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Post by Jongluer on Sept 2, 2004 23:41:31 GMT -5
The campaign setting to be used in my upcoming school campaign, you know the one none of my current players will be in. In this thread I will be covering the basics of the land as they are created, and of course I shall go over the major city of Caladon, eventually.
But first, the Halflings! You might say why a group of Tolkien-esqu munchinkins first Mark? Well that's becuase all I have to say to Tolkien is "Shove it!"
History of the Halflings: From Feudal Lords to Communist Regimes
The Halflings of the world are one of the oldest races, next to the Elves. Their history has three parts, the first is known as “The Time of the Uchigatana”, it was a time of feudal lords, and their powerful warriors ruling the land with strict class systems, then came a time of great upheaval known as “Rise of the Red Sun”, this marked the time when the common people rose up and overthrew the feudal system and ended with a great war, finally the current age is called, “The Red Sun’s Peace”, in this world people are deluded with ideas of common ownership and working for the benefit of everyone, through this they do not see that their great revolutionary leaders are no more than warlords. Current Halfling culture is a mix of old ideas and practices and the new ideals. Great castles still loom up from the massive farmlands that fuel the land, and the old fighting styles (hand-to-hand combat and the exquisite art of the katana) still exists though it is either regulated by the government or practiced in secret dojo monasteries. The current architecture shows a stiff culture mainly squat brick buildings with a few contoured lines dominate city streets in this land. It is slightly oppressive but otherwise nice. Every man must serve in the military for a tour of ten years, during this time they rarely see home except on breeding excursions, in which they return home for a few days to impregnate a female of their choice (normally a wife or girlfriend they had before leaving to join the army). Women normally are crafters or farmers though it is not, uncommon for them to receive an adventurer license and see the world (most don’t come back), a woman can volunteer for the service and serve as long as they wish, in fact, the current military director is female (Perla Ivanovitch Fighter 10/People’s Champion 3). As noted, there are those who do practice the old fighting arts. These people are secretive claiming to be religious monks they are actually martial arts masters and samurai. They live in secluded monasteries where they hone their art, they operate hidden tunnels to take people out of their oppressive country and into Gnome, or Dwarf lands where they can be free. Most of them will leave their home monastery to see the world this has resulted in large Halfling populations in other lands.
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Post by Jongluer on Sept 2, 2004 23:47:10 GMT -5
Chuckle, not as bad as the bastard Gnomes who worship Kartalaflink! Which brings us of course to the Gnomes, the Gnomes are a bit different than in most worlds, they are still inventors, but only some are...
Gnomes: Happy little zealots and Harsh short realists…<br> The Gnome homeland is a rich hilly land with thick forests and gem mines abounding. Yet, this land is also home to another far graver feature, battlefields, battlefields mar this land, nearly everywhere. For many years, it was a peaceful nation, but as it became closer and closer to pure theocracy, the southern gnomes began drifting from the ideals that once joined the nation. The gnomes believed once in a great goddess known as Kartalaflink, though slightly mad, the god was peaceful and held most gnome ideals in high esteem, so nearly every gnome loved this goddess. But, as time wore on and the Gnomes in the southern port metropolis of Doppler began advancing in technology (they were the first to create gunpowder) they started to become under the impression that their goddess had stopped caring about her children, after all why had there been so many wars recently (this was the time that the Halfling nation of Bazavluk had reached military prowess and had set its sights on gnome invention), that forced the gnomes on the defensive (Kartalaflink had sent the Gnomes on many wars in the past). Eventually this idea broke into a war between the believers and the agnostics/atheists, the current line is drawn at a river now called Frontline, it appears that the two have split into two nations, the old world of Diggery Doo, which believes in the goddess, and the new agnostic land of Namfoodle (named after the great engineer who first proclaimed the “fact” that the Gnomes were abandoned by Kartalaflink).
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Post by Jongluer on Sept 3, 2004 1:08:32 GMT -5
Dwarves: Tunnels, Clans, and...Nomads?
