The following is the general setting material given to the PCs at the start of game. It has been edited slightly for general reading as opposed to character creation.
History
This is a
return to the world of Andara, the ring planet from the Knights of Mist Valley
campaign. About 800 years have passed since the final session of that game. The
blog from Knights of Mist Valley (KOMV) is still up, so you are welcome to re-read it
if you wish, but it will not be necessary to do so – the connections between
that game and this one is more environmental than plot or story based. The
following is some information and history that is more or less common knowledge and will answer some general questions leading from one game to
the next.
Following
the conclusion of the KOMV game, Andara was returned to its place in the
multiverse. All existing and future native demi humans were ensouled in that
moment, and all those Shard People spirits waiting in the halls of the Silent
Lady passed on to whatever afterlife awaited them.
Many of the
world enchantments fell, including the ones that made travel to the Shores of
Eternal Night difficult. A new pantheon of gods was in place, 12 in number, and
those gods encouraged exploration into the void. Several worlds were
discovered, and a period of immigration began as vast numbers of various
peoples journeyed to Andara from elsewhere. When those newcomers arrived they
brought their religions with them, and found that their gods could answer
prayers in Andara.
Roughly 500
years ago an extinction event known as the Godslayer War occurred. A leader
arose among the giants, claiming to be the long missing God-King, and unified
the various tribes. Some communities of men, goblins, and orcs joined the
giants, and a massive invasion moved from the far side of Andara across the
northern ice, and down into the continent now known as Chovus. The various
countries and principalities of Chovus rallied, drew upon trade partners and allies
from other places, and met the giants in an enormous battle just south of where
the Cloud Cities exist today. The giants seemed determined to press into the
area now known as the Lost Vales, but the Chovian Coalition met them head on
before the giant forces could reach the mountains. What followed was two solid
months of constant battle, day and night without rest along a 40 mile front
through what is known as the Mardic Fields. Tales say even the Gods themselves
took the field, some on one side and some on the other. The magics released
over the course of the war changed the topography of the world, creating new
continents and sinking old ones. But the focus was always on the Battle of
Mardic Fields. In the end something happened – some say the God-King of the
Giants was killed, others say he disappeared, still others say that a god sacrificed
himself to destroy the most powerful of the invaders – but in that event,
whatever it was, the giant forces were routed and fled back the way they had
come.
The Chovian
Coalition did not pursue, instead they went back to their homes. The battle virtually
depopulated the continent, and lasted into the fall. Because of this there was
no one to harvest the crops, and what followed was a period of pestilence,
famine, and social collapse. For 100 years the only concern in Andara was food.
The void immigration stopped altogether at the outset of the war and never
resumed. It is now the year 497AC – the calendar starting from when the giant
forces crossed the great escarpment during the invasion (AC = after the
crossing).
As the
peoples of Andara and Chovus in particular recovered, new kingdoms were formed
and new lines drawn. Now the settled areas of Andara are thriving once again,
although fully 2/3s of it is unclaimed wilderness and frontier.
Andara
remains a dangerous and violent place, especially in the wild, but for the most
part the various governments and rulers have avoided full scale war. Formal
armed conflict rarely sees a force of more than 500 people, and those are the
large scale battles and sieges. Recently, in the past 150 years, Voiddock has
re-opened trade with the other worlds although it remains small and infrequent.
Society has
returned to different areas at different rates; some are still going through
what is equivalent to Europe’s Early Middle Ages, others are more similar to
the Enlightenment, while still others are still stuck in nomadic tribal
existence.
In the continent of Chovus, out of concern about
the expansionist Guardus Empire, the Cloud Cities hosted an international
summit regarding safety of the various lands. What resulted was the Chovian
Accords, where signors agreed to honor a call to arms in defense of a threat
from outside aggressors. The nine signors are: The Cloud Cities, Thienor,
Lemia, Jethu, Ryganar, the Thanelands, Cornath, Pelon, and Eirador.
Religion
Religion in
Andara is prolific and ever present. There are thousands of gods who are
worshipped. Some are false but many are real. Theorists float the idea that
there may only be about 50 or so actual gods; the rest just being alternate
names and or aspects of the 50. Others don’t believe in divinity at all, merely
believing that the “gods” are simply a more powerful race of mortals that
resides on another plane. Regardless worship is everywhere. Some gods are local
to a region or village, some are worshipped only by a small handful of the same
family lines, and others have mighty and complex international churches devoted
to them.
