Post/Author/DateTime	Post
wrexham3 02-04-06, 09:27 AM	Éda has been developing for nearly 17 years, since our first adventure in someone's attic in 1989. A lot of people contributed to its original design, and credit must go to Big Dave, Jim, Ginger John, Mertyl, Liam and particularly Allan, who came up with many of the ideas and concepts that underpin it. However, it would be fair to say that Éda has come a long way since those heady early days. I am going to use this thread as a hotch-potch of ideas as they occur to me. Please feel free to comment.
wrexham3 02-04-06, 10:06 AM	The Origins of the Great Land under the Endless Sky The mage-philosophers of the old Empire of Worlds divided the Omniverse into three distinct states. First there was A'an or the Mundane, the state encompassing the physical universe as we know it today. The second was Alu or the High Divine, the plane of pure thought now degenerated into a realm of heavens and hells. The last state, Anûn or Malleable, lies between, acting as a prism between here and the Divine. If Alu is the seat of the gods, then Anûn is the Otherworld, the forge of magic where matter, thought and energy becomes one. The Imperial sages believed that these three states were fixed at the beginnings of the Omniverse, by either nature or some grand design. If these boundaries ceased to exist, then the three states would dissolve into one another and the whole edifice come crashing down. Such boundaries were fundamental to reality, and transcended by the most profound understanding. However, in this they were dead wrong. An example. Long ago, on a cold, dry world, there evolved a race of apes who eventually became the Human race. They lived surrounded by spirits who came and went with the Omniverse's ebb and flow. These spirits were shapeless in nature, and the early humans could barely perceive them. However, generation after generation, something miraculous began to happen – the apes began to speak. All language is of course founded on shared notions of symbolic thought, and it was these abstractions that gave the spirits shape. Indeed, we might speculate that it was spirits who first began whispering into Human ears. Nobody knows for sure. Whatever the truth, the mundane and spiritual began to merge, for as the spirits became more real so did the Otherworld from whence they came. Human bands began to explore it. As these people dreamed or imagined their way across the new world, they were unconsciously shaping it. Not only Humans either, for other races were also learning the power of speech. From a world of great granite mountains and abyssal seas came the Dwarvish races, while Giants and Trolls began migrating from a planet far colder than Earth. Finally, from an ancient, dying world of dry plains and shallow seas fled the Yrch-Hai, the Orcs. Generations of these races created Eda with their dreamings and wanderings, the Great Land under the Endless Sky. It was an age of legends, a dreamtime when mortals lived side by side with beast and gods. It seemed to last forever. Then, twenty thousand mundane years ago, the dragons came, the proverbial serpents in the garden…
Ishmayl 02-04-06, 12:30 PM	Good flavor text so far, here's a few questions: Are the other standard races (elves, gnomes, halflings, etc) available? If so, where did they come from? Teer makes the Prime Material (I assume), and A’an makes the various Outer Realms (also, presumably). Anûn seems to represent the Ethereal Plane, but why exactly is it called the Malleable? Is that a reference to something in particular, or of an abstract thought as to how the ethereal plane tends to be formless objects in space? Of course, if I'm wrong on what your three distinct states represent, then just ignore this question in its entirety. :) You're obviously using a form of natural evolution for humans; is this going to be the same with the other races? How do the gods (if there even are any) come to play in the creation/evolution of the races? Just by inferring from your last sentence, it eems that dragons are going to play a pretty major role in the foundations of the campaign. Does that mean they will be a much more unique aspect in this campaign than standard D&D? Eh, enough for now. I have more questions, but I'm really, really hungry, and bodily functions persist over fantasy...
wrexham3 02-04-06, 02:31 PM	Thanks for posting Ishmayl. I hope this answers some of your questions about the dragons at least. The Dragons and the Great Sundering Where the dragons came from is something of a mystery. Their world is said to have been destroyed millennia ago during the Imperator Wars. What is beyond dispute is that the dragons established their Empire of Worlds long before they descended upon Éda. The draconian heirarchs were ruled by twelve powerful beings known collectively as the Emperors. The origin of the Twelve is a matter of great controversy. We are not even sure whether they were dragons at all, but rather deities in dragon shape. When the dragons descended on the Great Land they did not seek to conquer it by force. Instead they planted Civilization upon its shores. They built cities, roads and schools where mortals were taught agriculture, writing and mathematics. State religions introduced worship of the higher gods. The dragons even elevated some of the spirits into gods themselves. Meanwhile, imperial cartographers mapped the Great Land. All the while Imperial civilization sought to tame its magic, forcing it to conform to the Words of Creation. The Words are the formulas that are the basis of thaumaturgy (crunch - standard D&D wizardry). Many Humans, Yrch-Hai and Dwarvish embraced the draconian civilization. They turned from revering spirits in favour of divinities from a higher planes. Rough sorcery was abandoned in favour of the more refined wizardry, harnessing the elements rather than living within them. The first Human civilizations, such as Lem and Iphet, began to span the ancient seas of Earth and Éda. However, unbeknownst to the Empire it had sowed the seeds of a terrible cataclysm. Belief in the spirits had created the Great Land. Once the mortal races turned away from these forces, Éda began to unravel. Farming and industry ended up warping the elements to their will. Maps that fixed Eda's shape caused its surface to calcify and crack. As the old wild magic was trapped, its natural ebb and flow turned into a flood. Then, twelve thousand years ago, the Great Land broke up into its component parts. This was to have terrible consequences for these worlds. On Earth the great ice caps suddenly melted and the resultant deluge drowned its coastlines forever. The Dwarvish home-world was wracked by massive volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. A black shroud blanketed it for decades. Fire winds scoured the lands of the Yrch-Hai. The worst disaster, however, was visited upon the giants. The shock of the Great Sundering sent their world spiralling away from its sun, and all life was extinguished. Yet when the four worlds broke away, Éda was not completely destroyed. A fragment of the Great Land was dumped into the material universe. Forced to conform to the curvature of reality, it was twisted back upon itself to form a perfect sphere. It became the planet we call Éda today. Surviving populations of Humans, Dwarvish and Yrch-Hai dwell there still, mystically linked to both the Otherworld and their own sundered worlds. They have become cracked and imperfect reflections of one another, shadows of the Great Land that once was.
wrexham3 02-05-06, 06:49 AM	A Flat Earth As I mentioned in the above post, Eda is a perfect sphere. If you were to look down upon Éda from space, it would seem like any other planet in the heavens. However, once you set foot on Eda it becomes obvious that it is, in fact, flat. There is no horizon, so you can see for hundreds of miles in either direction. This is because the ancient sundered Great Land was perceived as being flat, and in the Dreamtime perception is everything. Eda today is but a fragment of the Great Land cast into the material universe; although it was forced to conform to physical laws it still retains its ‘flatness’. On Karelan the gigantic Chaurn Mountains divide the continent into southern Dakos and northern Eruria. In the south there are three beacons that can be seen for thousands of miles. The first is the Tochtmund Lighthouse, a 900’ fire-cracked and blackened crystal tower rising like a sickle over the city of Monzo. A white-blue flame of incredible intensity burns at its apex. Mages call it a vortice radial, and believe it was built by the Empire of Worlds for some unknown purpose. Certainly, it is no mere lighthouse; during a recent earthquake the tower was seen to fade in and out of existence. The Mage-Engineers have since barred the general populace from entering it. On the other side of the Poisoned Sea stands its sister, the Tower of Sins, exact in every dimension. The Selucians consider it to be profane and do not allow anyone near it. The final beacon light is the burning carcass of Sorroghun, last of the Dragon Emperors. Sorroghun was slain by the mage Fyr-Raul atop Mount Helos, and the flames that now wreath its summit are so intense they are unlikely ever to go out. Sailors now it and the towers to to navigate much as terrestrial sailors steer by the North Star.
wrexham3 02-06-06, 05:14 PM	Basically my friend borrowed me the ‘Lords of Madness’ sourcebook a few days ago. I already had strong ideas about the Progenitor races – Aboleths, Illithids, Yuan-Ti and Beholders. Some of ‘Lords of Madness’ I liked and some of it I didn’t. Anyway, this is my take on the Aberration races and how they fit into my campaign. The Progenitor Races - Aberrants The Progenitors emerged after the War in Heaven, a conflict that took place an epoch ago. Its cause is unknown, although the war engulfed the ancient First, and left a string of corpse stars around A'an. The Progenitors appear to have been the First who fled into the gulfs of space, where the Elder Darks dwell. When they emerged millenia later they had become an anathema of all life. It is the Progenitors who act as the guiding minds behind the Abomination races. The abominations themselves are feared and hated by all living creatures for one reason alone – they do not possess souls. They are purely physical entities. How they exist in this state is unknown – all other living things possess some vital spark. The aberrants do not. This makes them cold, clinical, passionless and utterly pitiless. Because they do not possess souls, abominations cannot use magic of any kind. They are not connected to the divine or magical planes. Instead abominations have mastered the science of psionics, the use of organic technologies used to turn minds and bodies into giant resonators. Another consequence to not having a soul is that abominations are immune to all enchantments and mind spells. They remain susceptible to psionics. Aboleths The Aboleths predate any other sentient race by hundreds of millions of years. The Aboleth claim that they were spawned from a progenitor that cast itself back in time and space. As it fell through the dimensions of A'an it sloughed the aboleth off like dead skin. The final resting place of the Progenitor is unknown, as this lies beyond the Aboleth’s collective knowledge. Aboleths do not seek conquest or power – such triumphs are fleeting in the great glacial scheme of things. They care only for their race’s continued existence. Aboleth populations go through extended periods of torpor or the ‘long dreaming’. However occasionally a psychic trigger will cause their coral cities to rise out of the depths. In these active periods the Aboleths will organize a cull of other races. Their favoured instruments are disease, catastrophe and warfare. This is done in great secrecy, so that the guiding mind remains unseen. Once competing civilizations are weakened, and after attending to their living cities' needs, they return to their sleep of ages once again. Illithids Most of my ideas for mind flayers are taken from Stephen Inniss’ ‘The Sunset World’ (Dragon 150) - still the best treatment of this race in my book. The Illithids have no elder brains (I just don’t like the idea of giant brains with tentacles). Instead, the flayers possess great organic machines called mind engines that focus their collective thoughts. However, this is no route to immortality. The souless Illithids know that they are racing towards oblivion. Perhaps this is why they hate all other life with such intensity. Illithids do not extract brains for sustenance, as they gain little from devouring it. Rather they extract its thinking parts to either kill a subject or plant its larva into the host. The parasite burrows its way into the host’s mind, using it body as a vehicle, while all the time its tendrils spread throughout the body. Finally the parasite begins the painful transformation which turns it into an illithid. The new-born illithid is a thought clone – it knows everything that its illithid parent knows. Because of the threat such a clone represents to itself, mind flayers tend to reproduce at the end of their lives. The powerful Ulitharids result from when an unfortunate illithid acts as the host body. Illithids live to conquer, and they conquer by stealth. They require dark, damp, wet conditions to survive. Therefore their mind engine technologies have the power to subtly change the spin of a host world so that it turns on its poles rather than along the equator, a process that requires generations. This creates a twilight zone between the sun-side and star-side where the illithids exist. Any native flora and fauna the illithids can use, they preserve. Otherwise everything is replaced by alien colonists. Mind flayer worlds are dark dismal wind-swept wetlands ruled from organic skyscrapers. It is said that the Illithid race evolved on worlds in the corpse star region of the Omniverse. Yuan-Ti The age of the Yuan-Ti ended about 100 million years ago, when this ancient race were wiped out by the Elder Darks. When the Darks stirred again 60 000 years ago, they resurrected this race to act as proxies. The Yuan-Ti believe that they have been transported to a far distant future. However, this is not the case - the serpents are no more than shadows given the illusion of life by the Darks. The Yuan-Ti have infiltrated a number of societies - including the Empire of Korridan on Tellamunda, and the Middle Sea region of Eda. All Yuan-Ti use the psionic rules. Like all abominations they are immune to Mind effects, and cannot use arcane or divine magic. Beholders Beholders are not true abominations. They are living beings able to use arcane magic. However, Beholders are not a natural race, but mutants made up of an amalgm of parts. All beholders are violent xenophobes whose holy mission is to destroy all aberrant life-forms (ie not Beholder). If no such aberrations exist, these mutants will quickly turn on one another, considering any deviation impure. If no one else wipes them out, beholders will quickly wipe out each other. Beholders do not worship gods, but strange phenomena called the ‘Holy Thresholds’ - sacred portals that descend upon them like white light. Using these crystal vortex Beholders have have threatened many worlds. In the 33rd century they almost brought down the Draconian Empire. Although Beholders are not abominations in the trust sense, many scholars see the hand of the Progenitors behind these beings. Their anti-magic rays have no effect on psionics, and true abominations often follow in the wake of these creatures.
wrexham3 02-07-06, 11:52 AM	Cosmology, the Planes and the Eldar Darks The home planets of the humans (our own Earth), the dragons, the dwarvish, giant-kind and the orcs all exist in parallel to each other; that is to say that they are all variants of Earth (from a purely human-centric point of view). Such parallel worlds can be very different from one another – for example the world of the dwarvish was geographically young in comparison to that of the ancient world of the giants. Although different, they are essentially parallel versions of the same world. The dragons called it A'an, and it extends like a chain across the Multiverse, and it is relatively easy to move between its different spheres. The dragons were able to conquer many versions of A'an to create their planar empire. Similarly, the spirits managed to create a bridge between four such dimensions to create the Great Land. When Éda was cast from the Otherworld during the Great Sundering, it began to orbit a much younger version of our own sun, one still surrounded by great clouds of dust. Therefore the sky Edaens see is one wreathed in stellar clouds. While moving between the spheres is relatively easy, travelling across a universe from sun to sun is extremely difficult. This is because of entities called the Eldar Darks. The Darks are invisible forces lurking in the gulfs of space. They are titanic, semi-sentient, and cataclysmically destructive – quite capable of collapsing a star. Fools and madmen sometimes worship these entities in expectation of easy power. These degenerates delude themselves that the Darks are the true gods of a blind and uncaring universe. However, this is nihilistic nonsense. The Eldar Darks are simply the riptides and undercurrents of any universe, keeping the galaxies from flying apart and the great river of stars flowing towards some inevitable end.
wrexham3 02-08-06, 04:05 PM	The Nostrates (sing: Nos Familia) The Nostrates or Shadow Houses are the mage-aristocracy of Laharn. Some shadow houses claim descent from ancient Iphet. Legend has it that some ancient Ephidians survived the Deluge on great city arks. However, this is extremely unlikely - the true Ephidians were probably wiped out by the flood they inadvertently caused. It is far more likely that the shadow houses derive from select bloodlines infused with dragon blood during the Empire of Worlds. The term ‘Shadow House’ seems to refer to those who lived in the shadow of 'awakened dragon', an 'emperor' described as ‘a being of purest light'. In the aftermath of its violent demise, the Nostrates were able to inherit the ruins of draconian Éda. The subsequent Potentate of Dakos lasted nearly two millennia. However, its influence waned in the face of violent religious movements such as the cult of Zeus and the Eseen. In contemporary Laharn the Nostrates are but one, albeit powerful, political force in the magiocracy. While shadow houses are found exclusively within the Potentate, the aristocracy of Asconis is directly related to the Nostrates and may also use their stat-line. Ephidians tend to be tall and thin, with noticeable draconian features – elongated skulls, hooded eyes and long faces. Nostrates houses include – Balnor, Heirogaius, Hydradraxus, Kalebas, Lyborm, Lugpurgis, Merdoc, Nerva, Prufro, Ramenon, Renfe, Scipas, Segnitor, Septemagos, Tragon, Xohortis, Toscero and the Baba-Warnes. Iphet/Ephidians (see Post #4)
wrexham3 02-09-06, 02:19 PM	At this very moment I've just come up with the name of a master-assassin the PCs have got to bust out of prison next game session. Mortician Jean. Anyone got any ideas of what he should be like? I'm off to DM now.
wrexham3 02-10-06, 04:10 PM	The Scarletto This death cult traces it roots back 150 years, to Ascuria during the Peninsula Wars. This was the period when the two great Eseen powers - Selucia and Erileine - fought for dominance in the City Kingdoms. The Peninusla Wars fragmented Ascuria into the warring city states that are the Kingdoms today. During this period, many pagan nobles lost their lands to Eseen usurpers and were forced to band together for protection. One band of outlawed Borvonans began calling themselves the Scarletto after the red badges they wore. In those days there was quick money to be made becoming a professional proxy - someone willing to fight a duel on another's behalf. The Scarletto began to organize themselves into a school of duellists, and over time evolved a strict code of conduct. They did not kill fellow pagans but fought with impunity against any Eseenian. If one member of the Scarletto met another they fought to first blood and let that decide the matter. On the other hand, if an outsider slew one of their number other Scarletto were honour-bound to avenge them. However, the Scarletto began to go further - they started killing opponents before a fight. In the blood-soaked cockpit of peninsula politics assassination eventually proved much more profitable. Within a decade the Scarletto had become the most feared band of killers in southern Karelan. Only the Shroud Sisterhood could rival them. However, their fortunes truly changed when a half-demon Rax infiltrated the gang. He inspired these dispossessed pagans to fight a secret war against the Eseenians. For many years the Scarletto used the anarchy in the City Kingdoms as cover for a reign of terror. Yes, they killed pagans too, but they reserved their most brilliant plots and devices for the followers of the One God. At first the Scarletto were filled with patrotic fervour for their ravaged homeland. Yet over time, Rax slowly corrupted them so that they became greedy and cynical. They were making so much money from the wars, they actively sought to prolong the slaughter, killing anyone who might end the anarchy. Ultimately most came to worship both Rax and his demonic father, Deserper. Then in 11 565 Rax was killed in a plot to open a rift to the Lower Hells. His death cult did not disintegrate, but without Rax's vision it is not the power it once was. The current grandmaster is a mysterious figure known only as Tomasca. He communicates solely through third parties. It is believed that Tomasca has put in motion some plan to bring Rax back from the netherworld. What this plan might entail is anyone's guess. Eseen (see post #28)
wrexham3 02-11-06, 03:40 PM	Campaigns I am currently running two campaigns at the moment. One is a solo campaign for my oldest mate, Dave. The second is a group game which I’ve just started up again last Thursday. Skarlett: Assassin This follows the fortunes of my friend’s PC, Skarlett, a vicious and cynical young assassin of uncertain origins. We’re playing this by e-mail at the moment, although when I’m back in Wrexham we play it table-top. So far, Skarlett has taken part in an unsuccessful dungeon bash where everyone else died. She then hunted down and killed a vile half-illithid called Vasco Mazzea. After that Skarlett got herself mixed up in a sorry tale of brothels, bad debts and an alu-fiend out to kill her. For a change of pace I then got her involved in the local elections, the upshot of which was she got banned from the city. Forced to flee to Asconis, Skarlett managed to become entangled in a deadly feud between a noblewoman and her uncle. She ended up magically enslaved to the uncle and was ordered to kill his niece. Uncle Septimo has since sent Skarlett on a quest for a magical artefact that literally erases people from time. At present she is crossing the ashlands of the Sadesh. In true Skarlett fashion she’s fallen in with a leper, a crazy goblin mystic, a sadistic killer and a Devil Swine. Ho-hum. The Chronicle Campaign I have been running this campaign for two years now, and its currently on its third group. A mysterious power fears the rise of Andominus, a vampire so ancient it is practically a demi-god. This power knows Andominus is working to create an undead empire on Eda. Therefore this power has created a magical book, the Chronicle. Each party that finds the book is geas-ed to go on a great quest to destroy Andominus. However, the individual parties have very little chance of succeeding – Andominus is too slippery a customer. Each party keeps a journal of their adventures in the book. It is hoped that the accumulated knowledge of Andominus’ plans, strategies, strengths and weaknesses will eventually allow a high level party to succeed. This campaign is on its third group at the moment - both the others were wiped out. It is meant to be grim and dark, and it does have a very high death toll. The present party has just been recruited from the prison-city of Izor to assassinate a mage called Stragus. However, they’ve just been co-opted by the Scarletto to break one of their brothers out of prison. We’re about to lose a PC already - one of the players wants to change his priest character for a psychic warrior. I think I’ll let the strain of doing bad things send this good man over the edge...
wrexham3 02-13-06, 02:25 PM	Drow in Karelan To most Karelians, the Drow are a race of evil elves that dwell in the Underworld. This is a mistake. Despite their outward appearance, the Drow are very different creatures from elves. A secretive people dwelling in hidden cities, they discourage contact with other races. When they do need to deal with other Underworld peoples, they establish trading posts where such interactions can be strictly controlled. Male drow are almost never seen, and most Karelians believe the race to be entirely female. It is simply assumed that they do not breed amongst themselves, just like other elves. Lurid stories (and lithographs) abound of human males being dragged away in chains for breeding stock. Again this is untrue – male drow certainly exist, but are kept away from view because they cannot be trusted. Males in a mating frenzy instinctively reveal their true shape. As this cannot be allowed, males are confined to the deepest recesses of their citadels. The other thing that all Karelians know is that the Drow worship a murderous goddess called Lirris. A capricious and uncaring deity, she demands constant sacrifice to sate her appetites. Yet Lirris is a mother goddess, not a demon spider, like Lolth. The people of Karelians would not connect the Drow with spiders, and that’s the way the Drow want to keep it. This is because all drow on Karelan are aranea. Aranea come from another world devastated by the Illithids. The mind flayers decided the Aranea were not worthy of ‘cultivating’ and so systematically began to slaughter them. Most fought and died, but a few saved themselves by pledging themselves to a primordial goddess called Ghost Swallower. This shape-changing vampire had always existed amongst them, killing and eating aranea at will, the living embodiment of their cannibalistic instincts. Ghost Swallower gave its followers the power to change shape and disguise themselves. This way a few were able to avoid detection. Ghost Swallower then led them away to a place she knew the mind flayers would not go - the Great Land of Éda. At first the Aranea hid among the peoples of the Great Land. However, they began to worship other, more benign spirits. Furious, Ghost Swallower slew the goddess of spring, Ysyllt, and took her shape. However, Ysyllt’s husband Arawn, the god of winter, eventually saw through her disguise. Ghost Swallower was forced to flee his fury, and the grief-stricken Arawn cursed her and her brood to eternal darkness, far from his sight. Thus the Aranea were condemned to the Underworld with her, and so they cursed her too. The Aranea dwelt in the darkness for thousands of years, building a civilization beneath the earth. They survived the Great Sundering as Éda tore itself apart. When the Empire of Worlds colonized the Underworld, they simply went deeper, and were forgotten. Eventually the dragons of Karelan destroyed themselves, and humans came to dominate the lighted world above. As they rarely ventured down into the Underworld, the Aranea paid little heed to them. Then, sometime during the dominion of Humanity a catastrophe happened – the mind flayers came. With the power of the spirits and the dragons broken, the Illithids no longer had anything to fear. The Aranea were forced to seek out the goddess they had forsaken, and this time she exacted a terrible price. They and all their descendants were to become Ghost Swallower’s slaves for all time, her chattel to do with as she pleased, forced to worship her every moment of their lives. Once they had done this, she cloaked them in the shape of dark elves, while she took the shape of Ysyllt - the goddess she had slain millennia before. The Aranea have disguised themselves ever since. As the mind flayers fear elves they tend to leave Drow populations alone; illithids are soulless and so cannot comprehend spirits. What they do not know, illithids instinctively fear. The Drow take great pains to minimize any contact between themselves and other races. Meanwhile, Lirris terrorizes her slaves unmercifully. She demands ever greater sacrifices from her worshippers – a blood price for their original betrayal. Mind Flayers in the Eda background (see post #6, 'Illithids')
wrexham3 02-14-06, 04:26 PM	The Dragon Emperors The origin of these beings is unknown. According to draconian legend their race was facing extinction when the Twelve first descended upon their world. The Twelve quickly established blood-lines which reinvigorated their race. The dragons and their emperors then proceeded to conquer much of the known worlds. However, the commentaries of Oroborus hint that the emperors had a secret, terrible fear – some great paradox that had brought about their existence, and might one day unravel it. The nature of this paradox is unknown. The Empire of Worlds brought peace and prosperity to many. The Twelve introduced organized religion and the science of Thaumaturgy to their subjects. They instituted countless great public works, while Draconis became the common language across many spheres. The Empire even halted the contagion of the Illithidae; there can be no doubt that countless lives were immeasurably improved. However, untold numbers died as it expanded, and freedoms of all kinds were greatly curtailed, subject to the whims of the new regime. When this greatest of empires finally turned upon itself the subsequent Imperator Wars lasted for century after unremitting century. Therefore, whether the Empire of Worlds was a good or bad thing is a matter of perspective. None of these beings now exist. The last – Sorroghun – was slain by the mage Fyral atop Mount Helos in 11 565. The following description includes the name of the Emperor, its colour and alignment. Azael – Gold – CN - Individually perhaps the most creative of the Dragon Emperors, Azael was nevertheless vain and capricious. Azael could never commit to anything, and was notorious for instituting grand schemes before losing interest in the whole thing halfway through. While a patron of art and learning, its twisted sense of humour was legendary – Azael’s elaborate practical jokes could potentially affect millions. It also amused itself by playing favourite at court, turning its followers against one another. At heart Azael was a brilliant, spoilt child. Bahamut – Silver/White – LG – Bahamut is chiefly remembered as the first prophet of the Eseenians. It was Bahamut who travelled back into time to the birth of the Omniverse seeking spiritual truth. There he witnessed the 'death throes' of God as It brought the Omniverse into being. Bahamut subsequently proposed that the One God had fragmented Itself to create all things. Therefore it existed in everything. This is the basis of Eseen. Before his religious revelation, Bahamut was considered a just and wise ruler, who generally worked for the good of the Empire. However, he was also rather pedantic and inflexible. A taciturn being, he sought perfection in all things and thus was frequently disappointed. Ghyl – Gold/Silver – CN – The most magically adept of the Dragon Emperors, Thaumaturgy is said to have been largely his invention. Ghyl was ruthlessly ambitious; a deadly creature that was at turns charming, authoritarian and viciously manipulative. To protect himself he deliberately cloaked himself in hyperbole, obfuscation and down-right lies. In this way Ghyl could never be second-guessed, the consummate politician. His rages were terrible - he never forgot a slight, pursuing an enemy to the bitter end. However, Ghyl did take care to cultivate loyal servants. Such creatures could always be sacraficed in some labyrinthine scheme. Karnas – Brass – N – Karnas was marked by a particular affinity for the element of Earth. However, it cared little for living things. It was obsessed with harnessing the elements to its own designs, and Karnas had a hand in some of the Empire’s greatest inventions. Karnas was by far the most acquisitive of all the Emperors, a notorious hoarder who surrounded itself with art and luxuries. Karnas is said to have organized the vast trading networks of the Empire simply to indulge its tastes. It also regulated trade and taxation, while successfully discouraged corruption and evasion. Oroborus – White – N (any) – Oroborus was the truly scary one. Many considered it mad, but in fact it was able to exist simultaneously in the past, the present and an ever-changing future. Therefore it was the seer of the Empire, guiding it through its various trials and tribulations. Volumes of its commentaries – the babble that came out of its mouth – were faithfully recorded, and are still pored over by scholars to this day. Oroborus was unique because it had the Skull Jewel imbedded in its forehead. The Skull Jewel (or Imperial Diadem) was an artefact of unknown origin, said to possess almost limitless power. After Ouroborus' death the The Imperator Wars were largely fought over its diadem. Oroborus was slain by Sleth, after successfully predicting what the serpent was about to do. Ramath – Bronze – LG – Ramath was a soldier-empress commanding the Empire's legions of draconians. Yet Ramath was no glory-hunter; she possessed a keen sense of the consequences of war. Hence she only committed the Empire to conflicts it could decisively win. When required, for instance against the Illithids, Ramath preferred a defensive strategy of containment. As well as being Imperial war-marshal, she was also the Empire's chief diplomat – reaching out to other worlds in hope of incorporating them peacefully into the Empire of Worlds. In this, Ramath often found herself in conflict with Tyraxus and Karnas, who saw the economic advantage in quick, brutal wars. She was a cool, calm influence, with a soldier’s cynical sense of humour. Nevertheless when she needed to fight, she did so both with both finesse and utter ruthlessness. Sleth – Green – CE – What marked Sleth out from its fellow emperors was that it had no legs or wings. Sleth was a serpent, and seems to have had a chip on its shoulder (?) about this. However, it was also a legendary shape-changer and consummate actor, playing many roles, walking unseen and unknown among the Empire’s multitudes. Therefore it was the eyes and ears of the Imperial regime, organizing its mouthpieces and spies. It tended to play the poor, put-upon servant of the Empire, little appreciated by its colleagues. At heart however it was a gambler with an eye for the main chance. In the end it was able to use its extensive knowledge of the others’ weaknesses to its own advantage. It is also said to have been well-versed in psionics and was the only emperor to show much interest in the Mind. Sleth is universely reviled for beginning the Imperator Wars by murdering Oroborus. Sorroghun – Red/Gold – LE – Sorroghun was the dragon-lord whose dominion was fire. Proud and arrogant, his subjects lived as virtual slaves under his rule. Despite his affinity with flames, Sorroghun was cold and logical by nature – he never got angry or allowed his emotions to master him. Nevertheless he had a supreme sense of his own manifest destiny, which he would pursue relentlessly throughout his life. Yet Sorroghun could also be honourable – he always kept an oath and rarely resorted to lies. He was also very knowledgeable about a great many things, including arcane technology. His domains became industrial centres of the Empire, and his personal legions were the most fanatical in the Empire. Sung – Blue – LN - Lady Sung was the head of the Imperial bureaucracy and its most gifted administrator. It was she who formulated the great law codes that both governed the Empire and standardized its transactions. Of her personality and habits she was something of an enigma, she tended to be cold and aloof, keeping confidence with only a few close advisors. Although it is said that Lady Sung had a particular affinity for the element of air, this is not known for certain. It is also said of Bahamet. Sung attempted for centuries to hold the Empire together while it was wracked by the Imperator Wars, but ultimately she would fail in this. Tiamat – Blue/Green – CE – Tiamat was a colossal sea monster. She was the only Dragon Emperor who actually demanded worship as a deity - a jealous, raging goddess who would brook no interference in her domain. Her dominion was water and all who used it. She ruled the seas of many worlds in the name of the Empire, and was therefore obligated to send rain to water the land. This she did with remarkable diligence considering her chaotic nature. She always demanded her due, forcing people and animals to be drowned in sacrifice. Great diplomacy was always required when dealing with her. The Sahuaghin race is believed to have been created by Tiamat. They call her Lok!olo and still venerate her today. Tiamat and Bahamut hated each another, destroying one other at the Battle of the Pillars. Tyraxus – Black – NE – Tyraxus Tyranis dwarfed even his fellow emperors, and possessed a megalomania to match. Tyraxus was a a demagogue and a rabble-rouser through and through, whose subjects lived in thrall to his constant mood swings. The other Emperors spent a great deal of their time attempting to placate him, in fear that he would do something rash. Actually, Tyraxus was rather more subtle than is often credited – his blustering front allowed him to gain concessions he might not otherwise have obtained. Tyraxus tended to stay near the centre of power. He was almost fanatically competitive, always attempting to outdo the other Emperors, grasping for ever more power and influence. He was the main spoiler in the Imperator Wars. There is some confusion over the identity of the twelfth dragon emperor. 'Awakened Dragon' – Silver/White – NE – The twelfth emperor is generally reckoned to be a being known only by the rune 'awakened dragon'. Its real name has been lost to history. However, it was actually a child of Oroborus. Its parent’s death seems to have driven it mad. 'Awakened Dragon' believed it had been possessed with Oroborus’ spirit. This fuelled an obsession with death and immortality, a path that led it to become the first necromancer; indeed it stands at the apex of all necromantic magic, a shining being infused with the life force of billions. The tyrant is known to have died on Éda, along with Ghyl, in one of the epic battles of the Imperator Wars. The cataclysm of its death destroyed Nal-Toth and created the Poisoned Sea. Shreds of its consciousness may still exist, trapped in a hell of its own making. Enios – Red/Copper – CG – The true twelfth emperor. Completely forgotten except for the most obscure of Oroborus’ commentaries, Enios was the great traveller, journeying even across the gulfs of Space. Indeed the ethereal city of Anias is named in his honour. He was less enamoured towards the Empire than the others, and eventually turned his back on it; some passages even suggest that he organized resistance against it. This would certainly explain why his name has been all but erased from its histories. One Eseen legend claims that a dragon led Bahamut back to the beginning of the Omniverse. This can only be Enios. He may have died soon after, according to the commentaries
wrexham3 02-15-06, 04:24 PM	The Refugium The Refugium is built atop the highest mountain in Karelan, Mount Helos. It is a tower literally carved out of the mountain peak, a marvel of golden stone minarets built in the old draconian style. It is said to date from the Empire of Worlds, the seat of Ghyl during his long reign over Eda. Certainly the tower would have been in easy reach of Asekh (modern Asconis) and a short flight to the Forest of Oracles. This great wood is the only fey-forest growing in southern Karelan. Legend has it that Ghyl would go to consult with the forest oracle (Rhiana Epona). The Refugium lies well beyond the death zone, where the air is too thin to breath, so it cannot be reached by ordinary means. Through the use of magic glass and bound elementals a temperate environment was created within its airy halls. The tower's last occupant, Nigron, even allowed it to become overrun with plants of every kind. Visitors spoke of a profusion of green and sprays of colour everywhere. Nigron could also control the environment of the mountain itself, and was even able to block the Spirez Pass below with snow if he so wished. At the very pinnacle of the Refugium was the map room, where the whole of Karelan could be seen in every direction. Seeing pools and mirror portals were dotted around the tower, while in its very depths Nigron is said to have suspended a sphere of annihilation, like a Sword of Damocles, above a well of evil souls. Much of this building must have been destroyed by Emperor Sorroghun in his death convulsions. The subsequent fire may have destroyed the rest. The Arcanist Fyral now claims ownership over the entire mountain and will allow no one to go there.
