Shattered Lands, A post apocalyptic campaign setting for Legend

[GodGoblin]

28/1/13: This is still a work in progress although the majority is done, were just adding in more and more info to give GM's some inspiration on where to set adventures and people to meet.

We are working on a map, should be up fairly soon.

Shattered Lands

A post apocalyptic campaign setting for Legend.

Overview

The world that is differs heavily from the world that was, according to guarded ancient texts of the Gnomes we once lived in a luscious green world with clear water and blue sky. Then the bomb fell, The Great Bomb. An unnatural and dangerous weapon that broke the laws of nature and physics by its mere existence, its creator is unknown but its effects are felt by all. Once The Bomb fell it blighted the earth, felled buildings and trees, it shattered the moon and continents alike, removing a large chunk of the planet all together, the world spilling out its liquid core into the vastness of space. The seas are now forever brown, still and unmoving. The sky is littered with fragments of rock floating in orbit and the ash littered land is barren and cracked.

Somehow the inhabitants of the world survived, the Elves withdrew beneath the earth, the Dwarves sit safe in their iron chambers, Orcs reverted to their primitive ways, the Humans and Halflings hid and out bred the dangers around them and the Gnomes built wondrous technologies to aid their survival, many other creatures and races from the world before were not so lucky.

The apocalypse was caused by the detonation of a Magitech bomb launched by warring nations from the time before. Magic and Technology have always been different sides to a coin and to join them is impossible by all laws of nature, but through the use of a Paradox Engine The Great Bomb’s inconsistencies were held in place. Due to this technical impossibility Magitech is a highly unstable science causing the bomb to not only detonate over the desired city but to fluctuate and nearly destroy the world.

The Paradox Engine is a piece of ungodly old world craft, it has the power to hold in place unnatural laws and stops them from collapsing under their own inherent logical contradictions. The very existence of a Paradox Engine denies the laws of the universe and the only Paradox Engine to be known to have existed from the time before was held within the Magitech bomb and it was certainly destroyed in the explosion.

The remaining piece of world you live on circles the sun in an unsteady orbit, the tides have ceased and the remaining surface is barren and cracked. By all logic no life should be able to exist, yet somehow it does. Perhaps The Bomb wasn’t the only Paradox Engine created by our old world brothers?

In current times the combination of magic and technology is shunned or violently outlawed by many. To actually create Magitech equipment or a Paradox Engine is seen as heresy or an act of terrorism by even the mildly sane.

Races & Factions

Dwarves

Spoiler

Show

“Listen younglings as I tell you the truths of how we came to be. It was long ago now that this land once flourished with life and Dwarven kind stood as kings while the other creatures of the world looked up at our technological marvel. But now children we live in a broken world, earth scorched and building shattered. The Elves and there meddling of magics created the bomb that tore the world and moon asunder before retreating to live in filthy jungles underground, Dwarf kind however is strong! We did not break like the humans or Half folk, we rebuilt and rescued our ways from the dust. Now give thanks and tithe to The Iron Council for bringing us from darkness and ever more into the light.” –Father Cogheart, Iron Council Zealot and Preacher.

Dwarves usually come in one of two varieties, Council Born or Outsiders. Although one and the same on a genetic level the difference between these Dwarves is still enough to identify from sight alone. All Dwarves stand roughly between 3’8” – 4’10” in height, have solid stocky frames and more often than not male Dwarves sport some form of facial hair.

Council Born Dwarves are those born within the dominion of The Iron Council. Due to the constant life within factories, mines or warehouses these Dwarves have very pale, white skin, the more technical amongst them lack the muscular build you would expect from your typical Dwarf as they rarely lift anything heavier than a hammer when constructing finer pieces of equipment. Another odd feature of the Council Dwarf is that unlike an Outsider they wear there beards short or finely cropped, if they even have a beard at all! Years of getting long platted bears caught up in cogs and engines forced them to move away from the more traditional style. These Dwarves are a very efficient people, one generation of necessity has undone thousands of generations of tradition.

