Dot.
03 Dwarf
07 Gnome
51 Centaur
88 Raptoran
97 Bariaur
Next one.
The Land of Four Gods
First came land disputes. Although the gnomes had been made for underground, they found that they liked the forests on the surface better. Both the baraiurs and dwarves claimed the whole of the mountains. The sahuagin didn't want to share the sea with anyone. Then the great disaster struck. The sahuagin sought the power to rule the seas, and ended up opening a portal to the Abyss, releasing a demonic slime creature that would infect whatever it touched, transforming it into a monster. Soon, both the sahuagin and vodyanoi were extinct, transformed into vicious beasts called shoggoths. The fiends then invaded the land. The races of the land, the sky, and earth were ordered by their gods to fight back with all they had, while the gods sought to stop the root of the problem. In the end, the demonspawn were defeated, but the cost was high. The strix were extinct. The dwarves were not far from that. Animals warped into demonspawn still roamed the land, and reproduced at a prodigious rate. And above all that, the gods had disappeared. They still granted spells, but otherwise they were silent.
For the first time in their history, the races of the land of four gods are truly free. They must now decide what to do with that freedom.
08 Orc
24 Ratfolk
33 Svirfneblin
37 Wayang
67 Sasquatch
Okay, last one before I get back to work.
The Lightless Domain
In order to keep their new acquisitions in line, the neothelids implanted some of the orcs with neothelid larvae, which warped them into theoretically loyal overseers the neothelids dubbed "illithids." Unfortunately for the neothelids, the illithids saw themselves as heirs to an empire they could never claim, and so a contingent of illithids decided to leave and take over a new realm, the surface. To deal with the accursed sunlight, they released and chemical into the air that reflected the light from the sun back out into space, leaving the planet in perpetual night. The illumians took this as an act of war by the neothelids, and after slaughtering the illithids on the surface, they made ready for the battle. Fearing to go underground themselves, they summoned and army from the Elemental Plane of Earth, from brutish earth elementals, to burrowing xorns, to magical svirfneblins.
As their army raged through the subterranean lands, the illumians used magic to remove the chemical from the air. Unfortunately, the damage had been done. It had taken years to counteract the perpetual night, and the globe had frozen. The ice reflected back too much light and radiant heat to ever cause a global melt, and so the illumians knew it was time to leave.
Deep below, the elemental army pushed the neothelids and the illithids into the deepest caverns of the earth, aided by the neothelids slaves, the ratfolk and orcs. The slavemasters were magically sealed into these caverns, and the svirfneblins were charged with guarding the gates so that none ever got back out.
On the surface, the last of the sasquatches, thought of as mere savages by the illumians, decided that they stood a better chance of survival in the mushroom forests beneath the surface than they did the dead world around them. As for the illumians themselves, they developed a powerful spell that would teleport their entire species to another nearby plane, in this case, the Plane of Shadows. But it turned out that the spell was not merely a spell of teleportation, but a spell of transposition. For every illumian brought to the Plane of Shadows, one shadow creature was transported back to the world they abandoned. This was how the entire wayang race suddenly found themselves in a bright, cold, alien world.
This is what the world has become. The tenuous alliance between the ratfolk and orcs is beginning to break down, with many of the orc warlords trying to become new slavemasters while retaining the ratfolk as slaves. Many resentful svirfneblin are abandoning their posts at the portals to below. The sasquatches seek to find their place in an alien jungle. And the wayangs, fleeing to the darkness and warmth of the underground, are strangers in a strange land. What will happen to them? Only time will tell.
This looks like it could be quite fun.
Gargoyles
Goblins
Aberration-based Humanoids
Sprites
Naga
Alrighty then.
Well here is what I got:
20. Dhampir (half-humanoid/half-vampire)
1. Human
13. Aasimar (humanoids with celestial ancestry)
55. Gargoyle
12. Tiefling (humanoids with fiend ancestry)
Weird....but I smell a Ravenloft-esque world.
I'm leaving a dot here, going to try and roll these when I have a chance.
Also, which book is the Thriae from?
Well! This was interesting. Honestly, sounds more like a one-off campaign than an actual world, but ah well.
The Arix spread faster than imaginable. In a few days, several dozen had been infected. Weeks later, most major cities were experiencing outbreaks of these creatures, and within several months, nearly all of the sentient races had become near extinct. Of those that were not subjugated by the Arix, a few escaped overseas, while the rest perished.
Only a few races survived this infestation. The native Gargoyles of the land avoided falling prey to the Arix. Roaming in tribes, and rarely interacting with other races except to hunt, few parasites made it into their population. Goblins, surprisingly, avoided the threat of the Arix quite nimbly. As soon as any showed signs of infection, they would be cut down and burned without hesitation. It worked well. Finally, sprites, living in the forests to the south were well protected by their magic against any means of invasion, parasite or otherwise.
Over the next 60 years, much has changed upon the land. The original infestation has run its course and resulted in a new breed of creature, a mix of all the races that have been taken over by the parasite, collectively known still as the Arix, which continues to spread between them. The alien creatures have founded Ixillash, their capital city, and muster forces, seeking to overthrow what resistance still remains upon the land.
However, not all is lost. Several races of Naga have risen to fight back against what has been done by their aberrant brethren, allying themselves with the Sprites in order to drive back and destroy the overlords. Gargoyles and Goblins still pose significant threat against any Aberrant that enters their land, and have even joined forces on occasion to crush attempts upon them. Even some Arix themselves have evolved to resist the mental subjugation of their aberrant overlords, and now fight back against them.
--------------
Races
Where they fit into the setting, as well as a creation of them via the ARG's Race Builder. First time I've worked with that, but they at least seem balanced on RP, ranging from 12-14 so... off we go!
13 RP Total
Specialized Ability Scores (1 RP)
+2 Str, +2 Con, -2 Int
Medium Size
Normal Speed 30 ft.
