrial and engineering work. They are fully intigrated into La Guistzian society. They are instilled with elemental Air and Radience, able to manifest itself in bending the light that suffuses midgard to make themselves invisible.

MM 1

Slaadborn -Strange creatures, Humanoids with multi-coloured skin that changes individual to individual, a head similar to a large frog or toad, and eyes like those of a goat, Slaad-born were creations of the CCS for use in the great war. They are usually tall and well built. Many of the CCS are intimidated by their now freed creations, not in small part due to their strong connection to the elements. They were formed by forcing elemental energies into many willing and unwilling volunteers alike, the knowledge of such rituals gaind by contracts with the Slaadi themselves, beings of chaos, insanity and GIANTFROG.

As PhB Dragon-born, except for the racial power, swap Dragon breath For Elemental Burst.
Elemental Burst Slaadborn Racial power
As your enemies approach, you reach inside yourself, tapping into the power of the raging elemental storm that is your soul.
Encounter, Choose either Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, Poison, Force, Thunder, Radiant or Necrotic when you take this power- the damage is of this type. his cannot be changed.
Otherwise as Dragonbreath Racial power.

Warforged-Created by the Dokkelalfar, warforged are a varied race, designed for war. To create them, a humanoid construct must be imbued with elemental energy by means of an arcane ritual, and a soul then instilled in the created bieng. In the last surges of the war, both sides were reduced to acts the CCS they would rather not remember, and many war-forged have the spirits of not just Brave sons of Dokelalfar, but of criminals and murders, insane individuals and animals. some even speak of warforged whose spirits are chained elemental- a great sin to most CCS religions.

At the close of the Massacre of Dokelalfar however, a new race was created- not by the two waring sides, but allegedly by one of the Titans themselves. The twisted and superheated steel of the ruined airship docks of Dokelalfar was reformed by great elemental magics, and forged into a great bastion inside the gargantuan hanger-dock itself. Within this fortress, a giant iron cube, surmounted by a single eye, are crafted warforged of pure iron, appearing to be instilled with a newborn soul. They are fully sentient- many have chosen to stay and help gather material to build their brothers, but some few have left to make their own way about the Cliff. Their purpose and true creator is unknown, even to them.

As standard, but choose one elemental subtype during character creation.

Gnolls, Goblinoids and Troglodytes- These races make up the majority of the Borkian tribes who supply the city with Kruthik meat. While most are content with their lot as herders and hunters, many have begun to flock to the city to seek a new life. During the war, many of the tribes were drafted into the army of the CCS, and the surviving veterans now make homes in the poorer side of riftown and the slums. They welcome the new immigrants with open arms, and are treated as tribal elders, but worry over the lack of housing space, especially with so much of it taken up by the few troglodytes, Due to their unpalatable smell.

Outside La Guistzia
While the rest of the CCS has a similar tolerance for races, the overall racial makeup of the cities is different.
Their will be a mainly gnome city, a mainly Minotaur city, and a mainly gnoll city.

[BLUESKY]

Reserved for campaign setting- you never know

[BLUESKY]

Any one have any thoughts on the setting so far?
Written up and still to be typed up, preferably tonight-
The sewers, Openfield farms, The Paths (trade routes.), The union Mines, The Collegiate, Pentridge Asylum, The Four great religions of the CCS, The Mayor, The Mayors Palace, Reavers.

Tomorrow- Class/race fluff, more geographic and geomagic features, Zeppelins, layout of the city. A one-shot/Dungeon crawl in the aftermath of the Massacre of Dokkelalfar.

After that- Cosmology, The Gods, map/s of the city, the Borkian tribes.

Any thoughts at all? Hate it? like it?

[Just_Ice]

I like it, for the most part.

Dokkelfar (German for dark elf, I see) is basically WWI germany and CCS is more or less the Allies minus the Russians, correct?

And, uh, the world's on a cliff? Do you just mean that there's an edge to the world, or something? Is the cliff essentially supposed to be the sea?

[BLUESKY]

oops... I didn't actually describe the main setting....

