Regnum Aeris

[Grr]

If you plan on offering any criticism, please take the time to read everything available and ask questions if something is not clear.  The campaign uses pseudo-latin in many places, which to many, is a cheap and easy way out for naming, but I like the way it sounds and I don't have to create an entire language from scratch.  Also, the name is not a reference to Final Fantasy. =p[/note]Regnum Aeris is a low-magic campaign setting, set upon the shattered remnants of a moon pulled into the upper atmosphere of a gas giant.  The moon was once home to an advanced race of starfaring beings who mined it for aetherium, a valuable ore with the unique property of being able to defy and manipulate gravity.  Greed and ambition caused their downfall.  Excessive mining upset the delicate balance between gravity and the aetherium's force within the mantle.  The moon shattered.  The largest shards spiraled downward into the upper atmosphere of the gas giant, eventually settling into stable positions buoyed by gentle winds and warmed by the twin suns.  Over time, the pitted surface of the shards collected debris and water from the wind and periodic storms that covered the planet.  Vegetation spread across the shattered remains and life once again bloomed on what was once a verdant world.  Eventually civilized creatures emerged from the beasts and came to be known as the Naming Races.

Civilization spread across the lands, kingdoms and empires rose and fell.  Remnants of the Ancients, as they come to be known as, were discovered deep within the mines of an abandoned dwarven citadel.  The discoveries within were exploited by a powerful kingdom that uses it to dominate all the known shards, creating a vast empire the rules for thousands of years.  A golden age of peace and the advancement of technology and sorcery.  Decadence, arrogance, and discontent amongst the lower classes eventually shatter the empire after the Emperor and his advisors are found assassinated or dead within the personal quarters of the Emperor.

The civil war that tears apart the Empire sends the known shards into a long lasting age of darkness that sets back civilization by thousands of years.  Sorcery and advanced technology become feared as the tools of oppression, leading to witch hunts and the destruction of the fabled airships that gave the Empire so much power.  One element of the Imperial Fleet is commanded to flee the known shards with as many airships and sympathetic civilians as possible, vanishing into the Heavens for thousands of years.

Two hundred years ago, the descendants of the fleet returned in aging airships.  Instead of creating an empire as many feared, they re-opened trade routes between the shards, creating a new age of growth as a new threat looms on the horizon.  Though the technology behind the creation of the advanced airships of the Caelum Dominari remains a guarded secret, others have been able to create crude ships using the ore, aetherium, heralding a new era of adventure, piracy, and mercantile ventures on the winds of the Heavens.

Much of this will be re-written to flow better.  Another thing to keep in mind, is that this is very much a work in progress.  More like a stream of conciousness and notes on the setting without much thought given to consistency.  As the details emerge, re-writes will put things more in line with each other.[/ooc]

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[spoiler=Dwarf]Dwarves
The Dwarves of Aeris are unlike any other of the Naming Races.  Where the others are made of flesh and bone, the dwarves were born of earth and stone.  An ancient power created them from the heartstone of the shards, giving them life through song.  However, the power of the Stonesong has been lost to them and they are a vanishing race.  The youngest of the dwarves were born from stone over a thousand years ago, shortly before the ?? vanished.

The Empire was not kind to the dwarves, exploiting their tireless stamina to work the aetherium mines on the dwarven homeland.  Like the fate of the Ancients, the dwarven homeland falls apart from overmining of the aethirium.  Many were able to escape the cataclysm on the Imperial airships, but many more were lost into the Heavens as shards of their homeland lifted free into the sky or fell into the depths of the Abyss.

New citadels were built in the Western provinces of the Empire, eventually sealed up from the inside as the dwarves cut themselves off from society. Only recently have the dwarve emerged from the depths, sending out their fabled minstrels in search of the lost Stonesong.

Personality: The dwarves, much unlike the unchanging properties of stone, have shifted in personality several times.  They were once a fantastically musical and verbose race, legendary in their prowess as songsmiths, poets, writers, and more.  The abuse at the hands of the Empire and the loss of the Stonesong turned them as soulless and hollow as the very rocks they were born from.  Their recent emergence from the citadels has shown them to be a frenetic and desperate people, capable of almost anything if it means the recovery of their birthright.

Physical Description: Dwarves are made of living stone.  Their flesh resembles the stone from which they were born.  Sages theorize that the stone a dwarf is born from often determines their lot in life, the path that fate lays before them.  Whether it is purely perceptual or done through accepted practice over the years, the dwarven social system is split into castes based upon their birthstone.  The most common stone is granite.  They have no gender amongst the dwarves, no hair, and shifting gemstones for eyes.

