Ansolon

[Eladris]

[note=Motivation]I am running a new campaign, born of a desire for a more Gygaxian (if you'll forgive the expression) world; a deviation from lighter and more fantastic settings I normally create.  While my preferences in fantasy tend toward humans-only and an absence of divine intervention, Ansolon will be going "Greek" and offering "whatever you'd like to role-play" up for player-available races.  With that in mind, I hope Ansolon becomes a palatable compromise between WotC's offerings, my players and me.

Enjoy!  Please feel free to comment or criticize; I am aware of my perennially poor performance in the review department, but will try to return the favor for those who take the time to read and reflect.[/note]Ansolon

The moon crumbled; a glob of bright paint on the canvas of the firmament slowly smeared from one horizon to the other.  We watched and cried, our grief mirrored in the fiery tears that spilled to earth from the heavens.  We witnessed a goddess fall and, though light and justice prevailed in that conflict among the gods, every night thereafter would be darker for it.

Ansolon is a world lorded over by petty and bickering gods.  It was once orbited by a small, pale moon which collapsed into a belt of dust and rocks that now cinches the planet.  With the destruction of its sole satellite, Ulna, Ansolon entered a calamitous age. The days passed more quickly and raging winds tore down the ramshackle huts and canopy shelters erected by men and elves.  Earthquakes, fires and floods rewrote both the surface and underbelly of the known world.

While most of the moon remained in the heavens to stripe the sky, some of its magic-laden pieces crashed to the earth.  Wherever they impacted, the seeds of chaos were sown; flora and fauna mutated into twisted mockeries of the natural order, the landscape warped and the influence of the deceased goddess tainted the essence of magic and life.  Ulna's servants, for everything near these descended fragments fell under the goddess's sway, now seek revenge.  The night crawls with creatures infected by the dead goddess's malice and madness, bent on the desecration of Ansolon.

After 200 years, the combined efforts of the civilized races have restored some semblance of order to the seasons, but the hold is tenuous at best.

[Eladris]

Atma

In one hand light, the other dark.  With death's respite a life embarks.

Atma is the goddess of death and rebirth, the cycle of seasons and balances.  Little is known of this enigmatic god, not worshiped by mortals until her intervention helped correct the chaos wrought by Ulna's destruction.  Atma is the second of three sisters born of Ertu and Aota, elder of Ulna and junior of Sholi.

Atma is described by followers as a masked, slender figure in gray robes.  Her symbol is an equilateral triangle, point down, with each vertex serving as the center of a small circle; the three circles vary in size by region, but never touch and are always similar.  Priests of Atma's faith sometimes wear ceremonial masks while performing rites or rituals.

[ooc]One of my players wants to play a Cleric of a neutral deity, but not one aloof from Ansolon's many conflicts.  I developed Atma as a wild card that entered the scene after the dichotomy of sun and moon was disturbed.  Her focus is likely on restoring order and possibly assuming or delegating necessary functions of the former goddess of the moon.  Pardon the terrible flavor text.[/ooc]

[Ghostman]

Wherever they impacted, the seeds of chaos were sown; flora and fauna mutated into twisted mockeries of the natural order, the landscape warped and the influence of the deceased goddess tainted the essence of magic and life.  Ulna's servants, for everything near these descended fragments fell under the goddess's sway, now seek revenge.  The night crawls with creatures infected by the dead goddess's malice and madness, bent on the desecration of Ansolon.

Do these meteorites continue to "radiate" the chaos, or does their power fade? What exactly is meant by desecration of Ansolon? This sounds like it might be something more interesting than a plain old-fashioned destruction of the world. Perhaps their antagonism is toward the gods and their priests, rather than the general mortal population?

[Eladris]

Do these meteorites continue to "radiate" the chaos, or does their power fade? What exactly is meant by desecration of Ansolon? This sounds like it might be something more interesting than a plain old-fashioned destruction of the world. Perhaps their antagonism is toward the gods and their priests, rather than the general mortal population?

[ooc]The meteorites continue to radiate chaos and corrupt creatures and the land.  By desecration I mean the array of possibilities between corruption and destruction.  So, if a fist-sized piece of Ulna were picked up by a human, that human might warp physically or mentally or both.  I certainly intend to include revenge against the clergy of other faiths as a storyline (or 4 or 5) during the course of play.

