Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 jaffro1985 Jun 01, 2009 7:10:56	I'm gonna split this over a few posts, otherwise it will just be massive. The first few posts will be about the history of the world. Creation, the forming of Enthinia At the dawn of creation, the pantheon of Gods came together and decided to forge a new world. The Goddess Melora was the first to begin her work. She created the base of existence, a pure rock of spiritual energy. Melora then divided this perfect sphere into the various regions of the world that each God was able to stamp their mark on to. Melora proceeded to fill these vast breaches with the oceans, rivers and pools that life draws strength from. Next to his work was the great God Moradin, lord of creation and craftsmanship. He first crafted the great mountains, smashing them out of the bare rock face with his mighty hammer. Moradin then hew great chunks out of his own Godly chariot and scattered them over the world. These became the raw materials that life needed to advance itself. Once Moradin had finished transforming the face of the world the Gods Pelor, Sehanine, Correlon and Avandra combined their influences and gave the world it’s many seasons. Pelor the God of the summer and sun would ensure that all remained warm in the world and that light would always come after darkness, and Sehanine the Goddess of the moon and autumn ensured that all light would eventually cycle to darkness. The seasons allowed each of the four Gods to at one time in the year have a presence on their world. Things began to stagnate in the world. Far from sprouting natural life that made use of the gifts of the Gods Enthinia remained motionless in the eyes of the Pantheon. It was then that Avandra used her powers to make the world turn. This motion ensured that the world would be in a constant state of change, moving naturally through its cycle; the seasons, the days and nights. Corelon longed for the day when he would see creatures in the world and he decided to himself that no creature would be seen to inhabit such a barren rock. It was then that he seeded the world. Taking petals and seeds from the tree of existence that resided in the hall of the Gods he sowed the seeds that gave the first real life to the world; the forests and jungles. Soon after this creatures of the Feywild began to appear. The Eladrin came and made their homes in the forests and brought with them the cunning Gnomes. Due to Avandra’s gifts of change the creatures of the Feywild, who remained on Enthinia began to become a part of the world. Soon the Halflings, Humans, and Elves were born. The Feywild’s influence did not stop there however, as soon, the various races of the world came to life in the world. The Gods were very pleased with their success, but soon conflicts began to develop. There was no order, no stability, the chaos of the world threatened to tear it apart. It was then that Bahamut created a new race, the Dragonborn. These were sent as symbols of justice and honour but they were soon also corrupted by the chaos of Enthinia. Ioun, the God of knowledge and wisdom joined his powers with Erathis the God of civilisation, and together they restored stability to the world and gave the races of Enthinia the power they needed to keep it. Becoming jealous of the race Bahamut was allowed to create Moradin set about making his own creation. He made his race firm and sturdy like the rock he hew them from. He cast his creations down to Enthinia and this race became the Dwarves. As final reminders to the inhabitants of Enthinia of the Gods presence Kord, the God of battle and the storms created a powerful gale that haled the coming of the Deva. These scions of the Gods were infused with their power and were seen as the living incarnations of the Gods. These creatures came riding the mighty race known as Dragons. These ancient and powerful creatures scattered over Enthinia to keep an eye on their master’s creation.