The dwarves began life in the low foothills, extracting the "key" (adamantine especially, among other metals) from the rivers and streams that flowed through the land from teh mountain. Most of early Dwarf history is unknown, since it was spent as nomads, living among the wild and hunting/gathering, yet at some point, the dwarf farther god, Thundrak, Lord of the Mountain and Sky, invited his children (the Dwarven people) to the mountains where they could hone the art of his son, Moradin the forger, and his other son, Hanseath, the carouser (well actually Thundrak didn't want this art honed, it just sort of happened...). Once there they found amazingly well-crafted tunnels that lead to natural caverns filled with jewels and the key. Within a few centuries many Dwarves had become master craftsmen and held many cities and enemies beneath the skin of the mountains. Of course not all Dwarves had embraced the society given to them by Thundrak, there are those that follow the path set forth by the Dwarf Goddess Lilinoma (former wife of Thundrak and mother of his two sons). The Dwarves who have embraced such are known as “No Holders” because they hold no sense of property and they of course do not live in a hold (Dwarf under ground city). No Holders are fierce people, who fight “modern” dwarves with unknown fervor, upon their massive beasts known as Ka-Draks (large multi-horned, three eyed, chitin shelled beasts) a No Holder is a force to be reckoned with, and they are even deadly in melee, with their special axes (more details on those later). No Holders are generally peaceful they have developed a talent for emotional psionics (Wilder is their favored class), and only every few child births are “Mind Settlings” required, a mind settling being when one born with wanderlust is sent out into the world to learn of its horrors. In general, Dwarves hold a grudging respect for fellow dwarves (unless they are in opposition, No Holder/Modern) and most other races.
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Don Phoenix
WOW! You just got your first magical weapon!
![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star.png)
Denied of Divinity
Posts: 77
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Post by Don Phoenix on Sept 3, 2004 12:09:28 GMT -5
Where are the assimars in this thing!!!
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Don Phoenix
WOW! You just got your first magical weapon!
![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star.png)
Denied of Divinity
Posts: 77
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Post by Don Phoenix on Sept 3, 2004 12:16:28 GMT -5
Then i show pity for their demise ![:(](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/sad.png) :tears:
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Post by Jongluer on Sept 3, 2004 12:25:15 GMT -5
Where are the assimars in this thing!!! Wow what a dumb question...sadly I shall answer it. The planetouched are not numerous enough to form their own civilization. If they do exist, they do so secretly in elf or human lands. As of now, if any have made major contributions to history they have done so under the guise of a human (or in the case of Tieflings, as a mal-formed human). Therefore Aasimars, or any planetouched for that matter do not require a post at all describing them or their lands, since they have no lands or distinct history (besides the fact that someone from another plane had sex with one of their ancestors). Vinny, Pussy last I checked is an insult made when someone is being sensitive like a woman, so it conveys no sense of fear at all, and that is Brendan the moderator of the forums...
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Don Phoenix
WOW! You just got your first magical weapon!
![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star.png)
Denied of Divinity
Posts: 77
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Post by Don Phoenix on Sept 3, 2004 12:30:08 GMT -5
BTW it was a joke i thought you would know since i know how you feel we got to this before havent we, and he called me a pussy and is sending me weird messages
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Post by Jongluer on Sept 3, 2004 12:32:31 GMT -5
This forum is for serious questions about this particular campaign setting, because of this I ask the two of you to remove your idiotic insults directed at each other.
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Don Phoenix
WOW! You just got your first magical weapon!
![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star.png)
Denied of Divinity
Posts: 77
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Post by Don Phoenix on Sept 3, 2004 12:37:14 GMT -5
Sorry for flooding your thread delete my posts at will if need be
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Post by Jongluer on Sept 3, 2004 12:43:32 GMT -5
Since I brought it up in response to the "joke" question Vinny had, I shall now detail the Human lands of this world.
The first eight lands we shall look over are in the northern lands. These lands are primarily lawless, at least in comparison to other lands, hence people generally refer to them as the Anarchist's Cookpot. Each is primarily designed based on the current rulers wishes.
The Black Countess (LE Sorcerer 20/Archmage 5): This strong sorceress rules a large amount of the northern lands, she is behind the war, using, her high-end technology she has been able to set the war in lands farther away from her castle but close enough to be under her complete control. Her castle is dubbed Black Keep due to the fact that is completely done in black granite.
Drakonian (LE Aristocrat 4/Fighter 1): A tall man who pines after the Black Countess (for reasons beyond comprehension), he has greatly supported her in the war by allowing her to use his troops and on occasion his banner to conquer multiple cities. He is her patsy, though he doesn’t seem to know, and if he does he obviously doesn’t mind. His capital is Nuevo.
Lord Snurd (CN Human Barbarian 9/Aristocrat 2): A large warlord who conquered his land through brute force. Though he has adjusted to city and leader life, he still holds barbaric ideals and fury at heart. As of late, he has been attacking Drakonian in response to the attacks on his outlying villages. He makes his home in the large town dubbed Fort Snurd. He has a heavy fear of arcane magic.