Relations: Dwarves are stand-offish with the rest of the races, still holding a grudge against humans mostly, for the way their race was exploited.  They are most often found in half-dryad communities, since they share a common bond with natural magic.

Alignment: The dwarves are somewhat chaotic in nature these days, and a little overzealous in their eagerness to reclaim the Stonesong.  Many of those traveling the lands openly have commited atrocities many condemn them for.

Religion: The dwarves worship one deity only, Grom.  He is a god of strength and song to them.  His priests are held in high regard in dwarven society.  They are keepers of the ancient lore, but there are some who hold them in contempt, for the priests are the ones who lost the Stonesong.

Language: The dwarves speak an archaic version of the common day Trade Tongue.  They have their own musical language born of grind and rumbling of stone, which very few of the other races are capable of understanding, let alone speak.  Those dwarves that have left the citadels have taken steps to learn the current day common tongue, but refuse to speak in low and high speech.

Half-dryads of the Western Kingdoms

Half-dryads are the result of an intertwining of human and dryad bloodlines just over two-thousand years ago, shortly before the fall of the Old Empire. Though they prefer to be dwell in the woodlands due to their dryad heritage, they also inherited the blessing and curse of human curiosity. At first, they dwelled amongst small towns and villages along the outlying borders of the Westland kingdoms, but as their numbers grew, they began to develop a cultural identity of their own that isolated them. This led them to gathering in larger numbers and creating towns and villages of their own. This would lead to tragedy and heartache for them after a xenophobic ruler was affected by the mystical nature of the deep forest and taken in by the woodland charms of a lovely dryad during the renegotiation of a treaty two hundred years ago.

After recovering from the magical euphoria of the deep forest, the fearful ruler ordered that all those of dryadic blood be purged from his lands and barred his people from consorting with the dryads. All ties to the deep forest dryads were severed and entire families of half-dryads carted off to the borders and sent on their way, ordered to never return to the kingdom upon pain of death. Neighboring kingdoms began to mirror the xenophobia, making half-dryads feel like second class citizens.

When rumors of a half-dryad born of royal lineage reached the kings ears, he flew into a rage and ordered the deep forest burned and the earth salted. Hysteria gripped the people of the kingdom and anyone even hinted at having a touch of dryad blood was staked and burned. Neighboring kingdoms saw what was happening realized the mad king was threatening genocide as his armies began burning down the forests. The half-dryads that had been driven from their homes returned in full-force to defend the homelands of their ancestors, backed by the forces of several other kingdoms. The mad king threw his entire army into the fray.

No scholar is one-hundred percent sure which side used the magic that ended the war, but they all point to the finality of the evidence left behind. A massive arcane explosion at the last battle blew off a chunk of the landmass, causing tremors to ripple outward. Buildings and trees as far away as five hundred miles were affected by the landquake. At the site of the explosion, entire forests were petrified in an instant. The combined armies of the half-dryads and their allies, along with the forces of the mad king were disentegrated almost entirely. Survivors were plagued with mystical ailments and delusions for the rest of their short lives.

Some however, were coherent for short periods of time, during which they related the same tale told over and over. Scholars have studied the war extensively and have labeled it as the darkest day in the history of Aeris. The half-dryads that remained seperated into nomadic tribes that eventually settled in the fringes of the forests. They developed into a tribal cutlure that seeks to re-forge the alliance they once shared with the dryads. The dryads, after the war, withdrew into the deeper and darkest reaches of the forests and barred their lands to non-dryads. The half-dryad prince remains a closely guarded secret of the dryads. If such a prince ever existed.

Personality: Half-dryads developed a strong tribal tradition that keeps them strong in the face of difficulties of surviving in the wilderness. The typical half-dryad prefers to stay in the woodlands amongst others of their kind, but occasionaly, wanderlust strikes them and they venture into the world at large to sate their curiosity. Even so, they remain distrustful of humans and prefer to travel with dwarves or the people of Kael'en. Despite the backlash of guilt after the Mad King's War, many humans feel uneasy around half-dryads. Distrusting them because of the enchanted nature of their dryad ancestors. Outcasts of the half-dryads tend to fall in with brigands or turn to a life of piracy in the sky. Others turn to the life of a mercenary or adventurer.