Static Bonus Feat (2 RP)
Skill Focus (Fly)
Flight, Flight, Flight (8 RP)
Fly 50 ft. (Average)
Darkvision 60 ft. (2 RP)
12 RP Total
Great Paragon Ability Scores (2 RP)
-2 Str, +4 Dex, -2 Cha (As per their normal entry)
Small Size
Normal Speed 30 ft
Master Tinker (2 RP)
+2 Disable Device and Knowledge(Engineering). Proficiency with any crafted items too.
Sneaky Rider (6 RP)
+4 Ride and Stealth (I was actually going to take this out, cuz it seemed pretty dumb... then I realized I could have a goblin flying on a gargoyle by some bizarre happenstance)
Darkvision 60 ft. (2 RP)
My aberration based humanoids. Weirdly, based on the story, they pretty much became standard humans, and it seemed fitting to build them that way.
Originally created as a race of aberrant parasites that would infest humanoid creatures, they quickly swept through the various races, securing power for the aberrant overlords and allowing them to sweep across the land. Wildly warping the physiology of their hosts, most of the races have come into a standard form over the several decades after the Arix began to spread. Their primary stronghold is Ixillash, where they work for their masters, however some have evolved to resist the mental hold that the overlords normally exert upon them. Many of these free-thinking creatures seek to strike back at the overlords and have allied themselves with the Naga 'Lazak' (described below). Still others who've broken free of their domination serve their masters still, but with a will of their own, or to secure their own position of power.
12 RP Total
Human Heritage
+2 to any Ability Score
Medium Size
Normal Speed
Flexible Feat (4 RP)
Bonus Feat
Skilled (4 RP)
+1 Skill Ranks per level
Gift of Tongues(2 RP)
+1 Bluff and Diplomacy, and learn one extra language per rank in linguistics. (Seemed sorta fitting, considering they are a mix of human, elf, orc, and all the other normal stuff.)
Darkvision 60 ft. (2 RP) (As per being an aberration)
14 RP Total
Flexible Ability Scores (2 RP)
+2 Wis, +2 Cha
Large Size (7 RP)
+2 Str, -2 Dex, -1 AC, -1 Attack, +1 CMB/CMD, -4 Stealth
(Kinda weird for PC's, but Naga are Large.)
Normal Speed
*Shapechange (3 RP)
Kind of a homebrewed one based off of the regular trait from the ARG and the Royal Naga's ability to take specific forms. Basically, all naga have a single humanoid form (such as a gnome, human, whatever.) Assuming this form makes them Medium or Small sized (with appropriate modifiers) and gives them all the utility of hands and whatnot. Funny enough, what with all the normal races being gone, it does the exact opposite of providing any kind of Disguise bonus. Anyone who is walking around looking like a half-elf will be assumed to be some form of Naga.
Darvision (2 RP) Darvision 60 ft.
14 RP Total
Standard Ability Scores
-2 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Cha
Tiny Size (4 RP)
-2 Str, +2 Dex, +2 AC, +2 Attack, -2 CMB/CMD, +8 Stealth
Normal Speed
*Halo/Luminous (2 RP)
Another type of homebrewed one. Uses the Halo trait that Aasimar have as a stand in for the Sprites Luminous Ability which lets it shed light as a torch. +2 bonus on Diplomacy and +1 DC on charm/enchantment stuff to make it more thematically appropriate. Not entirely positive if that works well, but it seems fitting.
Flight 3 times (8 RP)
Fly 50 ft. (Average) (Sadly, not the appropriate type of flight for Sprites, but it would have taken about all of their RP if I wanted to give em that.
-------------------
So there's a quick world-building exercise. Not sure how much I like it really. It seems rather contrived (such as everything other than the races I rolled just being dead...)
Ah well, it was fun to play with the Race Creation stuff too. And I think I may try this out again sometime.
Gillmen
Ifrit
Sahuagin
Spriggan
Shae
World of opposites. Lots of water and volcanoes. Sahuagin transformed into a honorable yet fierce society of hunter gatherers (the whole species moved to Neutral so to speak). Ifrit are volcanoes people, have a long lasting understanding with Gillmen, trade between both worlds, obsidian for coral etc. Spriggans more dusty and ashen than normal, live under volcanoes. Shae are what happens to an Ifrit if their ties to the volcano are severed.
That's the basics, now for the full version.
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Finally found this thread after days of searching.
From: DoctorstrangeMCLOVIN@THECORPORATION.net
To: ALL@THECORPORATION.net
Dude... :D
Entirely unexpected and fun twist(and framing device) there! The visuals it brings to mind are all kinds of awesome. All these people wearing new shapes picking their way through and reclaiming empty cities dotting a blasted landscape...
And man, those nereid "shawls". :O
interesting, making some rolls
74 Serpentfolk
98 Rogue Modron
83 shifter
13 duergar
21 aasimar
1. Human
11. Drow
37. Wayang
65. Derhii (winged Gorillas)
13. Aasimar
I'll come back to doing this when i'm home.
Because whenever I make up a world, even one for a random exercise in randomization, I feel an insatiable urge to make a world map...
Nice one! What program did you use?
Finally found this thread after days of searching.
From: DoctorstrangeMCLOVIN@THECORPORATION.net
To: ALL@THECORPORATION.netDude... :D
Entirely unexpected and fun twist(and framing device) there! The visuals it brings to mind are all kinds of awesome. All these people wearing new shapes picking their way through and reclaiming empty cities dotting a blasted landscape...
And man, those nereid "shawls". :O
Thanks man. That means a lot to me.
Because whenever I make up a world, even one for a random exercise in randomization, I feel an insatiable urge to make a world map...Nice one! What program did you use?
Thanks! Campaign Cartographer 3. I think the symbols come from Symbol Set 1.
And you know, I want to play this game all over again (even though I will not come up with some cool twist like FH_DM did).
