The World of Azemja
Azemja is one, giant land, surrounded by water, with islands to the northwest. Azemja works differently than other worlds because:
-Everything is powered by elementals. Druids of higher levels use elementals to move everything. Boats use water elementals, sky ships use air elementals, carts are pushed by earth elementals, and the dwarfs’ even use fire elementals to power their forges.
-Elves and humans do not get along at the moment. Humans are trying to tear down a path through the trees of the elven forest of Gern. (see below under elves geography) This has caused tensions between the two groups.
-The drow are a newly discovered race by the above ground living. The only contact with drow that this world has had is through the dwarves mining expeditions (see below under dwarves current affairs). This leads to the racial term “black elves” which the other elves hate just as much as their underground brothers.
-The smaller races, halflings and gnomes, are the most uncommon in the land of Azemja. The majority of them are found in the coastal city of Vann (see below small folk geography)
-Dragons really are just myths. There are no dragons in Azemja, which also means no half-dragons, kobolds, dragonspawn, draconic gods, and the like.
Overall Geography
To the north of Azemja are the Jemar Mountains. To the southeast is the Gren Forest. To the south is another mountain range, the Stumfyr, which is unpopulated, except for the town of Sorlij, which lies to the very south of the range. Two rivers pass through Azemja. The first is the Bredvan River. The longer of the two, as it reaches the capitol of Menske, it splits into the North Bredvan River, and the Southern Bredvan River. The latter of the two passes through the Gren Forest. The second river is the Liten River, which cuts into Azemja from the west, passes the town of Sted, and cuts back out at the brink of the Gren Forest, at the Liten Delta. There are a group of five islands to the northwest of Azemja, known as the Skargar Islands. This is where many monks learn their skill, in the sacred city of Fem.
The humans
Geography
Humans can be found anywhere in Azemja. The capitol of Azemja is the human city of Menske. Menske is dirty, overpopulated and an overall unclean place.
Leadership
Humans generally believe in a democratic republic (like we have in the US).
Current Affairs
Humans are fighting with the elves over the construction of what they call the Great Combination Road. This road would pass through the Gren Forest, and connect the north of Azemja to the south.
The dwarves
Geography
To the north are the Jemar Mountains. This is where the majority of the dwarves live. The major city of the dwarven land is Verni. This giant city has been carved out of the side of Mount Visok, and is always growing, as the dwarves continue to carve away at the rock. Other dwarven cities include Krepak, a great source for magical weapons, Debeo, where many rich gems are found, and the small mining camp, NeVeliki.
Leadership
The dwarves believe in a monarchy. The current king is King Skegg the Great. Skegg has won the majority of his fellow dwarves, but with all the new ideas pouring into the kingdom, he has lost a lot of support. This has led him to ban any official groups not accepted by the king, and a 10 PM curfew.
Current Affairs
Recently the dwarves of Verni have had continued troubles mining any deeper in Mount Visok, meaning that the city remains the same size. Verni is growing crowded as more dwarves make their journey to the famous place. Attempts to mine have been stalled by the fact that miners are going missing, without any explanation. This has caused the other miners to stop working.
Ten years ago in NeVeliki, dwarves broke through a hole in one of their mining tunnels. They ignored it, and continued working, but soon, Drow began to raid the camp. After blocking off the hole, the dwarves thought that the trouble was over, but they were wrong. Just a few weeks ago, Drow scouts have breached another hole, and NeVeliki has been receiving even stronger attacks than last time.
The elves
Geography
The southeast of Azemja is completely covered in the Green Forests. These vast woods provide a home to the elves. The major city is Forlate, located deep within the Gren. Only an elf born in the city can find it, but many have tried and failed. Forlate is the only elvish city, but is extremely large. It is as twice as big as the capital, Menske, and holds over 1 million elves.