Physical Description: Half-dryads inherited much of their appearance from their dryad ancestry. Their skin, hair, and eye colors shift with the seasons, matching the world around them. They stand between four and five feet tall, weighing between eighty and a hundred and twenty pounds. Half-dryads favor loose fitting clothing during times of peace and revelry, but done close fitting leather armor reinforced with bone studs during battle. Very few learn to wear the heavy steel armor favored by the dwarves or the chain armor favored by humans. Behind their pointed ears, they wear beaded braids in their hair the signify their station in half-dryad society. Warriors are allowed a single feather behind the left ear attached at the top of the braid. Healers are allowed two feathers on each side. Outcasts are stripped of all beads and feathers before being sent away. Should a half-dryad discover an outcast wearing beads, the outcast becomes one of the Hunted, their name added to the songs of the decievers sung by the wandering minstrels of the half-dryads.

Relations: Half-dryads have an uneasy relationship with humans in most lands. There are a few pockets of hostility left, even two hundred years later.

Alignment: Half-dryads favor chaotic and neutral good alignments, with some in between with a neutral outlook. Their tribal nature leads has a strict code of honor and laws they follow, but they favor strength and honesty over an absolute reliance and adherence to law. Because of this, there are very few half-dryad crusaders.

Religion: Half-dryads have no organized religion, paying heed to the earth, wind, and water deities over the others.

Language: Half-dryads speak the trade tongue mostly, but many also learn the sylvan tongue taught to their ancestors by the dryads. Very few take the time to learn the Low and High Speech used in the centers of human civilization. The Old Tongue is virtually unknown amongst the half-dryad settlements, but the occasional outcast scholar or adventurer will learn it during their travels.

Humans of the Western Kingdoms
Humans are the most prolific of the four races. They were once part of a vast empire the spanned the aery kingdoms until betrayal in the imperial court shattered the alliance that held the kingdoms together. During the dark times, the different cultures of the kingdoms were isolated from one another and traveled down very different paths.

The Westlands were a minor province of the Empire, its people often considered backwater ignorants lacking the true civilization of the central provinces of the Empire. The central provinces would in eventually become the Seven Kingdoms. After the collapse of the Empire, the people of the Westlands fought amongst each other off and on for centuries. Border dispute, petty rivalries, and even out of desperation during times of famine and plague. A medieval feudal system replaced the bloated and corrupt bureaucracy of the fallen Empire.

The Kaelish of Kael'en are a recent addition to the Westlands. They are a desert faring people who discovered a method of using gliders to travel amongst the small chain of desert isles they once called home. Tragedy befell their people as their isles drifted too high and no longer recieved any rainfall. A last ditch effort was made to save their civilization by taking the largest of the gliders and simply launching into the abyss below in hopes of finding a new land to live upon. So, four hundred years ago, seven massive gliders and hundreds of smaller craft launched into the air in what many called the Last Flight. Many were lost on the journey, but four of the seven and a majority of the smaller craft made landfall in the desert region of the Westlands. The native Westlanders had trade routes through the desert, but had never truly settled it. After a few years of tense diplomacy and trade, a new kingdom for the people of Kael, Kael'en, was founded.

Personality: Human personality is too varied to concretely categorize here. However, human society in general has an overwhelming desire to explore and expand, which brings them into conflict with each other and other races around them frequently. The Kaelish are somewhat insular, preferring to keep to their own lands however. Their structured society leaves little room for adventurers and explorers. Kael'em society is divided into three castes; the Warrior, the Worker, and the Child. Only the priestesses of the Fire Goddess stand outside the caste system. There are a few that do seek out a nomadic life, but not many. Those that leave Kael'en forever, join a fourth and unrecognized caste, the Unwashed.

Physical Description: The average Westlander stands between five and six feet tall, weighing anyhere from just under a hundred pounds to sometimes as much as three hundred pounds. They typically have light hair and skin tones, except amongst the Kaelish of Kael'en. Kaelish are taller, often reaching six and a half feet tall, and have a slender build. They have dark hair and dark eyes, but some may have auburn hair and hazel eyes.

Relations: Humans tend to get along with the other races, the half-dryads and dwarves, but there are a few cultures that are xenophobic. Most are the city-born citizens of Bastia and the people of the Seven Kingdoms. These two cultures prefer to distance themselves from the other races and there are segments of their societies are openly hostile to the other races, especially the dragonkin. The dragonkin are met with suspicion everywhere.

