Ciraldis, World of Ash [Archive] - Wizards Community

Ciraldis, World of Ash [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Anuvrix
04-13-07, 11:11 PM Ive been working on a world for a while now, and heres what i have so far:

Creation:

The gods, tired of the void, came together to create a world. They accepted all gods into the creation, all but the god of the destructive force of fire, Vinrith. They created a world full of green things and life, full of all the things the gods had wanted, all but fire. the gods then took semi-mortal bodies upon the world, living on their new eden.

Angered, Vinrith cast the world into flame. Incinerating the gods and many living things on the planet. the great heat caused collossal boils in the seas, bursting and destroying the vast majority of land.

What remained was a charred ash ridden husk of a world. Hardly any life remained, but those who did Vinrith left to live. He deemed them strong enough to exist. Over the next millenia, the heat decreased, but still burned bright in the core of the planet. Great volcanoes rose up and eventually died, slowly venting the heat left over. When these great volcanoes cooled, they left massive calderas, giant basins full of fertile soil and shielded from the ashy winds by the high edges of the basin.

Slowly, life began to creep into these safe havens, where they could once again build cities. But now, there is fire. The knowledge of magic has passed from the minds of all but the wisest sages. Industry starts its life anew, growing with the people.
_____________________

It has all of the core races, classes plus sveral more from various sources.

Aboveground cities are only build inside of giant calderas. Inside the calderas it is lush and fertile.

The technology is like regular DnD, but with industry in the very begginings. Guns are not created yet, but iron and steel are being used frequently, even creating walls to help shield the calderas. Everything outside of the calderas is just a desert of grey and black ash.

There are only 15 livable calderas, all of them are built inside of.
The largest caldera is 10 in diameter.

Wizards are nearly one in a million (out of about 80 million sentient beings alive), sorcerors are just as common as in regular DnD, but highly feared and usually kicked out of town.

There are still the bodies of the 125 other gods, buried under millenia of ash and rock. If one could obtain one of these bodies, he could gain unimaginable power. (they are searched for constantly by many sorcerors, they see it as their only chance to gain any power in the civilized world.

All of the DnD monsters are still alive, but are only found in underground homes (even the plants, the ground is very fertile everywhere, but the surface is usually scored by high winds full of fumes and ash.

(ill post a map soon)
Ishmayl
04-14-07, 11:24 AM Oooh, very neat, and very original. I look forward to seeing where this going. A couple things I'm curious about:

These cities in the calderas; how spread out are they? For instance, are they mostly all in one region of (once)-heavy volcanic activity (such as around the Pacific plates), or are they spread out all over the world. As a follow-up, what kinds of governments are you planning on? It seems to me, if they're very far spread out, then you have to do something like independent city-states, and if they're close together, they would most likely naturally form some sort of alliance against whatever creatures you have in the world.

On that note, do the other fell beasts also have to live in calderas, or are there beings and races who live on the burnt husks of plains, forests, empty river beds, etc?

What other races and classes are you going to have beyond standard?
Anuvrix
04-14-07, 12:41 PM Right now, im detailing the map. It shows the locations of all of the calderas, and which ones have cities in them.

The cities are independent, the actual city part of the caldera is only a small area, the rest is all agriculture.

So far, i only have the core race and monsters. There is also a dwarf from a world with a dying sun, i was planning to maybe use that too.
TheDarkPrince
04-14-07, 01:43 PM Very cool. Really like the idea. Can't wait to see more.

Few questions, I know it is a fluff thing, but how would plant dreatures survive underground without sunlight?

Thanks, good luck.

Cheers.
Ishmayl
04-14-07, 03:58 PM How large is the world? And how are these other races (core races) living? Are they all in the calderas, or are there people struggling to survive out in the open?
feartheinvinceblehamster
04-14-07, 04:39 PM I must say, you've taken an interesting spin on the dead-world campaign settings. I like it. Although I'm wondering about this:

The largest caldera is 10 in diameter.

I'm assuming I'm reading that wrong, since I somewhat doubt that the largest caldera is 10 inches in diameter.
TheDarkPrince
04-14-07, 04:58 PM I think the OP meant 10 miles in diameter... or maybe everything is tiny, and the world is only a dozen miles in diameter.
Anuvrix
04-15-07, 02:03 PM Its ten miles.

There are people living outside of the calderas, (actually most people do) but they all live in cave systems. People tend to stick near the volcanoes, the only places that are still warm, (sun is moslty blocked out by ashstorms).