#2 jaffro1985 Jun 01, 2009 7:13:05	The divinity wars For generations the world of Enthinia grew as the Gods intended it to, a peaceful cycle was achieved and all seemed well however, there can be no day without night, light without dark, this was the Gods decree. And it was this fatal decree that was overlooked by Ioun that almost cost the Gods dearly. The Deva reported that several of their dragon guardians had become hostile and were refusing to do their work. The Pantheon looked down into their world and noticed a rift in the sky. This rift opened to a new plane of existence, one that the Gods had not intended to exist. For every light, there is darkness. For every God, there was a terrible Devil. The Gods watched on as demons, monsters and twisted creatures of every kind ravaged through their creation and they were disgusted. These Devils, monstrosities, were even hailed by some humans to be Gods themselves. These dark Gods assembled on the highest peak of Enthinia, a place now known as Hell’s Summit, to challenge the Pantheon for control of the world. The conflict became bloody. Hordes of twisted creatures fought against the civilised peoples of Enthinia, the Gods too engaged in this battle, Bahamut and Moradin lead the charge beside their brother Kord. After almost a century of endless battle the Pantheon threw the Dark Gods back into their rift and sealed it shut but the damage had already been done. A new Goddess was born. The Raven Queen, Goddess of death. The Raven Queen single handily dealt with the numerous casualties from all over Enthinia with the upmost neutrality and respect for the dead on both sides. However it was not long before the Dark Gods made their own Harbinger of Death. This abomination was known as the great Lord Orcus. Orcus rampaged through the world reaping the souls of the dead and dying to feed his own insatiable hunger for darkness. It was in this time that death cults began to appear in the world of Enthinia. An attempt by members of the church of the Pantheon to appease the bringer of death and end his reign of tyranny. This later became a true religion for some members who had become disillusioned with the Pantheon of Gods for not being able to destroy Orcus once and for all. For their servitude Orcus warped their minds and bodies with the harvested souls of the dead that he had slaughtered. These souls gave birth to the first Orcs. Many became disillusioned with the Pantheon, seeing the gifts and power that the Dark Gods had wrested from them made them begin to worship them instead. It was for this treachery that the Pantheon cursed the races of men and Eladrin. They turned them into warped demons, red of skin with horns and tentacles in place of hair. This was the curse that created the Tieflings. This new breed were seen by the great Dragonborn empire of Razcal as an embodiment of all that was evil and a crusade was raised to destroy Orcus, the Tieflings and his many followers. Marching under the banner of Razcal the Dragonborn sought the help of the great dragons who they were akin with. After a final prayer to Bahamut the legions of the Dragonborn marched on Orcus’ keep which he had built in the furthest depths of the world, literally corrupting the beating heart of Enthinia. 10 years of bloody conflict followed and the Demon Orcus was finally slain on the mortal plain. Many of the Dragons fell to the Demon and the Razcal Empire was all but wiped out along with the Dragonborn. It was on this day that Emperor Razcal himself gave his life alongside his kinsman riding the fabled Golden Dragon against the Demon finally cutting out the beast’s heart. Some say that Orcus even now seeks ways to return to Enthinia but it is the solemn duty of the Raven Queen as the true Goddess of death to prevent him from doing so.
#3 jaffro1985 Jun 01, 2009 7:14:41	The Goliath Rebellions and the Formation of Ark After the fall of Orcus the world needed to rebuild. The Enthinian’s formed a great council; one representative of every race was summoned to sit on the council to discuss the fate of the world. The races of Enthinia sent their best and brightest and for one long month they argued and fought for their rights. In the end a global restoration of nature was launched. The forests were re-planted, the rivers were restored and all thanks to the Wardens and Druids of the wilderness. Near the end of this restoration the Human council representative put forward the notion that an emperor was required to restore true stability to Enthinia. The Dragonborn representative argued fiercely that if any one man was to rule it should be a Dragonborn. His outburst provoked anger from the Tiefling representative who argued that the Razcal Empire fell due to a senseless genocide of the Tiefling and Orc races. The arguments became more violent until weapons were drawn and spells focused. What followed was a ferocious attack on the council by a lone Goliath assassin. He stormed through the chamber and slaughtered all of the representatives. His reasons for this attack are unknown but the results are common knowledge. The Goliath race was persecuted most harshly and forced into slavery and imprisonment. This abuse of their race forced the Goliath’s to rebel against their captors. Goliath’s from all over Enthinia gathered on the moon planes and began their razing of the human kingdoms. The humans acted swiftly against this invasion and created a mighty walled Fortress high on Conquerors Bluff as a bastion of human resistance. This fortress, named Ark stood for decades against the fury of the Goliath onslaughts, this single Fortress prevented Rag’mar, the Goliath war chief from linking up with his allies, the Giant’s of the Jarred Mountains. The division of these allies allowed the humans to rally their allies from across Enthinia to fight back. The Goliath Rebellions were over and as a result of their remarkable endurance the Humans were nominated to elect an Emperor from their ranks. The first Emperor Triam was elected from the ranks of the human nation as a symbol of their embodiments. His achievements in the Goliath Rebellion as well as his incredible accomplishments on the diplomatic field made him a prime candidate. The Gods gave Triam their blessing and as a divine ruler of Enthinia he became an Invoker of the God’s will and as such recalled a grand council of races. This council served as Triam’s most powerful and wise advisors and together they were ready to take on any challenge that Enthinia faced. The Fortress of Ark became the central crucible of the new Triamian Empire. It developed from Fortress to City built backwards into the solid mountains. Enthinia entered a new age of piece with the formation of Ark and the Triamian Empire. Even after the passing of Emperor Triam there was no question that his line was the one who should truly rule Enthinia and they have done so ever since.
