Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Damior 12-17-06, 04:27 PM	A campaign setting that has been knocking around in my head for years, I have recently begun converting it to D&D. It is still far from complete, but I will post what I can. Feel free to comment or make suggestions. Also, I am using the more developed parts of this world in a Real Adventures campaign, titled Hynth. Cosmology A recent development for the setting, here is the unfinished cosmlology of Trin. Inner Planes The inner planes of Trin are pretty much those of the standard setting, except for how the Plane of Shadow interacts with the other planes. It is coterminous with all of the elemental and energy planes, as well as the Material Plane. The plane of Shadow also borders the Far Realm, supposedly, though none can be sure since few survive passing the planar boundary and even fewer retain their sanity. Outer Planes The Cosmology of Trin has 12 outer planes, 3 of which have had some development. The developed ones are listed here The Spawning Chaos of PandorThe plane of Pandor is an oddball of the cosmology, somewhere between an inner and outer plane. It is coterminous to the elemental and energy planes, as well as all other outer planes. It is strongly chaos aligned. It is highly morphic (acting much like standard limbo, but also with positive and negative energy zones as well). It has the wild magic trait, and the gravity constantly changes with no discernable pattern, making it a dangerous plane to be on, with the threat of suddenly falling into what had just seconds before been the sky. Elemental and Energy Vortexes are common on this plane. Pandor is said to be the the original outer plane, a mixing pot of the elements and energies which the dieties used as raw materials to build the other outer planes. Portals to the other outer planes except for Novum are located in relatively stable areas of the plane, which are often similar to the plane they lead to. Walled Paradise of Asylum Sandwitched between two planes of evil, the top layer of this plane, has massive walls on either side, so tall that the battlements of the towers are above the cloud cover. These walls are on the North and South sides of the Plane. to the east and west, the plane strtches on infinately. Beyond the walls is a barren waste that eventually fades into the adjacent planes. Portals to the top of the walls are common, most often inside celestial barracks or the dwellings of powerful good outsiders. The second layer of the plane is called Sanctuary, and is much calmer than the militaristic upper layer. Here, farmland dominates the landscape. There are no portals to Sanctuary except through the heavily guarded upper layer, so many people with the clearence to enter leave powerful items here for safe keeping. Asylum is Mildly Law and Good aligned, with the divinely morphic trait, normal magic trait, and normal gravity trait. Cosmic Heights of Novum Novum is the hub of the outer planes. As such, it is mildly neutrally aligned. It has the normal magic trait and no gravity. Characters move here as they do on the Astral Plane. The vast majoity of Novum is empty space, except for small demi-planets. Each of these holds a portal to an outer plane, with an environment suited to the destination. The vast majority of these portals are one way for mortals, though dieties can pass into Novum back through them normally. Each of the demi-planets glows with its own light that corresponds to the alignment of the plane it connects to. An evil planet glows with a blood red radience, a good aligned as a brilliant white, a lawful planet a faded blue, and a chaotic planet with a yellow glow. The distance between the planets is tremendous, from the surface the others appear as faint stars. A few planar travelers have noted that there are a number of "dead" stars in the skies of novum. These lifeless spheres have no radience, and no known coresponding plane. A few appear to be in ruin, others are simply barren rock. The nature of these spheres is unknownThe sky is filled with these stars, and scholars note that not all of them appear to connect to any known plane. Attempts to reach these stars are fruitless, as the planets never get any closer. The planets gently drift around each other, but there are no accounts of them ever colliding. Although the drifting does not seem to follow a pattern, it is theorized that they orbit slowly around some unknown entity, possibly the original creator of the Multiverse. Geography currently, two continents of Trin have been developed. The first is called Hynth, and was the original part of this world that I had thought of all the way back in 5th grade, though it has evolved much since then. The main continent of Hynth is about the size of Africa. Two large mountain ranges, the Northern and Southern Arcs, cut across the continents from the west almost all the way to the east coast, each roughly a thousand miles inward from the north or south coast, respectively. The lands north of the Northern Arc are mostly rocky plains, with quite a bit of mountainous land as well. A large river runs northwest from the mountains, to the edges of the continents where it drains into the ocean. The southern part of Hynth, beyond the Southern Arc, is a barren wasteland. It is unknown why this land, which by all logic should be lush with greenery, being both near the ocean and with a mountain range to the north confining rain, though legend says that it is due to a curse placed on the land (described later in History section). In between the mountains, the land is about equal parts open fertile grassland