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    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    DruidGuy

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    Jul 2018
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    Default The Myraid Torn Realms

    I've talked (or maybe rambled) about Phaunia before but never got around to the main setting it's attached to that's used most often. So I'm going give that a go. I've intentionally left big portions of the world blank/vague to make new stuff for future campaigns and I'd love any thoughts or questions that might help shape those blank spots.

    So this is the high-magic world of Eou'ai. It's a bit of a kitchen sink, built piecemeal over years, so I'm not sure where to start. Dnd 5e with lots of homebrew is the system that gets played the most but we've run others here too. Let's get the big points out of the way first:

    The world is doughnut-shaped. I stole most of this from an article I saw years ago about a feasible toroidal world. The north/south poles are instead north/south polar rings. There's two equators - one rimwards, one hubwards. Gravity is a little stronger towards the polar rings than the equators. I've taken some fantastical liberties, like the day being normal-length instead of lasting under four hours. I have it so that there is a thin atmosphere stretching across the hub, so skyships can trade across it. The gravity at the middle of the hub gets cancelled out so I have floating islands there that bob along a north-south axis, always getting pulled back towards the micro-gravity that's right at the world's centre. Navigating the far skies can be dangerous though both because of Embertail (see Geography) and because of the energy storms generated by magical Torrents because...

    The world was torn by a magical catastrophe. About six hundred years ago, the continents-spanning network of arcane practitioners known simply as the Mages experimented with relics rumoured to be from a time before the gods. This triggered an event known as the Surge, with Torrents of reality-tearing magical energies flowing out from the Mages' Towers. The Mages were based primarily in the northern half of the world which as a result was divided by the Torrents into pockets of land, sea and sky flung into spontaneously-created dimensions. The southern half of the world was all that was left. This is obviously nothing new for a high fantasy but...

    They tried to put it back together again. The Torrents originated from the Mage Towers but the Towers themselves were unscathed and teleportation between the towers and the rest of Eou'ai was still possible, but teleportation to the lands beyond the Torrents was not. The Mages became insular communities obsessed with fixing their mistakes in a world that hated them for it. About thirty years ago, after generations of research and experimentation, the Mages attempted the return the lost realms with the Reunion. It was partially successful. The Torrents still flow but it is now possible with some small knowledge of the arcane to find fording points in the kaleidoscopic flow and cross into the lost lands beyond. This attempt however did destroy the Mages - their bodies overwhelmed by magical forces and instantly petrified into a highly valuable material called magebone. The Towers hold a huge excess of magical power and are dangerous places filled with malfunctioning spells and extra-planar beings feasting on the amassed power. The only Mages to survive were the children who were sent away during the dangerous ritual, the few less-magically talented Mages who cared for them and the violent criminals among the Mages' ranks whose prisons were unsealed by the death of their kinfolk. The realms beyond the Torrents are accessible again but they are strange and alien places, changed utterly in the time since the Surge.

    Humans are rare. Humans were a young but ambitious race on the world of Eou'ai. In this setting, humans have a unique biology that makes them somewhat resistant to magic and their blood poison to inherently magical beings, though it doesn't prevent them from using it. They spread far and built ever-expanding Empires. The other races grew to fear and hate the humans - not without cause - and held onto the territories they could by carving up the southern continent and islands between them. Then the Surge happened and the grand realms of the humans were gone overnight. Most of the surviving humans are descended from isolated individuals who lived among the other races already, some of the surviving Mages or the conquesting armies of the lost Empries who happened to be headed for the south when the Surge hit. Some more humans have come back thanks to the Reunion but not many are really human anymore. The sight of a human even in a cosmopolitan city can spark surprise and distrust.

    Food and water can appear from nowhere. Whenever intelligent creatures gather in significant numbers for a significant amount of time a Vestibule will appear. Often an extra door will appear in a building or a new opening in cave or whatever makes sense for the environment. Inside that new entrance you will find a square room in its own pocket dimension. On either side are troughs of flowing water and in the middle is a large table covered in fruits, vegetables and grains appropriate to the surrounding terrain. On the far side is a second door that exits into the Labyrinth - a plane of reality all it's own that only fools enter. If the food is used then Attendents - constructs of metal, crystal, bone and plant matter - will emerge from the Labyrinth to restock the supply. The Vestibule will stay indefinitely even if the people it came to serve have long abandoned it, but it is possible for one to disappear. Nobody's sure what causes this and there are many superstitions and taboos associated with them - most commonly there's a prohibition on lying or causing another harm inside the Vestibule. Vestibules allow communities to survive in extremely inhospitable, fantastical locations but they are also the subject of intrigue and political machinations.

    There's lots of planar shenanigans. Even before the Surge, Eou'ai stood as the crossroads of six other worlds whose planes were coexistant with that of Eou'ai. Phaunia, home of the elves and the Great Ring forest bathed in eternal twilight. Gruma, a volcanic world with eteranlly darkened skies home to the orcs and large deserts of black ash. Ogon, a cold, oceanic world home to the Ledryban and their floting ice cities. Quilya, forested world buffeted by radiation and home of the Drani and their symbiotic, living cities. Tenruk, a storm-covered gas giant home of the kennomok and metallic islands floating on magnetic rivers. Yilth, home of the skrimm and hallucenogenic mists full of psychic predators. These worlds altogether were called the Heptad. After the Surge and Reunion, the uncounted worlds that lie alongside Eou'ai are collevctively called the Myriad. The gods, angels and demons are out there in the wider multiverse as well.

    Having put down the weirdest parts of my setting all in one go, I do want to talk for a bit about the overall philosophy behind this world. I wanted to create a high fantasy world where the only thing that mattered was active choices we made about ourselves and our ties to others. There's no shortage of food or water to require people to work in cooperation if they don't want to. There's definitely communities in this world where people just laze about all day and go to the Vestibule when they're hungry. But there's also nothing to prevent anyone from striving to master their craft or study the secrets of the world. I haven't told my players this, but the thing that causes a Vestibule to disappear is any behaviour that harms social bonds, anything that would make society less social. That can change from community to community and is one of the reasons nobody has been able to make sense of how Vestibules work.

    If you're on the hubward side of Eou'ai you can literally look up and see the world open up above you. You can see the magical devastation that hubris wrought on half the planet, but that might also remind you of the work and sacrifice that went into making it right - if you're so inclined. This is a world where the monstrous is normal and the people who tried to curtail the loud, vibrant, chaotic magic of it all (humans) are a small, reviled minority. This world is full of people who know for a fact there is more than just the world they see around them and have all the time in the world to ask what and who really matters to them. How do you define yourself when all the limitations and conventions fall away? That's meant to be the theme anyway.