#4 jaffro1985 Jun 01, 2009 7:16:15	Ka’Rashi 100 years ago, 2000 years after the formation of the Triamian Empire a Sorcerer from the Feywild came to Enthinia with designs on the throne. He worshipped the great Harbinger of Death Orcus and vowed to his mighty lord that he would bring him back to the mortal plain. Ka’Rashi used his powers and influence to enslave and convince a massive army made up of every race of Enthinia. He was also given command of demonic forces and monsters by the powerful Dark Gods. Using the powerful charm ritual, Bonds of Sevitude Ka’Rashi’s enslaved masses marched on Ark. They smashed into the walls, wave after wave of terrible creature. Emperor Azamin I rallied his council. Despite the combined might of all the nations of Enthinia Ka’Rashi’s power was too great. It was then that the Deva came to Ark. 100 Deva smashed through the hordes of Ka’Rashi and made it into the city of Ark. Giving the Emperor instructions from the Gods the Deva fought the Hordes of darkness in order to give him enough time to fulfil his task. The grand council of races each gathered a symbol of their races; something that connected them with what the race embodies. These mundane objects were then subjected to a ritual of great power that allowed the Gods to imbue them with their power. These objects gave the council the power to destroy Ka’rashi’s endless hordes and end his ritual to summon the Death Harbinger Orcus at the cost of their lives. The new representatives of each race recovered these items of power after the battle was finished and took them back to safety in their respective nations as national treasures. The new Emperor of the Triamian Empire was crowned and the central Jewel of his crown is the same artefact that the humans used to defeat Ka’Rashi. The jewel represents human beauty, elegance and resilience. It is said that with each new emperor the jewel changes colour as a representation of human versatility.
#5 jaffro1985 Jun 01, 2009 7:17:09	Now The most recent event to befall the world of Enthinia is the joining of the Eladrin priestess Merrielle and the human crown prince Azzarus. This is a historic union of bloodlines as it has been a consensus of the nations of Enthinia that Eladrin are not to be trusted. Many retreated to the Feywild after the shame Ka’Rashi brought upon their nation but a greater number stayed to prove people wrong. Azzarus never understood why the Eladrin were treated so harshly and as a child often enjoyed being in the company of the Eladrin council representative. He met his beloved Merrielle when he fell ill with a terrible disease. No healer in Ark could cure him and nobody knew what was happening. It fell on a young priestess of The Raven Queen who was brought in first to perform the death rites on the prince but she pleaded with her lady to spare him. The disease he was suffering is known as the scar of Orcus. In their eternal battle the Raven Queen and the Harbinger of death often cause an unwanted effect on the world. This is where all disease and illness comes from. The Raven Queen, hearing Merrielle’s pleas incapacitated Orcus and spent some time on a ritual that would heal the young Prince. Eternally grateful the Emperor Azamin IV allowed the priestess to marry his son as he wished. This holy union has brought about a new found faith in Eladrin kindness and more and more have returned to Enthinia from the Feywild.
#6 jaffro1985 Jun 01, 2009 7:21:38	Now that the history section is done I will post the information about one of the most important institutions in Enthinia, the Heroes Alliance Origins The heroes alliance of Enthinnia started when a band of soldiers grew tired of the Empire's strict policies and the bereucratic process that surrounded adventure and heroism. The group, lead by the mighty Dragonborn Roscoe desserted the imperial army and found a small ruined castle to call their headquarters. They were hunted down like dogs by the army but soon the council of races realised that this group could be put to good use. Several of the councilmen realised that there was a lot of public support for the group, tales of their heroic deeds began to spread and they became folk-heroes to the world. Following the disaster of the Goliath rebellions Roscoe and his trusted friends met with a representative of the council. The alliance recieved the full pardon of the council of races and they alligned themselves with the council. They agreed that the Alliance would offer regular tribute to the council in exchange for freedom to act as they will. Policies The policies of the Heroes Alliance are simple. Protect those that pay, those that are on the verge of destruction, and stamp out evil wherever it may rise. The Alliance does not answer to the Council or the Empire as a whole, they are an independant body that are simply supported by the government, they act in their own interests, accept the jobs that they want and do not wait for the council to sanction the acts before they perform their duty. Recruitment The Alliance accepts applicants from all over Enthinnia, it is made up of every type of class imaginable. In the Alliance there is no divide between wealthy and poverty, Fighter or Wizard, there is only the shared brotherhood of belonging to the Alliance. Organization Although the Alliance is a free body it is not without rules. It treats its members equally but there is also a firm chain of command. At the top is the High Lord, a position first filled by the Fighter Roscoe. The High Lord oversee's all of the Alliance's activities and ensures that none of them are acting out of line. Next is the circle of Knights. These nine individuals are some of the bravest heroes in all of the Alliance, it is only this few who are able to commune with the High Lord himself. The Alliance then filters down into a general military Heirachy with new recruits being trained by more experienced heroes.
