Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Anuvrix 11-25-07, 06:34 PM	This is a homebrew world, i'm looking for critics, wellwishers, helpful advisers, and any old moron who would like to speak his half-cent. This will contain data on the world for each period of time. The world is playable at any point in time, and during different points is a completely different world. ________________________________ Ikarun, the Planet The world of Ikuran is about Earth-sized, and has 9 moons. The terrain is just like any average DnD world, except for a small amount of disfiguration from the conflicting gravities of the moons. Two continents, one is highly populated, and similiar to Eurasia. The other is like South America, but with a polar region in the south. No nations reside on the southern land, but all have satellite colonies there. ________________________________ The Moons of Ikarun Each moon represents and holds power over a different school of magic. The 9th moon is in a perfect cricular orbit and sets the calendar for the world, it also is man made and holds no arcane power. The other 8 moons are on a linear orbit, slowly spiraling towards the planet's surface. Upon landing, each moon causes years of devastation. They each fall exactly 171.14 years apart, starting at 1375 B.E. At 0 B.E., the last one will fall. Each moon cracks the planet some more than the last, with the last one breaking the planet, causing the world to shatter. The ninth moon is named after it's creator Bacheus. Little known among the people, the moon was created in an attempt to conquer the world. (also unkown is the fact that this moon causes the falls)
Anuvrix 11-25-07, 06:35 PM	Nations of Ikarun Originally, there were four large nations that ruled the world. Akran Population: 3.5467 Million Alignment: Lawful Neutral History: Akran was the first nation to rise (in recorded history). It eventually broke into the four nations. It's original reign was short and uneventful, no riots, no real problems, and a smooth easy split. It is ruled by a monarch, who's actions are checked by a senate. After the break, Akran remained the most powerful for 300 years, in which it dominated the economy of the world. Unfortunately, it fell into disrepair when the magical forces that kept it's land green and free of desert suddenly vanished. It is not a desert nation, and al deserts are counted to be owned by them. Their main source of income is a special crystal that forms in high magic areas left behind from their tampering. the crystal is used to help plants flourish in an area, and are very valuable. Their culture is now similiar to the middle eastern people of Earth. Hijose Population: 2.3478 million Alignment: Lawful Good History: Hijose (HI-J-OZ) Was formed from the break-up of Akran. It retained much of the forested and jungle land, with very little open areas. Their population is largely made up of elves, with orcs being second highest in population. This nation remained uneventful, aside form the near-constant war between the Orcs (who think that they are superior to all races) and the elves (who believe that their land was ordained to them by their god). They have remained stable and get their income off of forestry and battle implements. Thor'Akran Population: 4.3685 million Alignment: Lawful Evil History: From the beginning, Kran'Athor has been rife with trouble; failed harvests, wars, rebellion, and just plain domestic unrest. It has changed rulers more than any any other nation, nearly every rule unding in an assassination. This nation's political outlook changes every few years, due to it's shifting leadership. every year there is some rebellion, some war or some disaster that keeps this land interesting. Almost all of it's people are human, with some dwarves, and many halflings. There is no bad disposition towards any singular race here, as every race has had multiple chances at the throne. The only thing keeping it together is the strong hand of some evil dictator or another. Soline Population: 10,005 total Alignment: Neutral Neutral History: This nation was from the start only second to Akran, which it soon conquered (along with the rest of the world). it ruled the world for just 25 short years, the king was a priest who claimed a direct connection with the gods. His goal was to eradicate all evil from the world Any crimes were punished by death, all detected to be evil were slain or imprisoned for "rehabilitation". At one point, the king announced that he will demand the gods to rid the world of the evil that was left. This is where the gods had had enough. They smote the capitol city and all within 500 miles to the bottom of the sea. The 3 nations reformed, and life continued. Just a few years before the first signs of the falling moons became apparent, the city was refounded by a group of heroes. they claimed rulership, and held the absolute loyalty of all of it's inhabitants (ghosts who are sworn and truly loyal to the kings of their land). Shortly therafter, all of the Heroes of the world dissappeared. A prohpesy was recorded by a scholar ghost, fortelling a dim future for the world, and the eventual return of the heroes.