Gargoyle
Orc
Cecaelia
Ifrit
Gnome
Hmmm... I'll have to think on this one a bit, but I'm thinking the gnomes made the gargoyles who then gained sentience and became their own people. Cacaelia are territorial sea people and make it very difficult to travel by sea.
I continued my trend of non-creative place names for this setting.
If by non-creative you mean names I can pronounce and names I can remember, I know a few Ms who could use a bit more non-creativity... I included.
Ok, my turn:
Vegepygmy
Girtablilu (centauroids with a scorpion-like lower half + claws)
Construct-based Humanoid (wildcard, make your own!)
Aasimar (humanoids with celestial ancestry)
Sprite
ooooh, that's sounds fun!
hum, I'm thinking a settlement of (lost?) Aasimar and their constructs/automaton workers, in a luxurious jungle inhabited by Sprites and Vegepygmy. Not sure what to do of the Girtablilu yet. Easy route is to make them "bad-guys"/half-orc analogues... Should I resist this urge? I should come with something before tomorrow.
This should be fun.
half elf
faun
raptoran
goliath
thriae
Kinda suggests a woodland theme. I'll get back on this.
35. Nagaji (reptilian humanoids originally created by the naga as a servant race)
94. Ooze-based Humanoid (wildcard, make your own!)
78. Vodyanoi (salamander-like humanoids)
42. Satyr
76. Shae (humanoids made of solid shadow)
Aganeht
The Naga were supreme and their power was absolute, so absolute they played the role of the gods and created their own servants and waged war on the world wiping out all other sentient beings. But all great civilizations fall and the Naga faded into the ether over time, leaving ruins of their civilization built on top of ruins of the civilizations they crushed.
That was 1000 lifetimes ago and the Naga are told as children’s stories to make children behave. Artifacts are generally mislabeled from other races, or made up races all together.
The world is still rife with peril and adventurers come from every race to find the ancient ruins of their past and keep the monsters of the jungle at bay. Cities are built around water sources and land cleared for miles to allow farming and better security from the things that live in the jungles.
The Race roles provided are the sterotypes of the region, there are always exceptions, but those are just that... exceptional or unexceptional examples of their respective race.
The Nagaji, former hand servants and bred for their beauty, take on the more glamorous roles in society, they lead, and typically are more educated, than every other race
The Voydanoi, large and powerful folk, make up the majority of the heavy labor and security forces.
The Satyrs, These are your artisans, craftsmen, and entertainers… the bulk of society is comprised of satyrs, mainly because they find procreation to be one of their favorite past times.
The Shae, bred to sneak, stab and spy, now the Shae makeup the majority of the underworld, or are merchants… not sure which type the other races hate more.
Finally the Rezumar, these people take the jobs no one else is willing to do, they subside on the cast offs of the more “advanced” races, and are used as manual labor and cleaning crews, being able to absorb and digest most organic matter. There are no sexes to this race after one completes its life span it breaks down into 1d3+1 little Rezumar that begin a new life. If a Rezumar is killed before it’s time it does not replicate. They have a fairly long life span of 200 years, so even though their numbers are growing the other species out breed them. A Rezumar can speed up his life span by over eating, causing his body to swell rapidly. (Thanks now I have to make them using the ARG lol)
In the shadows of the great mountains lies the nigh endless forest of fey. Perched upon the mountain peaks, the waxy cities of the thriae glitter in the light of the setting sun, their residents the only who cross the mountain. From the caverns at it's base come the goliath, their tunnels reaching beyond the forest and through the mountain yet never up again. Above on the spires of the low mountains nestle the villages of the raptoran, descending to scavenge the forest and meet their kin. And in the unending forest, hidden beneath the leaves are the merry camps of half elves and fauns, content to enjoy the endless dance of the leaves above them. Thus is the land today and forever in the ceaseless march of years, the eternal forest sits beneath the passive mountain on the nameless world resting beneath the stars.
Not a terribly exciting place to adventure but it just felt right. It's just that all of the races are too peaceful. Feel free to steal my race set if you can come up with a better idea, I'm interested.
Let's see what I get this time...
aasimar
harpy
ettercap
serpentfolk
nereid
...
Well, that's an interesting set. Let me research a few of those...
Aganeht
...
Aganeht = The naga?
And I like the Rezumar you made.
Huh, those don't change from previews?
34 = Kitsune (YES!)
77 = Flumph (What?)
99 = Mul (Half-human/half-dwarf hybrid)
96 = Thri-Kreen (Four armed insectoid race) Interesting.
2 = Elf (Meh. Okay then.)
This might be interesting.
Edit: Haha, this should be fun.
Flumph
This pale, jellyfish-like creature floats gently in the air, two long eyestalks extending from either side of its puckered mouth.
95: Plant Based Humanoid
21: Changling
11: Drow
44: Nymph
42: Satyr
Interesting...
Okay, my world got deleted twice. I'm moving on.
ooze wildcard
ettercap
shifter
halfling
changeling
??? Later.
7 - Gnome.
94 - Ooze-based Humanoid? Slimefolk time!
13 - Aasimar.
97 - Bariaur.
3 - Dwarf.
Interesting set, but I have no campaign idea yet.
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So, that's what I ended up with the last time:
d100 Vegepygmy
d100 Girtablilu (centauroids with a scorpion-like lower half + claws)
d100 Construct-based Humanoid (wildcard, make your own!)
d100 Aasimar (humanoids with celestial ancestry)
d100 Sprite
So sit back and feast your eyes as I present to you..
Cross-posted HERE for discussion and comments
In a continental-wide forest inhabited by good and evil sprites, clockwork-loving aasimars and their automaton servants survive in the wake of their ancestor’s war. Half-scorpion females known a girtabilius form an amazon fringe society, completed with the vegepygmys as the ambassadors of the forest. In the north a new evil awakes, and the fragile balance is threatened once again.
