[ooc] All pretty standard fare, but I'd love some feedback. It's in raw enough form in my Google doc that my only organization is bold text. Sorry![/ooc]
Runes are symbols that bend reality when invoked; magic. By combining Runes, those who practice magic, called Runewise, cast spells to wield the power of the elements. There are seven known Master Runes from which all Runes, and thus spells, are derived; Air, Creation, Destruction, Earth, Fire, Time and Water. The Master Runes of Creation, Destruction and Time were lost with the titans and only derivatives are used in present-day magic.
The gods, if they exist, have not made their presence known to mortals. Some scholars posit that Runes are fragments of a divine language, used by the gods to create the world and its creatures. Many cultures practice faith-based worship of a deity or deities, but despite all claims there is still no proof these beings exist. The deities of most organized religions can be traced back and compared to powerful actors during the Age of Kings, the Age of Dragons, and even the Age of Titans.
The titans and dragons are known as the greater races. The limits of their age and power are unclear, but millennia of war and the overwhelming numbers of the lesser races have pushed them from the limelight of history.
The titans inherited Vorel from the gods and are assumed to have perished. Peerless in their command of the Runes, the titans enslaved the dragons and created the humans and dwarves; the former as servants and the latter as laborers. They are known only by the toppled remnants of their cities and the tales of the dragons transcribed during the Age of Kings. Today, they are considered nothing more than minstrel-spun fable by all but the most learned of historians.
Dragons are pure manifestations of the elements; the complete merging of the physical and spiritual worlds. Dragons have existed for longer than recorded history and it is unsure, even among their kind, if they predate the titans. They are extremely rare, hunted to near extinction by the lesser races during the Age of Kings. Dragons are tied to a specific element which determines the color of their scales and the nature of their deadly breath. During the Age of Dragons, the eldest of their kind could eclipse the sun and wipe out villages with a single breath.
The humans and mongrels are known as the lesser races. These mortal beings are intelligent and can command the Runes to some degree, though not with the mastery of the greater races. No mortal has yet created or utterly destroyed another creature with the Runes; that power is believed to have died with the last of the titans. Mongrel races, mixtures of beast and man, were created as soldiers during the wars between the titans and the dragons. Brutish and unintelligent, many of these races died in the conflicts for which they were born, but some have endured to modern times. Among the most successful of these races are the ogres, engua and hyra, who thrive in spite of human influence.
Humans are the dominant race on Vorel. Characterized by their intelligence and adaptability, their civilizations can be found in all but the harshest climes and remote locations. Legends claim that knowledge of Runes was stolen by the enslaved humans at the end of the Age of Dragons.
Age of Creation
Vorel is a world whose beginning is veiled in a shroud of time and mystery. Creation mythologies vary by culture and no one version of events can be verified as the actual accounting of time before the reign of the dragons. Even the eldest of the dragons during the Age of Kings could not recall a time before they were enslaved by the titans, which by approximate human reckoning would stretch known history to ten thousand years before human records were kept.
Age of Titans
Uncounted eons passed under the rule of the titans. Great cities of these near-gods rose and fell. The lesser races were created. As the titans grew in power they fought with one another over control of Vorel's resources. The wars escalated and eventually the entire world was thrown into conflict. The dragons, whose power grew steadily and silently in the thousands of years of enslavement, turned against their masters. Whether any of the titans survived is unknown, but the dragons assumed the mantle of command and the world quickly feel into chaos that would last seven thousand years.
Age of Dragons (also Age of Terror, Age of Chaos)
Dragons are selfish creatures who care little for those outside of their own brood. With the titans gone, the dragons claimed territory and warred bitterly amongst themselves. The cities and spires of the titans were of little use to the dragons; some endured as prizes, others as housing for slaves of lesser races, but most crumbled in neglect. The lesser races were regarded as little more than food by most dragons, many of the latter were entirely consumed. The fledgling civilizations of the lesser races were generally tribal and nomadic, settling in one place for too long meant enslavement or death.