Anuvrix 11-25-07, 06:36 PM	Races of Ikarun Elves The elves live in thier own lands, whih they defend loyally and will swear by. They detest orcs and often attack them seemingly unprovoked. Elves are actively searching out evil in an attempt to keep it under control. They are always good, and have conquered their non-good counterparts (Dark Elves-Evil, Green Elves-Neutral). The conquered elves are used as slaves and are treated nearly as equals and can be told apart by the tattooed marks on their faces. Elves adventure to accost evil things. Dwarves Dwarves do not ocunt themselves part of any nation, they believe that each rules unto himself. They live in villages and sometimes cities of their own kind, often intermixed with halflings and humans. Elves are held in sort of a disgust, their constant assault on evil upsets the balance that they strive for. Slavery is hated in dwarven areas, any slaves that make it to a dwarven city and present their case to the magistrate are freed, and their slave-marks removed. Dwarves only adventure to secure a plot of land for themselves and to start their own clan. Halflings Halflings are clan-like, living in close harmony with dwarves. They are also all noted as notorious thieves. A halfling will often steal something without realizing it. After a close encounter with halflings, either voilent or not, one should always check ones pockets. They are generally good-natured, but are held in the common peoples respect as a bunch of thieves. Halflings are often kicked out of towns and cities for continually offending the peace. They adventure for the sheer thrill of it. Gnomes The greatest inventors and intellectuals of Ikuran come from the gnomish race. Their mechanical engineers, even the worst, are paid well working for common folk. They operate as a guild and callthemselves The Guild of Intelligent Engineers and Such. Or just G.I.E.S., which many misspronounce and say Geese. Over the years, the name Geese has become permanent and the real name is only used by the highest officers on official buisness. They are held in respect by all and are expensive to hire. Finding a gnome in your party free of charge is a thing of dreams. Humans Humans are in all respects varied and are the most common race by far. They have numerous reasons for adventuring.
Anuvrix 11-25-07, 06:36 PM	1st Fall Disaster Record (http://forums.gleemax.com/showpost.php?p=14380573&postcount=21) When the first signs of the coming doom showed themselves, the people came to the general consensus that the gods were punishing them for some reason (which varied greatly between different people). When the began to swell mightily, the large cities (and all of the smaller ones that could afford it) bought and created magical protection from flooding. Unfortunately, the protection did not help against the meteors that nearly constantly fell during the last years. During this time, teleportation became the most popular form of travel (kind of difficult to outrun a tsunami). The crystals from the desert coupled with gardens became the only food source. Famine struck out in all of the cities, and a plague ran rampant. The capitol city of Akran was nearly emptied of people and filled with bodies. A few years after the cataclysmic fall of the moon, the outside world had somewhat returned to normal. The city of Fel'Tahnis was split into two peices by a crack in the surface of the world that reached further down than any could venture. The moon fell on 1645 B.E., New Moon's Eve (the equivalent of New Year's Eve) at exactly midnight. The signs of the next fall were already showing themselves.
Anuvrix 11-25-07, 06:37 PM	Second Fall The world had just enough time to rebuild and get back into a relativ calm before the next disasterous events came to pass. The Countries stocked food and prepared the barriers against the rain of meteors that will soon fall. People began to realize that the falling of the moons is systematic, as the 3rd moon was now where the second once was.