Outsider Dwarves, now these are Dwarves. Ok they may live outside and are mainly farmers or labourers by trade but this life has given them the proper Dwarven physique, ruddy tanned skin and a chance to grow long glorious beards, sometimes seen in small numbers in human settlements or on occasion they have set up communities of there own where the ancient Dwarven ways are still enforced.

The Iron Council is a faction made up of highly xenophobic Dwarves dedicated to the uncovering of past equipment and weaponry, they shun magic almost entirely and due to this have created incredible mechanical and clockwork wonders. They school the younglings in teachings of mechanics with an almost religious zeal, the bright amongst them are taken to become engineers or mechanists while the others are forced into a life of labour or military training. When out of the Iron Holds the Dwarves usually hate dealing with the local rabble and savages, they shoot first and very rarely bother asking questions later. The Dwarven Gatling gun or Mechanical plate armour are common seen examples or Council tech.

Gnomes

Spoiler

Show

"Check it out! Independently targeting particle beam phalanx. Vwap! Fry half a city with this puppy. We got tactical smart missiles, phase-plasma pulse rifles, RPGs, we got sonic electronic ball breakers! We got nukes, we got knives, sharp sticks..." -Hudson Galidory, Gnome Operative.


Standing between 3’4” and 4’3” Gnomes are the second smallest sapient race known out on top side, the odd thing about gnomes is there eye colour is rarely a natural shade, violet, blue or red are common seen examples. This may be due to magical blood inherent in the race or genetic testing that went on before the Bomb.

The Technocarnum is a faction consisting predominantly of Gnomes dedicated to the use of advanced science and technology but they will invite members of other races into there ranks who show promise or skill in the scientific arts. Although they may invite others in the Gnomes still hold a very strict grasp on the flow of knowledge, The Cult of Secrets are a highly devout subsection of the Technocarnum dedicated to stopping important information from leaking out to unworthy ears.

To the casual bystander The Technocarnum has a similar outlook to The Iron Council but those people could not be more wrong. Some of their members also study the art of magic but have strong measures in place to stop the creation of Magitech within their organisation. The tech they use has been created anew, the Gnomes do not live in the past trudging through bomb sites for ancient steel they instead look to the future by building and inventing new wondrous technologies. The Iron Council has accused them of using magic in there creations but The Technocarnum insist otherwise. The Laser Rifle, Pulse Pistol and Stealth Cloak are examples of Technocarnum technology, few amongst them are also able to Mana forge.

Elves

Spoiler

Show

”Quickly now, be seated. It is about time you all learnt of the world above and the perils that await those of you foolish enough to venture into its open bleakness. As you are aware outside of the haven of our great jungle the land lies in ruin, torn apart by Gnomish fools and destructive trinkets. Beware of the great beasts that stalk the land, hungry for Elf flesh or the monstrous Orc or the deceptive human and there half sized kin. Us of the Brotherhood withdrew Elven kind underground after the world shattered, safe in our Jungle as the savages feast on themselves. So are there still any amongst you that wish to go outside? …Good.”-Eldilliad Vernarri, Tutor Magi of the Talmirri Brotherhood.

Elves are an uncommon sight to most inhabitants of the broken world, easily recognisable by their long pointed ears and sharp facial features, typically standing between 5’11” and 6’7” in height with long wiry frames. They live under the surface in the great jungles Below, huge caverns filled with ancient flora given life from the use of Sun Stones mined from the local area. These Sun Stones give off natural light and heat to allow the growth of the jungle, the magical radiation given off by these stones is possibly the cause of the Elves Immortal life spans, its said that when an Elf leaves the jungle they forgo the immortality that the stones bring, Sun Stone amulets are heavily sought after by those outsiders as they believe it will grant them the prolonged of the Elves

Within the Jungle Below stands the Obelisk, a huge towering column of rune etched obsidian that pulses with an unnatural energy, its rumored to rise up to the world above but none have ever found its tip. The majority of elves worship the Obelisk and believe that it holds the secrets of life, death and everything between while also believing their spirits will use it as a gateway to the afterlife once they decide to end their immortal lives.

