The Withered Lands [Archive] - Wizards Community

The Withered Lands [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Foen
08-21-07, 05:13 PM Hmm, my first post on these forums so please be gentle with me *grin*

This campaign is about to launch, using 3.5E and a virtual gaming table (the group is very dispersed - from Birmingham to Denmark).

(The following is taken from the campaign web site (http://www.witheredlands.co.uk/))

Mehwar - The Withered Lands

Mehwar is a parched land, with little natural precipitation. The prevailing winds are from the east, and the mountains shelter the land from rainfall in much the same way as parts of South America. Along the coast is a slightly more fertile region, through which the major trade route passes, and where House Rhavin is based.

Humans are not indiginous to the region, but started to populate Mehwar twelve hundred years ago, migrating from the south west. Native races include Hobgoblins, Efreet, Djinn, Jann and a type of desert-hardened Orc. In the deep desert, the Bright Elves lead an enigmatic existence: based in the areas around an extinct volcano 250 miles from the nearest civilisation, across scorching sands.

Very little is known about the Bright Elves, but old stories tell of a time when they interacted more freely with Humans. They are reputed to be fierce warriors, using both steel and martial arts.

In recent generations, House Jihan has been ascendant, based in the centre of Mehwar and having a fortress-city in the natural defenses of a mountain range. Houses Rhavin and Dhanur vie with each other for second place, both with designs on over-turning Jihan's rule.

Magic is not common-place, but nor is it very rare: Vezirs have a monopoly over arcane magic, the priestesses over divine magic, but wild magic (practised by Jain and sorcerers) is without such constraint. There is a genetic link between wild magic and the pale blue eyes often seen in sorcerers and always seen in Jain.

The country is divided into six provinces, in addition to the lawless deep desert. Each province is ruled by its House:

http://www.witheredlands.co.uk/images/mehwarmap.jpg

There are seven Houses representing different tribes of Man in the land. Each House has a number of Families, vying for power in the House. Within Families, strong and weak personalities complete the local political landscape.

Houses live in an uneasy peace, with hostility just under the surface: alliances form and collapse, but typically take a few generations to go full circle. When Houses stand opposed, the Vezirs sometimes need to intervene: a costly last resort.

Every inhabitant of the land hails from one House or another (exceptions are dealt with below), and each House has its own armed forces, stealthy rogues and holy warriors.

The Unhoused

Certain sections of society, for one reason or another, operate outside the political boundaries of any House, including:

Prietesses: keepers of the religion in Mehwar;
Vezirs: law-givers, astrologers and arcane wizards;
Jainhim: wandering story-tellers, news vendors and professional politicians;
Svanahim: a merciless group who profit from the trade of slaves; and
Sorcerers: hermitic men and women, who are feared, unpredictable and possibly quite mad.

Houses

Every Human native of Mehwar is born into one of seven Houses, although this is not always apparent. Six of the Houses have provinces to their names, with fortress cities as their capitals, and House Benjhar is nomadic.

Each House is ruled by its most prominent Family, and the House name is the same as that Family name. The ruling Family of a House seldom changes, as this would imply significant upheaval, perhaps only once in ten or twenty generations. The ruler of the House is the Shahah.

For example, the most prominent Family in House Jihan is Family Jihan, and the House is ruled by the Shahah Jihan, currently Jodhur Jihan IV.

Jihan

Current ruling House of Mehwar, presided over by Shahah Jodhur Jihan IV, with a tradition of training strong warriors. Jihana, the capital, is also home to the high temple of the gods of Mehwar.

Rhavin

One of the most powerful Houses, and strongly opposed to House Dhanur, Rhavin enjoys unique access to trade outside of Mehwar.

Dhanur

Another major House, opposed to Rhavin. The capital, Dhanura, is the location of the Vezirs' seat of power and home of the current Vezir Azam.

Mathan

A lesser House, but justly renowned for training fanatical warrior monks. House Mathan traditionally sides with the ruling House (currently Jihan).

Shilpur

A lesser House, with its capital located at the desert end of the Broken Path: foreigners in Mehwar seldom get beyond Shilpura. Renowned for its fine craftsmen and fickle loyalties.

Parvat

A lesser House with its capital on the northern borders of Mehwar. Politically neutral for most of the time, and the home base of the Svanahim (slavers).

Benjhar

A nomadic House with no lands to call its own. Some Benjhar follow a perculiar religious philosophy, tied to nature-worship.