Age of Kings
Eroded monuments and fragmented artifacts hint at civilizations prior, but the Age of Kings is the oldest documented era of civilization, marked by the proliferation of magical knowledge among the human race. Armed with the Runes, the lesser races could settle without fear of the dragons. As settlements grew, dragon attacks were frequently repelled. Bands of warriors would seek out dragons in their lairs and slay them.
Not all dragons wished to be hunted, nor did they all treat the lesser races as intelligent game. Early in the Age of Kings, the wisest of the dragons allied themselves with leaders of the humans. These rulers became the Dragon Kings, leading city-states at first, then nations.
Age of Covenants
Fragmented by the loss of the powerful dragon kings, human civilization spent several centuries redefining national boundaries. Now free to live without the influence of the dragons, humans developed new forms of government, philosophy, religion and more. Peace was an attained for the first time in history and the major powers ushered in a golden age of humankind, fettered only by minor wars with the mongrel races.
The Age of Covenants is considered to have ended only recently with the fall of Aenfar and the rise of the Khaerim to power in Jandesh.
An Age of Uncertainty
The new and yet unnamed sixth age begins in war that heralds the end of peace and prosperity for the human race.
[ooc]I'll be running a game in the capital of Khaerim-ruled Jandesh. A city-based campaign where my goal is to create a compelling story set entirely within the city walls, though I may bend and limit myself to the borders of Jandesh. Anyway, more to come soon.[/ooc]
Quote from: EladrisRunes are symbols that bend reality when invoked; magic. By combining Runes, those who practice magic, called Runewise, cast spells to wield the power of the elements. There are eight known Master Runes from which all Runes, and thus spells, are derived; Air, Creation, Destruction, Earth, Fire, Time and Water. The Master Runes of Creation, Destruction and Time were lost with the titans and only derivatives are used in present-day magic.
Looks pretty neat. I did some similar stuff with one of my settings too (at least for a part).
I've lways liked the idea of runes and language for magic.
One question though. What is the eight master rune, and is it lost or not. You said there are eight, but then proceeded to just list the 4 elemental ones and the three lost runes. I am curious.
Quote from: Captain ObviousOne question though. What is the eight master rune, and is it lost or not. You said there are eight, but then proceeded to just list the 4 elemental ones and the three lost runes. I am curious.
Erm... Seven! I originally intended an eighth but trimmed it out without editing the text. (Good catch)
[ooc]The campaign will be taking place in Khaeridan, the capital of Jandesh.[/ooc]
Khaeridan is ruled by a family of Runewise, the Khaerim, who control the Master Rune of Water. Simple spells with ice or water components have made their way into the repertoire of other Runewise, but the family is ruthless in the keeping of its secrets. Near-gods by virtue of their control over the Jand, a ribbon of life that snakes its way through the otherwise barren lands of Jandesh, the Khaerim have held absolute power in the 150 years since the earthquake that diverted the Jand from its old course.
[ooc]I'm torn here on a point of Khaeridan's location. I'd like the city to be built on the water; Venice, riddled with canals. A flowing, silt-heavy water source would make a setup similar to Venice impossible without magic, which I'm loathe to settle on as the explanation for how the city works in its entirety. My two story options were: built in a lagoon that was once the Jand's delta, which makes scientific sense; built in a location to which the Jand was later diverted to run through, which makes story sense. I'm inclined to the latter, but I'd love ideas on how I could make either work.[/ooc]
For centuries the Jandeshi practiced a strict caste system with its nobility worshiped as gods. Today, the castes exist less formally, with the Khaerim assuming the mantle of leadership, but without the crown of divinity. The nobility is compromised of 17 greater families and 200 or more vassal families, with the number of vassal families fluctuating based on the whims of the greater families to which they swear allegiance.
The clergy of the Jandeshi church are considered next, though they operate somewhat outside of the normal rules that govern social interaction. A Jandeshi priest may speak openly even with Khaerim and slave alike if the situation is appropriate and it is not uncommon for a member of the clergy to be afforded positions of honor above even members of the greater families.
