Sky Isles Setting Information

[Hangfire]

I can see that I'll have to do what almost everyone already does, split my campaign pages into the setting info and the discussion of said info.

Please discuss the setting here:  Sky Isles Campaign  and leave this thread for the actual setting information. Thanks.

[Hangfire]

This campaign setting has been rattling around in my head for some time now. The inspiration for it comes from many places - the movie The Mummy Returns for the dirigible, the movie Treasure Planet for the sky port, I found a really cool set of symbols for CC2 (which is what I was using at the time to do my mapping), and finally wanting to do something along the lines of the classic battle between Law and Chaos that pervades much of the World of Greyhawk setting. Oh, I guess my interest in Spelljammer also has something to do with the shape of this setting.

 [note]Okay, the map is still not cooperating.[/note]
[spoiler=History] [ic=History]

   It is told that many hundreds of years ago this land was whole. That a man could walk from sea to sea, rather than ride on air ships like we do now. In those times we had reached a high level of magical ability and many powerful wizards lived among us. And then the war came, and everything changed.
   It began on the elemental plane of Fire. A very powerful Elder elemental sought more land. Another plane, one he could rule. His gaze fell upon our plane of existence. At first he sent only small armies, probing our strengths and weaknesses. Unfortunately for us, he found many weaknesses. At first only the Lord of the land attacked dealt with the intruder, and to keep the other Lords from thinking him weak, he told no one of the strange attacks. But with time the probes found other lands, and other Lords. Soon every Lord in the land was fighting for his life against hoards of creatures from the plane of Fire. The elemental Elder soon had his wizards open gates to the plane of Fire and allows the fire to sweep into this plane. The temperature started to rise, crops failed every where, and creatures from the plane started to roam at will across the land. It was at this point that a group of the most powerful wizards of all the lands met to debate a solution. They soon realized that they would need help in dealing with the fire elementals and other such creatures. They contacted the plane of Water for help. Luck was with them that they were able to contact a creature of goodly alignment that was willing to help. A plan was devised, but the elemental plane of Air was also required to help if this was to work. Again, luck was with the wizards and some elementals from that plane were also willing to help. The plane of Earth remained neutral in what they saw as a minor war.
   The elementals from the plane of Air used powerful magic to lift huge pieces of the ground into the air and have them float there. With most of the people safe high in the air the elementals from the Water plane, with the help of the wizards, opened gates to the plane of Water and flooded the remaining land. Huge clouds of steam filled the air as Water and Fire fought. The battle was terrible to behold, with losses on both sides, but in the end Water won out over Fire. The price was high though. A great amount of land had been lost, covered by miles of water. The remaining lands hung in the sky, separated from each other with no practical way to travel between the lands.
   The water elementals left the wizards with a small gift. Placed at each main city on each of the floating lands was a small piece of the plane of water. This ensured a steady supply of water for each of the larger floating islands. The air elementals ensured that the magic they had used to suspend the lands could not be undone, so the lands were safe.
   Today things are better. We have managed to keep the fire at bay, although there are areas of the oceans that boil with the fires of that elemental plane. The Elder is still looking for a way in. The council of wizards now rule the lands, although the farther ones gets from the capitol the less the rule is felt. And all in all the wizards have been good at ruling, and at making sure that they maintain that rule. The use of fire magic is frowned upon, as fire us seen as universally evil, especially among the rural folk who take users of fire magic as devils and evil elementals.
   Another major fear is from Dragons. They have regained much of their former glory in these days. Being able to fly has made them a danger for travel between the lands, and has made hunting them to their lairs much harder. Many small chunks of rock litter the sky, held aloft by magic and hiding all kinds of monsters, including dragons. Some of these rocks are small enough to ride the winds and move, making them all the more dangerous as they swing near populated areas. Monsters that dwell in the oceans are also much more powerful. There is no control on them, so they build large empires and war with each other. Thankfully, the sky isles are far out of their reach, but pity the man that falls to the sea, or worse, tries to explore the depths. Many new creatures also came through the gates from the plane of water and air. Most leave men alone, but some do not, and danger is always close these days. What are needed are more heroes to step forward, win battles and the hearts of the masses.[/ic][/spoiler]
So the basic idea is a setting where all the land masses are floating islands. Travel between the lands is done with magical air ships or lower 'tech' dirigibles. This allows me to keep the characters on one island for as long as I want, and it also allows me to have wildly different environments and cultures without having them living cheek to jowl as it were. Also, the lands below the sky isles are ripe for exploring - there's a great picture in the Forgotten Realms book  Lost Empires of Faerûn , well actually here it is:  


that really captures the feel I have of what's left in the now world spanning ocean. There are a few bits of land poking up from all the oceans.