Factions

Vezirs
Vezirs are the wizard-caste of Mehwar, but also occupy an important place in the society: law-givers.

Every House or Family court has its Vezir, to advise, divine and adjudicate, but the Vezir is not allied to anyone but his own arcane sect. The decision of the Vezirs is both final and costly - law is not a right but an expensive service.

If two Families or Houses have an unresolved dispute, they may turn to the Vezirs for justice. The typical 'law price' is ten percent of the thing in dispute, be it money, land or lives. In the case of the latter, the forfeited lives are actually sold into service with the Svanahim (slavers), not executed.

The sect has premises in every city, but its headquarters are in Dhanura, where the current senior Vezir, the Vezir Azam, has a residence.

As the Vezirs enjoy a monopoly over arcane wizardry, they naturally do not suffer others to practice it. They generally look to Ranesh the Destroyer as their patron deity, and are usually of Lawful alignment.

Jainhim
The Jainhim are a nebulous society of story-tellers and gossips, found throughout the land and with no permanent affiliation to any other political body.

They undoubtedly practise some kind of magic, though its nature defies classification as either divine or arcane. Seemingly of no fixed agenda, but often found on the periphery of plots and intrigues, each member of this organisation answers only to the name Jain, and will sign formal documents only on that basis.

As they do not seem to be a separate House, and have no lands or cities to their name, the Jainhim are something of an enigma. The only thing they have in common is the colour of their eyes: a pale, piercing blue. A trait shared only by some sorcerers.

It is bad luck to offer a Jain any discourtesy, and good luck if one never crosses your door in the first place!

The Jainhim have no permanent affiliations to other groups, though there are rumours of a connection with the Svanahim (slavers). Jainhim and sorcerers have strong antipathy towards one another, stopping (just) short of open hostility.

Each has at least three names: their born or given name (never shared); their nick name (the Jain? She called herself 'Matra'); and the name 'Jain'. Whenever asked for their real names, the only answer they will give is 'I am Jain'.

Svanahim
The Svanahim (lit. 'free peoples') are a merciless group who profit from the trade of slaves (Dasahim) to registered owners.

Although seemingly barbaric to outlanders, slavery in Mehwar is a civilised form of punishment, and replaces imprisonment for the majority of crimes. Slavery may also be the fate of soldiers who lose in battle (the losing side has to send one fifth of its force, of all ranks, to the Svanahim), or be part of the 'law-price' in cases of inter-House dispute.

Slaves are only ever leased - it is not a life-time sentence - and this may be typically for one, three or five years. In any event, after ten years in service a slave walks free of all past crimes and accusations.

As the life of a slave is only leased, it is still sacred and killing a slave is still treated as murder. Once freed, slaves may chose to return to their previous lives, but many instead join the Svanahim. Unlicenced slave trading is a very serious crime.

The Svanahim are based in Parvata, on the northern borders of Mehwar.

Races

The dominant race in Mehwar is Human, and this is the only playable native race. Non-native visitors are rare, but make reasonable alternatives to playing a native Human. Visitors are more common in Rhavina, and less frequently encountered the further you travel from the coastal trade route.

Deep in the desert are other civilised races including the Bright Elves, an indigenous race suited to the deep desert environment.

The land is also home to spirits and outsider races, including Djinn and Efreet.

Classes

All standard SRD classes are represented in Mehwar.

House warriors: Barbarians (beserker warriors, or Dharmonhim), Fighters, Monks (fanatically devoted), Paladins, and Rangers.
Other House classes: Druids (House Benjhar only), and Rogues.
Non-House classes: Bards (Jainhim), Clerics, Sorcerers, and Wizards (Vezirs)
Slavers (Svanahim) and slaves (Dasahim) can be drawn from any House, and any class except Clerics or Wizards.

Note: Heavy Armour is not practical in the desert, so Clerics, Fighters and Paladins have the Combat Reflexes and Improved Initiative feats instead.
nimblewright93
08-24-07, 05:13 PM :OMG! ........................................ ........................................ ........................................ .......................................
NorthWind
08-24-07, 08:39 PM Very cool, I like what I see so far, but I only skimmed the Houses.

Do you intend to borrow from Middle Eastern cultures? (By which I mean apart from the djinni, etc.) The names sound like they'd come out of The Arabian Knights, though I've yet to read it. However, another book that takes place in a similar area is the Alchemist, which could give you some ideas. It's not very long, and it's a great read by itself.