Freemen, or those not sworn to a noble family, compromise the bulk of the population. It is rare for a freeman to be elevated to nobility, even through service; more likely that a member of a vassal family is granted the right to form a new family. Freemen
The dispossessed are considered the lesser of freemen, those who belonged to a vassal family that was disgraced and removed from service to a greater family.
Criminals and slaves are the undesirables of Jandeshi society, often forced to perform physical labor until death.
The Jandeshi worship a small pantheon of gods known only by their profession: Smith, Patron, Scholar, Beggar, Warrior and Merchant. Each is depicted in prayer and hymn so as to instruct the masses in virtue and warn against vice. Each god has male and female representations, and no faction of the church has convinced another of the gods' genders.
[ooc]I swear I had another one... I just can't remember it.[/ooc]
Runes
What do you mean by only derivatives exist of the 3 lost master-runes? Do Runewise learn the master-runes or the lesser runes when they are taught magic?
Gods
I'm glad you made the existence of gods an unresolved issue. I dislike when people do that. (a matter of taste of course)
Titans
Are they big or just powerful?
Dragon Kings
How did they dissappear?
(Note: Age of Uncertainty sounds cool)
As to the city, it sounds pretty cool. I like the idea of those who hold control of the Water element controlling the land by virtue of the river being the basis of their existence. I'm not sure i understand your problem though. Would you like for it to be in[\i] the river itself? Venice was built in a lagoon-ish bay. But an easy solution would be simply build it on natural islands. Also, with almost complete control over water, i think they could manage it.
Seems a bit limiting to have one of the gods be called Smith. Wouldn't Crafter, Maker or Worker be more sensible? Maybe you could have a medicine god as well (could be included in scholar)?
I'd like to know more about what the dragons and the mongrels look like.
Also I like how at one point at least some dragons were peaceful rulers. It's a real shame that had to end.
Quote from: Crippled CrowWhat do you mean by only derivatives exist of the 3 lost master-runes? Do Runewise learn the master-runes or the lesser runes when they are taught magic?
Titans
Are they big or just powerful?[/quote]Dragon Kings
How did they dissappear?[/quote]
Once armed with Runes, the human race refused to be subjugated or held as anything other than equals by the dragons. While I have given some thought to remote Dragon Kings persisting into modernity, I prefer the idea that humans were fallible in their decision to hunt the dragons to near extinction. Those dragons that endured have been out of the public eye for long enough that their existence is considered a legend by all but scholars and those lucky or unlucky enough to stumble into a dragon's lair.
I like the idea of dragons taking many forms (I have a personal preference for the traditional western dragon) and even more so that they represent the merging of physical and spiritual worlds.
Thanks for the comments so far. :) Back to work...
Quote from: Crippled CrowSeems a bit limiting to have one of the gods be called Smith. Wouldn't Crafter, Maker or Worker be more sensible? Maybe you could have a medicine god as well (could be included in scholar)?
I like Smith for a few reasons.
The hills in eastern Jandesh -- Khaeridan, in particular -- are rich with iron. Much of Khaeridan's wealth is from its trade, particularly with the Hazzahreen desert tribes to the east. In addition to plying their trade to craft items, smiths will be responsible for certifying the quality of iron (and other metals) shipped east. Crafter/Maker/Worker all certainly fill the role, but Smith is sort of the evolution of that idea when applied to Jandesh. A blacksmith is someone who "made it" through hard work and perseverance; a common man (free or from a vassal family) who merchants and nobility rely on for their word as well as their muscle.
Your suggestion definitely makes me wonder what an earlier version of the pantheon would look like. It would be interesting if gods were added or removed over time, or if Crafter evolved into Smith and older texts would be unreadable or cryptic as a result. I originally penciled Beggar in as Knave and decided that common folk wouldn't trust a thief to teach them lessons, but might trust a panhandler to teach them charity. Maybe Beggar started as Knave or Rogue and the church slowly remolded his image into an old man or woman holding out a bowl, playing on pity for alms rather than fear of damnation.