wrexham3 02-17-06, 03:58 PM	The Elves On Eda elves are spirits from the Otherworld (Annwn), magical elementals almost phantasmal in nature. They are immortal, do not have children amongst themselves, and when slain immediately disappear to be reincarnated in Annwn in another form. I’ve also presented a number of elven ‘sub-races’ (*sharp intakes of breath*). Yes, I know a lot of people seem to hate the endless plethora of elven races. Forgotten Realms springs to mind. However, in my campaign elves are phantasmal and changeable in nature, so they are partly shaped by the beliefs of the mortal people. For instance, Erileine is an Eseenian country, with a dualistic sense of good and evil. Therefore the elves from that country tend to Seelie and Unseelie, good and evil. Elves can also represent what people used to believe - in this sense they are living fables and myths. Standard Stats +2 Wisdom and Charisma, -2 Intelligence Elves are wise with powerful personalities, but tend to be flighty and irrational +2 Resistance to Magic and -2 Resistance to Illusions The -2 Resistance to illusions represents the phantasmal nature of elves. To them illusions are ‘real’. +2 to Listen, Spot and Search Lowlight Vision Breathless Do not need to eat or sleep Immune to natural diseases and poisons Need to sleep only once every three days Cannot be Resurrected This is not such a handicap on Eda as Resurrection spells are very rare (no revolving door) Favoured Class - Sorcerer LA+1 Alvar – Elves living in northern countries of Njordheim and Jehanna. They are smaller and more delicate than other elven races. Treat as standard Eda elves, with an added +2 Dex/-2 Con stat modification. Fae – Fae are found in elven woods such as Cillion (Laharn), the Forest of Oracles (City Kingdoms) and some in Avenwood (Erileine). They tend towards neutrality and are do not wax and wane with the seasons, like the Seelie. Treat as standard Eda elves. Jinn – The fire spirits of Qemesh legend who dwell in the deep deserts. In addition to the stats presented above, Jinn gain an immunity to fire while suffering double damage from the cold. Jinn tend towards Chaos, Neutrality and Evil. Per – The elf-spirits who guard the cedar forests of Joffa. They are exceptionally beautiful and some of the most powerful enchanters amongst the elven race. However they rarely leave their forests and are almost universally evil. The only stat modification to Per is that they possess a +4 Cha/-2 Int stat modification. Based upon Persian legends. Seelie - Also called High Elves. Their power waxes and wanes with the seasons. In summer they gain +1 to Attack/Resistance rolls. In winter they suffer -1 penalty to Attack/Resistance rolls. They tend towards Law and Good. Seelie are found predominately in the elven forests of Erileine. Sidhe/Si – The elves who live on the island of Gornt. They start with a Damage Resistance 1/Iron, and gain +1 every 5 levels (starting at 5th). However, they suffer additional damage from iron weapons to the same degree as their resistance. Unlike other elves they an not immortal (they live 300 years) and can sire children by other Sidhe. Uldra - the cold dwelling elves of the northern plains. Like the Alvar they are rather small. Treat as standard Eda elves with an additional +2 Dex/-2 Con stat modification. They also gain immunity from cold, while suffering double damage from fire. Unseelie – Also called Dark Elves. Like the Seelie they wax and wane with the seasons. In winter they gain +1 to Attack/Resistance rolls. In summer they suffer -1 penalty to Attack/Resistance rolls. Unseelie are found predominately in the great forest of Avenwood in Erileine. Tend towards Chaos and Evil.
wrexham3 02-18-06, 03:19 PM	The Vault of Petrokalus Petrokalus was an ancient mage of the city of Corto, advisor to the ruling Rahman family. By that time he was one of the last surviving members of the old Dakorian ruling class. In 10 557 the Empress Sung had sought to manipulate an ancient vortice radial at Miroza. The resulting conflagration destroyed both the vortice and all the lands around, creating a vast desert for hundreds of miles around. In the aftermath, Corto became an oasis in the middle of the desolation. Its continued existence was based entirely upon a holy artefact - the Shroud of El. The shroud protected the city from the harsh fire winds and kept its soils fertile. Corto became the hub of a trading empire ruled by descendents of the Prophet Barak. Pilgrims would sail down its great canals to see its holy treasures. Then disaster struck. Thieves broke into Corto and stole the shroud. Although the Sun Knights of the city searched all of Karelan, the shroud was never found. Soon the city was blasted by fire winds and wracked by earthquakes, and was ultimately abandoned to the sands. However, the kings of Corto not only possessed holy relics; eight artefacts of profane evil were also locked in the city vaults. Now that Corto had to be abandoned, King Ramon III wanted these objects destroyed. He turned to his vizier, Petrokalus, last of the ancient wizards of Selucis. Petrokalus devised a scheme to create a portal through time and space. He would go back in time hours before the radial destroyed Miroza. During that hour Petrokalus would deposit the eight artefacts in the doomed city. The plan was that he would return through the portal and close it, letting the resulting catastrophe do its work. However, something went wrong - Petrokalus never returned, and the portal could not be closed. Anyone could now travel back in time to Miroza’s last hours. The portal had to be locked with the holiest of seals, and guardians placed about it. If somehow the seals could be broken, then it is possible this ready-made arsenal of evil could be recovered, and unleashed upon the world again. Vortice radials - (see Post #5)
wrexham3 02-19-06, 04:53 PM	This is a region of Karelan I’ve been preparing for next Thursday’s game. I always like to develop the 'place' in a game – you never know when you can use it again. Castle Sorgente Castellano d’Sorgente or the ‘Castle of the Fountains’ is built on a rock pillar overlooking a great waterfall. To the east of it is a wide valley along which the Silvii River meanders. This fertile plain is dominated by small villages surrounded by open wheat-fields. To the west of Sorgente are the thickly wooded hills called the Furies; occasionally magical storms out of the Bay of Miroza sweep over them with unprecedented force. No humans inhabit these hills except for maybe a hermit or two, and the odd half-crazed trapper living around Lake Tupo. The woods teem with life, and consequently with monsters that feed on it. Hunting parties often sally out of the castle in search of something belligerent to kill. The current lord of Sorgente is Count Frederico Calzore de Volonzo, a near cousin to the King of Fresii. Most of his wealth is derived from the rich farm lands surrounding his castle, supplemented by numerous other estates spread all across northern Fresii. Frederico is a wise ruler, letting the peasants get on with their lives, but taxing them as stringently as he is able while providing protection from the neighbouring landlords. Many now consider him the most powerful man in Fresii, a position that threatens the king himself. Calzore maintains a large personal retinue, and is a proven commander in the field. Gossip claims that he is planning to annex the free state of Torona on the northern borders of the kingdom. If he could take control of that city and its trade routes then this might provide him with the income required to challenge for the throne one day. Frederico does have a dark side. He willingly consorts with a pack of wolfweres inhabiting the lower caverns of the castle rock. His pet alchemist, Gotke, has succeeded in brewing a potion that allows Frederico to shape-change into a wolf. Every few weeks he descend down through the caverns to the lower gate below to run wild with the pack. These changes are having a damaging effect on Frederico's mind, fuelling his megalomania and delusions of invulnerability. He is becoming more reckless, and this is pushing him over the edge of caution. The current turmoil in Torona may just be an opportunity too good to miss attacking the Adventurer’s City.
wrexham3 02-20-06, 05:16 PM	Tooth and Claw Along the passes and crevasses of the Chaurn Mountains are the traditional territories of wyverns and giant eagles. Many of these sites are ancestral, in use perhaps for thousands of years. The wyverns and eagles cannot abide one another, and violent fights ensue if one trespasses on another’s territory. Indeed, the hill peoples and yrch-hai of the mountains often refer to an eagle valley or ‘dragon’ valley, as a point of reference. If you were to draw a line between these two territories, you would end up with a very good approximation of the border between northern and southern Karelan. This is not a coincidence – southern Karelan was once the dominion of the draconian Empire of Worlds. This is now the domain of the wyverns, the watch-dogs of the Empire. However the omnipotent Empire never expanded beyond the line of the Chaurn Mountains into what is traditionally called Eruria. Northern Karelan remained a mosaic of tribal kingdoms until the Eseenian period. This has always been the home of the noble eagles. Thus the creatures maintain the ancient boundaries of the continent. It is a mystery why the wyvern’s remain at all; in the aftermath of usurper 'Emperor' Anagus’ demise every being of draconic ancestry – dragon, andragon (half-dragon), draconian, even the Emperor Ghyl himself – was instantly slain. No creature of dragon heritage could set foot on Éda for thousands of years, and only those with the meanest blood-lines – such as the Nostrates humans and the Kobolds – survived the catastrophe. Yet the wyverns endured, to guard the borders of an empire long gone.
wrexham3 02-21-06, 05:12 PM	Vaults of Petrokalus 2 – Glibrimaglut Glibrimaglut was a Nalfeshnee demon. He differed in appearance in so far as he possesses a bloated porcine head instead of an ape’s. It was Glibrimaglut who was hastily despatched from Hell to Miroza in 10 557 in a futile attempt to stop Petrokalus destroying eight evil artefacts. However, by the time he caught up with the mage Petrokalus had already left them in a simple Eseenian church which Glibrimaglut could not enter. In the last moments before the city was destroyed, the demon tore out Petrokalus’ soul and ‘bound’ him to his own spell – ensuring that the spell could not end or be dispelled. Then Glibrimaglut was destroyed in the explosion that sent Miroza to the bottom of its newly formed bay. Glibrimaglut of course returned – demons are not easily destoryed. However, the lords of the Lower Hells were not amused and condemned him to wander Éda until he was able to recover the artefacts. Alas for Glibrimaglut he could not open the portal for it was sealed with holy wards. In his sojourn on Eda Glibrimaglut diminished greatly in stature and power (I treat him as a wereboar with innate charm person 3/day). He now masquerades as an ashlander traveller called Gabriel de Guerra, hoping to persuade some pure soul to open the portal for him and retrieve the artefacts from the church. Havent decide what the eight artefacts are going to be. One is the Eye of Sekh which Skarlett is searching for. Another is a gneiss stone block that weighed down the dismembered body of the creator god El when it was cast into the Sea of Chaos. I might put the Eye of Vecna in as a 'sight' gag. Dave'll appreciate that. Sorry, its a terrible pun. (see post #16 'The Vault of Petrokalus')
wrexham3 02-22-06, 04:32 PM	In the original Karelan campaign Celtic deities seemed to turn up with alarming regularity, to dispense magic items, give advice, interpret dreams, etc., etc. The goddess Rhiannon was by far the most frequent visitor, so much so I unofficially called the party the ‘Champions of Rhiannon’. However, Arawn was always my favourite god - the mysterious King of the Otherworld that is, not the surrogate Hades bloke that AD&D turned him into. Arawn of the ‘Mabinogion’ is a manipulator and illusionist without peer. A wise king and keen huntsman, he possesses both a magnificent palace and an unnamed wife. In the 10th century Welsh poem ‘The Spoils of Annwn’, King Arthur attempts to steal a magic cauldron from the ‘Lord of Annwn’ (probably Arawn). The lord’s palace is called Caer Si (from the Irish word Sidhe). Anyway, this is my take on Arawn. Arawn To the peoples of Karelan, Arawn is the Lord of both the Elves and the Gorns, a heathen elf sorcerer without equal. To the people of Island of the Mighty (Gornt) he is the God of Annwn, the Otherworld where souls must go before they can be reincarnated again. The Sidhe, for their part, consider him the oldest of their kind, perhaps even the first spirit to have existed. Arawn’s original domain was winter. The ancient peoples would prepare great Midwinter feasts in his honour, and as the world strayed furthest from the sun, sought to placate him. His mortal enemy was a spirit of summer called Hafgan, and their conflicts symbolized the passing of the year. However, Arawn eventually tricked and defeated Hafgan, so far a time winter ruled unending. Seeing the misery this was causing, Arawn set his wife, Ysyllt, in Hafgan’s place. Thereafter summer and winter passed without conflict (well perhaps the occasional squabble). Ysyllt was eventually murdered by a jealous spirit seeking her power (see post #12, 'Drow of Karelan'). However, this spirit’s poisons did not just kill Ysyllt but destroyed her utterly. Ysyllt did not enter the circles of Annwn to be reincarnated – she ceased to exist. The evil spirit then took Ysyllt’s shape and ruled in her stead for a time, until eventually Arawn saw through her disguise. She fled, and Arawn pursued her across all of the Great Land, until it fell into ruin without his care. Giving up the chase, the grief-stricken Arawn cursed her and all her kind to dwell in darkness without end. Although Arawn ruled the Great Land again, the world became cold and dark again as Arawn brooded. A desperate expedition was sent to steal the Cauldron of Plenty from Caer Si in the hope of renewing the land without him. As the heroes fled, Arawn flew into a fury and unleashed all the Hosts of Annwn upon the Great Land. And then, when he heard the wails of the bereaved and saw what he had done, Arawn stopped. He realised that he understood death; normally elves die and are reincarnated with no memory of their former existence. However, Arawn could not simply cease and forget, because the memory of Ysyllt would die with him, the only part of her that was left. More than any other spirit of Annwn, Arawn had come to understand the 'human' condition. He undid all the damage he had wrought, resurrected the dead using the Cauldron, and finally brought the sun back again in memory of his dead wife. Arawn appears as a sad but dignified old man, with a drawn grey face and long white hair. His clothes are the deepest, darkest blue, studded with seed pearls which match the constellations of the skies. Arawn is a mysterious figure, stern, unknowable, a little acerbic and cynical, yet nevertheless a friend to mortals. He rarely interferes with people’s lives, understanding the damage this can cause. Instead, he tends to act as an advisor, setting people on the right path. Arawn seems to take more interest in the mundane and inconsequential than he does in great events and legendary deeds. That is the real stuff of life.
wrexham3 02-24-06, 03:10 PM	Demi-Heavens and Half-Hells Karelan has its heavens and hells just like other worlds. These planes are not as clearly defined as in other worlds – there is no Abyss for Chaotic Evil and Nine Hells for the Lawful. The Demi-Heavens and Half-Hells can be likened to islands floating in a sea of thoughts. These demi-planes are created by the expectations of an Afterlife as an idealized version of material existence. Therefore, if a person imagines they are destined for Paradise, they find themselves in a living garden of unsurpassed beauty, with all their loved ones there to greet them. However these demi-planes are structured like journeys along which the soul must unconsciously travel. The end goal is the realization that their earthly lives are over and these physical paradises are illusory. At this point the soul must embrace the light or darkness (or whatever lies between) within them, before merging with the sea of thoughts, all individuality lost. Some souls cannot make this last leap and cling on to the demi-planes, slowly dissipating away to become little more than hollow ghosts going through the motions of their lost lives. Of course, if you believe in reincarnation none of this applies. The demi-heavens and hells are populated by angels and demons in their physical guises – all halos, fake tans and tridents. Demons and devils delight in congregating around the half-hells, extracting the last drop of suffering from their victims before casting them through the gates of oblivion. Some claim that demi-realms were created by a mysterious race known as the First, and that they became entrapped inside their creation.
Natural_20 02-24-06, 03:25 PM	If you want feedback on your setting, you could put parts of it up at the CBG, people there are much more likely to read your setting than those browsing the massive forum here. you don't have to, but it might be worth checking it out... The link is in my sig...
wrexham3 02-24-06, 03:44 PM	Good grief! Someone's actually out there! Thanks for your reply Natural_20, it is greatly appreciated. Feedback would be very nice, but its not necessarily essential - basically I just put down whatever crazy nonsense is in my head at the end of a hard day's work. My players seem to like the world - when they're not being attacked by flame-resistant dire animals with Greater Magic Fang cast upon them, Dominated by a druid who's hiding behind a Wall of Fire in a confined space casting fire spells at them, that is. Stuff happens...
wrexham3 04-24-06, 08:45 AM	:bump:
wrexham3 05-07-06, 09:25 AM	The Old Ones of the Mountains The Old Ones, also known as Mountain or Ghost Folk, are now found only in the Chaurn Mountains. They are Human, but are quite unlike the civilized peoples who dwell in Dakos or Eruria. They are squat and broad, with pale white skin, blond hair and blue eyes. Their teeth are uneven and chipped, while a broad brow ridge runs along their forehead. Although great mountain passes carry merchants between the Two Lands, the civilized world rarely impinges upon that of the Old Ones. They dwell in hidden valleys high up in the range where their isolated bands have dwelt for generations. Mostly they subsist by hunting the local wildlife, supplementing this diet by eating fruits, berries, roots and grasses. Mountain Folk are isolationist, rarely interacting with outsiders, even other Old Ones. The Serkhi Orcs maintain a trading post along the Capellan Pass, and local Mountain Folk will sometimes come down from their valleys to trade furs for steel knives, arrows and decorative trinkets. This provides the only opportunity most Karelanians have to interact with the ghosts of the high mountains. In the past the Karelanians have hunted the Ghost Folk. The Yrch-Hai of the mountains respect their strength, ferocity and spirituality - although they will sometimes hunt the Old Ones. Mountain folk are susceptible to this kind of deprivation, as they are bound to their valleys with nowhere else to go. They also have to contend with winter wolves and ice trolls (yeti) native to the Chaurn. Occasionally an Old One will be grabbed by a wyvern. The Old Ones are wise in the ways of nature and individuals make powerful hunters and rangers, as well as adepts and druids. Theirs is a very conservative society – they still use stone and bone tools. In the past two thousand years their greatest technical leap has been the short bow (which they adopted from the Erurians of Northern Karelan). Although their populations are scattered throughout the Chaurn Mountains, there are probably just over a 100 000 of these beings left. Basically the Old Ones are Neanderthals. No Neander valley in Karelan, so I came up with Old Ones or Mountain/Ghost Folk. Stats (which I’ve changed from Frostburn) +4 Str, -2 Dex, +4 Con, -2 Int, +2 Wis, -2 Cha, climate tolerant, +2 to Listen, Spot and Survival). Real-life Neanderthals of history were big, tough and very adept at exploiting their particular niche, but seemed to have been culturally conservative, lacking in innovation and tending (for some reason) to pick up injuries a lot. The premise is that the Neanderthals did not go extinct 30 000 years ago, but survived in the Great Land until it split from our Earth ten millennia later.
wonderwheel 05-07-06, 10:51 AM	This setting is truly beyond interesting to me. If no one else reads it. I do. :behold:
wrexham3 05-07-06, 03:31 PM	Well, I'll try to write a bit more often then. :)
wrexham3 05-08-06, 04:01 AM	I’ve designed Eseen from an amalgamation of Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Probably Zoroastrianism and Gnostic Christianity have been the biggest influences. Its just Fantasy, so I hope people will approach it in that vein. Eseen Eseen is a dualistic religion widely practiced in Qemn and parts of Karelan. Modern Eseen based upon the teachings of the prophet Barak (Ashara: Barachim) who emerged in the 101st century. However, the essential idea has been around since the Empire of Worlds, since the dragon emperor Bahamut went into the Great Serif desert and conversed with Elial and Deshet. Therefore Barak is simply the latest in a long line of prophets. At the core of Eseen belief is that Eda is imperfect, a creation of the Chaos Spirit Deshet after the Deluge. Eseenians believe that Deshet would rule Eda for 9999 years until the God of Light, Elial (Elal or Eseus) finally united Eda with Heaven. The years preceding 9999 were filled with religious upheaval as deca-millennialist cults sprung up in Qemn anticipating the end of the world. However, the year 9999 passed and the End did not come. A collective crisis of faith followed. Then in the middle of the 101st century Barachim came out of the desert to preach a new creed – that followers of Elal must actively work to unite Earth and Heaven. Thereafter Eseen become a religion intent on converting the entire world. Barachim and his seven sons* drove pagan Daltae out of Qemn at the end of the 101st century. During the 102nd-104th centuries Eseen spread to Karelan via the Sea of Demons. The most influential figure is Rahahm, a grandson (or great grandson) of Barachim. He was driven out of Qemn by another family faction and settled in the Dakorian province of Selucis. Corto, where he died, became the first Eseenian city (until his bones were transferred to Patra Doma). Many Karelanians still consider Corto - the Castle of Gardens - to be the perfect Eseenian society. Then in 10 557 the dragon empress Sung sought to harness the power of an ancient vortice radial near Miroza. The results were catastrophic. Miroza was sent to the bottom of the bay that now bearing its name, while the rich arable plains of Selucis turned into desert. In Eruria, beyond the Chaurn Mountains, decades of almost permanent winter ensued. All this weakened the power of the spirits of nature. Eseen was able to fill the vacuum. Thus Eseen became the dominant religion of Karelan for a thousand years. It reached the height of its power in the 113th century during the Holy Suzerain. Then in 114th century it split into warring factions. Recently (11 565-575) Eseen in Karelan appears to be on the decline. The entire continent has been wracked by strife since the Second Aegis War, and it was the Elven Host of Avenwood, not the holy orders, who drove back Sorroghun's warriors. Indeed, elves seem to be everywhere these days. To Eseenians, fire and water are holy – water because it purifies the body, and fire because it sanctifies the soul. Therefore Eseenians ritually bathe before entering a church, where a holy flame is maintained at all times. Elial was originally a sky god, so His symbol is the bronze sun disc. * Actually one was a daughter, although in some sects she is depicted as a man!
wrexham3 05-09-06, 04:49 PM	Betesta and the Bestials The Ruin of Karelan in 10 557 Cataclysm changed everything for a thousand years. Northern Karelan was wreathed in almost perpetual winter for three decades. Not only did Erurians have to contend with orc invaders, but the dark fey were extending their influence as never before. Armies of trolls and joten (frost giants) were sweeping out of the Thyrym and Hordland. Other spirits such as the alvar and fae were greatly diminished in power, or turned into dark elves themselves, overwhelmed by the orgy of destruction unleashed. For a time these dark fey dominated northern Karelan, but in the end the perpetual winter brought about their own downfall. After a decade or more of darkness the power of all spirits weakened as the endless cycle of life and death broke down. Parts of northern Karelan became ice deserts where only the most tenacious living things could exist. Even the dark elves began to decline, with nothing to kill to renew themselves. As the ancient spirits waned, an alien spiritual force triumphed. That force was Eseen, which did not rely on a cycle of death and renewal, but upon a power detached from the natural world. Eseen had established itself in the Dakorian province of Selucia before the cataclysm. In its aftermath Eseen crossed into northern Karelan via the Col d’Val, into what is now the Principality of Proval. For the next three hundred years Eseen spread relentlessly across the rest of Eruria and Genares, eventually penetrating into the Parva Plains regions. The old beliefs, in spirits and the natural world, were abandoned in its wake. One of the dark elves who rose to power during the endless winter of the Cataclysm was Casnar, a druid/sorcerer. While many other spirits withdrew into the Underworld or the elven forests, Casnar allowed his obsessive hatred of Eseen to drive him on. He eventually established himself in northwest Ascuria, where he fought to stop the One Faith spreading to the City Kingdom peninsula. Casnar allied himself with many of the beast races of the Chaurn Mountains, as well as Yrch-Hai (orc) tribes driven into the mountains by the Great Cold. Casnar’s domain – centred on the ancient Imperial fortress of Bastine - terrorized the north-western City Kingdoms for five centuries. He made constant war upon the Eseen of Marego and Valantia. To this day Betesta (as the Ascurians called him) is still a bogeyman, a bronze masked monster of legend. Betesta’s greatest creation was the Beastfolk or Bestials. Casnar bred them in an abandoned Underworld city beneath his fortress. He organized them, gave them a language and nutured their hatred. They in turn held Betesta as a god, calling him Kas or Kargaz. Betesta’s reign of terror lasted until Bastino was besieged and destroyed by the Knights Custodians. Betesta seems to have resigned himself to the fact that he had failed, his dominion a tiny enclave surrounded by a sea of Eseen. Indeed his atrocities had driven many pagans to ally against him. He turned Bastino into his funeral pyre, even as the knights breached his inner defenses. Many died with him. Even today the bestials still worship him, convinced that he will return from the world of shadows once again.
wrexham3 05-09-06, 04:51 PM	Adleberries Adleberries are the fruit of a magical tree found only in elven forests. Each is about the size of a cherry, and look green and unappetizing. Apparently they taste sickly sweet, almost like bile. They are also extremely poisonous if chewed and have to be swallowed whole. Adleberries also cause powerful, vivid dreams. However, the fruit is particularly prized because it can change the appearence of anyone who consumes them. Usually into the last person or creature the consumer saw or spoke to before they fell asleep, or someone who has had a powerful emotional effect on them. Although adleberry changes the appearence of the person, even their sex, it does not change their proportions, so if a halfling laid eyes on an ogre before falling asleep then they will wake up as a halfling-sized ogre. The effect of adleberries lasts several days, with the person changing each time they fall asleep. As a means of disguise the adleberry is a too unpredictable for most professional thieves and assassins. However they are a common ingredient for certain potions. Elves eat them for the pleasure of the effect.
wrexham3 05-10-06, 12:35 PM	Trivolinus Trivolinus was born a slave probably in the Daltae Empire (he is very vague about his past, but more of that later). He seems to have been sold on as a child to a rather foolish master. In Daltae, there has always been an expedient in law allowing enterprising slaves to buy their freedom. Thus Trivolinus and his master came to terms by which the slave would be freed for a fixed fee. Trivolinus worked diligently every day to amass enough money to pay for his manumission. And every night he prayed to the goddess Libertas to look kindly upon his endeavours. Eventually after ten years Trivolinus had amassed the stipulated sum. Alas by this time Trivolinus' enterprise had made him indispensable. His master refused to let him go, changing the contract so that Trivolinus would need another ten years to pay him off. With no legal recourse, Trivolinus lay in his cot that night, mulling over his options – spending his life pursuing a fool’s dream, commiting suicide or running away (risking crucifixion if caught). He prayed and prayed to Libertas for guidance, so feverently that the goddess took a hand. She transformed him into a sacred animal, a winged cat. Trivolinus flew out of his bedroom window, never to be seen again. Trivolinus claims to have been to every part of Karelan. He speaks the continent’s every language, and seems versed in all manner of things. Indeed it might be speculated that Trivolinus is hundreds of years old; cats, Triv claims, have little sense of time. Among his many talents is his ability to sing and cast magic spells. Triv used to belong to a little old lady who called him 'Pie', who he grew quite attached to until she tried to sell him. Most recently he has been bought by an assassin adventurer and now acts as her advisor and guide. Despite winning his freedom, Trivolinus needs somebody to serve, even if that bond remains unspoken. Perhaps some of us cannot escape our pasts however hard we try.
wrexham3 05-10-06, 12:37 PM	The Wasting Plague The wasting plague spread like wild fire in the spring of 11 537, breaking out in one night all across the northern City Kingdoms and southern Erileine. In the affected areas it killed between a third and a half of the population, lasting a few days before completely burning itself out. However, there was a second virulent outbreak the following summer in the Custodian Estates. The economic and political ramifications proved disastrous – many agricultural communities are still recovering to this day, and the Custodian Estates has never recovered. Weakened, it became subject to repeated orc incursions, culminating in the campaigns of 11 550-554. While an unlikely alliance between the Custodian Order and Asconis succeeded in driving the orcs back, these were largely pyrrhic victories, exhausting the military strength of both. Much of the Estate lands remain waste, a depopulated land being seized piecemeal by orcs and pagans. The necromancers of Laharn have subsequently discovered that dead plague victims remain extremely well-preserved, decades after the outbreak. More alarmingly, these bodies are extremely susceptible to necromancy – reanimation spells are twice as effective as on the ordinary dead. The implications are terrifying – beneath borderlands of the City Kingdoms and Erileine sleeps a terrible potential threat – an undead horde of unimaginable proportions. Laharn has decided to keep its findings secret, so as not to exacerbate an already dangeros situation. The priority must be to identify the perpetrator behind the Wasting Plague, as this cannot simply be the product of chance.
wrexham3 05-13-06, 09:58 AM	The Saturnine Mysteries The Daltaens equate Saturn with the god Cronus, the tyrannical father whom Zeus deposed. However the inhabitants of the City Kingdoms and Leotine consider Saturn the benign benefactor of Mankind. Before the Great Deluge it is believed that Saturn dwelt on Eda as a king, presiding over a golden age of civilization. Eventually Saturn was forced to leave Eda and ascend to the celestial heavens. From that time on a mortal was elected in Saturn’s stead by the casting of lots. Traditionally this king (or queen) would rule for seven years before being sacrificed to Saturn. This rite only ended when the Daltae Empire conquered ancient Elion (Leotine). The last king was then sacraficed upon the altar of Zeus Jupiter. Although the cult of Saturn was suppressed, his festival was celebrated every Midwinter’s Day. During the Saturnalia communities across Ascuria (City Kingdoms) and Lyracium (Leotine) would choose a king to rule for a day. Among the Saturnine priesthood however, the casting of lots became the foundation of a more sophisticated system of election. Each temple had a sacred fire. During an election the priests would mark his or her preference on a wooden lot which was cast into the flames. When the vote ended a public augury was performed and positions were assigned according to the popular majority for the next seven years. Over time the Divine Tyranny of Zeus would degenerate into materialism and cynicism. The tyrant became locked in petty disputes between himself, Poseidon and Hades. These disputes lasted centuries and preoccupied Zeus so completely that his empire on Eda went into long term decline. This period of stagnation witnessed the rise of the vampiric Life Cults and the arrival of Eseen. The citizens of Ascuria and Lyracium began to look to Saturn once more. Both provinces eventually joined Tyra in its struggle for independence in the 105th century. After the Sea Wars the Daltae mainland was left wracked by religious strife, with the Tyrene Republic in control of the Middle Sea and the Sea of Lions. Saturn became the state religion of the republic. Secular officials were elected by the same method as the priesthood – each citizen would throw a wooden lot into Saturn's sacred flames. After three days of voting, a public augury would take place, the result deciding the make-up of the senate for the next seven years. Four parties – the Aventa (Air Party), the Hydor (Water), the Vermilione (Fire) and the Versio (Earth) – traditionally contest the elections. Because the elections were sacred they were not open to manipulation or fraud, but always reflected the considered will of the citizenry. This kind of sacred democracy is still practiced in the Leotine Republic and in some states within the City Kingdoms (such as Monzo, Damansia and Bribanti). The Saturnine republics are theocratic democracies that seek to recreate Saturn’s golden age in this life. Saturn is married to the goddess Popia. She is venerated in Saturn's temples and represents the popular sentiment of the people.
wrexham3 05-13-06, 04:30 PM	Crossing the Divide – Aarakocra in Carolan The continent of Carolan is divided both literally and figuratively. Across the centre of the continent is the Chaurn Mountains. In the past the southern half of Carolan was claimed by the Empire of Worlds. Northern Carolan, on the other hand, was a mosaic of tribal kingdoms until the Eseenian church welded them into nation states. Similarly we could divide Carolan into pagan and Eseenian, or into those who practice magical science (thaumaturgy) and those who utilize magic in its raw state (sorcery). There are exceptions – the Aarakocra seem always to have transcended such divides. The race is not native to Carolan but was brought to Éda by the Empire of Worlds. They first built their high aeries in Crolacks, before spreading to the Chaurn and Asconte Mountains. Later their race migrated into mountain ranges north of the Chaurn. These northern aarakocra discovered the secrets of wild magic and animism. As the aarakocra migrated back and forth across the Carolan, these secrets made their way back to the imperial aeries. Therefore the aarakocra have developed a rich cultural tradition that embraces both wizardry and sorcery, as well as the worship of celestial deities and animistic spirits. They even dabbled in Eseen in its early incarnation until they realized they had no place in its human-centric worldview. The aarakocra are not as widespread as they have been in the past. The northern aeries have long been abandoned, and only the high aeries of the Chaurn and Asconte ranges remain. These high aeries are mostly empty with less than half the population they once held. This is because the planar economy of the Empire of Worlds eventually failed. Thus the aarakocra could not maintain the population levels they once possessed. Nevertheless the bird people still maintain their high aeries even though these are mostly empty. Aarakocra aeries are wonders to behold – great cliff-face cities sculpted out of the living rock. These are inaccessible to any but the most determined climbers. Generally the aarakocra do not involve themselves with the affairs of the earthbound races, content instead to ride the thermals and observe everything that goes on around them. Despite the distance they maintain from other races, aarakocra can be surprisingly amenable to outsiders. This is because of they believe themselves to be beyond the reach of other races.
wrexham3 05-20-06, 11:53 AM	Clockwork and Steam: The Gnomes of Nalgon The Gom of Nalgon are related to the Dwerg (Dwarves) and Gessen (Halflings) races. Gnomes are probably the most enigmatic and pragmatic race on Éda. Their populations are generally thought to be found only in Carolan, confined to a remote corner of the Chaurn Mountains. The guilds of Nalgon appear largely isolationist, maintaining extensive links only with the Magiocracy of Laharn to the south. Gnome cities and settlements are designed to be sympathetic with the natural landscape, many being built underground. Most of these cities are completely autonomous and self-sufficient, with outlying farming communities supplying food, fuel and other materials. To most Carolany the Gnomes are mysterious practitioners of arcane engineering, devised during the Age of Dragons. In some cases the Gnomes have surpassed their draconian predecessors. During the Second Aegis War the guilds deployed these technologies to terrible effect against the other peoples of Carolan. However, it should be noted that many gnomes opposed their brethren in Nalgon. The colony of Monzo, for instance, remained neutral throughout the war. Unfortunately gnomes are now widely reviled throughout many parts of Carolan, convenient scapegoats for atrocities committed largely by the Draconian legions and the armies of the Magiocracy. The Gnomes might best be described as a race of antiquarians, procurers of ancient secrets and sacred lore. They know (and guess) more about the true nature of Éda and the Omniverse than almost any other race, knowledge they collect in vast libraries. The Gnomes have spent centuries compiling a definitive history of Éda from the earliest times. They also control a vast planar trading empire centred upon Nalgon. Therefore their knowledge of the planes is unrivalled as well. The guilds thus supply exotic materials and objects to the neighbouring Magiocracy. However, perhaps the greatest gnomish achievement is in their engineering of demi-planes. The most extraordinary of these is the Great Hub, an idealized mirror-image of Éda where many gnomes retire generally after two or three centuries of life. The Great Hub is also the ultimate receptacle of gnomish history, a living library of all their civilization’s accumulated knowledge. It is isolated from Time and once someone travels to there they cannot easily come back. However communication with the Great Hub is possible through arcane and divine divination. Despite being outside time, it would seem that the oldest parts of the Great Hub are now beginning to disintegrate, with banks of accumulated knowledge becoming lost. Gnomes practice ancestor and elemental worship, although they are largely agnostic by temperament. They speak an extremely complex language called Aze. Many gnomes also speak Ar-Draconis, the language of the Empire of Worlds.