The standard
PHB pantheon (St. Cuthbert, Pelor, etc…) is present in Andara – being brought
over from the world of Nuestrasia – but none have large organizations or
communities devoted to them. They remain small cults scattered throughout the
lands. You might find a house of worship here and there, but most often you
will find a shrine in a small village or alongside a country road.
Other
religions or gods of note are…
Set – an
evil god of snakes, knowledge, and death. The cult of Set is strongest in Kadus
but small shrines have been seen even as far North as Jethu. Outside of Kadus
most Set worshippers hide their devotion, and in some countries being caught in
Set worship is illegal with penalties such as banishment or death. Set is
Lawful Evil.
Bajol the
Maimed – The Maimed One is a grim god of retribution, endurance, and penance.
He has few churches but many shrines, mainly scattered in the North. The center
of his worship is the Blue Mount Cathedral which is in the Scattered Isles. Few
devote their lives to him – priests of the Maimed One are rare but not unheard
of. Despite this many offer prayers to him, often in times of need or distress.
The Maimed One is Lawful Neutral.
The
Chovalian Church – the Chovalian Church is widespread but only loosely
organized, and worships a collective of saints, martyrs, and angels rather than
a single deity, however they address the Collective as a deity and it responds
as one. Most large towns and cities have a Chovalian Church, and its priests
are numerous and plentiful. The tenants of the Chovalian Church are community,
compromise, and equality. The Chovalian Collective is Neutral Good.
The Church
of Regius – An organized religion brought over from another world during the
period of Void Immigration, the Regian Church has spread throughout the world
and is one of the most prevalent religions. The Head of the Church is the High
Revelator, and is based out of Nova Regia, the Holy City which is in the
Kingdom of Fidelia in the Azil Continent. The Church is divided into three
orders: the Order of the Word, the Order of the Cloth, and the Order of the
Shield. Technically a monotheistic faith, the Regian Church refuses to
recognize the existence of other Gods although a recent theological movement
theorizes that some Andarian faiths are just localized recognitions of Regius. Even
though it is monotheistic a set of three saints, Saint Corwin, Saint Anders,
and Saint Ferrus, are actually followed as intercessors, and receive most
devotion (from an outside surface perspective). Before the Godslayer War the
Chovalian Church and the Regian Church had a number of holy wars, both
religious and territorial in nature. In the aftermath of the Godslayer War
there has not been another religious armed conflict, although relations between
the two churches remain frosty. The tenants of the Regian Church are faith, tradition,
and order. Saint Corwin is Lawful Good, Saint Anders is Neutral Good, and Saint
Ferrus is Chaotic Good.
Meillos –
Meillos is an elven God that was brought over during the Void Immigrations. He
is a caring God who enjoys music, artistry, and contemplation. Even though he
is specifically a God of Elves, unlike Corellion Larethian Meillos has accepted
the worship of non-elves (even allowing non-elven clerics), and thus has a bit
more distribution than his otherworldly counterpart. There is no organization
to his worship, and no heiarchy making Meillotic worship a more of a faith than
a religion. Meillos is Neutral Good.
The Three –
The three are a set of three associated Saints that are worshiped in
monasteries in Chovus and Ichan. They are Saint Evelyn, Saint Ambrose, and
Saint Obadiah. No one seems to know the origin of the worship of the Three, but
it seems that they are fairly recent – no monastery pre-dates the Godslayer
War. Some speculate that the Three are either non-orthodox versions of the Regian
Saints, or heretical Saints from the same. Both faiths deny any connection.
When asked who the Three are saints of, the answer is the God of the Universal
Church. As far as is known, no such organization is present on Andara leading
many sages to believe it is a pan-religious concept rather than an actual
church or religion. Saint Evelyn is Neutral Good and is venerated by farmers,
ranchers and Hunters. Saint Ambrose is Lawful Good and is venerated by healers
and scholars. Saint Obadiah is Chaotic Good and venerated by travelers and
sailors.