The plants mainly have survived in large caverns, usually there is a fungus that actually breathes oxygen, and the plants live near pools of water using the CO2 from the fungus. Volcanic soil is very fertile, but the areas it's found in tends to be hazardous. the light comes from the CO2 fungus, The reaction turning O2 into CO2 releases energy and they release it as light.
Anuvrix
04-16-07, 09:05 AM Just a little BUMP.
Evil DM Mk3
04-16-07, 09:21 AM How are you delaing with divine magic?
Anuvrix
04-16-07, 12:07 PM Many people still believe that some of the other gods still survive. (some very well may) But Clerics not following a god follow their own cause. If the people try to worship a god that is actually dead, they are in fact worshiping a cause.
Anuvrix
04-16-07, 08:54 PM Any race published by WotC is allowed, My players want a game totally by officially published books.
Darth Syntax
04-17-07, 12:17 AM I think this is a really cool concept, especially the contrast between the fertile calderas and the ash-plains, but I do have some questions:

How do you account for the extreme diversity of sentient species that you are implying in a world that has so little in the way of habitable land? I could see there being a 1:1 correspondence with sentient species and the caldaras, with a few subterranian types throne in, but it would be a strech as far as resources go.

How does life survive in the deeper reagions of the cave systems? Is there a source of energy (geo-thermal heat, radiation, anaerobic microbes, ecosystems that are similar to deep sea vents, magic . . ?) which life can draw upon to survive?
Anuvrix
04-17-07, 08:20 AM Geothermal heat is almost the only heat there is on the planet.
It is a world of frozen ash and winds. Temperature away from the volcanoes drops to the -100s. The calderas have mountains that block the ashclouds, allowing the sun to enter. The races were created by the old gods, and few survived after the burning. but some did survive, living on the few giant landmasess left. where the boiling seas could not reach. Greens grew on the giant land masses for a couple centuries, giving time for the calderas to form. when things began to die on open land, they moved into the caldera.

The greatest enemy of the people now is the dragons, particularly the reds.
Anuvrix
04-18-07, 09:26 AM The red dragons have increased in population, they all survived the Burning, and they all had a vast area to settle in.

It would Not be uncommon for you to find a group of Red Dragons living together. The number of Reds has increased from about maybe 2000 before the burning, to 3 million afterwards. (massive increase i know, especially after only 20k years)

The first of each dragon ever made is still alive, Now over 90k years old. Each one has a small stone buried deep within their bodies. this stone is perfectly spherical, and bestows upon the wielder great power. Legend has it that each of the gods had a similair stone in thier possesion. Further fueling the search for their corpses.

White dragons have also greatly increased in number, and now number up to 2 million. they have changed color to more of a grey, to adapt to their environment, and hide from the reds. the freezing temperature thatcovers most of the world is perfect for their survival.
All of the dragons have turned greyish over the years, and they all live in fear of being found by a red. (now red dragons hunt in packs)

