I would love to hear your opinions, ideas and advice on a campaign world I am designing. If you read this, please just drop me a line or two and tell me what you think, even if it is just to say "I hate it."
Thanks in advance!
Allen
PS A Note in Advance: Much of the info here would not be common knowledge to players, such as how windriggers are created, and details on navigators and shard-keys.
ORAMIS: THE SHATTERED WORLD
BASIC PREMISE:
Oramis was once a solid world like any other. A millennium ago, a war sprang up between two formidable mages (who also happened to be twin brothers but of differing ethical beliefs). This war raged on for many days, but neither mage could seem to get the upper hand. The final blow of this Wizard War was so potent that neither mage was able to contain it, and as a result the world was shattered like a glass ball into a thousand pieces. Since both mages were far more powerful than the Wizards' Guild could handle, it was powerless to stop the war. Luckily, however, the Guild (some of whom were diviners) was able to foresee this disaster months before it actually happened and was prepared. Though unable to completely prevent this event - now referred to as the Shattering - they were able at least to save the world from total destruction. After determining how the world would be shattered, the Guild - working feverishly - devised magical devices called shard-keys and placed one of them on each piece of land which would someday become a shard. These devices maintain each shard's gravity, atmosphere, climate, and stability. If a shard-key were ever to be removed from the shard it was designed to protect, that shard would lose all of these things and would pose a hazard to other shards as it spun out of control. All of these shards were suspended inside a large envelope of air and set to floating within it in random, ever-shifting patterns.
Millions of people died in the ensuing chaos which followed the War's conclusion. Common people, blaming mages for the destruction and death, hunted down and slew many wizards. Much knowledge of magic was lost. Modern mages have yet to duplicate many of the marvels that have been accredited to those ancient wizards - including the magic which created shard-keys! Even today, after one thousand years, mages are still feared, shunned, and - in many places - actively hunted, despite the fact that they were instrumental in saving the world from total destruction. Undaunted they have continued to be of great service to man, their greatest deed being the creation of windriggers, flying ships which provide transportation from shard to shard.
(Selections from) A DICTIONARY OF COMMON ORAMIAN TERMS AND PHRASES:
Air Traffic Controllers' Guild: The group which is now responsible for the creation and sale of windriggers. This Guild is rumored to be a branch of RASAMA-TAS. The Guild is completely neutral, and will sell windriggers to most anyone who has enough money to buy one. (See also: RASAMA-TAS; Windrigger.)
Children of the Light: A militant organization composed of extremist Lawful Good members who are fanatically driven to further their own alignment. They use inquisition-like tactics to find and convert those who are not Lawful Good to their own system of beliefs. It is rumored that the radical group called the Witch Hunters is in some way connected to this organization, since the Children condemn mages and all things magical in nature. Based on the shard called Caemlyn. (See The Lexicon of Shards: Caemlyn. See also: Shard; Witch Hunters.)
Compass: A compass is a portable magical device which can be used to locate any given shard from anywhere in the world. They are very expensive. (See also: Shard.)
Darkfall: Oramian term for the brief periods of semi-darkness resulting from one shard passing between another shard and the sun, temporarily casting its shadow on the other shard. Darkfall may also occur when an individual shard's rotation causes it to briefly turn away from the sun. Darkfall can last anywhere from a few minutes to several days, depending on many factors. At least one shard, the shard called Dark Haven, is known to remain in darkness all of the time because it is somehow linked to another, larger shard, which always blocks it from receiving sunlight. (See Lexicon of Shards: Dark Haven. See also: Shard.)
Dragon: Dragons of the Shattered World are vastly different from those of other worlds. In the Shattered World, dragons are the primary components in the construction of windskiffs and windriggers. Thus dragons are heavily hunted and can bring high profits on the black market.
Dragon females give birth to large clutches of eggs which the mother then abandons. As the young dragons begin to hatch from their eggs, those which are quicker and stronger begin to break the other eggs and eat their siblings. As the survivors grow, they leave the nest and begin to congregate with other immature grays in flocks. Flocks of grays (so-called because their hide has not yet developed a color and appears as a neutral gray) are a common sight. At this point they have no more than animal intelligence. When they reach adulthood, their hide begins to take on its color, intelligence begins to develop, and a breath weapon develops. At the mature adult stage all Oramian dragons gain the ability to polymorph self.
The dragons of Oramis do not follow the same patterns of those of other worlds. Skin color is NOT indicative of alignment or of breath weapon! It is entirely possible to have a chaotic evil gold dragon with a flame breath weapon! Each mature Oramian dragon is unique and such creatures will NEVER be found as a random encounter!
Dragon Lancers: Windrigger crews who actively hunt dragons to sell to the Air Traffic Controllers' Guild. Rumor has it that living dragons are the major component used in the manufacture of windriggers. (See also: Air Traffic Controllers' Guild; Dragon; Windrigger.)
Dragoneers: Special windrigger crew members who specialize in protecting ships from dragon attacks. They often use special harpoons and lances especially enchanted for this purpose. Unlike Dragon Lancers, Dragoneers are only concerned with the protection of the windrigger they are currently working on, not with the harvesting of dragons. (See also: Dragon; Dragon Lancers; Windrigger.)
Fragments: There are seven of these shards which are actually almost large enough to be called continents. One of these is even large enough to enclose a large inland sea. (See also: Shard.)
Globe: A puzzle/game popular with Oramian children. A three-dimensional glass ball which, when disassembled, becomes miniature models of all of the shards. Curiously, when the ball is reassembled, it is hollow. Magical versions of this game have been created which can be used as oracular devices. To use one the holder simply drops the solid ball on a semi-hard surface. The pattern the pieces land in is said to be able to predict future events. However, with one thousand pieces, the possible permutations are endless. It is nearly impossible to use an oracular globe without first consulting a Pattern Book. (See also: Pattern Book; Shard.)
Moon: Before the Shattering, Oramis - like many other worlds - had a moon called Selene. It is theorized that when the world 'exploded,' the sudden loss of gravity and the force of the explosion hurled it into space, leaving Oramis moonless. If this is true, then it becomes difficult to explain why the priestesses of Selene still revere the moon and - mysteriously - still retain their spell-casting ability and other granted powers! Some sages have theorized that this can be explained in one of two ways. First, perhaps some other power has adopted the moon's portfolio and has 'adopted' the priesthood as its own under the guise of Selene. Second, perhaps the moon was not lost at all, it just isn't visible now because of the fact that there is no longer a true night. (See also: Oramis; Shattering, The.)