Other elements of the world include the Boiling Sea - an area of the ocean where a gate to the plane of Fire is still open. Around this Sea are a number of floating land masses caught forever in the wild winds brought on by the boiling ocean below. Also, there are at least two known moving land masses, each one being the home of an ancient dragon. One is home to a Red and the northern one is home to a White. Every so many years the home of the Red passes close to the main sky isle and he wakes to feed. Not a pleasant time for your average villager.

Anyway, that's what I've got so far. I do have quite a bit of a campaign mapped out, and hope to get to use it eventually.

[Hangfire]

Here are a few more images that really capture the feel of the setting. This one is from the  Arms and Equipment Guide although the Zaratan first appeared in the 2nd edition of AD&D in the Al-Qadim campaign setting.
 

This one also is good and will be included in the setting. I know that in one of Monte Cook's books a creature similar to this appeared, but I can't remember the name of the book at the moment.
 

Well, that's it for now. Oh, the creature above also appears in the  Arms and Equipment Guide and it's a Soarwhale.

[Hangfire]

Here are how the classes from the PHB work into the campaign setting.

[spoiler=Classes]
[ic=Barbarian]
Barbarians are rare in the main cities of the Sky Isles. As one travels away from the cities and into the wilder lands at the edges of the isles one is much more likely to encounter barbarians. The lands are wild now, and space to live and hunt is limited. Humanoids and crowded in with the "nobler" races and competition is fierce. The peoples what have not recovered as fully from the war and loss of the great lands rely on barbarians to hunt for food, and protect the tribal group from incursions. Barbarians most often adventure to put down large humanoid threats and make the lands more secure for their people.[/ic]

[ic=Bard]
Bards have always been important sources of news and information, and that has never been more true then now. Travel between the isles is dangerous and quite often very expensive, but bards find themselves in a position of respect and can quite often travel "for a song" as it were. This allows them to get to the far flung isles, to find the news, the histories, and tales that the people need. In the cities bards are treated very well, especially if they have tales and news from the farther isles. Adventuring comes quite naturally to the bard. What better way to learn the tales of heroics then being there when they occur.[/ic]

[ic=Cleric]
The class of cleric may be removed from this campaign setting, being replaced by the Order of the Magi class. I'll post that class and you can let me know what you think.[/ic]

[ic=Druid]
Druids are much respected in the world. What little land is left is all the more precious and any one willing to dedicate his or her life to protecting it has the support of the people. Druids are welcomed warmly in all small out lying villages and hamlets, and even most cities, although city folk are less directly effected by the special powers and spells of the druid. Villagers will often offer free lodging and food if the druid will only look over the crops or live stock to ensure a bountiful harvest. Druids take to adventuring to travel to the farthest reaches of the isles, ensuring that balance is maintained and the lands are safe. They also travel to spread their help among the farmers and herders of the lands, ensuring there is enough food to feed all the people.[/ic]

[ic=Fighter]
Fighters have always had a place in the lands. Never before were their talents needed more than now. Humanoid bands are everywhere, waiting to strike at small villages and take what little food there is. Bandits and pirates are common in the lands, and above them, hitting merchant vessels and disputing trade. Fighters adventure all the common reasons, glory, treasure, and the thrill of combat.[/ic]

[ic=Monks]
Monks are very rare in the Sky Isles. Lonely monasteries can be found among the peaks of mountains or on small sparsely populated isles, but they are few and far between. The goals of these strange men is unknown to the common man, and so monks often receive a cool reception. Only after proving that they are no threat will they be welcomed. Adventuring monks are almost the only monks one would expect to come across in the isles. The reasons why they have left the safety of their monasteries is unknown to all but themselves.[/ic]

[ic=Paladin]
Paladins are also rare in the Sky Isles. Men that gain power from the gods are not common and so treated with a little fear (they do carry swords after all) and suspicion. The goodness of paladins will quickly win the people over however. The only change to the class (if clerics are gone) is that they can turn undead as a cleric of their level, rather than their level minus three (paladins gain the ability to turn undead at 4th level normally - in this campaign they gain the power at first level). Also, turning is a full round action rather than a standard action. Quickened turning will change that from a full round to standard action.[/ic]

