The Campaign Builder's Guild

[ooc]
  I was reading how Gary Gygax's gods played a major part in his characters development/world...I suppose I'm trying to take that idea to an extreme with this. Can't promise that this will go anywhere. Below are some initial notes on various races/creatures etc. some more fleshed out than others. As far as the setting name goes-I don't think I'm there yet. I might name it after the name for the rules of the gods (all the gods are bound to a specific set of rules) but I have not written that up yet.  
Warning: God-heavy Setting Below
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[note]This will be more of a collection of ideas in no specific order. This will be revision-lite for the time being, posting as I create some element of the world. If you notice a contradiction, kindly let me know. Thanks![/note]

Insert Thought-provoking Image here
Insert ominous/witty quote here
Insert Table of Contents here
Insert Creation Myth/Backstory here
Insert Map Here


   Common Assumptions: Actions in the mortal world have consequences in the immortal realm. For instance if a temple to Idris is destroyed when King Radarak sacks a city- Idris' power may diminish. His hand might fall off, he may lose control of some of his demi-gods or he may have trouble materializing in the mortal realm for a bit. Erecting temples, monoliths, even sculpting icons of a god will influence how powerful they are. The gods look for champions to further there power, whether it be a semi-divine priest, a warrior king or a humble sculptor. Births/deaths and the tide of battles take a toll on the sometimes very mortal gods.

 Why are they gods then? Because they have the ability to traverse between the mortal and immortal realms. Because they can bestow great power on those who further their cause. Because they keep the stars from falling. Something like that.

 
 Races
   
Tethyns Tethyns are wisps of wind. Dark spots in cloud cover. They are (chinese) dragons that bring fortune to those that respect them and misfortune-namely death- to those that do not. Tethyns are all unique in pattern/appearance. They pick a location and remain there for the duration of there life. (about 10,000 years) They often pick dangerous or remote places for their nests. The size of the Tethyn depends on the choice of nesting, for instance, an enormous underground cavern would afford a very large creature, while a small seaside cave would produce a small (about man sized) Tethyn.
 
    Tethyns rarely move from one nest to another, unless provoked by another Tethyn or some equally troublesome foe. When Tethyns do battle it's usually over ancient grudges-all Tethyns know each other. These battles last for days,months, or weeks. Stormclouds gather over the battle site(predetermined by the contenders)Hurricanes form, earthquakes rock the surrounding lands, and volcanoes erupt. Needless to say, two Tethyns fighting each other is a great fear for the other races. They will often attempt to act as intermediaries to the two Tethyns in hopes of avoiding a fight.    

   Solurnians Solurnians are ethereal semi-divine beings. They can seek out sources of light, and draw life from it. Essentially drinking light. They become very weak-even die in extreme prolonged absences of light. They aid travelors on high mountain passes and are generally seen as a divine blessing. They have strangely beautiful features when they materialize. (It pains a Solurnian to take any substantial form) They most often take a hovering mistlike form with floating lights that have a gold-blue hue.
    ..more..  

   Primans A wide range of Primans exists from Rendish Highlanders to Loamish Dervi. Essentially the weakest of the mortal races. They gather in city states with any number of social orders. Their vulnerability has led them to rely on pleasing the gods more than any other race. Whether it is the Conquering Rite of the Idris, or the Loamish construction of Monoliths, they either fear or revere the gods.

         Loamish type: desert,savannah,oasis,mountains Gods: Aga Oda(magic)Aken(civilization,sun)
         The Loamish (or Dervi as they call themselves) live in large concentrated populations. They are extremely talented farmers and have a surplus of food that allows a prospering luxury class. Most of these are priests,artists or merchants. They value individual expression over following. They revere the gods more than fear them. Art,dancing,poetry and acting are part of a young Dervis education. They are great explorers and can be found in most parts of the world. There most important city state is Lutria, at the mouth of a wide, navigable river with a deep water harbor and bustling trading port.
        Rendish type: mountain,valley,plateau Gods:  

   Lithics
   Umbrites
   Lamassu
   Golganths
   Boglings
   Cherubs
   
Gods
   The gods are as varying as the mortal races in their appearance, disposition and goals. They are often petty, violent and cruel, but are rewarding to the devoted. They follow a code of rules set forth at the worlds birth, and are bound to it forever. The more powerful gods reside over one aspect, as in Aga Oda rules magic, Idris rules the act of conquering. The lesser gods may have several. All gods have many epithets that are localized.
   

   Aga Oda: Magic
       Shamans,animalistic,song/poetry.
   Veerhyde & Vedelget Vengeance
       Veerhyde is the god of vengeance that is unjust and Vedelget the god of vengeance that is just.
   Idris: Conquering
       Enslaver of the Indra Idris. Bloodthirsty. Two aspect divinity. Cyclical.
   
   Ven Yegba Trickery (or deceit)  
     Tricked the world into thinking he was the creator, spawned lamassu.
   Miergo The sea, salt water. Currents.
   Alepsis The Moon and tides, Alepsis is androgynous but considered Miergos brother at low tide and his sister at high tide.
   IzzizrikDeath. Change.  
     