Navigator: Navigators are strange and mysterious beings who are present on all windriggers. No one seems to know exactly who or what they are. It has been rumored that navigators are diviners, using their magic to know exactly where any given shard is located at any given time. Navigators appear as faceless humanoids wearing midnight-blue hooded robes and have never been known to speak. It is forbidden to touch a navigator. (DM'S NOTE: The following information is NOT considered general knowledge, and as such it should not be made available to the players unless and until they discover it on their own. The reason it is forbidden to touch a navigator is because the navigator is not really there at all: it is merely an illusion projected by the ship itself. Unknown to the general public, windriggers are actually living sentient beings - probably dragons - magically shaped by mages to look like ships. Somehow, possibly through a natural homing instinct or a natural magical ability, they are aware at all times of exactly where each shard is at any given moment and whether or not there are any other shards blocking a given route. The "navigator' illusion is used simply so that windrigger captains may have somewhere to direct their orders for destinations.) (See also: Shard; Windrigger.)
Oramis: Setting for the Shattered World campaign. Once a solid world, Oramis was blown apart as the result of a Wizard War fought between twin brothers, both of whom were powerful mages. Due to a great deal of foresight and Foresight by diviners of the Wizards' Guild, Oramis was saved but forever changed. Today, Oramis is composed of one thousand floating islands (called shards) suspended within an envelope of air which revolves around the Oramian sun in approximately the same position formerly occupied by the pre-Shattering world. True night is now unknown in the shards, though some shards experience brief twilight-like hours of semi-darkness (known as darkfall). Unfortunately, the moon is believed to have been blown from its orbit and is now nothing more than a fondly-remembered legend. (See also: Darkfall; Moon; Shard; Shattering, The; Wizard War; Wizards' Guild.)
Night: A pre-Shattering myth. Supposedly when the world was solid, it would undergo periods of complete darkness, resulting from the world turning away from the sun. Sages say that such a thing is possible, but it is difficult for most Oramians to imagine such a concept.
Seas: The seas of Oramis have changed, as has the rest of the world. When the Shattering occurred, seas and lakes which were not land-bound flooded off the shards into the Wind Ways. Today, the seas (and there are seven of these) resemble large, free-floating, amorphous globs of fluid. There are also several fresh water 'lakes.' Some aquatic life still remains in the seas of Oramis, supported at its most basic level by plankton. Seas appear bluish-green from a distance, while lakes are blue. (See also: Oramis; Shattering, The; Wind Ways, The.)
Shard: Any of the one thousand floating remnants of what was once the world of Oramis, resembling free-floating islands. They are composed of three parts: topside, shard-edge, and shard-root. A shard's stability, atmosphere, climate, and gravity are maintained by magical devices known as shard-keys the existence of which is a closely kept secret. Windriggers must approach a shard at the shardedge. Otherwise, the shard's gravity could possibly pull them down and result in shipwrecks. Due to the lack of a large, solid world to block the sun's rays, there is no true night. Most shards will occasionally experience temporary periods of twilight-like darkness (called 'darkfall') as another shard's path prevents it from receiving the sun's rays, or, if the shard rotates, it may turn 'upside-down' away from the sun. Otherwise, the shard-world is stuck in a perpetual state of never-ending day. Obviously telling time is much more difficult here than on other worlds. Luckily, all of the inhabitants of the world of shards have developed strong internal clocks which lets everyone know when it is time to sleep. How this works is unknown, but it may be a side-effect of the same magic which provides each shard with its gravity and atmosphere.
Magic varies from shard to shard. Some shards have normal magic, some have wild magic areas, and still others have dead magic areas, all of which are residual effects from the unleashing of the powerful magicks which caused the Shattering. (See also: Darkfall; Oramis, Shard-edge; Shard-Key; Shard-Root; Top-Side; Windrigger.)
Shard-Edge: The rim of a shard; the point from which - if one continues walking - one will fall off the shard into the Wind Ways. (See also: Shard; Wind Ways, The.)
Shard-Key: Magical devices which exist on each and every shard. These devices maintain a shard's gravity, climate, atmosphere, and stability. If a key is ever destroyed or removed from the shard it was designed to maintain, the shard will become unstable and could pose a threat to other shards as it becomes uncontrolled and uncontrollable.
No two shards' keys are exactly alike, their forms being disguised so that you would not know what you were looking at even if you saw one. On shards which have ruling families, it is usual that this family will have the shard-key under its protection, since the possession of a key would basically give the holder complete control over the shard and its inhabitants. (An old Oramian proverb says, 'He who holds the ability to destroy a thing controls a thing.') In the hands of a tyrant or other person with less than pure motives, the possession of a shard-key would be equivalent to holding the entire shard - and everyone on it - hostage, since simply by breaking it he would be sentencing everyone and everything on the shard to death. Also known as 'keystones,' or simply as 'Keys.' (DM'S NOTE: The following information is NOT considered general knowledge and as such should not be made available to the players unless and until they discover it on their own. Shard-keys are actually sentient, intelligent artifacts that bond with their owners. They will not bond with anyone of chaotic or evil alignment. If such a person gains possession of a shard-key, the key will attempt to take over the mind of its new owner. If this fails, it will attempt to change the person's alignment to something more fitting. It is up to the DM to decide what powers each individual key possesses, but each should have powers designed to prevent them from falling into the hands of the wrong person, as well as defensive powers in case they do.) (See also: Shard.)
Shard-Root: The underside of a shard which hangs down much like the root of a tooth. Shard-Roots are popular nesting spots for dragons. (See also: Dragon; Shard.)
Shattering, The: The final, catastrophic blow of the Wizard War which shattered the world of Oramis into one thousand pieces called shards. (See also: Oramis; Shard; Wizard War.)
Shipstone: A shipstone is a smaller, much less powerful version of a shard-key. It is this object which provides a windrigger with gravity. Navigators recognize the holder of a shipstone as captain and will obey only the holder' commands. Also called 'shipkeys.' (See also: Navigator; Shard-Key; Windrigger.)