By the way, that map is amazing.
Foen
08-25-07, 03:50 AM The campaign setting is inspired by pre-Raj India. Names are heavily influenced by Hindu names (people and places) and the general culture has Hindu and Muslim elements (similar to Rajasthan). That said, neither religion has been used in the campaign (I steer clear of RL religions in campaigns).

The cities use elements of an Indian and a Middle-Eastern feel, for example the Silk Bazaar in Rhavina:

The Silk Bazaar is a centred on a gently-snaking alleyway to the north of the main square in Rhavina. The alley, and a number of side-shoots, are festooned with hanging coloured cloths and skeins of un-dyed raw silk thread, and thronging with people from all walks of life: foreign traders, local merchants, retail customers, and clothiers.

I have been to India, Jordan, Egypt and Morocco, so much of this is drawn from personal experience (I am writing this post while on holiday in Marrakech).

For maps, I use a variety of techniques. The one in the OP was created using CC3 with a plugin from their Fantasy Cartographer's Annual. I also use PowerPoint quite a bit (honestly). Here is a local area map of Rhavina, and a map of the city itself (both made in PowerPoint):

http://www.witheredlands.co.uk/images/rhavinamap.jpg

http://www.witheredlands.co.uk/images/rhavinacitymap.png

They are taken from the campaign web site www.witheredlands.co.uk (http://www.witheredlands.co.uk), where larger-scale versions are also available.

Cheers

Stuart
(Foen)
nimblewright93
09-13-07, 04:58 PM what software did you use for the maps i find them rather beutifull i am in fact a map lover(sorry i know it does not relate but i have to Know)
Foen
09-13-07, 06:23 PM Thank you nimblewright *bows*

The top map was created using Campaign Cartographer 3, and a plug-in from the Cartographer's Annual 2007.

The middle map and the bottom map were created using Microsoft PowerPoint. It has a reasonable selection of tools, and creates vector images so you can zoom in without the image becoming jaggy.

For the middle map, I first created a standard hex (by tracing over a scanned image and using the Regular Polygon tool) then pasted many of them next to each other to lay down the grid.