#7 jaffro1985 Jun 01, 2009 7:25:10	I've only designed one settlement in any detail at the moment, the small village of Ealonwood. I haven't designed the NPC's in detail yet but I will, there is some minor information about them in this section. Ealonwood A brief History The village of Ealonwood was formed by a group of pioneers after the Holy Wars. It quickly became one of the most prominent farming communities in the whole of Triam’s Crucible. The pioneers made a trade agreement with the Elves and Gnomes of Kellen’s wood for the use of a very special ritual. Once every 10 years the forests of Kellen’s Wood shrink back into the Feywild allowing the farmers an enormous space to grow crops. These crops are magically imbued with the powers of the Feywild and last the farmers until the time of the next ritual. In exchange for these magical crops the creatures of Kellen’s Wood asked only that a Golden Acorn be planted in the deepest depths of the forests otherwise the harvest will fail. Now the village of Ealonwood is a peaceful community, a happy home to Humans, Elves and gnomes alike. Overseers of the ritual agreement also come to stay in Ealonwood in the form of Eladrin rangers from the Feywild. A large statue of Mehnlo, the human pioneer who brought Ealonwood to prosperity stands firmly in the town square, making sure a natural balance is always preserved.
#8 jaffro1985 Jun 01, 2009 7:25:48	Population Being a border town between the mortal plane and the Feywild the village of Ealonwood shares a population of Humans, Elves, Gnomes and the occasional Eladrin. The other races of The Empire do not make themselves as known in Ealonwood but there are a few Halfling’s in the area. Travelling merchants also pad out the 500 mainstay population and there is probably about 600 people staying in Ealonwood at any one time.
#9 jaffro1985 Jun 01, 2009 7:26:21	Religion The citizens of Ealonwood worship Melora, the Goddess of nature as it is the connection to nature that enables the village to thrive. A rift has recently formed between the villagers of Ealonwood as Druids, Wardens and Shaman’s have begun appearing. These groups claim to know the true intentions of the nature spirits and have denounced the Pantheon as rulers of men. The worshippers of Melora however claim that these nature worshippers are deluded heathens, demeaning the glory of the one true ruler of nature.
#10 jaffro1985 Jun 01, 2009 7:27:22	Leadership The village is ruled over by Baron Ulrich. Being in the crucible Ealonwood is under a strict jurisdiction of the Triamian empire. As such its ruler is selected by the council of races, often picked from the finest in the village. Ulrich is a just man who works tirelessly to defend the rights of the farmers who toil to make the village a success but he has seen some opposition from those who seek for the village to modernise. Ulrich’s belief is that the past must be embraced to forge the future, meaning that conventional traditions will be used instead of modern technologies to ensure the villages survival. Law The law is enforced mostly through the regiment of Imperial legionaires dispatched to guard the town from villainy. This force is mostly made up of recruits as Ealonwood is a small notch in the empires cap and does not seem to need much in the way of protection. The village is protected by 50 soldiers most fresh out of the academy save for their leader Captain Mulchern who grew up in Ealonwood as a boy and personally requested to be transferred there. The laws themselves are the same as the common law of the empire and are enforced as such. Punishments for flouting of imperial rule include the stocks, custody, maiming, fines and in extreme cases, death. The total amount of executions carried out in the 2000 year history of Ealonwood is barely into the double digits.
#11 jaffro1985 Jun 01, 2009 7:28:20	Organizations The only organization is the nature preservation society. This group forms an informal local council. The goals of the society are to prevent travellers from violating the balance of nature that they believe must be upheld for the good of the community.