Topside: The upper portion of a shard. (See also: Shard.)
Wind Ways, The: The space that exists between the shards. A chaotic, wind-filled area dominated by strong air currents and buffeting winds. Sometimes referred to as simply as 'the '˜Ways.' There is no gravity in the '˜Ways, so anything which falls into the '˜Ways without some means of self-propulsion will be buffeted haphazardly by the winds. It is nearly impossible to determine time and direction in the '˜Ways unaided. (See also: Shard.)
Windrigger: Magical conveyances which resemble normal ships but have the ability to fly, allowing travel from shard to shard. Most windriggers may also land on water. Windriggers are built from the bones and hides of young skywyrms called Grays. All windriggers have a mysterious figure known simply as the Navigator onboard. Creation and sale of windriggers are controlled and regulated by the Air Traffic Controllers' Guild. Rumor has it, however, that one of the mages who first learned how to create windriggers has gone rogue, and is helping the Sky Pirates of Gao-Den to create an armada of pirate windriggers. (See also: Air Traffic Controllers' Guild; Dragon; Navigators; Rogue Mage; Shard; Shipstone; Sky Pirates of Gao-Den; Skywyrm; Wind Ways, The.)
Windsailor: Sailors who are trained in the operation of windriggers. (See also: Windrigger.)
Windskiff: A windskiff is a small flying boat designed to accommodate no more than six people. Unlike windriggers, a windskiff is a man-made vessel. Because of this, it has no navigator, and therefore the pilot is on his own when determining direction, routes, etc. (See also: Navigator; Windrigger.)
Windtamer: Windtamers are a special type of mage which can often be found on Windriggers. They have focused their abilities into harnessing and taming the Wind Ways, making travel therein much easier. (See also: Windrigger; Wind Ways)
Wizard War: The catastrophic war in which the world of Oramis was shattered into myriad shards. (See also: Shard; Oramis.)
This overall looks like a cool concept for a setting. What kind of societies do you plan to have had emerge from the disaster?
I really like the windrigger concept--are there special skills/feats/magics necessary to be able to use them? Would players be able to obtain them?
Welcome to the guild.
It is interesting. I've always wanted to do a setting where wizards are hunted, in fact my first setting I began working on had a similar theme to this one (though without the world exploding).
You answered my first question when I was reading through and you touched upon the second. The first would have been "What happen to the oceans?", but you answered that. I like the blob of water. Ohh just thought of a third question. Does a shard ever pass through this blob of floating water?
My second question was "Do you have Pirates?", which you kinda answered, but you pointed to an entry which was not there. What happened to the Sky pirates entry?
In the big blob of water, is there still life? Are there ships that brave "the Ways" to catch rare creatures used as fod and such?
I like the airships with dragons being the sea monsters. However why do your dragons even have different colors if they mean almost nothing? What makes a gray a certain color? Does it mean anything significant?
What happened to all the pre existing nations? Do they still exist, or have the shards gone into chaos and new nations risen?
I would love to see a map of your world.
I like the premise, I think that you have active magic condemnation in a world that is obviously dependent on magic is a rather nice touch.
You say the shards are in random patterns; do they ever collide? How far apart are these things, and do the shards make all faces of the shard inhabitable, not just what once was the surface? What happens to water? Can the shards ever be brought back together?
About the compass, is each one linked to a particular shard, or can it be told to find any given shard?
I want to know more about dragons.
I like your idea of the globe game, it sounds interesting.
Personally, I would re-think your idea about the Navigators. I like the idea of a sentient ship, and knowing that your ship is sentient would be a rather large boon. I think that the aspect of the sentience might be better served as a symbiotic link between the captain and the ship, rather than simple ignorance.
How exactly are these shards moving? around the sun in a ring, or in a field that itself orbits like the planet used to? Are those two mages still alive?
Ah, I see what happened to the water. So how does climate work? Do the shards still receive rain? freshwater rivers just 'fall' off the shard? If so, where does the water for the aquifers come from? Has an ocean ever collided with a shard?
aha. I see one of my questions was answered.
I like your idea of the keys. Perhaps the sentience is the consciousness of a mage's guild volunteer?
So shard-roots have gravity as well? Does it point towards the center of the shard, or simply 'down' to where the core of the planet once was?
actually seeing the windrigger entry, this opens up a whole can of adventure. To the outside, it seems like the dragons are being hunted. Since you say the ship is sentient, what if it's the consciousness of the dragon that the ship is built from? Since you've got alot of sentient beings posing as objects, the potential for behind the scenes happenings is quite large.
Hope it helped, I can't wiat to see this thing fleshed out further.
Hello Poseidon! Thanks for the warm welcome!
Here are the answers to your questions:
It is interesting. I've always wanted to do a setting where wizards are hunted, in fact my first setting I began working on had a similar theme to this one (though without the world exploding).
Well, then, keep reading....
Does a shard ever pass through this blob of floating water?
No. The shard-keys prevent this. Shard-keys maintain each shard's gravity, atmosphere, climate, and stability. They also prevent shards (and seas) from coming into contact with each other. However if a shard's key was ever lost or destroyed.....
My second question was "Do you have Pirates?", which you kinda answered, but you pointed to an entry which was not there. What happened to the Sky pirates entry?
Well, I left out the sky-pirates entry from my first post becasue I only wanted to include basic world info. You will find that info below.
In the big blob of water, is there still life?
Yes, supported at its most basic level by plankton and sea weeds.
Are there ships that brave "the Ways" to catch rare creatures used as food and such?
Yes, particularly in search of dragons...
I like the airships with dragons being the sea monsters. However why do your dragons even have different colors if they mean almost nothing? What makes a gray a certain color? Does it mean anything significant?
Gray simply indicates that the a dragon is still young and has not come into its coloring yet. Grays have little more than animal-level ingtelligence. Dragon coloration is much like bird or fish coloring, primarly a mating display, though a dragon who has come into its coloring is fully intelligent and self-aware. However some colors are more rare than others and are highly prized and sought after.
What happened to all the pre existing nations? Do they still exist, or have the shards gone into chaos and new nations risen?