Not exactly elegant, I know, but it worked for me *sheepish grin*

Cheers

Stuart
(Foen)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Foen 08-21-07, 05:13 PM	Hmm, my first post on these forums so please be gentle with me grin This campaign is about to launch, using 3.5E and a virtual gaming table (the group is very dispersed - from Birmingham to Denmark). (The following is taken from the campaign web site (http://www.witheredlands.co.uk/)) Mehwar - The Withered Lands Mehwar is a parched land, with little natural precipitation. The prevailing winds are from the east, and the mountains shelter the land from rainfall in much the same way as parts of South America. Along the coast is a slightly more fertile region, through which the major trade route passes, and where House Rhavin is based. Humans are not indiginous to the region, but started to populate Mehwar twelve hundred years ago, migrating from the south west. Native races include Hobgoblins, Efreet, Djinn, Jann and a type of desert-hardened Orc. In the deep desert, the Bright Elves lead an enigmatic existence: based in the areas around an extinct volcano 250 miles from the nearest civilisation, across scorching sands. Very little is known about the Bright Elves, but old stories tell of a time when they interacted more freely with Humans. They are reputed to be fierce warriors, using both steel and martial arts. In recent generations, House Jihan has been ascendant, based in the centre of Mehwar and having a fortress-city in the natural defenses of a mountain range. Houses Rhavin and Dhanur vie with each other for second place, both with designs on over-turning Jihan's rule. Magic is not common-place, but nor is it very rare: Vezirs have a monopoly over arcane magic, the priestesses over divine magic, but wild magic (practised by Jain and sorcerers) is without such constraint. There is a genetic link between wild magic and the pale blue eyes often seen in sorcerers and always seen in Jain. The country is divided into six provinces, in addition to the lawless deep desert. Each province is ruled by its House: http://www.witheredlands.co.uk/images/mehwarmap.jpg There are seven Houses representing different tribes of Man in the land. Each House has a number of Families, vying for power in the House. Within Families, strong and weak personalities complete the local political landscape. Houses live in an uneasy peace, with hostility just under the surface: alliances form and collapse, but typically take a few generations to go full circle. When Houses stand opposed, the Vezirs sometimes need to intervene: a costly last resort. Every inhabitant of the land hails from one House or another (exceptions are dealt with below), and each House has its own armed forces, stealthy rogues and holy warriors. The Unhoused Certain sections of society, for one reason or another, operate outside the political boundaries of any House, including: Prietesses: keepers of the religion in Mehwar; Vezirs: law-givers, astrologers and arcane wizards; Jainhim: wandering story-tellers, news vendors and professional politicians; Svanahim: a merciless group who profit from the trade of slaves; and Sorcerers: hermitic men and women, who are feared, unpredictable and possibly quite mad. Houses Every Human native of Mehwar is born into one of seven Houses, although this is not always apparent. Six of the Houses have provinces to their names, with fortress cities as their capitals, and House Benjhar is nomadic. Each House is ruled by its most prominent Family, and the House name is the same as that Family name. The ruling Family of a House seldom changes, as this would imply significant upheaval, perhaps only once in ten or twenty generations. The ruler of the House is the Shahah. For example, the most prominent Family in House Jihan is Family Jihan, and the House is ruled by the Shahah Jihan, currently Jodhur Jihan IV. Jihan Current ruling House of Mehwar, presided over by Shahah Jodhur Jihan IV, with a tradition of training strong warriors. Jihana, the capital, is also home to the high temple of the gods of Mehwar. Rhavin One of the most powerful Houses, and strongly opposed to House Dhanur, Rhavin enjoys unique access to trade outside of Mehwar. Dhanur Another major House, opposed to Rhavin. The capital, Dhanura, is the location of the Vezirs' seat of power and home of the current Vezir Azam. Mathan A lesser House, but justly renowned for training fanatical warrior monks. House Mathan traditionally sides with the ruling House (currently Jihan). Shilpur A lesser House, with its capital located at the desert end of the Broken Path: foreigners in Mehwar seldom get beyond Shilpura. Renowned for its fine craftsmen and fickle loyalties. Parvat A lesser House with its capital on the northern borders of Mehwar. Politically neutral for most of the time, and the home base of the Svanahim (slavers). Benjhar A nomadic House with no lands to call its own. Some Benjhar follow a perculiar religious philosophy, tied to nature-worship. Factions Vezirs Vezirs are the wizard-caste of Mehwar, but also occupy an important place in the society: law-givers. Every House or Family court has its Vezir, to advise, divine and adjudicate, but the Vezir is not allied to anyone but his own arcane sect. The decision of the Vezirs is both final and costly - law is not a right but an expensive service. If two Families or Houses have an unresolved dispute, they may turn to the Vezirs for justice. The typical 'law price' is ten percent of the thing in dispute, be it money, land or lives. In the case of the latter, the forfeited lives are actually sold into service with the Svanahim (slavers), not executed. The sect has premises in every city, but its headquarters are in Dhanura, where the current senior Vezir, the Vezir Azam, has a residence. As the Vezirs enjoy a monopoly over arcane wizardry, they naturally do not suffer others to practice it. They generally look to Ranesh the Destroyer as their patron deity, and are usually of Lawful alignment. Jainhim The Jainhim are a nebulous society of story-tellers and gossips, found throughout the land and with no permanent affiliation to any other political body. They undoubtedly