    Spoiler: Geography
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    So the world is doughnut-shaped. What does that mean? One consequence is that the landscape on the hubward side is much more rugged, more likely to be the result of tectnoic plates crashing together. Conversely, the rimward side is more likely to be the result of tectonic plates pulling apart - rifts and depressions dotting the landscape.

    Seasons on Eou'ai are influenced by it's tilt, much like Earth. The south polar ring receives half a year of sunlight over the summer (the southern summer, nobody uses the northern seasons because the north is split into other dimensions) and half a year of darkness over the winter. The rimwards side of Eou'ai would experience seasons much like Earth that vary with latitude but with a slightly stronger sun. The hubwards side of Eou'ai is a little different because during spring and autumn the far side of the planet blocks out the sunlight. During the summer and winter the sun shines on the hubward surface during the day and gets reflected off the far side in the night - creating a planetlit twilight. The hubward sides still end up overall warmer than the polar ring but not quite as hot as the equivalent latitude on the rimward side. Since the sun is slightly stronger than the real sun, we end up with a rimward side with climates like Earth but a bit hotter and a hubward side with climates like Earth but a bit cooler (and a bizarre light-dark cycle).

    Ashsweep is the conventional moon of Eou'ai. It's a silvery white moon that orbits outside the doughnut. From the rimwards side it's about the same size as the sun but is a little smaller from the perspective of the hubwards side where it can be seen over the surface of the far side of the planet. Ashsweep has a roughly thirty day cycle where it goes through the standard phases of the moon.

    Embertail is the second satellite of Eou'ai - some rimwards folks refuse to call it a moon. It's much smaller than Ashsweep but orbits by passing up and down through the hub and slowly tracing out a criss-cross path over the hubwards surface. Because it orbits much closer to the surface it appears much larger in the sky when it passes overhead but closer to the size of Ashsweep from the far side of the planet. It is not visible from the rimward side. Embertail passes through the hub once every seven days or so. It's metallic and so when it passes through the thin atmosphere of the hub friction causes it to warm up and glow red from the heat, leaving a trail of smoking atmosphere behind it. During this process pieces often break off of Embertail leaving a trail of glowing motes that is its namesake. Sometimes these pieces make it to the land, containing valuable materials and sometimes bearing an monstrous hitchiker.

    Plenary is the only continent left on Eou'ai that hasn't been at least partially torn apart by the Torrents. There are other landmasses as well - especially around the hub - but none of them are large enough to be called continents. Plenary however is particularly large, spreading from the rimwards equator over the southern polar ring, all the way to the hubwards equator. Across such a large landmass there are many different biomes from deserts to tundra to verdant forests.

    The Immerian Sea is found on the hubward side of Plenary, divided from the Somnol Sea on the rimward side by the seasonal southern ice caps and the northern lands now lost to the Torrents. The Immerian Sea is known for being an angry and dangerous ocean to traverse by ship with frequent storms and tidal waves. The only exception to this is Lotus, a mysterious archipelago in the Immerian Sea not far south of the lost lands of the north. For some reason Lotus never experiences extreme weather or disasters in the way the rest of the Immerian does. Of course, Lotus has enough madness in it's own history that it doesn't need any to be a dangerous place. The Immerian Sea is the namesake of the Immerian race who were created as a side-effect of the Surge.

    The Somnol Sea is found on the rimward side of Plenary. It's far more tame than the Immerian however there are fewer islands that can provide a harbour along the rim and the distances one has to travel are greater. This means that the only ships that sail far out the Somnol Sea are those that expect to be isolated for particularly long periods of time - making such trips prohibitively expensive. There are sometimes dwarven convoys that sail across the Somnol in grand processions, but these are few and far between.


    Spoiler: Races
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    There are many races found on Eou'ai, but not all are native to the world.

    Races native to Eou'ai
    Spoiler: Humans
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    Humans are native to Eou'ai and, as discussed above, are a younger race. Following the Surge they are extremely rare. and widely reviled. My humans are a little homebrewed: They get a do-over to resist a magical effect once per day and can choose one kind of creature type (other than humanoid or beast) that their blood is mildly toxic too.

    Spoiler: Immerians
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    The Immerians were born as a result of the Surge. Some of the people who lived on the edge of the Surge's effect, namely those in the Immerian Sea were transformed. Their souls were permanently damaged, making it necessary for them to find some external spiritual power to allow them live a healthy life. Derogatively called the Half-born, the Immerians have been forging an identity and territory for themselves in the last few centuries but both are as fractured as the population itself. They can be found in Lotus and the Immerian coasts.

    This is what all the plane-touched and genasi get called in my setting, the rational being that the spirtual force they draw on is divine, profane or elemental.

    Spoiler: Dwarves
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    Long ago, before humans, the dragons nearly took over all of Eou'ai. The people called out to their respective gods and three races were born: dwarves, halflings and giants. The dwarves were made strong and hardy. They were made to be the very ideal of collective action, fielding a war machine that puts to shame any force seen before or since. The dwarves suffered more losses than they have since made gains but they endured and dwarves are found across the land and running mountain strongholds of their own.

    Dwarven subraces are determined by birth order in Eou'ai. The first born are makers (Hill dwarves) who build-up and maintain their clan. Then are the warriors (Mountain dwarves) who are known to be particularly in tune with their instincts and superstitious. Then come the scholars who keep the clans laws, histories and bureaucracy running. Finally, there are nobles who are known for their charisma and diplomacy.

    The dwarves view each of their gods as having four faces - one for each kind of subrace. Their temples feature huge square pillars that depict the gods' different faces on each side. Just as the gods are more than one face, the clan is more than one dwarf and the dwarves are expected to place the good of the clan above their selfish needs just as much as they are expected to bring other dwarves in line for failing to do so.

    Spoiler: Halflings
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    Long ago, before humans, the dragons nearly took over all of Eou'ai. The people called out to their respective gods and three races were born: dwarves, halflings and giants. The halflings were made quiet, careful and trustworthy. They hid from their dragon overlords and survived. They cared for others in those dark times and are widely respected even today - except by the dwarves and giants who insist they stood against the dragons and drove them back. Of course, they underestimate what a quiet halflings did in preserving society and single cunning halfling with a vial of poison can take down a dragon more easily than a warrior of the dwarves or giants.