Both. Some nations still stand, though vastly changed from their pre-Shattering incarnations. New nations have also arisen.
I would love to see a map of your world.
This would be difficult, since there is no longer a solid whole to map. I would have to show you 1,000 small shard maps....
This overall looks like a cool concept for a setting. What kind of societies do you plan to have had emerge from the disaster?
Thanks. As I mentioned above, some of the old nations survived in one form or another, and new nations have also come into being. With the shards constatnly shifting and moving, alliances would be difficult to form and maintain, but a few exist nonetheless.
I really like the windrigger concept--are there special skills/feats/magics necessary to be able to use them? Would players be able to obtain them?
Windriggers are available to aynyone with the cash to purchase one. And yes, there are skills and magics which players would need to learn in order to sail one. I will try to provide details on these when time permits.
Now, here is some more info on the Shattered World, this time concentrating mostly on mages in the Shards. Hope you enjoy!
(More Selections from) A DICTIONARY OF COMMON ORAMIAN TERMS AND PHRASES:
Cabal, The: A group of rogue wizards who study the art of necromancy. They have banded together for the sole purpose of self-preservation, and are believed to have a covert shard base hidden somewhere. The name of this shard and its location are kept secret by members of the Cabal. They believe that the Restoration is a hopeless goal, a fool's errand, and are more interested in their own studies and goals - primarily the destruction of RASAMA-TAS. (See also: RASAMA-TAS, Restoration, The; Rogue Wizard; Shard.)
Circle, The: A group of rogue wizards (mostly demon conjurers, wild mages, and necromancers) who believe in the goals of RASAMA-TAS, but believe that the solution to the problem of the Restoration lies within the forbidden schools of magic (since the Guild has obviously had no luck using the more widely accepted schools). This group desires a shard-key to study in order to unlock its secrets in the hope of achieving this goal, and will pay HANDSOMELY to get their hands on one. (See also: Demon Conjurer; RASAMA-TAS; Restoration, The; Rogue Wizard; Shard-Key.)
Demon Conjurer: A type of conjurer specialty mage who specializes in the summoning of demons. Demon conjuring is considered a forbidden art, and all such conjurers are considered rogue mages. (See also: Rogue Mage.)
Guild, The: See Wizards' Guild.
Guild Mages: Because of the Wizard War, which resulted in the Shattering of the world of Oramis, the general public is fearful of mages. As a result, the Wizards' Guild has had to become an underground organization. Even so, the Wizards' Guild is a powerful organization.
One of the main purposes of the Guild is to seek out new mages and try to convince them to join the Guild. There are two main reasons for this. First and foremost, it allows the Guild to keep tabs on all Guild mages. If these mages do anything to jeopardize the Guild or any of its members or goals (by the open use of magic, following forbidden schools of magic, etc.), they may be dealt with by the Guild. Second, in return for joining the Guild, a mage gets certain benefits. He has a place to go to get supplies and training if they become needed. He may recruit other mages to help in an adventure or other endeavor. He is welcome to use the Guild's laboratories and libraries to further his own studies (as long as these do not interfere with the Guild's objectives).
One of the conditions of joining the Wizards' Guild is that the mage must agree under a binding oath that he will not create any new spells or magic items without the expressed approval of the Guild. Also, any magic items found by the mage must be viewed and approved by the Guild before they may become anyone's personal property (thus the Guild may weed out any items deemed too powerful or dangerous for use). Any mage who refuses to join the Guild is branded a rogue mage, and is actively hunted by Guild mages.
The term 'The Wizards' Guild' is somewhat misleading. It is actually just another name for RASAMA-TAS. (See also: Oramis; RASAMA-TAS; Rogue Wizard; Shattering, The; Wizard War; Wizards' Guild.)
High Magus: The leader of RASAMA-TAS. The current High Magus is a female human named Salandra Norfressa. (See Who's Who in the Shattered World: Salandra Norfressa. See also: RASAMA-TAS)
Holy Order of the Skywyrm Riders: An order of paladins who are dedicated to the protection of the mages of RASAMA-TAS. These men and women believe in the possibility of the Restoration and have dedicated their lives to ensuring that the mages have the opportunity to continue work that they believe is vital to the survival of Oramis. Each Skywyrm Rider is chosen at dedication by a dragon and spends all of his or her training time with that wyrm. By the time the Rider is ready to join the Order, the two have developed a telepathic bond. The greatest threats facing RASAMA-TAS today include (but are not limited to): The Cabal, The Children of the Light, The Circle, the Sky-Pirates of Gao-Den, and the Witch-Hunters. (See also: Cabal, The; Children of the Light; Circle, The; Oramis; RASAMA-TAS; Restoration, The; Sky-Pirates of Gao-Den; Skywyrm; Witch-Hunters.)
Kusaran Alliance: An alliance of four shards: Kusara, Carbuncle, Sheranda, and Tartassos. Guild mages from RASAMA-TAS have found a way to magically tie the four shards together so that they are always near each other. The four shards that make up the alliance are probably the most accepting of mages of all of the shards. (See Lexicon of Shards: Carbuncle, Kusara, Sheranda, Tartassos. See also: Guild Mages; RASAMA-TAS; Shard.)
Library at Tartassos, The: The legendary Library at Tartassos is a mysterious place. It is large beyond belief and so old that it is believed to predate even the Dragon Lords. (See Lexicon of Shards: Tartassos. See also: Dragon Lords.)
Mageslayers: See Witch Hunters.
Mundane: Wizard slang for anyone who is unable to harness the power of magic.
Pirates of Gao-Den: Plague of the Wind Ways, they are known to harry caravans of the Sky Merchants. (See Lexicon of Shards: Gao Den. See also: Sky Merchants' Guild; Wind Ways, The.)
RASAMA-TAS: An acronym which stands for The Royal Academy for the Study and Advancement of the Mystical Arts and Thaumaturgical Analysis School. This is the formal name of the Wizards' Guild. The Guild formally and openly receives the endorsement of the shards comprising the Kusaran Alliance, since its main goal is the Restoration of the world to its former solid shape. Branches of RASAMA-TAS, also known less commonly as the Wizards' Guild, are known (at least to mages) to exist on many shards, however most -except for the University on Tartassos - exist in secret owing to the paranoia most mundanes feel toward mages. (See Lexicon of Shards: Tartassos. See also: Kusaran Alliance; Mundane; Restoration, The; Shard; University on Tartassos; Wizards' Guild.)