Cassiopeia (LG Human Paladin 12): Bordering four lands, including the Elf Homeland Vandalia, Cassiopeia’s country of Darn is a land of militaristic peace. Their strict codes of law and large military presence allows for a peace unseen in most human lands, at least near the capital, the farther out you go the more corruption you find and now famine is sweeping through the an area bordering the Dwarf Hold Mountains and Lord Snurd’s lands. Cassiopeia jumped to the conclusion that the two groups are responsible for this and have been striking against them fiercely for the past month. Lord Snurd has responded, but the Dwarves not having a central leadership have yet to, though No Holder groups have made strikes. Her capital and castle are located on a bend in the river it was eventually dubbed River Bend.
Ronald the Tricky (CN Human Rogue 15): To the north of Cassiopeia is the patchwork lands of Ronald the Tricky, a thief who forged a nation through lies, stolen items, and blackmail. He poses no real threat though his nation borders along with that of the powerful Psion Frall and along a deep natural harbor that could prove useful to anyone. Ronald rules from Freelance, a city of thieves and mercenaries. He is one of the few to be openly struck at by the Black Countess.
Frall of the Mind (Telepath level 15/Metamind 10): Frall studied the powers of the human mind all of his life, as he grew he gained followers with sheer force of will. Now he overlooks a mighty Psionic nation from his island keep of Dream World. He is forever searching for power via his vast knowledge. His armies are powerful, charged with Psionic siege weapons and aerial support his army has yet to be beaten when on defense and has only been struck down once when fighting offensively. Recently pirates have been striking at his naval vessels and trade ships traveling under his protection.
Chiesa: the Church of Chiesa rules this city-state it is too small to be any real threat to any of the nations of the human lands. Surprisingly the church has a large military force, though it is wide spread, rumors claim they can be to their homeland within an hour.
Goldage: The other human city-state is home to the Church of Ordered Chaos. It is mainly the sprawling cityscape and the farmlands that support it. Known for its black market, Goldage is a criminal’s paradise, since the Church rarely polices the land thinking it best to let things take its course, as long as a criminal doesn’t threaten the balance no one will convict him.
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Post by Jongluer on Sept 3, 2004 12:50:27 GMT -5
There is a ninth human land far to the south of the Anarchist’s Home. Wedged between Vandalia (Elven Homeland) and the Dwarf Hold Mountains, Arthuria is a prosperous nation that recently went from monarchy to republic. The land was once home to the great Dragons of which tales are still spun. Arthe the Bear was a great and powerful knight Errant of a dragon, and he was blessed by the dragon council to lead his people, the young race (Humans) to glory in the dragon’s stead, thus with a scion in place the dragons left the land heading to lands unknown. Arthuria has prospered for many years they have served as the go between of the elves and dwarves, settling their disputes over the years. Yet, their history is not all honey, around 9 centuries ago their came the great dispute. The Great Dispute came when the council of lords (there were 6 lords, the King serving as a seventh voter to break ties) came to power as regents for the young king Ronald the Fourth, when the prince came of age, the lords did not wish to relinquish their power to the young king, hence a bloody civil war began between the king’s faithful and the lords, it ended at the Battle of Bear Bridge (Bear Bridge being the supposed spot on the river where Arthe the Bear and his Dragon mentor first met eyes) where the king’s forces forced the lords and the few of their people still remaining across the massive stone bridge. The end of this battle marked the creation of the anarchist’s cookpot, the Lords traveled north where they found barbaric humans, they forged new nations using the barbarians as laborers, eventually the Arthurians and barbarians mixed blood, many nations have risen and fallen over the years in this area, the only one to ever hold long enough to be prosperous was the city-state of Caladon, which eventually fell to the Black Countess’ war machine though they are greatly unchanged despite the new leadership
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Post by Jongluer on Sept 3, 2004 13:05:14 GMT -5
Caladon, gateway to the north, hub of the world, you can find anything from a dwarf barbarian to a high elf wizard wandering its streets.
Caladon was constructed nine centuries ago by Lady Caladon, one of the lords who waged war against the King of Arthuria. She had long envied the beautiful Elven cities, Gnome invention, Dwarf Crafters and at the time the strict Halfling honor codes. Therefore she set to work, building a castle and surrounding city upon the shore of the Great North Bay. Here she proclaimed was a gateway to the world, and it was the truth, she harvested the many trees in the area to build fleets of ships, sent off to trade with the world. Within a century after Lady Caladon's passing, the area was a hub of trade and a melting pot of ideas. This is reflected most in its architecture, in the oldest parts of the city are the drab stone or palster buildings of Arthuria, as you spread out one can find the rice paper wall homes of the older Halflings, temples of Kartalaflink and engineering halls of the Gnomes, the bejeweled and shimmer Dwarf metal homes, the rounded contoured buildings that seem to grow naturally from the ground that Elves have built, even goblinoid structures can be found in this city. The city became a republic shortly before Lady Caladon died and has been prosperous ever since. This prosperity is shown by the fact that most guards wear beautiful mail, and shining swords. Of course, the most obvious way to tell is to look out on the bay, where boats of all shapes and size are docked, docking, or leaving, and looking up into the sky one can often spot a Gnome or Elf airship soaring through the sky. It is truly a marvel to see, only recently was its independant republic statuas stripped away. About two years ago, the Black Countess conquered the small city-state, no one has yet to notice, since the city still operates as it did before, if the guards colors have changed, no one has mentioned it. It is possibly the safest place in the north (of course one must remember waht safe in the north means...).