The Talmirri Brotherhood is an Elven faction of powerful magic users, Elves being one of the only pure magical societies known the Brotherhood rules the laws of magic with a adamantine fist, they accuse the surface dwellers of creating the bomb and believe The Technocarnums meddling was to blame. Its not unheard of that the Brotherhood have put to death those who deny the divinity of the Obelisk or go against their teaching by going to the surface world.

Examples of Talmirri equipment is anything magical, very few individuals outside of the Brotherhood know the secrets of Mana forged items.

Humans

Spoiler

Show

“Alright chaps, you heard the story of The Bomb? Well that’s all it is, a story. But a campfire like this is the perfect place for such a tale. So it all began when the Dwarves build this magic engine, well some people say it was Gnomes of course. Actually I heard one fella say it wasn’t a bomb at all! Heh, anyway lets just go with Elves…”-Jacob Karenson, Human Wanderer and seeker of stories.

Humans typically stand between 5’0” and 6’4” in height, hair colour can range from black to red to blonde and their skin colour is just as varied, Humans have overcome many social and physical challenges and this is partly the reason for them being such a visibly diverse people.

Humans are one of the most dominant species out on the surface, their sheer numbers meaning they have out bred any predator or disaster that has threatened their existence. Usually living in small make shift towns or villages as farmers or merchants many however are taken to wander as mercenaries or traders.

The Freeland Company mercenaries are a group of racist, violent ‘Humans for hire’, not the nicest people out there on the plains but they get the job done. Half price too if it involves ‘Spilling freak blood’. They wander with no permanent base of operations, moving on to wherever the next contract lies. Kitted up in a whole manner of different equipment even including Gattlers looted from Dwarven contracts. The captain is also rumoured to carry magic gear on the rare occasion they’ve found a Gnome or Elf.

Halflings

Spoiler

Show

“You really think us normal folk care about this bomb lark? Nah, we got what we got so deal with it! Now what can I do you for? We got Orcs, Humans, even a Dwarf woman if that’s your shtick… ”-Nathaniel Pebblerock, Slave trader.

Standing between 2’10” and 3’5” Halflings are towered over by the vast majority of other races, they make up for this with a quick tongue and when necessary quick legs. While bonded to the Human race socially they lack the innate versatility that the Humans possess, the Halfling more often than not has curly black hair and tanned ruddy skin, there skeletal structure is different from Humans but to the casual observer apart from height they essentially look the same.

Halflings are the second most prominent race out up top, wherever you would see a Human a Halfling isn’t far away. Over the years after the Bomb these two races have merged together to form a single social identity, Halfling are however slightly more prone to wanderlust than Humans so the life of a travelling merchant or slaver tends to appeal more to the Halfling.

Bumble’s Ankh Caravan is a well respected and widely known Halfling trade service, Bumble will buy anything if the price is right and because of this she nearly always has something you want. Having learnt to ground and tame the Ankh Beetle, Bumble uses these creatures as an effective way to transport her goods, the meat on them is pretty good too. (See Bestiary section for details on Ankh Beetles.)

Orcs

Spoiler

Show

“We are Blood Guts! Born from blood! Thrown to war!” –Dregs, An Orc of surprisingly many words.

Tusked jaw, green skin, as tall as an Elf and Wide as a Dwarf, a true Orc is a creature to avoid if at all necessary, luckily due to the frequent pillaging of Human settlements a full blooded is Orc is a rare sight these days, on the downside this has caused the tribes on the whole to become more intelligent and over all a much deadlier threat.