Leadership
The elves use a fair democracy, where anyone over the age of 120 can vote. This voting system is overseen by the Official Assembly, which passes down the position to ten other elves every 200 years. The Official Assembly is not voted on, but instead each member picks another to take his or her place. This is the only political group of the elves.
Current Affairs
The human group of Menske, the capitol, has decided to cut down many trees in the Gern Forest, in an attempt to create a path from the north of Azemja, to the south. This would increase the human influence over the land, but would also destroy much of the forest. Elven resistance fighters are currently destroying lumber camps, and killing of lumberjacks in an attempt to protect their forest. The humans insist that this must be done, to improve trade, but everyone knows that trade is going just fine with the sky ships.
Small folk (Halflings and gnomes)
Geography
The small folk live mostly in the coastal cities of Storrin and Vann. These two cities use boats to transfer goods from the north and south. Halflings are the more adventurous of the two, and are more likely to be found in different places. The majority of gnomes that aren’t in the shipping business live with the dwarves as alchemists.
Leadership
The only leadership in the small folk world is the captains of ships. The smallfolk do not deal with Azemja’s crazy world of politics, instead choosing to have their own fun on the waters of the Storbrutto Sea.
Current Affairs
The small folk have nothing to worry themselves with at the moment.
It looks like a very interesting world to adventure.
Very Impressive Rumble! Looking forward to adventuring in this world :)
Same as any other campaign. Swords, bows, carts, etc.
The only different technology is the use of elementals for transport. This also gives them the use of sky ships. These boats are powered by air elementals. The bigger the ship, the more elementals required. If you were to kill the elemental though, the ship would "sink". ouch...
Currently, the dwarves are working with gnome alchemists in an attempt to create a new and stronger metal, but nothing has been produced yet.
That's about it on the technology front.
Gods
In this world any god goes. The way it goes is that as long as a god has a believer it exists. For example, a small boy creates a shrine out of rocks for a bee. That bee is a god. Then, the boy leaves, goes to bed, and forgets about the bee. The bee is no longer a god. This is just an example. Using the same analogy, that bee had one believer, so it had minimal strength. Other gods have much more, like Moradin, who most dwarves revere. Moradin has the power to help his people, while the bee might be able to give his hive a few extra grams of honey.
Religion in General
Religion is not a hot topic in this world, except when there is name-calling. Cursing a powerful god is an unhealthy hobby. If people here you disclaiming a god exists, or the like, they will run in the opposite direction, and you will be smote. Gods in this world are omniscient (all seeing and hearing), and do not like to be doubted. It is okay if you do not worship them, but you cannot mock them.
*WARNING* Do not casually make fun of a god, for he/she is a god! Gods are too strong for levels. If a level 20 Barbarian laughs at Boccob after stealing a wizard's staff, he will take higher than 20d% (a range of 200-2000 damage)!
Fate
To a certain degree, there is such thing as Fate. In this world she is considered a fellow god, but differently. She does not need or have believers, she simply exists. If an adventurer is over his head and cries out to her ("Fate help me!"), she might be in a good mood and help him out.
Something is not clear to me. How the elementals are controled? Summon Monster? Only druids can summon them? Summon Monster lastes a limited time, then how can the elementals work for humanoids indefinite time?
As well, would this not mean that Druids have special power/status in this realm? Are they revered/respected etc. more? Do all their spells work the same as 3.5?
Elementals
In Azemja elementals count as a wandering monster. Water elementals can be found in the ocean, or a river, earth elementals in a cave (constant threats to a dwarven miner), etc. Fire elementals are extremely rare (of course), but can be found. These are the elementals used for transportation.
When you summon an elemental, it counts as a magical beast. Thus it is stronger than a normal elemental, but it does not last.
Druids
Druids have no special powers except what is written in the PHB, but they are revered. Besides that, they are like everyone else.
Magic's Structure (This is confusing. Bear with me.)