and forest of varying density, with forests slightly more common in the southern half of the continent. A large river cuts through the middle of the continent from the north before flowing into the ocean in the southwest. To the north of the mainland lies a large island, Berania, roughly the size of the united states, that is about three times as long from the east-west direction as it is from the north-south direction. It is divided more or less in two along the north-south line by the Glakeri mountain range. The western half of the island is mountainous tundra, with very little plant life. A single large river flows parallel the coast of the island, before finally emptying into the south. The eastern half of the island, in stark contrast, is the deepest jungle in all of Hynth. As with the desert lands of the south, the climate here is a mystery, how in an otherwise frigid area a tropical forest can exist. Many look to fey magic as the cause of this. A vast system of rivers (similar to the Amazon) flow through this half of Berania, from their source in glaciers in the mountains. To the east of the mainland, at the mouth of the river, are innumerable small islands. These islands vary in size, but seem to have arisen when a larger island was suddenly flooded by unknown means, leaving only the higher elevated land above the surface. Finally, far to the northwest of the mainland and to the west of Berania lies the small archipelago of Mistran. These six islands are very close together for the most part, creating marshes along the coasts. The islands, despite there proximity, are widely varied in nature. The northernmost island, Lyadel, is the peak of an extinct volcano, which reaches high enough for there to be permanent snow cover at the summit. Directly to the south of Lyadel is another, active volcanic island called Feayr. Its eruptions are predictable in timing, about once every two hundred years. The island to the far east of Mistran is a blackened waste, forever scarred by some unknown disaster. It is known simply as the Black Island. To the northeast of this is the island Zrirentai, which looks to a lesser extent the same as the Black Island, although this is not the result of some freak disaster but rather the product of pollution. South of Zrirentai is Santuin, a densely forested island, except for a small blackened portion to on the far east coast, most likely from the same disaster that destroyed the Black Island to the west. Finally, the easternmost island of the islands, Fryn, is a lightly forested island with a large bay on its southeastern coast. GararnrashGararnrash is the second continent I have developed for my campaign world. There is not as of yet much information regarding its geography, as most of my effort with this continent has been put into developing its history, which shall be described in the appropriated section. For now, here is what I have. Gararnrash is a Europe-sized continent far to the west of Hynth. It is a continent of volcanic mountains, most extinct but a fair number still active, with very few large bodies of water. Its lands have been greatly damaged by the War of Gararnrash (described later in History section). HistoryThe history of the Material Plane Trin is composed of seven ages as recorded by the scholars in the Grand Library of Lyadel, described in order below Age of Gods (Date Unknown) The most nebulous of the ages, the Age of gods is more of a hypothesis than historical fact. It is assumed that the deities dwelt on the inner planes at the very beginning of the multiverse, and then set about crafting there own demi-plane realms, which would eventually become the outer planes. It is unknown how the deities came into being, or indeed whether any of the information we have on this age is true. The deities refuse to either confirm or deny this theory of the multiverse, so for now it stands Age of Origin (Date Unknown) Another vague concept of an age, it is theorized that the deities did not set about immediately on creating the Material Plane, but instead waiting until their own deific realms where completed to their satisfaction. This time is generally considered to be the beginning of the Age of Origin. The Material Plane was most likely created by all of the deities equally, or at least with the input of the most prominent, leading to its overall neutral alignment and wildly varied features. The racial deities created their subjects in this age, though not all at once, as the elves and dwarves are fond of pointing out. Humans, with no creator god, where the last race to appear Age of Civilization (Date Unknown) It is in this age that the sentient races of Trin developed their cultures and technologies. Various scholars would debate on the exact era that this happened, whether shortly after their creation, after a long period of time in a primitive state, or even overlapping with the Age of Origin, with the elder races coming into civilization before the younger races arose. This is the earliest age that has a definite historical event to mark it, as in this age the War of Gararnrash began. On the continent of Gararnrash, the lizard folk race, under the guidance of their patron deity, Saregnk, had built a sizable empire, spanning the entire eastern half of the continent. They had used varying methods to capture this land, using diplomacy, economic pressure, and military might in roughly equal proportions. At the time they thought themselves unstoppable, having met no sentient races of their power in their advance. However, unbeknownst to them, another force was rising. The gnolls were not as advanced as