wrexham3 05-20-06, 04:14 PM	Sacrilich and the Lichlyn Hills When King Gratienne’s died without an heir, the Kingdom of Erileine was wracked by civil war that lasted from 11 437-466. This war has come to be known, rather poetically, as the War of the Maidens. However, it was a brutal series of dynastic dog-fights between Houses Prachardis, Damarie and Eigré. In the summer of 11 444, the Comte d’Proval, Simon Eigré, was declared King of Erileine by the nobles of the south. Five years later, through diplomacy, treachery and sheer hard graft, Eigré had gained a commanding position in the war. However, in the late summer 11 449, while Eigré was fighting in Latianne, Proval was suddenly attacked by Sacrilich and his armies. Very little is actually known about Sacrilich. No prince ever met to negotiate with him (or her?). Its name was merely a rumour among the Undead and the wretched who followed him. Scholars assume that Sacrilich was a lord from the cursed city of Valantium. Valantium had been wiped out by a volcanic eruption in 11 281. For some mysterious reason, by nightfall the entire population had risen again, a city of the dead. Nearly two centuries later, Sacrilich’s campaign was starting inauspiciously with a few hundred animated dead. However as he cut a swathe through the southern cantons he busily amassed an army from the fallen. Then in 11 451 the volcano above Valantium erupted again. The subsequent summer and winter was very severe. This affected everyone else except Sacrilich, whose forces swept up the starving in their wake. The lich lord unsuccessfully besieged Sovou a year later, before turning the south into a charnel house during a series of lightning campaigns in 11 453. The following winter saw Sacrilich establishing a new base in the Voi Hills. From here he controlled central Proval and could threaten all of Eigré’s remaining lands. However Sacrilich’s motivations were not simply strategic. The Voi were the centre of an ancient ritual landscape, with numerous barrows and cairns dominating its heights. Sacrilich planned to turn this ancient earth magic to his own advantage. To consolidate he built a line of fortresses along the Voi Heights, establishing the Gray March. As it turned out, this marked the final extent of Sacrilich’s realm. In the Voi the land itself seem to revolt against him - it is even said that the ancient dead rose from their barrows to contend against him. Distracted, Sacrilich’s campaign ground to a halt. In 11 456 Gabriel Damarie destroyed Sacrilich’s army around the village of Arvey. Sacrilich presumably survived this catastrophe, as he was able to raise a force (literally) for one final rampage the during the winter, before exiting the stage and into history. To this day the Voi Hills are still called the Lichlyns in Sacrilich’s terrible memory.
wrexham3 05-21-06, 04:42 PM	Gabriel Damarie – The Hammer of Arvéy Gabriel Damarie is the almost-man of Erileinian history, one who might have ushered in a new golden age but failed at the last. Gabriel was born in 11 432 to Prince Richard Damarie of Tresy and his wife Veive. King Gratienne of Erileine was Richard’s father-in-law, and therefore Gabriel’s grandfather. In 11 433, Gratienne’s heir died suddenly in a hunting accident. The king never recovered and succumbed to grief two years later. As the royal line was traditionally matrilineal, the way to the throne lay through Veive and her two sisters, Ysabeau and Simone. Thus the stage was set for the civil war now known to history as the War of the Maidens. It would drag on for decades. In the fifteenth year of the war, King Simon Eigré was assassinated by members of his own court. The nobility now declared Richard king, while Gabriel was made Prince d’Proval. However, they insisted that Gabriel marry Eigré’s widow, his own aunt Ysabeau. Gabriel’s father needed to secure the south, so Gabriel dutifully did so. The marriage was never consummated, and Gabriel divorced her two years later. However, rumours persisted that Gabriel was nevertheless committing incest with his own mother. It is true that Veive, an enchantress (so it is said) seems to have inordinate amount of influence over Gabriel’s life. Gabriel therefore, at the age of 24, was both Prince d’Proval and Dauphin to his father’s throne. In the summer of 11 456 he destroyed Sacrilich’s army in the fields around Arvéy, forever putting an end to the lord of dead’s realm. It was to be Gabriel’s greatest military victory. He had proved himself to be a consummate commander in the field, a skill he never demonstrated to greater effect than at Arvéy. Not only a great commander, Gabriel was an innovator - he saw the potential gunpowder weapons as battlefield weapons early on, and even employed an Nalgonese Orc general, Tallobrund, to oversee their deployment. By 11 460 King Richard had effectively outmanoeuvred all his opponents and was now ruling unopposed. Peace reigned throughout Erileine for the next two years. Then suddenly the king died. Gabriel swiftly uncovered a rival’s plot and ruthlessly executed all those implicated. He was duly crowned king and at his coronation nobles and dignitaries vied to offer their swords to him. Suddenly brothers of the elite Knight Patriarch barged their way into the proceedings. An ugly scene followed, as fist and voices were raised, while Gabriel tried to restore order. The knight-commander strode up to Gabriel and offered his sword. It was a sword of Bahamut, holy of holies. Gabriel inexplicably refused it. Three times the knight-commander held out his sword, as the king squirmed in his throne, shouting for his guards. No one moved. At last the Knights Patriarch left without a word. It was the beginning of the end. Rumours flew around Sulons. Many now believed that Gabriel and Veive had been complicit in King Richard’s death while committing incest in his bed. For his part, Gabriel declared the Knights Patriarch traitors and pursued them relentlessly, effectively destroying the order. He also ordered the last remaining son of Ysabeau, Henri Prachardis, killed. Henri was saved by the noble castellan of Bourgen, Knight Commander of the Order of the Eagle, who refused to carry out Gabriel’s orders. While Gabriel marched against the south, his mother Veive led an army against Bourgen. However, it was ambushed outside the Forest of Pixidy by the Baron of Trollmarch. Veive was dragged off to the city of La Haye where she was burnt at the stake. The fight seems to have gone out of Gabriel at that point. He sought to retreat back to Sulons. However word now reached him that the Elven Queen of Avenwood was at last intervening, leading her hosts against him. Assailed from all sides, Gabriel fled west to Tresy with his enemies in pursuit. Cornered at last, Gabriel chose death rather than capture. He sallied out of Tresy seeking Henri Prachardis. The charge was eventually blunted and a bloody massacre ensued. Gabriel was found dismembered. Henri had his body fed to the crows. However years, even decades, after there were rumours that Gabriel and Veive had somehow survived, becoming bloodless spirits who haunted the Trollmarch or the Forest of Marn. The rumours persist to this day, over a century after their deaths. Did the Hammer of Arvéy, in the end, choose Sacrilich’s dark path?
trashdog 05-21-06, 11:15 PM	I'll have to give all this a closer read since all I did was skim it, but I have to know why you named the continent "Carrolan" or "Carolan". I happen to be a Carolan, and the only other place I've seen the name is on a bottle of Irish Cream. :rolleyes:
wrexham3 05-22-06, 03:57 AM	LOL. The original name of the world was Kerralan, but it kind of got mutated over the years from Carrolan to Carralan to Carallan to Caraland to Carrolan and finally Carolan. I've chosen Carolan as its final form as it kind of sounds like 'Carolingian' the dynasty that ruled over France and Germany during the Early Middle Ages. Oh, and Éda comes from the Welsh word Byd which means 'The World', so there you go. :)
wrexham3 05-22-06, 08:39 AM	The Wanderer’s Homecoming The Wanderer’s Homecoming Inn was originally situated near the south gate of Asconis. It has probably been open for 150 years, although it was originally called the Red Centaur. No one really knows when the name change took place. The present owners are a striking woman with an eye-patch called Alicia Galliano and her weasely husband, Lonzo. Both are rather evasive about their past – Alicia is an ex-mercenary who lost her eye at the Battle of Clavalon, while Lonzo’s accent is definitely Ascontian; he claims to be from the southern town of Bragato, however no one has ever heard of him there. Both are friendly enough, and seem to be upstanding members of the local community despite their odd appearance. The real mystery lies in what the couple did with the inn. When Alicia and Lonzo bought it they also purchased a derelict building near Asconis’ north gate. They refurbished both properties and opened them on the same day as the Wanderer’s Homecoming Inn. The reason quickly became obvious as people began to trickle through the doors – the interiors of each Wanderer’s Homecoming inhabits the same pocket universe. Therefore it is possible to enter the south gate establishment, buy a drink, leave via another door and find yourself on a street next to the north gate. Obviously a substantial amount of magic is required to create this effect, and no one knows where the pair got their hands on it. The current rumour doing the rounds is that both are ex-Fetch, bounty hunters who work on behalf of the Magiocracy of Laharn. Of course many local traders were initially furious when they found out. It allowed visitors to completely bypass the city by simply popping into one inn. The local Cantore thieves’ guild became involved – however after a couple of botched roughing-ups and an attempted murder it is said that someone made the Cantore guild-master an offer he could not refuse. The couple have never been bothered since. Recently, last Day of the Dead, a huge celebration was held at the Homecoming where regulars mixed with elves, mages, northern barbarians, Erileinian mercenaries, dwarves from Glorn and other miscellaneous riff-raff from outside the city. Lord Aldergess was there, as well as the Star Chancellor Ibrahim Said Barrakan and Knight Commander Berard Darjan of the Knights Patriarch. The bard Sim Elvard provided the entertainment. Most could not have guessed that the date marked the twentieth anniversary of the first meeting between Aldergess, Darach Gobannon, Lorimar of Leona, Marhiannon, Lazlo Callini and the future Arcanist Feyr-Raul at the inn. The rest, as they say, is history. The Wanderer’s Homecoming is a friendly inn and reasonably priced. Adventurers are welcome, and no one is turned away at the door – the orc Kuoag Trask, for instance, is a personal friend of the proprietors. Mind the pub cat though – there’s something not quite right about it…
wrexham3 05-23-06, 04:21 PM	Graven Forest It has been speculated that Graven is a fragment of a great wild-wood which once spread across ancient Eirú, from the Bas-Altas to the Chaurn Mountains. The heart of this forest was Avenwood, the great elven kingdom in the middle of Erileine. Much of this great wild wood has been cut down and turned into farm land. Avenwood, Graven and the Forest of Marn in the north-west are all that now remains. Graven is a fey forest, a magical wood that leads to the Otherworld of Annwn, the realm of the Elves. The name Graven is derived from the grotesque stone carvings found between the boughs of the trees, gathering moss. No one, not even its inhabitants, know their origins. Graven is inhabited mainly by unaligned Fae, although the Seelie and Unseelie do maintain courts within its depths. All however, pay homage to Lord Aldergess, a 7’ tall bearded giant of an elf with a two-handed flame-tongue and a dog called Fungus. Aldergess was made lord by the Queen of Avenwood just before the Aegis Wars. However, Aldergess immediately became embroiled in a feud with Comte William d’Voy of Malois. During this feud Aldergess lost an eye and d’Voy his life. Consequently, d’Voy’s son – also William – is terrified of Aldergess and confines himself mostly to his castle. Aldergess reign over Graven is hardly what you would call assiduous – he is far too busy getting drunk and starting fights with hill giants. However recently, after a whirlwind romance with a seelie called Eilonwy, he got hitched. This has meant compromises on both sides - Aldergess has started bathing while Eilonwy is resigned to sharing her husband with the disgusting Fungus, Aldergess’ boon companion and drinking buddy. His friends are not holding their breaths. Like Marn and Avenwood, the soils around Graven are extremely fertile, and thus much sought after by cultivators. Every year the local free peasantry drive a herd of cattle into the forest as payment. The River Dorn – marking the border between Erileine and the Theocracy of Jehanna - flows into the forest. Before reaching Graven the Dorn is already swollen by the innumerable mountain streams of the Chaurn. However, during its course through the magic forest it is fed by the rivers of Annwn, bursting out of Graven seven times its size. This huge volume of water then floods out into the lands beyond to form the dreaded Trollmarch to the north.
wrexham3 05-24-06, 12:09 PM	Trolls and the Trollmarch The Trollmarch is formed as the River Dorn deluges out of the Forest of Graven to flood the plains beyond. A number of other major rivers also drain into the Trollmarch to form a vast maze of islands, channels and lakes. It is a haven for all kinds of monsters – the most notorious of course are its trolls. Trolls appear to have migrated in great numbers here during the Great Cold of the 106th century. Trolls probably lived here beforehand, but during the almost perpetual winter of this period wave upon wave of trolls and frost giants migrated out of the north. It would take humans nearly five centuries to reclaim those parts of Eirú and Eidenland seized by their hordes. However a few populations survived in isolated pockets – such as the Forest of Weerd and the Trollmarch. During the Holy Suzerainty (110th-113th centuries) great efforts were made to exterminate the trolls of the marsh, but within its labyrinthine depths somehow they cling on. Trollmarch is now a No Man’s Land between Erileine and Jehanna – a political stalemate that has allowed the surviving trolls to thrive. The most famous (or infamous) troll of the marshes is Magtha Toed, a witch, herbalist and potion-brewer without peer. Described as a sickening eight foot tall green monstrosity with hair like a nest of weeds, she dwells in the Stuppenschleifen – an island of rough rock pillars on the Jehannan side of the Dorn. In its pools she likes to breed giant frogs and toads which wriggle around her lair, providing her with some company and the occasional quick bit to eat. She also keeps three pet barghests. Magtha wiles away her days sitting on her rickety stool, knitting bundles of human hair. Recently she attempted to gain possession of dragon shell, to use in a spell to make her immune to sunlight. However the adventurers she sent to the Underworld were all killed in the attempt.
wrexham3 05-27-06, 12:04 PM	I dont usually make new monsters, however I made trolls an exception. Basically I wanted make them more like the mythological monsters of Scandinavian fairy-tale. I'm sure I've made a lot of mistakes trying stat them up. Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Éda Troll Medium Giant Hit Dice: 4d8+8 (26 hp) Initiative: +0 Speed: 30 ft. AC: 19 (+4 chain, +5 natural) Attacks: 2 claws +6, bite +1; or sword +6 Damage: Claws 1d4+3, bite 1d4+1; or sword 1d8+3 Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5ft./5ft. Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities Special Qualities: Darkvision 30’, regeneration, scent, SR 14, vulnerability to sunlight Saves: Fort +6, Ref +1, Will +2 Abilities: Str 17, Dex 10, Con 14, Int 7, Wis 12, Cha 14 Skills: Craft +7, Listen +6, Mining +6, Search -6, Spot -3 Feats: Skill focus (Craft) Climate/Terrain: Cold and temperate forest, hill, marsh, mountains and underground Organization: Solitary, pair, gang (2-5), clan (5-16) Challenge Rating: 5 Treasure: Standard coins, double goods and items Alignment: Usually neutral evil Advancement: By character class Trolls are mostly found in the north, in the Gethesheim Mountains, Hordland or frigid Thyrim. A few are found in Carolan to the south. Trolls come in all shapes and sizes, from that of dwarves to ogres. They also vary greatly in appearance – most are ugly but a rare few a quite beautiful; some possess tails, while others do not. Most trolls have characteristically long pointed ears and large noses. Their eyesight is generally poor, but they retain excellent senses of smell and hearing. Trolls might generally be described as rather slow and stupid, while possessing a certain feral cunning. Some, indeed, become mighty sorcerers and clerics. Trolls live in caves, mines and warrens, far away from civilization. They spend most of their lives delving for ore to make jewelry and weapons. Indeed, the trolls of the north are the armourers of Ragnarok, equipping the frost giant hordes preparing to storm across all of Éda. The Trolls yearn for the day when their world reverts back to the fire and ice of its primordial origins. Trolls were once real beings like humans and dwarves, one of the many races who dwelled in the Great Land under the Endless Sky. However, during the Great Sundering their home world was sent spinning away from the sun and all life died upon it. While troll populations did survive on Éda, each succeeding generation seemed to become less real, more fey-like, as if the destruction of their home took away their being. Trolls are now half-spirits caught between Annwn and Éda, twisted parodies shaped by the myths and beliefs of the peoples around them. Trolls worship their ancestors and strange cthonic underground spirits. Troll clerics have access to two of the following domains: Chaos, Death, Earth or Knowledge. Combat Spell-Like Abilities: Trolls can cast the following spells as a 7th level sorcerer: at will - clairaudience; 3/day – mending; 1/day – darkness, fog cloud and invisibility; 1/week – bestow curse and transmute rock to mud; 1/month – permanent illusion (must be of stone) Regeneration: Troll sorcerers are able to use earth magic to regenerate their wounds. They can replace one 2nd level spell slot for Regeneration 5. However, to utilize this ability their bare feet must be touching the earth. Vulnerability to Sunlight: Trolls caught in direct sunlight must make a Fortitude test (DC 17) or be turned into stone. Daylight spells act as fear spells for trolls. Skill Bonus: Trolls gain +4 racial bonus to Craft, Listen and Mining. Due to their poor eyesight, trolls suffer a -4 penalty to Spot and Search.
wrexham3 05-27-06, 06:06 PM	The Siege of the Underworld During the course of the 105th century the Eastern Daltae Empire (the Daltae mainland) clashed with the West (Ascuria, Lyracium and Tyra). Over the course of four Sea Wars the Western Empire was transformed into the Tyrene Republic, while the Eastern Empire ceased to be the dominant maritime power. A generation later, the once powerful Daltae Empire had disintegrated into competing city states. Zeus, God of the Daltae Empire, was eclipsed by his old rivals Saturn and Poseidon. In 10 557 the foundations of Zeus’ tyranny was shaken once again. A terrible catastrophe in the Magiocracy of Dakos caused plunged Carolan into also perpetual winter. Daltae stood on the precipice of a dark age. Zeus foresaw that eventually people would turn away from him to seek solace in Eseen - a religion that offered the promise of eternal paradise. Zeus was determined that this should not happen. To ensure his rule, Zeus had to seize control of the Underworld and Elysium from his brother Hades. The pretext of this coup was the release of Persephone, Zeus and Demeter’s daughter. Hades was refusing to let Persephone leave the Underworld to visit her sick mother while the Great Cold raged. He did not see why he should be deprived of his wife in such times. The fertility goddess Demeter was inconsolable, which made the Great Cold worse - and so the world began to die. By releasing Persephone the gods hoped that the endless cycle of winters could be stopped. Zeus, on the other hand, hoped to depose his brother and take control of Elysium, a paradise open only to heroes. By throwing open the gates of Elysium, Zeus hoped to limit Eseen’s impact and so maintain his own tyranny. The armies of the Daltae city states descended into the Underworld at the behest of Zeus and the other gods. Hades was besieged for nine years (10 576-85). As mortals clashed with Hades’ legions of the dead, a time of heroes was born - perhaps the last truly epic age. Eventually, the Zeus was victorious – the walls of Hades were brought crashing down. Persephone was released – and her intervention did indeed bring an end to the Great Cold. The overthrow of Hades allowed Zeus to control Elysium. Those who make the right offerings and supported his divine tyranny are now granted eternal paradise. Those who do not are allowed to fade to nothingness in the Underworld or are consigned to Tarterus. Persephone is still bound to the Underworld during the winter, and rules it on her father’s behalf. He refuses to let her marry again. She has become a cold and resentful goddess. As the Hades, he was dragged in chains to the well-pools of Lethe and drowned in its waters of forgetfulness. If he still exists he is beyond all human understanding.
wrexham3 06-10-06, 07:17 AM	Travelling Mirrors The ancient Empire of Worlds was a chain traversing the Omniverse and the many aspects of Vau. The wizards of the Empire used travelling mirrors to traverse the Empire. Essentially a travelling mirror is door shaped speculum. A wizard uses the mirror’s surface as a crystal ball to scry the location he or she wishes to travel before simply stepping through the mirror. The ‘doorway’ through reality remains until closed on the mirror side by using an arcane command word. In later, cruder versions this doorway will often dissolve after a few hours. The magic mirrors of the later Dakot Magiocracy were generally poor copies of Imperial mirrors; travel, for instance, was confined to the same plane. The Empire of Worlds mirrors are much more sophisticated. Notable surviving examples include the Arcanist Feyr-Raul’s personal travelling mirror which opens an invisible ‘doorway’ in reality. It is rumoured that the lich Lady Jade has a suite of eight mirrors attached to a master speculum which allows her to teleport them to different locations. She used the mirrors recently at the Third Battle of Bastine to allow her undead armies to outflank and destroy Dagnash and Nazhan Nakhal’s orcs. The means of making travelling mirrors is almost entirely lost in Laharn now. However the Neer-glasses of gnomish manufacture are of excellent quality.
wrexham3 06-10-06, 12:00 PM	Old Morgan has been around pretty much as long as I've been roleplaying, certainly predating Carolan. Being in a group of Welsh patriots we did'nt take kindly to the idea that all red dragons were evil so we created a good one and called it Old Morgan. Morgan appeared frequently in the the original Carolan campaign as an NPC, and was the centre of an entire storyline about 're-awaking' the Red Dragon of Gornt. In that time he has come a long way from his origins over twenty years ago. The Red Dragon of Gornt When the Empire of Worlds re-discovered Éda 3300 years after the Great Deluge a dragon was found already dwelling there. Indeed its presence may have drawn the Empire to a world hitherto lost in the midst of time. The name of this great dragon has been forgotten, although the Commentaries of Oroborus and the Book of Injunctions suggest that it was once Arakhan or Marukhan. The Red Dragon is distinctive because of its bright red and copper scales that mark it as a descendant of Enios, the Great Wanderer. As the line of Enios has been all but exterminated by the Empire, it is quite possible that the Gornt dragon is the last of its kind, the only remaining scion of the traitor emperor. It is also unique in that the Gornt dragon is actually a fey being that draws its strength from the Otherworld. From what can be gleaned from the oral history of Gornt, the dragon seems to have fled the Empire into the gulfs of deep time. When it discovered Éda it was either defeated by the spirits of the Great Land, or was granted sanctuary by Arawn, or perhaps wandered too far into Annwn itself, becoming changed forever within the spirit-world. Whatever the truth, it has passed beyond the strictures of its race - for instance, after the Battle of the Two Emperors, when no dragon could set foot on Éda and live, the Red Dragon seemed immune. More recently, in the aftermath of the Aegis Wars, the Red Dragon remained when all others were banished from the face of the planet by Feyr-Raul. It remains the only dragon on Éda to this day. The Red Dragon acts as the protector of Gornt, an island fifty miles across the Mora Channel from mainland Carolan. Gornt remains a tiny fragment of ancient Eirú never converted to Eseen monotheism. Twelve years ago, just before the Aegis Wars, the dragon was forced to defend the island from a Jehannan crusade. Just as the crusaders seemed poised to conquer the island, the Red Dragon descended upon them for the first time in a thousand years to destroy their fleet at anchor. Four days later, it fought and slew an angel of Eseus in the skies above the Battle of the White Coast. It has not been seen since, but is believed to be sleeping somewhere beneath the Mawryn Mountains. The Red Dragon is a shape-changer, and its alter ego is a dark half-elf blacksmith called Morgan Hên (Morgan the Old). Morgan was once the travelling companion of the immortal sorcerer Nigron, and teacher and adoptive father of the hero Darach Gobannon. One legend suggests that the dragon became trapped in Morgan's form for a thousand years by the giantess Morgraine. It was only during the course of the Jehannan crusade that Morgan acquired the means to finally unravel Morgraine’s spell. Morgan is taciturn and does not suffer fools gladly, but can be fairly personable once he gets to know you. He is moderate in his habits, but passionately devoted to his friends and to those he considers under his protection. His rages are terrifying. While Morgan possesses a powerful streak of personal honour, it is tempered by the wisdom of many centuries, and often outweighed by his strong belief in natural justice and the common good.
wrexham3 06-30-06, 07:12 AM	The Coral Saws One of the myriad Sahuaghin death cults of Lok!olo (the k! is pronounced with a clicking noise at the back of the throat) better known as the Dragon Emperess Tiamat, who had a particular affinity for the medium of water. The Coral Saws are so called because of the ritual weapon they use - a length of twisted cartilage strung with pieces of worked coral. They use this weapon to strangle their victims while at the same time literally sawing their heads off. This cult is believed to be active in the winding channels of the Bugine in the northwest City Kingdoms, the sunken plains of ancient Marego.
wrexham3 07-12-06, 09:33 AM	Ko'esho'a - Rise and Fall In the centuries around the advent of the 10th millenium, the hitherto temperate weather patterns of Eda began to flucuate wildly - this has been attributed to the feud between Zeus and Posiden. These changing weather patterns particularly affected the Middle Sea and the nations around it. These fluctuations would last into the 105th century, before finally the weather became increasingly warmer and more unsettled. The warmer waters of the Middle Sea led to an explosion in the population of Sahuaghin. For centuries the Sahuaghin had been confined to the Sea of Demons which lay between the island chains of Sibrhim, Mession, Corrin, Temeris and Bilas. There, in a monsterous trench, known to the Mer as the Great Abyss, the surviving Sahuaghin had dwelt, a chaotic race abandoned by their creator, the dragon empress Tiamat (Lok!olo). In Tiamat's absence the Sahuaghin had fallen into cannibalism and infighting. With the warmer conditions the Sahuaghin's population was increasing ten fold. Yet they remained an unfocussed threat. However, the obscure cult of Sho-Shon (Sorroghun) began to organize itself. It would eventually overthrew the death cults of Lok!olo before threatening the Grand Tyrene Republic which controlled the Middle Sea in the 105th-110th centuries. The maritime Republic and its Mer allies were able to resist the Coral Empire at first, however, eventually Mession and the other island chains fell to the Sahuaghin, ripping the heart out of the Republic's shipping lanes. From then on the remaining Sea Realms fell to the Sahuaghin piecemeal, and the Middle Sea was encompassed completely by the Sea of Demons. Posiden destroyed Tyra in an earthquake in 10 053 rather than let his holy island fall to the Coral Empire. All that remains of the Grand Republic is Leotine on the continent of Carolan. Its neighbouring province, Ascuria, would eventually fragment into the warring City Kingdoms. The Coral Empire or Ko'esho'a has dominated the islands of the Sea of Demons for five hundred years. The island chains of the Sea have become the slave pens of the Empire, where humans and halflings are bred to serve the Empire. The piratical Sea Peoples - the descendants of these slaves - use these island chains as a haven from which to launch raids against Southern Carolan, Qem, Joffa and Afar. However, since before the Aegis War, the temperature is getting colder and the sea waters steadily cooler. This might fatally weaken Ko'esho'a in the long run.
Golem011 07-12-06, 11:09 AM	*cheers a big hooray* Good for you! *loves welsh stuff* ESPECIALLY your good Red Dragon. Being welsh... I've always thought that a bit unfair. On the other hand, I totally agree with the white dragon being stupid, weak and the least of the dragons... heehee... ;)
wrexham3 07-13-06, 09:27 AM	LOL. Cheers for the compliment Golem. Love Kalara by the way. I'm slowly working through it using the time Wrexham Library is graciously alloting me.
Golem011 07-14-06, 11:31 AM	Thanks. Heheh, I've probably sat next to you hundreds of times without realising it.
Golem011 07-14-06, 11:31 AM	(Double Post)
wrexham3 07-17-06, 07:06 AM	The Slave Ring The Corrin Islands were once part of the Tyrene Republic which dominated the Middle Sea. Halflings consider the islands to be their spiritual home. During the Republic period the Corrin Islands (or the Corrin Ring as it is also known) was the main naval base of the Grand Republican Fleet, whose main occupation was to protect merchant shipping across the Middle Sea, to discourage pirates and to contain the Sahuaghin of the Great Abyss with the aid of Mer allies. However, in time the Sahuaghin of the trench grew too powerful. When Corrin fell in the early 111th century the entire Republic of the Isles disintergrated - by 10 053 Tyra has fallen, and by 10 075 the last Republic city state in the Middle Sea, Eopa, had succumbed to the sea demons. Only Leotine and Ascuria on the Carolan mainland remained. Under the Sahuaghin the islands became slave pens, isolated from one another. Sea travel was prohibited, and within a few generations the knowledge had been lost. Even fishing became taboo. The isolated islanders became hunters, herders and horticulturalists. Every year they had to pay an annual tithe in slaves. Some of the smaller island communities failed, so halfling populations were transplanted to these smaller islands. In the 113th centuries, pirates from Carolan - particularly from the City Kingdoms and Joffa sought shelter among the islands of the Middle Sea from Leotine and the Holy Suzerain. There they found entire helpless populations of humans and halflings trapped on individual islands. They pirates began risking the wrath of the Coral Empire to round up the islanders and sell them as slaves in the markets of Carolan, Qem and Afar. Sometimes they fell foul of the Sahuaghin. Sometimes not. The profits made it worth the risk. Some sahuaghin factions saw the advantage of utilizing these sea raiders as a force to be used against their fellow humans. Therefore they encouraged the sea raiders to settle in Corrin under the protection of the Coral Empire. The Corrin Ring is now known as the Slave Ring - where a society of slavers, merchants and pirates, operating under their own laws, has taken root. Sea People, who the slavers round up and sell, are a familiar sight in the slave markets of the realms around the Sea of Demons. However, the slave trade has been curtailed somewhat in the last fifty years, particularly by the Republican Fleet of the Main.
rowsdower44 07-18-06, 04:33 PM	Wow! This is really good stuff! :clap: I would love to read more of this.
Golem011 07-18-06, 04:38 PM	As would I.
wrexham3 07-19-06, 06:53 AM	Thanks Rowsdower and Golem. I try to post as much as I can, but I'm also working on my doctral thesis at the moment (as well as working dead-end jobs), so that tends to get in the way. I'll try and write as much as I can. Thanks for the support. :) The Titans of Leotine When the Gods of the Daltae Empire defeated the Titans they imprisoned them in Tarterus. However, not all the titans were accounted for. Some hid and thus evaded capture. Millenia later, a few are to be found in the Saturnine republic of Leotine, the last remnant of the Grand Republic which challenged the Empire. These titans remain hidden to this day - some as hills or mountains, others as statues or frescos, while a few disguise themselves as humans. They have been the hidden immortal hand that have guided Leotine since the disintegration of the Grand Repblic over five centuries ago. The titans are well aware of the consequences of discovery. The last titan to reveal himself was Tyrion, guardian of the island of Tyra. He had transmogrified himself into a statue of the god Poseidon. Millenia later, as the island fell to the Sahuaghin of Ko'esho'a, two tears sprang from the statue's eyes. When they struck the earth, Poseidon became aware of Tyrion's presence. The furious god tore Tyra to pieces in a massive earthquake, before dragging Tyrion down into the depths of the ocean. The waters around Tyra are still called the Sea of Tyrion to this day. By hiding among the populace of Leotine, the titans have fought a secret war against the tyranny of Zeus for centuries, aiding Leotine's democracy against the autocracy of the Empire. Zeus is well aware that there are titans hiding in Leotine, but he is not prepared to risk a confrontation with Saturn to lay hold of them. Therefore on the surrounding peaks he has set up watch-towers. Manned by cyclopes they scan Leotine constantly with optical devices created by Hephaestus. The Imperial gods fear that there is an army of titans hiding in Leotine, and so the Cyclopes must stand ever watchful against an assault on Heaven.
wrexham3 07-25-06, 07:23 AM	The Lands of Carolan - Part 1 Erileine Erileine is the great central kingdom of Carolan. Erileine is derived from Erius, the ancient Dakot name for lands north of the Chaurn Mountains. It is defined by the Chaurn Mountains to the west and south, by the River Dorn to the east and the shores of the Mora Channel to the north. At the heart of Erileine is the great fae forest of Avenwood ruled by Queen Rhianne. Up until the 113th century Erileine was part of the Holy Suzerain, and its kings were ultimately answerable to the Deus of Patra Doma. However, royal line began to assert its authority over the kingdom, ultimately leading to a schism with Patra Doma. From then on the kings invested the welfare of the land in their persons by symbolic ritual of 'marrying' the elven queen Rhianne. There is now division between the king (who rules the land) and the Eseen church (who attend to its spiritual needs). Between 11 439-466 Erileine was wracked by civil war called the War of the Maidens. Although the Prachardis family emerged victorious, the wounds of that conflict have never healed. When the last Prachardis king died during the Aegis Wars, the Geiveau family succeeded them. However, not all the great families have accepted this, and the country has become increasingly unstable. The country seems to be staring into the abyss of a second civil war in a hundred years. Erileine was probably the most economically powerful nation in Carolan up until a decade ago. Nominally Eseen, the huge elven forests of Avenwood, Graven and Marn ensured that paganism persisted within their vicinity. These lands were also the most fertile in the kingdom and ensured Erileine economic power. However during the Aegis Wars its armies were swept before the Draconian legions and only the intervention of the Elven Host held back the tide. Paganism is now resurgent in the country. The people speak a language called Langua. It is comparable to 14th-15th century France/England. Laharn If Erileine was the great power a decade ago, then Laharn has emerged from the Aegis Wars as its successor. Laharn has a history that goes back 8000 years. It was a province of the Magiocracy of Dakos and before that of the draconian Empire of Worlds. During the Holy Suzerain, Laharn was marginalized because it continued to practice the 'unholy' sciences of Thaumaturgy. It lost the Briene river plains and the Harna Pass to the Holy Suzerain at its height, and disintegrated into a civil war called the 'Dearth of Reason'. Luckily the Holy Suzerain was too embroiled in its own civil war to take advantage. Three centuries later Laharn's arcane armies would totally outmatch those of feudal Erileine in the Aegis Wars. Laharn is a magiocracy, a society ruled by thaumaturgists (wizards). It is perched on the western edge of Karelan facing the Imperial Ocean. The current ruler of Laharn is Fyral, a mere adventurer who miraculously slew the Dragon Emperor Sorroghun and deposed the Emperor's ally, the Arcanist Iygal. The thaumaturges promptly declared Fyral Arcanist in Iygal's stead. Laharn is a land of wonders, from the arcane industrial city of Xelic, to the elven forest of Cillion, the Rain's Cradle, Castle Realmgard and the prison-city of Izor. A variety of factions and cabals have influence over the Arcanist - among the most important of these are the various Collegieum which teach magic and the ancient nobility of Laharn, the Nostrates. In the shadows are the surviving members of the Arkalon, a council of liches who were once the true rulers of Dakot. However, their power is now largely broken. Most Laharnese continue to speak Draconis as a living language, although many languages are spoken in Laharn. Vulgat (Common) is also popular, while many Nostrates speak a pre-Deluge language called Enkesh.