Anuvrix 11-25-07, 06:38 PM	3rd Fall The world is strained, the people are restless, and society is starting to crumble. The nation of Thor'Akran (during the 20 years of calm) wages war against the other nations. As a last stitch war-effort, Thor'Akran's mages destroy the barriers around the cities of Akran. The entire nation is destroyed in the disasters. From that point of, Thor'Akran is held as a nation of traitors to humanity. Nearly half of the population of the world dies during this fall. A new plague comes with the fall of this moon, the moon of necromancy. The archival name is Luntih, but the people simply call it The Blood Swell. It causes large black boils on the skin, along with hemophelia. Eventually the boils burst, opening massive holes in the flesh, and leaving any survivors covered with gashes and wounds that will never heal. When the boils burst, it releases a spore into the air that carries the disease. (It is in fact a fungal disease, but the only powerful enough spell to kill it kills the bearer also.)
Anuvrix 11-25-07, 06:39 PM	4th Fall The people are in disarray, a plague is rampant, and more is to come. Cults spring up in open defiance of the gods, with several growing to a large size and even waging wars to "redeem" those who still stick to the gods. This is all stopped, however, when a god makes a appearance to a large populous. Ikarun, the planet, sends his avatar to the nation of Hijose. There he quells a rebellion, and assures the people that all within the power of the gods is being done to prevent these calamities. Although the reassurance of the gods did calm the people, many were beginning to lose faith, if the gods could not stop this by now who's to say they will ever ba able to? One thing Ikarun did do to help the people is to teach them the cure for the plague.
Anuvrix 11-25-07, 06:40 PM	5th Fall Though the cure is present, the plague still claims many more lives before it runs it's course. During the calm, the people unite in mourning for the dead. The world recovers a little, and the calm goes by peacefully. Food is stockpiled, and people are secured in their cities. Unfortunately, this fall came with a greater vengeance than the others, as it is the moon of Evocation. Rains of fire, strange elemental outbursts, and living elementals spring up inexplicable in cities. Though nearly all of such excursions are stopped, some cities are destroyed.
Anuvrix 11-25-07, 06:41 PM	6th Fall The land of Ikarun is covered with decrepit ruins, and adventurers abound. During this calm, it is discovered that the moons that fell are left behind as powerful nexuses of magical energy. An explosion of developments in arcane magic causes the development of new cities, and the preservation of entire areas. The world goes through a massive growth in population, by the end of the calm the people are great and certain that this calm will be recorded as a magnificent event in history.
Anuvrix 11-25-07, 06:41 PM	7th Fall During the last fall, many elves decided that they had had enough of the destruction. They formed a technological wonder, The Mirus. It is a ship capable of carrying and supporting thousands of people. It took one hundred years of construction and planning, but they created the means of the exodus of half their people. During the calm, in the first few years, they launched. The ship has the power to travel between the ethereal plane and the material plane, and it used this power to ascend into space. It is rumored that the ship found another planet and settled there. It is also rumored that they crashed into one of the moons during a mishap. Aside from this, the calm before this storm was relatively boring. Many people think of the elves as pompus and arrogant due to the fact that they did not allow any others onto the ship, believing them to be "derived from the light" that only they could posses. The reputation of elves fell drastically over the 20 years, turning towards disgust near the end.
Anuvrix 11-25-07, 06:42 PM	8th Fall During this calm, the people are afraid for the safety of the planet. The cracks formed by the first fall have widened to over two miles where the cracks are largest. The scientists theorize that the last fall will obliterate the planet. The calm in this period is not calm at all. the people are in a constant pall of fear, several small wars break out, each ending in a peaceful treaty. The Nations are full of unrest, and suicide cults pop up every here and there. This is where the PCs come in during my current campaign. They are started off by a theory of a local wizard, he believes that the ninth moon is the cause of the doom. They act upon this and begin searching for information about Bacheus. After many dead-ends, they encounter a vampire who personally knew the great wizard, and actually helped him in his plans. He will not tell the pcs of Bacheus with out a payment of blood from each of them. He speaks of the effect of the ninth moon, and how Bacheus planned to use it to conquer the world. Bacheus wanted to force the moons to fall, and proceed to create an enterprise protecting the nations. After the last moon fell, the world would break and he would use his magic to hold it together. With his control over the wholeness of the world, he would control everything, even the magic of the moons. After a great many more adventures, the pcs discover a smaller prototype of the Mirus. They use this to get to Bacheus's lab on the ninth moon, and find there that Bacheus is still alive and is just waiting for the last moon. After a long dungeon-crawl they will encounter him and (hopefully) kill him.