Doodling a map today; you'll be able to see what I mean.  There are two major (physics-defying-in-size-yay-magic) impacts in the region in which the PCs will begin play.  One created a new bay/sea, the other was inland and an area of twisted landscape is slowly growing around it.  Marosfall is the large, blighted area and it has consumed at least one major settlements in the last century.  Not sure what play level I'll make those areas.[/ooc]

[Elemental_Elf]

Ansolon is a world lorded over by petty and bickering gods.  It was once orbited by a small, pale moon which collapsed into a belt of dust and rocks that now cinches the planet.  With the destruction of its sole satellite, Ulna, Ansolon entered a calamitous age. The days passed more quickly and raging winds tore down the ramshackle huts and canopy shelters erected by men and elves.  Earthquakes, fires and floods rewrote both the surface and underbelly of the known world.

While most of the moon remained in the heavens to stripe the sky, some of its magic-laden pieces crashed to the earth.  Wherever they impacted, the seeds of chaos were sown; flora and fauna mutated into twisted mockeries of the natural order, the landscape warped and the influence of the deceased goddess tainted the essence of magic and life.  Ulna's servants, for everything near these descended fragments fell under the goddess's sway, now seek revenge.  The night crawls with creatures infected by the dead goddess's malice and madness, bent on the desecration of Ansolon.

After 200 years, the combined efforts of the civilized races have restored some semblance of order to the seasons, but the hold is tenuous at best.

Wow, I love the concept thus far! Please write more!

[Eladris]

[note=History (DC 15)]Ennasport was the primary port of Maros before Atol Maros was corrupted by the withering influence of the nearby starfel.  With the decline of Maros, much of its fleet turned to piracy and tradesmen emigrated to Trelban or Kvara for protection.  The town's population rapidly diminished until its leadership ceded control to Kvara in the autumn of 263UR.[/note]Ennasport

Population 6,700 (human 45%, dwarf 25%, halfling 17%, other 13%)

If the number of derelict cottages and warehouses provide any indication, Ennasport is well past its prime.  The struggling town is located on the Bitter Sea, four days south of Felwatch and Marosfall by horse.  Ennasport is a protectorate of Kvara; a recent and peaceful acquisition for the growing kingdom.

Despite Ennasport's proximity to Marosfall, the sea is a preeminent danger.  Pirates taking refuge along the northern coast of the Bitter Sea regularly intercept merchant vessels bound for Ennasport and occasionally raid the harbor.  Trelban, Ennasport's neighbor to the south, is ambitiously claiming more shipping lanes and territory along the coast, as well.

[ooc]This is the port city the players will be traveling from at the start of the adventure; I assume they'll be back to exploit it as an adventure hub later in the campaign.  This week's attempts at a map failed, but hopefully I'll finish one over the weekend.  I think I've settled on starfel as the generic term for geographical areas corrupted by Ulna's bits.  I am most likely going to call people or animals so influenced lunatics.  Current year is 264UR: since the destruction of the moon.[/ooc]

[LordVreeg]

What was Ennasport's population at it's greatest?  How old is it?
And I like your creation of Atma.  Good Wildcard.

[Eladris]

[note=History]DC 15: Alderbrook was founded by a small tribe of goliaths in 144UR and remained unknown to the world outside of Esmiren's Vale until a group of Kvaran explorers stumbled upon the village in the spring of 250UR.  The goliath tribe, one of the few that chose to break from Tian's worship in favor of Kvar, warmly received the stout company and a lasting friendship formed.  Just two years after trade opened between Alderbrook and Westwatch, the village elders agreed to join the kingdom of Kvara.  Rich deposits of iron and lead in the cliffs girding the vale have since led to a steady increase in the village's population, though the vale has proven hazardous for many who would make a fortune in the rock beneath it.

