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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
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    Default Tollaria: Where Gods Walk Among Men

    This is very much a work in progress, to the point where many of the pages haven't been proofread yet. I am posting it here now just in case a catastrophe befalls my computer and backup drives. Some of the names, historical events, etc. May be contradictory. That said, I encourage comments, views, criticisms and anything else that one would find under the 'opinion' article in a thesaurus. Just keep in mind that everything is subject to change, sometimes radically as I jump from idea to idea like a child at her seventh birthday party immediately after the cake.


    Tollaria is being built with pathfinder in mind, but is light on crunch (save the changes to some of the races) so could be adapted to any system. Probably. You seem clever, I'm sure you could do it.




    Tollaria, Where Gods Walk Among Men

    Map goes here

    A more in-character summary of the world will go here once written, but to start here are the main inspirations that drive the building of this world:

    Tollaria is a world that tries to subvert (avert?) the "Elves are elves, dwarves are dwarves but Humans are diverse!" mindset that some fantasy worlds fall in to. Here you will find a diversity of humans, yes, but also nations of elves and other magical races as different from one another as the Chelaxians are from the Mwangi. (In the Pathfinder Golarion setting)

    Where Gods Walk Among Men was not chosen as a sub-header just because it sounds epic-y. Every god in the setting has a physical form that dwell on the mortal plane. These bodies, unlike many cosmologies are not just manifestations of the god but the god itself, in its totality. Of course, this makes for much weaker gods than you might find elsewhere. They are immortal, but the god of Drink and Revelry in Tollaria is much more likely to get cold-cocked by a surly drunk than in other settings.

    While not a total time-abyss, Tollaria has a rich and varied history. The 'modern' day of Tollaria is set in the early 1700s of the current era (for reference, creation began at -4480 BCE) when humanity has just discovered the southern continent and with it a wealth of magical races and resources it had never encountered before.
    Last edited by The Cats; 2014-10-29 at 07:22 PM.
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    Default Re: Tollaria: Where Gods Walk Among Men

    The History of Tollaria

    Timeline
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    Creation
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    -5000-Apsu, Barbarus and Choryx come to be

    -4500-Apsu makes the world

    -4480-Apsu and Barbarus make the eight Giants

    -4472 Choryx makes his two Giants

    -4451 Morub and Tun imprison Korvath beneath the surface. Ugun creates the Giant Gates, connecting the two landmasses and the underworld.

    -4401-Morub and Tun finish shaping the continents and enter slumber under the mountains of south-west Eloiwhyn. The unnamed giant in the antarctic finishes shaping the climate of the world and enters slumber at the south pole. A glacier eventually forms around him.

    -4370-Ugun finishes mapping out and binding leylines and enters slumber in a crystal cavern under central Eloiwhyn, an area of leyline convergence.

    -4334-Sha creates the first of her slave races: The Unseen

    -4333-The unnamed giant under the Deep Caves finishes shaping the underground caverns of the world and enters slumber deep beneath the northern continent.

    -4320-The twin unnamed giants finish creating all the magical races of the world, including Eloi, Aasimar and Osguloth, and enter slumber in a demiplane

    -4242-Ogroshi finishes creating all the non-magical races including the Humans and Lizardfolk and enters slumber in the Ogroshi Valley. The Giant Gates go dormant.

    -3180-The Rough Dwarves are spontaneously created from the rock surrounding the unnamed giant under the Deep Caves from his ambient divinity. This causes a massive earthquake that buries the Giant completely. The rough dwarves that escape begin to travel through the underground tunnels. The earthquake also opens a rift into Korvosh’s prison. Korvosh creates demons to send through the rift to begin working to free him. The Demons immediately enslave the newly-borne lizardfolk.

    -3130-Some rough dwarves make their way to the tunnels surrounding the Deep Caves

    -2722-The combined ambient divinities of Morub and Tun spontaneously create the Dwarves out of the materials around them. The dwarves leave the caverns and settle in the surrounding mountains.

    -1200-The ambient divinity of Ugun combines with the arcane power of the leyline convergence in the crystal cave and spontaneously creates the oread. The Oread settle in the crystal cavern and surrounding area.


    Age of Magic
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    -1118-Eloi discover arcane magic, this sparks a war between them and the divine aasimar. Ferryck the Wild, God of the Elements come in to being from the ambient divinity of the slumbering Giants.

    -1110-Some rough dwarves find their way out of the Deep Caves and into the Crag mountains on the northern continent. The Oread begin spreading West as well as begin attempting to translate the runes etched in to Ugun’s body.