Golem011 07-25-06, 07:46 AM	Just gets better and better! (And nice to see you on the CBG, too.)
wrexham3 07-25-06, 11:22 AM	Cheers Golem. I have'nt seen any new stuff on Kalara recently. What I read of it I really liked, and so did a lot of other people from the posts you were getting. Republic of Leotine Leotine is situated in southern Carolan. To the north lies the League of Parva, Jehanna and the Forest of Silvanus. To the west across the Sea of Tyrion are the City Kingdoms and to the east is the Daltae Empire. South lies the Sea of Demons and Ko'esho'a. Leotine was once an arkolos of Dakos called Elion until it was conquered by the Daltae Empire, becoming a tributary known as Lyracium. In the 105th century it joined the island of Tyra's rebelllion against the Empire. When the Tyrene Republic won the Sea Wars Lyracium became Leo-Tyria. The Grand Tyrene Republic was a major sea power during the 105th-110th century, however it was eclipsed by Ko'esho'a and the Holy Suzerain. Now Leotine is all that remains of a civilization that once spanned across the Sea of Demons. Central to Leotinian society is its veneration of the benevolent earth god Saturn and the its system of elective representation. Every seven years an election is held in Leotine in which each citizen burns a wooden token at a temple of Saturn. Four parties contest the election - Hydor (blue or water party), Vermilione (red or fire party), Aventa (white or air party) and Versio (green or earth party). At the end of three days voting an augury is cast and the winner is announced by the priest of Saturn. Being a benevolent diety Saturn always represents the considered will of the people. First Counsels of the Republic are elected by their fellow senators and are only allowed to stand for a single seven year term. Leotine practices religious tolerance, however most of its citizens worship the Daltae pantheon - Saturn, Jupiter, Janus, Venus, Juno, Diana, Apollo, Bacchus and innumerable other deities. Magic is also tolerated in the Republic, and it even possesses two collegium - the Ord Exidio and the Arx Draconis - modelled on the Laharn institutions of formal teaching. The land armies of Leotine have developed gunpowder weapons based on Yrch-Hai (Orc) and Gnomish models - generally Leotine tactics are based upon pike blocks backed up by muskets. Leotine cavalry is not particularly good but their dragoons are gaining an excellant reputation. Leotine's navy is probably the best in Carolan and the Fleet of the Main polices the seas far beyond the Sea of Tyrion. All people in Leotine are free citizens of the Republic. The standard of living compares well to Laharn for instance, the richest country in Carolan. It has a sophisticated police force called the Subitoris which uses magic to help detect crimes. Leotine society encourages innovation and trade, but promotes civic responsibility - Leotinians look after one another and make sure that no citizen goes hungry. Leotine is threatened from across the sea at the present time. During the Aegis Wars both the League of Parva and Daltae Empire were seized by orc warlords. Emperor Togaius is said to be planning to engage the Fleet of the Main in what he hopes to be a decisive battle. It is also possible that Leotine's ancient enemy, Ko'esho'a, may be seeking an alliance with the orcs. Leotine's unique democracy may soon be extinguished once and for all. Leotinians speak Bocacci, which is also spoken in the City Kingdoms. Most however speak Vulgat, which was the trade-speak of the Tyrene Republic. Other common languages are Cyrik (Daltae) and Silva (Sylvan). Leotine is based on 16th-17th century Venetian Republic and various republican movements in 18th-19th centuries.
Golem011 07-26-06, 04:55 AM	Heh, I'm working on Goromor's new magic system at the mo... there's been a couple new things, just not all that much :P
wrexham3 07-31-06, 11:30 AM	Lands of Carolan - The Holy Suzerain of Selucia Selucia is a confederacy of kingdoms under the rule of the Deus of Patra Doma, the leader of the western Eseenian church. In the past the Holy Suzerain stretched across the Poisoned Sea, and across Erileine and Jehanna to the Plains of Parva. In the 113th century the Kings of Erileine disputed the primacy of the Deus and the Holy Suzerain dissolved into petty squabbling. Now the Deus controls Selucia alone although many Eseenians still revere the Holy See of Patra Doma. Compared to Erileine to the north, Selucia is a poor country. It was not always so - the province of Selucia was once the bread basket of the Magiocracy of Dakos. However, in 10 557 a magical catastrophe overtook much of the province, with its interior turned into a desert known as the Torchlands. These ash plains are still swept by fire storms to this day. The Torchlands are roamed by ash nomads, Jinn (fire elves) and Efreet (fire giants). Only one river, the Gran Selucis, runs across the ashlands, a ribbon of verdant green across the endless grey desert. The Gran Selucis springs from beneath the rocks which the church of Patra Doma is perched, and is said to flow from Heaven itself. Selucia is a confederacy of kingdoms. Each king rules in the name of the Deus. Generally the kings are given free rein except in spiritual matters. Patra Doma itself is situated in the kingdom of Leona. There is an ancient link between Leona and the Holy See - it was Rahman, grandson of the Prophet Barak who brought Eseen to Carolan. Rahman founded the House of Ramon, who eventually came to rule Leona. Therefore, the kings of Leona have the blood of a holy prophet running through their veins. The House of Ramon is the well-spring for virtually every royal house in Carolan. During the Holy Suzerain, the kings of Leona, as protectors of the Holy See, were known as the Lords of Carolan. All other kings were subordinate to House Ramon. However, Leona was and remains a poor semi-desert kingdom dwarfed by Erileine, Jehanna and even Orase. Other Selucian kingdoms include Bascony, Valdera, Pampona, Torez and Orrino. There has been considerable friction between the kingdoms in the last century as each seeks to assert its independence. Only the considerable authority of the Deus keeps the Holy Suzerain together, diminshed as it is. Three Knight Orders are based in the Holy Suzerain. The Sun Knights are the oldest order. They are mystics who seek an ancient treasure they lost centuries before. They have the highest proportion of aasimar and paladins among their ranks. Many consider them to be heretics. The Blessed Banner is a crusading order which brought Eseen to neighbouring Orase and Erileine. Their power base is found in these countries rather than Selucia. The Knights Custodians are charged with protecting the person of the Deus and guarding the holy places of Eseen. Once the most virtuous order of knighthood, rumours persist that they have become too worldy. The Custodians maintain vast estates in the City Kingdoms across the Poisoned Sea. The dominant language of Selucia is Selucese. It is based (loosely) on a mix of 13th-14th century Spain and the Papal States.
Verelor 07-31-06, 02:58 PM	I seriously applaude you for your superb fluff, wrexham ;) :clap: :cookie: Though your method of introducting it left something to be desired, the depth is probably comparable to giants such as Forgotten Realms. I applaud.
wrexham3 08-01-06, 07:32 AM	Cheers Verelor. I'm sorry about my method of presenting my thread - I admit its completely haphazard. A lot of the stuff I write soon down after I think about it while other bits are finally set down after a long period of development (ie Selucia). Basically my thread must be a bit of jigsaw puzzle especially if you're just dipping into it.
wrexham3 08-03-06, 06:57 AM	Divine Terror - Devils of the Higher Hells The Eseenians make a distinction between Demons and Devils. Demons are the spawn of Deserper - they are unreconstructed Chaos attempting to overturn the Omniverse. Devils belong the the structure of Eseus' Omniverse - they are part of His plan. There is some debate whether devils are evil spirits subsumed to Eseus' will or are sentient representations of Eseus' vengence. Whatever the truth, devils torment sinners as they progress through the Higher Hells. Essenians believe that each progressive torment lessens the weight of sin on each soul until they are released from it to rise, unstained, to Heaven. However, if the devils are unable to torment the sin out of a victim, they are dragged down by their own guilt into the Lower Hells, which are the domain of Deserper and his demons. There they are truly damned, beyond the power of Eseus, an enemy of God. When Eseus inevitably defeats Deserper at the End of Days, the devils will be unmade like all evil things. Certain Eseenian sects - most notably the Knights Inquisitor - make use of devils. This is never undertaken lightly, and a threefold iron seal must be obtained before these terrors can be conjured up to be unleashed against pagans and unbelievers. Many Eseenian sects disapprove, however it is symptomatic of the historic shift away from the emphasis upon 'good' advocated by Barak and earlier prophets to that of 'law' enforced by the Church. Eseenians believe that on the Last Day Eda will be destroyed. This is actually literally true. Eda is not a physical world but one created by dreams and belief. Therefore should enough people believe that the world is to be destroyed, Eda would literally dissolve away. The belief in Eseen almost reached that tipping point in the 113th-114th century as the world was assaulted by earthquakes and plagues. The destruction of Eda almost became inevitable. However, other gods and religions, motivated by desperation, have averted this for over 200 years.
Verelor 08-03-06, 07:41 PM	Very VERY interesting way to describe fiends. Though it is a little disturbing that you chose to make devils His servitors, in a way. The position on the Church is a very interesting way to handle the way the Medieval Roman Church shifted into wanton corruption. Nice ;) Is there also something like an Orthodox, a smaller independancy which remained sincerely pure throughout?
wrexham3 08-07-06, 06:50 AM	Very VERY interesting way to describe fiends. Though it is a little disturbing that you chose to make devils His servitors, in a way. The position on the Church is a very interesting way to handle the way the Medieval Roman Church shifted into wanton corruption. Nice ;) Is there also something like an Orthodox, a smaller independancy which remained sincerely pure throughout? This was based in part on Medieval ideas. In Dante's Inferno Satan is found at the lowest level of Hell trapped in ice. He is also chewing on the souls of Judas Iscariot and Pontius Pilate. Therefore he is both an enemy of God and also acting as the ultimate punishment for the worst of traitors. Elements of the Eseen church are definately moving towards greater fundamentalism. I've roughly divided it into three parts - the Selucian church which is the well-spring of Eseen in Carolan. Its basically a dualistic religion, believing that the chaos spirit Deserper is to rule for 9999 years until Eseus defeats him and unites Eda with Heaven. However, the current year is 10 575 so 9999 has been and gone. Basically the Selucian Eseenians actively try to bring about the unification. The Selucian church is heavily into mysticism and ceremony. The Jehannan church is more stripped down, fundamentalist and apocolyptic. The people of Jehanna originally worshipped the Aesir (Viking) gods, believing that their gods were doomed to be destroyed during Ragnarok. Odin and his fellow gods fought desperately to escape this fate. In the 106th century, during the Great Cold, Ragnarok almost became reality, as giants and trolls poured out of the north to destroy the northlands. However three of the Aesir gods renounced their godhood and converted to Eseus. Thus Baldur, Vili, Vidar and Vali became saints in the Eseen church, which was able to drive back the giantkind and prevent Ragnarok from occuring. However, the Aesir were left defeated and weakened, and have been diminishing ever since. Odin considers Baldur and his fellow gods to be traitors. The Jehannan church believes that Ragnarok was only posponed and that one day the forces of light must battle the forces of chaos in the End of Days. Therefore Jehanna is a militiristic society preparing for the end of the world. The Jehannans indeed believe that the Selucians and in particular the Erileinians have become decadent and corrupt, and therefore its church split off in 10 358. Between Selucia and Jehanna is Erileine. At the heart of Erileine is a vast elven forest called Avenwood. Paganism stubbonly held on in the kingdom and its people put their faith in both saints and nature spirits. Erileine was once the centre of the Holy Suzerain. However the kingdom became richer and more powerful than Selucia, and there the Erileinians began to resent its religious authority. This eventually led to civil war within the Holy Suzerain. The Deus eventually excommunicated all Kings of Erileine until they submitted to the will of the Church. In response King Hugi II symbolically 'married' the elven queen Rhiann in an ancient ceremony. Thus the king became the embodiment of Erileine, and his well-being linked to that of the kingdom. In Erileine, Pagan pactices exist side by side with mainstream Eseen.
wrexham3 08-07-06, 06:51 AM	Crossing the Torchlands The Torchlands of Selucia were created in a great magical catastrophe which turned the bread basket of Dakos in a wasteland plagued by fire storms. Water is almost no existent and travelling across it is extremely arduous. However, ash nomads still live in the wastes. With no access to camels, the ash nomads prepare horses for travel by poisoning them and burying the carcass in the sand for thirteen days. An ash nomad priest will then perform a ritual that animates it. The dead horse can carry a rider across the ash wastes for months without requiring food or water, never tiring or suffering from the relentless heat. The animal is'nt mindless - it responds to its rider like any other horse, and will sometimes absently graze on sand. However, eventually it will collapse and rot away all at once. By that time the ash nomad will have prepared a new horse.
wrexham3 08-15-06, 08:43 AM	The Lands of Carolan - Jehanna Jehanna is a religious theocracy to the east of Erileine across the great Dorn river. Its origins lie in the Great Cold and a vast migration of frost giants into pagan Eidenland. With Ragnarok imminent four of the Aesir gods - Baldur, Vili, Vali and Vidur - renounced their godhood and converted to Eseen as a means of thwarting fate. Many Eidenlanders followed their example and the Eseenians were able to liberate Jehanna from the joten hordes. The Aesir and Vanir gods have never forgiven this betrayal, although they are now shadows of their former selves. The two great powers in this theocracy is the Church and the Order of the Sacred Sword. The Jehannan church split from the mother church of Patra Doma in 11 358, claiming that it had become worldly and corrupt. Now a Deus sits in the Jehannan city of Molgrav. The Order of the Sacred Sword is an order of crusading knights originally constituted to rid Eidenland from giants and trolls. It quickly became one of the most militant orders in the Eseenian church - leading crusades into pagan lands to the north, south and east, and even against their fellow Eseenians in Erileine. Before the Jehannan church went its own way, Jehanna was ruled by the King of Leona, known as the Lord of Carolan. As the Lord frequently remained in Selucia near to the hub of the Holy Suzerain at Patra Doma, he (or she) was largely absentee. Therefore its Church has always been independent. Jehanna is divided into territories ruled by an individual prinz or furst (the equivalent of an Erileinian prince or comte). Each prinz or furst owes his or her alleigence to the Deus of Molgrav. The Prinzdums of Aarnland and Thurtzen are particularly influential in the Order of the Sacred Sword, and the Knight-Commander of the Order is invariably drawn from these states. The western Dornlands are both commercially powerful and more open to the east and south. The church authorities tax them harshly, leading to great resentment. The halflings of the Ringwerken are attempting to bind the cities of Aris, eastern Erileine and the Dornlands of western Jehanna into a cartel to control all trade in the Mora Channel and the Grey Sea. In 11 563 the Order of the Sacred Sword launched a disasterous expedition against the island of Gornt in which they were soundly defeated. Thus weakened they were unable to aid the League of Parva as it was overrun by Mal-Har orcs in 11 565. With Mal-Har threatening its eastern frontiers and frost giants and trolls stirring in the Helder Mountains, Jehannans fear the End of Days are at hand, the last cataclysmic struggle between good and evil. Their one piece of good fortune is the ancient enemy Erileine is too weakened by internal struggle to capitalize. Jehanna is based on 13th-14th century Germany and the Baltic crusader states.
wrexham3 08-30-06, 08:48 AM	Sacred Progeny Iphet and the Deluge (see post #4) Nostrates (see post #8) Over 11 millenia ago the great deluge that drowned Humanity's old world and its first empire of Iphet. Little remains now of Iphet. The Nostrates of Laharn claim descent from the gods and heroes of the old world. Some blood-lines claim to be the progeny of the Ephidian fertility god Ogon, the Bull of Heaven. It is said that in the ancient past the Bull of Heaven descended in a golden form to seduce the women of Iphet. Among certain Nostrates noble houses a male child is sometimes born with aspects of both man and bull. This is the cause of great celebration amongst the Nos Familia, as it is intepreted as a sign of Ogon's divine favour. Amongst the Nostrates they are called An-hud. In Draconis they are called minotaurs. Within Laharnese society - where many strange crossbreeds exist - minotaurs are completely accepted. Outside Laharn they are considered, at best, curosities but more often as abominations. However those who mistreat these divine children had best beware. When an assassin Lazarus Dalanni slew a member of House Xohortis he was struck down by the Scourge - a rotting disease that is the mark of divine retribution; there is no cure except for the intervention of another god. Ogon protects his own.
wrexham3 09-01-06, 07:23 AM	Xelic Laharn (see post #57) Empire of Worlds (see post #4 and #13) Xelic is situated at the end of a trailing arm of the Krolak Mountains called the Descending Claw. It is the largest city in Laharn, and therefore in Carolan. Xelic is vast enclosed city, a place where people are sent into internal exile. Xelic is both a vast factory and an endless labyrinth. No one has any idea how it works - its arcane industrial technology was devised in the Empire of Worlds period over 3500 years ago. The city runs itself and repairs itself while the workers convert the raw materials dumped into it into energy and marketable goods. The inhabitants of Xelic are forced to live in the stacks - huge blocky buildings that extend above and below the ground. Food is provided via a system of dumb waiters that descend deep into the ground. It is possible to live on this food dole indefinately - however the only way out of Xelic is hard graft. Employment in the factories earns food tokens, better habitation and privileges, while promotion earns better prospects. It is possible to begin in Stump Town or the Bleachings right on the edge of the Factory Marshes and work your way up to one of the garden villas on Scrambles ridge. Once there you might never want to leave. However, many do, becoming full-fledged citizens of the Magiocracy. However, humans are not the only inhabitants of Xelic. In its depths are all kinds of monsters who haunt the corridors and tunnels in and around the stacks. One rumour is that the Vivimancers use Xelic as a testing ground for their latest breed of monster. Another that Xelic is a well to other planes and the city is just clinging to the top. It is said that the city is modelled on the Higher Hells. It certainly seems like a dungeon if you're one of its more unfortunate citizens. Situated between the Arkalon of Valmar and Doriel, Xelic has its own governing magister who is Tempeste Lia-Vallier. She is a natural bureaucrat who runs the city with brutal efficency. She has made sure that the only way out of the city is through her - although she is generous to those who serve her well. She is a familar face on Xelic's social circuit - with her coterie of duellist bodyguards utterly loyal to her. She is a patron of athletic games, but it is said that she sponsors gladitorial games and other blood sports illegal in Laharn. However, like many magisters she is a law unto herself in her own arkolos.
wrexham3 09-04-06, 07:04 AM	Xeremenes - The Golden Valley Xeremenes is the Shangri-La of Carolan. Carved from the heart of the Chaurn Mountains, the valley is encircled on all sides by great glaciers of ice. It is home to 10 000 githzerai, descendants of rebel slaves who fled their mind flayer masters. Their ancestors took refuge in the isolated valley a millenia ago, and isolated it remains to this day. Beyond the barrier ice, the blizzards and freezing fogs the valley flourishes beneath a golden dome of cloud. The clouds lock in the heat and moisture, creating a unique oasis - a mosaic of jungle, lakes and private gardens. The Xemenes' themselves live in rock-cut mansions carved out of the valley walls. The basis of the Xemenes' technology is psi-imbued water. The valley is literally saturated in it. The Xemenes use it as a medium to manipulate their surroundings - the ice, the storms, the clouds, even the air they breathe. This almost inexhaustable reservoir eventually extended the githzerai's lives by hundreds of years. The valley is now a society in amber, ageless in a changing world. There are malcontents, those who find utopia stultifying. They are allowed to leave, but only after their memories are cleansed. Then these rebels are left to their own devices, although occasionally they are called back by the psychic collective. Xeremenes is capable of extending its psychic influence beyond its borders, particularly if it feels its existence is threatened. Usually they use rebels, third parties and unwitting adventurers. Their goal is always to maintain the status quo. Recently Laharn (see post #57) has emerged as the dominant power of Carolan. The Githzerai fear a resurgent magiocracy might uncover their existence. This must be prevented at any cost.
wrexham3 09-12-06, 06:12 AM	The Scholos - Laharn's Schools of Magic Laharn - see post #57 Nostrates (see post #8) Empress Sung (see post #13) The Scholos of Dakos were formed under the auspices of the Empress Sung in the 104th century. The Scholos were created to break the monopoly of the Shadow Houses over thaumaturgical instruction. The various arcane schools survive to this day in the magiocracy of Laharn and are the principle seats of thaumaturgical learning in Karelan. Membership is for life - an acolyte has access to the accumulated knowledge of the school. However, great obligations are also demanded. Arx Ferrus - The collegio of artificers and alchemists. Arx Ferrus specializes in the creation of magical objects. As well as artificers, many transmuters and elementalists belong to the order. Traditionally it has been linked to the industrial complex of Xelic. The arch-magus of the order is known as the Master Fabricator - Peligula of Spooner's Pont reluctantly holds this post at present. A weaponsmith of some renown, she is a dour and suspicious woman, and with good reason - an ancient curse is said to hang over the entire order. Great rivalry exists between Arx Ferrus and the gnomish Mage-Engineers Guild of Nalgon. Arx Tempus - The most popular and powerful collegio in Laharn, said to be patronized by the Arcanist himself. Arx Tempus is the school which teaches practical magic favoured by many non-specialist wizards. The order is based in the grand metropolis of Mon Laharn. Its arch-magus is known as the Vice-Regent, who is at present the scheming Karaktus of Arlberg. Terror Mordant (as Karaktus was known) was once the archetypal evil dungeon-dwelling villain. However retirement has mellow him. Collegio Dominine - Specializing in mind control and political theory the Dominine are a formidible power within Laharn society. Many are Ephidians drawn from the ancient Nostrates. Obviously the Dominine specialize in Enchantments, as well as other less subtle forms of cohersion. The order is based in the ancient city of Tsiris and its master is called the Lord Erudite. This position is currently held by Estella of Tarn, who fought against Laharn in the Aegis Wars. Many in the ranks regard her as a traitor. Fire Ord - This scholo is associated with the weird and the wonderful. Its membership is a veritable zoo of bizarre inidividuals who mostly specialize in Evocation and Transmutation. Experiment is the life-blood of the Fire Ord. The Higherwright acts as the arch-mage of the order, although it is difficult to exercise any meaningful control over it. The present Higherwright is Magnus Radl, a disaster of a human being forced to juggle a multitude of legal actions against the order. The Fire Ord's main test ranges are in the Crolacks, a mountain range in northern Laharn. Collegio Grimorium - Probably the most open college in the Scholos, and for one simple reason - the Grimroium specialize in Necromancy. Based in the southern arkolos of Kydra, the Grimorium is almost monastic in its devotion to religion - most are believers in one kind or another. However this has not stopped an evil man rising in their ranks. The present Heirophant is Silas Attican, a rare atheist in the order who is outwardly easy-going and affable. At heart however he believes only in power. The Grimorium exercises jurisdiction over Writhenwood. Scholo Ilmoriel - Based in the hinterland around Cillion Forest, the Ilmoriel study elven magic and sorcery. Many of its membership also specialize in elementalism, enchantment and illusion. The Maer-Reeve of the Ilmoriel is Medene the Stormcaller, who has the distinction of being over 300 years old. However she is becoming increasingly distant, and it is generally agreed that a new maer-reeve will be chosen very soon. Ord Lumini - Masters of Divination, Ord Lumini is charged with navigating a clear path between causality and possibility. A serious, scientific order which is also the repository for all historical observation. The use and abuse of potions of foresight is endemic and the Order Preceptor, Urban Lugpurgius, is amongst the worst addicts. Dark forces conspire to exploit this situation and thus control Laharn. Scholo Praxis - Like the Arx Tempus, the Praxis employ a wide variety of magics and frown upon specialization. The pursuit of sensation and experience is the primary goal of this order and many are accomplished planar travellers. Praxis is mostly drawn from the Nostrates. Although its structure remains loose, it is represented by the Lord Gamut. Leo Kalebas is the current lord, a seemingly urbane man with a sadistic side few see. Praxis is based in the ancient city of Tsiris. Collegio Regnum - Unique amongst the Scholos, the Regnum is drawn exclusively from the old families, the Shadow Houses of Dakos. Extremely secretive, the Regnum specializes in Conjuration and traffick with spirits, fiends and celestials. The Regnum maintains vast lists of truenames in which to control and coherse these beings. The arch-magus of Collegio Regnum is Metararch Patriago Hydradraxus, the second most powerful man in Laharn. The Metararch is a cold but adept administrator who also ran the Magiocracy under the auspices of Iygal. Collegio Regnum is based in the ancient, hidden city of Arcarn, the ancient capital of Laharn. At the end of their long lives, many Regnum members choose to practice a form of ritual suicide which destroys their souls, putting them beyond the power of those immortals they commanded in life. Ward Aegis - The scholo that concentrates on offensive and defensive magic. These arcane warriors and spellswords form a fighting force probably without peer in Carolan. Ward Aegis is based in the strategic fortress of Realmgard protecting the main highways through the Magiocracy. The current Lord Perilous and Grand Marshall of the Arklands is Velas Xohortis, a cool, calculating commander obsessed with regaining her family's holdings in what is now Selucia.
wrexham3 09-18-06, 07:42 AM	Hollowrought - Alternative Eda Hollowrought is a new setting I'm beginning to develop for my campaign. Basically in the original campaign the PCs had a stint in Ravenloft. This is part of the campaign's 'canon' now. What I wanted was an original setting with a similar feel but which belongs firmly to Eda. I also wanted to incorporate my friend Allan's ideas about a Plane of Madness. The result is Hollowrought. Hollowrought (a working title) is an alternative form of Eda with 3500 years of divergent history. In 8061 the usurper Krolak tried to create an Omniverse of its own to rule. It succeeded but was torn apart by the titanic forces it could not control. Its alternative Omniverse was a waste of roiling energies carring shreds of Krolak's consciousness on its howling winds. Back on Eda two factions fought for control of what remained - the Republicans, who wanted to use Thaumaturgy for the common good, and the Shadow Houses, who wanted to restrict its practice to the 'proper' bloodlines. The Republicans won and established the Republic of Orthere over the territories of what had been the Empire of Worlds. However the Shadow Houses were not beaten. They scoured history for the particular moment when events tipped in Orthere's favour. They then deployed a terrible artefact, the Eyes of Sekh, to change events by wiping key participants from existence. History was changed, and the Shadow Houses triumphed, the Magiocracy of Dakos rising in Orthere's place. On Eda, Orthere existed only as an unconcious memory echoing around history, for instance, the rise of the rise of the Tyrene Republic, millenia later. Yet even as the historical thread of Orthere's existence died away. the conciousness of Krolak seized upon it like a predator. It survived, a dream-like world of fire and ice that Krolak has spent centuries reconstructing itself - Memento-style - around. Krolak (see post #13) Shadow Houses (see post #8) Magiocracy of Dakos (see post #57) Leotine (see posts 59, 33)[/
wrexham3 09-19-06, 09:31 AM	Hollowrought - Alternative Eda Ideas for Hollowrought Hollowrought is going to be more 'fantasy' than Eda in that I'm going to make up the cultures rather than base them on historical models. The inhabitants of Hollowrought still call their world Eda (its a ancient name) however, their history is completely different. I also want to give Hollowrought an AD&D feel. I think I will get rid of the Sorcerer character class, while adding the Monk (monks are banned in the original setting as they dont fit with the medieval European background. The only arcane magic practiced is Thaumaturgy (Wizardry) which in my setting is the draconian tradition of magic. In addition to getting rid of the Sorcerer character class, I am also going to downplay the spirits of the Otherworld theme which play such a central role in the original Eda. Hollowrought elves will be straight from the D&D rulebook, not my Eda alternatives. They are simply a long-lived race. I have'nt decided yet whether their isolationist forest-dwellers or facist imperialists. I'm tending towards the latter. Trolls are also going to be taken straight from the book rather than using my alternative rules. I also like how some of the settings on this board possess eighteenth and nineteenth century technology. Hollowrought's technology base is going to be Industrial revolution on a cottage industry scale. Lots of variety but no uniformity. Hollowrought's skies are black and starless. The Starfall happened 3500 years ago, when the Shadow Houses wiped Isûlani out of existence and its dying timeline was sucked into Krolak's dimension. Hollowrought, like Eda, has one moon, Mara, but Hollowrought's is far more turbulent and has an adverse gravitational effect on it. Hollowrought is a world of earthquakes, storms and tidal waves. The Underworld of Hollowrought reflects Krolaks fractured conciousness. The upper levels are like a dusty attic or basement, filled with the clutter of the past. The further you go down the more nightmarish, diseased and chaotic it gets. Purples worms roam these lower levels like maggots feeding off a caracass. The reality of Hollowrought is also fractured, with water flowing up hill on occasion and people just disappearing in their beds. Hollowrought's enlightment developed to try and make sense and to impose order upon this chaotic world. The rationalists in Hollowrought are the good guys, while in original Eda (in the guise of Laharn) they are kind of the bad guys. Eda Elves (see post #15) Eda Trolls (see post #43)
wrexham3 09-20-06, 10:32 AM	Hollowrought - Alternative Eda More ideas for Hollowrought The general setting of Hollowrought is a dream-like reality populated by undead and phantasms, streams of Krolak's consciousness. Real people are trapped within it. Krolak is a fractured being at war with itself, constantly stirring up the ant-hill of its own mind. Its general feel is of a vast, grand malaise. I've decided that the elves of Hollowrought are not only facist imperialists but also racial purists. In the original Eda campaign there is a huge elven wood in the middle of Erileine. In Hollowrought Erileine has never existed and the elven empire rules where it would have stood. The Fae are a prominant part of the original background. In Hollowrought there are few magical forests left and many of the fae races (such as the centaurs) are gone. Only sprites and dryads are left. Also in the original Eda campaign orcs, hobgoblins and goblins are one race that acts in concert with one another. As I want Hollowrought to have a more AD&D feel I'm going to re-establish these racial differences and have them live in tribal societies. In the original Eda campaign the Yrch-Hai a civilized and quite noble. I might make the Hollowrought orc races classically destructive in nature. Draconis is the common language of Hollowrought, because of the dominance of the Grand Republic of Orthere. I have'nt decided whether Orthere is still a force for good in the world or whether it has been corrupted by absolute power. Eseen doesnt exist in Hollowrought. The particular historical conditions - the Ruin of Carolan and the subsequent Great Cold - never happened. Some of the geography of Carolan - the Trollmarch and the Torchlands for instance, dont exist in Hollowrought. However other very ancient places - Asconis, Monzo and the cities of Laharn - are present in both settings (although there may exist great divergences between each counterpart). To begin with, for the next part of the Chronicle campaign, I am going to develop one part of Hollowrought - a country called Gilendi - in great detail. It is located on on Hollowrought where the March of Trollmarch exists on Eda. During the next Chronicle campaign the barrier between the two worlds will become increasingly blurred. Chronicle campaign (see post #11) Eseen (see post #28)
wrexham3 09-27-06, 11:05 AM	Hollowrought - Alternative Eda Still more ideas for Hollowrought No dragons. In 8061 Krolak peverted the vortice radial technology to kill all dragons on Eda, including the descending Emperor Ghyl. It succeeded, wiping out not only the Emperor and his dragons, but Krolak's own allies, and all dragon archonites (half-dragons) and draconians. However the energies released tore it apart in the process. From that point on no dragon could set foot on Eda and live. The world became isolated from the Empire of Worlds, and culturally went its own way. On the original Eda one of the radials, the Tower of Miroza, was destroyed almost 2500 years later in a magical conflagulation. The death effect ended although no body realized for a millenia. On Hollowrought this never happened so the Ramis Miros tower is still in existence and the effect remains. The only dragon immune to the death effect is Krolak, the one who created and controls it, and is 'plugged' into the radials. However Krolak is tormented by its own machines, causing it to writhe uncontrollably, making the fragile Hollowrought reality more unstable. Hollowrought is beyond the reach of the Empire of Worlds, now controlled by the Arcanist Fyral. Therefore Hollowrought is the perfect refuge for his predecessor Iygal of Klome, the betrayer of Eda. Iygal was always my favouite BBEG as he wasnt simply a cardboard cut-out villain - he was a visionary who wanted to build a better Eda (on his own terms). However, Iygal was so fixated on his goal that he ignored the people he crushed beneath his feet as he progressed towards it. There was some hint in the original campaign that he did have knowledge of Hollowrought. Iygal is now living in scholarly retirement there, a possible enemy or ally perhaps of the PCs. Members of the Arcarn, the now defunct lich council who controlled Dakos might also have fled to Hollowrought. There is a nation I have in mind - Nemia of the Black Platforms - which sounds like the kind of place which renegade Arcarn members may have fled to. The inhabitants of Hollowrought live in terrible fear of a world serpent who is slowly crushing their world, causing the tidal wave and earthquakes that plague the world. The world serpent is an oblique reference to Krolak the dragon of course. Fear of the world serpent is universal, except for certain rationalist groups. I've got a sketch idea of a population of mind flayers trapped within the Hollowrought reality trying to destroy it to escape, or for some other nefarious purpose. The Gnomes have extensive knowledge of Hollowrought, and may even be able to travel to it. They may even be subjecting Hollowrought to experiments in a bid to understand the nature of Eda's reality. There may be dire consequences of these experiments for both worlds, and a group of gnomes might be trying to stop them. Portal radials (Tochtmund Lighthouse and Tower of Sins) (see post #5) Iygal and the Arcarn (see post #57 (Laharn)) Mind Flayers (see post #6)
wrexham3 09-28-06, 05:53 AM	Hollowrought - Alternative Eda Religion as Magic - Divine Spells in Hollowrought In keeping with the AD&D feel I want for Hollowrought, I've decided to do divine magic differently in Hollowrought to my original Eda campaign. In the original Eda, divine spells are always referred to as prayers. Divine magic comes from the deity, not the cleric (or druid). Therefore, clerics do not prepare spells, all divine magic is spontaneous. This of course makes clerics much more flexible. To balance this I am very tough with PC clerics in regards to their relationship with their god - if they deviate from the deity's 'party line', the god will refuse to answer them in their hour of need. Also little rules come into play where a lawful deity might refuse to heal a chaotic PC and require some persuasion on the part of the cleric as to how this will be in the deity's best interests. Recently a PC in my campaign played a druidess of the treacherous Morrigan. I had a house rule that on 1 on a d20 a Cure spell became Inflict. All in all, clerics have a much more personal relationship with their gods. However the real power lies with the deity not the cleric; divine magic is not on tap to be used whenever the cleric demands it. In Hollowrought religion is going to be more like magic - I'm not sure that there are going to be organized religions in the alternative setting. Rather than grand pantheons, there is going to be a plethora of minor deities which clerics have to make pacts and bargains. Clerics may have to make a lot of sacrafices for their power. Clerics who make these sacrafices are allowed divine favours, basically they prepare clerical spells as per the normal D&D rules. The flexibility of the spells they prepare reflect the multitude of minor deities they deal with. The other group of clerics have made binding pacts with specific deities - these are spontaneous divine casters found in Unearthed Arcana. They dont have to make the sacrafices to different deities as those who prepare their spells, but they are more under their deity's thumb, thumbs more often bloodstained and scaly. There is a lot of cynacism directed towards Hollowrought's gods, and some debate as to whether they really exist or not. Hollowrought's inhabitants would find the gods of the original Eda utterly terrifying. Yrch-Hai in Hollowrought I've also had some more thoughts why Hollowrought orcs, hobgoblins and goblins are so different to the civilized warriors of original Eda. Soon after Hollowrought was possessed by Krolak, the Yrch-Hai as a race tried to drive it out. They almost succeeded, and in retaliation Krolak sought to break their power for all time. He turned them into cannibalistic morlocks who fear the light. In the darkness orcs, goblins and hobgoblins have become increasingly distinct from one another. Now the three races are twisted parodies of the noble Yrch-Hai of Eda.