[ic=Ranger]
Rangers are seen in the same light as druids. They were some of the strongest protectors of the lands during the wars with the elementals and are still seen as protectors. Most rangers travel the lands putting down humanoid incursions. Their ability to track, and their bonuses due to favored enemy are great boons to the forces of good in the world. Rangers adventure to see the lands, deal with the humanoids, and secure the lands they love.[/ic]

[ic=Rogue]
Rogues are common in the cities and among the many crews of the skyships, both merchant and pirate. All the cities have guilds dedicated to the arts of the rogue, and some of the guilds have even branched out to pirating. Opportunities for rogues are endless in the Sky Isles. Much of the wealth of the lands is still unclaimed below the ocean, and what wealth is left is vulnerable to the skills of a wily rogue.[/ic]

[ic=Sorcerer]
Those that can wield the arcane arts are feared among the people. The rulers of the land are all members of the Order of the Magi, and so those that can wield that kind of power are painted with the same brush. At the same time, it was magical forces that caused the ruin of the lands, so the fear is tempered with distrust and a little resentment. All users of arcane power are required to register with the Council of Thirteen (the thirteen mages that rule the lands) and this includes sorcerers. The Council is more presecutorial of sorcerers because they did not have to study and learn their powers, and therefore they can exist without the Councils knowledge (unlike members of the Order of the Magi who had to petition the Council to gain entry to a Magic College to learn their trade in the first place). Add to this the belief that sorcerers gain their powers from some link to dragons, and you have a class that can meet some stiff resistance in the world. Still, the unfettered freedom afforded the sorcerer in spell use overcomes this disadvantage. In the Sky Isles the sorcerer, like the order of the magi, may select spells from both the arcane and divine lists. However, they may not select druid spells.[/ic]

[ic=Order of the Magi]
The Order of the Magi replaces both the cleric and wizard in the Sky Isles. It has the hit dice of the cleric and the spells lists of both the cleric and the wizard to choose from. However, armor is still a hindrance and weapon selection and skill with said weapon is low. I'll post the class write up soon.

The Order of the Magi is both feared and loved. The Council of Thirteen is made up of the thirteen most powerful members of the order, and all magi are members of the order. However, most members travel through out the lands helping the common man (I'm basing this class quite closely on the Wizards of Earthsea - and if you haven't read that book yet then shame on you!!). Members of the order are almost like monks, living alone and with very few possessions. They are the healers and protectors of the people, just as the druids and rangers are the protectors and healers of the land itself. Most common people will welcome and member of the order into their village, but be afraid of the man at the same time. Adventuring comes naturally to members of the Order of the Magi as they travel the lands helping the common man.[/ic][/spoiler]

I have yet to go through any of the splat books with an eye towards this campaign. It will happen eventually, and then I'll update this post.

[Hangfire]

The Gods:

I've decided to use a limited number of gods, each with a number of domains. Some of the domains may seem unusual fits together, but I think it better represents how real ancient gods were viewed - and that was the inspiration here. As for the cosmology I'm leaving that as presented in the DMG. I like they way it works, and I've always liked plane jumping. This plane is just another material plane in the infinite universe.

All of these god are quite new to this particular plane. They came into being as the old existing gods appeared to do nothing to help their people. At this point most people are unaware that the gods they worship now have not always been the "true" gods. With so much knowledge lost this is not to be unexpected. Also, due to the nature of the calamity that befell this material plane, the gods in this mythos will actually appear from time to time and take affairs into their own hands - this did it before during the war and are not shy about doing it again if the need arises.

 [spoiler=The Gods]
 
 [ic=The Ice Queen]

Also Known As: Shamiraf the Protector and Moa (the Mother)
Domains: Cold, Protection, Law, Strength, and War.

The Ice Queen is usually portrayed as a tall woman wearing armor made of ice. Her face is covered with a ornate face piece connected to her helm, with her dark hair flowing over her purple-white armor. Occasionally the Ice Queen, in her guise as Moa, may appear as a rather short plain looking woman wearing typical peasant garb, surrounded by small children. Interestingly, she is most dangerous when appearing in the guise of Moa.