    -1031-The Eloi Matriarch rises in power and forces an unhappy truce with the Aasimar

    -1014- Sha begins to whisper in The Matriarchs ear, egging her to attain greater power.

    -1009-Hostilities resume between Eloi and Aasimar as the latter discovers the Eloi’s plans to harness divine power for themselves.

    -1003-The Eloi discover the dwarves of Tun and Morub and conscript them in their war. When it was clear they were overpowered, the dwarves collapse the caverns holding Morub and Tun, burying them under a mountain. The combined force proves overwhelming for the Aasimar.

    -1000-The Eloi succeed in killing Barbarus and harnessing his power. The Matriarch ascends to godhood. The twin moon gods Temunan and Asulmun are created and anchor the Eloi’s souls to the material plane. The Aasimar lose their divinity with the death of their patron and become the Strix. They are easily defeated by the Eloi.

    -999-Some rough dwarves find their way into the tunnels around the caverns that would eventually become the Lightcaves

    -989- The Living God Antonal comes into being and gnomes start to appear around the world. Seyotek the Hidden God came to be and hid himself belowground

    -972- Seyotek The Hidden God finds the Osguloth, deep beneath the surface.


    Age of Terror

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    -821-The Eloi use the same technique they used on Barbarus to kill Choryx but fail in harnessing his power. Choryx’s body splinters into the Four Horsemen and an innumerable horde of ravenous Daemons who descend upon the world.

    -820-The Eloi engineer Goblins from unwilling gnomes to try to fight off the Daemon horde. Antonal shuns the Eloi and Eloi birthrates decline dramatically. Eloi souls, devoured by daemons, return to the world as orcs.

    -812-Gnomes are obliterated by the Daemons. The Dwarves escape the shackles of their disorganized oppressors and flee into the mountains. The Daemons force the Oread out of western Eloiwhyn

    -807- Some rough dwarves find their way into tunnels below the ocean floor and are discovered by Sha’s Unseen. Sha begins to search for the other Giants

    -806-The Matriarch is killed and her soul torn to pieces and captured by the Horsemen. The Eloi engineer an exodus to the Lodestone Moon of Temunan where they will be safe from the Daemons. The exodus is intercepted mid-flight and all but 32 of the Noble Eloi are slain. The Eloi remaining on the surface hastily flee belowground as their last bastion city falls.


    Age of Divinity
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    -804-Apsu splinters his own form, sending two flights of Dragons led by Baphomet and Tiamat to cleanse his world of the Daemons. The Dragons drive the Daemons into the darkest corners of the world, saving the planet from being entirely consumed. The dragons suffer many casualties and are all but destroyed. Tiamat is killed in the battle. The Eloi who escaped underground magically enhance much of their lower class to better survive, creating the Dark Eloi. The Eloi who escaped to Temunan, believing themselves the sole survivors of their race, tap his divine power to grant themselves true immortality. This causes the Eloi underground to lose their connection to Temunan and thus one half of the Lodestone. Terrestrial Eloi no long retain their memories when reincarnated. They start to evolve into High and Dark Elves. The dwarves discover the dormant Giant Gate in south-western Eloiwhyn and build the fortress of Da-Morub-Tun around it. Sha finds the unnamed giant in the antarctic.

    -780- Baphomet’s Dragonflight find the Oread and forge a lasting and beneficial alliance with them. Sha sends minions to attain samples of Goblinkind

    -604- Many Dark Elves heed the whispers of Seyotek the Hidden God and throw off the yoke of the High Elves, delving deeper under the planet where they are met by the Osguloth. They settle in the Ooze lands.

    -402-Barbegazi are spontaneously created in the arctic circle. Sha immediately begins whispering to them. The Strix turn to worshipping Charon, horseman of Death and gain the secrets of Necromancy.

    -283-Goblin populations explode, Orcs, egged on by Szuriel, Horseman of War begin to rampage and take Da-Morub-Tun. Dwarves retreat to the nearby mountains. Apsu sends Nerexus’s chromatic dragonflight to TollariaApsu sends a third flight of dragons, led by Nerexus to quell the rampage and explosion and once again save the planet from utter destruction.

    -273- The chromatic dragons and the oread unknowingly re-activate the Giant Gates by successfully translating some of the runes carved all over Ugun’s body. The orcs in Da-Morub-Tun enter the Giant Gate and find themselves in the north-east of the northern continent. Dwarves retake the now-empty stronghold. Some enter the GIant Gate and chase the orcs off to the north, over the Crag Mountains. The Dwarves found the city of Da-Tun on the northern continent.

    -100-Elves in eastern Eloiwhyn, newly returned to the surface, found Sorivia.


