The world of Uldraterra

[claypigeons]

These are the preliminary thoughts i have to start off my setting. These are still just semi-rough ideas, and refinement will happen, and everyone's thoughts are welcome. I dont have a write-up for my world yet, as it is still in the works (I'm still working out a few details in my head, before i put them to paper).

This will be the thread that will contain the bulk of the information for my world. If you make a suggestion, and i use (or dont, depending on whether i feel it would fit in the world) it, please edit or delete your post. I will continually post and edit this as updates are made. I'd like to keep this thread empty of old used or rejected ideas as possible. Thank you very much in advance.

And now, I present you with text. Lots and lots of dext.

So far I have the races, a bit of back story one them. And the continents and nations that exist in the world I intend to create.



 [spoiler=Continents] The Continents and Main Land Areas of Uldraterra.
Ghairnaethex- "Eastern*" landmass of the world. Home to elves and shamanistic orcs. Northern portion of the continent is lush, while the souther portion is "dead".

Marrtus- One of two western islands. Reletively fertile land. Coastal regionshit by seasonal storms.

Zhareth- Second of two western islands. Fertile land, many rivers flow across it. Two mountain chains seperate portions of the land mass, forming watersheds for the rivers, as well as natural borders against invaders.

Broken Isles- Remnants of a shattered land. Mostly uninhabitable due to rocky terrain that cannot support much vegetation. The people who call this desolate and unforgiving land home are pirates and slavetraders. The land still holds much mineral wealth, but mining it is extremely hazardous.

*Eastern as it is presented on maps. The world is round, so everything is east and west of everything..*
   [/spoiler]


 [spoiler=Nations]Nations and Major Societies

Kelrinathex-Nation of elves. United elven people, strive to rebuild after the last war that swept across the continent. 99.999% of all elves live in this region. Stretches from the northern reaches of Ghairaethex to just south of the inland sea. Large expanses of forest and jungle int the north gradually change to plains and grassland, which in turn grow back into forests. The land rises up the clouds in a large mountain range, seperating the lush parts of the continent from the southern dry wastes.

Hellious-Inhabiting the lands south of Kelrinathex, the people of Hellious scrape out a meager existence in the vast sandy deserts and rocky steppes that the elves have seen fit to bequeath them. They craft their weapons and structures from the massive bones of the beasts of the deserts. Though the people of the region lead a very spiritual, shamanistic life, they are actually far more civil than outsiders give them credit for.

Celeston-The nation of worship. This is the only nation that trains and sustains a core of paladins*. All citizens worship the God-King, whom they believe to be the living embodiment of the god Volexa. Every aspect of their life is meant to strengthen the God-King, whether by growing food, crafting weapons or fighting the wars.

Mystrae-The nation of lords. This nation is split into many baronies, the lord of each swearing oaths of fealty to the elected king. Each king serves a life term, whether die of old age from a knife in the back does not matter. Upon the death of a king, a group is selected, and from these, secret ballots are cast to decide the next king. This helps to ensure the nation continues on, and that a war for the crown doesnt obliterate the nation from the inside.

Shukiwara-A nation built by war. A nation built for war. Constantly battle fringers as well as amongst themselves. Even with all the warring, the country is actually remarkably stable (relative to the amount of war they do). This is due to the ultimate servitude toward the Warmaster, the high general of all forces if and when an outside force threatens. This nation is meant to be the equivilent of as oriental culture. Either japan, china or a mix thereof.

Menjolth- Not so much a nation as it is a society. Pirate raiders, constantly attacking trade ships and caravans when they venture inland. Regarded as more of a nuisance than a threat by most, as they dont actually do any real harm. "One or two dozen ships is nothing amid a fleet of thousands."

Vharkouth- Slave traders, in simplest terms. Working closely with the Menjolth, they will take prisoner the crew of the vessals the Menjolth pillage. In return for the transport (and ultimately the actual ability to capture slaves..), the Menjolth recieve 15% of the raw ore that the Vharkouth force the slaves to mine. Both the Menjolth and the Vharkouth make their home on the shattered lands of the Broken Isles.

*Paladins with have a different code of conduct, which will be much different than that presented in the PHB.*
   [/spoiler]


 [spoiler=Races] The Races of Uldraterra

-Relative population percentages for the various player races-
20%-Elves
18%-Humans
17%-Dwarves
13%-Gnomes
11%-Orcs
10%-Halflings
8%-Goblins
3%-Goliaths

[spoiler=Elves]
Elves-
Grey-The decadent political caste of elves. They hold nearly all the political power of the elves, but hold next to no military power (and even less actual military talent.)

High- Serve as the main force of all elven military strength. Outnumber the rest of the elven varieties 3-1. All elven crafters are high elves.