A typical Orc society is a brutal and unforgiving with a clear element of survival of the biggest. Only the largest and most brutish Orcs make the role of Chief. The smarter Orcs steer well clear of that position as it’s a sure fire way to find yourself murdered by the larger Orc that inevitably comes along.

In recent years the mix of Human blood has become prevalent in most tribes, giving birth to a certain cunning that makes the once barbaric hordes a much more dangerous threat. On extremely rare occasion Halfling blood has been added to the Orcish gene-pool, these ‘Goblins’ are a vicious breed gifted with cunning and treachery far above that of any Human or Orc.

The Blood Guts are a tribe of Orcish bandits who have suddenly risen to power over the last few years, a Blood Gut tribesman is easy to spot on the battlefield as they literally bathe in the entrails of captives before a battle. The recent rise to power has caused much speculation, its been rumoured that elder members have been seen to wield enchanted items or even magic itself, this may or may not have anything to do with the renegade Elf woman that’s apparently been sighted barking orders in their camp.

Bestiary

Ankh Beetles

Spoiler

Show

These large chitenous beetles are highly aggressive when flying as it seems to hand in hand with their mating rituals, once they are grounded and had their wings clipped they become extremely docile and trainable. The Ankh Beetle is the most common baggage creature encountered top side.

Raptor-wings

Spoiler

Show

Small, quick and deadly the Raptor-wing is a deadly predator, the young are about a foot in length and attack in a swarm but once it grows to maturity and reaches about 4-5 feet in height it splits off from its nest and hunts alone.

Grim Stalkers

Spoiler

Show

These bear like creatures lack hair but their pallid skin beneath is tough as leather, while they have mutated to increase in size and ferocity they seem fond of following their prey from the shadows before pouncing not unlike a big cat.

Ogres

Spoiler

Show

These hulking brutes may have once been Human, Elf, Orc or maybe another species altogether but the magical energies of The Bomb twisted these creatures into the huge abominations they are today. Standing at over 10’ tall with bony hides and huge clawed hands these creatures are to be feared and avoided at all costs. While hardly considered intelligent they do possess a dangerous feral cunning.

Flux Wisps

Spoiler

Show

These glowing orbs of light come in any colour of the spectrum, they float in the air in seemingly random directions firing off sparks of uncontrolled magic, when threatened they are able to focus this magic into dangerous attacks or amazing abilities.

Ancient Automatons

Spoiler

Show

These machines are believed to be created by a Gnomish faction before The Bomb, none apparently remember life before The Bomb, due to this it’s a common theory that it was the magical energies from the explosion that granted them sapience and emotion rather than being AI from the time before. (An Ancient Automaton is a playable race using the Sentient Construct Racial Track.)

Rogue Automatons

Spoiler

Show

The unfortunate brother to the Ancient Automaton, these machines driven mad and mindless by the magical fluctuation of The Bomb and now with no mind of their own simply try to destroy any life that they come across. Some walk the land above but the real threat is to plunderers who unlock ancient doors to find it has been the home of a Rogue Automaton since before its awakening.

Dragons

Spoiler

Show

The existence of Dragons is widely debated, its generally believed that they existed before The Bomb and some even survived the blast, these remaining Dragons are believed to have been hunted and killed by a Lord Pendragon, a man who lives in a castle on the far side of the continent and has raised a city around him. This is believed to be the biggest centre of civilisation around but largely believed to be a myth.

Blood Lotus

Spoiler

Show

A 10 foot tall carnivorous plant with brilliant red and gold petals is often found in the Elven jungle or occasionally topside where the environment is dark and humid. It sits still waiting for its prey to approach before striking like a viper, swallowing its prey whole and letting its digestive juices slowly break down the unsuspecting victim.

Bore Worm

Spoiler

Show

This large maggot has a circular mouth full of dull metal teeth, its huge bulk can reach 15 feet long and 5 feet thick, it plagues the Dwarves by either collapsing tunnels or making more of its own these tunnels can be unstable and often intersect with the Dwarves own causing the whole area to become unstable. This is the main reason the Iron Council now line their tunnels with metal.