#12 jaffro1985 Jun 01, 2009 7:29:42	Tabatha’s Tea house Old lady Tabatha is a descendant of one of the original Ealonwood pioneers. Her Grandfather owned a small Tea-tent on the road and over the two millennium’s since the villages founding, the business grew into a much respected Tea House. The house serves all its patrons with hot tea, some even brewed with secrets of the Feywild. The houses main attraction to the villagers is the staff. Unlike the rowdy taverns the tea house is a dignified place of rest attended to by a staff consisting entirely of elves. Tip-Toe Tavern Run by a gruff Halfling named Azzan the tip-toe tavern has always been a source of mocking for him. He inherited it from his uncle who stole the deeds to it from a malicious land-owner, sadly this same owner tried to take it back in an attack on the place. Azzan fought back and killed his attackers however he lost his leg in the process. Now he has been fitted with a wooden leg substitute but he is hardly the stealthy sort any more. He has been refused a name change constantly by the Barony as the tavern is a site of historical importance to Ealonwood and the conservation committee refuses to allow the change.
#13 jaffro1985 Jun 01, 2009 7:30:32	Osric’s Sundries Owned by the happy go lucky Dawrf Osric. Osric takes great pleasure in finding out local gossip. He sells all the basic equipment needed for a life of farming or adventure in his little store but refuses to sell any weaponry due to his pacifist nature. Although Osric often seems happy and upbeat he is in debt with a local gang of thugs because he lost his game of runes. The basement of Osric’s functions as a casino of sorts but it is strictly underground, he does however dream of one day turning it into a real casino. Ealonwood Market Once every new moon traders from all over the crucible set up a stall at the Ealonwood market. The market is the place to find weaponry, magical items, rare jewels, exotic meats, and even information.
#14 jaffro1985 Jun 01, 2009 7:31:48	The temple of Melora The temple of Melora is one of Ealonwood’s most visited sites. It stands near the centre of the village and bears a large scale on top of it. The scales are there to represent the balance of nature and are believed to be a holy indicator of how well the village is maintaining harmony. The worshippers fear that should the scales ever tip towards corruption a great plague, similar in destructive power to the great Lord Orcus himself could cripple the village. The shrine of nature’s spirit The shrine of nature’s spirit lies on the boarders of the entire Kellen’s Wood area. The shrine acts as a two way portal allowing brief incursions into the Feywild as well as more permanent ones onto the mortal plane. The shrine is worshipped at by those who believe the teachings of the Pantheon are false. They believe that it is nature’s decision how it evolves and whether the balance shifts is a testament to the unbridled force of nature itself, they do not believe that mortals should attempt to change this balance if nature decides otherwise.
#15 jaffro1985 Jun 01, 2009 7:32:59	Kellen’s Wood This fey linked forest is home to elves and gnomes and the occasional Eladrin. As well as being a gateway to the Feywild Kellen’s Wood has become the single most important reason for the growth and continued survival of the village of Ealonwood. By way of a magical enchantment that lulls travellers into a drowsy daze what may be only a few miles of woodland may seem like days and days of travel, such is the calming nature of the forest. Kellen’s Wood however is not without its share of dangers, malicious fey beasts, wild animals and the odd bandit stalk the woodland waiting for a droopy trader to walk into their claws. Ulrich’s Manor The manor that was built for the first Baron of Ealonwood has stood for centuries as the focal point of the village. High above the town lies a 5 story manor home with 50 acres of land surrounding it. The manor has been restored and rebuilt many times over the years and may contain any number of skeletons (dead and undead) lurking in its many closets. The manor is home to Baron Ulrich himself as well as containing quarters for his 25 servants. There are always 20 imperial legionnaires patrolling the grounds at any time and these men are drafted from the 50 that have been assigned to guard the town. Audience in the Baron’s manor is rare and he usually sends his scribe to make announcements in the main village square. The square and the statue of Mehnlo The village square is a place of meeting and social gathering. Announcements, executions and other social issues are dealt with there and it also houses the Ealonwood market when it comes to the village. The square is always a good place to meet eccentric characters and hear the latest gossip from the crucible. The statue of Mehnlo stands in watch over the village and has done since it was first built. An enchantment from the Eladrin caused the statues strong, pointing arm direct those who need to seek it towards the location of the Golden Acorn but this knowledge is held only by the highest and most trusted of Melora’s servants.
#16 jaffro1985 Jun 01, 2009 7:33:58	If you've made it through all that well done! any comments, criticisms, ideas, will be much appreciated.
#17 panosl Jun 04, 2009 14:31:19	Very detailed background and world outline I like it. You just need to flesh things out more by adding your NPC and quest chains. Get into the nitty gritty of the mechanical side of things as you've got the roleplay stuff very nicely sorted. Sounds like a fun campaign. Shame nobody has replied to it yet.