Nahwaer

Arnkel · March 17, 2006, 10:19:33 PM

Nahwaer is the campaign setting I've been working on for roughly 2-3 years(and has only within the last month changed to its new name, which is an Anglosaxon word meaning nowhere). It's heavily influenced by the Birthright Campaign setting, only more Dark Ages technology and fewer dead gods. It is a 3.5e setting.

Arnkel · March 17, 2006, 10:46:02 PM

Nahwaer has many races and cultures, below is a listing and short description of the major human cultures.

Wercyn:(werKEEN) This is the race of humanity dominant in the southeastern area of the continent. The race is not native, but they have been building empires and vast kingdoms in the southern part of the continent for centuries. They were the ones who pushed aside the Punavahtia. They are similar to Earth's Anglosaxons during christianization.
Frusi:(Frewsi) These humans, originally the same race as the Wercyn, settled hundreds of years ago in the inhospitably cold regions of the North. Now they are a warlike people who are feared for their terrible nighttime raids into southern lands. They are the equivalent of the Norse culture before Christianization.
Punavahtia: Not much is known about the Punavahtia. The Wercyn consider them to be savages, but the Frusi consider them to be terrible sorcerers. The Punavahtia are credited with the destruction of the Vashaar, but the method is believed to be a myth. The Punavahtia are similar to the Saami tribes of Finnland.
Lushovon: The Horselords from the Western grasslands and steppes, the Lushovon are easily as warlike as the Frusi. Many Wercyn and Khajiim cities have been sacked by Lushovon Hordes. The Lushovan are similar to the Cossaks of Russia.
Vashaar: Believed to be extinct, this subrace was also believed to have been made up entirely of Demonic Humans. They were ruled by Sorcerer Kings who wielded immense powers and enslaved many races, warping them to suit their needs. The Vashaar traditional culture of the Vashaar was destroyed and its stranglehold over Nahwaer was broken when Punavahtia Shamen summoned the Tarrasque. In reality, the vast majority of the survivors of the Vashaar have become the Snake-kin(Yuan-Ti). The Vashaar, and the Yuan-Ti are similar to the Babylonians and Assyrians.
Bretons: A fiery haired philosopher people, the Bretons were all but wiped off the face of the planet by their hated enemies the Vashaar. They were powerful psions, and ruled a continent to the west(before the vashaar sank it). The Elan and the Merfolk are all that remains of the Bretons. Breton culture was similar to ancient Athens.
Khajiim: Traders from the distant south, the Khajiim have imported new ideas into Nahwaere, including many strange new religions. They are related to the race that spawned the Vashaar's human side, and many Wercyn do not trust them. The Khajiim are similar to Arabic culture at the time of the crusades.

Arnkel · March 17, 2006, 10:58:22 PM

Elven Culture split after the Kinslayer war, in which the followers of the goddess Araushnee(sometimes referred to as Lolth) and the followers of the god Corellon brutally killed each other over ideology. When the war was finished, those who participated in the war(on both sides) were kicked out of the Faerie realm, becoming the Sluagh Sidhe. Ever since, the Fae have had no religion of their own. It should be noted that no elf is really considered a candidate for a PC race.

Alainn Sidhe(Uhlainn Shee) These are the Nobles of the Faerie Realm. While they divide themselves into many noble houses, they are each aligned with one of the two courts, Seelie or Unseelie. The Courts are each led by the wives of the High King. They dwell almost exclusively in the Faerie realm and seldom, if ever come to the Prime Material plane.

Sluagh Sidhe (Slooah Sidhe)These are those elves who were kicked out after the kinslayer war. Many are veterans of the war itself. After being exiled from Faerie, the Sluagh Sidhe built themselves extra-dimensional pocket kingdoms under large hills and Cairns. They strongly despise humans and most other races, but they sometimes tolerate the Hin(halflings), and they have a tolerable if strained relationship with the gnomes.

Wix of Bel-Air · March 18, 2006, 12:42:10 AM

Peer pressure says that you should make the human cultures into different subraces and make the elf class a pure-canonical-monster.

:afro: ... come on man... just one sniff...

Edit1: Sorry, i'm not funny.
Edit2: Sorry, I edit my posts a lot.
Edit3: Sorry, I like to explain myself a lot through editing.