   Odolvwom The great worm of the Earth. Scholars and other gods alike debate it's status as a god.  


Rites
   

   [ooc] I guess I will leave this open to any comments now...If I need more room I'll just make a new thread. I really don't know how much more inspiration I will find. Thanks for reading. If anyone wants to add a section- I would love to make this community domain. Btw, if you could see any element of this setting visually, what would it be?  
-Sarisa[/ooc]

How long can Solurnians bear to be manifest? What is the Conquering Rite? Does other gods have such or is it unique to Idris?

I'd like to see as tethynic nest.

[blockquote=Sarisa]Btw, if you could see any element of this setting visually, what would it be? [/blockquote]Rather than imagining the setting realistically, I get images more like this:
[spoiler]
[/spoiler][spoiler]
[/spoiler] [spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler] [/spoiler]   [spoiler] [/spoiler]
Sort of vague images, more of a feel than a picture of specific elements, though that last picture might be a Tethyn.

Are Primans humans? Is there any specific race that "is" humanity? Or are none of them?

Normally I'm not that big a fan of talk of the gods in a setting, but I'm enjoying this.

Quote from: SteerpikeRather than imagining the setting realistically, I get images more like

this:
Sort of vague images, more of a feel than a picture of specific elements,

though that last picture might be a Tethyn.

Nice[/i] imagery Steerpike. That second one might be a Dervi representation of a Solurnian, and that last one is pretty much spot on for a Tethyn. That third one is really cool as well-is it a Mucha? Very Nouveau. Thanks for the links and for taking a look.

Quote from: FREAKINAWESOMEHORSEAre Primans humans? Is there any specific race that "is" humanity? Or are

none of them?

Normally I'm not that big a fan of talk of the gods in a setting, but I'm

enjoying this.

  I would say Primans are Human in that they are mammals, have five senses, rationalize and are aware that death is inevitable. Thanks for taking a look and glad you like it!

[ooc]
  I'm just going to post this up as is- I had intended to revise it extensively, but maybe you kind folks of the CBG can help me spot any holes/contradictions. Some things that are bothering me: Why would any nation remain near another nation that wages war on them every few generations? The caste system is weird as well...[/ooc]

INDRA IDRIS

    Well protected stretch of land. Very fertile. Varying range of geography but largely thick jungle. The inhabitants-the Indris are exceptionally talented warriors due in large part to their devotion (and some suggest enslavement by the god of conquering- Indris) There culture experiences rapid progress and then nearly dissolves completely in the recurring Indran Conquering Ritual in which the Warrior-Priest class engages every adjacent nation in war. At the end of which all tools/weapons/armour are left on foreign soil and any captured slaves are released with heartfelt thanks.  

The Indris invade nearby ? every century or so spreading destruction etc. Victorious or not at the end of one year they pack up and leave all of there weapons and armor. Any captured slaves are returned to their homes with heartfelt thanks. The blood they shed is offered to Indris their god.
They return home and begin preparations for a new generation of invaders. The Indris are divided into a rigid class system:

 I. Warrior/Priests/Mages (the head and heart of Indris)
    They do the fighting. They cast the spells and interpret instructions from their god, Idris (god of conquering)
II. Workers/Spys  (the hand and eye of Indris)
    They build the weapons/tools/armour necessary for future generations of conquering. If necessary they infiltrate other societies to see how their technology is developing. They carry out assassinations/gather intelligence and inform the Warrior-Priests.

Quote from: SarisaWhy would any nation remain near another nation that wages war on them every few generations?

For starters, the Indris pretty much have to be the most powerful people around for this ritual thing to be sustainable. Otherwise their neighbours would band together and destroy them for being such a threat.

Migration is also something you can't undertake easily, unless you're nomadic. Sedentary peoples would generally only embark on a migration in the face of extreme pressure, and they of course need a suitable destination and an accessible route to reach it. If blocked by geographical barriers and more powerful neighbours, they might have no choise but remain as a buffer against the Indris.

Chthon   The unconquerable night. The rule of the gods.
 [ic=A myth?]
     When the world was young, Chthon arose from nothing and gave life to the gods who in turn gave life to everything else. Chthon was angered easily in those days, and swallowed the gods one by one. Ven Yegba, the trickster, was last to be swallowed.

   But before Chthon could eat him, he made a deal with the unconquerable one. He told him he would build him a palace in the world from which to rule all. Chthon, perhaps sleepy from a long divine meal was talked into accepting Ven Yegba's offer.
 
   Ven Yegba began work, but soon grew tired.
 
   "Chthon-oh most unconquerable one-give me some help to finish your palace. (Regurgitate) the other gods so that they may lend me a hand."
 
   Chthon agreed and told Ven Yegba to slit open his belly-which he did and the gods all tumbled out covered in Chthons blood. Chthon soon after fell asleep to recover from his wound..but where the blood struck the earth his eyes emerged and watched the gods.
 
   The gods then came to Ven Yegba and asked him how he had saved them. He told them about his bargain to build a palace for Chthon. Then Aga Oda, the wisest of the gods and the most mysterious told the other gods that they should build not a palace-but instead a prison. This is how they trapped Chthon in the world while he slept.