The Dark Woods is the name of the vast forest covering the whole continent from one ocean to the other. A small sea intrudes in the south-east part of the continent, flooding into wetlands and bogs on most of that inland sea’s shore. The tallest mountains are on the western part of the continent, but only its highest peaks are devoid of trees. Even there, deep and narrow valleys exhibit the most treacherous vegetation. Far into the North, incredibly tall evergreens give immediately to the glaciers. Everywhere around, an endless sea awaits. The only clearings are those that one makes.
The continental forest ranges from subtropical to boreal climates but remains thick, dark and ominous looking wherever one goes. The Dark Woods are not only inhabited with sentient spirits and creatures, it is believed to have a will of its own. The vegepygmys believe they speak for it with their clicking and rhythmic beats.
The Dark Woods witnessed the arrival of the Aasimars and their automaton servants, their rise to power, their sophistication leading to decadence and their fall into folly and war. This later era is better known as the Woodland Wars, where many aasimars abandoned their former gods for the more sinister powers of the Dark Woods. The war grew on a continental scale, involving virtually every species, often on both sides of the battlefields. Even though the celestial-worshiping aasimars ultimately won, they are now a stagnant and traditional people living in their only city of Excelsior. The rest of the continent is littered with the overgrown ruins of their former cities and the rusting carcasses of their clockwork soldiers and goliaths. Also harkening to those times, the girtabilius curse still affect many aasimar babies to this day, killing their mother and cursing their existence into exile with their scorpion sisters. Also since this era, the Dark Woods seems completely sealed from planar travel. While clerics still receive spell and communion, the gods won’t tell if this is their doing or that of the Will of the Dark Woods.
For the most part since the Woodland Wars, the Dark Woods lived on a fragile harmony between most races, but this balance is about to put to the test. A new evil is rising in the north and the west which has still to be clearly identified and understood. Whole cabals of cannibalistic sprites are on the run, and some vegepygmy tribes are committing darker deeds than their usual. Undead creatures rise before the Woods claims them, and the girtabilius sees foreshadowing of ancient prophecies…
Player Character Races
Dark Woods setting offers a choice of five playable races at character creations: the traditional and clockwork-loving aasimar, the rational and crafty half-machine half-magical creature automatons, the amazon-like half-aasimar half-scorpion girtabilius, the wild and playful sprite and the forest-communing, plant warrior vegepygmy.
Aasimars
These supernaturally beautiful men and women look human, yet emanate a strange sense of calm and benevolence.
Stranded in this world without ways of travelling back to their home, the aasimars remember the plains of Arcadia and the slopes of Mount Celestia in songs only. Still, they haven’t forgotten their old celestial patrons and their statues and idols ornate the streets and homes of their great city: Excelsior. But tough it seems that their gods have not forgotten them either, the aasimars remain still and ever a people in exile.
The aasimar form the elite of their society, with most menial and dangerous tasks performed by their automaton servants. Despite restricting them to the lower class, the aasimars proud themselves in being good masters and esteem their automatons as much as their own children.
Aasimar love clockworks of all sorts. From toys to practical devices, their city of Excelsior is a pleasant mix of woodland architecture and clockwork devices. Aasimar warriors are also known for their clockwork weaponry.
Automatons (humanoid-based construct wild card)
These humanoid-looking constructs are animated with a combination of magic and engineering. The sound of the internal churning and turning of thousands of intricate springs, screws and gears follows wherever they go.
Automatons form the working caste of the Aasimar society. Although they are technically free, most automatons are content with the life of toil and war they were made for. Some individuals sometimes aspire to more freedom and space to express themselves, and seek a life for their own. Most become craftsmen, mercenary or lone peddler or trader, but some evolve as poets and sculptor. Such individual become heroes among their own kin but are perceived with mixed feelings of pride and bitterness by aasimars for unlike their masters, automatons can function without the need of food or sleep and can truly dedicate their life to their craft, generating envy and resentment.
Girtablilus
The body of a spear-wielding woman rises from the front of this monstrously huge scorpion
The girtabilius curse harkens back to the Woodland Wars of the Aasimars, and although their enemies have been vanquished, their handiwork remains. Roughly one female Aasimar in ten is born with the girtabilius curse, whereas eight arachnoid legs, a large abdomen and a poisonous sting replace her legs (the forward legs develop into pincers during childhood). In most cases, the mother doesn’t survive the birth, killed by the poison of her monstrous offspring during labor. In older days, these monstrous women were abandoned at birth but a few were raised in secret. Over times, these monstrous offspring were given to girtabilius survivors until they formed a society of their own.
Today, the girtabilius form a group of amazons and rangers, interacting with the fringe of the aasimar society and protecting their land from the dangers of the Dark Woods. In return, the aasimar pay them a small tribute and hand them their scorpion-legged children. After all, the girtabilius are their daughters…
Sprites
This lithe, diminutive creature looks like a humanoid with wispy, mothlike wings and long, thin ears.
If some regions of the Dark Woods are plagued with cannibalistic sprites of shadows, some other parts are blessed with songs and music rivaling with the Celestial Choirs of Bytopia. Both feral and civilized sprites live in remarkable harmony with the Dark Woods.
Sprites venerate the Dark Woods in its many aspects, but the Painter of Life and Sprout Singer are favorites among brighter tribes. Tribes venerating the Eater of Flesh and the Endless Sea of Worms are usually the most sinister and better be avoided…
Vegepygmys
Short, thin, and green, this small humanoid wields a spear. Tendrils of fungus dangle from its arms, midsection, and legs.
The vegepygmys do not see it this way however. For them, the mold is a blessing and the manifestation of the Will of the Dark Woods. Even more than the sprites, the vegepygmys venerate the Dark Woods as a single nameless, sentient entity. They claim to speak for it and act on its behalf. Vegepygmys cannot speak—they communicate via a crude language of rhythmic taps, beats, and clicks.