Scholar will roll up study of Runes, medicine, history, religion and architecture. The final god I had included was Sailor. I'm not sure Sailor's mention is warranted. It was originally intended to express freedom of spirit, adventure and exploration, but Jandeshi society wouldn't necessarily exalt those values. Might be a candidate for a god who was removed from the ranks by the nobility at some point in the past! I also have no god for love or lust/carnal pleasure; also a good candidate.
And because I mentioned the Hazzahreen:
[ic=Hazzahra]The trade city of
Hazzahra has existed on the edge of the desert for millennia, a cluster of oases held sacred by the tribes of the area. It is forbidden to even draw a weapon in violence while among the oases, but despite the ancient taboo the city has been razed and rebuilt a dozen times in its long history. Nearly all of Hazzahra's dwellings are cloth tents of various shapes, colors and sizes. More permanent stone structures are scattered throughout the city; libraries, monuments, temples and towers, among others.
Hazzahra has no overarching government. As different tribes wax or wane in power the landscape of the city changes. Each tribe policies and maintains its territory with varying effort. Some tribes practice slavery, though slaves are almost always foreigners.
Collectively, the people that live in and near Hazzahra are known as the
Hazzahreen. Despite differing tribes, the Hazzahreen worship only two deities: the sun and moon. Water is generally considered sacred, a gift from the moon, and its waste sacrilegious. Many tribes deal harsh punishments out to those who befoul or otherwise waste water in their territory.[/ic]
Humans will be the only playable race, but I'd still like to make the world fantastic. I previously mentioned some mongrel races and spirits. Here's an example spirit that would be a common, non-combat encounter or usable in background description during play.
[ic=Muji]Jandesh (common), Hazzahrah (rare)
Muji are water spirits that assume the corporeal form of a large fish resembling a carp. Muji have whiskered faces and are typically three to four feet in length. Their spiritual nature is betrayed by quicksilver eyes and mottled scales in rich hues of lavender, blue and white. Spirits that claim domain over larger bodies of water, such as the primary oasis in Hazzahra, can be as large ten feet in length with whiskers as long and thick as a man's arm.
Muji are often employed by the Khaerim to clean and police the waterways of Khaeridan.[/ic]
I originally included, "Like most spirits, Muji can communicate telepathically with mortals, though they rarely choose to do so." in the description, but I'm not sure how I feel about spirit communication. I've read a wide range of books where spirits range from mute and ignorant to gossipy and omniscient. I think the inability to communicate directly is more interesting, personally. As if, by being forced to communicate through motion ("Why is the fish swimming in circles?") or by beaming images into a mortal's head, it allows for a player's interpretation of the spirit's world rather than a forced one.
[ic=Engua]Jandesh (common)
Bipedal, semi-intelligent reptilians that thrive in marshy and aquatic environments. Engua have scaly hides in hues of green, brown and, rarely, blue, with a long snout and large eyes in the front of its head. Their arms and legs are well-muscled and their hands are much like a human's, but with shorter, thicker fingers. While running, an engua leans forward and uses its thick tail, which also makes engua powerful swimmers, to balance the weight of its body over its legs. Even without weapons an adult engua can pose a lethal threat to an armed human as its teeth are particularly sharp. Engua are particularly common in the Jand delta.
Enguan tools and weapons are simple, made of wood and bone unless looted from a nearby human civilization. When natural caves near water are not available, engua have been known to construct rude dwellings by bundling long reeds together at a height of eight to ten feet, hollowing out a central cavity and plastering the sides with clay or mud.[/ic]
Man, I'm bad at physical descriptions. I think this could be summed up as "Alligator Man" like that guy from TMNT. ;)
I like most of the stuff in this thread. It looks like a good setting in the making. :)
Quote from: EladrisNearly all of Hazzahra's dwellings are cloth tents of various shapes, colors and sizes. More permanent stone structures are scattered throughout the city; libraries, monuments, temples and towers, among others.