Restoration, The: The name applied by Guild Mages to the major goal of RASAMA-TAS - the restoration of Oramis into a solid whole. (See also: Guild Mages; Oramis; RASAMA-TAS.)
Rogue Wizard: A wizard who has refused to join the Wizards' Guild. Such mages are hunted by Guild mages. It is rumored that the Wizards' Guild sometimes sells information concerning known rogue wizards to the radical organization known as the Witch Hunters. (See also: Guild Mages; Witch Hunters; Wizards' Guild.)
Sky Merchants' Guild: Guild of merchants responsible for most inter-shard commerce. (See also: Shard.)
Sky-Pirates of Gao-Den: Plague of the Wind Ways, they are known to harry caravans of the Sky Merchant's Guild. It is believed that one of the Guild mages who first learned how to create windriggers has gone rogue, and is now helping the sky-pirates to create an armada of pirate windriggers. (See Lexicon of Shards: Gao-Den. See also: Guild Mages; Rogue Mage; Sky Merchants' Guild; Wind Ways, The; Windrigger.)
University on Tartassos: Home of RASAMA-TAS. (See Lexicon of Shards: Tartassos. See also:
RASAMA-TAS.)
Wind Wraiths: It IS possible to fall off the edge of a shard. Doing this is a terrible way to die. Unless one is rescued by a windrigger or other benevolent inhabitant of the Wind Ways, crash-lands on a shard, is devoured by skywyrms, or meets his demise in some other way, one drifts aimlessly about the '˜Ways with no control over direction or speed. One simply floats about until one dies of thirst or starvation. Many of those who die in this fashion become Wind Wraiths. These horrid undead creatures have no fear of the sun. Being formless entities like ghosts or common wraiths, they are immaterial, and can pass through the walls of an windrigger. They are most often identified by their terrible moaning which is often mistaken for the sound of the wind blowing. Sometimes called 'Lost Ones.' (See also: Shard; Skywyrm; Wind Ways, The; Windrigger.)
Witch Hunters: Because of the fear the general public has of wizards, Witch Hunters have become very popular. These men and women seek out and slay known mages, even Guild mages if they can do so without getting caught. Witch Hunters have an innate magic sense which they use to track down and slay wizards. It is known that the Wizards' Guild often sells information about known rogue wizards to Witch Hunters. It is rumored that the Witch Hunters are a branch of the Children of the Light. Also referred to as Mageslayers. (See also: Children of the Light; Guild Mages; Rogue Wizard; Wizards' Guild.)
Wizards' Guild: Unlike the guilds of most worlds, the Wizards' Guild is a secret organization. Because of the effect the Wizard War had on the world of Oramis, the general public is frightened of wizards. Because of this, all wizards MUST be Guild mages. Those who are not are branded rogues and are hunted down by Guild mages. The primary goal of the Guild is to find a way to reunite the shards back into a solid, whole world again, and thus regain the confidence of the general public (referred to as 'the Restoration'). The term 'Wizards' Guild' is misleading. The Wizards' Guilds are actually local branches of RASAMA-TAS, a magical university based on the shard Tartassos, a member-shard of the Kusaran Alliance. (See also: Guild Mages; Kusaran Alliance; Oramis; RASAMA-TAS; Restoration, The; Rogue Mage; Shard; University on Tartassos; Wizard War.)
Hello Stargate!
Thank you for your interest in my setting. I will try to answer your questions....
I like the premise, I think that you have active magic condemnation in a world that is obviously dependent on magic is a rather nice touch.
Thanks :)
You say the shards are in random patterns; do they ever collide?
No, the magic of the shard-key acts as a buffer preventing shards from coming within a half mile of each other.
How far apart are these things,
At least a hlf-mile from each other though at times much farther.
...do the shards make all faces of the shard inhabitable, not just what once was the surface?
Well, gravity pulls down toward where the core of the plaent once was. So if one found a cave and went down into the shard root, the gravity focus would not change. Dragons like to use shard-roots as nesting spots. :)
What happens to water?
The magic used by the pre-Shattering mages was great and beyond the understanding of post-Shattering mages. When the Shattering occurred, water which was not bounded by land flooded off the surface of the shard into the Ways, much of which gathered into huge amorphous globs which the inhabitnts call seas. Somehow though, the magic of shard keys is able to pull moisture from the seas in order to maintain the climate on each shard. Thus it still rains and rivers still exist, but the water flows off the side of the shard of the shard and is collected into the seas once more.
Can the shards ever be brought back together?
No one seems to know for sure. The wizards of the Guild have been trying to achieve just that, but after 1,000 years of research and trying, they are apparently no closer now to Restoration than they ever were.
About the compass, is each one linked to a particular shard, or can it be told to find any given shard?
A compass can be used to locate any named shard. Of course the names of some shards may not be common knowledge.....
I want to know more about dragons.
What would you like to know?
I like your idea of the globe game, it sounds interesting.
Thanks. Glad you like it.
Personally, I would re-think your idea about the Navigators. I like the idea of a sentient ship, and knowing that your ship is sentient would be a rather large boon. I think that the aspect of the sentience might be better served as a symbiotic link between the captain and the ship, rather than simple ignorance.
The Air Traffic Controllers' Guild keeps this information secret in order to maintain a monopoly. They don't want others to know. If the means for creating windriggers was common knowledge, then others might try to devise their own ships. Also if it was common knowledge that these ships were living creatures who had been changed and enslaved to be used in this way, there might be a back-lash from some good-aligned factions.
How exactly are these shards moving? around the sun in a ring, or in a field that itself orbits like the planet used to?
The shards are contained within a great globe of air which orbits the sun in roughly the same position the solid world once filled.
Are those two mages still alive?
Apparently not, but there are rumors and legends....
Ah, I see what happened to the water. So how does climate work? Do the shards still receive rain? freshwater rivers just 'fall' off the shard? If so, where does the water for the aquifers come from?
See my previous answer...
Has an ocean ever collided with a shard?
No, for the same reason that two shards have never collided... the shard-keys prevent that.