Theworld may be freezing, but the ocean is still extremely hot. say just below boiling. The two extremes lay side by side, causing a great mist to constantly cover the beaches. the mist is cold, but not freezing.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Anuvrix 04-13-07, 11:11 PM	Ive been working on a world for a while now, and heres what i have so far: Creation: The gods, tired of the void, came together to create a world. They accepted all gods into the creation, all but the god of the destructive force of fire, Vinrith. They created a world full of green things and life, full of all the things the gods had wanted, all but fire. the gods then took semi-mortal bodies upon the world, living on their new eden. Angered, Vinrith cast the world into flame. Incinerating the gods and many living things on the planet. the great heat caused collossal boils in the seas, bursting and destroying the vast majority of land. What remained was a charred ash ridden husk of a world. Hardly any life remained, but those who did Vinrith left to live. He deemed them strong enough to exist. Over the next millenia, the heat decreased, but still burned bright in the core of the planet. Great volcanoes rose up and eventually died, slowly venting the heat left over. When these great volcanoes cooled, they left massive calderas, giant basins full of fertile soil and shielded from the ashy winds by the high edges of the basin. Slowly, life began to creep into these safe havens, where they could once again build cities. But now, there is fire. The knowledge of magic has passed from the minds of all but the wisest sages. Industry starts its life anew, growing with the people. _____________________ It has all of the core races, classes plus sveral more from various sources. Aboveground cities are only build inside of giant calderas. Inside the calderas it is lush and fertile. The technology is like regular DnD, but with industry in the very begginings. Guns are not created yet, but iron and steel are being used frequently, even creating walls to help shield the calderas. Everything outside of the calderas is just a desert of grey and black ash. There are only 15 livable calderas, all of them are built inside of. The largest caldera is 10 in diameter. Wizards are nearly one in a million (out of about 80 million sentient beings alive), sorcerors are just as common as in regular DnD, but highly feared and usually kicked out of town. There are still the bodies of the 125 other gods, buried under millenia of ash and rock. If one could obtain one of these bodies, he could gain unimaginable power. (they are searched for constantly by many sorcerors, they see it as their only chance to gain any power in the civilized world. All of the DnD monsters are still alive, but are only found in underground homes (even the plants, the ground is very fertile everywhere, but the surface is usually scored by high winds full of fumes and ash. (ill post a map soon)
Ishmayl 04-14-07, 11:24 AM	Oooh, very neat, and very original. I look forward to seeing where this going. A couple things I'm curious about: These cities in the calderas; how spread out are they? For instance, are they mostly all in one region of (once)-heavy volcanic activity (such as around the Pacific plates), or are they spread out all over the world. As a follow-up, what kinds of governments are you planning on? It seems to me, if they're very far spread out, then you have to do something like independent city-states, and if they're close together, they would most likely naturally form some sort of alliance against whatever creatures you have in the world. On that note, do the other fell beasts also have to live in calderas, or are there beings and races who live on the burnt husks of plains, forests, empty river beds, etc? What other races and classes are you going to have beyond standard?
Anuvrix 04-14-07, 12:41 PM	Right now, im detailing the map. It shows the locations of all of the calderas, and which ones have cities in them. The cities are independent, the actual city part of the caldera is only a small area, the rest is all agriculture. So far, i only have the core race and monsters. There is also a dwarf from a world with a dying sun, i was planning to maybe use that too.
TheDarkPrince 04-14-07, 01:43 PM	Very cool. Really like the idea. Can't wait to see more. Few questions, I know it is a fluff thing, but how would plant dreatures survive underground without sunlight? Thanks, good luck. Cheers.
Ishmayl 04-14-07, 03:58 PM	How large is the world? And how are these other races (core races) living? Are they all in the calderas, or are there people struggling to survive out in the open?
feartheinvinceblehamster 04-14-07, 04:39 PM	I must say, you've taken an interesting spin on the dead-world campaign settings. I like it. Although I'm wondering about this: The largest caldera is 10 in diameter. I'm assuming I'm reading that wrong, since I somewhat doubt that the largest caldera is 10 inches in diameter.
TheDarkPrince 04-14-07, 04:58 PM	I think the OP meant 10 miles in diameter... or maybe everything is tiny, and the world is only a dozen miles in diameter.
Anuvrix 04-15-07, 02:03 PM	Its ten miles. There are people living outside of the calderas, (actually most people do) but they all live in cave systems. People tend to stick near the volcanoes, the only places that are still warm, (sun is moslty blocked out by ashstorms). The plants mainly have survived in large caverns, usually there is a fungus that actually breathes oxygen, and the plants live near pools of water using the CO2 from the fungus. Volcanic soil is very fertile, but the areas it's found in tends to be hazardous. the light comes from the CO2 fungus, The reaction turning O2 into CO2 releases energy and they release it as light.
Anuvrix 04-16-07, 09:05 AM	Just a little BUMP.
Evil DM Mk3 04-16-07, 09:21 AM	How are you delaing with divine magic?
Anuvrix 04-16-07, 12:07 PM	Many people still believe that some of the other gods still survive. (some very well may) But Clerics not following a god follow their own cause. If the people try to worship a god that is actually dead, they are in fact worshiping a cause.
Anuvrix 04-16-07, 08:54 PM	Any race published by WotC is allowed, My players want a game totally by officially published books.
Darth Syntax 04-17-07, 12:17 AM	I think this is a really cool concept, especially the contrast between the fertile calderas and the ash-plains, but I do have some questions: How do you account for the extreme diversity of sentient species that you are implying in a world that has so little in the way of habitable land? I could see there being a 1:1 correspondence with sentient species and the caldaras, with a few subterranian types throne in, but it would be a strech as far as resources go. How does life survive in the deeper reagions of the cave systems? Is there a source of energy (geo-thermal heat, radiation, anaerobic microbes, ecosystems that are similar to deep sea vents, magic . . ?) which life can draw upon to survive?
Anuvrix 04-17-07, 08:20 AM	Geothermal heat is almost the only heat there is on the planet. It is a world of frozen ash and winds. Temperature away from the volcanoes drops to the -100s. The calderas have mountains that block the ashclouds, allowing the sun to enter. The races were created by the old gods, and few survived after the burning. but some did survive, living on the few giant landmasess left. where the boiling seas could not reach. Greens grew on the giant land masses for a couple centuries, giving time for the calderas to form. when things began to die on open land, they moved into the caldera. The greatest enemy of the people now is the dragons, particularly the reds.
Anuvrix 04-18-07, 09:26 AM	The red dragons have increased in population, they all survived the Burning, and they all had a vast area to settle in. It would Not be uncommon for you to find a group of Red Dragons living together. The number of Reds has increased from about maybe 2000 before the burning, to 3 million afterwards. (massive increase i know, especially after only 20k years) The first of each dragon ever made is still alive, Now over 90k years old. Each one has a small stone buried deep within their bodies. this stone is perfectly spherical, and bestows upon the wielder great power. Legend has it that each of the gods had a similair stone in thier possesion. Further fueling the search for their corpses. White dragons have also greatly increased in number, and now number up to 2 million. they have changed color to more of a grey, to adapt to their environment, and hide from the reds. the freezing temperature thatcovers most of the world is perfect for their survival. All of the dragons have turned greyish over the years, and they all live in fear of being found by a red. (now red dragons hunt in packs) Theworld may be freezing, but the ocean is still extremely hot. say just below boiling. The two extremes lay side by side, causing a great mist to constantly cover the beaches. the mist is cold, but not freezing.