The world of Azemja is made of 3D filaments, called "threads". Using magic is the minipulation of these threads. When you cast a magic missile, you are distorting the threads, and creating a magic missile. These threads are held together by "the looms". These are giant stones, ten to be exact, spread out across the land of Azemja, some under water. If these looms are destroyed, then the world literally falls apart. Even when one loom is broken, magic becomes distorted. Magic missile might turn into fireball, etc. The location of three of these looms are public knowledge but the rest have not been discovered.
Elven Information Only:
NOTE: any spellcaster can summon an elemental. Druids are usually the ones who do it. Sorry for any confusion
It's all really interesting actually, I'm excited to start playing. =D
Nice job on making this world, very cool.
I would like a detailed background story from each of you. Use the geography and knowledge that I gave you. Also, feel free to look at the other members spoilers. I just added the spoilers to save us from another wall of text.
Characters
Elven Windwalker - Dave
Monk - Khaladon
Human Fighter and Human Wizard - Bill and 3.5 fan
Yes please, it would be a lot helpful.
This world is interesting enough to you to take paper and pen and start writing it down. It has the potential to be a published work. Some other details could improve it but the concept of a society that uses elementals as workforce and energy is a cool one. However since this is a whole world it will take a lot of time to take all the pieces together to get a full campaign setting. Well, start working, you have a long work before you (many, many hours in front of the PC).
Well this could sound odd but I would like to have the map in front of me to do my background since it is easier to me make an "itinerary" of my life.
Heh, same here fanman, I have a basic concept but a map would make things a lot easier. For some reason. ;-;
This world is interesting enough to you to take paper and pen and start writing it down. It has the potential to be a published work. Some other details could improve it but the concept of a society that uses elementals as workforce and energy is a cool one.
Thank you for the compliment, but I have seen many others attempt to publish works right now (pretty good ones, too), and have been denied, because Paizo is busy with Pathfinder.
By the way, I have the map. It's not one of those amazing Dundjinni maps, for I have no software. Instead it is a hand-drawn. Hope you can read it and use it.
Hey, that's a great map. Better than anything I could do handrawn. v.v
I'll get to work on the backstory. ;D I do have a question though. I always thought druids kinda chose to live with nature and learned from that, how would Loghen be 'trained' as you suggested before? Like by a conclave of some sort?
The elves, continued, for Dave ;)
The elves are very social with eachother. Another druid usually "guides" a younger druid on the ways of nature. Teaching them the elven knowledge of nature, which is way too vast for the student to learn by themselves.
Hey, that's a great map. Better than anything I could do handrawn. v.v
It is exactly what I was thinking.
The use of elementals has been going on for ages. Like in our world, when the Europeans discovered horses as an aid for transportation, the people of Azemja have been using elementals as long as anyone can remember. Only earth elementals can be used for farming, and in the same way they pull carts, they also can pull farming equipment.
Not only the rich use elementals. The middle class can also afford the use of elementals. The lower class farm workers gain access to elementals due to a feudal system. By giving some of the profit of the land they work to the rich, the rich supply the farmers with elementals.
I have finished the novelette that was supposed to be a back-story (sorry! These things just seem to write themselves! :P )
I'll post it now in it's not quite 100% edited/completed form just so you can get a pick if you happen to have a spare hour or two ;-) Ok ok it's not That long but you get the idea. btw, for the next day or two, I may not be able to post with as much frequency. My apologies but I'll get Bo-dan completed asap.
PS you better bring a tissue too if you're gonna read her sob-story ;-) lol
Ack, seems I'm the only one with no backstory. Sorry, I've been very busy the past few days. D:
I'll have one up by tonight! ;D
Lower Class: 10% of Azemja
Peasants, Drunkards, Beggars, Street Urchins, Gangs of Homeless Children, and the like. You only find the lower class in the human cities. Elves would never let one of thier kind drop so low, and the dwarves are always have been able to adapt.