DC 21: The goliaths of Alderbrook brought several new metallurgical techniques into the Kvaran repertoire, particularly in refinements to silver extraction from lead and other ores.  Despite the productive mines of Esmiren's Vale, elevation and other dangers make life difficult.  In short, the vale appears unable to support a larger population than currently present at Alderbrook and Pinebough.  In 259UR, Kvaran authorities at Westwatch sent the druid Venindil to the vale in order to prepare select areas for larger-scale agriculture; a move which only created tension between village elders and Kvaran leadership.[/note]Alderbrook

Population 1,300 (dwarf 37%, human 31%, goliath 19%, other 13%)

Nestled near the lowest elevations of Esmiren's Vale, Alderbrook sits near the tree line at a lofty 7,000 feet (~2.1km) above the Bitter Sea.  The village is a knot of slate-roofed, stone houses perched above a crystal-clear lake and surrounded by a grove of red alder, the only deciduous trees in the vale.  Cabins of freshly-cut pine are scattered among nearby clearings, signs that the small settlement has experienced recent growth. The lake below remains frozen well into spring and is fed by snowmelt until mid autumn.

Despite Alderbrook's size, no farms are present and herds of shaggy, mountain goats roam unattended.  In the village proper, vegetable gardens and small, brilliantly-colored flowers can be seen sprouting from window boxes under second-story windows.

Current Events, Plots & Hooks

Entering the region; forced encounter: Desperate miners and villagers, deprived of food by both an unusually harsh winter and intermittent goblin raids, retreated to lower elevation and resolved to set upon the first caravan of the year.  Bandits, now, they lie in wait amid the dense pines that blanket the pass into Esmiren's Vale.  The group will be forced to fend off the beleagured villagers, or otherwise convince them of the error of their ways.

Optional: Goblins raided Pinebough and several mines during the winter.  The creatures, normally too disorganized or afraid of the goliaths to muster a successful attack, carried off stores and livestock when needed most, leaving Pinebough and Alderbrook sorely wanting for food.  The unprecedented raids have continued into early spring, but the struggling villages lack men with which to scout out and thwart the goblin presence.

Optional: The last two ore-laden carts brought through the Valewood were attacked by the walking dead.  The miners driving the carts fled to the safety of Alderbrook, but despite a lack of casualities everyone is spooked and avoiding the Valewood.  A longer and more treacherous path from Pinebough to Alderbrook skirts the forest, but miners lose nearly two days on the circumnavigation.

Optional: Nursing a broken arm, a villager from Pinebough laments the loss of an Ilsvaran* priest that took up residence at Memory Lake several years ago.  The priest disappeared in early autumn and it is feared that he may be dead.

Optional: Grundir, Alderbrook's chief apothecary and healer, is lacking supplies.  Tending those injured in goblin raids sorely taxed his stores and it will be months before he can send for and receive replacements from Westwatch or Ennasport.

Optional; requires Diplomacy (DC 15): Venindil is missing.  The druid winters at a grove north of Alderbrook, on the edge of the Valewood, but he has not been seen since the first snows and his presence in town is overdue.  The village elders worry that Venindil's disappearance might be interpreted poorly by the lord in Westwatch.

[ooc]I expect Alderbrook to be the primary adventure hub for the group once they arrive from Ennasport.  I have some interesting twists in store for the group (maybe I should spoiler them here?), regardless of the players' chosen path.  Another player settled on an Invoker, so I'm working through deity ideas with him now.  

Also, LV, great question.  I see Ennasport half again as large in its prime, on the cusp of becoming a major economic power in the region.  Under Kvaran rule, the hope is that Ennasport will realize that role; Kvara, a chiefly dwarvish nation, was land-locked until it claimed Ennasport.  Obviously, the new potential for both Kvara and Ennasport is a source of concern for other powers in the region.  I haven't yet considered Ennasport's origin, I'll do that before I work the above into a rewrite.  Thanks!

* Ilsvar; Serif saves the day.  Ilsvar is the goddess of the hunt, the wild, the dichotomy of predator and prey, etc. (forthcoming).[/ooc]

[Eladris]

Koira Thunderfall

Kvar often moves among mortals and on one such foray the god of mountains explored the handiwork of the dwarves.  Anonymously he traversed the great underground city named in his honor, Kvarda, and continued on towards the heart of the Ash Mountains.  After many days he came upon a vaulted chamber with a waterfall tumbling from its glittering walls and, captivated by its beauty, sat to contemplate Ansolon's mysteries.  So enthralled was Kvar that he failed to notice the dwarvish maiden who also meditated by the water's edge.  Together the pair sat in silent reflection until the girl timidly offered Kvar some rations.  They shared food and thoughts, and eventually themselves.