Whenever a creature is slain by russet mold, the dead body bursts to release up to six fully grown vegepygmys a day later. Typically, a veg pygmy keeps no relation to the body from which it emerges, but most retain a strange sort of reverence for its “birth corpse” and carry grisly mementos such as bones, teeth and jewelry. Approximately 1 in 20 vegepygmys are born as “chieftains” retaining some of the memories, personality traits and of its birth corpse. These often become leaders of vegepygmy tribes or adventuring loners. Some adventurers turned vegepygmy have been known to display affection for their former fellow adventurers, adopting the party as its tribe.
In the Dark Woods campaign setting, planar travel beyond this world is not possible. This means that conjuration (calling) spells, astral projections, extra dimensional spaces and other similar effects automatically fail. Creatures hailing from the material planes (such as most creatures from the summon nature’s ally series) and elemental creatures can be summoned normally. Teleportation spells and effects within the Dark Woods world function normally. Divination spells allowing seeing the outer planes or to commune with an outer plane being are also unaffected.
The five player races as described above are the most important sentient creatures of the Dark Woods setting. Other intelligent creatures are either considered rare and solitary, disinterested in civilization, completely out of reach of player control or particularly feral and uncivilized. In comparison, even the primitive vegepygmys should feel particularly apt to interact with civilization…
... so that's a start. I'll post more in the Dark Woods thread as I get more time to work on this. This has been fun! Thanks Mikaze!
Okay, I've failed, I think I'll just do this with real dice on my own. Awesome thread though.
Pixies
Samsarans
Asherati
Serpentfolk
Mul
It is said that once humans dwelt here and that buried beneath the sands are the remains of an empire that spanned south from the Icespires to the Nornean Sea. Once these lands were green and rich with the elements of all life. The Broken City is all that remains of this once-proud time.
What is known for certain is that at some point when the gods had grown tired of the imperial hubris and decadence it spat up a curse in the form of the Sunless Sundering. The ancient oracles of the Samsaran sing dirges of great plumes of steam rising off the boiling sea while the land buckled from below. An age of darkness gripped the land in ice from above but such torrents of heat from below that none could have survived.
But the pixies of the Ungmere wove fell magics, sealing many of the land-walkers in the earth itself, there to withstand the onslaught. Such was the pity of the winged ones. And while the fey angels wept in their tiny refuge the Mul, degenerate barbarians and the last survivors of the empire climbed the towering heights of the Icespires to carve kingdoms in the frigid stone.
The time enclosed in the land changed the folk the pixies had intended to save. When at last the sun returned to all the land and the great glaciers boiled away into the earth to seal the fisures far below 3 new people emerged in their place.
The Samsaran; the hopes and dreams of the imperials embedded in ice and left at the heart of the land, they now contemplate all that was lost in the last vestiges of survival - The Waterhouses. These monastic holds enclose the largest of the oases where the liquid lords can meditate in the fantasy and nightmare of their perpetual existance.
The Asherati, so named for they were buried in the ash on the plains of the Everhowl. They fused with the blackened sand and learned to harness the very essence of the dust. They are a sly and reclusive people whose continued survival depends on their stealth and guile.
And finally, hailing from their zigurrat in the sodden depths of the fey's own land come the bizarre and noble serpentfolk. They alone choose to as a people fear the gods and beg for their mercy. This zeal rules their every waking thought and they lead endless crusades across the desert to raid the Waterhouses and demand the answers that their capricious deities will never utter.
Well, this looks interesting...
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Okay, here is what I ended up with:
90 - Dragonborn
11 - Drow
86 - Asherati
21 - Changeling (hag-kin)
45 - Sprite
I present to you...
Cross-post HERE
Toridae is a vast continent with a large desert encompassing the northwestern portion, a rocky range of volcanic mountains to the northeast, and a large jungle in the south.
Millennia ago, five Creators came to the land of Toridae with the purpose of creating a lasting civilization, each setting out to create a race of their choosing.
From the endless deserts, the Creator known as Asherat the Wise shaped the sand itself into a humanoid form. When he was satisfied with the final result, he bestowed the breath of life upon his creations and named them after himself, the Asherati. He taught them about the stars and imparted his great wisdom upon them, and they used this knowledge to create a vast kingdom in the desert.
The Creator known as Devinii the Beautiful, who was the most beautiful of the Creators, sculpted her own race out of the land's rich supply of obsidian. This race shared their Creator's grace and beauty with their flawless obsidian skin and contrasting white hair. She called this race the Drow, as it meant beautiful in her own tongue.
In the steamy jungles, the Creator known as Varitali the Trickster wanted to create a race that shared her appreciation for merriment and trickery. She settled on using the jungle's winged insects as inspiration to create a dimunitive race of fey tricksters. This race, called Sprites, became a physical embodiment of Varitali's carefree outlook.
Seeing how successful his companions were, the Creator known as Thagdel the Stalwart created a race to protect the fledgling races. To accomplish this, he turned to the hardy dragon-like creatures that could be found in all corners of Toridae and shaped them into an imposing race called the Dragonborn. This race expertly filled the roll as protectors of the land.
The last Creator, Fedrine the Craven, grew jealous of her companions' success and created a race of vile and ugle humanoids in the darkest parts of the jungle that she called hags. These loathsome creatures matched their Creator in both looks and cunning. Fedrine instructed her creations to kidnap male members of the other races and breed with them in an effort to undermine those she now considered her rivals. The resulting unions created the Changelings, or hag-kin. These unnaturally beautiful females were to be used to subvert and corrupt the other races, but eventually developed their own martiarchal culture.
It has been many centuries since the Creators departed from the lands of Toridae, yet their creations thrive.
The Asherati have built and rule a vast kingdom of sand, spending their days contemplating the universe and striving for greater enlightenment.
Culture: The Asherati have a mostly ancient Mesopotamian-themed culture, mostly evident in their architecture.
The Drow wander the land as gypsies, never staying in one set location for long and providing their services as dancers and entertainers, as well as master craftsmen. Their works of art are considered to be the most beautiful in the land.
Culture: The Drow culture is best described as a heavily romanticized Romani culture (the gypsy culture portrayed in movies).