Ishmayl-Retired · March 18, 2006, 08:14:08 AM

While I like the changes that are being made towards elves nowadays to represent more of their fey heritage, I fear that there's a good chance that eventually, that will become the new stereotype for elves, and people will dislike the fey link just as much as the Tolkienesque link. Using the sidhe (and the seelie and unseelie) as a reference isn't the issue (I do it too), but there should be some fundamental changes to those mythologies to fit more into campaign settings. Robert Jordan accomplished it very well with his Aelfinn and Eelfinn; making them bizzare, and so alien in nature that they appear evil, just because they do not follow the same rules of morality and ethics that humans do. Maybe look more into how the sidhe came to be, and what their greater role is within your campaign universe, and give them a bit more of a unique approach.... (we really need a "Just my $.02" emoticon)

Numinous · March 18, 2006, 03:03:25 PM

That was Ishmayls' :twocents: Terribly sorry I haven't read much of your stuff, but I can say I like the fey link. Fey are awesome and a bag of chips.

Arnkel · March 18, 2006, 08:42:30 PM

I made elves very powerful because I just couldn't see a race of weakling Immortals. As such, the Monster class for them is spread out over 10 levels, and includes nifty abilities from Birthright and Dark Sun. On the other hand, the Human races in my campaign aren't exactly weak, and your average character is pretty powerful(since I have an Iron Heroes on steroids campaign style).

Arnkel · March 18, 2006, 09:05:18 PM

The Dwarves on Nahwaer aren't the fun loving good guys you know and love, in fact, most of them have more in common with the Duergar in other settings.

Mountain Dwarf: The Mountain Dwarves are your average everyday run of the mill garden variety dwarf. They work, they fight, they drink, and they execute goblinoids, elves, and sometimes human slaves for fun. The Dwarves are ruled by a King who has Autocratic authority, believed to be granted by Moradin himself. Dwarven life is extremely regimented, and every Dwarf is taught how to fight with the traditional Axes and Handcannons from an early age(roughly age 20). The dwarves have been involved in a millenia long war with what they refer to as the "goblin problem" which stems mostly from the need of cheap labor that the goblinoid races so easily provide. Death Camps have sprung up, and not only goblinoids may be found in them, but half-breeds and other undesirables as well. The dwarves have recently begun producing a new special mobile weapon. These "mechs" as they call them, are armed with large handcannons, armored heavily, and even a single Mech is more than a match for the typical Hobgoblin Legion. Dwarves live longer than in other settings, typically about 800-1000 years. Dwarven culture is just like normal dwarven culture, except with a strong WWII Nazi influence.

Duergar: Many centuries ago, the Dwarven Clan Duergar allowed itself to be experimented upon for the war effort. The results of these experiments resulted in the new clan Duergar. These Duergar are similar to the Duergar in the MM, except that they still get along with the Mountain Dwarves. Duergar are something like what the SS was to the Nazis.

Gnomes: The luckiest of the now extinct hill dwarves, the followers of Garl Glittergold, the dwarven god of magic and trickery, the gnomes were hidden by the Alainn Sidhe when the Vashaar rounded up the Hill dwarves for enslavement. Faerie altered the Gnomes to such an extant that they are now completely indistinguishable from what they were. After returning to Nehwaer they built settlements deep within the Forested Hills. It was the gnomes who discovered gunpowder, and now most gnome patrols carry flintlock muskets into battle. Gnome society is a cross between that of the Elves, and frontier Colonial America(if Frontier Colonial Americans lived underground and were mushroom farmers).

Derro: The unlucky Hill Dwarves who followed the Dwarven god Abbathor and were captured by the Vashaar. The derro were subjected to inhuman experiments and breeding programs that turned them into the degenerate creatures the Derro are today. Derro society is almost exactly the same as that presented in Dragon #241 in the article Legacies of the Suel Imperium.

Arnkel · March 18, 2006, 09:13:00 PM

The goblins of Nahwaer used to be an enlightened society that was a cross between communism and the Roman Republic. Now, after the Dwarves have eradicated the Republic and scattered its peoples, the Goblinoids have fallen to savagery.

Goblins: The former thinkers, rulers, merchants, craftsfolk,etc. of the republic, the goblins have fallen the hardest. Those lucky few who are free of the dwarven death camps and slave pens scrape out their meager existance in vast warrens where they multiply. Without guidance, their culture has faded and the goblins are little more than unruly savages.