Here we go

Spoiler

Show

Cliffrunner is set on the side of an immense cliff, a truly huge structure, taking up the entirety of its plane. Imagine the inside of a great tower, as tall as the solar system is wide across, its walls stone, of infinite thickness. This cliff is a construct of the elemental energy of earth,solidified and given material form. Where the earth of the `tower wall` meets the hollow space inside, rents and tears form, the cliff rippling with immense slowness. Standing on many of the many rough and broken ledges, you cannot even see the turn of the cliff, appearing as it does, to the naked humanoid eye as a single infinite span. The air of the cliff is full of banks of cloud and mist, the visible horizon changing day by day with the shifting of the wind and cloud. In the center of `tower` is what appears a single column, a typhoon, a hurricane of wind and cloud. High above, unbenownst to all but those who live close enough to see it, or feel the cold, that emanates in shivering waves, is a Plane of Ice, Physically coterminous with this plane, floating a mile or so above the top of the tower, held up by the hurricane pillar at its center. Far bellow is a similar Plane of water, though this physically touches the base of the tower, extending under much of the infinite plain of earth.

As a rough image- take a tube or cylinder, a rolled up piece of paper or toilet roll tube, put a circle of paper on top that just about covers it, push a skewer threw the center of the paper, and place the tube in the middle of a plate.

The light of day is given by the center pillar of elemental air- inside of it is a series of pillars of elemental energy, nested like russian dolls. in the center is pure necrotic negative energy, around which is a wrapping of positive energy, again surrounded by the air. This pillar of air is made up of many smaller pillars, alternating in flow of up and down the center of the `tower`. One pillar pulls freezing air down to the base from the Ice above, the other draws up warm moist air from the water below. The change in currant of these alternating pillars produce seasons in the tower, and as the pillar of positive energy grows brighter and dimmer, day becomes night for those on the cliff edge. At `night`, two faint glows can be seen- the first from above is an aurora effect, a shimmering nest of light- formed where souls of those who die in the tower filter through the ice to the Ethereal plain above. bellow, bright points of light create a soft shimmering whiteness- these are souls traveling down through the plain of water, compacted by the enormous pressure. On a clear night, with a good telascope, you can just about make out these effects, as on a exeedingly clear day you can see a bright line flowing down in the distance from above to bellow.

Of course, to an average humanoid, standing on an average day on one of the rents or tears, the great gashes or the varied ledges of the cliff face, all you will see is mist- bright and glowing with radiance during the day, and dark and cold at night, when the wavering blue-green above and shimmering white bellow produce an effect like pale moonlight, on a night not full of cloud and fog.

Thanks Just-Ice! I wouldn`t have noticed this till tomorrow otherwise. If ever. I will add more to this passage tomorrow on other features of the cosmology, and add some bits on elemental magic geology.

Of course, the things to remember are A) this is really frickkin big, you could have a nigh infinite number of settings with little in common and no contact on this plane alone. B)Infinitely thick earth makes up the tower, and it is longer than the solarsystem- but the gap in the middle is only perhaps a couple of times wider than the circumference of the earth. The `hollow` part of the tower is really quite thin.

More stuff that comes to mind, that I cannot remember if I mentioned above-
1- the small piece this setting takes place on is called Midgard by the CCS
2- directions are Upcliff or UP, Downcliff or DOWN, Incliff or IN, Outcliff or OUT, as well as RIGHT and LEFT. Right and left have two meanings- one, uncapatalised, the direction of your hand-right. As in, `Turn right!`. Two, Capatalised, the direction that your right hand is in when you face out from the cliff. As in, the `The Asylum? Bad Business thaat. Turn Roight when you get ou` the rift, an` you`ll be just abou` on top o` it.`. phonetically, its just pronounced louder. RIGHT and LEFT are objective. Incliff and Outcliff can be measured with a kind of vertical compass developed by the colleges, Up and Down with a barometer.

Well that was a bit verbose. I think I will stick it in the first post, and edit it up tomorrow...