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Post by Jongluer on Sept 3, 2004 13:31:35 GMT -5
Vandalia the Elven homeland...
Vandalia is a land of woods and plains, with a mighty river called Trident (since it splits into three seperate rivers at one point) running in its southern farmland. The land is home to multiple races of Elves, inside an area of the Dwarf Hold Mountains are a group of evil dark elves known as the Drow. High in the mountain peaks undisturbed by all are the aloof Grey Elves, they supposedly have the largest collection of knowledge in the world. Along the plains, besides the many farmers that support the rest of the large country, are groups of Nomads known as Wild Elves, being led by the strongest and wisest they rarely attack Elf settlements. Sea Elves live along the coast and rarely come out to speak with anyone, though they are known to leave to learn of the world as are Wild Elves), they live in a similar tribal system to the Wild Elves. The largest group of Elves, the High Elves, are led by a monarch, currently this is King Vara (Aristocrat 2/Ranger 8/Nature Stalker 4). He is a beloved and well tempered man who served in the High Elf special forces before taking the throne. High Elves are generally arrogant, ignorant (though the last person who mentioned this to an elf was skewered upon a Rapier), and sometimes biggoted. The other major group of Elves is more a threat to the world than anything else. These of course are the Drow. The Drow live in a militaristic, matriachal society, constantly fighting with any who come near their part of the mountains, they will also attack fellow elves for the fun of it. They revere Illithids (Mind Flayers), who once ruled them as gods, what ever happened to the Illithids is still unknown (Drow believe it was their tricky High Elf cousins who killed their "peaceful" gods), they mainly revere the major Illithid god known as Illsensine.
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Post by Jongluer on Sept 3, 2004 14:12:20 GMT -5
All right well, with the races done, I have decided to go over organizations present in this world, and the first set that came to mind are religions. Most generic DnD religions can be found in this world but there are a few that have replaced existing deities or that have been tacked on. We start off my posts on religion with the two majorly human religions: the Church of Chiesa and the Church of Ordered Chaos (Respectively).
Chiesa Intermediate God (Lawful Good)
The Church of Chiesa is a powerful force in many lands because it preys upon people’s fear of the unknown. It uses this fear to hold many crusades against usually things that actually pose a threat though sometimes the reasons were petty at best. The church normally serves a role as peacekeeper. The god Chiesa, is often represented by a tall human male in glowing plate mail with a long snow white beard, in one hand is the symbol of the religion a small scepter with a ruby at one end and a diamond at the other cut to look like the favored weapon of Chiesa the Two-Bladed Sword, which is in his other hand.
Portfolio: Crusade, Order, Kindness, and Honor Domains: Community, War, Inquisition, and Healing Cleric Training: Clerics of Chiesa are trained in an academy in the personal city of Chiesa (named Chiesa after the god). There they learn about the art of servitude, healing, crusading, and adjudicating disputes. The training begins at a young age (about 7 or 8) and continues till shortly after the reach adulthood (18 to 20), the clerics of Chiesa are sent on crusade or quest when they finish training, in which they choose something the church stands in opposition to and devote a part of their life to opposing it. Quests: The church of Chiesa regularly crusades against unnatural things: Mind Flayers, Dark Elves, Lycanthropes, the undead (mainly vampires), and aberrations. They also have a darker side as well they have gone in search of their holy lands, though all seven crusades to date have been unsuccessful they have won many lands over time and their destruction of some countries, and people who believe or practice something besides what they practice has never quite been matched. Prayers: A prayer to Chiesa often begins, “My Lord, heed the call of one of your sinful children…”Prayers are rarely spoken, only are they spoken if it is a call to Chiesa to let the power of a spell be used. Temples: The temples of Chiesa are grand structures that reach towards the heavens, they often share the same shape as the religious symbol of the church and have high reaching spires. The churches are often decorated with gold items and the traditional red and white coloring of the church. Rites: The rites of Chiesa often involve the beginning of a type of crusade, which can be anything from a child being born to an actual war beginning. Herald and Allies: The Herald of Chiesa is a Human level 10 Paladin/Level 10 cleric and his allies are: Hound Archons, Coualts, and Planetar Angels.