    Spoiler: Giants
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    Long ago, before humans, the dragons nearly took over all of Eou'ai. The people called out to their respective gods and three races were born: dwarves, halflings and giants. The giants (homebrewed goliaths) were made tall and given the ability to draw on elemental power from their surroundings. Your average giant is only about eight feet tall, but through deep meditaion they can drink in the forces around them. This causes them to swell to greater and greater size and gain elemental powers. Not all can perform this transformation, and those that do possess the ability can usually only transform into something that's still pretty close to their current form and maintain it for a few minutes. The truly spectacular, permanent transformations are performed by masters of their own forms. Such masters gain this ability through decades of ascetic practice and are considered the spirtual leaders of the giants.

    The giants are not communal in the way the dwarves are. The gifts their gods gave them drive them to strike out on their own and to prove themselves worthy of greatness. The giants do not build cities, instead building temples that nomadic giants will move between in a never-ending pilgrimage and trial. Because of their powers, the few times the dwarves and giants have put their differences aside to forge weapons together - as they did in the wars with the dragons - are unparalelled in quality and power.

    Spoiler: Dragonborn
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    Dragons possess the ability to draw on the essence of other things. The elder dragons could even create new draconic life using this essence. That is how we ended up with so many kinds of dragons and less draconic beasts like the drakes. However, the dragonborn - or Rounidh as they like to call themselves - despise that they are not considered the primary draconic life form. In their view, they are the heirs of the elder dragons, and dragons are simply intelligent drakes.

    The dragonborn often organize themselves into legions that march through the lands looking for sources of power where they can hatch their eggs. They are always in conflict with dragons and are the world's best domesticator of draconic life - from drakes to pseudodragons.

    Spoiler: Forgeborn
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    (This setting's warforged) During the war with the dragons, the dwarves and giants united their forces. Taking inspiration from the Stonehearts, they crafted intelligent beings from the forge. Forgeborn are not terribly common, but moreso than humans at least. The secrets of how to create more of their number are not widely known. What is known is that it requires skill on par with a dwarven master and a powersource on par with a giant master. This leaves many forgeborn on the eternal serach to find a means of creating more of their number, of finding family. Others strive to find meaning in their lives as they are.

    Spoiler: Nairo
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    A strange race. Nairos are a psionically gifted people born from extreme emotions and dreams. They are a tall humanoid race with elongated heads and blue skin speckled with bioluminescent flecks of white. When an intelligent creature makes an emotional connection with a nario they care for - through a meaningful conversation, a moving performance or even being betrayed, then that memory has a chance of becoming a seed. It is unlikely to affect the host in any way unless they experience a singularly intense emotion. This will cause the infant nairo to begin taking form in the host's dreams - though they may be unaware of this. Eventually the host will begin sleep-walking under the nairo's influence and communicating telepathically with other nearby narios if there are any. Eventually the nairo will completely manifest as an adolescent in the physical world - sometimes without the host having ever known about them at all.

    The intense emotion that caused the Nairo to develop will determine it's subrace. Hatred creates envenomators who can deal extra psychic damage. Love creates celebrators who can heal their allies. Fear creates tormentors who can hinder their foes.

    Nairos are comparatively rare, but envenomators become much more common during wars. The Phosteron empire collapsed in on itself when it waged a war against the nairos, inadvertently spelling their own doom. They gather in small communities and generally keep to themselves as there are common prejudices held against them. They cannot be born from psionically active individuals like other nairos or the skrimm. Not surprisingly, the skrimm are one of the few races on good terms with the nairo.

    Spoiler: Stonehearts
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    A race of intelligent stone creatures native to the deep caverns for below the surface of Eou'ai. They are given life by their soulstone - that lies in the centre of their chest. This is the seat of their personalities and memories. When they have lived long enough and gained enough experiences they will cocoon, their soulstone dividing in two and produce two young stonehearts who share the some of the memories of their parent, while others are divided between them. This creates a vast knowledge base stretching back over the generations but the more generations a memory passes through, the more likely it is to fade. There are ancient memories commone to the entire stoneheart race but they are vague and unclear. For example, some say they contain instructions bequeathed by their creator while others think they might be nothing more than a conversation between two people from the early days of their race and neither really knows what the content of those instructions or that conversation was for certain.

    Stonehearts are hardy - being made of stone - and are often employed as guards or mercenaries. However it is rare for large communities of stonehearts to settle on the surface. Stoneheart guards are individuals who have set out to find their own fortunes or interesting experiences to their memories. Stoneheart communities can be found in dwarven mountain holds - the two races have amiable relations for a long time. Afterall, the stonehearts' soulstones were the inspiration for the dwarves and giants creating the Forgeborn. Some have taken to settling on the Phosteron citadels on Embertail, being able to survive the lack of atmosphere and intense heat Embertail's passings cause.

    Spoiler: Phosterons
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    The Phosterons are a humanoid race with insectoid features (They're basically the luminoth from Metroid Prime 2 because I always loved the design). They are thought to be native to the floating isles in the middle of the hub and have a variety of strange adaptions. They do not need to breath and are resistant to extreme hot and cold, being able to survive in virtual voids for extended periods of time. They can manipulate light to create wings that give them limited flying ability - though it is perfectly sufficient in the micro-gravity of the floating isles. There are three subraces. The infradine can see into the infrared part of the spectrum. The visidra can create illusions and the ulvires can see magic.

    The Phosterons were the first race to develop skyships and ultimately voidships. Their voidships weren't particularly hospitable to creatures not used to living in near voids so apart from Phosterons, only Forgeborn and Stonehearts were regularly found on Phosteron ships. The Phosterons used the great wealth their skyships and voidships brought them to fund a vast empire based out of citadels they built on Embertail. However, the Phosterons' hubris spelled their doom. They used their voidships to investigate further than anyone in recorded history but they kept losing missions. They poured ever more resources into maintaining their foolish endeavours. They built ships to send other races out as well, calling in specialists to investigate. Crews that endured horrific ordeals sometimes produced Narios and the Nairos were blamed for the problems that it was plain to see they were innocent of. The Phosterons waged a war against the Narios that doomed them. Eventually the beasts they had awakened made it to Embertail. The Phosterons lost several of their Citadels. There were other dangers on Embertail that kept the stalking monsters from taking completel control. Some Citadels remain and there is a mad Phosteron there who names herself Empress but they no longer hold their monopoly on skyships and it is rare to see an expensive voidship these days.

    Phosterons are a race who have fallen from grace and can be found scattered throughout the lands of the south.