Anuvrix 11-25-07, 06:42 PM	The Aftermath If the PCs kill Bacheus, they can hold his phylactery hostage and force him to stop the last moon. If this is done, the people renew their faith in the gods, believing it to be their doing. The work of the PCs goes nearly unnoticed, save for the few who knew of what they were doing. The gods of Ikarun personally go to thank the PCs and reward them as they ask. Life on Ikarun returns to a relative norm, the scars of the disasters eventually being bridged by man's desire for expansion. The world repopulates with monsters and foes, and the adventurer life is taken up by many. If the PCs fail, they are frozen in time by Bacheus and awake to find themselves in a shattered wold, ruled by an evil lich. Now the world is controlled and dominated by evil, and the Nation of Soline is the only bastion against this power. The Pcs must find a way to defeat Bacheus and keep the world together. Unfortunately, the world is against them, and is loyal to Bacheus. For he came when the gods did not and saved the world. The Pcs still have command over the smaller ship and can use it to traverse the shards of the world. They must battle the armies of the Lich and risk the destruction of the world.
Master_Vega 11-25-07, 07:37 PM	What is the peoples' attitude toward the end of the world? Are they simply resigned to the destruction caused by each fallen moon, or are they fearful of it? Will the moons be part of main quests, perhaps the characters must do favors for particular gods to keep the moons from falling? When you tell most players (or most of the players I know) the world is going to end, the first thing they want to do is stop that. :P
False-paradox-Truth 11-25-07, 10:19 PM	Alright, I have a few questions. Landmass: You say that there are two landmasses, both corresponding to Eurasia and South America. Are these continents larger than their real world counterparts? Are there a great deal of islands? Are there large mountain ranges to create arid deserts? The Moons of Ikarun: There are nine moons. How are the oceans? Nine moons over a planet would cause havoc, especially when they fall toward terra. Also, why are the moons falling now? What held them up for thousands of years previous? Who created the ninth moon and why? Are there people on it? Is it some sort of research lab? The Nations: Nations states… how many are there? How do they fall (are they set up primarily along geographic and ethnic lines, or are they the product of treaties). You said that each nation maintains a colony of some sort on the “South American” continent. Does that indicate that most of the civilizations are imperialistic? What of the indigenous peoples? How is this continent colonized (is it a quasi-Roman invasion, or through an equally brutal charter system)? Religion: How are the various religious institutions responding to the coming crisis? Are there “Doom Cults” sprouting up in response to the oncoming apocalypse, or are the churches hiring adventurers to find a solution to the oncoming oblivion? I will think of more questions later…
Anuvrix 11-26-07, 07:16 AM	Landmass: You say that there are two landmasses, both corresponding to Eurasia and South America. Are these continents larger than their real world counterparts? Are there a great deal of islands? Are there large mountain ranges to create arid deserts? The Moons of Ikarun: There are nine moons. How are the oceans? Nine moons over a planet would cause havoc, especially when they fall toward terra. Also, why are the moons falling now? What held them up for thousands of years previous? Who created the ninth moon and why? Are there people on it? Is it some sort of research lab? The Nations: Nations states… how many are there? How do they fall (are they set up primarily along geographic and ethnic lines, or are they the product of treaties). You said that each nation maintains a colony of some sort on the “South American” continent. Does that indicate that most of the civilizations are imperialistic? What of the indigenous peoples? How is this continent colonized (is it a quasi-Roman invasion, or through an equally brutal charter system)? Religion: How are the various religious institutions responding to the coming crisis? Are there “Doom Cults” sprouting up in response to the oncoming apocalypse, or are the churches hiring adventurers to find a solution to the oncoming oblivion? Yes, they are larger than their counterparts, to the point that the southern point of the "south america" reaches the antarctic circle. There are a plethera of mountain ranges, and so, deserts are