I like your idea of the keys. Perhaps the sentience is the consciousness of a mage's guild volunteer?
Hmmm.... hadn't thought of that. Clever idea! Thanks!
So shard-roots have gravity as well? Does it point towards the center of the shard, or simply 'down' to where the core of the planet once was?
The gravity pulls down toward where the core of the plaent once was.
actually seeing the windrigger entry, this opens up a whole can of adventure. To the outside, it seems like the dragons are being hunted. Since you say the ship is sentient, what if it's the consciousness of the dragon that the ship is built from?
I have never actually written this up anywhere yet, so this will be the first time I have put my thoughts on this matter down "on paper" so to speak.
The Air Traffic Controllers' Guild employs Dragon Lancers to hunt down and capture living dragons. These are brought to the Guild's hq where mages magically shape the dragon's body into a ship (an extremely painful process) and then capture its mind and place it in a shipstone. The shipstone emits a Navigator illusion to which the ship's captain directs his orders. When a captain purchases a windrigger, the shipstone is magically bonded to him. The only way to end this bond is to kill the captain. Once this is done, the stone will bond with the next person to touch it.
Since you've got alot of sentient beings posing as objects, the potential for behind the scenes happenings is quite large.
Yes, isn't it though! ;)
No one seems to know for sure. The wizards of the Guild have been trying to achieve just that, but after 1,000 years of research and trying, they are apparently no closer now to Restoration than they ever were.
Well now I'm wondering why someone hasn't simply gotten several hundred 3/4 mile ropes, lashed two of them together, de-activated the stones temporarily, then pulled them together and re-activated the stones. If the stones don't work like that, then the original designers made a fatal flaw in their design...
What would you like to know?
Do they have a culture? What's their lifespan? Have any attempted to ally themselves with humans? Basically anything and everything.
The Air Traffic Controllers' Guild keeps this information secret in order to maintain a monopoly. They don't want others to know. If the means for creating windriggers was common knowledge, then others might try to devise their own ships. Also if it was common knowledge that these ships were living creatures who had been changed and enslaved to be used in this way, there might be a back-lash from some good-aligned factions.The second part I understand, but the first doesn't make sense; surely the dragon doesn't know exactly how this was done?
I like your idea of the keys. Perhaps the sentience is the consciousness of a mage's guild volunteer?
Hmmm.... hadn't thought of that. Clever idea! Thanks!
And they now have a first-hand account of exactly how this whole thing was done, and presumably how to fix it... unless their memories have been wiped/corrupted by being items.
I have never actually written this up anywhere yet, so this will be the first time I have put my thoughts on this matter down "on paper" so to speak.
The Air Traffic Controllers' Guild employs Dragon Lancers to hunt down and capture living dragons. These are brought to the Guild's hq where mages magically shape the dragon's body into a ship (an extremely painful process) and then capture its mind and place it in a shipstone. The shipstone emits a Navigator illusion to which the ship's captain directs his orders. When a captain purchases a windrigger, the shipstone is magically bonded to him. The only way to end this bond is to kill the captain. Once this is done, the stone will bond with the next person to touch it.
So it is the consciousness of the dragon. So what prevents the dragon from simply ignoring the bonded captain and do whatever, since I assume it's going to be rather pissed off. You might want to add 'or voluntarily hand it over' to the transfer of the bond, otherwise inheriting your dad's old shipping business becomes a rather short retirement for the old man.
You mention this bonding; is it just so the ship knows who's in charge, or is there more to it than that?
Hello everyone!
Just wanted to drop you a line and let you know that I am gong to be afk for a couple of days... going camping... but I will answer questions when I get back. Please feel free to use this however you please. However I jsut have one small request... if you create any new rules for the setting or creatures/spells etc please post them here so that I can incorporate them into my world.
Well have fun and see ya soon!
Here is some info on shards I have created for my world. Hope you enjoy it!
THE LEXICON OF SHARDS:
Caemlyn: Home shard of the Children of the Light.
Callendula: A wealthy shard. Many of the inhabitants are either supporters or members of the Mageslayers.
Carbuncle: One of the four shards in the Kusaran Alliance. The city of Carbuncle fills the shard completely, from shard-edge to shard-edge, with buildings and streets filling nearly every available space. To anyone approaching Carbuncle by windrigger, it appears so full that the buildings close to the shard-edge look as if they are in danger of falling off into the Wind Ways. In fact, some buildings have actually been built so that they DO hang over the edge. Carbuncle is considered a holy city to almost every deity in the large Oramian pantheon. Thus, Carbuncle's major economic income is derived from tourism and pilgrimage. Despite the fact that it is considered such a holy city, several deities (mostly those of evil alignment) are denied temples here, though it is rumored that priesthoods of several of these banned gods have underground congregations anyway.
Dark Haven: A mysterious shard about which little is known. Because it is somehow linked to another shard, Dark Haven remains in a perpetual state of darkfall. Observers from windriggers have noted that almost all of the space on the shard is filled by a huge, gothic castle. The name of the creator of this castle - and whether or not he or she still lives there - is not known. The name of Dark Haven is often brought up when possible locations of the Cabal's hidden base are discussed.
Dwarfmoot: Home of the dwarves. The dwarves call this shard Ostoria.
Elvandar: Legendary home-shard of the elves. Its existence is denied by elves.
Gao-Den: Base of operations for the sky-pirates who plague the '˜Ways. It is believed that one of the Guild wizards who first leaned how to create windriggers went rogue, and is now helping the sky-pirates to create an armada of pirate windriggers.
Kusara: The governing shard of the four shards which comprise the Kusaran Alliance and home of the Kusaran King.
Magus: (DM 'S NOTE: The very existence of this shard, much less its purpose, is NOT considered general knowledge and as such should not be made available to the players unless and until they discover it on their own.)One of the best kept secrets of Oramis, this shard is believed to be a 'graveyard' for those magic items the Wizards' Guild has branded too powerful for use. Its location is known only to the High Magus of RASAMA-TAS and his (or her) appointed successors. Magus is one of the most highly guarded and shielded locations in the world. Obviously its very existence is not known to the general public. It is rumored to be a desert shard and an area of 'dead' magic. No known spell or magic item will work here. How it retains its gravity and atmosphere are not known, since obviously a shard-key won't (or at least shouldn't) work here.