    Spoiler: Hanvers
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    Native to the deep abyssal waters, hanvers are a populous race though the surface dwellers may not realise it. There are three subraces of hanvers - the myliotids who resemble stingrays, the myxinis who resemble hagfish and the scyphozoans who resemble jellyfish. They trade with the other aquatic races and rarely have direct interactions with the surface dwellers. An exception is under the city of Lotus - or the Cage as the hanvers call it - where a sizable settlement of hanvers has taken root.

    Spoiler: Devourers
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    Long, long ago, the devourer were the dominant force on Eou'ai. They are large serpentine creatures with large bone crests on their heads and two pairs of arms - one ending in clawed hands and the other ending in scythe-like claws. They group together in "pits" where they pursue metamorphosis. By consuming enough, a devourer can undergo metamorphosis and change it's form to gain different features. This is considered a sacred rite but the devourers wit the highest ranking members of the pit protecting the metamorphosis-chambers. Eventually a pit will have devastated their surrounding area and the strongest members will change to a form with wings and spread out. Most are unaware of their existance because they have been in a deep stasis for millnennia - said to be the work of druids who intervened to prevent them destroying the world's ecosystem. Most are not actually malicious and it is said some Devourers aided the druids who put them into stasis, but there were some who could be described as truly evil. Through complex magics these were sealed on Ashsweep, far from the reach of anyone who would accidentally awaken them... until the Phosteron's hubris led them to send voidships there.

    Spoiler: Sylloges
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    The sylloges are a race of reincarnating spirts. They are manifestations of the natural world in humanoid form and will pursue a full life. After a few days, they will be reborn a youth somewhere nearby. This poses some complications for those who wish to resurrect a sylloge as they will lose their chance if the soul reincarnates - if this happens the body of the former sylloge will vanish. Each life is independent of those that came before. They do have the ability to tap into their previous lives' memories but this is limited. It seems that they once had a much more complex society but have since decided to pursue lives among the younger mortal races.

    There are three main subraces of the sylloges, solar sylloges who can wield light and fire, lunar sylloges who can wield the power of change and stellar sylloges who have a gift for divination. There are also corrupted sylloges. If a sylloge of any subrace dies in a tainted place, there is a risk that their soul will take on some of that taint, becoming twisted and unnatural. This most frequently happens to solar sylloges who have a penchant for chargin into dangerous situations to set right a wrong.

    Spoiler: Beastfolk
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    The beastfolk are perhaps the most ancient race on Eou'ai alongside the sylloges. There is evidence that the beastfolk were active on not just Eou'ai but it's sister worlds too long before any other civilisations had risen. However, in modern times they are treated as second class citizens by the other races who wield more power. There are three subraces - the furred folk who walk and climb, the feathered folk who climb and the scaled folk who swim. They can be found across all of Eou'ai but the furred folk are the most likely to be found in the settlements of other races.


    Races not native to Eou'ai
    Portals between Eou'ai and the six worlds in it's parallel universes are uncommon but there's always a few active portals at any one time. Making artificial portals is possible but requires very powerful magic and these portals are always small and short-lived. Natural portals can be sizable and last for years (those qualities being correlated), but they are difficult to predict. For example, generally a portal to the icy waters of Ogon will open in icy waters, but there is no guarantee. When a large portal opens and is found quickly, it's not uncommon for a town to rapidly pop up by the portal to facilitate trade and transportation and then be completely deserted once it closes.
    Spoiler: Elves
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    The elves come from the Twilit Between on the co-existant planet of Eou'ai. A bunch of rambling about Phaunia is in my signature if you're curious but basically it's a tidally locked planet that experiences a cycle of seven seasons driven by a periodic but irregular, world-spanning wildfire. Depending on the season they were born in the elf will have a different subrace: charnel elves are resistant to fire and can hear the screams of the dying, seer elves are resistant to cold and have enhanced vision, harvest elves have inherent druidic magic, wild elves have bestial features, noble elves have a constant glamour in effect that makes people do what they want, vitiator elves can use inherent arcane magic, hunter elves are gifted with strength and tracking instincts.

    Those elves born away from their homeworld and its unique season are born as Lost Elves. Their bodies cannot decide on their final form being torn between two worlds giving them the ability to alter their appearance and even turn ethereal for a short time. The elves first came to Eou'ai fleeing natural disaster from their homeworld and many have found it difficult to go back because of the changes leaving their world caused.

    Spoiler: Orcs
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    Orcs are not considered inherently evil or stupid on Eou'ai. On their homeworld of Gruma they endure in towns built in the toxic clouds alongside volcanic pits - one of the few sources of light and heat on the world's surface. These are sources of industry and orcs have built many interesting alchemical wonders both on Gruma and Eou'ai. They also travel the ash deserts between their towns and even thrive their. They have a deep spirtual connection to the wraith tree forests and tar lakes of their homeworld and are largely peaceful. However, there are roving warbands that take from towns and caravans rather than producing for themselves.

    It was one of these warbands that were the first orcs to travel to Eou'ai. A world of relative plenty the warband quickly became a horde and forged for itself and empire. While orcish kingdoms have a habit of overextending themselves and imploding, there are still orcs who come to Eou'ai seeking a riches and land believing that can take what they want from the soft and weak locals. Many orcs on Eou'ai, especially those who were born there, are simply a part of society now.

    Spoiler: Ledrybani
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    The aquatic race native to the icy oceans of Ogon. They are silvery skinned humanoids with webbed hands and feet and a dorsal fin that extends into a retractable fan-like protrusion on their heads. They can manipulate ice or snow depending on their subrace and have used this ability to build great cities atop icebergs that they maintain but they are just at home in the frigid waters as they are above them.

    Nobody is sure how long the Ledrybani have been swimming into Eou'ai's polar waters but there is evidence that they arrived on Eou'ai long before the orcs or elves. They have good relations with the hanvers and those that have taken to swimming in warmer climes have made fast friends with the scaled folk of the beastfolk. They have founded their own kingdom on the polar coast of the southern continent and lauch trading missions across the seas of two worlds from there.

    Spoiler: Drani
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    The Drani are a plant-based race from the irradiated forests of Quilya. They are unusal in that a single Drani consists of two symbiotiaclly connected individuals - the tree and the vine. They are born from seeds that take root and begin growing the tree. Once it is about the size of a adult human, the tree pulls up it's roots and becomes an omnivorous scavenger that wanders the area, though at this point they are not intelligent and adults know to give these saplings patience and a wide berth when possible. The tree continues to grow and will then be ready to produce the vine from it's trunk. A Drani vine is not unlike a green, long-tentacled squid, only the vine can contort its tentacles into many forms to suit it's needs and may spend most of it's life in the form of a humanoid. The vine can wander freely from the tree but maintains a telepathic connection with it and will return to it to sleep inside the hollow in its trunk. Over time the vine will grow to the size of an adult humanoid and the tree will grow larger and larger. The tree remains mobile though it is slow and prefers to spend long periods immobile, resting and listening unless bidden to move by the vine. When the Drani reaches old age they enter stasis, the vine coming to rest with all their collected treasure inside the hollow of the tree which then seals and remains stationary indefinitely.