wrexham3 10-02-06, 05:48 AM	Hollowrought - Alternative Eda The Tragedies of the d'Voy The d'Voy of Malois are an ancient lineage - it is said that the giants of Gokran drove them from their ancestral lands 900 years ago. The D'Voy fled to the old kingdom of Mallore to the east. When Mallore became a county within the kingdom of Erileine, the d'Voy became its ruling counts. House d'Voy is presently steeped in tragedy. Count William d'Voy was slain in a dispute with Lord Aldergess of Graven, tortured to death for days by dark elves. His brother, Louis, had died a few years before, slain in a magical duel before the king of Erileine himself. William's son, also William, inherited the comte of Malois, but he ruled only in name. Terrified by what had happened to his father and uncle, he hid behind his castle walls, while robber barons and mercenary companies reduced his lands to penury. William became tormented by his own cowardice. Then, two years ago, workmen discovered Louis' secret study. It contained, among other things, Louis' library of scrolls and grimoires. William began to read the books, and the more he read the more he became convinced that arcane power could compensate for his weaknesses and fears. He studied obsessively, but imperfectly, becoming little more than an indifferent sorcerer. Among Louis' effects, William discovered an ancient parchment which he had to decipher. It appeared to be a 'Scroll of Invulnerability'. William studied the scroll, but driven by his impatience he performed the ritual therein without properly understanding it. With sufficent experience the ritual would have rendered him immune to most harm. However, William botched it badly, although this was not obvious immediately. At first he felt stronger, almost invincible. He quickly reverted to type, a boistrous bully. There was even talk of invading Graven and avenging his father. However, a few weeks later he was taken sick, gnawed by a cold ache in the pit of his stomach. Daylight began to pain him, and he began vomiting his food. The cold slowly progressed until he was almost paralyzed from it. William was forced to take to his bed, weak as a kitten, while his sister tended to him. She was convinced he was possessed, and brought every priest and quack healer in Malois to tend to him. One night William snapped when she tried to force him to drink holy water, killing her in a fit of rage and pain. He fled the castle soon after. William fled north to the Trollmarch, where he is hiding now. At present he is treated as a vampire spawn, but eventually he will become a fully fledged vampire. More significantly, the scroll is from Hollowrought. William is slowly being drawn into Krolak's dominion, opeing a breach around him between Hollowrought and Eda, a breach others are beginning to cross... Erileine (see post #57) Forest of Graven (see post #41) Trollmarch (see post #42)
wrexham3 10-06-06, 07:26 AM	The Redlands The soils around elven forests are the most fertile in all of Carolan, and much prized by peasants and lords alike. These soils are found almost exclusively north of the Chaurn Mountains and have been vital to the north's economy for 2000 years. The great riverine civilizations of the Dorn, Voss and Dagarr were built upon these soils. When turned the earth is a distinctive deep red colour, like rust or blood. Besides being fertile, they almost never fail, despite bitter winter or drought. Redlands are found around the forests of Cillion, Graven, Marn and the Oracle, and in isolated areas of Jehanna. While most of the island of Gornt is redland, much of it is given over to pasture, and are therefore not under cultivation; this was a major reason for the failed Jehannan invasion of Gornt. However, the breadbasket of Carolan is the lands around Avenwood. The local farmers know that the best way to maintain the fecundity of their soil is to sacrafice to the various spirits of the land. However, in the past this was prohibited by the Eseenian Church, so such customs had to be practiced in secret. Therefore, the peasants of Erileine are outwardly Eseen while practicing covert paganism. In Jehanna, where paganism was actively rooted out, the redlands diminished with the elven forests until they exist in only in a few scattered locales. The redlands of Erileine are held by local kindreds and clans under ancient customs of tenure. The nobility holds little sway over these lands, although disputes do arisen as lords seek to expand their demenses upon the kindred freeholds. Around Avenwood, the custom of land being inherited from mother to daughter is particularly prevalant.
imake13 10-06-06, 08:36 PM	this is incredible! I would love to play this campaign. The different races of the elves are so freaking cool. Any chance you could make this into a campaign setting book and pdf is for us? I know that is kinda greedy, but I would seriously love to play this.
wrexham3 10-09-06, 01:22 PM	this is incredible! I would love to play this campaign. The different races of the elves are so freaking cool. Any chance you could make this into a campaign setting book and pdf is for us? I know that is kinda greedy, but I would seriously love to play this. Thanks a bunch. :D I would love to write a campaign setting book, but unfortunately real life gets in the way - I'm too busy working on a doctrate at the moment. This thread covers about 1% of what I've got written in numerous exercise books, and I have'nt finished building the world yet - Eda remains a work in progress. However, I've got a 'Beginner's Guide to Carolan' somewhere, which I give out to my players at the start of each campaign - its the nearest thing I've got to a Campaign Book, if that's any help. I'll try to locate it and put it up on the thread.
wrexham3 10-09-06, 04:09 PM	Hollowrought - Alternative Eda The Daeaspos Daeaspos (or Diaspos) has a number of meanings. It is an ancient draconian word that literally means 'God-corpse'. It refers to the primordial planes which were first created when the One, the Singularity of Conscience, divided itself into infinity to create the Omniverse. In normal D&D jargon the Daeaspos is the Negative Energy Plane. The greatest concentration of these energies is found in the primal planes, the ancient ‘heart’ of the Omniverse, and at its furthest reaches. However the Daeaspos is an underlying harmonic, an echo reverberating through Creation. In some cultures it is interpreted as the death cry of the One Consciousness. No deity, demons, spirits, dragon emperors, nor even the ancient progenitors, no one dared enter or interfere with the primal planes. There seemed to be a singular instinct in all life not to. This prohibition was broken by Krolak, the dragon usurper who claimed for itself the power and authority of an emperor. It manipulated the energies of the Daeaspos because it felt compelled to do so – it wanted to create a new Omniverse, one that it would put it beyond the retribution of the true dragon emperors. By breaching the primal planes and drawing from their source, Krolak became the first necromancer, the apex of the dark art. On Hollowrought the Daeaspos has a similar meaning to ‘horizon’. The original Eda has no horizon – it appears flat with the land around seeming to stretch away forever. However, on the Hollowrought Eda the perspective disappears into a fading greyness – the Daeaspos. It acts like the curvature of our own world, limiting how much a person is able to see of the world around them. However, on Hollowrought the Daeaspos has another meaning – it refers to what lies beyond reality. On Hollowrought, reality eventually runs out. The world around becomes increasingly insubstantial, a crushing greyness that bears down upon you like the pressures of the deep ocean. Stay there for too long, and you too will become unreal. The inhabitants of Hollowrought do not stray too far from their own reality, believing that there is nothing beyond the Daeaspos. Flat Eda (see post #5) Progenitors (see post #6) The One (see post #13 ‘Bahamet’) Krolak (see post #13 ‘Krolak’ and post #73)
wrexham3 10-10-06, 04:57 PM	Here as promised is information I give to new players. Beginners Guide to Carolan - Part 1 Éda is an alternative Earth dominated by a supercontinent, also called Éda. The only other continent is Hyasp, a huge island in the middle of the Imperial Ocean. The planet (for mysterious reasons) has no horizon - the land seems to stretch in all directions for hundreds of miles. It is orbited by a single oceanic moon called Mara. Éda's sky at night is wreathed by vast stellar clouds. The planet was once a dominion of the draconian Empire of Worlds. However, the Empire fell apart millenia ago. Numerous empires and civilizations rose and fell in its wake - for instance, until two centuries ago the sub-continent of Carolan was dominated by the Eseen Holy Suzerain. Carolan was a loose confederation of kingdoms, theocracies and other states roughly comparable to medieval-reniassance Europe. Up until a decade ago it was a stagnant society, trapped in long-term decline. The Aegis Wars plunged Carolan into a new Dark Age that caused this confederation to fall apart. However this Dark Age marks a new beginning for its kingdoms. Once dominant, Humanity seems to have lost its way, its populations ravaged by famine and plague in the aftermath of the wars. Conversely, the Dwarvish Races (Dwarves, Gnomes and Halflings) are filled with an irrepressible vitality – and many believe that a new golden age for their peoples is at hand. Furthermore the reclusive Elves suddenly seem to be everywhere, becoming a common sight on the highways and byways of Carolan. Finally, the Yrch-Hai (Goblins, Hobgoblins and Orcs) have been extending their range since the Aegis Wars. Therefore, in stark contrast to Middle-Earth, in Carolan the ‘Dominion of Man’ is very definitely over. Recent Events 10 years ago, in 11565, a gate to the Abyss was opened to Carolan, spilling all manner of demonkind across the face of Éda. During the ensuing chaos, the draconian legions of the last living Dragon Emperor, Sorroghun, invaded Carolan. With the aid of the Magiocracy of Laharn, and hordes of Eastern Orcs, Sorrughun attempted to subjugate the entire continent. Ultimately, by some scheme or stratagem, Sorroghun was defeated and slain by a band of heroes – the mages Feral Berin and Nigron, Lazlo Callini of Asconis, Darach Gobannon, Seguise of Segova, Marhiannon, Lord Aldergess of Graven, Kagaz Skarg, Brogan Orn, Sven Eiriksson and Seraphin of the Sword. After the battle only Feral, Marhiannon and Lord Aldergess were left alive. Feral immediately deposed Iygal as Arcanist Fyral of Laharn. He then banished all dragons from the face of the planet and finally brought the Aegis Wars to an end. But the wars had been won only at terrible cost. The skies were turned black and bitter winters have since gripped the land. Millions starved to death, and sickness took many of the rest. Orcs overran the League of Parva and the Empire of Daltae. Everywhere, the ancient woodlands of Carolan seem to expand every year, driving Civilization before them. Draconian legions and demons continue to plague the land. This is the new uncertain age of Karelan.
wrexham3 10-12-06, 04:59 PM	Beginners Guide to Carolan - Part 2 Main Religions Eseen – Belief in Eseus is the belief in One God. Deserper is Eseus’ dark half, the equivalent of Satan. The Essenian religion is practiced probably by the majority of Carolanians. Daltae Pantheon – Zeus, Hera, Mercury, Ares, Poseidon, Hades, Athena, Demeter, Apollo, Hephaestus, Artemis and Dionysus are all worshipped in Daltae, as are many other minor gods. In Leotine and the City Kingdoms the same pantheon is worshipped as its Roman equivalent – Jupiter, Juno, Hermes, Mars, Neptune, Pluto, Minerva, Ceres, Apollo, Vulcan, Diana and Bacchus. In Daltae Zeus is the chief god, while in Leotine and Ascuria Saturn rules the pantheon (although worshippers of Jupiter dispute this). The Aesir/Vanir Pantheon – The Scandinavian pagan gods are worshipped in Njord – Odin, Thor, Frey, Freya, Frigga, Sif, Udun, Loki, Baldur, Tyr, Heimdall and Aegir. Mara and Udo – The Halflings of Aris worship the Moon (Mara) and the Sun (Udo). The stars are seen as more distant gods and goddesses who do not choose to take an active interest in the world; nevertheless Halflings look to these for portents. Elemental Worship – Gnomes worship the elementals of Fire (Rukh), Water (U’lu), Air (A’ya) and Earth (Gol). Humans from Laharn may worship the elementals also. Orc Shamanism – Orcs worship a wide pantheon of ancestor and nature spirits, both good and evil. One consequence of this is that they view Elves essentially part of their pantheon, so unlike other D&D games they are generally well-disposed towards elves. The Dwarven Pantheon – Dwarves worship their own pantheon of gods, including Drûn (First dwarf man), Adis (First dwarf woman) Dûmael (Crafts), Axnar (Battle), Adis (First Woman), Grimasûl (Knowledge), Orn (Mining), Visingë (Fertility), Regund (Wealth), Lukti (Hearth), Borigg (Travel), Nali (Luck) and Ulbelich (Evil and Undeath). The Celtic (Fey) Pantheon – The ‘Celtic’ gods are probably the strangest pantheon. Powerful beings such as Dagda, Arawn, Rhiannon, Lugh, Nuada, the Morrigon, Diancecht, Arianhod, Gobannon and many others are worshipped as gods and goddesses among Humans. However, in Annwn the gods live amongst the elves as kings and queens. Anyone worshipping this pantheon is considered to be a druid. Druidism is particularly prevalent on the island of Gornt. Three deities have a particular significance – Silvannus, Rhian and Arawn. The Deified Dragon Emperors – Worship of the Dragon Emperors is mainly found in Laharn, Yrch-Hai and Draconian populations. The twelve Dragon Emperors are:- Azael (CN), Bahamet (LG), Ghyl (CN), Karnos (N), Ouroborus (N), Ramath (LG), Sleth (CE), Sorroghun (LE), Sung (LN), Tiamat (CE) and Tyraxus (NE). There is a twelfth mysterious entity called Enios, more commonly known as Krolak the devourer. Little is known about it, as its memory has been effectively wiped out. Ephidian Gods – Worshipped by the descendants of Iphet, the Dakot of Dakos. Still worshipped in many lands around the Sea of Demons. These include Amarat, the Divine Mother, Nu, the Goddess of Night, El, the sky god, Sekh, the serpent god of prophecy, Ogon, the Bull of Heaven, Toth, the Divine Iridescence, and Ka, the vulture goddess of death.
wrexham3 10-13-06, 03:21 PM	Beginner's Guide to Carolan - Part 3 The Languages of Carolan Agok - Arakocra - the main Aarakocran language although there are others (see Gok-Gok) Ar-Draconis - also known as the Words of Creation, the language of thaumaturges Ashara - a language spoken outside of Carolan by the Imaluks of Qem; Arabic Azé - Gnomish Bas-Draconis - Carolan's equivalent of Undercommon Bocacci - City Kingdoms/Leotine – Carolan’s equivalent of Italian Bokaz - Bestials - a language devised by the dark elf Casnar for his creations Chagra - Yrch-Hai - spoken by the most recent orc invaders Cymbraeg - Cymbran (Island of Gornt); Welsh Cyrik - Daltae Empire; Greek Draconis - Laharn - the original 'Common' of the Empire of Worlds Dwerlung - Dwarvish Eiden – Jehanna; German Enkesh - said to have been spoken before the Deluge; the language of the Nostrates of Laharn; Sumerian and Babylonian Gallach - Tain (Island of Gornt); Gaelic Gescher - Halfling - spoken only by the halflings of Aris; based heavily upon Eiden Gok-Gok - another, slightly more localized Aarakocra language; Agok and Gok-Gok speakers spend much of their time hurling insults at one another. Ishka - Albu (Island of Gornt); Pictish Kârch - Trolls/Giants Langua – Erileine; French Midkala – Njordheim; Old Norse Pushan - League of Parva; Slavic language Selucese – Selucia; Spanish Sidhe - Elves - used by sorcerers Silva - Sylvan - also a language of sorcery Temhag - Yrch-Hai - language of the 106th-107th century orc migrations; many different dialects Vulgat - Common - a bastardization of Draconis, evolved as the tradespeak of the Tyrene Republic
wrexham3 10-14-06, 12:49 PM	Beginners Guide to Carolan - Part 4 The Nations of Carolan Aris (Renaissance Holland) Aris is a Halfling colony on the northern coast of Carolan. To the east is Parva, and the west, Erileine, while its main ally, Jehanna, lies to the south. Aris was established by freed Halfling slaves in the 107th century. It is a very independent and energetic democracy with a vast trading empire overseas. Unfortunately the Halflings also have a reputation as being ruthless privateers and pirates. In these dark times some have indeed reverted to piracy and coastal raiding. Arisian Halflings call themselves Gessen. They worship the Moon, Mara, and Udo, the Sun. Forest of Avenwood (Alfheim, Avallen, Averland) Avenwood is the vast elven forest in the centre of Erileine, ruled by Queen Rhianne. It is a magical forest not quite of this world – time does not really pass in Avenwood as it does outside. Nor does anyone really die in Avenwood, but are instantly reincarnated into another form, bound to the Otherworld forever. During the day the High (Seelie) Elves rule the forest and the Dark (Unseelie) Elves are forced to live among the roots of the great trees. However, at night, the High Elves retire to the eaves of the trees and the Dark Elves run wild in the forest below. The City Kingdoms (Renaissance Italy) The City Kingdoms are the quarrelling remnants of the old kingdom of Ascuria. The City Kingdoms is probably the most volatile area in all of Carolan, known as the ‘battlefield’ of the continent. The aftermath of the Aegis Wars has only accelerated the killing and dying. It is a peninsula, jutting out into the Sea of Tyrion. To the north, across the Chaurn Mountains, is Erileine. To the east is the Republic of Leotine, while across the Poisoned Sea to the west is Selucia. South lies the expanse of the Sea of Demons. Asconis – The Republic of Asconis is an ancient and corrupt regime ruled by archaic public institutions, a vicious nobility and scheming merchants. The nobility is Ephidian in origin. Asconis guards the main mountain pass across the Chaurn and into Erileine. Charon is the chief diety. Borvona – Until recently Borvona was the only Eseenian kingdom left on the Peninsula. However, the royal line was overthrown, and now a radical theocracy rules in its stead. Traditionally an ally of Erileine, it is now influenced by the more radical Jehanna. Bossina – Once the kingdom of the demi-god Anicles, it is now ruled by his former henchwoman, Countess Anna Mazola. It has largely been reduced to the fortress of Bossina itself and its immediate surroundings. Supported by Cassia. Bribanti – A kingdom ruled by scholars, philosophers and artists. Its monarchy is elected by the wisest minds in the kingdom. The present queen is indeed an exceptional reformer. Monzo is its traditional ally. Chief deity is Mercury. Cassia – The kingdom of Cassia possesses the finest army in the Kingdoms and is very much the emerging power of Ascuria. Anyone with military ambitions on the peninsula must eventually deal with the tyrants of Cassia. Cassia is closely allied to the Deep Dwarf kingdom of Gundr. Together Cassia and Gundr are often referred to as the Demiarchy. The Cassians’ chief deity is Mars, while the Gundans worship Drûn and Adis. Custodian Estates – An Eseenian realm ruled by the secretive sect of the Knights Custodians. It is rumoured the Custodians indulge in blasphemous rites behind closed doors. Beset by the Orcs of Serkhi and pagan rebels in its south provinces. The Estates recently lost provinces of Galina and Comorii in a slave rebellion. Damansia – A constitutional monarchy controlling much of the trade in the Sea of Tyrion. Leotine is its traditional ally. Chief deity is Saturn. Forino – The provinces of Comorii and Galina which recently rebelled against the tyranny of the Knights Custodians. Forino is now a principality attached to Cassia. Its prince is known as ‘Sclavo’. Fresii – A weak, failing absolute monarchy riven with corruption. Selucia is its traditional ally. The royal line of Fresii once ruled the entire peninsula. Chief deities are Neptune and Jupiter. Many of the upper classes are followers of Eseen. Gienno – The domains of the deposed kings of Asconis. It is strategically important as it provides a link between the Damansian coast and the city of Asconis. Harlans – A Gessen colony (see Aris) situated in the Sunken Plains (the Bugine). It is a haven for pirates, privateers and other lawless types. Harlans is the largest, but by no means only, Gessen port in the Bugine. Other pirate enclaves include Skermer and Vorkelpoort. Monzo – This city is a colony of the Magiocracy of Laharn. Dominated by the mysterious structure known as the Tochtmund Lighthouse, the entire area is prone to earthquakes. Hence over time much of the city has either slipped down into the bay or collapsed beneath the ground. It is estimated that 85% of the city’s entire area is either underground or underwater. It has an important influence on the City Kingdoms as a whole. Chief deities are Mercury and Saturn. Serkhi – The Serkhi and the surrounding Orc tribes were welded into a kingdom by two great warrior kings – Skarg Nazhan and Kagaz Skarg. Since the recent death of Kagaz’s successor, Nazhan Nakaal, Serkhi is consumed by infighting. However this has not stopped Yrch-Hai colonists from encroaching upon the Custodian Estates. Sozze – Pirate kingdom licensed by the monarchs of Fresii. Worshippers of Neptune. Links with Ko’esho’a and the Slave Ring in the Sea of Demons. Torona – The famous free city of Torona, ruled by its Star Council made up of some of the most celebrated adventurers of the day. Torona is a city protected and ruled by adventurers. Tucca – This is a rebel pagan province that once belonged to the Kingdom of Borvona. It is the location of the Forest of Oracles, the only fae forest south of the Chaurn Mountains. Tuoc – An Orc tribal confederation, lobbying Leotine to become a province federated to the Republic.
wrexham3 10-15-06, 03:57 PM	Beginners Guide to Carolan (Part 5) Nations of Carolan (Continued) The Daltae Empire/Djaté (Medieval Byzantine Empire) Daltae lies to the east of Leotine and south of Parva. Once a great centre of civilization in Carolan, Daltae fell to Orc invaders a decade ago during the Second Aegis War. The Orc armies were made up of both newcomers and established ‘allied’ tribes. An Orc warlord – Torog (Togaius the First) - now wears the purple of Daltae, while the Orcs have enslaved much of the population. That’s the minus. On the plus side, the Orcs have proved to be much more efficient at running the Empire than the corrupt imperial officials ever were, so at least everyone gets fed. Yrch-Hai call the land they have conquered Djaté. Erileine (Medieval France/England) Erileine lies geographically and figuratively at the centre of Carolan. Orase and Nalgon lie to the west, Selucia and the City Kingdoms south, with Jehanna and Aris to the east. Erileine was once the greatest nation in all of Carolan, but now is fracturing apart into various aristocratic factions after the murder of King Claund. Millions died of starvation in the aftermath of the Second Aegis War. The country is in complete ruins and it may take decades or even centuries to recover. Only those lands bordering Avenwood Forest have been spared the worst of the disaster. These lands are the breadbasket of Carolan. Gornt (Medieval Western Britain) Also called the Island of the Mighty. It lies 40 miles off the coast of northern Erileine. Gornt is an island divided into petty tribes, clans and kindreds. There are four main ‘nations’ – Tain (Irish/Scots), Cymbran (Welsh), Albu (Picts) and Krath (Giants). The pirates of Njord also maintain several colonies along the coast, while Erileine controls the port of Clavalon. The people of Gornt worship the ‘Celtic’ pantheon – Lugh, Nuada, Arawn, Rhiannon etc. However, these people possess plate mail and stone castles, so are technologically are closer to the late 11th-early 12th centuries. Beneath Gornt is an underworld known as Annwn, the realm of King Arawn. Jehanna (Medieval Germany) Jehanna is near the centre of Carolan. Erileine is to the west, Leotine to the south, Aris in the north and Parva, east. Jehanna is the most militant of all the Eseus-worshipping states. It is a theocracy ruled by the Deus of Molgrav. Back in 11562 the Jehannans embarked on a crusade against the Island of Gornt to convert the pagans. They were so utterly routed at the Battle of the White Coasts that they have never truly recovered. Jehanna has since suffered terribly from the deprivations of Garkas of Mal-Har during the Aegis Wars. It is official church policy that the World is ending and Ragnarok is at hand. However they have been waiting for Ragnarok for three centuries. Jehanna is a ‘police state’ in the throes of religious hysteria and oppression. However corruption is very rare, everyone watches each other, and no one, not even the Deus, is above Eseus’ laws. Laharn (Arcane Industrial) Laharn is a long peninsula on the western edge of Karelan and is its most powerful nation. Nalgon lies to the north, Orase, east, and Selucia south east. Under its Arcanist Iygal, Laharn joined the dragon legions in the subjugation of Carolan. After Sorroghun’s defeat, Iygal fled and the adventurer Feral Berin was elected in his place. Fyral has since disappeared from public life, and it is the Metararch Patriago who actually runs the country – although he was himself deeply implicated in the policies of Iygal. Laharn remains a haven of calm in the current anarchy. The Ephidian nostrates or shadow houses represent a small but significant faction within Laharn’s convoluted society. Laharn is the rising power of the continent after centuries of stagnation. Leotine (Renaissance Italy) Leotine is largest and most powerful democracy remaining in Karelan. It covers a stretch of coastland between the City Kingdoms and Daltae. Its trading empire stretches from the Sea of Demons to the Imperial Ocean. Leotine has remained stable in the face of the disasters of the past decade – its population pulling together to overcome its manifold adversities. However, the grand war fleets of Togaius lie waiting just along the coast. Saturn is the chief deity of Leotine, and what we call ‘democracy’ is known as the ‘Saturnine mysteries’. Mal-Har (Medieval Eastern Europe/Russia) The Leaguelands of Parva ceased to exist in the aftermath of the First Aegis War. The Zhanate of Mal-Har has risen in its stead. Mal-Har are plains on the eastern edge of Karelan. It is ruled by the Yrch-Hai warlord Garkas Nazhan. The Orcs have taken to breeding their horses and war wolves on the vast steppe, ruling the Leaguelands from their great tented cities. Much of the Human population has been displaced, slaughtered or enslaved. Only the western provinces bordering Jehanna remain in Human hands. Nalgon (Arcane Industrial) This realm is the homeland of the Gnomes ruled by its great guilds. It lies to the north of Laharn. During the Second War, Nalgon remained allied to Laharn, and consequently to the Dragon Emperor Sorrughun. The Gnomes widely employed their terror weapons and other machines during that war. In the aftermath, Gnomes are greatly hated throughout Carolan, more perhaps than Orcs and Draconians. Pogroms (mass deportations and genocide) have been committed against many Gnomish populations outside Nalgon, even those who sided against Laharn. Meanwhile the Gnomes of Nalgon – including the perpetrators of the Terror - still enjoy the protection of Laharn. The Gnomes shares their realm with a multitude of allied Yrch-Hai tribes. The gnomes of Nalgon control a great planar trading empire. Nalgon is the only place in all of Éda where gnome civilization is found. Njord (Medieval Scandinavia) A land north of Karelan, situated between the Gethesheim Mountains and the Grey Sea. Vigard, Hrafna and Torheim are the three main kingdoms, although there are a whole host of petty kingdoms and jarldoms independent in their own right. Njordheimers are notorious as pirates, raiders and fearless traders. Their land is very poor and they are beset by trolls and giants of Hordland. This has made them a fierce and perhaps desperate people. The Gethesheim Mountains are home to great Mountain Dwarf kingdoms. Orase (Late Medieval Switzerland) Orase lies as a buffer between Laharn and Erileine. The kingdom was shattered by the initial thrust of the armies of Laharn during the Second War. Today, much of their land is still occupied. The Orasians are fighting a guerrilla war with the mercenaries of Laharn. Orase was regarded as a haven for free thinking individuals of all kinds. Selucia (Medieval Spain) Selucia is a confederacy of sovereign kingdoms dominated by the Deus of Patra Doma. It was once the centre of the Essenian religion. However, there exists a centuries-old schism between the Deus of Selucia and of Jehanna. Selucia is dominated by a great ash desert (the El Vasa) and river (the Grand Selucis). The holy city of Patra Doma was besieged by an army of demons during the Aegis War, until the demons were defeated and scattered. The country was in ruins after the fighting. The cult of the paladin Lorimar swept the country in the aftermath. People use Lorimar’s example to help rebuild their homeland. The Confederacy includes the kingdoms of Leona, Pampona, Casaen, Liguerra, Bascony, Navos, Lazeros, Orrino, Muera, Torez, Valdera, and the church domains of Immortag. Silaria (Medieval Central Europe) A strip of coastland situated between Jehanna and Njord, Silaria is a dark land, the scene of countless slaughters and atrocities. Its sadistic aristocracy are a law unto themselves, and are said to practice demon-worship, black magic and vampirism; the peasantry are said to be little better. The high mountains and deep forests of Silaria are the home of all manner of monsters. It is a place best avoided by outsiders.
wrexham3 10-20-06, 04:19 PM	Beginners Guide to Carolan - Part 6 The Races of Carolan Humanity – Most Carolanians might be considered ‘Caucasians’ – pale skinned in the North, darker skinned in the South. Among the other regions of the world (which I have created so far) are Njordheim (Scandinavia), Joffa, Qemesh and Isyssia (Middle East), the copper-skinned Sea Peoples, the great civilizations of Afar and the Golden Kingdoms (Africa) and Imperial Koba (Japanese). Ephidians (Human) – Characteristically tall and thin with dark, red eyes, betraying their draconic heritage. Ephidian bloodlines are found only in Laharn and Asconis. Their forebears came from Iphet, that first great Human civilization that spanned the seas of ancient Earth and Éda. Yet at the height of its power it was drowned in the Great Deluge eleven millennia ago. However it is said some Ephidian city-arks survived this catastrophe. During the Empire of Worlds era the Ephidians mixed their blood with that of dragon archonites and draconians. Ephidians -2 Con, +2 Int, +2 Wis and -2 Cha Base Speed 30’ Ephidians do not gain the extra skill points and feat that most other Humans gain Ephidians speak Vulgat, Draconis and Enkesh Favoured Class - Wizard Ephidians tend towards Lawful alignments Dwarves (Dwerg) – The Dwerg race is divided among the Drûnaug (Deep Dwarves) and the Visinga (Forge Dwarves). Drûnaug are generally Lawful and live all their lives underground. The Visinga meanwhile tend towards Neutrality and to wander the sun-lit realms above. An ancient blood-feud exists between the two groups (it’s a long and complicated saga involving a beautiful woman, a magical helm, people being made out of glacial clays and somebody sleeping with their mum). Dwarves - Drûnaug should be treated as Deep Dwarves, while Visinga use the standard Mountain Dwarf stat-line. A third group, Nawar, are Drûnaug who migrated into the Empire of Worlds thousands of years ago. They practice Thaumaturgy (Wizardry) and worship the Dragon Emperors rather than the traditional Dwarf deities. Both the Drûnaug and Visinga hate the Nawar. Gnomes – They are not illusionist dwarf wannabes but the most technologically advanced race in Carolan. Masters of travelling the Omniverse, they do not specialize in Illusions but excel in Evoking and Transmutation instead. No talking to badgers or innate magic spells either, although they do have an ability to resist elemental damage (because of a pact they made with the elementals). They are particularly adept at combining magic with machinery. They are also completely loathed in most parts of Carolan. Play a Gnome and prepare for a kicking. Gnomes -2 Str, +2 Int and +2 Wis Small - +1 bonus to AC and to attack rolls, +4 bonus to Hide Base Speed 20’ Lowlight Vision +1 racial bonus to fighting Kobolds +2 bonus to Listen checks +2 bonus to either Profession, Craft or Knowledge (PC chooses) All Gnomes can cast Resist Elements 1/day as a Sorcerer equal to their current level Languages – Aze, Draconis and Vulgat Favoured Class - Wizard Halflings – Use standard stat-line from PHB Orcs (Yrch-Hai) – The three Humanoid ‘races’ – Goblins, Orcs and Hobgoblins – are actually members of one great race, the Yrch-Hai. For their part, Yrch-Hai distinguish themselves by caste more than sub-race. Ogres (Ogorh) are a kind of Neanderthal cousin of the Yrch-Hai. Yrch-Hai may be aggressive and war-like, but they certainly no more stupid or evil than Humanity. However, there is an ancient antagonism between the Yrch-Hai and the other mortal races of the world. Honour plays a great part in their culture. Yrch-Hai (all) Lowlight Vision ‘Scent’ special quality +2 racial bonus to Spot and Listen 30’ base movementLanguages – Vulgat, and either Chagra or Temhag Svarl (Goblins) -2 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Wis and -2 Cha Small - +1 bonus to AC and to attack rolls, +4 bonus to Hide +2 Move Silently Favoured Class – Rogue (All female Yrch-Hai are treated as Svarls) Yrch (Orcs) +2 Str, -2 Int and -2 Cha +2 to either Climb, Ride or Wilderness Survival Favoured Class – Fighter Uruk (Hobgoblins) +4 Str, +2 Con, -2 Int and -2 Cha +1 Natural Armour +2 Intimidate rolls (may use Strength as stat modifier rather than Charisma) Automatic Endurance feat Favoured Class – Barbarian Level Adjustment +1 Elves (Sidhe) – Carolan Elves are fundamentally different from standard D&D. Elves do not come from this world, but a parallel one called Annwn. Annwn can be reached only through certain portals like magical forests and underworld grottos. Elves are unlike any other race. They are not born and do not age, do not need to eat or drink, nor are they susceptible to mundane sicknesses – they are more like magical elementals than demi-humans. When they die they are immediately reincarnated in another form back in Annwn. Elves come in all shapes and sizes from standard D&D to Tolkien proportions (to 7’ 2” tall giants like Lord Aldergess of Graven). Fae Elves -2 Int, +2 Wis and +2 Cha Base speed 30’ +2 racial bonus to Enchantment saves, -2 racial penalty to Illusions Lowlight vision +2 bonus to Listen, Search and Spot Immune to natural poisons and diseases Do not require food and drink (but can eat and drink if they want to) Breathless Need only sleep once every three days Cannot be Resurrected or Reincarnated Languages – Sidhe and Vulgat Level Adjustment +1 Half-Elves – While Elves do not reproduce amongst themselves, they can reproduce with other mortal races. Stat-wise, Half-Elves are just like the PHB.