Ostoria: Dwarven name for the shard called Dwarfmoot.
Sheranda: The only shard of the four which comprise the Kusaran Alliance which was not originally a part of the Kusaran Empire. An agricultural shard with few fighters and little protection, the Sherandans petitioned for entry into the alliance for this purpose. In addition, they now have a ready market for the agricultural products which they produce, which obviously was one of the deciding factors for the alliance in permitting them to join. Sheranda, besides being home to a large population of human farmers, is also home to the largest known concentration of Twyll (halflings).
Tartassos: Home of RASAMA-TAS (The Royal Academy for the Study and Advancement of the Mystical Arts and Thaumaturgical Analysis School). Tartassos is an ancient site with a mystical and mysterious history. Home of the legendary Library at Tartassos, which was known to exist even before the coming of the Dragon Lords!
Thus far you have a glossary of place names that sounds immediately eye catching, unusual and yet easy to read, which is all good. I have one criticism: Rassama-Tas. I immediately think 'razzmatazz' and find it a little hard to take seriously, unless that is your intention.
The following are some half-formed ideas I am contemplating. I am only just reacquainting myself with 3E rules after a LONG absence, and don't have most of the books yet, so any recommendations/help you can give on fleshing these out would be greatly appreciated.
MISC. NOTES
Hazards of Sailing the Wind Ways:
Air Elementals:
Cloud Serpents:
Dragons:
Electrical Storms:
Ghost Ships:
Griffons:
Manticores:
Pirates:
Rocs:
Storm Children:
Vortex:
Wind Demons: Horned, winged apes
Wind Wraiths:
Wyverns:
Possible Means of Moving Through the Shards Without the Use of a Windrigger:Potions/Wings of Flying/Spells of Flying
Carpets/Brooms/Rings of Flying
Pegasus/Hippogriff/Griffin/Asperii
Giant Eagles/Rocs
Winged Elves/Half-Dragons
Teleportation Grids
Waygates (NOT recommended)
Gnomish Clockwork Ships
Hot Air Balloons
Hang gliders/Kites
Windboards
Possible New Skills and/or Spells:
Find/Locate Shard
Predict Shard Path
Shard Lore
Windboarding
Pilot Windrigger/Windskiff
Miscellaneous:
Wild Navigational Ability
Dragon-kin
If I might make a suggestion: you should probably divide (at least for Dm purposes) three main categories of means of transport:
1. Means that pcs can only acquire with levelling up (ie spells, special feats etc)
2. Means that can only be acquired with a lot of money.
3. Means that can only be acquired by adventuring--ie monsters that could be tamed or granted as rewards.
Right now, I am planning on using mostly standard races:
Human
Elf/Half-elf
Dwarf/Mul
Gnome
Halfling
with the additions of
Half-dragon
Avariel
Possibly a psionic race of some sort
a shapeshifting race
and possibly one or two others.
Half-orcs are not allowed, since in my world, humanoids (orcs, kobolds, etc.) are not true races... they are player races which have been horribly changed by the evil magis of the enemy. For instance, a kobold is actually a halfling that has been irrevocably altered. Orcs were once dwarves, and so on.
Here is a point that I'm afraid that my basic premise did not make clear. The original world was basically earth-sized. The sky-sphere - the envelope which holds in the air - is much larger (how large I have not yet decided - maybe Jupiter sized?) Inside the sky-sphere the 1000 shards move about in no predetermined manner. They do not have set orbit - they were set to floating within it in random, ever-shifting patterns. However the shard-keys alos prevent any two shards from coming within one mile of each other. They simply move out of the way (think of the repulsion fields set up by two magnets.)
The shard-keys provide each shard with gravity, atmosphere and preserve climate at its pre-Shattering state. Temperature in the Wind Ways (the air spaces between shards) does not vary much. It is typically a balmy 65-85 degrees farenheit, regardless of where you are in sky-sphere. Whether you were at a place closer to the sun or farther away, temperature varies very little - all effects of the sky-sphere. In appearance, the Wind Ways look like blue sky, no matter where you look. You may see large clouds/storms, other shards in the distance, flocks of grays, windriggers, etc.
Quote from: WizardofOwlsHere is a point that I'm afraid that my basic premise did not make clear. The original world was basically earth-sized. The sky-sphere - the envelope which holds in the air - is much larger (how large I have not yet decided - maybe Jupiter sized?)
http://ase.arc.nasa.gov/projects/bayes-group/Atlas/size/Jupiter/Earth.html
Depending on the size of your shards, that may be a tad too big.
Got a few numbers questions for you....
In my original premise, I said that the Shattering occurred 1000 years ago. Is that too long? I've been thinking that maybe I should change that to 100 years...
I've stated elsewhere that there are 1000 shards. I'm thinking that that is not enough. what about 10,000? Or should there be more?
I've also stated that no two shards can come closer than 1/2 mile to each other. I'm thinking that that is too close. Would 1 mile be better?
Finally, I posted elsewhere that all of the shards are contained within a sphere roughly the size of Jupiter. Is that too big? What would be more reasonable?
Quote from: WizardofOwlsIn my original premise, I said that the Shattering occurred 1000 years ago. Is that too long? I've been thinking that maybe I should change that to 100 years...
It depends. With 100 years, you would have people still able to remember the shattering, and the dragons adapting would be less plausible.
I prefer 1000 years.
Quote from: WizardofOwlsI've stated elsewhere that there are 1000 shards. I'm thinking that that is not enough. what about 10,000? Or should there be more?
1000 shards makes each one 5.6 × 10^21 kg in mass, or about 112,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 pounds or 56,000,000,000,000,000,000 tons. Do with that information what you will.
Quote from: WizardofOwlsI've also stated that no two shards can come closer than 1/2 mile to each other. I'm thinking that that is too close. Would 1 mile be better?
Way too close. Hurtling masses suddenly changing directions like that would do serious damage, and 1/2 mile with no gravity is easily jumpable. I'd make it five miles.
Quote from: WizardofOwlsFinally, I posted elsewhere that all of the shards are contained within a sphere roughly the size of Jupiter. Is that too big? What would be more reasonable?