[/ic]
   
   

Awesome! I like how the eyes of Chthon are left so vague, that you can't be sure what exactly they might be and whether they even exist. For all you know they could be all around, watching you...

Quote from: GhostmanAwesome! I like how the eyes of Chthon are left so vague, that you can't be sure what exactly they might be and whether they even exist. For all you know they could be all around, watching you...

  Thanks Ghostman. That's the point...all of the inhabitants are wary of Chthons watchful eye (which is everywhere). I suppose its similar to Saurons eye except that Chthon is not necessarily evil-he is merely a natural force in the world. Ultimately the gods are under his rule.

Noct of the Endless Hall
  Every significant event is recorded. The watcher of time-Noct constructs doors in the Endless Hall. Essentially time does not move in linear fashion-or it does-but it can be viewed and revisited with a little convincing.
  Because time is so expansive and endless only important events-the death or birth of a mighty king or monster-an important battle etc-can be revisited.
   Noct is a sort-of god. He is known as the Mason or Scrivener. He rarely permits anyone to change time-or even visit specific events because of the probability of altering a long sequence of events- thereby adjusting where the doors to come will be built. Noct does not like mortals making more work for him. He can be convinced to wall up doors-to protect important events-but never to destroy a door-that would decrease the importance or even destroy the event completely-thereby creating more work for him.
   He records lesser events in a book called the Record of Deeds Ill and Wise and this is where he gets the moniker "Scrivener".
   He should be portrayed as an enigmatic figure-who conceals his motives until the very end, but he is not quick to interfere directly in mortal affairs-rather choosing to manipulate others. He has no personal ambition-except to save himself from extensive labor in the Endless Hall. To him, time should play out in the easiest way possible-as little conflict as possible.
  Noct is a true immortal in that he cannot be destroyed.

[ooc]
  On a side note, how do you all treat time in a fantasy campaign? Is it linear? Changeable?
[/ooc]

Ludain and the Luminarians
 

 Ludain is a diverse geographical region with most of the land mass on a north/south axis. To the west lies Ikvar connected by a small landbridge. To the East lies the Rendish kingdoms and to the South-East you would find Kadelmon, a wild and wholly different civilization.

Ludain was once a mighty empire (aren't they all?). The ruling class were men with a special talent for seeing very closely into the future and used this ability to rule effectively, even viciously.
 Luminarians have thin golden eyes and pale, beautiful skin. During the reign of Luminarians over Ludain, they became gaudy and decadent. They lavished gifts on each other and court favorites while foreign tributary states like Ikvar and Rende were stripped of natural resources and culled for slave labor in Ludain proper.
   
      The gods grew displeased.

The Luminarians were stripped of their ability to foresee into the future and having relied on this ability for many centuries were quite inept at ruling an empire with more...
traditional means. They were overthrown in the 'Blinded Revolution'. Rende and Ikvar quickly declared themselves independent, and Ludain itself was fractured into hundreds of small fiefdoms. The Luminarians were not all killed as had been the historical precedent for revolutions. Instead they negotiated a sort of 'peace' with the warlords of the fiefdoms.(they basically bought themselves protection) The Luminarians had appeased the mortal element of the revolution, but the gods were soon seeking their own justice.

Crossing a border in the world is not like crossing a political line on a map. It is true that borders are sometimes established, as in the Loamish/Ephome kingdoms bordering the land of Idris but it is a bit more complicated then having the necessary papers to get past a border outpost... the gods have claim on portions of the earth. I suppose it would be equitable to traversing the 'planes' in your standard D&D fair...but a bit less dramatic as that. Travelers are wary about wandering into other gods lands. Especially those that are pious to a divinity that holds a grudge against another god. The point is that the gods have quite an investment in the affairs of the mortal races-they have to or else they would not have power. (see above posts about mortal actions being proportionate to the power of gods)

 Just a thought.

A bit about Loamish.
   The Loamish dwell in a land east of the narrow Rendish highland kingdom. They are allied with Ephome, the horse-raisers to the south. After the Ludain Empire fractured, the Loamish witnessed a horrible raising of their homeland. The Loamish are generally considered lovers of nature-all nature. Stone and Stick as some of the less pious Loamish put it. Lumber was in great demand for the wars in Ludain, as was hewn rock and vast quantities of food stuffs. The Loamish had a sort of 'mercantile' revolution of their own. The religious sects of Loam were in a sense told to shut up by the merchants and guilds that seemed to spring up overnight. Fanaticism was born in that country. Loamish rangers took to guerrilla warfare attacking caravans and shipping lanes. Lumber was buried as would a fallen king. The consequences of the break up of the Ludain Empire was being felt all over the world.

So the world is like a bunch of (demi)planes all smashed together, so that crossing from one to another may be no different from walking from Town A to Town B? That physical geography is indistinguishable from metaphysical concepts à la "heaven" and "hell"?

Exactly. Gods hold sway over the very land and its people- but it is reciprocal. I like how you put it : 'physical geography is indistinguishable from the metaphysical'