wrexham3 10-22-06, 02:22 PM	Beginners Guide to Carolan - Part 7 Character Classes Barbarian – Human barbarians are found exclusively in tribal societies such as Njord and Gornt. Certain non-Human societies such as Elves, Visinga Dwarves and Yrch-Hai may also take the barbarian class. Some Underworld races can become barbarians as well. Bard – As standard D&D character class. Divine Bards (UA) can come from Elven, Gorn and Njord societies. Cleric – There are numerous deities and cults in Carolan. Generally, Clerics are considered to worship the celestial or 'high' gods rather than the more earthly spirits. A cleric’s ‘spells’ come from the god not the cleric, therefore the cleric must follow their patron’s path, must make the proper sacrifices and are entirely subject to their patron’s whims. On the plus side all clerical spells are considered spontaneous. Druid – While druids come exclusively from Gornt, animists from other pantheons use the Druid template. Essentially druids worship the spirits rather than the celestial gods. A druid’s ‘spells’ come from the god not the druid, therefore the druid must follow their patron’s precepts, must make the proper sacrifices and are entirely subject to their patron’s whims. On the plus side, all druidic spells are spontaneous. Fighter – As standard D&D character class. Monk – Prohibited as a class in Carolan. However there are monastic clerics of the Essenean Church. Paladin – Must be monotheistic worshippers of either Eseus, Elial, El or Bahamet. Deserper/Deshet commands apostates (Blackguards) and death knights. Ranger – Carolan rangers use 3.5 rules. Considered to be wilderness types (hunters, scouts, foresters etc.) who have gained the favour of the spirits. Rogue - As standard D&D character class Sorcerer – Unlike Standard D&D the sorcerer is a practitioner of the wild magic of the Otherworld. Elves and spirit-worshipping societies (i.e. Yrch-Hai, Gornt or Njord) favour sorcery over thaumaturgy (wizardry). Wizard – D&D wizardry represents practitioners of the draconian science of thaumaturgy. In the distant past the Dragon Emperors tamed the primordial Wild Magic by formulating the Laws of Creation. ‘Wizard’ is a title rarely used in Carolan. The terms ‘mage’ or more properly ‘thaumaturge’ are generally employed instead.
wrexham3 10-26-06, 06:19 PM	Hollowrought - Alternative Eda n the next few posts I will describe a new land I've designed for my Hollowrought setting. I'm hoping that the players in my latest installment of the Chronicle Campaign will cross the divide from Eda into Hollowrought. Slough Trough The Slough Trough is located on the Hollowrought where the Dorn river (the Oran) and the Trollmarch exists on the original Eda. The Oran does flow through Slough Trough but it is a trickle in comparison to the Edaen Dorn - on Hollowrought there is no Graven Forest and consequently no rivers from the Otherworld to feed it. Slough Trough is a vast area of marsh much like the Trollmarch. However it is caused by the presence of sloughwyrms, vast maggot-like monsters able to vomit up blood spittle and tentacles (treat as purple worms). The sloughwyrms never venture outside the trough but will attack anyone entering it. In the trough, situated on either bank of the Dorn are vast tiered black stone platforms the purpose of which are unknown. Many have been broken in rubble as if crushed by some vast hand. Almost no one has set foot on the platforms because of the presence of the sloughwyrms. Many are almost submerged into the filth which the wyrms throw up. Slough Trough is a cess pit of diseases. If the wyrms dont get you the flies probably will. Hollowrought (see posts #73-78) Graven Forest (see post #41) Chronicle Campaign (see post #11)
The White Sorcerer 10-27-06, 11:21 PM	Demi-Heavens and Half-Hells This seems hauntingly familiar. Does the title Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils say anything to you?
wrexham3 10-28-06, 09:28 AM	This seems hauntingly familiar. Does the title Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils say anything to you? Just a coincidence, but thanks for writing anyway. :)
wrexham3 10-29-06, 03:31 PM	Hollowrought - Alternative Eda Gilendi Between the Slough Trough and the mountains called the Regyre lie the Gilendi city states - a loose confederacy which has managed to maintain civilization in this corner of the Hollowrought Eda. The four cities of Gilendi are Witterstep, Cesepholis, Chand and Tibruun. Each is politically independent and is ruled by a tribune. The Gilendi city-states are made up of a mixed population of humans, gnomes, dwarves and halflings. Gilendi is surrounded on all sides by wilderness and waste. The alternative Carolan of Hollowrought is dotted with isolated cities or clusters of cities surrounded by the overgrown ruins of what was the mighty Grand Republic of Orthere. The technology level of Gilendi is roughly 18th-19th century, with flintlock rifles and steam carriages. Fortified positions keep the Nemeans and their dog-orc and dog-goblin slaves at bay. The Gilendians have little idea of what goes on beyond their borders - occasionally they hear of other cities and lands which survived Orthere's collapse, but generally the wilderness is too dangerous to attempt to cross. No Gilendian would dare enter the Slough Trough - the black platforms is a place of the First, who are said to have enslaved the Eldar Darks to their will. The Gilendians leave such evil to sleep. A great forest grows all along the edge of the Slough Trough which the Gilendians rarely enter. In Chand lives the book-sellar and binder, Thomas Malkos. He was once Iygal of Klome, the former Arcanist of Laharn, a man widely accused on mass-murder during the Second Aegis War. He now lives in scholarly retirement on this alternative Eda, as close to his birthplace of Klom as he is able to get. The Eldar Darks (see post #7) Iygal of Klome (see post #57 - Laharn) Hollowrought (see posts #73-78)
wrexham3 11-01-06, 04:05 PM	Hollowrought - Alternative Eda The Nemeans The Nemeans (pron. Nem-MEE-ans) dwell in the wilderness beyond Gilendi. To an outsider from Eda they would look all the world like Alvar elves. They are small, thin, pale with fair hair. The great difference is the eyes - which are large and so deeply black that the whites can hardly be seen (I've deliberately given them almost a 'Grey' alien look). Nemeans look like Eda elves because they too were spirits once. However they became trapped in Hollowrought, and slowly became corporeal much like Humans, Yrch-Hai and Dwarvish. When an Eda elf dies they disappear; Nemeans just lie there bleeding. Nemeans breath, and need food, water and sleep. They are also mortal, lacking elven invulnerability to natural diseases and poisons. Also unlike Eda elves they are weakened by the sun. They live on average 300 years. Statswise Nemeans should be treated as normal elves from the PHB. However in addition to Lowlight Vision, they gain Darkvision 60'. However they are light sensitive (like Hollowrought orcs and goblins) and suffer -1 base attack when caught in sunlight. Nemeans prefer to fight from a distance, using shortbows and flintlock rifles, taking full advantage of their Dex bonus. In melee they deploy dog-orcs and dog-goblins - minions of those races bred for servitude. Dog-soldiers are treated as PHB orcs and goblins with an further -2 penalty to Wis and Cha penalty. They are mostly bound by magic and sent into the front line. They are not particularly effective but will cover the escape of their Nemean masters. Nemeans are racial purists. They hate all other races and seek to cleanse the world through wars of extermination. The root of this hatred is their own subconcious self-loathing. Nemeans have ceased to be spirits and become mortal, no longer connected to the Otherworld. Deep in their souls they feel this loss keenly. Therefore they have become bitter and hateful (Lawful Evil). Meeting a true Eda elf drives them mad, and they will seek any means to kill the abominations. The Nemean Kingdoms of Dusk rules the lands to the west of Gilendi. It has absorbed much of the ruins of Central Orthere. The outer edges of the Kingdoms are merely the hunting ground of the dog soldiers. Eda Elves (see post #15) Hollowrought (see posts #73-78)
wrexham3 11-03-06, 03:07 PM	Hollowrought - Alternative Eda The Rote Gilendi has no rulers as such and technically everyone is free. However Gilendi is ruled by the Books of Rote, held at the Inns of Court in each of the main cities. The Rote is a record of every inhabitant's individual privileges and obligations. These are owed by the city state or by individuals. Each person's life revolves around the Rote. When, at any time, they owe a favour or service they feel a mild magical compulsion (Will Save DC 11) to dispense with it, manifesting in anxiety and lack of sleep. However if a Gilendian does not keep their end of the bargain, they quickly lose all of their privileges and quickly become outcast. Gilendi is blessed (or cursed) by counsellors who interpret the Rote and enforce its edicts. Some counsellors are skilled diplomats who mediate relationships between the various city states, others are able lawyers interpreting the Rote, while many are thugs who enforce it through physical threat. Nevertheless they are not above the law - the Rote is utterly impartial (or so its seems). The Rote is a feature of late Republican Orthere, and probably survives in this isolated place because of the threat of the Nemeans and the Sloughwyrms. The Rote keeps society together in this enclave of civilization. It is possible to live outside the Rote, but you need a great deal of money to do so. Gilendi - (see post #93) Nemeans - (see post #94) Sloughwyrms - (see post #90)
wrexham3 11-09-06, 06:03 PM	Hollowrought - Alternative Eda Iygal of Klome – 20th lvl Lawful Evil Wizard Iygal was born sixty-five years ago in the Jehannan prinzdum of Klöm, where the province borders the Trollmarch. His family seem to have been burghers, middle class leaders of their community. Very early on Iygal seems to have displayed an aptitude for magic – strange events such as poltergeist activity seemed to happen around him. Thus Iygal was kept in doors – so his was essentially a lonely childhood. However this seems to have increased the rumours that whirled around the burghers’ strange son. In the normal course of events Iygal would have been sent to the Church authorities to be judged (and no doubt executed). However both his parents doted on him – so the boy was secretly sent to Rousonne and thence to Sulons, where he would study under the great mage Kellen of Hehrig. Years later Iygal would learn that his entire family was executed on the orders of the Church. This was undoubtedly the pivotal moment of Iygal’s life, the catalyst for his utter rejection of gods and religion. He dedicated himself body and soul to the study of the thaumaturgical sciences. Iygal eventually left Kellen and Erileine behind, travelling to Laharn. He attached himself to Collegio Dominine by working for the Bellorum – the Laharnese foreign service. He learned to play Laharn’s arcane political game masterfully. Firstly he surreptitiously gained the support of the Arcarn liches. This allowed him to become Lord Erudite of the Dominine. He then used the Dominine’s traditional links with the Ministry of Division to create a power base for himself. Critically he cultivated links with House Baba-Warnes whose scion, Balthazar, was Arcanist at the time. Iygal manipulated Balthazar's own daughter, Tamaz, against her father. Thus Iygal succeeded to the position of Arcanist through a bloodless coup. Iygal was quick to establish himself as a reformer, in the tradition of Tochtmund and Meldor. He adeptly balanced the competing interests of the Corporium, the Nostrates, the Arkos and the individual cities. He then reached out to the gnomes of Nalgon, making a binding pact of mutual security with them. His next move was critical – he established relations with the dragon emperor Sorroghun. Decades earlier Sorroghun had defeated his only remaining rival, Tyraxus, to take the Throne of the Worlds after millennia of warfare. Yet the Imperial diadem was still incomplete; Sorroghun could only conclude that one of the dragon emperor’s had survived in anonymity somehow. Exhaustive investigations had narrowed the field down to one - Ghyl. Somehow Ghyl had survived his confrontation with the usurper Krolak. Sorroghun believed that Ghyl must be hidden somewhere on Éda. The Emperor agreed to aid Iygal in overthrowing the Eseenians and re-establishing Dakos in exchange for locating Ghyl. Of course eventually Iygal failed and Sorroghun was slain. Iygal’s elementary error was that he believed the immortal sorcerer Nigron was Ghyl in disguise. In fact it was Nigron’s apprentice, Feral Berin, who was Ghyl’s reincarnated spirit. Iygal had to flee before the vengeful Feral to the one place he could not follow him – Hollowrought. Iygal now lives there in scholarly retirement. Iygal however has not entirely failed - athough the kingdoms of Eseen have not fallen, they have been weakened, whie Laharn has emerged from the Aegis Wars as Karelan’s emerging great power. Thaumaturgy and sorcery are now commonly practiced. Therefore Iygal is well-pleased, and has not one shred of regret about the millions who have died so he might avenge his parents. Jehanna (see post #68) Erileine and Laharn (see post #57) Eseen (see post #28) Dragon Emperors Sorroghun, Ghyl and Krolak (see post #13) War of the Two Emperors (Krolak versus Ghyl (see post #76) Collegium (see post #72) Nostrates (see post #8)
wrexham3 11-11-06, 01:48 PM	Hollowrought - Alternative Eda The Antimere This is a secret organization of gnome artificers and thaumaturgists based in the city of Cesepholis in Gilendi. Antimere essentially means the League against Fear or more correctly against Superstition. They are concerned with attempting to discover the hidden origins and nature of the world they live in. They are essentially rationalists living in an incredibly irrational world. The Antimere are the hidden power of Gilendi. They have managed to hijack the Books of Rote in the last decades and are able to manipulate the Rote system to their own ends. They are concerned with maintaining the integrity of Gilendi society so as to protect them from the surrounding Kingdoms of Dusk. The Antimere have organized several expeditions to the Black Platforms, using magic to avoid the Sloughwyrms. What they have found in these ancient edifices they keep to themselves, but it is believed that they now possess powerful artifacts linked to the enigmatic First. The Antimere are also aware of the other Eda from which their own world is a mere historical offshoot. The Antimere are able to make contact with this other Eda via a device similar to a crystal radio, but which in fact receives and broadcasts dreams between the two Edas. The clarity of signal is generally poor - however recently it has become much, much clearer (this is because of the activities of William d'Voy). The Antimere have been sending dreams to the receptive mind of a gnome sorcerer called Laedon. This allowed him to build the Omniversal Harmonic Dechrometer - a device designed to measure planar energies. In this way the Antimere is hoping to understand the source of the planar disturbance (and harness it to their own ends). Gilendi (see post #93) The Rote (see post #95) William d'Voy (see post #78)
wrexham3 11-16-06, 07:35 AM	Gunpowder Weapons in Eda On Eda gunpowder weapons are in their infancy. Although the Leotinians used the arquebusiers to some effect during the Peninsula Wars over 100 years ago, the weapon remains largely confined to the City Kingdoms and Leotine. In Erileine the longbow is still preferred. Yrch-Hai warriors - particularly those from Teshen and the Samiral - also make use of extensive use of arquebuses. However orc models are slightly more effective (range 90'). Generally in a melee arquebusiers will use their weapon as a club. Arquebus - cost 200gp, damage 1d12, critical x3, range 75' Pistol - cost 100gp, damage 1d10, critical x3, range 30' Shot (per 10) - cost 3gp (outside of City Kingdoms/Leotine pistols and arquebus cost double) Hollowrought on the other hand is about 200-300 years ahead of Eda in the development of these weapons and they dominate the battlefield. The flintlock musket is the standard infantry weapon, often fixed with a bayonet (treat as shortspear). Nemean footsoldiers from Hollowrought have recently fought plate-armoured Erileinian knights, comprehensively outclassing them in every engagement. The Nemean long musket gives the dark-seeing Nemeans total supremacy during nightime ambushes. These rules were taken off the internet. Light Pistol - cost 30gp, damage 2d4, critical x3, range 30' Blunderbuss Pistol - cost 20gp, damage 1d8, critical x10-20/x2, range 10' (area effect 1d6') Heavy Pistol - cost 40gp, damage 2d6, critical x3, range 50' Blunderbuss - cost 35gp, damage 1d10, critical x19-20/x2, range 15' (area effect 1d6+4') Musket Carbine - cost 65gp, damage 2d8, critical x3, range 100' Long Musket - cost 90gp, damage 2d10, critical x3, range 150' Shot (per 10) - cost 3gp
wrexham3 11-20-06, 03:25 PM	The Q'qan The Q'qan is generally considered the finest sword on the face of Éda, held in higher regard even than the katana of Koba. The Q'qan is manufactured by orc artisans from the Empire of Teshen. Essentially it is a cutting weapon shaped like a scimitar. However it has no fuller, so it consists of an edge and back edge, with most blade empty to reduce its weight. The orc artisans' mastery is such that they have created a super-strong, super-flexible, super-light cutting weapon of unsurpassed efficency. Orc warriors will often supplement the Q'qan with a sepka, a saw-edged dagger shaped like a shark's tooth, designed to tear open wounds as it is pulled out (treat as a dagger which does 1d4+1 damage). Q'qan - Cost 350gp, dam 1d8, crit 18-20/x2, weight 3lb Always considered Masterclass Can be used with the Feat Weapon Finesse
wrexham3 12-01-06, 04:19 PM	Hollowrought – Alternative Eda The Natural Rights Movement The Natural Rightists are Gilendian anarchists who believe that the Rote represents a form of servitude. The movement seeks to destroy the Rote books and set up a representative form of government in its place – one which will promote freedom and individualism in its place. The Natural Rightists have found an unlikely ally in the Gilendian Army Council. The Army Council generals are beginning to suspect the Rote has been subsumed by the thaumaturges of the League against Fear. Recently the Antimere has sought to suppress non-League mages and (more covertly) the Counsellary itself. The Army Council want to use the activities of the Natural Rightists as an excuse to declare martial law and re-affirm the primacy of the Rote, before crushing the Natural Rightists once and for all. Natural Rightists deliberately use non-League mages as living weapons. The favoured tools of the Natural Rightists are bombs, offensive magic and heavy pistols. It is possible that all this is because the Great Rote itself seeks to cleanse itself of Antimere subversion. Gilendi (see Post #93) The Antimere (see Post #97) The Great Rote (see Post #95)
wrexham3 12-05-06, 10:57 AM	0 – The Great Land under the Endless Sky breaks apart. On ancient Earth a deluge drowns the great maritime civilizations. A fragment of Éda survives the Sundering but cast back into the past, to remain lost thousands of years. 3327 – The traditional date that the Empire of Worlds rediscovers Éda. The Dragon Emperors colonize the lands around the Middle and Inner Seas. Northern Carolan or Erius is never ‘civilized’. Indeed most of Éda remains free of Imperial rule. 8061 – The Death of the Emperors – The False Emperor Krolak destroys Ghyl and his host. However Krolak is unable to control the titanic energies released and it is torn apart. In the cataclysm the land of Nal-Toth is sinks beneath the Poisoned Sea. After the Death of the Emperors it is fatal for any dragon travel to Éda. Circa 8160 – The Nostrates defeat the free factions and establish the Magiocracy of Dakos. The Magiocracy rules the Middle Sea region for over a thousand years. 10 557 – The Ruin of Carolan. The Tower of Ramis Miros is destroyed, creating the Bay of Miroza. Dust consumes the great plains of Selucia, while Erius is turned into an ice desert. 11 565 – The Second Aegis War. The last dragon emperor, Sorroghun, is slain atop Mount Helios. The mage Feral Berin becomes Arcanist Fyral of Laharn after he banishes all dragons from the face of Éda. 11575 –The present day.
wrexham3 12-11-06, 02:09 PM	Gods of Hollowrought Edar possess a fragmented and diffuse pantheon of godlings, each vying for worshippers and influence. Edar's gods act more like patron angels or demons - they make deals with individual priests, usually power in exchange for worship and sacrifice. Clerics are known to change gods if they believe they are getting a poor deal. Over all is the World Serpent, the black dragon coiled amongst the roots of the world - does it strangle Edar or bind the world together? Below are some of the gods worshipped in the Honour of Gilendi. Yigral - The Sky Giant. Yigral is portrayed as an absent-minded but good natured god treading lightly across the world, trying to put the world right in innumerable different ways. Of course this is a hopeless task, but Yigral never gives up. A favourite deity of the common people. CG. Imarter - The Lord of Light and Truth. Bearer of the holy lance, he is a tireless champion against the darkness. The quintessential god of reason. The Ice Widow - A death goddess. She administers the coup de grace rather than rules over the Underworld. Forced to become a death goddess, she now seeks revenge on the living. All fear her, even other gods. NE. Taranis - The god of thunder and rain. Taranis holds a place in the pantheon similar to Odin or Thor. Easily angered, Taranis frequently requires placating. He will withhold the rains to those who displease him. N. Popia - A fertility goddess. Ops is a minor goddess on Éda, the wife of Saturn. On Edar, however, Saturn has been all but forgotten and Popia is the major deity. She has several consorts amongst the pantheon. NG. Kares – God of soldiers. Kares lives by a strict moral code which allows no deviation. Kares’ followers are expected to enforce order upon the world. LN.
wrexham3 02-10-07, 03:22 PM	The Blediron Steeps An island chain over a thousand miles northwest of Laharn. The Steeps are the only known source of adamantine (blediron) - the hardest and lightest metal known on Eda. The islands were once mined by the Empire of Worlds and are now controlled by the Magiocracy of Laharn. The thaumaturges of that land speculate that the Steeps are not of natural origin but may have been formed by a massive impact of some kind deep in the distant past. The Steeps are also rich in diamonds. Two cities control the islands - Starlode and Upthrust, controlling the eastern and western islands respectively. The islands lie far beyond the periphery of Laharn and travel by sea is extremely difficult - the wide, deep Imperial Ocean is plagued by violent hurricanes. Thus most travellers fly by windclipper airship or by faster, lighter zephyrs. The Steeps themselves are scourged by frequent storms and most dwellings are below ground in the maze of tunnels that run beneath the islands. Sanctuary - and long sinuous island to the west of the Steeps - acts as a buffer against weather from this direction.
wrexham3 02-15-07, 11:47 AM	Lands of Karelan – Asconis Asconis, the evil old republic that lies on the fault-line between northern and southern Karelan. Asconis is ancient – its history goes back at least 5000 years to the Empire of Worlds. Asconis is said to derive from Asekh or the ‘place dedicated to the serpent’. Sekh, the Ephidian god of prophecy, may once have been the chief deity of the city. Charon, however, now rules in its place. Asconis is located on the saddle of the Spirez Pass which runs between the City Kingdoms and Erileine. It is built on the southern shore of the bottomless Spira Niva, an artificial lake linked to the elemental planes. The rivers Spira (Loleine) and Trebia spring from the lake and a complex system of locks allow riverboats access in and out of the city. On the wooded slopes around Asconis are the villas of the rich and powerful. When Alentia was destroyed in 11 281 Asconis came to control the main trade route across the Chaurn Mountains, and the city has flourished ever after. Ascontians are legendarily pragmatic; during the 114th century the city elders abandoned the pagan gods in favour of Eseus. They even established a monarchy modelled upon Erileine. However, once the Holy Suzerain fell apart and Eseen began to wane, the Ascontians deposed the Calano kings and burned down the Eseenian cathedral, completely refurbishing the old pagan temples. No one likes or trusts Ascontians but unfortunately they are forced by necessity to deal with them. Asconis is a plutocracy, ruled by hereditary houses. These dynasties are truly ancient – their bloodlines stretching back to the Dakorian Magiocracy. Indeed the ruling houses are related to the Ephidian Nostrates of Laharn. The ancient language of old Earth – Enkesh – is still spoken amongst them, although it is much debased. Asconis is governed by its great senate, presided by three tribunes elected each year. Although wealthy merchants and other notables fight for position and influence it is the old aristocracy who control the senate from behind the scenes. These old families never allow anyone ‘outside the blood’ from exercising any real power. The merchant guild of Asconis is known as the Ignatis. It is one of the most powerful organizations in all of Karelan, wielding immense political and economic power. It is also one the most ancient thaumaturgical cabals in existence, far older than the Corporium of Laharn. It is dedicated to Sekh, the fiery serpent of prophecy. Membership is a closely guarded secret. However, more powerful even than the Ignatis is the cult of Charon. Charon is the guardian demon of the Underworld. The cult’s main shrine is situated on an artificial island in the lake. Beneath its catacombs is said to be the gateway to the Underworld guarded by Charon himself. Also located upon the island’s northern promontory is the Tower of Anguish. Traitors are thrown within its walls to the famished spirits bound within, joining them forever after they are finished. Catacombs dating from the Empire of Worlds riddle the city and the surrounding mountains. Thousands upon thousands of people pass in and out of the city every year, travelling north or south. However, the city exacts a silent toll on those who pass through. There are some who are robbed by the Cantore thieves guild or are fleeced by its merchants. However, each year, a tiny percentage of outsiders also disappear within its walls. No one knows what happens to them and the Ascontians don’t care. As long as it is supplied with outsiders whatever dwells within the city walls does not turn on them.
wrexham3 03-22-07, 07:25 AM	Dwarven Myths and Belief All Dwarves believe themselves to be the off-spring of two deities – Drûn and Adis – who fell like sparks from the sky into the holy waters of Dwerrowmere. Drûn and Adis had children who became the first race of gods. However, Adis had a vision that this first race would give birth to monsters by committing incest. Therefore Drûn and Adis constructed a second race. Drûn made their bodies from the bones of the earth while Adis filled them with the ‘Breath of Life’. Unfortunately their first attempt failed - Drûn did not recognize the flaws in the metal he was forging while Adis’ breath burned too hot within the body. This first creation became Dumael – the deformed dwarven god of artisans. Drûn would later regret that he had ever let Dunmael live. Dunmael was a genius, but totally twisted by the rejection of his family. None of the goddesses from the first race would court him as he was too hideous to look upon. Thereafter he lived alone in darkness, perfecting his art. As Dunmael nursed thoughts of vengeance, he was befriended by an evil fire spirit that arose from his forge. The Dwarves call this spirit Lokar, who others equate with Loki or Deserper. Together Lokar and Dunmael devised a plan in which they would take revenge upon his father, mother, and the first and second race of gods. Lokar gave Dunmael the appearance of Drûn, and in this disguise Dunmael seduced Adis. Then Dunmael is said to have cast himself into the depths of Dwerrowmere. Ten months later, when Adis gave birth to a goddess, she was as twisted and hideous as her father. Terrified by the implications, Adis first hid the child, but when Drûn demanded to see her, Adis used the ‘Breath of Life’ for the last time upon the child. This act greatly weakened Adis and she eventually withdrew into solitude. The child herself, part ‘first race’ and part ‘second race’, displaying the characteristics of both, became Visingë, the most beautiful goddess of the Dwarven race. She had but two flaws – a lazy left eye which had to hide with the tresses of her golden hair. Visingë was also cursed with great goodness that excited evil in all those around her.
wrexham3 08-20-07, 06:13 AM	Bump!
GoriceXII 08-20-07, 07:47 AM	Interesting Wrexam--I like the idea of locales that are specially known for their resources. Are the Capers ever likely to be a source of contention? Also I'm curious--are the religions of your world like those of most fantasy worlds in that all gods are acknowledged but not all are admired or worshipped, or are they actually separate religions altogether that don't necessarily acknowledge one another? I like your firearm ideas but they seem awfully good--do you acknowledge in any way the unreliability of some earlier firearms? You might consider suggesting that only masterwork firearms always work, or perhaps having maintenance rules for them since powder tends to stick. (on the other hand all weapons need some kind of maintenance and few dms tend to enforce this) I love the Natural Rights movement! Yay for interesting politics!
queenfange 08-21-07, 08:16 AM	I'll be honest up front, I didn't read all of it. :blush: My apologies; there was a lot (you clearly have your setting extraordinarly well fleshed out), and there were many bits I found interesting and wanted to respond to anyway. I hope you don't mind too much; I will be going back and read more over the coming days. The Fire Ord's experimental nature seems quite fun, though the lack of control the Higherwright seems to have along with the many lawsuits he's juggling seems to suggest the Ord is also extremely volatile and engages in many less-than-cautious experiments to say the least. It seems as though gnomes might fit in well; neither the Collegium post nor the section on Laharn (#57) seem to exclude this possibility. If I somehow missed something that clarified this, I apologize in advance- point me to the right post #. The entire section on the Saturnine Mysteries are very cool. I like the idea of "sacred democracy"; it seems to strengthen the people's connections with their clergy and their gods in a positive, constructive way. I'm partial to gnomes, and I like your take on them. The elves are also well-done; in particular, the seasonal bonuses on the Seelie and Unseelie are something I've never seen used before. Have you considered posting this on a setting-building website? I personally like www.eruvian.com (http://www.eruvian.com), but there may be some others if you look. You've kept your work extremely organized considering the formatting of message boards, but a website might help you put some of it in a way that's easier to navigate (such as having a link to the Collegium in the section on Laharn). Just a thought. Kudos to all your awesome work. If there's any sections you think I should put on my priority list as I read through, let me know. :D
wrexham3 08-29-07, 04:29 AM	Thank you for your input Gorice and Queenfange. Its always nice when people are so postive about what you do. The gunpowder weapons are pretty powerful, Gorice, but Edar (Hollowrought) is a world at an Industrial Age/Napoleonic level of technology. My main world (Eda) is more closer to Late Middle Ages/Renaissance level. In a recent game, when Nemeans from Hollowrought managed to travel to Eda, the local Medieval knights got shot up pretty badly. I do use stripped down rules for misfires. However, I generally avoid fiddly rules as they tend to get in the way of role-playing. As for the Gnomes, Queenfange, I've just finished a 30 000 word write-up for Gnomes, so some of the information presented here is a little out of date. I reckon the Gnomes would fit in very well with the Fire Ord. Certainly gnomes are not disbarred from joining the Collegium. However, the gnomes also have their own ancient guilds, such as the Vexinboden or Mage-Engineers Guild. As for other forums, I am on Campaign Builders Guild, however my thread(s) are a bit of a mess at the moment. I will check out the site you suggested and maybe start posting there. I also starting a major re-write of this thread too.
wrexham3 10-14-07, 09:10 AM	Longbows and Slightbows On Eda, standard yew longbows require a fair amount of strength to use. Therefore, ordinary longbows can only be used by characters with Strength 15 or more. However the longbow does add the character's Str bonus to damage. The long-archers of Gornt and Erileine are greatly feared and respected. This weapon is not found south of the Chaurn Mountains, except in the hands of Erurian mercenaries. Dakorians prefer shortbows, composite bows and arquebuses. Slightbows are thin silver-grey longbows, made of elf-wood. These work exactly like standard longbows from the PHB. Their main advantage is that they do not require great strength to use. However they do not add the character's Str bonus to the damage rolls. A mastercraft slightbow may possess a damage bonus. Slightbows are usually found in the hands of elves or gorn islanders; slightbows were quite rare, but recently have become a more common sight on the battlefields of Karelan. In this post I've tried to make longbows more historically accurate. Longbowmen were a specialized breed who took years to perfect their art. Not everyone could pick up and use a longbow. One of the reasons that the longbow was superseded by gunpowder weapons was that with a bit of training anyone could point and shoot an arquebus. Eda Elves - see Post #15 Gunpowder Weapons on Eda - See Post #98
wrexham3 10-18-07, 02:46 PM	The Rahn A weapon as ubiquitous to the Draconian Empire of Worlds as the gladius was to the Roman Empire. he Rahn is essentially an ultra-light two-headed glaive. Generally the draconians of the phalam employed the rahn in two ways. Firstly with a great shield as a thrusting weapon. In this way they gained some protection but could only use the rahn as a spear (1d8 dam). However they could also ditch the shield and fight as if with two weapons. Rahn - cost 15gp, damage 1d8/1d8, critical x3, weight 15lb, type piercing/slashing A popular variant is the half-rahn. This version has a reinforced spike on one end designed to punch through metal armour. Half-Rahn - cost 15gp, damage 1d8, critical x3, weight 15lb, type piercing/slashing The spike gains +1 attack versus metal armour. However it has to be used with both hands to gain this benefit.
wrexham3 10-28-07, 11:22 AM	Half in Darkness Recently I read about 'points of light' in 4th Edition D&D. The idea is that people dwell in isolated settlements, outpost of civilization surrounded by monster-haunted wilderness. I have been thinking about how this might relate to Karelan. Civilization is well-established on the continent. Like Dark Age Europeans or Howard's Hyborians, Karelanders dwell among the ruins of a great civilization. The Draconian Empire of Worlds collapsed on Eda 3500 years ago. While other civilizations have sought to emulate it - Dakos, the Sea Realms, the Tyrene Republic, the Riverine Kingdoms or the Holy Suzerain - none have ever captured its majesty. The Underworld (Eda's Underdark or Khyber) was created by the Empire as it delved deep into the earth. Once it disappeared, the labyrinth became a sanctuary for monsters who preyed upon the world above. The wild places of the world were also filled with spirits and creatures created by magic. Civilization was forced to live in the lowlands, the open plains and river valleys, forming corridors along which trade and people moved along. These corridors spread, but never completely threatened the wilderness. Only adventurers ventured there, looking for treasure amongst overgrown ruins. The beasts would make occasional forays out of the wilderness. A kind of balance was reached. This changed when the Holy Suzerain established itself in the aftermath of the Great Ice. The Suzerain sought to reclaim the wilderness from the slaves of darkness and make it fruitful for God's people. Thus they sought to cut down the wild woods, drain the marshes, and settle Karelan's hills and mountains. By the 113th century the elven forests were fading away and the monsters were almost all gone. The Suzerain seemed on the brink of taming Karelan. And then like the Empire before it, the Suzerain fell apart. The King of Erileine refused to acknowledge the primacy of the Deus in temporal matters and was excommunicated. Therefore he sought an marriage alliance with Queen Rhian of the Woods. Then the Jehannans set up their own church at Maulheim. Erileine, Selucia and Jehanna fell to fighting amongst one another in a series of civil wars. Through the 115th and 116th centuries the religious communities failed, and people slowly stopped going into the wilderness. The wild woods quietly spread again, and the beasts slunk back, making lairs in the ruins of villages and churches. This period was a time of stagnation and decay within the kingdoms. Adventurers were few and far-between, and were generally considered to be of low character. Most people stayed within the familiar lowlands and river valleys, and forgot about taming the wilderness. Everything changed during the Aegis Wars a decade ago. Dragons and demons were unleashed upon the world, and the spirits of Eda rose against them. Magic is now ascendant, and so is the wilderness. Karelan is once again half in darkness, and all the more dangerous because of it.
wrexham3 11-09-07, 02:42 PM	The Long 115th Century Between 11 358 and 11 565 was a period of great decline in Karelan. In 11 358 the continent was hit by the Sea Plague - brought from the Sea of Demons by Myrmidon slavers. This killed about 20% of the population of Karelan. Jehanna then declared itself independent of the Holy Suzerain and elevated the Matriarch of Maulheim to the status of a second Deus. This saw the final fragmentation of the Holy Suzerain, which had been falling apart since the Kingdoms Valley War nearly eighty years before. The main Eseen realms - Selucia, Erileine and Jehanna - fell to amongst each other. The most serious conflict was the Peninsula War between Selucia and Erileine during the 114th century. However the Dornland Invasions and the War of the Maidens also sapped the strength of Eseen. It ceased to be a crusading religion. Paganism gained ground and even the militant Order of the Sacred Sword lost much of its eastern territories to Parva. However it was not only Eseen who suffered. Pagans were no longer threatened by the Suzerain, but trade and industry suffered because there was no longer a great market in central Karelan. Towns and villages on the edge of the wilderness were abandoned as civilization withdrew to the river plains. These fell into ruins, which became the haunts of monsters. People ceased going into the wilderness - except for a few mad adventurers desperate to seek easy loot. Earthquakes and famines were frequent, with recurrent bouts of plague. Even learning declined - with the thaumaturges of Laharn merely preserving the lore of their ancestors rather than creating new spells. This was not the dramatic collapse of the Roman Empire, but rather a slow, gradual winding down of time. Warfare was one of the few areas in which there were 'improvements'. Gunpowder technology made an appearence during the Peninsula Wars. During the course of the 115th-116th century, these weapons were used with increasing frequency. However, the nature of warfare changed during this time. The Suzerain could field huge armies against its pagan enemies on the periphery. By the 115th century the nature of conflict had transformed into endless siege and skirmishing. Wars were rarely decisive. By 11 565, Feral Berin and his companions (Darach, Lazlo, Lorimar, Aldergess and Sven Eiriksson) were the greatest heroes of their age, having adventured for years. However, they were also outcasts who at the height of their power were only 15th-16th level. There were a few individuals - such as Iygal of Klome or Seguise of Segova - who were even more powerful. Yet there was almost no one - in this age of decline - who had reached beyond 20th level. Those who had were gods and immortals. The events of the Aegis War brought this age to an end. The new age is an epic age of adventure. It is a more dangerous age, yes, but one rich with possibilities.