Argoth – The
Cult of Argoth is one of evil plotters and manipulators. Argoth himself is a
demonic figure from across the void, who mainly seems interested in toppling social
structures that see themselves as good. He espouses knowledge, enchantments,
and coercion. Argothian faithful tend to be discrete, and there is a standing
reward for knowledge of Argothian shrines and cabals from the Regian Church.
Argoth is Lawful Evil.
The Faith of
Tukkan – the Tukkan faith recognizes other gods, but seeks to subjugate all
lands and societies underneath the worship of Tuk. Tuk is an ordered
expansionistic god who insists on being in charge, and his faithful in turn
seek to carry out that mandate. This has led to a number of wars and military
actions that are ultimately – however they may appear on the surface -
religious in nature. The center of the Tukkan Faith is the holy city of Tuktent
in the Tukkan Caliphate. Tuk is Lawful Neutral.
Regions
The intial protion of the game will take place in the Twelve Kingdoms of the North, a
collection of political entities that internally are contentious, warring
amongst themselves, creating trade alliances, etc… Despite this conflict they
have historically banded together against outside threats and thus remain
independent of the Quella Empire and the Gardus Empire. Each of the Twelve
Kingdoms have different views on religion, but collectively view the Tukkan
Faith as an outside threat. The Twelve Kingdoms are: The Thanelands, Cornath,
Ryganar, Thienor, Kingdom of the Scattered Isles, Pelon, Murto, Weikon, Urwan,
Lemia, The Cloud Cities, and Jethu.
The
Thanelands
The
Thanelands is a dwarven kingdom nestled in the crook of extensive mountain
ranges. Technically a clan system, each clan is largely independent, but the
clan chief – called a thane – participates in a council of Thanes that meets
seasonally to discuss law, trade, and diplomatic relations. Every ten years the
council elects a High Thane from among their number. The High Thane is not a ruler per say, but is
more like the chairman of the council in function. More than 95% of the
population is dwarven, and non-dwarves do not hold citizenship although they
are protected by the common law to some degree. Roughly 1/3 of the clans dwell underground in
mountain halls. The Thanelands import lumber and food, particularly flour.
Their chief export is iron, steel, silver, and gold. Thanesteel is famous for
its purity and ability to hold an edge without breaking. The dwarves of the
Thanelands are widely traveled merchants and thus keep good – if vague –
relations with many other nations. The dwarven infantry of the clans is
considered some of the best in the world.
Cornath
Cornath is a
bustling trade kingdom with extensive coasts and mountain borders. The kingdom
is a feudal government in reality but professes to be a confederacy. It is
divided into a number of cantrevs, each with its own king owing allegiance to
the High King in Saltwall. Over the years the various High Kings have
consolidated power and essentially rule Cornath as a true monarch at best and a
dictator at worst. Thus a cantrev king is roughly equitable to a real world
medieval baron. Cornath is a cosmopolitan country where humanity makes up
roughly 50% of the population, the rest being a collection of elves, halflings,
gnomes, orcs, and lizardfolk. Dwarven citizens exist but are few. Cornath
exports mainly cotton textiles and food crops, the chief of which are flour,
potatoes, and beans. From a trade perspective Cornath feeds the north -
although the truth is most countries are self-sufficient to a degree. Cornath
imports metal goods, exotic spices, and raw wool. The Cornathian sword fighting
is a distinct style that focuses on a two-handed grip and a heavy blade. There
is no formal Cornathian army; instead each cantrev king has knights and
warriors that owe him allegiance the sum of which makes up the cantrev’s
warband. The High King has a war band of his own at Saltwall, which is
carefully measured and regulated to be the equal of any two cantrev warbands
(in theory). Their navy, while not quite at the strength of Pelon or the
Scatter Isles, is notable for the versatility of their ship styles. It is said
that the only difference between a Cornathian merchant ship and a warship is
the mood of the captain.