Solar Armadillo

Spoiler

Show

These are small scaled rodents about a foot in length and practically harmless at night. But when in direct sunlight these creatures warp and grow to become the hieght of a man, they recieve regeneration, increased physical power and a raging temper to match. Luckily as they are completely harmless during the dark hours the people of the wastes have managed to control the population.

Hollowmen

Spoiler

Show

Its rumored that Angels or other Celestial beings can rip out a mortals soul and fill the empty vessel with pure Divine energy, these Hollowmen are bound to the will of the creator, possess unnatural strength and endurance but luckily lack the ability to think or act for themselves.

Easily noticeable, the Hollowmen look like they did in life except there eyes and mouth radiate a briliant light from the Divine fire that burns within.

Currency

There is no official currency in the wastes, its inhabitants use trade to barter for items they need. However some of the more well established nations have a currency of their own. But regardless of where you are you can nearly always trade something for a handful of gems.

The Technocarnum use Credits as their form of currency, this is not a physical item but a number they transfer to each other through electronic devices.

The Iron Council use Ingots, small rectangular pieces of a pearlescent iron alloy.

Pendragons Nation use Uthers, a small round gold coin with the image of a dragon on one side and an armored knight on the other.

Crossroads Use trade as the main form of currency but its not uncommon to see bankers notes passed between stalls.

Equipment

The following special weapon properties have been added to represent the wear and tear of equipment in a Post-apocalyptic world. Using one of these gives you a number of additional weapon properties as mentioned below, subject to GM discretion-

Spoiler

Show

[Unstable] On the roll of a ‘1’ to hit the weapon fails to fire, any ammunition or held charge is lost and requires a standard action to clear before it can be fired as normal. Ranged weapons only. Gain one extra trait.

[Brittle] On a successful attack roll an additional 1d20 if this is a roll of a 1 the weapon breaks and becomes useless until repaired. On a critical hit the roll needed to break is 5 or below. Melee weapons only. One Additional trait.

[EOT] This weapon can only be used once Every Other Turn. Gain two extra traits

[Unbalanced] Using this weapon incurs a -2 to hit penalty. Gain one extra trait.

[Unwieldy] When using this weapon you take a -2 penalty to AC. Gain one extra trait

Weapons

Some example weapons that you may find in your adventures through the wastes.

Spoiler

Show

Tatty Recharge Rifle [EOT] [Elemental: Fire] [Magnum]
[Brutal 2] [Distant 1] This laser rifle is either centuries old or maybe even new but strapped together in a shoddy fashion and made of junk, while it still carries some of the potency of modern laser weapons its energy capabilities are very outdated and is prone to loose connections. After every shot the rifle must allow the internal dynamo to gather enough energy for another blast complete with a high pitched whirring sound.

Dwarven Gattler [Unwieldy] [Traumatizing] [Point blank] [Brutal 2]
This large bulky piece of Dwarven craft is capable of firing a steady stream of bullets from its dulled steel rotating barrel, loud and noisy this is a very imposing piece of kit.

Mechanised Fist [Guardian] [Devastating] [Brutal]
This oversized gauntlet of Iron Council design, its internal combustion engine releases a powerful piston strike when used to attack and opponent causing much more damage than a weapon of its size usually would.

Talmirri Quick Blade [Guardian] [Deft] [Parrying]
This long yet light blade is forged by the elves to allow better accuracy when used to strike in small quick slashes.

Ammunition

Ammunition is a very sought after resource in the wastes and comes in a handful of varieties:

Spoiler

Show

9mm
.44 Magnum
.308 round
.50 MG round
What ammo each gun uses is for the player to deside with the GM's discretion, as a general rule the more Brutal traits the weapon has the higher up the caliber scale its ammunition should be. This should also apply to traits like Devastating and the like. There is no actual mechanical difference to the ammunition types but the larger types should be more scarce than the 9mm. Causing characters to work out their comfort zone and have a back up melee or 9mm weapon when the ammo of choice is running low.