If the town has existed for millennia (even if it's been sacked a few times), why aren't there more permanent houses? One would think that the people would be compelled to build better dwellings for themselves. Even if there is a terrible lack of wood and stone in the area, they should still be able to use clay or mud bricks. Short of some grave religious ban on permanent dwellings, I can't think of any reason why they wouldn't build houses on a major settlement that's continually inhabited.
I am loving the dragons... I was kind of going with something similar, albeit with a few exceptions (local rather than elemental spirits, still feudal lords, absent because they "hibernate", and designated regent families who may or may not still rule (but who the dragons assume still answer to them), etc.)
The runes as both a magical and non-magical thing, as well as an elemental thing... not usually something I like. I don't generally like mysticism in my combat or tidy, symmetrical magic systems. *However* I have seen it done well once or twice (Avatar springs to mind as something that does well enough using both) and the three lost runes do pique my interest.
I do like the unverifiable gods and creation. I also like the "deity or deities" bit. If gods aren't obvious, beliefs will vary as to which of them exist. I'm curious if there are monotheistic faiths and if so what they are like. Also whether there are religions not deity-centric (like Buddhism, Confucianism, etc. are... I think). And you mentioned a "language of the gods" bit with the runes... It would be easy to assume that the language with magical power is the one that started it all.
Reading a little further, I really like the "professional pantheon." Something I haven't seen before. I take it these are the gods of a metropolitan and urbane nation, whose values concern such things more than weather, agriculture, etc? Thinking on it a little more, though... a little symmetrical again. Maybe you could flesh it out a little? Details on the personality and agenda of these gods? Their children, enemies, lesser gods, messengers, etc? Maybe a prior pantheon they displaced? I think just adding a slew of gods (still defining them by their roles), giving them names (and genders... even if some or all of them can change genders at will), and making some of them the morally ambiguous types would make this feel a little more like a real pantheon. Historical gods dismembered, cannibalized, cheated, stole, inbred, etc. There's no reason a knave or trickster in the pantheon would be out of place. And if we're using professions for concept, why not include the Harlot?
Awesome questions, thank you! Just some stuff that popped out before I return to my scratchpad for more in-depth thought:
Quote from: GhostmanIf the town has existed for millennia (even if it's been sacked a few times), why aren't there more permanent houses?
I didn't really think of it. My original concept for Hazzahra was a seasonal gathering place for the many tribes of the area. As its the only oasis around capable of sustaining a gathering of the tribes, naturally, things are going to get built there over the years; basically places to put stuff so you don't have to lug them through the desert. Would it be cooler if custom demanded that those too old or unfit for nomadic life walked out into the desert or do they settle down at the oases to live out their twilight years? Romantically, I'm inclined to former. Now, this would be a hot desert, Sahara-like, though not quite its size, but with, you know, monsters. Dune-esque worms are fun, but overdone, so I'll need to brainstorm a bit here (not that these monsters will serve as more than tall tales told by traveling merchants).
By sacked I sort of meant, "destroyed in a martial disruption in the forced, traditional peace between the tribes". I'm mixing and matching sources, but I'd like the Hazzahreen to resemble the Bedouin, with the added quirk of possessing the earth and fire magic, iron (imported from Jandesh), technique and coal/coke/carbon/etc (local) to produce the finest steel in the world. One of the major trade routes (which Khaeridan happily bisects) will be Hazzahreen steel for Phenoan horses. I'll extrapolate on Phenoa in another post, once I've digested what I've just written.
Quote from: EladrisQuote from: beejazzI take it these are the gods of a metropolitan and urbane nation, whose values concern such things more than weather, agriculture, etc? ... Maybe you could flesh it out a little? Details on the personality and agenda of these gods? Their children, enemies, lesser gods, messengers, etc? Maybe a prior pantheon they displaced?