    Generally, trees will gather together to form colonies around a core of the oldest sleeping trees. To outsiders it really does look like the Drani vines living in a city of regular trees that they have shaped to suit their needs. The truth emerges when the Drani are threatened as the quiet trees rouse themselves to defend their settlement. Drani culture reveres it's elders and the slumbering trees at the heart of their cities are lovingly cared for until their eventual deaths, where they are removed with great respect.

    Drani are not a common sight on Eou'ai. They are sometimes employed as spies and watchmen since the Drani trees do look just like ordinary trees to the untrained eye. The Drani generally avoid interacting with the other races who they consider strange having only a single mind per individual. They can sometimes be rather ignorant of the ways of others as a result. It has happened that a Drani will settle down for a nap in a forest used for lumber only to be rudely woken by a hatchet blade to the tree. This rarely ends will for the woodsmen.

    Spoiler: Kennomok
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    An avian race native to the gas giant Tenruk. The kennomok's feathers are metallic, due to their native environment on the ore-rich isles in the magnetic rivers that wind between their homeworld's constant storms. Depending on the metal they ingest: iron, copper, silver or gold, they will have different feathers, abilities and status among their own people. They use their metallic wings to glide through the magnetic rivers of their home world, moving from island to island. This dangerous environment has bred a culture of strict honour and physical conditioning.

    The first kennomok to arrive on Eou'ai found it to be far more hospitable but it was at the cost of their ability to truly fly. Some have adapted to life among the other races, bringing their code of honour and training regimen founding a number of schools of fighting that are respected to this day. However almost all kennomok on Eou'ai are iron kennomok because it is not unheard of for people to assail them to take the other kinds of feathers - a deeply humiliating ordeal for their kind.

    Spoiler: Skrimm
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    The skrimm are a race native to the world of Yilth. The surface of Yilth is covered by unusual fungi that cover the land in a fog of spores during the day. These spores have hallucenogenic effects that differ depending on the strain of fungus present in a given area and there are creatures on Yilth like the flying dream drinker that use psionic abilities to feed on those caught in an altered state in the fog. There are also dangerous nocturnal beasts that keep the night from being a safe haven. The Skrimm are a race of humanoids completely covered in pitch black fur that reflects no light. This means in darkness the skrimm is indistinguishable from the darkness around it as long as it keeps it's mouth and milky eyes shut. The skrimm have used this trait to survive the nights of their home when they move about outside their settlements.

    One subrace grows horns as black as their fur. The horned skrimm have the ability to create a sphere of light between their horns and to produce an aura that prevents people from lying. The other subrace has tusks as dark as their fur. Tusked skrimm have the ability to manipulate shadows and can plant false memories by charming people.

    The skrimm are considered unsettling by most other races but they have found their place on Eou'ai. Many of the products from their home are highly prized, though often for unscrupulous reasons and this has made skrimm a common sight at the black markets around the world. They are also one of the few races who are on good terms with the nairo, being a fellow psionically gifted race. Interstingly, because they are psionically gifted nairo cannot be born from a skrimm. This just makes relations between the two races easier.

    Spoiler: Changelings/Gnomes
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    In this setting changelings and gnomes are the same race - just different subraces - but are widely called changelings in the setting. They are native to the Warren - a network of paths that cross the planes both near and far. Their kind can be found throughout the multiverse and as such they have an extremely adaptable biology, hence why some can change form. Their forms are so mutable in fact that it is not uncommon to find changelings who have grafted plants or implanted gems or other ornaments directly into their bodies - not as piercings but as objects that have merged with their forms.

    The driving factor behind changeling culture and society is their curse. All draconic life hates them on a base, instinctual level. If changelings gather in any numbers, dragons will smell them and descend to kill them. So changelings are almost always on their own - either travelling merchants or tradesmen or having set up shop in a town or village full of other races. In sufficiently large cities, changelings can gather in small commmunities - their scent hidden by the scale of odors produced by people around them. It is not uncommon for a changeling parent to have to abandom their child to be raised by other races for fear that a dragon might find them if they stay with their own kind. This is where their ability to change form can come in particularly handy imitating the creatures around it to seem like one of their children. This ability usually fades in adulthood but not always.

    They have particularly long lifespans and have a tendancy to gather many, many different skills over the centuries. So they can be let stay with villages or towns as a jack-of-all trades who will fill whatever roles are vacant. They are regarded with superstition and distrust by many but it is also said to be bad luck to harm a changeling so that gives them a measure of protection. And it is indeed a bad idea to spill changeling blood. If the smell of a changeling just going about their day can draw the wrath of dragons imagine what smelling fresh blood would do.

    Spoiler: The Woven
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    The Woven are a race of ethereal beings from the spaces between planes - the Ethereal Expanse (basically the Astral Sea). They are composed of different Strands - ethereal bodies - woven together into a single, intelligent individual. In order to interact with the physical world they have to possess non-living materials formed into a functioning skeleton. They are an extremely rare sight, and most who do see a Woven would probably confuse them for some kind of Forgeborn.

    In order to survive a Woven must feed it the necessary essence that it is grown from. This can be anything from the essence of nature's beauty to increasingly abstract and strange concepts the Woven insist they will know when they see it. They reproduce by taking one of their own Strands and splitting off a part of it to feed the Weaving of a new member of their race. This weaving is performed by a caste of Weavers and the Strands can be sourced from any number of other Woven. The splitting of a Strand is extremely taxing on the doner and would destroy them unless they can keep their Strands strong.

    Last edited by GaelofDarkness; 2020-05-15 at 08:36 PM.
    According to easydamus, I'm a 4th level CG elf wizard. Str 9 - Dex 11 - Con 9 - Int 18 - Wis 14 - Cha 16.

    Homebrew setting (or part thereof): Phaunia and the Twilit Between

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    DruidGuy

    Join Date
    Jul 2018
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    IRL
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    Default Re: The Myraid Torn Realms

    I guess these will have to go in this post.