Middle Class: 75% of Azemja
Artisans, Specialists, Guards, New and Average level mercenaries, guild members, and the like. You can find these people anywhere. They have a proper home and can support a family.
Upper Class: 15% of Azemja
The best artisans, royalty, head of the guard, Higher level mercenaries, the Thieves Guild, and the like.
Looks like Bo-Dan, Calderis, and Hranos are completely ready. When Celedor has a background we can begin. By the way, you are all starting in different places (as it seems by your backstories), so I will plan the adventure for you to eventually meet. I will post "Not A Chance In Hell" under PlaybyPost.
Looks like Bo-Dan, Calderis, and Hranos are completely ready. When Celedor has a background we can begin. By the way, you are all starting in different places (as it seems by your backstories), so I will plan the adventure for you to eventually meet. I will post "Not A Chance In Hell" under PlaybyPost.
Joey
hmmm... I didn't recieve any emails from you recently...
joeyhendrix14@gmail.com
hmmm... I didn't recieve any emails from you recently...
Joey
Here's the IC Thread:
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Hey, guys, I just saw the post in the recruitment forum and thought I'd pop over and take a look. Are you still looking for new players? If so, what races, classes and sourcebooks are you allowing? I've got a couple characters lying around here that I rolled up as spares but I've never had the chance to play yet. They were originally rolled up as 5th level, but I can easily downgrade them to 1st level. One is a non-PHB race and class, and one is a standard PHB race and class. I'll make up aliases for each, which I should have posted by tomorrow, so just take a look at them under my profile page, and let me know if either of them might suit your campaign. I've never actually played PbP before, but I've been wanting to try it on for size for some time now.
I'll copy this post to the recruitment thread, too.
Congratulations!
*drumroll please*
You're in! Any questions or comments on the world, go ahead.
Congratulations!
*drumroll please*
You're in! Any questions or comments on the world, go ahead.
In case you haven't seen it yet, I posted this character for you in your recruitment thread, but you can look at her here, too. Let me know if you have any suggestions for alterations. I've got to run to work, but I'll be back on the boards later this afternoon.
Hey, awesome character. Only problem might be the Drow related features. As described above, the drow are a newly discovered species. I will let you keep the drow-related paraphanalia but you will need to give me a more in depth backstory about it. (Mercy is special, she has already crossed the Drow, she is not your average elf, etc.) You might want to go back and find all the info on the world of Azemja, also. There are no Frostfell mountains, but instead the Dwarven lands, etc
Anway, I know this seems like a lot, but if you look at the other two players, they also have detailed backgrounds relating to the land. I will try to work these into the plot of the adventure, and make the game a lot more interesting.
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Hey, awesome character. Only problem might be the Drow related features. As described above, the drow are a newly discovered species. I will let you keep the drow-related paraphanalia but you will need to give me a more in depth backstory about it. (Mercy is special, she has already crossed the Drow, she is not your average elf, etc.) You might want to go back and find all the info on the world of Azemja, also. There are no Frostfell mountains, but instead the Dwarven lands, etc
Anway, I know this seems like a lot, but if you look at the other two players, they also have detailed backgrounds relating to the land. I will try to work these into the plot of the adventure, and make the game a lot more interesting.
I'd say you're right, the dwarven lands are probably the most likely place that Mercy would have come from. Are any of the mountains high enough to have tundras or snowcaps in some places? If so, that's probably where Mercy's frostfell would be located ("frostfell" is not a proper name for a country or anything, it is just the word the locals use to describe the region - saying "the frostfell" is much like saying "the tundra," or "the frozen wastes," or "the ice floes" - of course, we can lose the term and call it whatever you may have already decided the local denizens would call it). That would also explain why she's already tangled with a drow, since it is the dwarves in that area that have been experiencing problems with them.