Electron Power cell
This ammunition is used to power energy weapons. Energy weapons are weapons that have the [Elemental] weapon trait. This ammunition is scarce but works for any energy weapon.

Utility

These are simply a re-skinned Lesser Items from the Legend Core book but serves as an example of how standard Legend magic items can be customised for the more technological minded factions.

Spoiler

Show

Earthgrinder Drill
Another piece of bulky Dwarven tech this is large spinning drill tip attached to some sort of small engine with handles, its capable of moving aside large amounts of earth with ease.

This drill allows the user to carve out 5 ft of tunnel through solid rock as a standard action. These tunnels are self supporting and wide enough for a medium creature to comfortably move through. If wielded in combat it is treated as a weapon with the following statistics:
Earthgrinder Drill – Melee, range [Melee], [Brutal 1], [Magnum], [Traumatizing].

Handheld Scouting Probe
A small spider like construct with zooming lenses connected to a corresponding handset with screen and controls.

Once per [Scene], you may release a very small mechanical spider that crawls rapidly away. You can see through it, as though it had your vision out to 30 ft, and direct it without concentrating. The spider has 10 hit points, an AC of 15 and a speed of 40 ft. If destroyed the spider rebuilds in the box at sunset.

Electronic positioning system
This wrist strapped device consists of a large screen and a selection of buttons and dials, it uses sensors to survey the current area and shows its findings in the form of a map on screen.

An EPS requires to be attuned to an owner in order to function. In order to attune to an owner, the map must be kept with that person’s possessions for 24 hours as its biometric controls attune to the persons DNA. After this the EPS is considered attuned, the previously powerless EPS will draw a 250 ft map of the owner’s current location. With a full [Round] of inputting, the map can be commanded to update, erasing itself and redrawing the new location. The EPS does not automatically remain accurate.

Freeze pistol
This small hold out style pistol whirs gently as it generates small amounts of liquid nitrogen within its power cells. Pulling the trigger releases a potent beam of frost that due to advanced targeting arrays never misses its target.

You may replace any attack except flurry attacks with an ice beam shot from this pistol. Firing an ice beam is treated as a spell-like ability. Ice beams cannot be blind-fired, require direct line of sight, and always hit their target. An ice beam deals damage equal to your KOM.

Night vision goggles
These goggles strap to the wearers head and looking through the green lenses allows you to see even in dark places.
You gain darkvision.

-------------------------------------------

Specific Places of Interest

Necrotic Zones

Spoiler

Show

When The Bomb went into flux it flooded the world with magical energies, in areas saturated with necrotic energy the creatures killed there rose once again as undead. These areas are extremely dangerous lands to explore as its not only the humanoids you must watch out for but all creatures, rodents, birds even insects, no life was spared from the necrotic curse.

Elemental Zones

Spoiler

Show

In the same way necrotic energy saturated pieces of the land so has elemental energy, raw elemental power has spiked in these places causing the terrain to alter and beings of pure energy to appear.

Fire saturated land will be rife with lava and smell strongly of sulphur while beings of pure flame stalk its lands. The dwarves and Gnomes treasure these lands for its potent alchemical ingredients.

Water areas often have continues downpours, or sleet and snow drifts, ice and water creatures are common sights. It is seen as a blessing to live close to one of these areas for its infinite source of clean water.

Air filled lands a barren of trees as powerful tornados sweep across the surface and gale winds blow away any debris, the tornados themselves are thought to be sapient.

Earth imbued areas often have great pillars or rock erupting from the ground, the landscape is ever shifting and reforming, brave wanders may come to these places in search of gems or precious metals. Smart wanderers do not as they know of the great rock beasts that wander also.