Wood-Inhabit the western forests of Kelrinathex. Serve as scouts and messengers due to their abilities to traverse difficult terrain with ease. Regarded worldwide as masterful scouts and for their terrific skills as archers.

Drow-The literal darkside to elves. Known more common as Dark Elves, the grey (not black.. grey elves are actually white skinned...but i digress) variation is vicious. Vicious by all standards, blatently and frighteningly so. Dark Elves are masters on horseback, their cavalry noted to be better than any other. Respected and feared for their ruthlessness (captors are worthless and unneeded..). They designed the lightning quick Corsair sailing ships. Faster than nearly all other ships, they can outmanuever most, but their strength is their weakness. Due to their speed, they sacrificed all armor and mounted weaponry, relying entirely on closing on the enemy quickly enough to board and decimate the crew.
[/spoiler]


Humans-A relatively young race, they have grown and expanded quickly. Fit for any profession, they take to them with ease, but are never quite as good at them as other races. Human soldiers are pliable and resilient, two traits that skilled commanders can exploit in brilliant precision attacks. While they have no defined racial tactics, their armies are still not as talented as elven or goliath armies, a fact that they work to remedy with each passing day.

Dwarves-Master crafters. An ancient race that turned away from [spoiler=war]A massive civil war. It nearly wiped out the entire population. Those that remained destroyed all the remaining weapons, vowing to never again draw a weapon for any purpose other than defense.[/spoiler]long ago. They now focus on the arts and on the beauty of the creation of fine works of art. They are just now reopening the old texts, seeing the need to once again craft weapons of war, but most will never weild one.

Gnomes-Master craftsmen in their own right. But, instead of works of art, literature or weapons, gnoems craft power. Meaning they advance the science and craft of magic. They develope new uses for old magic, using it in new weapons of war. The state of the art  Mana cannon is their doing (with the help of goblins). Though, it must be said that this weapon is far from actually being usable.

Orcs-A peaceful race for the most part. They can be extremely savage when push comes to shove, but generally look for the peaceful solution. A shamanistic populus that look to their village elders for guidance. ((I'm looking for a good shaman-y class. The spirit shaman doesnt fit what im looking for, and druid is too nature loving for what I'm looking for. I would like something more spirtual, if anyone can give suggestions.))

Halflings-Travelers. Halflings have severe wanderlust, never staying in any one place for more than a week or so. Even on a smaller scale, individual halflings can barely sit still, busily grabbing everything within reach, talking endlessly and just in general moving unceasingly. Their merchants are among the most well known, always looking to make a profit. Small stature, quick feet and an even quicker wit make them ideal scouts and spies (even if they move constantly, they can do it silently). If you can deal with their embelished stories of personal triumph, and a slightly lighter coin purse, you can hire them and know the job will be done.

Goblins-Second only to humans in ingenuity. Can serve nearly any role in society or in the military. They work closely with gnomes to advance technology, serving as both the experimenter and the experiment, but this depends entirely on the goblin.

Goliaths-Goliaths live mainly in Shukiwara. They find that their superior size makes them perfect instruments of war. Their skill in war makes them objects of wonder to the people that fight along side them. Their endurance, stride and reach make them perfectly suited to patrol the Kenzouken Mountains. Most take to this duty with fervor. Though they are masterful combatants, their race is dying out, diseases, war and problems during child birth are the 3 worst causes.

[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Classes]
Base Classes

Barbarian
Bard
Cleric
Fighter
Knight
Monk
Ninja
#Paladin-- Change to CoC forthcoming
Ranger
Rogue
Scout
Shugenja*
Sorcerer
Swashbuckler
Warlock*
Warmage
Wu Jen*


Prestige Classes.

Assassin
Blackguard
Blighter
Church Inquisitor
Daggerspell Mage
Daggerspell Shaper
Dervish
Divine crusader
Dread Pirate
Drunken Master
Ghost Faced Killer
Hierophant
Horizon Walker
#Invisible Blade---- Quick Draw, Weapon focus(dagger weapon), Dodge
Knight of the Chalice
Knight Protector
Maester
Master Thrower
Occult Slayer
Order of the Bow Initiate
Radiant servant of Pelor (Vaxon)
Sacred Fist
Shadowbane Inquisitor
Shadowbane Stalker
Shadowdancer
Tattooed monk
Tempest
Vigilante
Virtuoso
Warchanter
Warpriest
Wild Plains Outrider

#-Denotes a change in flavor and/or mechanics.
*-Denotes a class that is only available or not available in some regions.
[/spoiler]


I'm still looking for a good shaman-y class. The spirit shaman doesnt fit what im looking for, and druid is too nature loving for what I'm looking for. I would like something more spirtual, if anyone can give suggestions. Better still, would be if anyone has actually created such a class.