The Sprites continue in their mostly-harmless trickery, yet have beome some the the land's best spies. They use the other races' preconceptions of them to gather valuable information that could be used as leverage. Only a few outsiders know of the network of spies and informants that the Sprites have created.
Culture: Sprites do not necessarily have a cultural theme of their own. They have mostly assimilated into the cultures of the otehr races (excluding the Changelings).
The Dragonborn continue to be protectors, often serving as guards for wealthy Asherati of Drow caravans. Some have formed mercenary bands, willing to sell their protective and martial services to whoever pays the most.
Culture: The Dragonborn have a mostly Mongolian-themed culture, primarily in their style of clothing/armor.
The Changelings have blended into regular society exceptionally well. Many attempt to seduce unsuspecting males and lure them to their hag mothers to be used to breed more Changelings. Some, however, have eschewed this lifestyle. These rogue Changelings have struck out on their own and attempt to live a relatively normal life inside of society.
Culture: The Changelings, and their hag mothers, primarily live in seclusion deep in jungle and have an Amazonian women styled matriarchal society. Those that leave their secluded settlements blend in with whatever race their father belonged to.
I may expand more on this. I will also be putting it in a new thread for purposes of discussion.
16 - Undine
23 - Lizardfolk
46 - Forlarren
47 - Neried
91 - Aberration-based HumanoidWell, this is an interesting mix...
oooooh, nice set! Potentially strong water/marsh/fey theme here. I'm looking forward to see what you'll make out of it!
7 - Gnome.
94 - Ooze-based Humanoid? Slimefolk time!
13 - Aasimar.
97 - Bariaur.
3 - Dwarf.
Interesting set, but I have no campaign idea yet.
Gnome/Bariaur/Dwarf is interesting, potentially homogenous combo. Aasimar could clash or fit right in, I'm curious to see how you'll turn that out. Slimefolk... ought to be interesting...
Gnome/Bariaur/Dwarf is interesting, potentially homogenous combo. Aasimar could clash or fit right in, I'm curious to see how you'll turn that out. Slimefolk... ought to be interesting...7 - Gnome.
94 - Ooze-based Humanoid? Slimefolk time!
13 - Aasimar.
97 - Bariaur.
3 - Dwarf.
Interesting set, but I have no campaign idea yet.
Slimefolk? This is gonna be sooooooooooooooo fetish....
Since you guys know how to scry your anwsers and I'll be using the edit button, here's two backups for a just-in-case
-> Flumph!
-> Wayang
-> Gnome
-> Gnome
-> Changeling
Very interesting - I'll see if I can stir up something later.
4. Half-Orc
47. Nereid (aquatic nymph-like fey)
48. Nixie
86. Asherati (desert-dwelling hairless elf-like beings capable of swimming through sand)
89. Goliath (tall, strong humanoids with stony appearances and tough hides)
I've tried this twice, both times I've gotten Asherati. I think the universe is trying to tell me something.
This time around though I'm not feeling a desert theme. Half-orcs + Goliaths suggest mountains to me; Nixies and Nereids sounds like a sea or coast nearby. I don't want to cop out and say "island", so I think it'll have to be a coastline.
I'll have to work on this and come back w/something. Where do I find more detail on these Asherati things?
I've tried this twice, both times I've gotten Asherati. I think the universe is trying to tell me something.
It seems as though most people here are getting the Asherati. The universe is telling all of us something, heh.
This time around though I'm not feeling a desert theme. Half-orcs + Goliaths suggest mountains to me; Nixies and Nereids sounds like a sea or coast nearby. I don't want to cop out and say "island", so I think it'll have to be a coastline.
Sandcastles!!
I'll have to work on this and come back w/something. Where do I find more detail on these Asherati things?
D&D 3.5 Sandstorm supplement.
Wow. How has this escaped my notice since almost a year ago?
Ooze-based Humanoid (wildcard, make your own!)
Mul (half-human/half-dwarf hybrid)
Vodyanoi (salamander-like humanoids)
Duergar
Kitsune (shapechanging fox-folk)
Interesting mix. As I recall, the Mul were from Dark Sun which I don't have access to anymore. Is there info on them anywhere that I can access?
The Lands of Earth and Sea: The Harag-Tuz mountains and the Verbenesc Sea
By contrast the Verbenesc Sea had long been a tranquil place, kept so by the benevolent nixies in service to their Siren Queen. Though shy and reclusive along the bogs and bays of the shoreline the peaceful fey were nevertheless horrified by the campaigns of these landed savages.
The Queen sent an emissary and her retinue to meet with the orcs under a banner of peace. The company was to negotiate the cessation of conflict, to save those few left which had yet evaded the reaping rage. The coastal marsh where they met is now known as Treachery’s Weeping and forever changed the course of these lands.
In all a hundred nixies met the brutes. After the orcs saw them their basest instincts took hold; no creature may resist the lure of the waterborne fey. Within hours those who survived the ambush were enslaved and dragged ashore as prisoners; cows to add to the savages’ stock.
Over time the orcs sought more and captured as many of the nixies as they could. Two new races were born of these unholy unions: Half-orcs who favored their brutal fathers while the Asherati held more of their mother’s genes. Both degenerate races were judged inferior by the hateful orcs and would have also been hunted into extinction, save for the intervention of the Nereids.
Hundreds of years before these foul vampires had risen, a stain on the perfect peace of the Siren Queen’s Court. Now, in her hour of despair the Seaweed Monarch turned to them as her last hope to save her daughters ashore. What followed has been recalled by bards and witches as the Calling.
The Nereids wound their way deep into the land, following rivers and streams all the way into the mountains. They consumed all they met without care or mercy, drowning those they could and enthralling those they could not. The harridans had not been idle during their long imprisonment and now they sought to bring down the Nixie Queen by enthralling and debasing her own people.
The orcs found themselves surrounded on all fronts and over the course of a decade they were driven back to 7 scattered tribes, back to the shadow which had spawned them. The chieftans could no longer contain their rage and with one final charge they called down the power of their god Rovagug.