wrexham3 11-13-07, 12:26 PM	Chronology of Karelan - Part 1 100 million years ago – The Yuan-Ti race wiped out by the Elder Darks. c. 3 million years ago – The mysterious race known as the First (who are said to have created the gods) begin to build the Dome of Heaven. c. 2.5 million years ago – The First are destroyed in an ancient catastrophe. In the wake of their fall sentient life emerges across the Omniverse. c.150 000 – The spirits create the Great Land. The ancestors of Humanity, the Dwarvish, Yrch-Hai, giants and trolls wander across it. 60 000 years ago – The dragon race is slowly dying out. However, a visitation of shining beings rejuvenates their race. Twelve dragons are possessed by these beings and become the dragon emperors. Under the guidance of the emperors the dragons expand across the Omniverse, conquering many worlds. 20 000 years ago – Dragons arrive in the Great Land under the Endless Sky. 0 – The traditional date of the Sundering, when the Great Land split apart. The homeworld of giant-kinds spirals from the sun. On ancient Earth the seas drown the coastlands. However a fragment of Great Land survives, becoming the planet Eda. 3231 – Battle of the Threshold, fought on the world of Goloth. This is the last major battle of the Progenitor Wars. The dragons defeat the progenitor gods and drive them back into voids. 3327 – Traditional date that Eda is rediscovered by the Empire of Worlds. c. 3400 – The city of Asekh (later Asconis) is built. The nearby fortress of Bastino may have been built at the same time. 5465 – The ethereal city of the city of the First is re-discovered. It is designated Anias by the dragons. c. 5500 – Origins of Sacrilich amongst the ancient Brethren of Death of the Voi Hills. 5929 – Bahamut is said to have visited the Great Serif desert on Eda. There he first communed with El. Later he will renounce his godhood and dedicate himself to El. 6053 – Ouroborus takes Bahamut to the beginning of the Omniverse to observe its creation. 6296 – The emperor Enios is slain in mysterious circumstances. 6484 – Sleth murders Ouroborus, and steals the Imperial diadem. 7016 – Karnos surrenders Eda to Ghyl in an exchange of territory. 7272 – Tiamat and Bahamut kill each other in the Battle of the Pillars. The ancient home-world of the dragons is destroyed in this monumental conflict. 7648 – Sleth is captured and the Imperial diadem is seized from it. When the emperors cannot agree who will inherit it, it is passed into the keeping of the Aarakocra. Sleth is exiled to a prison plane. 7656 –Sleth escapes its prison and the guardians of the diadem are slain. The diadem disappears for nearly three millennia. Although Sleth is widely blamed for this act, it is now known that it was Ghyl who secretly perpetrated it. 7719 – Traditional date of the martyrdom of the fifth prophet Aesa. 7784 – The dragon Anagus is appointed Tyranis of Eda. 7926 – Ghyl orders Anagus to be removed as Tyranis. 7930 – Led by Anagus, Eda rebels against Ghyl’s dominion. Anagus will betray its followers and turns Eda into an empire of Undeath. c. 8050 – A slave called Nigron escapes Bastino and flees into the mountains. He befriends the Old Ones (Neanderthals) who show him a secret path into Eruria. 8060 – Nigron leads an elven host along the secret path to seize Bastino. Its andragon (half-dragon) ruler, Andominus, is forced to flee.
wrexham3 11-21-07, 02:30 PM	Chronology of Karelan - Part 2 8061 – Ghyl to lead an invasion of Eda in person. However, it is a trap. Anagus has created a ring of vortice radials saturated in negative energy, which it focuses on the Ghyl. The Emperor, every dragon, andragon and draconian on Eda is instantly wiped out. However, Ghyl is instantly teleported to a stasis chamber beneath Hyasp. Anagus is torn apart by the energy it has unleashed and Nal-Toth collapses to the sea bed, creating the Poisoned Sea. The Imperial diadem is lost with Ghyl. Thereafter, all dragons and draconians who set foot on Eda are slain by the radials. This effect is known as the Great Warding. c.8160 – The Nostrates use the Eyes of Sekh to change history and defeat the Ortheron Grand Republicans. The discarded time-line is subsumed by Anagus, becoming the alternative reality of Edar (Hollowrought). 8247 – The Dakorian Potentate cedes the Sechan Peninsula to the guild gnomes. 8363 – Githzerai begin to colonize Xemenes Valley. 8523 – The Primon Council becomes the ruling body of the Dakorian Potentate. Four positions of primus are elected every decade. 8855 – Sorroghun has Azael murdered in his imperial palace. c. 9100 – Bahamet monotheism begins to take root in Qem. 9240 – Dakos sends a Cyrion legion into southern Parva. 9343 – Theicles begins his rebellion against Dakos. 9346 – Theicles seizes the land of Elion. He sacrifices its elected Saturnine king. 9365 – Theicles conquers the island of Tyra. 9386 – His son, Didius besieges Asconis. 9390 – Theicles is assassinated while campaigning in Ascuria. 9398 – Andominus betrays Asconis to Didius. He also murders Creon, the warden of Bastino, and animates him as a death knight. 9409 – Battle of Nissos, fought on the Poisoned Sea. Didius defeats the Dakorian fleet and seizes control of the sea. Dakos is confined to western Karelan. 9443 – Daltae seizes control of Alentium, controlling the main pass into Eruria, beyond the Chaurn Mountains. c. 9450 – The Ignatis merchant guild is founded in Asconis. It becomes one of the most ancient mage cabals in Karelan, dedicated to the fire god Sekh. 9598 – Anias brokers a lasting peace between Dakos and Daltae, defining borders that will last until the Sea Wars in the 105th century. 9612 – Daltae loses two legions in an attempted invasion of Eruria. 9668 – Daltae loses a third legion in Eruria’s forests. 9782 – Daltae and Dakos fight the Battle of Elorim fought on the Selucian plains. 9921 – The Herogaius nostrates overthrows the Primacy. The dictatorship of the Metararchy is established in its place. 9960 - Mons Feros sudden erupts. The terrified citizens of Alentia build two adjoining temples to Venus and Vulcan. The temples eventually become the centre of their cults. A great jewel found in the ash and pumice is cut and set in place in the temple of Venus. The Tear of Venus becomes a revered pagan artifact. 9999 – According to Eseenian doctrine the world is supposed to end. Period marked by hysteria, mass suicides, doomsday cults and public outpourings of repentance. Of course, nothing happens. Eventually the prophet Barach will preach that Eseenians must work to unite Heaven and Earth. 10 034 – The traditional date for the death of the prophet Barach. 10 051 – The Hydradraxus becomes so powerful that the Heirogaius are forced to share the position of Metararch. 10 057 – Sung runs Sleth to ground and has the serpent executed. c. 10 085 – The Illithids imprison a progenitor beneath the Asconte Mountains. Beholders seize huge swathes of the Underworld. c. 10 100 – Daltae conquers southern Eruria and Genares, establishing colonies such as Provallum, Chacium and Vernia. 10 106 – The Herogaius Metarach disappears. An Xohortis becomes Metararch for the next eight years. 10 126 – The followers of Barach drive Daltae out of Qem. 10 170 – The Dakorian Potentate asks Empress Sung to mediate in a succession dispute. The Empress begins to establish her own primacy. 10 186 – Rahahm, great-grandson of Barach, arrives in Karelan and lives the rest of his days in Selucis. 10 233 – Traditional date for the death of Rahahm. He is buried in the city of Corto. c. 10 300 – The Corporium mage colleges established in Dakos. 10 318 – Traditional date for founding of the Arx Draconis 10 376 – Lorgar is appointed the first Arcanist of Dakos by Empress Sung. 10 378 – Cesertine becomes Emperor of Daltae. He launches pogroms against the vampiric Life Cults and the Eseenians that last until 10378. Cesertine tries to enforce Jovian orthodoxy. 10 389 – Dakos roots out within Life Cults the Potentate. 10 397-401 – Cesertine’s legions suppress a Saturnine rebellion in Lyracium. Tyra is accused of supporting the Lyracians. This becomes known as the First Sea War. 10 412 – Rax steals the White Lily Plume for the Ignatis. The merchants are able to control Bastino, Creon and his Angeron death guard. 10 416-37 – The Second Sea War. Tyra and Daltae battle for control of the Sea of Lions. Tyra opens up a second front by supporting a revolt in Lyracium. 10 437 – The siege of Tyra fails. As the Daltae fleet withdraws Cesertine’s ship capsizes and the emperor is drowned.
thebax2k 11-29-07, 01:09 PM	Wrexham3, this is a really well written and fleshed out world. You've obviously put much thought into developing the history and nations of Eda and I'm reminded of the old Dragon Magazine Minarian Legends series for the Divine Right boardgame--well done sir. I look forward to whatever further pieces you wish to post. I did have one question, do you have any type of map for your world? I'd be curious to see how everything fit together on a piece of paper or in a jpeg. From your descriptions of the various countries, its clear you at least have some type of mental map--since you've got a good sense for what borders what and where the major features (seas, mountain chains, deserts, etc.) are.
wrexham3 11-30-07, 06:13 AM	Thanks for your reply, thebax2k, its really appreciated. I'll have to check out the Minarian Legends series and 'Divine Right' on your recommendation - sound like good sources of inspiration. In reply to your question I actually hand-draw all my maps using graph paper to keep them to scale. I've been doing this since I started role-playing 23 years ago. That's why I sound like I know where everything is. Unfortunately 1) I don't have my maps with me in Lampeter and 2) I'm rubbish with computers, so dont know how to download one of my maps. I have a friend back in Wrexham who is very good with computers so maybe I'll ask his advice. Watch this space.
wrexham3 11-30-07, 09:28 AM	Chronology of Karelan - Part 3 10 438 – The Tyrene Republic reinforces the Capellan Pass. Bastino, however, remains abandoned. 10 444 – Marius, son of Cesertine, is assassinated. Cesertine’s generals begin to fight for control over the Daltae Empire. 10 445-68 – The Dakorian Potentate begins the Third Sea War by invading Ascuria. All across the Lion Sea region a series of regional conflicts take place. The end of the war sees Ascuria divided between Dakos and Tyra, while the Republic controlled the Sea of Demons. The Empire was reduced to the Zargos Peninsula. 10 451 – Dakos secures Western Ascuria and gains control of the radial later known as ‘Tochtmund’s Lighthouse’. 10 464 – Tyra is declared the capital of the Tyrene Sea Republic. Lyracium, Western Ascuria and Tyra form the core of its territories. A great sea battle takes place on the Samiral Sea. Water-spouts are used as weapons. 10 477 – A confederacy of twelve nazhans (lesser kings) is defeated by the Emperor of Teshen. This begin the great Temhag orc migrations into the lands west of the Great Samiral Sea. 10 479-80 – The Empire begins the last Sea War. The Republican fleet destroys the galleys of Daltae at Iolia. 10 486 – The greatest gnome artificer of all, Tochtmund, is born in the Ilvo Valley in modern day Orase. 10 494 – Chroniclers begin to record great migrations of orcs into the Republic. 10 498 – An orc migration is driven back after an incursion into the Republic. 10 514 – Another orc migration devastates the north-eastern provinces of Tyrene. 10 527 – Another recorded great migration settles in the Chaurn Mountains. By this time the Orcs are believed to have smashed the Voss river kingdoms of southern Genares. 10 557 – Empress Sung attempts to use Anagus’ vortice radial at Miros to penetrate Ghyl’s stasis chamber to seize the Imperial diadem. She succeeds, but the Miros radial is destroyed. This precipitates the ecological disaster known as the Ruin of Karelan. The Torchland deserts sweep across the fertile plains of Selucis, while northern Eruria is plunged into an ice age. Ghyl’s stasis chamber slowly begins to fail. The destruction of the Miros radial also begins to weaken the Great Warding. 10 564 – Yrch-Hai tribes begin to filter into Selucis via the northern passes. c. 10 570 – Gan-Motok orcs seize area around Avigny in Eruria. 10 576-85 – Zeus begins the Siege of the Underworld to rescue the fertility goddess Persephone. At the end of the siege Hades is overthrown and cast into the pools of Lethe, while Zeus rules the Underworld and the Elysium Fields. This is the last ‘epic’ age of Karelan for a thousand years. c. 10 578 – Beset by orcs, the Dakorian Potentate abandons Ascuria and Selucia. 10 584 – Orcs sack the Selucian city-state of Corda. 10 585 – In Northern Karelan the Great Cold ends. 10593 - Alentia joins the Tyrene Republic. C. 10 600 – Tyrene colony of Chacion (Chacium) converts to Eseen. 10 604 – Orcs mediate in a dynastic struggle within the kingdom of Muera. 10 609 – The giant king Utgar invades Kralland. c. 10 610 – Gan-Motok orcs seize western Chacion. 10 613 – The kingdom of Muera attacks Leona. 10 615 – Sanzo, son of the king of Corto accepted as ruler of Torez. Giants and trolls besieging Stronberg in southern Genares. 10 619 – the giant Naug overthrows Stornberg. 10 622 – Pagan kingdom of Noyonne falls to the giants of Gokran. 10 623 – Sanzo decrees that all his subjects must convert to Eseen. 10 624 – Giants crush the kingdom of the Voi hills. 10 625 – Beset by giants and trolls, the Gan-Motok orcs migrate across the Chaurn Mountains into Ascuria. There the tribes are defeated by the Ascurians and Gundur dwarves. The survivors flee into the Asconti and Chaurn Mountains. 10 626 – King Naug reduces kingdom of Brihthalla. 10 627 – An Eseenian cathedral built in the great Poisoned Sea port of Alentia. 10 629 – Patra Doma in Leona besieged by an orc horde. The people of Valdera and Pampona lift the siege. 10 635 – Naug threatens Utgar’s fortress at Traggring. The two giant kings make peace. 10 636 – Yrch-Hai tribes occupying Guizey are driven across the Loleine river. They are forced to escape through the Montablo Pass. 10 637 – Torans defeat the Ag’p’ang orcs on the northern Zargon plains. The Ag’p’ang are driven into the southern deserts of the Torchlands. The pagan kingdom of Muera is surrounded by Eseenians. 10 638 – King Naug seizes Appenland. 10 647 – Naug reduces the kingdom of Obenburg. 10 649 – The Torans drive ‘allied’ orc tribes into the desert and seize their lands for themselves. 10 650 – Utgar murders Naug’s brother Troki and regains his independence. 10 651 – The Giant king Naug attacks the Freylingwald. The Alvar of the forest petrify themselves and Naug’s army. The forest declines thereafter. Both the Alvar and Naug’s army is eventually released in 11 576. 10 656 – Dakos smashes the power of the Yrch-Hai in the Three Valleys. 10 659 – Giants of Gokran invade southern Bres and the Montablo Pass. Marego, Alentia and Torez attack the giants via the Val d’Lys. The giant army is destroyed at the Battle of Nabeau. Over five hundred giants are killed, and Gokran is fatally weakened. Also see Posts #28 and #29 for some of the background to this period
thebax2k 11-30-07, 12:01 PM	Sadly Minarian Legends is long out of print. Try googling Glenn Rahman (the game's designer) or Minaria to find out more about the land. You can also go to http://www.michaelgemmell.ca/minaria/index.html which is a fan site that gives a decent flavoring of the history and nations of the game. If you are lucky enough to have access to old copies of the Dragon (I believe Rpgnow sells pdf versions of at least some of them), issues 44, 46, 48-51, 54, and 55 all either have Minarian Legends articles or background info for the game (which is pretty impressive since DR was a fantasy wargame). As for the maps, a good scanner and editing program (the Gimp, though not as functional as Photoshop yet, is a good program and is free) would probably do the job. Good gaming and creating.
wrexham3 12-02-07, 07:00 AM	Checked out Minaria, Bax. Very interesting - I'd never heard of it before. Its a great world, so thanks for the tip. :)
wrexham3 12-02-07, 02:29 PM	Chronology of Karelan - Part 4 c. 10 660 – Pagan kingdom of Yve controls land between the Odal and Loleine rivers. 10 661 – Yve drives giants from Noyonne. 10 663 – The Shroud of Elal is stolen from the oasis city of Corto. Corto begins to sink beneath the sands of the Torchlands. 10 668 – Chacion loses Rens to Yve. c. 10 673 – The Three Valleys dominated by Eseenian converts. 10 677 – The kingdom of Yve seizes Biore from Chacion. Yve becomes the leading pagan power in southern Eruria. c. 10 680 - Nalgon begins to establish a halfling colony in the Vloten at the mouth of the Dorn. 10 681 – A battle takes place between the Erurian kingdoms of Mallore and Yve near Graven Forest. 10 682 – Princess Auria of Corto marries Prince Hazan of Leona. Yve and the Republic sign a peace treaty. 10 685 – The giant kingdom of Gokran is raided by holy warriors from Ilvo and Proval. Pagan Yve supports the giants. The Tyrene Republic restrains its colonies in Chacion and Mallore from intervening. The elven sorcerer Casnar takes over the deserted tower of Bastino. 10 688 – The Dwarven kingdom of Ulma refuses to support Muera against the surrounding Eseenian kingdoms. 10 689 – A peace agreement is concluded between Muera, Leona and Corto in which the heir to Muera converts to Eseen. 10 690 – The anti-Eseenian Arcanist Meldor is elected. 10 692 – Meldor launches the Purgation of the Three Valleys. His plan is to drive Eseenians from the Three Valleys and clear Dakos' eastern borders. His armies include Yrch-Hai tribes, Bladeling terror troops and Bahametian Archonites. This drives a wedge between Eseenians and thaumaturgists. In the 113th century the Holy Suzerain will almost destroy the Potentate. 10 695 - The pagan Navosians are driven from the Selucis delta by the Eseenians. 10 697 – Muera is finally forcibly converted to Eseen after a long and bloody succession. 10 699 – Eseenians in Chacion rebel against Tyrene. Therefore the Republic grants its colony independence and promptly allows Yve to annex it. 10 706 – The bones of Rahahm are transferred to the city of Patra Doma. Corto – the first Eseenian city in Karelan – is abandoned. 10 707 – Dakos abandons its colonies in Selucis. The Potentate establishes Writhenwood as a boundary between the Magiocracy and the Eseen. The vast twisted thorn forest grows like a cancer between the warring states. 10 708 – Dakos re-establishes control over the Three Valleys, but only after a long and bloody campaign. It extends its territory into the Navares river valley to create a buffer between itself and the Eseenian kingdoms of Eruria. 10 712 – The kingdom of Orrino carved out of the Atega Mountains. The fire giants (efreeti) of the mountains are driven into the Torchlands. 10 716 – The giant king Gotrygg slays Hrang of Horath in battle. 10 719 – Gotrygg murders his foster-father Gotk to become the leading giant king in Genares. 10 720-740 – Gotrygg marches north to pacify Gethesheim, Hordland and the Thyrim. 10 721 – Efreeti sack the Selucian kingdom of Pampona. The crusading Order of the Blessed Banner is founded. 10 722 – Northern Eseenians drive giants into the Darjan Mountains. 10 726 – Navosians convert to Eseen. The Selucian peninsula becomes free of paganism. 10 731 – In a dynastic dispute Yve is divided into a pagan and Eseenian kingdom. 10 738 – The dwarf kingdom of Mittelgard falls to the joten. Genares is overrun by the sons of Gotrygg. The Aesir god Baldur converts to Eseen with Vidar and Vali. 10 739 – Gotrygg adopted by Thrym himself as his foster son. 10 744 – Gotrygg returns to Genares to put his sons to death. He then prepares for Ragnarok. C. 10 750 – The elven sorcerer Casnar creates the Bestial race. 10 753 – Gotrygg meets the Eseenians of southern Genares at Maulheim. He is slain at the very moment his victory seems assured. The tyranny of the giants across Eruria and Genares comes to an end and Eseen is ascendant over the old pagan faiths. Maulheim becomes one of the greatest religious centres in Karelan, second only to the cathedral at Patra Doma. 10 762 – The Potentate completes the Tower of the Planes on the Navares plains. 10 789 - Alentia votes to suspend its democracy and become an Eseenian kingdom. The local Hetrarch appoints a king. However, in an agreement the rights of pagans are assured. The agreement is sworn on the altar of the cathedral and upon the Tear of Venus. 10 802 – Mirigone also votes to convert to Eseen. 10 835 – Port Last seized by Erurians from the halflings of the Vloten. 10 836 – In Tyrene the Arx Trigantes is established to study sorcery. c. 10 840 – Religious wars end in Eruria. The entire region from the Chaurn Mountains to the Dorn river is Eseen. In the next decades the kingdom of Erileine emerges at the heart of Karelan. Also see Posts #28 and #29 for some of the background to this period
wrexham3 12-07-07, 11:26 AM	The Chronology of Karelan - Part 5 10 870 – The traditional founding date for the crusading Order of the Sacred Sword. The Sword Order eventually conquers all of Genares (Jehanna), the Parva Plains and Silaria to the north. 10 877 – Emperor Nicominos reunites Daltae under Zeus’ hegemony. 10 886 – Sword Order defeats pagan tribes of south-east Genares. 10 892 – Northeast Utzarch conquered. 10 908 – The Gnome city of Broglim is attacked by Njordic raiders. 10 909 – Solzbad conquered. c. 10 920 – Giants of Genares confined to remote enclaves. 10 931 – The emperor Karnos and its entire throne world is wiped out by a magical parasite that calls itself ‘Kyuss’. 10 955 – In Genares, Aarnland seizes northern Thurtzen. 10 956 – The northern kingdom of Berenz converts to Eseen. 10 963 – Eastern Olma conquered by the Sword Order. 10 968 – The kingdom of Ubrecht becomes Eseenian. 10 972 – Erileinian attempts to control the Navares plain are decisively defeated by the Dakorian Potentate. 10 974 – Aarnland falls victim to internal divisions and is conquered by the Sword Order. 10 978 - The Hetrarch of Patra Doma is crowned as the first Deus. The Deus is recognized as the religious leader of all Eseenians. The Deus declares all Karelan as her Holy Suzerain. 10 984 – In the Sea of Demons the Ko’esho’a conquer Mession. The Tyrene Republic begins to lose its sea realms to the Sahuaghin Coral Empire. 10 987 – Temeris makes an alliance with Ko’esho’a. 10 994 – Temeris is betrayed by the Coral Empire. 10 998 – Arl falls to the Sahuaghin. 11 013 – Emperor Tyraxus traps Ramath along with her army and annihilates her. 11 027 – Corrin is lost to the Coral Empire. 11 032 – The Eseenian theocracy of Sebrhim falls to Ko’esho’a. 11 051 – Daltae seizes provinces in Leo-Tyra. Mainland Tyrene comes under attack from the east. 11 052 – The Deus crowns the king of Leona Lord-Suzerain of Karelan. The Lord-Suzerain is recognized as the secular ruler of the Holy Suzerain. As Leona is a small, poor kingdom (in comparison to neighbouring Erileine), the Deus also grants him the kingdoms of Jehanna (Genares). All the Jehannan kingdoms – such as Aarnland, Thurtzen and Stronberg – recognize him as their Imperator (Hochkonig). This situation lasts until the 114th century. However, most lords rarely visit the Genares kingdom, choosing to stay in Leona and the centre of power. The halflings of the Vloten quickly capitulate and convert to Eseen. Aris becomes a semi-independent province attached to Jehanna. 11 053 – The island of Tyra – the heart of the Grand Republic - falls to the Sahuaghin. As the city falls, the titan Tyrion reveals himself with a tear, causing Neptune to drown the entire island. The Sea of Lions is thereafter known as the Sea of Tyrion. The Grand Republic essentially ceases to exist – although both Ascuria and Leo-Tyra (Leotine) remain. 11 056 – Daltae seizes the Leotinian city of Voluna. 11 061 – Leotinians forced to abandon their ancient capital of Eloza. 11 071 – The sea realm of Bilas capitulates to the Coral Empire. 11 075 – The islands of Eopa fall to Ko’esho’a. In the potentate the gnome Tochtmund is voted Master-Fabricator of Arx Ferrus for an unprecedented second time. He oversees the building of the Shipping Canal. 11 083 – Daltae bribes Ascuria to attack Western Leotine. 11 084 – Leotine defeats the Ascurians in a naval battle at Albasora. 11 088 – Ascuria makes forays against the coast of Leotine. The Shipping Canal is completed across Sechan and Laharn-Ogon. 11 094 – Daltae launches a major invasion into the heart of Leotine. 11 095 – Ducina capitulates to Daltae. 11 100 – The city of Solano is abandoned and burned by Republican soldiers. 11 101 – The vast Varga orc confederacy invades the Parva plains. 11 112-44 – The Peace of the Kingdoms signed, an accord between the Empire, the Republic and the Holy Suzerain which delivered a generation of co-operation. 11 113 – Battle of Zagoza. King Arog and his Varga Orcs defeated by a confederacy of Eseenians and pagans. 11 144 – The Order of the Sacred Sword breaks the peace with the Empire of Daltae and crusades across the Parva plains. 11 146 – Erileine establishes the port of Clavalon on Gornt. 11 148 – Leotinians seize the city of Ducina through stealth. 11 153 – The Leotinians regain their ancient capital in an act of great symbolism for the Republicans. 11 149 – The Holy Suzerain backs the pagan Vitallius to be King of Ascuria. 11 153 – The vortice radial at Monzo becomes increasingly unstable. The city itself is wracked by earthquakes. Gnome mage-engineers, led by Tochtmund, are drafted in to stabilize it. 11 170 – The gnome Drusabodes dies in Leotine. Her most notable invention is the Dechrometer – a fully-functioning time machine. This is maintained to this day in the Tyrene city of Nerino. 11 172 – Leotine is invaded by the Sword Order. The crusade becomes a bloody struggle against Tyrene’s orc allies and is abandoned in 11 178. However Ascuria is able to turn the situation to its own advantage and challenge Leotine’s dominance of the Sea of Tyrion. 11 173 – Daltae and Leotine sign a peace treaty. This ensures that the two pagan powers co-operate against the Holy Suzerain, and maintain their independence. A symbolic peace is declared in the temples of Zeus and Saturn. 11 177 – The Holy Suzerain begins to build the Great Wall against the orcs of Malvazar.
wrexham3 12-10-07, 02:36 PM	Chronology of Karelan - Part 6 11 193 – The King of Erileine creates the Eagle Order of Knights to act as his royal bodyguards. 11 195 – Daltae and Leotine agree upon their borders. 11 207 – Rebellion in the Three Valleys is suppressed by Dakos. 11 213 – Vitallius II of Ascuria makes a death-bed conversion to Eseen. His son, Sol Paulinus, is openly Eseen. 11 221 – Knights Patriarchs begin forays against the Lower Hells. Meanwhile the Sword Order strikes down the length of the Galba River to threaten Trevicci. Their Ascurian allies are drowned in a sea storm. The Sword Order retreats with great loss. 11 222 – Sol Paulinus is blamed for the Sea of Tyrion disaster and deposed. The pagan Victorius becomes King of Ascuria. 11 230 – Sol Paulinus dies on a private estate. Some speculated that he was poisoned. 11 232 – Sorroghun slays the Empress Sung after she surrenders the Imperial diadem to him. However Tyraxus completely outnumbers his legions. 11 237 – Ordinance of the Faithful creates the Knights Inquisitor Order in Nalon. 11 238-44 – Erileine king seizes the Navares river plain from Dakos. The Suzerain claims these conquests for itself and mainly rewards its own supporters. The Erileinian nobles are furious. 11 246 – Victorius II abdicates and joins the Alms of Grace. It is believed that he had secretly converted to Eseen some years before. 11 248 – Victorius III openly converts to Eseen. 11 257 – An attempted coup takes place in the Unseelie Court as Ysyllt converts try to seize power. They are eventually defeated and driven from Avenwood. The grey elves settle in the Darjan Mountains where they infiltrate the Gap of Leyons. They take over many of the ruins of Gokran. 11 258 – When Victorius III dies the Ascurian senate immediately dissolves. Victorius IV does not recall it and sets himself up as absolute ruler. 11 259 – The third crusade against Leotine is launched from Ascuria. Apia, Calinostro, Cimina, Trevicci and Epiro occupied. However the Kingdoms Valley War undermines the effort and in 11 269 the campaign collapses. The knight orders are never in a position to attack Leotine again. 11 267 – Arcanist Almero is forced to cede the Three Valleys Pass to the Erileinians by the Gnomes of Nalgon. 11 268 – The King of Erileine and the Lord of Karelan squabble over who controls the Three Valleys Pass. King Hugi expels the Banner Order from his territories. Kingdoms Valley War begins. The Deus excommunicates Hugi. Meanwhile, the Sword Order finds Saint Sebastian’s sword that marks the extent of Eseus’ realm. 11 269 – Hugi ‘consorts’ with Queen Rhiann of Avenwood and gains her blessing. 11 273 – Blechenwyville deposes Almero to become Arcanist. 11 274 – The Gnomes of Nalgon dissolves Dakos, leaving Laharn isolated. So ends a civilization that began in the 81st century. 11 281 – Selucia seizes Alentia and its soldiers desecrate the Temple of Venus. The volcano Montferron erupts and everyone in the city is killed. By dawn the next day the Dead had risen and Alentia becomes a place of nightmares. The Col d'Val Pass is closed and the Spirez becomes the main trade route across the Chaurn Mountains. The events at Alentia cause the vampire Andominus to awaken. 11 282 - Orase becomes a semi-independent grand duchy of Erileine. Selucia gains Lazeros. The Deus withdraws the excommunication and the Kingdoms Valley War ends. However the Holy Suzerain is fatally weakened. 11 302-06 – Reign of Xeremendon, the Dark Arcanist. 11 315 – The Ascurian Idolatry Tax sows the seeds of the Peninsula War. 11 319 – Knights Custodians find a brazen idol while building the foundations of a cathedral in Asconis. The idol warns the Custodians of a pagan plot against them. The ring-leaders are sent to the Tower of Anguish. 11 320 – The Cantore become the leading gang in Asconis after murdering its rivals. 11 330-45 – Reign of the Arcanist Barterus. Barterus brings peace to Laharn through the judicious use of absolute terror. 11 331 – Asconis grants the Knight Custodians licence to conquer north-western Ascuria. Creation of the so-called Custodian Estates. 11 332 – The provincial government of Bribanti grants Tochtmund the city of Monzo. 11 334 – Asconis becomes a client state of Erileine. 11 335 – Ascuria makes an alliance with Torez. 11 338 – A pirate republic is established on the islands of Corrin, in the Sea of Demons. 11 341 – The Calano seize power and become kings of Asconis. 11 345 – The province of Borvona declares itself to be an Eseenian kingdom. 11 349 – The city of Mercanti starts to employ Leotinian mercenaries against the Knights Custodians. 11 353 – Betesta and many knights are slain in a great conflagration that engulfs the ancient fortress of Bastino. 11 357 – The Sea Plague strikes Karelan. It is brought into continent through the slave trade. One-tenth of the population of Karelan is said to have died. 11 358 – The Hetrarch of Maulheim declares himself Deus and Jehanna independent of the Holy Suzerain.