Pendragon’s Nation

Spoiler

Show

Rumored to be a great nation to the far west, its high walls protect from siege or any unwanted migrants. Home to Uther Pendragon, a great and knowledgeable King. Legend has it that he has hunted and killed all the Dragons left on the world. Well not all of them considering his full name is Utherdryixx.

The Nation is prosperous, peaceful and its level of technological advancement is outstanding. Lord Pendragon heavily encourages the development of science and technology as his potent magic power are a closely guarded treasure.

Pendragon knight are usually adorned in full mechanical plate armour and wield wicked steam powered harpoons.

Everyone in Pendragon's nation is free from violence and tyranny, its harvests are bountiful and its temperate is warm. But to pay for this the citizens must offer their first born daughters to the state to become one of Pendragon's... Brides.

Enduring Bastion the First Iron Hold

Spoiler

Show

Enduring Bastion is generally accepted as the ancestral home of all Dwarven kind. To the casual observer it simply appears to be a squat dull iron fortress, hardly deserving to be the Dwarven hold of legend but the truth is that Enduring Bastion descends deep under ground and stretches wide. Only its inhabitants; The member of The Iron Council know its true size and scope.

Crossroads

Spoiler

Show

Possibly the most prosperous trade site on the continent, whatever you need can be found at Crossroads, its streets are lined with markets, stalls and travelling traders.

Its well known that the reason for Crossroads success is that its run by Devils. Its not an evil place by any means, they just happen to be the best accountants and brokers in existence and run a very tight ship. Their natural bent towards efficient bureaucracy means that its hard to leave Crossroads without getting what you want.

Ironically enough Crossroads is not actually a crossroads as its the joining point of five separate trails. When confronted by this fact the Devils just shrug "You work with what you got." Because of this you cant actually summon a Devil to the site through normal means so no one is quite sure how they all got there in the first place.

City of Shard

Spoiler

Show

Shard is a city build around a large piece of fallen moon, this jagged monolith has attracted many visitors and settlers. It is now home to a cult of people who believe the moon was a Goddess who was broken into pieces by The Bomb and this is a shard of her. They praise and worship it hoping she she will share her divine power.

The Chunk

Spoiler

Show

The Chunk is the piece of the planet that cracked and fell away that now circles the planet like a new moon. To any observer it seems barren and lifeless but unknown to all is that the Chunk contains an Obelisk almost identical to the one found in the Elven jungle kingdom.

The only difference here is that it has shattered, releasing the creature that lives within, an Angel named Telleriax. Obelisks like this were placed into the earth a millennia ago piercing the earths crust and into its molten core, they were designed as a prison to hold an ancient evil in place.

The Angels held within the 8 Obelisks are its jailers, intended to awake in the case of an Obelisk breaking they would ensure it would not happen again and that the other 7 are safe. The Bomb ripped Telleriax's Obelisk from the earth and weakened the restraints on the infernal prisoner allowing his influence to spread into the minds of the weak.

Angels are immortal beings and with that comes a great deal of scope. Telleriax sits on her barren rock and silently plots her next move to ensure the safety of the cosmos.

The Elven Under Jungle

Spoiler

Show

Deep underground in great caves live the Elves, within these caves contain Sunstones that give off a bright yellow light and a special form of radiation that prolongs and invigorates a creatures life force. These stones are the reason for the lush jungle that has filled the caves and given life to extraordinary and dangerous fauna and flora.

The Elven nation has been built up around a great Obelisk thrust into the earth, unknown to them it is the home of the Angel Ominox, the Obelisk remains unbroken and Ominox sleeps peacefully for the time being. The Elves worship the Obelisk as they believe it to be a great conduit for spiritual energy and that they thier souls will use it as a gateway to the beyond when they die. Given the Elves extreme life span this is more often than not attempted through ritual suicide.

While living in a jungle the Elves' culture is far from tribal, the nation boasts a large number of scholars, fine smiths and potent magic users. The Talmirri brotherhood is the governing body of Elven culture and a strict Magocracy, it forbids the exploration of the world above and sharing the secrets of Elven magic with any outsider. Punishment for these crimes and the vast majority of others is death.