So if I'm reading this correctly, the religion has a tight canon maintained by a priestly caste. Originally I was comparing against the greek and norse pantheons (my usual first assumptions with polytheism) but better analogs might be Zoroastrianism in its heyday or Judaism. Better still the Egyptian mythos, as it combines polytheism with a top-down controlled sort of religion... with a smattering of the text and morality obsessions of Judaism (I guess Egypt had the heiroglyph magic and ma'at too though). Oh, and with nobles=gods at the roots, it matches very closely.
Let's see... standard folkloric development with some editing out and in is nice, as long as it's done right. Even then, I'd still advise that the good gods have their foils, especially if they're not supposed to oppose their counterparts. Ahura Mazda had his Ahriman. God his Satan(s). There's always got to be a scapegoat.
The more symmetrical things are, the more recent the changes/consolidation are likely to be, I think. And, just out of curiosity, how common is literacy? A divide in literacy between the clergy and everybody else helps greatly in canon control.
Remember that no religion is complete without its stories. If stuff gets personified, the people will do stuff. Otherwise, why personify? You don't need every little bit, but a few basics would help. And if heaven and hell have a sparse cast, bring in the human beings. Saints for sure. Or prophets. Or any number of things.
As the ability to communicate... it would be hard for dragons to rule without it, wouldn't it? You could ban speech for everything else or handle it on a case-by-case basis.
Oh, and how does social rigidity last for centuries? It has been done at least once by the Egyptians, but everybody else seems to have changed or died. In this society how did they manage?
If you're going to move this religion toward monotheism, you might end up with something very similar to "The Seven" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westeros#The_Seven) from the series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin.
As for Hazzahra, you'll need a reason for why some of the Hazzahreen haven't simply decided to abandon nomadism entirely in order to live there. From the sounds of it, it would seem that one could make a good living as a merchant, a craftsman or by running a tavern/gambling hall/brothel/fighting arena/etc. Such business would in turn generate a constant demand for workers and farmers to provide for it's needs, thus attracting even more people to the oases. If not checked by some external factor (a religious taboo? a curse that destroys those who stay there too long? some natural disaster that strikes periodically?) the town would continue to grow until it's resources can no longer support expansion.
This thread was extremely helpful in developing ideas for the campaign I'm currently running. I'm thinking about running another long term campaign for some old friends via the Internet, so I may just fill this out into a full campaign setting (not that I don't think a campaign can be limited to one city).
I'm thought about gluing together some older campaigns to build the world. Anyone ever had success with this type of amalgamation?
Oh, I did end up having permanent settlements for the Hazzahreen, and I went with six saints as the method of worship for a single god. One of the key story arcs that the group will participate in is a revolution that brings about the end of the church-as-they-know-it. The idea of enforced social stagnation as a doomed effort went over pretty well when I presented the group with hooks for it ("edited" holy books in game 6 was one of the best I've ever run for a meta-plot, the players loved it).
Also, I'd probably end up incorporating dwarves, elves and halflings as races. I write my stories for my players, though, and they want elves; spin me a new dress, dressmaker. Honestly, most of my ideas are pretty vanilla when compared to Wake. A humdrum Tolkien-ripoff is probably not going to engage most of the readers here, but I'll start a new setting thread when I actually get some work done on basic description.
Sounds like a fun campaign. "Enforced social stagnation as a doomed effort." Good times.
Looking forward to future updates.
As for amalgamations that incorporate previous settings... I haven't done that per say, but I may soon. Shouldn't be too hard to port this and that, as long as you aren't afraid to change things to fit with the new context.
2 things.
1) I have takien 70% of my older campaigns and inserted much of them into Cerltricia. Makes for a wide level of disparate cultural dissonance, some times. It takes some reworking,lets say that.
2) I am trying to see the runes as they will be used in game. ANd more, how does one access/use/ a master rune. It is a thing, an object, it seems. How does it exist? AS a partcment, drawn? Inside a piece of crystal? Written on the back of an ancient pornographic text?