I'd say half that size. makes it so that there's still space to roam in, but still not too crowded.
I really love this world. If I'm able to find some players more experienced than the ones in my current campaign, you can be sure that I'll want to run in the Shattered World.
That being said, have you ever considered putting this information into a Wiki?
If you don't know how/have never created a Wiki before, that's totally cool, just pop me a PM and I'll tell you all about TiddlyWiki. This isn't an advertisement, it's just the one I know :).
I think that given the style you're using to present information, a wiki would be a really good way to go with it.
Keep up the awesome work!
Just wanted everyone to know that I have created a new Wiki for the Shattered World! Here is the addy (I hope its okay to post this here. If not, please feel free to delete it):
http://oramis.wetpaint.com
Please stop by and let me know what you think!
I need to find a class or prc for my game. I don't have enough books to see if an official one has already been made or money to buy one if I knew where one was. I would like to find one posted online on which to base my own class.
What I need is a Demon Conjuror/Summoner or Demonist... someone who summons demons to serve them and/or provide them with magic ability, sort of like the sha'ir from the old Arabian Adventures setting. Anybody know where I could find something along these lines? I will also have a Diabolist too, similar to the domonsit but dealing with devils. Any help would be appreciated.
Hmmm I must be blind... Just found a PRC in the DMG called the Thaumaturgist. I think it would work for my needs. Perhaps demonists and diabolists are specific types of thaumaturgists.
What is the best way to deal with lycanthropes in a world without night? I am thinking that the alernate creature (wolf, rat, bear, whatever) wants out as much as the human does so there is a constant battle for control of the body. Perhaps whenever the lycnathrope is in a stressful situation, or experiences extreme emotion, he must make a will check. If he fails, the other creature comes out for a set amount of time. Each time he makes the save a cumulative -1 penalty is added to the check until the creature is released at last. Maybe in some cases, if the human form is evil, the lycanthorpe can willingly release control to the creature.
Thoughts? Ideas?
QuoteChildren of the Light: A militant organization composed of extremist Lawful Good members who are fanatically driven to further their own alignment. They use inquisition-like tactics to find and convert those who are not Lawful Good to their own system of beliefs. It is rumored that the radical group called the Witch Hunters is in some way connected to this organization, since the Children condemn mages and all things magical in nature. Based on the shard called Caemlyn. (See The Lexicon of Shards: Caemlyn. See also: Shard; Witch Hunters.)
In a recent article about alignment we discussed the definitions of alignments including Lawful Good. Think about the 'Good' part of the descriptor when you think about persecution and condemnation of magic-users.
QuoteAt least one shard, the shard called Dark Haven, is known to remain in darkness all of the time because it is somehow linked to another, larger shard, which always blocks it from receiving sunlight
This seems strange to me, because the other shards turn away from the sun at times, so I would expect the shard that Dark Haven is attached to at times to turn away from the sun as they do, which should reveal Dark Haven. . .
What I expected of Dark Haven was that it lay perhaps amidst the center of the shards and thus was blocked by the other shards a majority of the time.
QuoteIn the Shattered World, dragons are the primary components in the construction of windskiffs and windriggers. Thus dragons are heavily hunted and can bring high profits on the black market.
Does this mean that your dragons are not the legendary creatures they are in other worlds, but rather more common (though each is still unique) and easier to slay for their components? Otherwise I find it difficult to imagine that there would be any form of sizable market for these windriggers and windskiffs. The cost in acquiring the materials, in money, manpower, and risk pay would be too great.
QuoteMoon: Before the Shattering, Oramis - like many other worlds - had a moon called Selene. It is theorized that when the world 'exploded,' the sudden loss of gravity and the force of the explosion hurled it into space, leaving Oramis moonless. If this is true, then it becomes difficult to explain why the priestesses of Selene still revere the moon and - mysteriously - still retain their spell-casting ability and other granted powers! Some sages have theorized that this can be explained in one of two ways. First, perhaps some other power has adopted the moon's portfolio and has 'adopted' the priesthood as its own under the guise of Selene. Second, perhaps the moon was not lost at all, it just isn't visible now because of the fact that there is no longer a true night. (See also: Oramis; Shattering, The.)
Hmm, a mystery! Now I am intrigued.
QuoteUnknown to the general public, windriggers are actually living sentient beings - probably dragons - magically shaped by mages to look like ships.
Say what? Wait, are these things made from dragon parts or are they dragons polymorphed into flying ships?
QuoteDue to a great deal of foresight and Foresight
Nice. (I take it you did that intentionally, to be humorous and it was not a redundancy error)
QuoteNight: A pre-Shattering myth. Supposedly when the world was solid, it would undergo periods of complete darkness, resulting from the world turning away from the sun. Sages say that such a thing is possible, but it is difficult for most Oramians to imagine such a concept.
I think I'm starting to see what you meant including this in the other thread. If you were including that to juxtapose the time when there was regular night to now when there are times of darkness only randomly when shards pass in front of the sun, then make sure you explain the difference, and state strongly (I am referring to the other thread now) that there is not night in the world today.
QuoteShard-Edge: The rim of a shard; the point from which - if one continues walking - one will fall off the shard into the Wind Ways. (See also: Shard; Wind Ways, The.)
Ha! I like it. An amusing new take on an old legend.
QuoteWind Ways, The: The space that exists between the shards. A chaotic, wind-filled area dominated by strong air currents and buffeting winds. Sometimes referred to as simply as 'the '˜Ways.' There is no gravity in the '˜Ways, so anything which falls into the '˜Ways without some means of self-propulsion will be buffeted haphazardly by the winds. It is nearly impossible to determine time and direction in the '˜Ways unaided. (See also: Shard.)
Eek. So no way to tell time or direction. Direction I can understand pretty well, as the shards would all look more or less the same, and being sucked along to who-knows-where who-knows-how-fast it would be very hard to get your bearings. Yes, you would probably lose track of time after your head met with a continental rock, but now that I think about it, without distinct day or night, how do the people of Oramis keep track of the time at all?
In general I like your layout. Later I would like to see some fluffy goodness by way of extended writing on things, but for now this works fine. It gets the information out there and conveys the flavor of the world in nice little bite-sized chunks. :)