The eruption of Blood of Rage was the final cataclysm to seal the fate of these lands. The orc leaders were transformed into the 7 headed Titan of Rageblood and this beast of the mountains shattered the ground where he trod. The charms of the Nereids did nothing to assuage his endless rage and so he crushed several lesser peaks and hills in his charge to the sea. At the shore the combined might of the Siren Queen, the Asherati and the Half-Orcs held the beast at bay, but only just.
In the wake of the Titan the fiery blood of the volcano flowed. Whether the battle ended in victory for the fey queen or not, the land would be destroyed forever. So it was that the Siren Queen released her subjects, as well as their land-dwelling allies, from the field. As they fled the sky darkened and the sea recoiled from the feet of the savage Rageblood. He bellowed in victory and raced after the wave, not realizing that his first step had already doomed him, for the sea then exhaled what it had taken in.
It is sung that The Siren Queen rode atop the foam herself, at the head of her court, surrounded by an endless army of elementals so great that the sea scored the heavens. The great Titan was flung back into the bowels of the fires which forged him, with many of the orcs besides. The fey monarch and her host followed, plunging into the furnace of the earth, there to quell the eruptions forever.
It has been a hundred years since the devastation of the orcs. The Nereids survived the wars and the age after, and now they have begun to return to the sea at the head of conclaves of debased nixies. Along the bogs and coastal swamps the Oracles of the Fallen Siren, convocation of bog nixies living in exile keep alive the dream of the monarchy’s return.
The mountains are now the demesne of the Half-orcs; while some adhere to the old ways of their fathers and uphold the Seven Tribes, others have built both upon and beneath the heights, founding the twin cities of Brutenheim and Irondelve. These urbane souls seek to control the rage inherent to their hearts, driving back the darkness with pursuits in culture civilization.
Along the vast ashen shores of the Verbenesc Sea the Asherati act as a bridge between their cousins above and the brine beyond. Traveling the sand and sea equally these semi-nomadic traders and pirates range the coast both as scourge and blessing to those they deal with. As they favor their fey mothers they tend to be capricious, their whims changing with the tides. Among the Asherati the arcane arts are pursued in all its forms.
The nixies war on with their sister-kin. None have yet laid claim to the Coral Throne though many may have rights to press. Fear and guilt doubt still linger in their watery hearts. For now they make their way in the Verbenesc from hidden enclaves, small regional courts where they sing and dream of the return of their ancient Queen.
Twenty five years ago an earthquake rocked the Harag-Tuz. The spring following the berserker hordes of the Goliaths arrived; stone-skinned brutes hailing from somewhere in the shadow of Blood of Rage. So far they have merely emerged as yet another savage force in these scarred lands but all through the Harag-Tuz there are fearful whispers; the Goliaths bear at least a passing resemblance to the orcs of old, but many of their number bear the horns, tusks or cloven hooves of the Titan.
I don't know if Nixies would be playable as a PC race, unless they go with one of the Bog Nixie variants (I used variants; I hope that's khosher) and Nereids (CR 10 monsters) would be right out, though maybe I could make like a reskinned changeling race variant for them. Otherwise I think this is actually pretty cool.
I'd restrict Gunslingers all together, Magus and Paladin possibly too. If you want to be a holy crusader I see Inquisitors somehow but I might get talked into going another way. Since civilization just started rebuilding almost from scratch Life would either be lived in the giant cities of the Half-orcs or in small, scattered communities along the coast. The major terrains are sea and mountain, with forests, bogs and swamps being like an afterthought; this might affect people's choices with certain region-based classes such as druids and rangers.
Major plot points would be supporting one noble nixie house over another, or perhaps finding the truth about the Goliaths; endgame plots would be the return of the Queen and the Titan.
Lets make a single city...
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The Maridian Citadel:
The land - cool temperate higlands and mountains along a humid coastline; to the south the land tumbles steeply into the sea to form great salt marshes and briny swamps. In the north the mountains recede inland leaving rugged uplands and great cliffs of exposed, wind-scored stone riddled with sea caves. The central moors and heath overlook the sea where once a volcano rose but has long since shattered to the deep, leaving being tiny islands of standing rock sheltering a natural bay. Carved from the cliffs from the sea-bed up to the highlands above stands a vast citadel encompassing two miles of shoreline.
The Races - Originally there were 3 prime races here. The semi-nomadic halflings roamed the inland hills as well as the seas, moving through many established settlements depending on the season and trading among themselves; the mountain-dwelling orcs who forged pacts with chaos and hailed from the primordeal time of fire and rage; and the malevolent and relentless sahuagin who preyed upon the ships from beneath the waves accompanied by great and ancient leviathans.
Over time the halflings found themselves hunted on both fronts; for sport by the orcs and as food by the sahuagin. In their desperation they invoked the arts arcane and sought aid from noble marids they'd had dealings with in times past. These haughty beings, calling themselves the Brinebourne, were powerful wielders of magic but were far too sophisticated for such barbaric pursuits.
In their anguish the halflings, so long free to roam the highlands and sea unfettered, now pledged themselves as slaves to the marid nobles.
The Brinebourne for their part were more than a match for the sahuagin and orcs at first. With their mortal slaves in place they heaved great magics and the might of the sea against the limestone cliffs, carving an edifice worthy of their greatness. Their vanquished foes returned in greater and greater numbers, and an endless cycle of wars began.
As time wore on though the citadel rose from the very tide up, reaching ever skyward to challenge the distant peaks for command of the clouds. The slaves and their generations settled among hillside villages contained within the walls where they farmed and worked for the pleasure of their masters. Some chafed against the confinement and longed for their forefathers' lives in the free air. A revolt arose within the citadel which was put down by the Brinebourne. But to prove themselves merciful and thus quell any future rebellion they spared the lives of the conspiritors.