Church of Ordered Chaos Intermediate God (Neutral)
The church of ordered chaos is not as much a group that believes in a deity but a group that believes in idea. The idea that there must be growth (change or in other words chaos) along with stability (or in other words order), they believe that the combination of the two creates a golden age in, which great leaps in all forms of study would occur. They do not bend to good and evil but they have members who walk the paths of both law and chaos, they are an odd group often contradicting, but their strong belief in peace through soft change has won many followers and has driven them for many years. Their symbol is a white flame bound by black rings, flame for chaos and rings for order. The Heavy Crossbow is their weapon of choice since it is the order of mechanics (the crossbow) and the free form of wind (the bolt), to the followers of the Church of Ordered Chaos this represents a perfect blending of order and chaos.
Portfolio: Peace, Learning, Growth, Order, and Chaos. Domains: Liberation, Knowledge, Protection, and either Law or Chaos. Cleric Training: Clerics of the Church are taught in groups of two, one who believe firmly in the philosophy of law, the other in chaos. They are taught by someone who has learned to balance law and chaos, and they are then taken out in the world to be shown the consequences of only using one in the world, and how there must be both in the world. They pass only when they have learned that balance must be kept between the two forces, though they can lean to either side. Quests: The quests performed by members of the Church of Ordered Chaos are used to keep the balance in check and help the world come closer to a golden age. Whenever there is a radical imbalance, the church is there to put a stop to it. Prayers: Prayers in the church are often deep insights on the world or on conflicting forces, a common one is, “Flames cannot be left unattended nor can they be squelched entirely.”<br>Temples: The places of worship for the church are often done in shades of white, black, and gray. They are large buildings that often are used as inns, taverns, libraries, and schoolhouses, for the surrounding area. There is no design common among all of them. Rites: The Church of Ordered Chaos holds rites that run the gamut from joyous occasions to funerals, since all are welcomed as natural parts of law and chaos. Herald and Allies: The herald of the Church is a level 20 cleric, with allies being: Any Medium Elemental, Any Large Elemental, and Any Huge Elemental.
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Post by Jongluer on Sept 3, 2004 14:48:23 GMT -5
The next religion we look at is the master religion of the Gnomes, the goddess known as Kartalaflink
Kartalaflink (Greater God) Chaotic Neutral
Kartalaflink, is patron goddess of the Gnomes. She is often referred to as the seeker, since she is well known to seek out gems, and coins to assist her Gnome people. She is also known as a touch mad, she commands her people to play pranks on each other for no other reason but to laugh. Her erratic behavior has lead to many wars between the Gnomes and others she claims that certain people are hoarding money that could be used for the good of the world, and sends the Gnomes after them. So far, these endeavors have only one the Gnomes very little. She is considered mother of the Gnome people, and leads them as one would a child, she brings great focus on family and love. She is represented as a kind and old Gnome woman, with frizzled hair. Her favored weapon is the glaive.
Portfolio: Gnomes, material wealth, community, and assistance Domains: Community, Madness, Chaos, and Healing Cleric Training: Clerics of Kartalaflink are trained from birth, in a manner of speaking. Growing up in theocracy all children learn the teachings of Kartlaflink. Yet, the second someone exhibits an interest in the clergy they are swept up and taught all about it. They learn in massive halls along with many other Gnome children who have exhibited an interest. Before being taught the divine secrets of Kartalaflink (or in other words magic), they are asked if this is what they truly wish to do, most answer yes and are taught magical powers, and then sent off into the world to help those in need. Quests: Searching for gold and gem mines, clearing these places of evil, assisting those in need, and crusades against those who hoard that which is needed by the populace, are all quests of Kartalaflink. Prayers: A prayer is often used to gather magical force, though it is often used as a way to end a meeting, task or other similar action. They often begin, “Be blessed by the wild mother…” then it describes whatever action is or has taken place. Temples: The temples of Kartalaflink are massive buildings often in the center of a town. They can be seen from a good mile away, they are large buildings with random spires, walls, and other fixtures. Rites: The rites of Kartalaflink often represent great times for the gnomes, when all are prospering they are also performed at the beginning and end of great things (wars, openings and closing of mines, birth, death, etc.). Herald and Allies: The Herald of Kartalaflink is a Celestial Gnome cleric Level 20, her allies are: a Genie, a Green Slaad, and an Elder Arrowhawk.
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