    Spoiler: Nations
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    Because of the nature of Vestibules, there isn't the same need to control large swathes of farmland to protect a food supply. So control of the Vestibules is far more important than the control of land. This has led to a large number of city states and fewer large kingdoms or empires even though there are established means of reliable transport between them. Those empires that have sprung up tend to have a great deal of autonomy on the local level.

    Spoiler: Lotus: The Ten-fold City
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    Lotus is the name of both a city and a cluster of islands in the Immerian Sea. There are eight, large tear-drop-shaped islands arranged in a circle around a number of smaller islands. From above, these large islands look like petals of a flower which gives the place its name. Each of the large islands has a small mountain on it wider/outer side and a stretch of low-lying flat land on its narrower/inner side. The City of Lotus is built across the islands inside with satellites built on the large surrouding islands. The islands are mysterious for a few reasons. No storm or tidal wave ever affects the islands. The inner islands are actually just parts of protrusions sticking out from the larger islands and below them lies an underwater shaft whose depth has never been established. Further, each mountain has a large, winding ruins built underneath it. Nobody knows where these came from nor what they are. They have never been successfully mapped out as they appear to change everytime someone enters them and are full of hazards and monsters. They contain an abundance of Vestibules which sustain the ruins' inhabitants.

    Lotus has a long history. It is perhaps one of the oldest known settlements on Eou'ai. It is often called the Ten-fold City because of the many different layers built on top of each other. It is known as the Worm's Maw, the Ossuary Isles, Dragon Hive, Eight Gates, the Heaven of Lies, Cage of the Abyss, the City of the Southern Tower and the Heart of the Half-Born. It earned the name the Worm's Maw from when it was overrun by a demon incursion, the Ossuary Isles from when it was ruled by a council of liches and their undead forces, Dragon Hive from when it was used as a base of operations when the dragons nearly conquered the world, Eight Gates from the great barriers between the outer isles the dwarves and giants built between the outer islands after defeating the dragons, the Heaven of Lies by being both a den of swindling grifters and because there are several floating estates over the city that it is mandated remain invisible so as not to block the sunlight, Cage of the Abyss from the hanvers who have taken up residents near the top of the deep underwater shaft who have a different view of the city's geographic position, the City of the Southern Tower because the southern-most of the Mages' Towers is built atop the peak of the north-western island and Heart of the Half-Born because it is the location where most people were transformed into Immerians by the Surge.

    About one in three of the population of Lotus was tranformed by the Surge and Immerians remain the single largest group. However, six centuries on, Lotus remains a cosmopolitan place with many different races living alongside each other in relative harmony. There was a time when the Immerians desired to forge a nation of their own in Lotus, but these factions left for the coast of Plenary where they established colonies. An unusual feature of Lotus is that it has a significant population of humans. When the Surge happened, a fleet of humans was headed south to lead an invasion of what is now Plenary. Much of their number became Immerians and in trying to find aid for their ailing people they came to Lotus where the Immerians first learned to draw on spirtual energies to sustain themselves. On Eou'ai humans have a trait that makes them poisonous to some kinds of creatures and this force had many who were toxic to the undead. Since Lotus used to be ruled by undead liches, there are some necromantic powers lying dormant in parts of the city that occassionally cause the dead to rise and cause havoc. Due to the aid these humans showed their Immerian brethren and help they offered in putting down an outbreak of undeath, the humans were granted amnesty and refuge. Today the peak of the western island holds the garrison of the Dead Slayers - the single largest population of humans left alive on Eou'ai.

    Today, Lotus is governed by the Guilds and a class of hereditary nobles who descend from the leaders of the many factions who finally defeated the dragon tyrants many centuries ago. Each noble house holds lands covering no more than one of the small inner islands or even a fraction of that. They govern Lotus as a whole collectively through the Convocation of Lotus though now the Guilds have forced their way to have a seat at the table too. (The Convocation of Lotus is loosely inspired by the Common Council of the City of London).

    Since the Reunion, it has been possible to enter the lost lands beyond the Torrents. This has provided opportunities for exploration and plunder. Lotus has been the launching point for many of these expeditions. They are the source of much fanfare and propaganda between the Houses of Lotus. However this has been a source of conflict with the Dead Slayers who consider some of these territories their ancestral lands. Of course, there is the potential for profitable new resources and discoveries in these alien realms as well, so naturally the Guilds have their machinations at play as well.

    The eight large islands all contain potential encounters both atop their mountain peaks and in the mysterious ruins below. The north-western mountain has a Mage Tower devastated by the Reunion. The western mountain is home to the Dead Slayers. The south-western mountain is cursed by an eternal blizzard whose origins have been lost to history though common theories about the culprit include powerful former residents such as dragons, demons and liches. The southern mountain is nicknamed Voidcinder Peak as a voidship crash landed there during the time of the Phosteron Empire's fall - though the Phosteron's insist it wasn't one of their ships - and strange sitings have been reported from the mountain's slopes ever since. The southeastern mountain is the site of a former orcish alchemical lab where mad experimentation led to disaster with toxic alchemical fires and malfunctioning constructs being found there to this day. The eastern mountain is the tallest of the mountains around Lotus and the site of its skyship port. The northeastern mountain used to be the site of a kennomok monastery where students would come to train in the martial arts but about a decade ago it became the site of a large portal to Yilth that sees its hallucenogenic fog of spores filled with psychic predators roam it's slopes by night. The northern mountain is riddled with portals to the Warren - an interplanar network like the Labyrinth but run wild and full of bizarre flora and fauna from other planes - where nothing can be trusted, not even gravity.


    Spoiler: Baria: City of Colours
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    On the Immerian coast there is a stretch dominated by forested karst mountains. If one knows the paths they can find there way to the huge sea cave that contains the city of Baria. The majority of the sea cave is taken up by water, with the city being mostly built along the edge of the water and up terraces built into the walls. This cave is just the beginning of a network that stretches back into the valleys beyond, some dry and some flooded. The city has wormed its way into these passages as it has grown. There are also some openings in the rock directly above the water that some feathered folk have taken to building their roosts in.

    Baria is famed as the capital of the dying and textiles industry on Plenary. While the city does have a mayor, all the real power lies in the five great merchant families - one elven, one dwarven, one halfling, one giant and one orcish. Each keeps secrets about a different method or source for their processes. Not all of these purely for show. Some of their products can provide camoflauge, absorb sound, deflect certain types of damage and so on. Recently a new rival to the dominance of the five families has arrived on the scene, an Immerian family who can produce silk robes that produce emotional effects in those around you. The Immerians are looking to become a new force in the City of Colours while the five families strive to prevent them.

