Mystara

[TiaNadiezja]

So... my campaign setting (just finished my playtest campaign there) is in a heavily-modified version of the original D&D setting, Mystara. I've wiped a bunch of nations from the map of the Known World to get some "back to basics" going and make room for my own plot elements - the remaining nations are Aelfheim, Glantri, Darokin, Alphatia, Karameikos, Ostland, Five Shires, Thyatia, Vestland, and Ylaruam. I moved the Known World to an equatorial subcontinent of a southern continent - think India inverted - and did a lot of rearranging of geography (most of the nations now have coast, Karameikos rests in a Yellowstone-style high caldera, et cetera). Elsewhere on the continent are the Savage Coast and Blackmoor, though, apart from occasional NPCs, they haven't come into play and I don't have plans for them.

The biggest change I've made, though, has been the addition of the Diamond Throne to the setting. The Diamond Throne was originally created by Monte Cook for his Aracana Undearthed/Arcana Evolved setting - which, by the way, is, to my mind, still the best thing you can possibly do with the Open Gaming License. The land of the Diamond Throne, which lies far across the sea to the north of the Known World, was once ruled by a tyrannical cabal of dragons who performed magical and genetic experiments on its people - then the giants came. They called themselves the Hu-Charad, the Guardians, and they were organized, powerful, and technologically advanced. They overthrew the dragons and founded the Diamond Throne, bringing in an era of unprecedented peace.

Now, while searching for their lost homeland - the place from which they came to the Diamond Throne - the giants have found the Known World. They see the people of this newly-discovered land suffering under unjust rulers and chaotic wars, and wish to bring order and security as they have in the Diamond Throne. They are patient, but they are determined. When they helped an alliance of the Known World's powers defeat an invasion of orcs from the south, the giants took the primary Orcish stronghold at the Eye and built the city of Bastion in its place, giving them a foothold.

The Hu-Charad will bring peace to the Known World - whatever the cost to the local cultures. The primary theme of the setting, therefore, is colonialism, as seen by the natives.

[TiaNadiezja]

Someone else on the D&D forums pointed me at a site that looks like a good tool for organizing my campaign data, so I'm migrating all that data there. Here it is!

https://mystara-2.obsidianportal.com/

[Kindling]

Welcome to the CBG! Good to have you.

I'm afraid I'm not really familiar enough either with Mystara or Arcana Unearthed to be of much use myself, but there may be others on here who can provide you with some feedback.