[spoiler=Adjustments to classes]
Paladin CoC.

Honor is a huge part of a paladinâ,¬,,¢s life. Each day they strive to better themselves, and their God-King. From the slaughter of the heathen, to the building of temples, the purpose of a paladin is to spread the influence of Volexa, and his avatar.

A paladin can be of any lawful alignment. The methods involved in furthering the power of the God-King do not matter, only that it is done. Regardless of alignment, a paladin will never strike an innocent person (note that â,¬Ëinnocentâ,¬,,¢ usually means â,¬Ëcommonerâ,¬,,¢). Paladins will not hesitate to strike down their enemies.

*notes*
Honor = serving the god-king
A paladin will strike down a fallen, unarmed foe. Just because you are now unarmed, doesnâ,¬,,¢t mean you wont attack again, and it doesnâ,¬,,¢t negate the fact that you just tried to kill the paladin.



The requirements for Invisible Blade have been changed to make at least some sense. Quick Draw, Weapon focus (one handed melee dagger weapon) and Dodge are the new requirements.


Shugenja and Wu Jen are only available to characters from Shukiwara

Warlock is not available to elves.

 [/spoiler]


EDIT: Named the unnmamed continent. Thank you, Crit.

NEXT: Gods, their description and rise to power.

[Johnny Wraith]

Why is it that the dwarves need once more to craft weapons?

[claypigeons]

Why is it that the dwarves need once more to craft weapons?

While they feel no desire to actually wield them in war, they know they will need at the minimum for defense. They hear also the rumors of the coming wars, and of the building threat of the elves. For these reasons, they are now forging new weapons. If crafting an excellent dwarven weapons for the hands of an ally means keeping a dwarf out of combat, the tradeoff is acceptable.

Dwarves want to remain out of war at any cost, and making weapons for their allies does just that. It's basically saying "Here, take this weapon, save me from the bad men so that I can stay safe and make pretty things."

[So-Keher]

nation names
Kamasan
Shokiran
Gomishiro

any sound good?

[So-Keher]

I like how you made other races more popular (if that is the right word) than humans, in the setting i am working on right now humans would probably be where halfings ar ein yours :)

[claypigeons]

nation names
Kamasan
Shokiran
Gomishiro

any sound good?

Stolen, mostly. Shukiwara

I like how you made other races more popular (if that is the right word) than humans, in the setting i am working on right now humans would probably be where halfings ar ein yours

I'm sick of settings that have elves that are in decline. They arent in decline, but they arent the main race of the world either. They may have the highest population right now, but in a couple generations, humans and dwarves will eclipse them, due to the slow(er) elven reproductive rate.

[CYMRO]

Shukiwara
Good name for an area that is mostly plains and farmland.

I'm sick of settings that have elves that are in decline.

Agreed.  Never understood the fascination with that Tolkenoid theme.  It is constant warfare, not unusual reproduction, that keeps elves in my Altvogge setting from massive population booms.  Elves are more likely to get involved politically and militarily in interglobal conflicts, interfering liitle buggers.

A massive civil war. It nearly wiped out the entire population. Those that remained destroyed all the remaining weapons, vowing to never again draw a weapon for any purpose other than defense.

All of them?  
Doe that vow cover "proactive defense"?

[claypigeons]

All of them?
Doe that vow cover "proactive defense"?

In earlier days the dwarves would patrol the lands, putting down nearby hostiles when they found them. It would be foolish to just wait for people to attack you. Most of the dwarves that are alive at this time have never had to wield a weapon, even for defense (though they are still given a mimimum of training). Only the oldest dwarves remember the day that they were called to the army.

So, to clearly answer your question: It used to. They dont need to do so now, as the races that they live with take to war with passion, and do the fighting for them. Dwarves can stay out of the fighting and do their crafting, which is accepted as their contribution to society (this is also another reason they started to craft weapons again).

[Tybalt]

The fascination with Tolkien's idea of elves is of course that it is a good story. It's just not the only story. And it isn't just Tolkien, it's also Michael Moorcock, Elfquest, all that stuff. All fun, all interesting, and Moorcock in particular is a favourite of mine.

You have to bear in mind as well that Tolkien and Moorcock were both living in eras that they saw as declining, that they were not entirely thrilled with. So in a way the decline of elves is a symbol of the decline of things once held noble, once valued and admired.

Furthermore there are the Celtic myths that also support that idea. More on that in a thread of my own. Just to say: I understand the impatience with the imitation, but it's hard not to want to imitate excellence. That being said, kudos to you for being innovative rather than imitative.

[claypigeons]

Added allowed classed.

Added changes/adjustments to classes.


Apparently edits dont bump the thread. This is unfortunate. =(