As far as drow-related features, I actually drew up the character based on the description of Snow Elves from the D&D 3.5 sourcebook "Frostburn." Although the hair and the eyes may bear a superficial resemblance to drow features, I don't think that is what the authors actually had in mind - I think those features evolved on them as a way of dealing with constant harsh winter conditions, much the way some kodiak bear migrations eventually developed white fur instead of brown and became polar bears in our world, or the arctic fox developed white fur to differentiate it from its more temperate cousins. Likely, the snow elves probably resembled the other elven tribes at some point in their history. Or, for perhaps a more interesting story twist, maybe they're close cousins of the drow, as distrusting of humans as their underdwelling cousins, but driven to separate from their dark brethren millenia ago for ideological reasons (isolationists though they may be, snow elves are typically of good alignment). That might explain why they not only live in an area that is geographically close in proximity to that of the drow, but also why they're practically as unknown to the other inhabitants of this world (except probably the dwarves, unless the other races have been ambitious enough to explore what probably amounts to a barren wasteland) as the drow.
Of course, if there are no tundras, arctic areas or such in the mountains, then we can explore other possibilities. You said that the world is one large land surrounded by water. Does the surrounding ocean have frozen polar regions? Our own North Pole, for instance, is mostly just frozen water that is solidly frozen year round, yet many different types of creatures live there. It is conceivable, then, that the snow elves come from the sea, from the frozen ice caps, and Mercy has either ventured out on her own, due to her adventuring spirit, and when the ice ended, perhaps some small folk were sailing through the area and granted her passage, both out of sheer curiosity as to exactly what the heck she is ("Well, she's obviously an elf of some kind, but darnit if I've ever seen one that looks like that!"), and because her money is as good as any, even if she is addled enough to be trying to book passage out in the middle of nowhere! Or alternately, maybe the snow elves have their own small fleet of canoes, kayaks, ice skimmers and the like, and she got a Thor Heyerdahl hair up her hind end and decided to set off across the water on her own, and managed to survive the trip by some miracle and landed on the shore just north of the Jemarr Mountains, encountering a drow scout that was just a little too brave in his own right, selling her his armor for a pound of his own flesh (perhaps even finding yet another point of entry/egress of the drow that the dwarves hadn't yet discovered). If we go with that option, I may switch out one rank in one of her other skills for a rank in Profession (Sailor), or something like that.
Once we decide exactly how to fit the snow elves into your world and map, then I can flesh out the drow encounter a little more, as well as tweak other parts of her back story.
Mercy:
Elven Mirror of Communication:
An elf in possession of this mirror can communicate with any other elf that has one, if the communicating elf knows the recipient's basic location. This will allow you to report to your elders on any new info that you come across.
This way, you can communicate with elders from home base to report your surroundings every so often.
Just an idea.
Mercy:
** spoiler omitted **
That'll work! Here's a little more on the back story with the drow encounter, taking this origin into account.
Dwarven miners, she suspected, and she was able to chuckle and withdraw when a movement caught her eye. Some distance ahead, but between her and the dwarves, three shadows lifted themselves from the wall and moved with stealthy precision toward the dwarves. Keeping to the wall herself, she got as close as she could without risking being seen. Gifted with Nightsight, a trait unusual among her kind, she was able to discern that these were elves, like herself. But then she caught herself - no, not like herself at all. These had skin as black as the midnight sky, and there was a foul sense of wrongness to them, a sense that set her paladin aura a-tingle. She didn't know their intentions, but she strongly suspected that barter and trade were not on their minds, and the conversation she could overheard from the dwarves revealed that they were unaware of the creeping danger moving toward them.