    Rather than opening directly into the sea, the cave that contains Baria opens to the Stinking Sound on the islands of which the city's tanneries lie. The water of the Stinking Sound is magically filtered to prevent it from entering Baria proper but that just makes the water in the Sound all the more concentrated with pollutants. The five families each maintain different facilities on the Sound and these are some of the most heavily guarded places in the entire city as they are thought to contain the families' secrets. Barians refer to these guards colloquially as the Miasma as they never really get rid of the smell that permeates their equipment.

    The tunnels and valleys leading off from Baria contain many oppotunities for adventure as well. From collecting the flora and fauna needed for their products, to escorting caravans, to diplomacy with the nearby Beastfolk tribes displaced by the Immerian colonies to the west, to retrieving artifiacts from tombs and shrines built by the halflings who have lived in these valleys since before Baria's founding.


    Spoiler: Riss Kor: The Great Forge
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    The dwarven city of Riss Kor is one of the greatest on the rimward side of Plenary. Unlike the typical dwarven stronghold that is built into a mountain, Riss Kor is built into the sides of a great rift formed by two tectonic plates moving apart. The ground is a source of rare minerals but is also dotted with caustic pools in unnatural colours. The forges of Riss Kor, built along the cliff-face, are said to have armed the dwarven armies of old and is still considered home to some of the greatest weaponsmiths in the world. The Somnel Sea is relatively close to Riss Kor and it is trade to and from this great city that often prompts the dwarves to send convoys of trading vessels across the Somnel.

    The city is also famed for the gladitorial fights conducted in honour of Threig, the dwarven god of strength and power. Rather than conducting the fights in an arena, they build wooden platforms that they set afloat in the caustic pools. The combatants fight on these platforms which will gradually disolve into the pools below. It is strongly recommended that nobody without a dwarf's fortitude attempt to enter these fights as the fumes make even staying upright a challenge and contact with the pool below will at the very least scar you for life.

    The city is ruled by a monarch who is part of an unbroken line stretches back many centuries. They practice ultimogeniture, so the youngest of the ruling monarch's children inherits the title. The current monarch is young Queen Siegrild, who has nine older siblings. Eight of the nine are accomplished and well-respected members of Riss Kor society - a general, a veteran of the gladiatorial fights, a bladesmith, an armourer, a jeweler, a wizard, a chronicler and an ambassador to the elven city of Oyhan. However, her ninth sibling attempted a coup against her when she first came to power and he has been exiled from Riss Kor and their allied lands. Though he may have had a point - there are whispers about Siegrild and her rash nature, that she is not half the queen her mother was.


    Spoiler: Oyhan: Seat of the Green Pavilion
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    This a city state established by the lost elves. On the elves' native Phaunia there are very few permanent structures. They sing trees into convenient forms and erect pavilions in place of palaces. The lost elves have brought these arts to a whole new level. The city is a sprawling mass of intertwining trees and climbers grown over centuries, some of which are of titanic proportions. This is one of the few places where Drani can be found in abundance with Drani trees planted inbetween the sung trees. The lost elves are able to pass through dead wood but not living wood while in their ethereal form, so they have built hollows into the trees sealed behind boards of cut timber with resin. There are entire buildings that are only accessible by the lost elves or others who can develop the means to pass through solid wood.

    The true crown jewel of Oyhan however is the Green Pavilion. While the elves of Phaunia have pavilions one might call lavish, the Green Pavilion is astounding. A several storey tall palace constructed from cloth and ribbons and tapestries supported only by wooden poles - large ones, certainly - but even the floors are magically fortified fabric. The inside is illuminated by lanterns holding captured fireflies bred for colour and luminosity as flame is forbidden in the Pavilion. There is also a strict prohibition on on anything bladed or pointed from entering the Pavilion. The members of the elven elite clamber up and glide down the floors using silken ropes. Some with particularly high station are given residence in the Pavilion by the Symposium.

    The Symposium is Oyhan's ruling body though it is a bizarre system of government where rulers are elected based on who the best entertainer is. There are positions for the best singers, supplier of wine, baker of deserts, director of theatre, etc. on the Symposium which sits at the heart of the Green Pavilion. There are technically no requirements that members be lost elves but there are many factors that count against others who would hold a position - not least of which is that the Symposium's chambers can't even be reached without passing through the great tapestries of its walls by going ethereal. Some have managed the feat however, the current Vigneron Laureate is actually an air Immerian who has somehow gained the ability to turn into a cloud of gas and float into and out of the Symposium Chambers. It is also suspected the Vigneron Laureate was able to win the position by spoiling the wines of his competitors while still in their casks.


    Spoiler: Durowag: Kingdom of the Crags
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    Durowag is a kingdom of some size across the mountains of hubward Plenary. The line of orcish kings who rule there started with a large force that was marshalled by an alliance of respected leaders to carve a place for themselves on Eou'ai, the sole survivor of those leaders became the first king, establishing his capital at Spitting Crag, a mostly dormant volcano deep in the mountains. The kings of Durowag have learned from the mistakes of previous invasions by orcish forces, and have found ways to make their reign sustainable. As this is the fifth king of Durowag, there methods appear to be working.

    Spitting Crag was not always Spitting Crag. It used to be Lyekki, site of one of the most important temples to the giant people. The fire giants who managed the temple either fled or agreed to serve under the orcish kings, reasoning that their might had proven their right to rule there. As Durowag expanded a similar pattern emerged with new subjects having to choose between service, exile or death. This has affected many communities who called the mountains home, notable dragonborn, stonehearts, kennomok and scrimm. There is a sizable resistance to the forces of Durowag led by some of the displaced and aided by forces of solar Sylloges.

    The kingdom of Durowag has maintained its grip by welcoming orc war bands from the portals that open relatively frequently in the region who want to join their forces on the condition that they swear fealty and by integrating local populations into the kingdom. They maintain strict control over all known Vestibules in the region and only allow loyalists access to the food and water supply. They have even engaged in the unthinkable, intentionally sabotaging the Vestibules of places that hold out against their forces to destroy them. But even so, there are defenders of Durowag. While the line of kings is orcish, anyone may rise through the ranks of the kingdom regardless of any previous social standing they might have had. Durowag denies access to Vestibules to rebels at any opportunity they have but loyalists will be looked after no matter their ability. Law and order is enforced and not simply in name. This is one of the few places where copper, silver and even gold kennomok can be found walking about freely because there is so little risk of their precious feathers being plucked.