Koira Thunderfall is the product of that chance encounter.  The demi-god was raised by her mother, secretly doted on by her father and quickly became the pride of the Thunderfall clan.  Behind a wall of Koira's powerful magic the dwarvish forces succeeded without fail; dislodging the fire giants from a foothold in the Forges of Kvarda and pushing the green dragons of Addarak's brood back from the Dale Gate, which allowed the dwarves to once again trade with the lowlands.  Her mortal seeming was grievously wounded in battle with the giants of Stormsummit and, unwilling to see his blessed daughter pass from the world, Kvar offered Koira her a choice:  become a goddess and forsake mortality or perish.

Ulna's death continues to reap a heavy toll on Koira and her followers.  The Thunderfall clan is scattered as dandelion seeds to the wind, its ancestral homelands shattered by starfel and Kvarda inhabited by fire giants once more.  Though the hearty dwarves endured the period of upheaval better than other races, the loss of Kvarda caused many to doubt their faith.

Koira is worshipped as a tactician and scholar, one who wields the elements in favor of the dwarves. She stole many of Tian's secrets for her clan and opened knowledge of new branches of magic up to the dwarves.  She alone among Kvar's line is capable of manipulating the weather, normally Tian's domain.  A battle-hardened wizard as a mortal, Koira is often worshiped by dwarvish spellcasters, particularly those involved with the recapture of Kvarda or any land blighted by the starfel.

A quartered circle is Koira's symbol, with some variations extending the lines bisecting the circle to just beyond its edge.   Temples and shrines to Koira often elaborate on this simple design, embellishing each of the four vectors originating at the circle's center with stylized representations of the elements or wizard's implements.

[ooc]The invoker of the group wanted a god very involved in the conflicts created by Ulna's destruction and this is what I pitched.  His character, a member of the Thunderfall clan, is adventuring to build his strength and resources for an attack on the starfel that destroyed his clan's home.[/ooc]

[Tillumni]

hmm, I was wondering something about the starfel. do they only change something once, or does continued exposial causes even more warping of the life form? if it's the 2.nd, then perhaps you can play up the corrupting effects starfel have on beings that continues to live within its influence, turning them into truely twisted things....like 3-4 templates on top of a monster twisted. or Cthule style twisted.

[Biohazard]

Goddess of dichotomy of predator and prey, eh... sounds like the kind of slightly insane/unpredictable goddess who would suddenly decide something doesn't belong in the food chain anymore.

Really digging Ansolon so far. I have an increasingly hard time liking settings that feature the standard array of fantasy races, or multiple races at all, but this is great.

I'm assuming the meteorites are objects of particular interest in the setting? Do nations and groups make war for control of them? Are there those that want to stand atop one to plant a flag, and then run their fingers through the chaos dust?

[Eladris]

[ooc]Tillium,
I definitely see the starfel as a continuous, compounding process; longer exposure would result in increased derangement and deformity.  My ideas for the creatures living in the starfel are still formative.  Originally, I planned to make starfel an "excuse" for devils and demons.  I don't like the classic notions of heaven and hell*, so the starfel was slated to become "hell", albeit on "earth".  I'm having second thoughts.

Biohazard,
Thanks for the kind words!  Regarding Ilsvar, that's sort of what I'm going for: crazy.  Ilsvar is the schizophrenic poster god for the Primal power source.  She will be revered but never loved; always admired from arm's length, so to speak.  Ilsvar is Ulna's daughter, whose followers were among the most devoted (a goddess of beauty, love and the moon before her fall).  The difference in their worship is the cause of a consuming jealousy in Ilsvar.

My mind is a slow spider spinning webs when it comes to meta-plot, but I do feel that Ilsvar will play a central role not only in the downfall of her mother, Ulna, but also the disasters that followed the moon's destruction.  The hurricanes and earthquakes might have been her unfocused rage at an undesired result in the war, perhaps.  My current thoughts place Ulna as "still alive, but dead to mortals" working with the idea that the moon was Ulna's focus, like a lens through which divine power influences the mortal realm, and without this focus she can't communicate.  I think maybe Ilsvar wanted to be the moon, but stayed the cat who kills a mouse only to choke to death in its consumption.