Instead they removed them to the swamps just outside the southern walls. Here they were bound by terrible curses and transformed into horrible beasts of the slime and the tree. These over time became the Grippli; frog-like beings who descend from these cursed ancestors.
Now as the citadel rose to power there were some among the halflings, artisans and poets who pleased the marids more than all, like favored pets. Over time the nobles' attentions became lavish, intimate; they began breeding with these precious minions. The progeny of these unions became the Undine; humanoids that can trace their lineage the elementals, from the least mephit to the greatest of the Brinebourne marids.
Centuries passed since the first coming of the aquine court. The citadel went from a disparate scattering of lowly hillside farms to a prosperous port serving the needs of many outlying towns and villages among the highlands. The undine, by right of their birth, became the governors, the petty nobles and the voice of the citadel, second only to their otherworldly parents. The halflings continued on as laborers, crafters and professional citizens, though many were still outright slaves to the Brinebourne. Then came the Siege of the Primeans as it came to be known.
The orcs and the sahuagin were no match for the marids on their own, but together they crafted an unholy alliance to overwhelm and destroy the outworlders and all they had wrought. The orcs began the war, smashing many of the highland villages and coastal towns on their march for Maridian. The Undine governors called up halfling slingers and warriors by the legion, supporting them with the Tempests; arcanists granted special training with the marids to call the storms and harness their fury.
But in these battles the orcs revealed the might of their own god, Rovagug. The Devourer had sent them mindless horrors from The Outer Realms, beyond the mountains. These unnameable terrors hewed through the legions like a ship through calm waters and the undine retreated to the citadel.
The sahuagin are not a people known for subtlety or stealth. Yet they carefully infiltrated Maridian from below, using the depths to cloak their maneuvers until the siege began. When at last the orcs and their horrors began to whelm upon the walls of the citadel they scavenged their dead like ghouls; not to bury them but to feed them to the sea. The gore in the morning tide was the signal to the sahuagin that their time was at hand.
The leviathans rose, breaking the surface of the bay to visit wanton devastation to the port. Throughout the lower city the churning waves flooded inland, carrying the shark-folk in their tide. The undine appealed to their mighty rulers but these fickle creatures turned a deaf ear to their citizens from high above in marble halls. It is sung by bards and oracles that the Brinebourne Court feasted and danced while the leviathans raged below.
In all the siege lasted months. Nearly all of the Tempests were slain defending what was left of the citadel, but in the end they turned back all of the leviathans. Their demi-gods having abandoned them the Undine called upon their cursed cousins and in the end the tide was turned by the intervention of the proud grippli. They leapt and fought like primal furies, aided by the powers of the Old Gods.
As one the undine, the halflings and the grippli came to an accord in the broken remains of the citadel. Having withstood the Siege of the Primeans these three climbed the heights and spires of their rulers, there to confront the Brinebourne. The final battle of siege ended not in fury, but in silence; the court had fled at some point during the war.
It has been a century and a half since. Having been scattered by their defeat both the orcs and the sahuagin wandered the land and the sea lost to the whims of the winds and tides. Over time however some have returned to the rebuild citadel where they have found a place amid the burgeoning society.
Sahuagin: they are both literally and socialy the lowest rung of Maridian culture. They occupy the flooded under-halls and canals that serve as the streets of the lower wards. They are undertakers, sanitation and the sea guard. For PCs however there is a new strain of amphibious mutation that can be used to make them a more playable race.
Orcs: the sea-cliffs into which Maridian was originally carved are layered with the leavings of the ancient volcano. Minerals and ores can be found in the rock, giving the mountain-born orcs careers in their native professions. They also serve as slaves to the undine in the traditions of the Brinebourne; unlike their capricious creators however there exists a path to freedom through either remarkable service or gladitorial combat. The great arena holds a powerful lure for the barbarous orcs.
Grippli: these free-spirited creatures have their own swamp-ward on the southern verge of the citadel. Many still choose to live among the wilds beyond, but the citizens within the walls have created a subculture of dance, art, and primal pleasures both civilized and unfettered. The grippli have also created the Dervish Circus; a troupe of performers and acrobats who entertain along the coast to return to the arena throughout the season.
Halflings: returning to their traditional roles these industrious artisans serve the countryside as travelers, gypsies and merchants while in Maridian they are the guilds, the professionals and the middle class. Many have also formed a warrior class of slingers and defenders. It is in this dual role that they have renewed their worship of the old gods alongside the grippli; while those frog-folk cleave to the gods of the wilds the halflings almost exclusively serve Abadar and Iomedae. Temples and orders to these deities exist among their wards.
Undine: these are the elite of the Maridian society. Inheritors of the magics and teachings of the marids these beings rule over the citadel and the outlying settlements. For PCs there are also upper middle class professionals among these creatures. They are almost always educated, wealthy and noble in bearing. Some of these however are looked down upon as lessers among their own kind for gifts that connect their ancestry back the lowly mephits or the harridan Nereids.
Excerpt from the Muddler's Ward:
The Kermitanek Akademie: why are there so many songs about rainbows? The bards and performers of Kermitanek are endeavoring to answer that and other mysteries. Dedicated to entertaining and educating the people of Maridian through song, entertainment and theater.
Ok, so it's a little tongue in cheek, but how can I not with frog-people?
Seriously though I'm looking for a hook to make this an interesting campaign world. My current homebrew is a dark fairy tale and the bad guy is the Shadow; an area of the plane of shadow corrupted by an evil presence imprisoned there.
For a Maridian campaign I've got a lot to work with for such a small base. First off I'm not a political intrigue guy, but if I was there's the obvious Class Warfare angle. There's also the Outer Gods motif to run since the orcs were aided by horrors from beyond the stars. Finally there's the Wilderness Exploration game with so much of the land and sea yet unexplored.
As for the big bad and theme...I think I'd go with outsiders. I'm adding a lot of gods, so I think I'd go holy war; have some angel/archon types touch down, ramp up to an apocalypse, that kind of thing.