Ryganar
Ryganar is a
rough and rowdy land. The center of Ryganar’s economy is the cattle and horse
herds that graze under the great escarpment. It is a dictatorship headed by the
Premier, a position bestowed for life by the council of Horselords. The Premier
and the Horselords operate as sort of a federal government, allowing the
various towns and ranches to operate independently within the laws and
framework established by the Horselords. The Ryganar Rangers are a group of
gamewarden/detective/federal police that work directly for the Horselords,
keeping the lands safe and tracking down rustlers and criminals. Ryganar
imports most things on the market and exports beef, horses, and leather goods.
Thienor
Thienor is
an elven kingdom located on the northern edge of the great escarpment of
Chovus, and is dominated by the Thienor Forest. While other races abide within
its leafy borders fully 90% of the population is elven. The culture is strictly
feudal, with hereditary titles passed through generations of the same families.
There has never been a non-elf in any title of rank or public office. Thienor
imports metal and worked goods, and exports wine, fruit, and textiles.
Thienorian trained musicians are world famous, and attending the College of the
Oaken Grove is a dream of many an aspiring troubadour or sage. The King has
only a small army of hereditary warriors, but the archery of the Elves of
Thienor is legendary. Diplomatically the kingdom is seen as aloof and
isolationistic, although they maintain favorable trade relations with Lemia,
Ryganar, and the Cloud Cities. Outside of that they remain uninterested and
uninvolved in international affairs. They did sign the Chovian Accords however,
and have given every indication of intending to honor the Accords.
Kingdom
of the Scattered Isles
The Kingdom
of the Scatter Isles is made up of seven small islands and one large one
between the Gulf of Tukkan and the Sunken Sea. The large island – called
Mistfall – is the seat of government and is known for the massive and ancient
library that lies in the shadow of the Blue Mountain which dominates the
eastern half of the land mass. The Kingdom is a feudal monarchy, but powerful
merchant guilds have as much authority as the nobility in most things. A hub of
trade the Kingdom of the Isles imports everything and exports everything, but
as far as true exports are concerned it is known for its pickled fish, jewelry,
and silversmithing. Above everything it
is known for its diplomats. Given the Kingdom’s location its ambassadors are
always hard at work trying to make all of its surrounding neighbors play nice
or at least leave the Kingdom alone. Its
navy is not as extensive as one might assume, but what navy there they have is
the best in the water. That navy wages an endless war against pirates which are
of course bad for business.
Pelon
Pelon is a
rocky island nation in the North Sunken sea, warmed by a current heated by
undersea volcanic action. It is a constitutional monarchy known for its fencing,
music, and bohemian culture. Pelon engages in extensive trade as the island has
limited resources. It chief exports are wool, wine, olive oil, and china. It imports
practically everything else. Rapier fencing is something of a national sport,
and non-fatal duels are frequent occurrences. Both the men and women give a
large consideration to fashion, and elaborate hair and beard styles coupled
with ornate and overwrought clothing are a well-known stereotype. The majority
of the population lives in the southern cities; once you head north the people
are surprisingly pastoral. Diplomatically the Pelonians have imperial colonial
designs but have not been able to gain real traction as of yet.
Murto
Murto is the
most inaccessible of the Twelve Kingdoms of the North, located across the Ichan
Wildlands on the eastern coast. Their culture is tribal and semi nomadic,
boasting only three true cities. The rest of Murto’s settlements are really
trading camps. Murto is known for their archers and their bird riders. A native
giant bird, similar to an ostrich, is tamed by the Murto tribes and ridden as
mounts. These birds are flightless but extremely fast runners. The Murto import
weapons and metal armor, and export both leather and beef. The stringy Murton
cow is the source of the Murto’s wealth such as it is, each tribe measuring
their status by the size of their herd. It is also the only region where black
pepper and coffee is grown making it a destination for enterprising merchants.
Each tribal chief owes allegiance to the Kahn, the prime ruler of Murto.
Interestingly enough the Kahn does not levy taxes, instead demanding service
from each man and woman from the ages of 17 to 21. Each tribe also has 9
members whose service to the Kahn is semi-permanent.