    The Kingdom's armies are known for their daring and cunning tactics, taking full advantage of the mountains and valleys in their warring. Their alchemists are always producing innovations - not all intended to have military function, but enough that their equipment far surpasses those who fight against them in most instances. The current king is himself an alchemist who is known for leading the sappers in war rather than heavily armoured warriors favoured by his forebears. He is wildly popular in Durowag. Some whisper that he desires peace rather than war and continues Durowag's conquest only to end constant threats posed by neighbouring territories who are turned against them by rebel forces.



    Spoiler: Anpocu: Crown of the Immerian Coast
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    The city of Anpocu is one of the main Immerian colonies established since the Surge on the coast of the Immerian Sea. In some respects it is a typical example of an Immerian settlement, divided into wards for each kind of Immerian which can be starkly different in architecture and design. Each variety of Immerian, and hence each ward of the city, is responsible for a different aspect of governance, meaning they operate both in cooperation and rivalry for power. Though this is mitigated somewhat by the mandated ritual interactions and obligations of the different Immerian temples to each other. The most powerful factions are probably the Infernal Immerians who run military matters and the Water Immerians who manage the port and seafaring. Between them they operate the naval forces. This makes them a dominant force in a city located in a bay that's difficult to access from the land.

    The way in which Anpocu is most unique is the Crown, a series of large domes spread throughout the wards composed entirely of polished gemstone. These Cabochons were created through an impressive act of magic during the founding of the city - the lifeswork of several wizards and artificers. These domes function as the primary Immerian temples in Anpocu. The many ritual observances mandated by Anpocu's particular brand of the yet relatively young faith the Immerian colonists have established.

    The majoirty of the region colonised by the Immerians in the last few centuries has traditionally been the home of many beastfolk tribes. Generally looked down upon by the other races, the beastfolk did not receive much aid against the invasion except for the sylloges. The lunar and stellar sylloges are still particularly active in the region, liberating those beastfolk who were unable or unwilling to flee and ended up under Immerian rule. In some territories, the beastfolk have tried to establish formal relations with the Immerian colonies, in others the beastfolk and Immerians are in constant warfare and in still others the beastfolk have fled utterly. It does not help matters that there are those who are inclined to view the many diverse beastfolk tribes as somewhat homogenous or interchangeable. Recently,an Immerian city founded along a river a ways to the east has fallen to a beastfolk rebellion. There is an increased amount of raiding by scaled folk of Anpocu ships. The leaders of Anpocu remain dismissive of any threats to their great city.

    Spoiler: The Divine, Angelic and Demonic
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    There is no "prime" plane in my setting. Instead the known multiverse is divided into fifteen different Tapestries in the vast Ethereal Expanse where most of the planes are located. Each Tapestry is known by a single theme or principle that is common to all the planes that it contains. The Tapestries are: Renewal, Growth, Harmony, Beauty, Liberation, Purity, Valiance, Protection, Clarity, Order, Ruin, Pride, Retribution, Mystique and Sovereignty. The mortal worlds are found in the Tapestry of Renewal, where death is a natural part of life unlike in the other Tapestries which operate according to very different realities. There are other Tapestries and realms that lie outside of Tapestries entirely but they do not exist in a stable holding pattern in relation to each other in the way these fifteen do, so they are very difficult to navigate to even for those powerful enough to walk teh planes with impunity. This arrangement is called the Concordance and is the subject of study by many cosmologically minded travellers of the planes.

    Gods and spirits can be found in any of the Tapestries. Mortal worshipers of a particular deity or pantheon may strive to be reborn in their deity's domain - potentially having their soul leave the Tapestry of Renewal and break the "natural" cycle of rebirth. This means that while there isn't anything inherently central about the mortal realms, they frequently become the battleground for the competing wills of many different deities. Pantheons are typically formed of allied deities from differing Tapestries, seeking to share worshipers between them. No Tapestry is considered entirely good or evil, though some such as the Tapestries of Valiance, Protection and Harmony might be what you'd consider good more often than not, while others like the Tapestries of Retribution, Ruin and Mystique might be seen as evil. But valiance can lead to cruelty and sometimes retribution is just. It is common to see mixes of many different Tapestries represented in pantheons that can vary wildly over time and space.

    Divinity is something that exists outside of the fifteen Tapestries of the Concordance. It is something that must be claimed by those who wish to become gods but none but the gods themselves know exactly what that entails. In becoming a god one gains immense power but there is a catch. A god does not require active worshipers to exist but their power synergises with the faith, fears and superstitions of other beings allowing them to exert power on a titanic level. It is also much easier for a god to exert their power through someone who reaches out to them than it is for a god to exert power directly because of this effect. So gods pursue worshipers and they pursue clerics but most of all they pursue myth. A god of secrets and hidden power may not be widely known and have few agents in the world but as long as there is whispers of dangers in the shadows and their agents are dedicated fervently to their philosophy they can be as powerful as a populist god that attracts worship with simple platitudes.

    Angels and Demons were once a single race native to a long lost world that became consumed by the war between them. Once they were beings of fate - tutelary spirits of good and ill fortune but their division created the forms we know them by today. Twelve angels and twelve demons managed to claim divinity for themselves during this war, becoming the archangels and archdemons. Their forces spread across realities, with the angels claiming the upper hand, until one of the archangels betrayed their kind defecting to the demons and killing one of the other archangels. Now ten archangels against thirteen archdemons the war became a stalemate that neither side would concede until their home was ultimately destroyed. Neither side were truly able to claim victory in such a state and so they became competing mercenary forces spread across the Concordance, serving opposing gods and causes. Each archangel is served by a different rank of angel, organised in a hierarchy while each archdemon is served by a different tribe of demon who compete amongst each other as much as they do with the angels.

    Anathema are beings who are fundamentally at odds with the nature of a Tapestry. In each Tapestry energy flows through the worlds and powers all of existance according to the basic shared laws of that Tapestry, like a river spinning a waterwheel. But there are some beings who are instead like a secondary wheel drawing energy from the waterwheel by being like a cog that spins the other way. These entities are Anathema. In the Tapestry of Renewal, the Anathema are known as undead who break the cycle of life and must feed on the living to sustain themselves. In the Tapestry of Beauty for example, the Anathema are hags - creatures who revile beauty and seek to destroy it.
    Last edited by GaelofDarkness; 2020-05-16 at 09:55 PM.
    According to easydamus, I'm a 4th level CG elf wizard. Str 9 - Dex 11 - Con 9 - Int 18 - Wis 14 - Cha 16.

    Homebrew setting (or part thereof): Phaunia and the Twilit Between

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