practise some kind of magic, though its nature defies classification as either divine or arcane. Seemingly of no fixed agenda, but often found on the periphery of plots and intrigues, each member of this organisation answers only to the name Jain, and will sign formal documents only on that basis. As they do not seem to be a separate House, and have no lands or cities to their name, the Jainhim are something of an enigma. The only thing they have in common is the colour of their eyes: a pale, piercing blue. A trait shared only by some sorcerers. It is bad luck to offer a Jain any discourtesy, and good luck if one never crosses your door in the first place! The Jainhim have no permanent affiliations to other groups, though there are rumours of a connection with the Svanahim (slavers). Jainhim and sorcerers have strong antipathy towards one another, stopping (just) short of open hostility. Each has at least three names: their born or given name (never shared); their nick name (the Jain? She called herself 'Matra'); and the name 'Jain'. Whenever asked for their real names, the only answer they will give is 'I am Jain'. Svanahim The Svanahim (lit. 'free peoples') are a merciless group who profit from the trade of slaves (Dasahim) to registered owners. Although seemingly barbaric to outlanders, slavery in Mehwar is a civilised form of punishment, and replaces imprisonment for the majority of crimes. Slavery may also be the fate of soldiers who lose in battle (the losing side has to send one fifth of its force, of all ranks, to the Svanahim), or be part of the 'law-price' in cases of inter-House dispute. Slaves are only ever leased - it is not a life-time sentence - and this may be typically for one, three or five years. In any event, after ten years in service a slave walks free of all past crimes and accusations. As the life of a slave is only leased, it is still sacred and killing a slave is still treated as murder. Once freed, slaves may chose to return to their previous lives, but many instead join the Svanahim. Unlicenced slave trading is a very serious crime. The Svanahim are based in Parvata, on the northern borders of Mehwar. Races The dominant race in Mehwar is Human, and this is the only playable native race. Non-native visitors are rare, but make reasonable alternatives to playing a native Human. Visitors are more common in Rhavina, and less frequently encountered the further you travel from the coastal trade route. Deep in the desert are other civilised races including the Bright Elves, an indigenous race suited to the deep desert environment. The land is also home to spirits and outsider races, including Djinn and Efreet. Classes All standard SRD classes are represented in Mehwar. House warriors: Barbarians (beserker warriors, or Dharmonhim), Fighters, Monks (fanatically devoted), Paladins, and Rangers. Other House classes: Druids (House Benjhar only), and Rogues. Non-House classes: Bards (Jainhim), Clerics, Sorcerers, and Wizards (Vezirs) Slavers (Svanahim) and slaves (Dasahim) can be drawn from any House, and any class except Clerics or Wizards. Note: Heavy Armour is not practical in the desert, so Clerics, Fighters and Paladins have the Combat Reflexes and Improved Initiative feats instead.
nimblewright93 08-24-07, 05:13 PM	:OMG! ........................................ ........................................ ........................................ .......................................
NorthWind 08-24-07, 08:39 PM	Very cool, I like what I see so far, but I only skimmed the Houses. Do you intend to borrow from Middle Eastern cultures? (By which I mean apart from the djinni, etc.) The names sound like they'd come out of The Arabian Knights, though I've yet to read it. However, another book that takes place in a similar area is the Alchemist, which could give you some ideas. It's not very long, and it's a great read by itself. By the way, that map is amazing.
Foen 08-25-07, 03:50 AM	The campaign setting is inspired by pre-Raj India. Names are heavily influenced by Hindu names (people and places) and the general culture has Hindu and Muslim elements (similar to Rajasthan). That said, neither religion has been used in the campaign (I steer clear of RL religions in campaigns). The cities use elements of an Indian and a Middle-Eastern feel, for example the Silk Bazaar in Rhavina: The Silk Bazaar is a centred on a gently-snaking alleyway to the north of the main square in Rhavina. The alley, and a number of side-shoots, are festooned with hanging coloured cloths and skeins of un-dyed raw silk thread, and thronging with people from all walks of life: foreign traders, local merchants, retail customers, and clothiers. I have been to India, Jordan, Egypt and Morocco, so much of this is drawn from personal experience (I am writing this post while on holiday in Marrakech). For maps, I use a variety of techniques. The one in the OP was created using CC3 with a plugin from their Fantasy Cartographer's Annual. I also use PowerPoint quite a bit (honestly). Here is a local area map of Rhavina, and a map of the city itself (both made in PowerPoint): http://www.witheredlands.co.uk/images/rhavinamap.jpg http://www.witheredlands.co.uk/images/rhavinacitymap.png They are taken from the campaign web site www.witheredlands.co.uk (http://www.witheredlands.co.uk), where larger-scale versions are also available. Cheers Stuart (Foen)
nimblewright93 09-13-07, 04:58 PM	what software did you use for the maps i find them rather beutifull i am in fact a map lover(sorry i know it does not relate but i have to Know)
Foen 09-13-07, 06:23 PM	Thank you nimblewright bows The top map was created using Campaign Cartographer 3, and a plug-in from the Cartographer's Annual 2007. The middle map and the bottom map were created using Microsoft PowerPoint. It has a reasonable selection of tools, and creates vector images so you can zoom in without the image becoming jaggy. For the middle map, I first created a standard hex (by tracing over a scanned image and using the Regular Polygon tool) then pasted many of them next to each other to lay down the grid. Not exactly elegant, I know, but it worked for me sheepish grin Cheers Stuart (Foen)