Wow, this got long fast.  Anyway, the surviving moon-rock meteorites will be big movers and shakers.  Starfel of sufficient size will be their own twisted nations.  My current game's plot is aiming for starfel entry at around level 7 and they're only level 1, so I'm not involving these directly just yet.

* This is not entirely true.  I like them in the context of our world, unknown and unprovable, but not in a world where they exist as physical realms a PC can walk.[/ooc]

[Eladris]

[note=Starfel]Marosfall

The former kingdom of Maros, now assumed by starfel, sits on Kvara's northern border.

Sea of Terrors

One of the largest known areas of starfel, the Sea of Terrors was created just after Ulna's death when a chunk of the moon smashed into the coast.  The impact was so great that a pulse of magical energy leveled buildings and uprooted trees nearly three hundred miles away.  Despite its size, the starfel has little noticeable effect on the Bitter Sea region.[/note]The Bitter Sea Region

Characterized by a bloody naval history, the Bitter Sea hosts numerous conflicting polities and two large areas of starfel.  The region is bounded by the Western Ocean, the Sea of Terrors in the north, Ash Mountains in the east and the central plateau to the south.

The weather is temperate and the lowlands rarely see snow, though this winter past (263UR) was particularly cold.  Moisture from the Western Ocean is trapped against the coast by the Ash Mountains and the land remains green the year round.

Kvara

Though the majority of Kvara is considered part of the central plateau, the chiefly dwarvish nation recently extended its influence to the coast with Ennasport.

East Selardin

The smaller and wealthier half of Selardin, which remains split in a decades long civil war.

West Selardin

The larger half of Seldarin.

Trelban

Trelban is the oldest stable nation in the region, established in Spring 1640AR (~450 years prior to present).  

[spoiler=Political Map]
[ooc]A note on scale: it took the group ~2 weeks to reach the little circular doohickey at the top of Kvara from the the coast moving at ~25 miles per day.  This is just one continent on the world.  I'll worry about others when I get there.[/ooc][/spoiler]

[ooc]Sort of a weak offering, just getting the map up and laying a rough outline for the next few days.[/ooc]

[Eladris]

Starfel

The two-hundred and sixty-four years since Ulna's Reckoning have seen pieces of the moon pock the face of Ansolon, but the physical consequences of starfel are often of secondary importance.

Each impact is more than a physical event and the effects are never identical.  Whenever a fragment of Ulna slams into Ansolon there is a magical collision before its physical counterpart.  Documented impacts describe a shock wave that pushes all magic from an area and an uncontrollable resurgence as replacement energy floods into the void, all moments prior to a physical collision.  The chaotic swirl of magic present at the collision site can cause any number of bizarre circumstances; one meteor might stop short of the ground and become a perfect sphere, another liquefies or turns to mist, and yet another suspends gravity in the region.  While minor sites are rarely as fantastic, the largest starfel have unique metaphysical properties and none are a simple impact crater.

It is the primary, magical shock wave that causes the most devastation.  Early meteors wiped out entire cities by warping or destroying magical creations of the Age of Reason; floating islands toppled from the sky, portals translocated entire regions and magical items exploded with force enough to level a castle.  Large meteors affect magical energy as far as five hundred miles from the site of physical impact.

[ooc]I'm picturing magic like an extended bow shock of a comet that hits and reflects to "catch" it.  Tidal waves of magical energy. Mmm.  Tasty.

More on the lasting properties of starfel later; I'll edit or something.[/ooc]

[Llum]

I really like the Starfels, the magical shockwave makes them much more interesting. As does their varying unique properties. You said that you wanted to use them as an excuse for Demons/Devils. Will they also make aberrations? Will they make evil angels? Undead?

It seems your using 4e D&D. Are you trying to fit all the various monsters and stuff into the setting? Or just taking things as they come along?

Does the Sea of Terrors play host to various aquatic aberrations? Chuuls and Aboleths and such?