common. But one must also remember that this world has been a high magic world for thousands of years before this, and in the search for land, magic could have been used to cultivate some desert areas. The oceans are a mess, the tides wreak havoc, but not too much. Each moon is 1/10 the size of the planet (our moon is 1/6 the size of earth), so individual moons wwould not have too bad of an effect. You must also note that they have been seafaring and such for a very long time. They have moon charts, and take all precautions they can. No one knows why they are falling now, and many think it is because of a particular event in history. (one in which the gods punished the 4th nation and literally struck it into the ground). The ninth moon was created by a wizard who is held in high esteem among his peers for it. It was made as part of an attemp to control the world, but they dont know that. Bicarus, the wizard, died of a heart attack before his plans could come to fruition. No residents on the moon, and it is not a lab, just a catalyst for a magic ritual. There are 3 nation states, there used to be four. they are monarchies, but different in the fact that the people can impeach the ruling family, which happens from time to time. the indiginous people where not found, but the area had been lived in. the colonies are more like states, but they are not part of the main country.(think as if america had several states on another continent. The religious cults change and differ after each fall, and will be posted in the respective areas.
Anuvrix 11-28-07, 12:14 PM	:bump: Bumpity Bump Bump.
Slash_Z 11-29-07, 12:33 PM	Hijose Population: 2.3478 million Alignment: Lawful Good History: Hijose (HI-J-OZ) Was formed from the break-up of Akran. It retained much of the forested and jungle land, with very little open areas. Their population is largely made up of elves, with orcs being second highest in population. This nation remained uneventful, aside form the near-constant war between the Orcs (who think that they are superior to all races) and the elves (who believe that their land was ordained to them by their god). They have remained stable and get their income off of forestry and battle implements. Wait. You said elves and orcs are at war, right? They are the majority in this kingdom... how a kingdom torn by civil war com remain stable? Probably that's a stupid question, but that's OK :) And Vega asked the questions I'd ask.
Anuvrix 11-30-07, 08:20 AM	The orcs are not part of the nation, all orcs are part of their own clans. the orcs just happen to live in abundance in Hijose. And there they wage war.
Slash_Z 12-01-07, 06:11 PM	And what about: What is the peoples' attitude toward the end of the world? Are they simply resigned to the destruction caused by each fallen moon, or are they fearful of it? Will the moons be part of main quests, perhaps the characters must do favors for particular gods to keep the moons from falling? When you tell most players (or most of the players I know) the world is going to end, the first thing they want to do is stop that. :P
Kelmourne 12-02-07, 03:39 AM	Follow the below link for an awsome picture that would go awsomely with your world. I can't seem to just post it as an image right now but if you can figure out how you should put it in your first post. http://www.toddlockwood.com/galleries/new_art/04/spellwright.shtml
Anuvrix 12-02-07, 11:26 AM	Towards the last fall, the people are afraid of what will happen when the last one comes. The tension in the cities is palpable, fights and riots are commonplace. The world is stressed out, unable to stand the long wait before it's doom. The main campaign of a group on this world i'm running is to stop the last moon. The gods actually have nothing to do with the moons and cannot help the people on that matter. The moons control arcane magic, while the gods only have domain over the divines. The fall cannot be stopped by divine means. (Eventually, the players must travel to the Ninth moon and discover the true cause of the falling moons. The wizard who created the ninth moon was trying to conquer the world. When his plans failed, his moon remained, leaving an abnormal amount of arcane magics that screwed up the orbits.) After each fall, there is a period of 20 years where the moons stop moving for some inexplicable reason. This is caused by the release of magic into the universe, temporarily silencing the 'white noise' created by moon No#9.
Anuvrix 12-05-07, 12:40 PM	I've finally finished putting it all up, and i'm looking for questions, critics and general thoughts on the subject.