The Technocarnum

Spoiler

Show

The base of operations for the Gnomish governing body of the same name, The Technocarnum consists of two great blue steel towers connected by a squat central building, The left adorned with lightning rods and whirling gyros, the right with runes and focus crystals. An electric blue force field is emitted from the central building, emanating out over the entire complex to protect against unwanted guests.

The Left tower is home to the Technocarnum's science and technological development teams, they work night and day producing some of the wastes most deadly energy weapons or mos ingenious gadgets.

The right tower is home to the Technocarnum's Magic users, these mages work to unlock the secrets of magic and invent new spells or simply enhance the effects of old ones. Some users within the tower know and practice the art of mana forging, the technique most likely stolen from the Elves to create potent magical items.

Mac's Slave Pens

Spoiler

Show

This Human/Halfling settlement is run by Big Mac, a Halfling slave trader of considerable girth. A vile man rarely seen without a troupe of armed guards or his harem of slave girls. His complex is aches wide, filled with wire pens containing people from all over the wastes and he is always on the look out for more as business is good.

Mercenaries and Bandits from around the Wastes come to the Pens to either sell their captives to spend some ill gained money in the Pens infamous brothels.

Tellen's Independent Halfling State

Spoiler

Show

This small fenced off colony is home to Halfling Activist Tellen Newbury, a Halfling fighting for the right to separation from Humans. This small town is surrounded by 'high' walls, 6 feet or so tall. All buildings within do not exceed 4ft head room by decree of Tellen and all non-Halflings are to be shot on sight.

The community is poor and in danger of starving as Tellen refuses to trade with any caravan not consisting of 100% Halflings. Recently the community has turned to banditry to supplement the harvest.

Bloodgut Gorge

Spoiler

Show

The home to the infamous tribe of Orcs known as The Bloodguts, this canyon is hundreds of meters deep and almost impossible to climb down leaving it surprisingly easy to defend. The entrance is adorned with bones and carcasses and the whole area reeks of decay. There is no farmland here as The Bloodguts get all their supplies from pillaging.

The Freeland Company Caravan

Spoiler

Show

While not a place the Freeland Company Caravan is a common sight in the wastes, made of a train of Ankh Beetles and scavenged carts, the Caravan is home to the racist mercenaries of The Freeland Company. Easily recognisable from its blue banners and paint that covers the carts and beetles, they are often a welcomed sight for humans looking to get a job done but peoples of the other races turn and run in fear.

Notable NPC's Only placeholder descriptions for the moment.

Uther Pendragon, High King
Dragon in disguise, king of a nation.

Telleriax, Archon of Peace
Angel jailer of the broken Obylisk, currently lives on the chunk planning and waiting, has the power to pacify mortals with a calming aura.

Ominox, Archon of Fury
Angel jailer of the Elven Obylisk, still resides within the Obylisk. Has the power to bend mortals to his will as Hollowmen, also a ruthless warrior.

Scorn, Infernal businessman
Demonic Pawn broker, Cockney nut-job and expert Bureaucrat of the 6th degree.

Big Mac, Slave trader
Halfling slave trader.

Marcus, Company Paymaster
The leader of The Freeland Company.

Tellen Newbury, Halfling activist
Violent Halfling activist. Fights for social separation from Humans, has his own halfling colony.

[Answerer]

I am super-interested and excited to see a homebrew Legend setting.

[Wargor]

I'm the other guy working on this little setting, we're slowing throwing more and more ideas together. Thanks for the interest! What do you think so far?

[Doorhandle]

I'm imagining a barren, dusty-filled world of muck-filled, rusting iron and warped, scar-torn flesh, and it is GLORIOUS.

[GodGoblin]

Thanks for the replies guys, if anyone has any questions, criticisms or ideas let us know!

Would really like to expand the Bestiary so some ideas for critters would be especially great