the lizardfolk, but were more physically able, and had carved out a decent kingdom of their own in the valleys in the center of the continent. At the time, they were a unified people, under the iron rule of the high priests of their creator and war god, Haernak. These powerful clerics of destruction led the relentless armies of the gnolls in expanding their rule. It was inevitable that the two kingdoms would meet in battle. It was approximately 1500 years before the current time that this encounter occured. The gnoll expansion force moved into a Lizardfolk held valley, and began to attack the outlying towns. Word travelled quickly to the Lizardfolk monarch, who ordered a small band of warriors to deal with the invasion. At this time, the Lizardfolk had not encountered the gnolls before, and expected them to yeild before their might like all the others. The small force was no match for the masses of the gnolls, and they were defeated, leaving the eastern portion of the valley to fend for itself. Startled by their defeat, the Lizardfolk in the western half of the valley began scrambling to build up their defenses. the Gnolls moved slowly, taking their time to loot all of the towns in their way, giving the Lizardfolk enough time to bring in in the full force of their army. In the first few skirmishes, the Gnolls proved to be more adept at combat in the open, so the Lizardfolk changed strategies to maintain several fortress towns placed near the borders. This proved to be effective, as they pushed back numerous seiges. The gnoll god Haernak grew impatient with the sieges, and started taking a more active role in the war, creating magic items for his army and eventually sending avatars to fight for him. With their divine boost, the gnolls forced their way into the Lizardfolk empire, greatly distrssing the people. They began to feel that their ruler was growing ineffective. He was killed by an unknown assasin, and two rival factions began vying for power. The leader of each faction both beleived they were the best suited to rule, and the empire was split. Seeing how the war was devastating his people, Saregnk sent his own divine minions to fight those of Haernak. Fiends of all sorts, eager to expand their own empires onto the material plane, joined in on eiher side. Huge battles were fought over and over, with the two opposing dieties sometimes raising the dead of their warriors to continue the battle, causing it to rage on for years without one side gaining the advantage. For years this continued, both sides growing weary, but pushed on by the will of their gods. Eventually, however, the superior strategy and organization of the Lizardfolk began to prevail, and the gnolls were pushed back. Convinced that theirs was a stronger race, the gnolls, in their desperation, decided that their diety was not lending them all the power he could. They desided to steal the power so they could use it to destroy the Lizardfolk once and for all. In a dread ritual that remains a mystery to this day, the high priests siphoned the divine power of their patron into five artifacts of immesurable power. On the battlefield, these items devastated whole armies, but that power came at a terrible price. Noticing how Harnak was weakened, Saregnk finished off the gnoll god. The resulting shockwave of divine energy caused volcanoes to erupt spontaneously and viciously, and the destruction of their creator shattered the minds of the gnolls. At this time Sarengk and the rest of the dieties of the world pulled out most of their actions on the material plane, now only intervening in minor ways like granting spells and some minor miracles, for reasons unknown. Both sides of the war were broken, and the war came to an end with no clear victor. Both sides returned to their own kingdoms to rebuild and plot revenge. So ended the First War of Gararnrash. Coming Soon: Age of Civilization on Hynth Age of Turmoil (approximately 12000 years from present to 3980 years from present)The beggining of the age of Turmoil is marked by an event known as the Withdrawal. Prior to this event, the creator deities of the many races took an extremely active role in the daily life of their people, even appearing on the material plane occasionally. At the end of the Age of Civilization, they suddenly and mysteriously pulled out much of their influence. They still granted spells and protected their worshipers, but they no longer came to the material plane, and had much less direct contact with mortals. It is unknown what caused this event, but it threw the world into chaos. Everyone demanded to know why their gods had all but deserted them, and kingdoms were overthrown as people searched for the thing that was to blame. On Gararnrash this led to the split of the once unified Lizardfolk kingdom in two, after a short civil war. The gnolls broke into five factions, the leader of each possessing one of the artifacts of their dead god Haernak. On Hynth, the already fractious human nations were further upset, as the people began to questionn their rulers. The elven clans of Mistran began to distrust each other, and grew more and more isolated. The orcs recall this period as the bloodiest in their history, even for a brutal race as they. Next, The Slave Wars Age of Hynther(Date Undecided)No Information Yet Age of Seperation(Date Undecided)No Information Yet Current Age(Date Undecided)No Information Yet I have only the geography and part of the history and cosmology up at the moment, I will add history later. I have to leave now, but any input would be appreciated, especially help on developing the geography of Gararnrash.