The Ice Queen is seen as being the god that actually held off the armies of Pyrrhus as the wizards with Nerus and Azzurra worked to move large chunks of the earth into the air. She is often shown in paintings as leading the humanoid forces into combat with the armies of fire. Her churches and shrines are visited often by the peoples of the land, and are often the largest and most beautiful in the city. Her holidays are always extravagant affairs lasting days with much drink and food, with frozen deserts presented at the end of feasts.

Symbol: Purple-white ice shield covered in filigree.[/ic]

[ic=Nerus]

Also Know As: Marinus or Muir
Domains: Ocean, Storms, Water, Destruction, and Knowledge.

Nerus appears as a huge Ocean Giant. It is believed that Nerus travels the worlds oceans in the company of other ocean giants, whales, and sea dragons.

Nerus the protector of the oceans and seas of the world, no small task for this world. He is seen as wild and easy to anger, being as unpredictable as the oceans he rules. He acquired the domain of Knowledge due to the fact that most of the worlds knowledge was swallowed by the oceans released from the plane of water. Those seeking lost or forgotten lore often say a prayer to Nerus, bidding him to release the knowledge from it's watery grave.

Symbol: Cresting wave in a circle.[/ic]

 [ic=Timur]

Also Known As: Achan or Rajnish (Lord of the Dark)
Domains: Earth, Death, Metal, Caverns, and Darkness

Timur appears in two guises. In one he's a large earth elemental, encrusted with gems and shot through with veins of precious metals. In his second incarnation he appears to be a shadowy, wispy figure with burning red gems for eyes.

Timur is the lord of the earth, ruler of all dark places below the ground. There are still tunnels in the earth that have yet to fill with sea water, and in these places one finds Timur, or more often Rajnish. Miners and dwarves often worship Timur in his elemental form, while the drow that remain in the world often turn to his darker side. In any of his forms Timur is usually worshipped in areas that are below ground and dark.

Symbol: A burning red gem on a black background.[/ic]  

 [ic=Azzurra]

Also Know As: Ilma
Domains: Air, Windstorms, Illusion, Luck, and Magic

Azzurra appears as either an exceptionally large Roc travelling the skies accompanied by a flock of more normal sized Rocs at her side. Her other form is as a beautiful air genasi.

Azzurra the sky god is a very important being in the mythos. She is responsible for lifting the lands into the air, and it is believed that her hands hold the lands aloft even now. Her powers are also claimed to be responsible for the airships that ply the skyways between the sky isles. This power of hers in why she rules the domain of Magic.
While often seen as calm and at ease, she can be ired and is then a force to be reckoned with. She is very popular with airship crews and captains, and most ships will have a small shrine somewhere on board dedicated to her. Taking her name in vain on an airship is a quick way to be tossed overboard.

Symbol: A cloud with a lightening bolt shooting out of the bottom.[/ic]

 [ic=Rodica]

Also Known As: Mu
Domains: Plants, Animals, Healing, Good, and Harvest.

Rodica traditionally appears as a beautiful dryad. She is often accompanied by treants, other dryads, and many small woodland animals. She is another important and powerful god in the mythos. Her main role is as the protector of the woodlands, including all the plants and animals that live there. Since the amount of land has been so drastically diminished she is often called upon to protect what little remains. Farmers and those that earn a livelihood from the wild are her main worshippers, although every town and city has a church or shrine dedicated to her. Of all the gods in the mythos she is most likely to actually appear on this material plane to protect the lands. A warning to all that would recklessly destroy the land.

Symbol: A collection of oak leaves and acorns.[/ic]

 [ic=Pyrrhus]

Also Know As: Azar, Casimir the Destroyer, or the Burning One.
Domains: Fire, Destruction, Evil, Sun, War.

Pyrrhus appears as an incredibly beautiful young man with flames for hair. His dress is regal and presented in colours of red and gold. He is very rarely portrayed as a very large pillar of flames - a typical fire elemental.

Pyrrhus is seen as the one to cause the invasion and destruction of this world. His worship is outlawed in most cities, and it would be very hard to find a shrine to him in any town or village. Most people don't even like to use his name, they instead refer to him as "the Burning One". It is believed that small cults dedicated to Pyrrhus do exists, but what the goals or aims are of these cults is unknown.

Symbol: A flame shape in a circle, often the flame is done in stained glass.[/ic]

[/spoiler]