Alignment: In the Westlands, civilized society near cities and large towns favors lawful good to neutral good alignments. Amongst the smaller towns and villages, especially in the wilderness and along unguarded borders, alignments lean more towards chaotic good. The Kaelish structured society pushes them closer to lawful neutral though.

Religion: The Westlands pre-dominantly reveres the nameless sun god of the Church of Radiance. It is the most organized and familiar religion amongst the cities. In the wilderness however, the earth god and wind goddess see more casual worship at small shrines. There are a few dedicated churches to them, but nothing as organized or widespread as the Church of Radiance. The only other organized church is the Servants of the Crimson Flame. This church is based in the desert region of Kael'en and is the only religion practiced there. The neighboring kingdom of Valterra has no bias against the church, but in Bastia, the priestesses of the Burnt Witch, as their goddess is called in Bastia, are often arrested and drowned, buried alive, or tossed into the Abyss Below, by a local priest or representative of the Church of Radiance.

Language: Almost everyone learns at least the very basics of the Trade Tongue or Common, as it is sometimes called. It can be hard to relate complex thoughts and expressions to country folk, but even the lowest peasant in a city understands the trade tongue. In addition to the trade tongue, humans utilize a tiered language called Low Speech and High Speech. Very few peasants speak any of High Speech. It is instead used by storytellers, minstrels, very rich merchants, and nobles. In recent years, Low Speech has adopted many Kaelish words as trade between Kael'en and the other kingdoms increases. Low Speech and High Speech are remnants from the days of the Empire.

The language of the Old Empire is often referred to as the Old Tongue. Very few remember it's intonations and rules of speech in this day and age. Druidic is only spoken amongst the druids. Draconic is a dark tongue spoken only by sorcerors who delve into socially unacceptable areas of the art. To learn Draconic, a character must be a sorceror with six ranks of knowledge (arcane) and six ranks of knowledge (draconic lore).

[spoiler=The Siva][/spoiler]

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[Lmns Crn]

I'll assume you're done reserving posts now; if not, we can ask a mod to remove this unsightly post.

There's not much here to go on here so far, but I'm intrigued by the kernel-idea in your first post, and I'll be checking back to see where you go with it. The sci-fi/fantasy mix is an element with a lot of underexploited potential, and you paint a pretty vivid picture with it here.

I have a hunch that I may be the one that linked you here, so I think I'd be remiss if I didn't welcome you personally upon your arrival. It's always good to see new members come here and start posting cool stuff right off the bat, so thanks for that.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

I wasn't thinking of Final Fantasy when you mentioned the idea, but of Skies of Arcadia.  Are the shard of the moon concentrated in one area (I have to assume that the gas giant is so huge that if they were spread about that getting from one to the other would be prohibitive without some sort of "gate" technology)?  If it's low magic how to people get from one shard to another?

It's interesting that you've called out dryads as a race.  I'd like to hear more.

[Grr]

Yes, you were the one the linked me to this place Luminous.  Thanks. =) And thank you for the welcome.  I am done reserving posts.

Silvercat:

1. I've heard of Skies of Arcadia, but I've never really looked into it much.  I think my setting is close to it, but  the similarities are purely coincidental at this point.

2. The gas giant is pretty huge and the shards of the moon did fall into a relatively small area of the upper atmosphere.  Some have drifted apart over the milennia and other debris from other stellar bodies have been captured by the gravity of the gas giant as well.

3. It's low-magic in the sense that magic is almost entirely forbidden, which will become clearer as I add to the posts.  Healing is the only accepted magic, but it has also grown scarce as the sorcerous bloodlines wane.

4. Travel between the shards is currently under the control of the Caelum Dominari, aka the Sky Lords.  Also known as Sky Captains.  They control the ancient airship technology discovered ages ago which led to a vast and united empire spanning the known shards.  Civil erupted and travel became scarce.  Airships were destroyed and entire shards fell.  This led to a dark ages and magic became feared.  A tool for power.  Uprisings led to the slaughter of mages across the lands and the banning of all art other than Healing.  Only recently have airships been rediscovered.  As the campaign progresses, magic would become more prevalent.

5. Dryads are an NPC race, but, I include them in case a DM ever wanted to run a dryad only campaign.  I do give them more mobility than what's given in the Monster Manual... 300 yards I think... so that it would be feasible for a small campaign.

[Grr]

Yeah... slight delay on updates.  I got NWN2... =P