Even with the single-mindedness and dedication of the paladin, she still knew that 3-on-1 was a fool's gambit, and she may be inexperienced, but she was no fool! Instead, she backed slowly out of the cavern, then picked up a handful of loose stones and threw them down the passageway. The rocks skittled along the floor and bounced off the walls, doing no damage, but that hadn't been her intent. The shadows froze in place, and the conversation of the dwarves halted. "Ho, who's there?" shouted one of the dwarves. Footsteps sounded from deep in the cave, and faint lantern light shimmered across the walls and the frozen features of the dark elves. The sound of weapons being drawn rang forth, and then battle was joined. The dwarves outnumbered the three dark elves, but the elves had magic on their side, so they evened the odds rather quickly. Still, the dwarves were wily and bull-rushed the three assailants, driving them back out into the morning light, which tipped the battle in their favor. Emboldened by the light of her beloved sun, Mercy drew her weapons and stepped up from behind, pausing only long enough to alert one of the dark elves to her presence, gifting him with a long scar across the cheek half a moment later. By this time, only two dwarves remained. One drow engaged them fully with a dizzying two-bladed attack, while a second one diverted his attention between one of the dwarves and Mercy, who had moved into a flaking position. But it was the third drow that most concerned her, the one with the shouldered ebony bow and the gleaming serpent armor, the one who raised his hands and began to call forth another spell. Although she was not at all adept at the acrobatics of a rogue or a swashbuckler, she couldn't let that creature get that spell off, so she fell to the ground, not at all gracefully, but by the grace of Pelor the armed drow was distracted with the dwarf, so she managed to roll beneath its sword swipe, taking only a grazing wound, and roll into the knees of the spellcaster, bowling him to the ground. The other drow, distracted by her admittedly clumsy maneuver, were quickly felled by the two lightning fast dwarves and their spinning axes. She climbed quickly atop the prone drow and drew her blade across the back of his neck, letting the edge barely break the skin. Not one to slay a prone enemy, she instead held him to the ground while the dwarves lashed his wrists and stuffed his mouth with cloth so that he could not utter more foul magic.
The dwarves exclaimed, "I never seen the likes a'yea, but I'm sure glad you happened along when you did, or we'd be elf-meat ... with no offense intended, of course! These oily bastards must've been scouting the mountainside by night, when we sealed their entrance, not knowing some of them were still skulking about! Aye, we've naught to offer you but our gratitude, though I think ye might make better use of his armor than we, whispy little thing that you are! No sooner would we don that Dreamhide, than it'd be splitting at the seams, t'be sure! But a twig like yerself should be able to squeeze into it, and without a doubt, it'll do ye better than those thick hides yer wearin' now - those'll give you heat exhaustion in a minute flat in these climes!"
Oh, I also added an equipment list to the profile, in addition to the armor worn and weapons equipped lists. Although I armed the drow with an elven longbow in the background story, I didn't add that to the character. You can let her rewind and take that if you wish, or we can just say it got crushed and broken in the fight. It was just a normal longbow, straight out of the player's handbook.
I also added a special item to the equipment list - ceremonial leather armor, strictly for use in matters of state. I figured that paladins are typically at least a quasi-noble caste, so when they are called to court for a matter of state, they aren't likely to show up in their scarred battle armor, they usually wear something fancy that resembles armor but serves a purely ornamental purpose. It was just an idea I had, you can veto it if you like.
Welcome Mercy! Great character development! (and of course my knowledge if it is Player only, Bo-dan would obviously know only what Mercy chooses to share once they meet...and vice-versa of course : )
Thanks. I'm looking forward to getting in the game, once Rumblefish is ready to start my chapter of it.
Alright! I am busy for now, but maybe later tonight I will but Mercy into the game and continue the other adventurers quests! Btw, Mercy, I will have your post under a spoiler because currently the players are all seperated.
WOW! Just read your backstory. Amazing!
Gods cont.
So, as I said before, gods gain strength with believers, so a god with one hundred believers has more power than a god that has been made up by one believer. BUT, both are still gods. The most powerful gods are:
-Terren, goddess of luck
-Om, god of small gods (he exists)
-Crocodilia, god of nature
-Heren, goddess of wisdom (Her animal is the penguin)
I believe i'm ready now, spells and equipment selected, profile up.. anything i'm missing?