Weikon
Weikon is a
martial country to the east on the southern third of the Ichan continent, which
is extremely martial and formal in culture. It is a feudal system dominated by
the samurai class. Weikon has long held imperial designs on its neighbors, but
the constant infighting between the various noble clans has never allowed it to
unify long enough to accomplish them. It is a land of strict mores, birth
castes, and powerful religions. Honor is a constant concern – personal honor,
family honor, and clan honor. Its eastern most mountain range,
Teeth-of-Sleeping-Dragons, is home to wild and barbarous bandit gangs and
nomadic tribes. It is ostensibly ruled by an Emperor, but the truth is it is
ruled by tradition and culture, which each local lord more or less supreme in
his own lands. The Emperor is obeyed when he or his factors are around. The
kingdom is known for its weapon craft and jewelry, but is largely
self-sufficient and does not have a great interest in imports other than tea
and paper from Urwan.
Urwan
Urwan is a
large sprawling land that has no nobility or hereditary roles. It is ruled by
the Dragon King, a near mythical person whose reign supposedly spans 500 years.
Urwan is on the western coast of Ichan. The kingdom is divided into provinces
ruled by a governor, and each province into territories ruled by a legate.
Government positions are appointed from the Dragon King. Each Governor pretty
much has free reign in his province, so long as the taxes are collected and the
Dragon Kings wished met. This leads to a wide variety in how each area is
ruled. Urwan enjoys robust trade and it exports tea, paper, ink, and rice.
Family loyalty is down played, but territorial loyalty is fierce – many of the
territories were once small kingdoms and the nationalism tied to those
long-lost kingdoms lingers to this day.
Lemia
Lemia is the
country that issued the proclamation, a feudal monarchy on the eastern coast of
Chovus. Lemia’s ruler is known as the Condor; all their titles of nobility are
derived from birds of prey. Lemia is a civilized society, neither as obsessed
with fashion and appearance as the Peloni or as focused on magic as the Cloud
Cities. The Lemian knights are world famous as heavy cavalry. Lemia imports everything, and exports cured
meat, beer, and armor.
The Cloud
Cities
The Cloud
Cities are a collection of mountaintop city states in the center of the Chovus
continent. It is known for its scholars and arcane practitioners. Many of the
low level magic items, such as potions, that can be found for sale in various
shops worldwide originate in the Cloud Cities. The largest and most prosperous
of the Cities is Illmar, and the Illmarian University is known far and wide as
a place of learning and knowledge. It is rivaled only by the Great Library of
Mistfall. The majority of its peoples are human, but other races are quite
common – no racial privilege is evident. Each city is completely independent,
but most follow the same basic governmental set up. The cities are democracies,
ruled by an elected council. Council members are elected for life, although the
council can recognize a member as unfit (typically due to illness or senility)
and members are allowed to retire. Outlying lands and the Valley Villages are
also independent, often recognizing only the local sheriff or mayor as the
highest authority. Even so the Cities provide the most direct trade opportunities
so there is a symbiotic relationship present. The few times the Cities have
been threatened all the communities rallied quickly into a unified defense, and
in terms of international diplomacy the loud Cities typically act as and are
treated as a single unit. It does not come up often both due to their remote
location and their fearsome reputation as a nation of spell casters.
Jethu
Jethu is in
the far north of Chovus, where summer barely warms the frozen tundra and the
hill snow never melts. It is a country divided into tribes, some of which are
nomadic and some which are stationary. The tribes of Jethu are all subservient
to the witch council of Icevale, a matriarchal oligarchy made up of the oldest
female practitioners of magic from each tribe. The Witches of Jethu never leave
Icevale, but are feared and distrusted throughout the north. For all that,
Jethu engages in both trade and international diplomacy where invited, working
through ambassadors (of both sexes) and magical sendings. The tribes are fierce
and prideful yet not uncivilized. Indeed there is a cultural program of
education in place that ensures that all Jethui are trained in horsemanship,
combat, survival, and at least two trades or skills. The Jethu import worked
goods, lumber, and textiles. They export furs, hides, and icedraught –
semi-magical liquor that always tastes chilled. Icedraught is unique to the
Jethu and is highly prized, especially in the south.
Eirador
Eirador is a
small isolated nation that does not engage in trade to any great extent
although their tobacco is highly prized. Signing the Accords was their most
significant diplomatic act; aside from that the other nations largely ignore Eirador.
Eirador has a high population of gnomes and halflings. Not much else is known.