Jared_Arcane 12-20-06, 10:49 PM	In Gararnrash, you mentioned that there are no bodies of water. I assume you mean no large bodies, like lakes or inland seas. Since it is a mountainous region it must have rivers flowing to the ocean coasts. They might not pool up, and may have dry spells depending on the weather patterns, but any rain that falls will create riverbeds over time. Also, if there are any large populations of people, particularly humans, there will be arable land cleared somewhere, in the valleys of the mountains if not on any coastlines. Look at any good map of Central Europe for ideas.
Damior 12-26-06, 08:37 PM	Added part of the history
Jared_Arcane 12-28-06, 04:09 AM	I like the little bit of history you have come up with. Interesting idea, having gnolls and lizardmen be one of the first civilizations to emerge on the world. It makes them seem more powerful as races than the degenerate creatures they have become in todays Monster Manual. Good job!
Damior 12-28-06, 05:46 PM	they are actually not the first, just the first on the continent. At that point in time orcs, elves and dwarves were also in power, but on Hynth, which at the time had no contact with Gararnrash. But yes, the lizardmen and gnolls are more prominent in this world than in most, being the primary inhabitants of gararnrash. Also, to fit my backstory, I needed to make a few changes to their racial stats, as follows: Trin Lizardfolk: As normal lizardfolk, except +2 Str +2 Con +2 Int +2 Dex (replaces normal ability score adjustments) LA+1 Favored Class changed to ranger Trin Gnolls: As normal gnolls, except -2 Wis LA +0 Favored Class Changed to barbarian Of course, the original versions of these races do exist, though they are only subraces in my campaign. Another change to an existing race is that in my campaign Raptoran favored class is changed to scout. (raptorans are also fairly prominent in my campaign, though not as much as the gnolls and lizardfolk)
Jared_Arcane 12-29-06, 09:24 PM	I like the changes you made to the base races. I also like the idea that the 'original' forms are sub-races (or, perhaps, the de-evolved form after being decimated in the wars). Anyway, good job so far.
Damior 12-30-06, 04:38 PM	Finished off the writing of the AFirst War of Gararnrash
Jared_Arcane 01-01-07, 10:13 PM	Just read the expanded war/history section you posted. Loved it! The explanation for the stupidity of the gnoll race was inspired, and the idea that powerful artifacts that contain the essence of a lost/dead gnoll creator god could lead to many a world-spanning/-saving campaign. I can't wait to read the next part.
Damior 01-05-07, 06:33 PM	Bit of cosmology fresh out of the oven!
Jared_Arcane 01-06-07, 10:25 PM	Just read the cosmology you posted. Very interesting. I like the idea that Paradise is militaristic on its upper level. The plane of Novum is intriguing. It makes me wonder whether alternate primes could be reached if the correct demi-planet were reached. Nice Job!
Damior 01-26-07, 09:57 PM	added more to history
taradusis 03-04-07, 08:58 PM	Not to be insulting but as I read thru your world I was looking for the hook?Is there a unique aspect to your world?Something like a technology,magic,organisations,individua l,race,monster,geography or whatnot that sets your world apart?