Hobgoblins: The Hobgoblins were almost completely wiped out by the dwarves. The former soldiers of the republic, the Hobgoblins still maintain the formal discipline they knew in the legions. Of all the Goblinoids, it is the Hobgoblins alone who still seek to rebuild the republic. To this end they have been forced to enslave goblins and Bugbears in order to aid them.

Bugbears: The bugbears suffered the least from the Dwarven atrocities, as the role of the bugbears was that of Shock Scout. Since the dwarves originally struck within the Goblin republic, the Bugbears were able to scatter and flee to the surface world, where they now live as raiders and thugs.

Arnkel · March 18, 2006, 09:17:13 PM

The Halflings of Nahwaer are an interesting case. Referring to themselves as the Hin, they are very similar in nature to Earth's Scottish Highlanders(think Braveheart), right down to the woad and kilts. They continue to worship the 2e halfling pantheon, and still live in burrows. While the Hin don't exactly have an alliance with the fae, they are more closely tied to them than most of the other races.

Raelifin · March 18, 2006, 09:21:52 PM

Woo! I love the dwarven mixup. Making dwarves slavers is a breath of fresh air in their ancient halls.

Can we get a map or at least a paragraph of geographical orientation?

-Raelifin

Arnkel · March 18, 2006, 09:37:57 PM

The Bug folk have been around a long time. In fact, with the exception of the KuoToa, Suahaugin, other somewhat amphibious Sea creatures, they are the oldest sentient beings(most other creatures however refute this calling the creatures too primitive to have been that old). Listed below are the most commonly occuring members of the Bug Folk.

Thorciasid: The Cockroachfolk dwell in large families, preferring metropoli where they can dwell in the sewers, graveyards, and other unsavory locales. No human actually knows this however, believing that the Thorciasid dwell in the large mansions that they have bought for themselves. Granted, if the humans ever really knew how many Thorciasid dwelled in the human cities they would probably call for exterminators (think 2 humans for every adult Thorciasid). Having so many unknown relatives not under legal protection has resulted in the Thorciasid developing a seperate legal system referred to by most humans as La Cosa Nostra(they think its a trading term). It's pretty safe to assume that my Thorciasid culture is the Sicilian Mafia(yes, that's right, picture a 10' long cockroach saying "I know it was you, Frito").

Abeil: a relatively young and rare species, the Nahwaer Abeil are under assault by a southern variety, from beyond the vast deserts of the Khajiim's domain. The Nahwaer Abeil have long been supporters of the Wercyn, trading honey and cloth for metal tools, lumber, and wool. The Southern Abeil however are warlike and have been known to slaughter entire trading companies of the Khajiim. Abeil culture is a very strict interpretation of the Feudal System.

Thrikreen: The Mantis folk are now found on the southern Continent. The common variety, a wingless desert brown creature typically 8 feet tall is a nomad known to strike Khajiim caravans. They are for most purposes the same as the original Dark Sun Thrikreen presented in the Dark Sun Boxed Set and Thrikreen of Athas.

Dromite: another young race, the Dromites hail from the lands far to the south, dwelling on the great savannahs south of the Khajiim deserts. There they live in great mounds that stretch high into the sky. Many a young dromite drone has been sent into the world to gather knowledge, and more than a few have ended up(often as thralls) in Wercyn and Khajiim lands. little is known of Dromite culture.

Arnkel · March 18, 2006, 09:39:45 PM

Quote from: RaelifinWoo! I love the dwarven mixup. Making dwarves slavers is a breath of fresh air in their ancient halls.

Can we get a map or at least a paragraph of geographical orientation?

-Raelifin

I'm actually still working out the map of Nehwaer. I'll try to get a description up soon.

Arnkel · March 18, 2006, 09:53:24 PM

before someone freaks out about the Thorciasid. They have been brought down in power, about to the same level as the Kreen.

Epic Meepo · March 20, 2006, 04:41:46 AM

You've got some interesting things going here. I, for one, would be interested in seeing more detailed write-ups of each of the races, especially those races based on real-world cultures. What elements of those cultures are you using? (I'm not familiar enough with all of them to get the whole picture.)

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