wrexham3 12-13-07, 10:02 AM	Chronology of Karelan - Part 7 11 359-424 – War rages between Jehanna and Erileine to control the Church estates - the Heltlands - between Erileine and Jehanna. 11 371 – The Knights Custodians seize the Bribanti city of Marego on the west coast of Ascuria. 11 363 – Leotinian mercenary captains form themselves into the League of the City Kingdoms – a confederacy of independent pagan states on Ascuria’s east coast. 11 366 – Battle of Dorien between Erileine and Jehanna. 11 371-98 – The plains around Marego begin to sink. The marshes of the Bugine encroach upon Marego which is eventually abandoned by the Knights Custodians. 11 378 – The covert civil war that wracks Laharn for decades ends. Tochtmund is elected by his peers to the position of Arcanist. 11 382 – The orc bandit Blogoz crucified by the Cassians. 11 386 – War flares up between Fresii and Bribanti. Bad weather hampers the campaign and Fresii is forced to withdraw. 11 393 – The League of the City Kingdoms establishes the ‘Senate of the West’. 11 394 – Battle of Rousonne between Erileine and Jehanna. 11 397 – Cassia declares itself to be an independent kingdom. From this point on the kingdom of Ascuria exists only in name. 11 401 – Cassia allies with the dwarves of Gundur to form the Demiarchy. 11 410 – Cassia attacks the City Kingdoms League and defeats them. 11 416 – Cassia defeats the City Kingdoms in battle once more. The League seeks aid from the Republic of Leotine across the Sea of Tyrion. 11 424 – Duke Louis Prachardis of Navares defeats the Jehannans at the Briene Bridge and seize the city of Bourgen. Erileine establishes its supremacy over the Heltlands and Karelan. 11 422 – Leotine forces the City Kingdoms League to reform. The Senate of the West becomes an actual elected body rather than a gathering for mercenary generals. 11 429 – The ancient gnome master artificer Tochtmund disappears after granting Monzo to Laharn as an arkolos. 11 433 – King Gratienne’s only son, Phillip, is slain in a hunting accident. 11 435 – King Gratienne dies of a broken heart. Before he dies he names Duke Louis Prachardis of Navares as his successor. Many resent Prachardis’ elevation as he is not a prince, and of Dakorian rather than Erileinian heritage. 11 436 – Count Rafierre of Roches forces King Louis to swear an oath that he had no hand in the death of the Dauphin. After swearing the oath, Louis dismisses Rafierre. He later orders the confiscation of all of Rafierre’s lands. 11 437 – A band of Louis’ household troops are attacked by Rafierre’s men. Louis declares Rafierre an outlaw. 11 438 – Louis orders the prince of Tresy and the count of Latienne to attack Roches from the east. Prince Damarie seeks a negotiated peace. Prachardis’ armies ravage Roches. Rafierre manages to hold out in Port Last. 11 439 – The King’s Council meets in a field outside Port Last. The meeting breaks up in bitter recriminations. Prachardis accuses the princes of Turlon and Tresy of plotting against him. Damarie turns against the king, and begins to supply Port Last by sea. When his ships are attacked, Damarie ravages Navares. 11 440 – Louis orders the prince of Turlon to relieve Navares. He secretly awards lands to Prince La Don that are not his to grant. Prince Damarie withdraws while concentrating his attacks on loyalist Latienne. Port Last hold out another year. 11 441 – Both La Don and Damarie court Count Bertroi of Avory. Damarie’s spies uncover Prachardis’ secret deal with La Don. This turns Bertroi against the king and he joins the rebels. 11 442 La Don seizes Val-du-Lac and massacres the religious minorities – notably the Esar - sheltering there. Baron Beaumarsh of Val-du-Lac flees to Orase. 11 443 – King Louis seizes Port Last with much rapine and slaughter. Duke Rafierre is burnt at the stake. However his armies are embroiled in a vicious guerilla war with local fanatics who denounce Louis as a ‘purgator’. The Senate of the West votes to abolish of most the kingdoms and establish Damansia as a constitutional monarchy. 11 444 – King Louis is slain in a skirmish in Roches. Louis’ surviving brothers are seized in Navares and Bourgen. The southern counts elect Prince Simon Eigre of Proval as king of Erileine. Eigre hastily divorces his own wife and marries Louis’ widow, Ysabelle. Continued fighting in Latienne. 11 445 – Eigre attempts to court Damarie. Damarie instead offers an alliance with Turlon and Avory. Tresy gains Lafage and Lizeu, while Avory annexes Du Bas, and Turlon gains Rogez. Damarie claims to be advancing the interests of the rightful king of Erileine, the captured Duke of Navares, who remains under his ‘protection’. 11 447 – Duke Beaumarsh and the Orasians retake Val-du-Lac. 11 448 – Eigre restores the son of Count Rafierre to his patrimony. Then he turns on his pagan allies, expelling the Gorn archers who had been in his service. He also purges his court of any Laharnese influence. Sacrilich begins to stir in south-west Erileine. The Dead of Alentia begin to march at his behest.
wrexham3 01-07-08, 03:47 PM	The Chronology of Karelan - Part 8 11 449 – Eigre campaigns to retake Western Latienne. However, a few weeks later, Sacrilich’s horde smashes into Proval. Eigre accuses Damarie of necromancy. 11 450 – Sacrilich establishes a kingdom of the dead in southern Proval. The war in northern Erileine settles down into a series of protracted sieges. In the City Kingdoms Damansia is attacked by Selucia, Cassia and Fresii. Damansia pays the Myrmidon pirates to attack Fresii, culminating in the great raid on Corbula. 11 451 – Montferron erupts for the first time since 11 281. Weather deteriorates and there is widespread famine, especially in Proval. Sacrilich’s dominion spreads like a plague, threatening Sovou and Montvillon. Eyles submits to the Prince of Turlon. In the City Kingdoms, the Borvonans attack northern Damansia. 11 452 – Sovou ravaged by the Undead. Only an army sent by the Grand Duchy of Orase saves the city. In the north, Damarie presses his advantage – using his command of the seas to advance rapidly up the coast – seizing Port Last and forcing Duke Rafierre to join his cause. Eigre’s forces are sent reeling. While Proval lies in the grip of starvation, the Prince of Turlon pressures what remains. The distribution of bread causes many to submit. On the City Kingdoms peninsula, the Senate of the West quarrels with Leotine over its alliance with the Myrmidons. 11 453 – Sacrilich turns south-west Erileine into a charnel house. Its armies savage Montvillon as it struggles with starvation. The lordship essentially ceases to exist. Proval is squeezed and Sulons is threatened. In desperation Eigre seeks an alliance with Jehanna – offering Bourgen, Dorien and the Dornlands for their support. However the Castellan of Bourgen and he Eagle Knights refuse to comply. Shorn of their Erileinian allies the Calano kings of Asconis are deposed. However, the Republicans allow them to retain their estates in Gienno. The Eseenian cathedral in Asconis is burned. The brazen idol disappears as Andominus removes himself to the catacombs of Oreves. A great Myrmidion fleet is destroyed by Fresii. 11 454 – Sacrilich continues his campaign throughout winter. Eigre is eventually assassinated by his own household knights. The great nobles of Erileine offer the kingdom to Damarie as he marches south to Sulons. Ysabelle is given as a wife to her own nephew, Gabriel Damarie. Fresii and Cassia invade Damansia. However the Damansians win a decisive victory at the Battle of Magria. Jehannan preachers attempt to stir up northern Damansia against the Senate of the West. 11 455 – Gabriel Damarie is appointed Prince of Proval (re-establishing the ancient link with Proval and the kingship). Turlon retains much of the north principality. Gabriel then campaigns against Sacrilich. The king orders Duke d’Gracy to sack the Ascontian town of Lucerrina. However the Ascontians pay the orc tribes of Tuoc to harass the Erileinians. 11 456 – The Battle of Arvey is fought and Gabriel destroys much of Sacrilich’s army. His father the king suppresses an uprising in Rhein with great cruelty. Spies spread discord between Navares and Turlon. Religious riots in Northern Damansia brutally suppressed in a wave of crucifixions. 11 457 – Sacrilich goes on one last rampage through the south before withdrawing into the Underworld. A border war flares between Navares and Turlon. The Navarrens are said to employ dark elves as skirmishers and assassins. 11 457 – Turlon seizes Du Bas. 11 458 – The king attempts to mediate between Turlon and Navares even as his wife Veive does everything to exacerbate the situation. Veive’s sister, Princess Simone, is murdered by a dark elf assassin. 11 459 – The Bertroi family of Avory are ousted by the La Don. They throw themselves on the king’s mercy. Gabriel Damarie moves decisively against Turlon, forcing their withdrawal. The Bertroi are exiled to the Grand Duchy while the king’s own supporters – the Beaumar – are elevated as counts of Avory. 11 460 – King rebuilds Proval. Fresii and Cassia squabble over control of the town of Mirano. 11 461 – Cassia besieges the city of Puria. Bribanti is forced to bribe the Cassians to withdraw. 11 462 – The King of Erileine dies suddenly. At Gabriel’s coronation the 12 Knights Patriarch suddenly appear to offer their swords. For some reason, their presence causes Gabriel great discomfort and he demands that the holy knights leave his presence. Gabriel besieges the Knights’ fortress and the order is destroyed. This incident shocks Erileine and rumours abound that Gabriel had some hand in his father’s death. The Fuggari orc tribe is massacred in the Pass of Capella as it attempts to flee into the Chaurn Mountains. 11 463 – Gabriel is now plagued by plots. He ruthlessly turns on anyone he considers to be traitors. Prachardis of Navares is murdered. 11 464 – The Castellan of Bourgen refuses to hand the last remaining Prachardis to Gabriel. Veive marches against Bourgen while Damarie suppresses a southern rebellion. However, Veive’s forces are ambushed near the Pixidy Forest and she is captured. She is tried at La Haye and burnt at the stake as a witch. Gabriel secures Sulons. 11 465 – The Elven host marches against Gabriel, forcing him to withdraw to Port Last. The last Prachardis is crowned King of Erileine. Gabriel eventually falls back to Tresy. King Valatian of Fresii murdered by his brother Salvatore. 11 466 – Gabriel rides out to his death at the siege of Tresy. The War of the Maidens comes to an end.
wrexham3 01-09-08, 02:28 PM	The Chronology of Karelan - Part 9 11 467 – Damansia bans slavery. 11 468 – Scourging of Zeffara. The fortress of the notorious Shroud Sisterhood is destroyed by Cassia and its assassins scattered. 11 470 – The Oracle of the Grove predicts that the Borsa family will become kings of Borvona. The Berdinardo attack the Borsa. 11 471 – The Borsa secretly ally themselves with the Shroud Sisterhood. 11 472 – Fresii grants the shipping guilds of Sozze autonomy to attack republican ships. The Borsa family overthrow the Berdinardo. During the chaos the Damansians retake the town of Verna. 11 473 – Queen Rhian progresses to Sulons to meet King Louis Prachardis. Church deeply unhappy about this, but can do little about it. Rhian confirms Prachardis’ legitimacy. In the City Kingdoms, the Borvonans seize Castle Basili by treachery from within. 11 475 – King Louis Prachardis of Erileine recognizes the Grand Duchy of Orase as a kingdom. Year of the leviathan, which terrorizes the Sea of Tyrion. 11 478-79 – The Duke of Corvo is slain in a skirmish. This precipitates a war between Borvona and Damansia. Towns of Verna and Rietti attacked. Bribanti refortifies Bossina and Puria. 11 481 – Rebellion in southern Cassia suppressed. 11 482 – In Erileine rebellions in Tresy and Turlon are quickly put down. 11 483 – King Vittorio of Damansia slain by his brother Agrippa, backed by Cassia. The Senate of the West is dissolved. Beginning of the War of Succession as Vittorio’s son, Alessandro, flees to Leotine, who supports his cause. 11 484 – Selucia champions Alessandro’s cause. 11 485 – Southern Damansia attacked. Mercanti is seized. 11 486 – The Emperor of Daltae chooses this moment to side with Agrippa. Leotine mercenaries seize city of Livina. 11 487 – The wasting plague strikes Laharn. Among the dead are the Arcanist Magdalena Pent. Alessandro’s army defeated at the Battle of Gravano. 11 488 – Skirmishes between the Custodian Estates and Asconis. Cassia sells several towns to Bribanti. The Myrmidons of the Corrin islands attack Daltae and Leotine ships. 11 489 – Fresii invades Bribanti and seizes Torona and Fierro. 11 490 – Daltae buys off the Myrmidons. Shipping in the Poisoned Sea and the Sea of Tyrion is attacked. 11 492 – Livina seized by Cassia. Alessandro’s wife abducted and raped by the god Mars. Her child grows up to become the demigod Anicles. The ruling Gieppo family driven out of Torona, and replaced by the Spassini. 11 494 – Trade utterly disrupted. The Ascontians provides support for Alessandro’s cause. Bribanti agrees to support Selucia. 11 495 – Alessandro’s supporters seize Livina once again. Cassia’s armies rampage through Damansia. 11 496 – The Fleet of the Main destroys a combined Daltae/Myrmidon fleet at Genea Sound. This cuts off support to Agrippa. 11 497 – Cassia has Agrippa murdered and sues for peace. The city of Harlans is founded by Gessen halflings with the support of Laharn, Monzo and Port Costalban. 11 498 – Alessandro dies suddenly. 11 499 – Alessandro’s son, Tomaso, marries an Erileinian princess. However he remains a minor for some years. The Senate of the West oversees the running of the country. 11 502 – Battle of Badia between Asconis and the Custodian Estates. The Serkhi orc chieftain Skarg Nazhan rises to prominence. 11 505 – Duke of Favria declares himself independent of Cassia. 11 507 – Fleet of the Main attempts to extend control over the islands of Tyrion. 11 508 – Duke of Favria assassinated by the Scarletto. 11 509 - Second expedition to the Tyrion islands. The halfling pirate lord Freyling slain on this expedition. 11 512 – Skarg Nazhan makes inroads into the Custodian Estates. The halfling Lutjan Froyt becomes Overlord of Vorkelpoort. 11 513 – Slave rebellion in the Estate provinces of Galina and Comori, led by the centaurs of the Agniari. Rebellion eventually loses momentum, although the Agniari forest remains in centaur hands. 11 514 – Skarg Nazhan seizes Bastino and the Pass of Capella. 11 515 – The demigod Anicles presses his claim for the Damansian throne. 11 516 – The mage Albergo Cossini appointed Seneschal of the Vale of Capella. 11 517 – Anicles briefly occupies the town of Verna in southern Damansia. 11 518 – Armies from Fresii and Damansia drive Anicles from Verna. 11 520 – A second slave rebellion in the Estates. This time the population is literally decimated. The knights seek to exterminate the centaurs – and only a few scattered bands survive in the depths of the Agniari Forest. 11 522 – Jehanna regains Brugenstein (Bourgen) from Erileine. Dorien and the Dornlands pass into Jehannan hands, while the great river Dorn is re-established as the boundary between the theocracy and Erileine. 11 524 – Fresii makes forays into southern Bribanti. 11 525 – Fresii besieges the Bribantian city of Capria. 11 526 – The Battle of the Golems, in which Laharn lifts the siege of Capria with an army spearheaded by automatons.
wrexham3 01-13-08, 04:56 PM	The Chronology of Karelan - Part 10 11 527 – The Serkhi king Skarg Nazhan assassinated by the Scarletto. This causes infighting in the Serkhi kingdom. 11 533 – Anicles seizes the fortress of Bossina and becomes overlord of Puria. 11 534 – Skarg Nazhan’s nephew - Kagaz Skarg - emerges as the ruler of the Serkhi. 11 535 – Anicles seizes several towns in eastern Bribanti. 11 537 – The Wasting plague spreads across southern Karelan. Millions are killed. 11 542 – The mage Alberto Cossini is driven out of Tower of Bastino by the Knights Custodians. Cossini later dies in the Caldeverra steam caves. 11 544 – Sea battle between the Myrmidons and the Damansian fleet. 11 545 – Nigron discovers the body of the Emperor Ghyl in his stasis chamber beneath the sands of Hyasp. He reincarnates Ghyl as the mage Feral Berin. A border skirmish takes place between Cassia and Asconis after the Ascontians impose extra tariffs on Cassian goods. The Ascontians accuse the Cassians of supporting Anicles. 11 546 – Anicles seizes a vast swathe of Bribanti territory. Even the Monzans seem afraid to confront him. 11 549 – The City Kingdoms sign a pact to contain Anicles and Cassia. Iygal becomes Arcanist of Laharn, after ousting Balthazar Baba-Warnes. 11 550 – Kagaz Skarg wins a spectacular victory over the Ascontians. The Orc cleric Torg Harim seizes the Knights Custodian fortress of Red Hold. Torg discovers the black sarcophagus of Andominus in its labyrinth. He refuses to relinquish the castle to his king, believing the sarcophagus may destroy his people. 11 553 – Sea raiders seize Republican fortresses across the Tyrion Sea. 11 554 – The Custodian knights and Asconis defeat Kagaz’s orcs in a bloody victory around Red Hold. However, neither Asconis or the Custodians are able to follow up their victory. Torg Harim successfully holds the castle against them. 11 555 – Sorroghun defeats Tyraxus, his last (known) living rival. Tyraxus is slain by his own followers as he seeks to escape. However, Sorroghun does not inherit the full might of the Imperial diadem. Sorroghun begins to suspect that one dragon emperor still exists. Rise of the Tuoc tribes. 11 558 – The Corrin pirates capture the sea fort of Donino. 11 559 – The Battle of Brier. The Custodians defeat Kagaz Skarg. However, Lord Pericles d’Sai is slain in the battle. Lorimar finds the Shroud of Elal in Navos and buries it in d’Sai’s grave. 11 560 - Anicles is defeated at Torona. The defenders are led by the Imaluk Ibrahim Said Barrakan. The Deus deposes the Ortez king of Lazeros and appoints a Barrera in their place. The infamous gnome mage Thromwald is killed by one of his own creations in the depths of the Sinking Plains. 11 561 – Cassia joins with the kings of Fresii in a marriage alliance. There is a brief border war between Nalgon and Orase after Princess Cerene is abducted. The Erileinian princess later marries Prince Rilondo of Orase. The Karg rebellion takes place in Selucia. 11 562 - Jehanna invades the Island of Gornt. The Island Dragon reappears after almost a thousand years. It burns the Jehannan fleet at anchor. The Jehannans are then defeated at the Battle of the White Coasts (Glanwyn). Prince Rufo of Aarnland is amongst the slain. 11 563 – The first Aegis War begins. Dragons appear on Eda for the first time in millennia. The Mal-Har orcs demolish the Great Wall. Meanwhile the Empire of Daltae is seized by the Orc warlord Torog. The Peace of the Kingdoms is signed by the remaining nations of Karelan. Anicles sells Bossina to General Bosola. 11 564 – Anicles is slain by Feral Berin after capturing the town of Bragato. 11 565 – The Tower of the Planes is destroyed in an explosion, unleashing a horde of demons. At the same time, the dragon emperor Sorrughun invades Karelan. First he destroys the city of Arcarn and its council of liches. The Arcanist Iygal then joins with the emperor. King Claund of Erileine is murdered by his chamberlain. Orase is invaded and the fortress of Segova falls to the Empire of Worlds. 11 566 – The Elven Host defeats the Draconian legions in Proval. The Imperial diadem is stolen and taken to the Tower of Refugium. Sorroghun pursues the thieves and is eventually slain by Feral Berin. The mage then uses the power of the diadem to banish all dragons from Eda. Iygal flees, and Feral is crowned Arcanist of Laharn. 11 567 – Duke Henri d’Geiveau of Rhein crowned King of Erileine. 11 568 – The Borsa family is overthrown and Borvona becomes a theocracy under the rule of the demagogue Nomanus. 11 571 – Giants attack the city of Richendort in the principality of Stronberg. Nazhan Nakhal forces concessions from the Custodian Estates. 11 573 – The Serpentine League contests the islands of Tyrion against the Corrin pirates. 11 574 – An army of undead attack the city of Asconis. The City Kingdoms are wracked by earthquakes. 11 575 - Nazhan Nakhal and Dashnag are defeated and slain outside Bastino. However, the tower’s castellan Stragus is also slain. 11 576 – A horde of giants and trolls appear suddenly out of the forest of Graven and ravage southern Jehanna. Laharn and Nalgon hold talks concerning reunification. 11 577 – The Present Day
Aneutralshadeofblack 01-21-08, 10:54 AM	The sheer amount of work that's gone into this is ridiculous. This is definitely the most detailed setting on these boards, and then some. Awesome, in the original sense of the word.
wrexham3 01-21-08, 11:52 AM	The sheer amount of work that's gone into this is ridiculous. This is definitely the most detailed setting on these boards, and then some. Awesome, in the original sense of the word. The term 'ridiculous' hits the nail on the head, Aneutralshadeofblack. Others might use the word 'sad'. Basically, I wrote six gazetteers over 3 years, trying to flesh out the history of the world. One day I went through all my notes, putting down what happened on a year by year basis until I ended up with the monster timeline I put up on this thread. I'm not convinced that it makes much sense to anyone except me - particularly as I've never provided any historical maps, for instance. Does it actually make sense? I've emboldened the major events to make it a bit easier for people to understand. The information presented here may now be out of date - for instance I've decided the halfling settlement of Aris now takes place in the aftermath of the Sahuaghin conquest of Corrin in 11 027.
rowsdower44 01-22-08, 06:54 PM	I agree. This is a very detailed world. Have you thought about organizing this and having a table of contents in the beginning of this thread?
wrexham3 01-23-08, 06:33 AM	Unfortunately I have very little time to organize this thread into something coherent. I've always seen it as a collection of thought and ideas on my own campaign, which other people can incorporate into their own if they like. Rather than present my campaign world in any systematic way, I've always written about what interested me at the time or what my campaign focussed on at that point. For instance, I wrote about 'Hollowrought' (posts #73-82) during a series of cross-over adventures between Eda and Edar. My next project is going to be the Phoros Rim, the Col d'Val and the city of Alentia in the 113th century. This was once the most populous part of Karelan and the economic centre of the Holy Suzerain. Now its completely depopulated - a landscape of overgrown fields and ruined settlement dominated by the Republic of the Dead. This is because my Karelan campaign at the moment is based in the neighbouring Custodian Estates and the Dead Republic is taking a hand in the event there.
Aneutralshadeofblack 01-25-08, 04:54 PM	The term 'ridiculous' hits the nail on the head, Aneutralshadeofblack. Others might use the word 'sad'. I was gunning for "ridicules other people's efforts" rather than "laughable," but you can read it whichever way you want. ;) Incidentally, the timeline makes sense to me. That said, it's a timeline, so it's sort of hard for it to be confusing assuming it's legible.
wrexham3 01-26-08, 08:51 AM	I was gunning for "ridicules other people's efforts" rather than "laughable," but you can read it whichever way you want. ;) Then I shall accept it in the spirit it was given. :)
wrexham3 01-27-08, 11:59 AM	The Phoros Rim The Poisoned Sea The Poisoned Sea lies between Selucia to the west, and the City Kingdoms to the east. At its northernmost extremity, at the mouth of the Col d'Val, is Alentia and the Dead Republic. A great chain of islands called the Picos (the Mountaintops) run north to south off the coast of Selucia. Most Karelanians know that the Poisoned Sea was created when the evil realm of Nal-Toth was drowned in a great catastrophe. The remnants of Nal-Toth can still be found along the shoreline around the sea. The most prominent are the Tower of Sins and the Tochtmund Lighthouse, although lesser ruins and broken edifices lie scattered about. The sea itself is a desert; no life can exist within it. Indeed, all that dwells there are restless spirits. Unfortunates who drown in its colourless waters will come back as undead. Occasionally ships will be followed for days by hollow-eyed swimmers, keeping pace with tireless strokes. Sometimes they will be recognized as shipmates lost overboard. At night, sailors often see lights shining down in the depths. The more curious can make out great domes and glittering towers, even people smiling up at them. Old hands warn against looking too closely. These visions will claim you if they can. Around the edge of the Poisoned Sea runs the Phoros Rim, also known as the Sea of Glass. It stretches out from the shore for about ten to twenty miles. If the Poisoned Sea is a desert, then the Rim is a veritable paradise - it blue-green waters teems with life, and are the richest fishing grounds in Karelan. It is almost as the prescence of the sea desert has driven life mad around its edges. Before the 113th century ships avoided the Poisoned Sea altogether, hugging the coast along the Phoros Rim as they circled around it. Major city-ports grew up along its shores - Baraxa, Torez, Lireal, Alentia, Forino, Mirigone and Monzo. However, in 11 281 a divine curse transformed Alentia into the Dead Republic. Thereafter travel along the Phoros Rim became impossible, as the northern sea was haunted by the Black Sails, intent on enslaving the living and taking them back to the city of the dead. Therefore, merchants were forced to cross the Poisoned Sea far to the south of Alentia. As no mariner would trust to the winds when crossing such a dangerous stretch of water, merchant galleys and galeasses came dominate this trade. The oarsmen and women are skilled professionals, not slaves or prisoners. They work in shifts and are well-paid for their labour. Most merchants prefer to undertake an uninterrupted crossing - which usually takes three days. For a little more information on the Tochtmund Lighthouse and the Tower of Sins - see Post #5
wrexham3 02-19-08, 09:55 AM	The Phoros Rim The Col d'Val Until the 113th century this great mountain pass was the main route between northern and southern Karelan. It ran for 25 miles through the heart of the Chaurn Mountain range. It had the reputation for being a reliable route because it was never blocked by snow. It was also guarded by great fortifications of the Suzerain. Alentia controlled the southern entrance of the pass, while at its northern terminus was Val d'Lys, the ancient capital of Erileine. It was along the Col d'Val that Eseen passed into Eruria and took hold. During the 112th and 113th century the wool trade dominated the economy of the Suzerain. Sheep were raised in the abundant pastures of Selucia and the wool shipped via Alentia to the great workshops of Proval. It was during these centuries that the Phoros Rim and the cities of Proval represented the heart of Karelan - the most densely populated area since the days of the old Empire. Cloth made in Proval's cities were then sent to all parts of Karelan - make good use of Proval's central position. The Kingdoms Valley War, between Selucia and Erileine, was largely fought for the control of this trade. In 11 281 Alentia was destroyed and became the Republic of the Dead. The presence of this cursed city now blocked the Col d'Val, leading to economic collapse within the area. Proval ceased to become the centre of Karelan. The kings of Erileine seized the Heltlands from the Deus and moved their capital north to Sulons. Meanwhile Proval became heavily depopulated. Sacrilich's campaigns in the area during the War of the Maidens represented the final death blow. Similarly many of the city's along the Phoros Rim also went through a period of decline. Forino and Mirigone completely disappeared, while Lireal and Baraxa contracted into ports of regional importance. The cities of Torez and Monzo came to dominate the diminished trade on either side of the Poisoned Sea. Furthermore, because of the presence of Alentia along the Phoros Rim, ships were forced to cross the Poisoned Sea itself, far to the south of the Dead Republic. The cities and towns around the Col d'Val and the Phoros Rim are large ruined and empty, a lair for monsters and rich pickings for adventurers, so long as they are prepared to take the risk. For more information on Sacrilich - see posts #36 and 37
Ishmayl 02-19-08, 10:26 AM	You continue to impress :)
wrexham3 02-20-08, 06:41 AM	You continue to impress :) Thanks Ishy! :D
wrexham3 02-23-08, 10:54 AM	The Phoros Rim Alentia - The City-Port of Karelan Alentia is an ancient city located on the southern opening of the Col d'Val. Alentia was first built during the Empire of Worlds period. Originally it was land-locked, an outlying city dwarfed by the other great urban centres of Nal-Toth, such as Nisilos. Alentia guarded Nal-Toth's northern flank from attacks by the barbarians of Eruria and their fae allies. However, in 8061 Nal-Toth collapsed and was drowned by the sea that came surging in. Alentia suddenly found became a port on the shores of the Poisoned Sea. It quickly became the most important port in Karelan. However, it later transpired that the city was situated near to Mons Feros, a volcano. The Potentate of Dakos controlled Alentia from 8061-9443. Because of its central position it became the most populated city in the potentate - rivalled only by Xelic. In those days, beyond the Col d'Val, Eruria was swathed in forests. However, the Erurians tilled the fertile soils on the edge of the forest. Kingdoms were established along the courses of its great rivers - known as the 'Riverine Kingdoms'. The most famous was the great kingdom of Arven, that lay at the heart of Eruria. Food, iron, salt, and magical plants and animals were brought to Alentia, in exchange for magical artifacts, potions, wine and finished goods. In 9443 the Daltae Empire seized the city from the Potentate. The Imperials used Alentia to annex south-west Eruria, creating the Provallum. However, after several expeditions disappeared in the vast forests of Eruria, the Empire ceased attacking the Riverine kingdoms, and trade flourished once again. After a volcanic eruption in 9960 two great temples to Vulcan and Venus was built by the terrified citizens. A great jewel tear found in the aftermath of the eruption was taken to the temples. The Tear of Venus became one of the greatest relics of the pagan world. During the Third Sea War, Dakos sought to gain control of Alentia. However the city successfully resisted - with the aid of citizens from the Provallum and Erurian allies. Alentia maintained its independence until 10 593, when it joined the Tyrene Republic. By this time the Riverine kingdoms had collapsed after the Great Cold and Eseen was sweeping through southern Eruria. Maintaining its independence was no longer viable. In 10 659 Alentia joined an alliance to destroy a raiding army of hill giants from Gokran. However, Alentia was never an enthusiastic member of the Grand Republic. It grudgingly hung onto its privileges. However, when it began to be pressured by the Holy Suzerain and the Eseenians of Erileine it seceded from the Republic. In 10 789, its inhabitants (by a very narrow majority) voted to suspend its democracy; this, unfortunately, proved to be almost catastrophic for the city... The city of Xelic - see Post #70
wrexham3 05-08-08, 07:51 AM	The Phoros Rim Alentia - The Crossroads of Cultures Caught between pagan Ascuria and Eseen Selucia, Alentia became a cosmopolitan city that represented a diversity of traditions. After Alentia voted to suspend its democracy in 10 789 the leader of the city became its hetrarch (the equivalent of its archbishop). However the hetrarch was heavily dependent upon his or her praetor or speaker. The praetor dealt with the pagan population of the city, as it was considered inappropriate for hetrarchs to sully themselves by speaking with pagans. Although in theory the praetor was appointed by the hetrarach in fact the position was recommended by the city's guilds by a form of secret ballot. Furthermore, although the city state's senate had been suspended, its Demas or city council still continued to cling to the remnants of democracy as most of the positions were elected by the city's commune. This situation last until the fall of the city in 11 281. The cathedral of Eseus and the temples to Venus and Vulcan co-existed with one another, and represented a religious block on the Demas. However the Deus of Selucia were always uncomfortable with this situation and always sought to reign in the power of the hetrarch of the city. However the hetrarchs were always jealous of their semi-independence and defended any encroachments upon their rights - mobilizing the city's commune - both Eseen and Pagan - when required. During the 112th and 113th centuries the city became the most populous in all of Karelan - reaching 1.5 million people - it wealth based upon the extensive trade links to Proval through the Col d'Val pass. Alentia became the link to old Dakos and Eruria. However its privileged position was coverted by both the King of Erileine and the Deus of Selucia. This position would finally bring disaster upon the heads of the Alentians.
wrexham3 05-18-08, 11:58 AM	The Phoros Rim Alentia - The Downfall of the State The Kingdoms Valley War (11 267-82) was a battle for supremacy between the Holy Kingdoms of Selucia against Erileine. Although the war was focussed upon the Three Valleys region (later Orase) the northern city states of the Rim were dragged into the conflict. Alentia, Forino and Miragone had remained semi-independent since they had seceded from the Tyrene League. Although obstensively part of the Holy Suzerain, each state retained large pagan populations who had learned to co-exist with their Eseenian neighbours. However, since the beginning of the 113th century Ascurian kingdom had become increasingly Eseenian, and the Rim states were now trapped between it and Selucia. Alentia began to look increasingly towards Erileine to maintain its independence. In the defining action of the war, a crusader army marched out of Torez and eastwards along the coast of the Rim, establishing head-quarters at Lireal. Alentia was besieged, falling to the Selucians in the fifth month of the siege. As the city fell the Demas voted to restore the Republic, hoping to attract the favour of Saturn, to no avail. The victorious soldiers went mad, killing, raping and pillaging, making no distinction between Eseen or Pagan. The hetrarch was arrested and the praetor was hung from the arches above the Demas. Finally the temples of Venus and Vulcan were plundered. As a soldier laid hand upon the priceless Tear of Venus, Montferron erupted violently. The outskirts of the city was inundated with lava, but most died from the toxic fumes that engulfed it. Friend and foe died together - probably half a million in a few hours. Both the hetrarch and the general of the Selucian army were amongst the casualties. However the nightmare did not end there. As night fell the bodies began to rise. Five hundred thousand undead now inhabited the most richest and most populous city in Karelan. The Col d'Val was now closed, and the ties between the Phoros Rim and southern Erileine was instantly broken. Trade in the Poisoned Sea was permanently disrupted, and Asconis now controlled the most important trade route between old Eruria and Dakos. While many believed that Vulcan cursed the city, others believe Dead Alentia was caused by what lies beneath the Poisoned Sea, in the ruins of Nal-Toth.
wrexham3 10-08-08, 06:02 AM	Bump.
Pyre_Born 10-12-08, 12:51 AM	:OMG! :eek: :OMG! The vast amount of detail in the timeline alone...I thought I was the only person alive with a need for THAT much detail. I correct myself, you've outdone even what I thought I was capable of. I'll admit I haven't read through all of this yet, but from the glimpses, I love the whole setting, I'll take to reading it through when I'm off from work again. But I must say :bow: :clap: :mymy: :clap: :bow: you are my hero :P
wrexham3 10-16-08, 06:12 AM	Thanks for the kind words, Pyre Born. I'll make sure I read your campaign setting too. I dont think I will be adding anything new to Karelan setting as I've been developing a new setting called Tellamunda for the last two years, and I'm concentrating on that.
Pyre_Born 10-16-08, 11:06 PM	Thanks for the kind words, Pyre Born. I'll make sure I read your campaign setting too. I dont think I will be adding anything new to Karelan setting as I've been developing a new setting called Tellamunda for the last two years, and I'm concentrating on that. I'll keep an eye out for that campaign if you're gonna post/have posted it. My campaign sites are still under construction at the moment, but I've been copying a lot of my notes onto my computer, so information sohuld (hopefully) start getting put up! *Shameless Plug* If anyone checks out any of my links in the sig, I believe all of them allow comments to be posted! */Shameless Plug*
wrexham3 10-19-08, 09:42 AM	The Phoros Rim The Rim Today (11 575) The Phoros Rim is very different from its glory days in the 112th and 113th centuries. Since the fall of Alentia and the closing of the Col d'Val most of its cities have gone into a gradual decline. The main ports that dominate the Poisoned Sea are Monzo and Torez. Monzo is the seat of an arcane republic established by refugees fleeing the Dearth of Reason, while Torez is dominated by the mysterious Knights Custodians. The two factions make strange bedfellows as mages and the templar knights have always been implacable enemies. However the wealth of both cities is founded on an exchange of commodities and pilgrims visiting the holy places of old Selucia. The ancient metropolis of Alentia has be avoided for almost three centuries. Because of this, the Dead Republic is surrounded for hundreds of miles by some of thickest forests and most verdant wilderness in Karelan. Above the city stands Montferron, the volcano that wiped it out. A trail runs between the volcano and the city is sometimes used by travellers seeking to keep their movements secrets. This is the remains of a highway kept clear by the dead. The dead themselves manage the forests around the city and quarry local stone, for they need wood to repair the fabric of its ancient buildings. The dead meticulously maintain the city as it was in 11 281, retain every vestige of everyday life. Even its siegeworks are still used, this time to keep people out rather than in. Lireal, to the west of the city, is now a great fortress whose sole purpose is to stop the dead from overrunning Selucia. The city of Forino is now in ruins, and its hinterland has become the Custodian Estates, where an Essenian elite keep their pagan subjects in perpetual slavery. However, the Estates are beginning to crumble as they are attacked on all sides. The city of Miragone drowned beneath the Sinking Plains, a vast marshland to the north of Monzo. It is said that the mages created the plains to destroy an Eseenian kingdom which was becoming a threat to them. The halfing ports of Harlans, Skermer and Vorkelpoort are to be found on islands within the Sinking Plains. Recently, sahuaghin cultist have begun to infiltrate its maze of channels.