Quella
Empire
The Quella
Empire is a military dictatorship whose economy is depended on war and on
slaves. Its aggressively authoritarian approach to “diplomacy” has earned it
the enmity of most of its neighbors. It is not interested in trade, although a
Quellan slaver can be found in the seedier parts of most port cities in the
north. There is a standard bounty on anyone of Quellan nationality in Weikon,
and most other governments view Quellans with distrust.
Gardus
Empire
The Gardus
Empire is a militaristic oligarchy run by a senate of upper class
representatives, under the central authority of the High Tribune. At one point
there was a military tribunal that shared power with the senate, but it was
consolidated under a single man who took the title High Tribune as a symbolic nod.
The Gardus culture is centered around the class system which has five sections:
the Senatorial class, the Merchant class, the Freeman or citizen class, the
Bondsman class, and the slave class. Each has its own rights and cultural
obligations and expectations. The military is drawn from all five. The Gardus
legions are numerous, well trained, and well equipped. If they did not
experience the constant military pressure from the Quellans and the Tukkan
Caliphate they might have conquered the North by this point.
Tukkan
Caliphate
The Tukkan
Caliphate is a theocratic empire on the Continent of Kadus. It is
expansionistic but willing to trade, focusing most of its territorial
aggression south and west on land. It is a nuanced culture of ritual and
prestige, deeply patriarchal and mildly xenophobic.
Icelands
The Icelands
is a collective name for the unclaimed Chovian frontier north of the great
escarpment. Ice worms, the occasional giant, and reindeer traverse these frozen
plains. Settlements are not unheard of,
but it takes a strong constitution to tolerate the harsh 9 month long winter
and rowdy neighbors. Most do not travel here, except for in the south between
Thienor and Lemia where trade roads are well marked.
Domelands
The
Domelands are a lost land hidden under a massive magical dome. No one knows
exactly what the area underneath is like, but the Dome appears to date from the
Godslayer War. The records from before that time mention a Kingdom of Norhall,
whose capitol shared the same name. Speculation over the generations has led
many to believe that a vast treasure of some sort must be hidden in the
Domelands; why else would the dome be there? In any case the dome is impervious
to all attempts, magical and mundane, to breach it.
Lost Vales
The Lost
Vales are in many ways just that – lost. The southern coast is unpassable marsh
and rocky crags, and the other three sides are mostly hemmed in by mountains.
It is known that there are still active communities in the Lost Vales with
names like Mooncrest and Appleton but beyond that not much is known about the
area. There are many tales, rumors, and legends surrounding the Lost Vales and
not a few children’s stories use it as the setting.
Chovus
Wildlands
The Chovus
Wildlands is an unsettled frontier on the western side of the continent.
Dragons, fierce tribes of beastmen, goblin warrens, and monstrous beasts make
the hills, plains, and forests of the land their home. The occasional human
community exists, mostly small hamlets of no more than a dozen families, but
these are few, far between, and often gone with a sudden raid of beast or
bandit. Speaking of, several bandit bands that harass the Cloud Cities, the
Thanelands, or Ryganar make their home in the Chovus Wildlands prompting the
occasional military campaign from those countries. The further west one goes,
the more uncivilized it is. Travel through the eastern side is fairly common.
Voiddock
Voiddock is
a city on the outer rim of the world, on the Shores of Night. It is roughly due
west of Chovus. The city itself is modest in size and is constructed out of the
remains of enormous wooden vessels called “arks” which are beached on the edge
of the world. It has a population of about 4,000 that survives off of trade
with other worlds and Quella. While voidships are infrequent at best, they come
with enough regularity that they are treated as common enough to not raise
eyebrows. Most of the goods traded are actually bound for other worlds; very
few shipments actually get brought into Andara. There is a thriving society of
sages who make Voiddock their home.
Never
Thaw
The land of Never Thaw is the southernmost
region of the Glacier Lands and lives up to its name. It is a harsh windswept
region inhospitable to all but the hardiest life. No peoples call this land
their home, although a few rugged individuals do have dwellings in the
crevasses of the ice cracks. It is a sad subsistence level existence that
no-one would choose if they thought they had other options available. The Jethu
tribesmen sometimes cross the ice flows to hunt the silkseal, an extremely
valuable and dangerous prey.