    Age of Humanity
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    0-The divine power left from the death of the Matriarch finally re-emerges as Aroden, God of Humanity. Modern humans develop agriculture. Gnomes reappear in the world.

    1123-A group of humans discover the sleeping form of Ogrosh and worship him, turning themselves into ogres. Orcs rampage again but are beaten back by the Dragons.

    1200-The Strix succeed in destroying the Gnome population in their lands. Antonal shuns the Strix and Strix birth rates decline dramatically. High Elves tentatively return to the surface.

    -1690- An Andori expedition sets out across the great ocean, searching for the new world.

    1692-Andorus begin sending colonization expeditions to the new world. A group of half elves and dark elves discover a Giant Gate in a remote corner of the Lightcaves. They enter it and emerge on an island off the north-central coast of Eloiwhyn

    1693- Andori colonists land on the same island the elves emerged from and quickly overrun the elves, using them as slave labour. A portion of the elves escaped and founded Neharwhyne on the mainland.

    -1695- Andori colonists encounter the Strix. The Andori are easily fought off and their colonial ambitions are stymied.

    -1699- A colonial expedition from Candor (Now called Fermaria) founds the colony of Nord on Eloiwhyne at an area of leyline convergance.

    1700--Goblin populations on the northern continent explode. Dwarves ally with gnomes, humans and metallic dragons to drive them into the north. The rough dwarves of the crag mountains are forced out by the goblins. The dwarves of Da-Tun welcome them with open arms.

    -1702- The Strix discover Nord and begin their assault. Daru Biggs attains divinity as God of Wild Magic and Drink and defends the settlement. A powerful coven of witches in Andorus capture Ferryck the Wild and sunder him, stealing his divinity and taking his place as the Gods of the Elements. Ferryck the Wild becomes Ferryck the Torn.

    1710-Humans discover the Deep Caves, a series of caverns deep below the surface apparently unconnected to the caves where the Elves dwell. They, along with the Stone Dwarves and Chromatic Dragons use the caves as a penal colony.

    1714- Present day


    Creation
    Nope, not done

    Age of Magic
    Not this either

    Age of Terror
    Naaaw

    Age of Divinity
    Still nothing

    Age of Humanity
    Nope
    Last edited by The Cats; 2014-10-29 at 10:46 PM.
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    Default Re: Tollaria: Where Gods Walk Among Men

    Intelligent Races of Tollaria

    Humans:
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    Magically lacking but technologicaly advanced. Not widespread. Attempted colonialism once but where handily fought off by the more magical inhabitants of the places they tried to colonize. Until then they were secluded and had little knowledge of other humanoid races and of magic. Most are on a single continent.


    Ogres:
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    A group of humans, some 300 years ago, discovered the resting place of one of the primordial Giants. Believing him to be a sleeping god they worshipped his sleeping form, naming him Ogrosh and building a cathedral above his resting place. Through prayer and proximity to the giant they tapped into his power and they grew in size and spirituality. These larger humans call themselves ogres and practice divine magic, maintaining their large forms through prayer and meditation. They are found in a single valley within the human lands.


    Elvenborne
    Eloi:
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    Ancient, progenitor race of Elves and Orcs. Now mostly extinct due to devastating a war against daemons. They created most of the pantheon currently worshipped by elves and gnomes. 32 still survive, hidden in one of the moons.
    Eloi, through the power of their matriarch and pantheon, had cut their souls off from the wheel of life and death and had made themselves effectively immortal, allowing them to move their souls, memories intact, directly into a new body rather than travelling through the outer planes.


    Elves:
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    Eloi who didn’t retreat to the moon to avoid destruction by daemons hid belowground. Cut off from the light of the sun and moons, the Eloi lost much of their considerable magical power over generations. Much of the Eloi culture and history was also lost in the hurried exodus. Most of the lower class were ‘volunteered’ to undergo magical adaptations to help the race as a whole better survive underground. As a result, the race evolved into light and dark elves. Light elves are fair skinned and have since emerged to establish some tentative holdings on the surface while the dark elves mostly remain underground. There is enmity and classism between the two races.
    The souls of elves retain the eloi’s immortality, never leaving the material plane, but lacking knowledge connection to Temunan, one of the Twin Lodestones, are no longer incarnated with memories intact. Also, elves who have lost contact completely with their pantheon lose their reincarnation but their souls still do not move on. They become incorporeal undead.


    Orcs:
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    Because of the unique properties of their souls, Eloi were not sentenced to oblivion when devoured by daemons. Instead, the soul experienced an epoch of torment in the bowels of the daemon before returning again to the material plane, thanks to the lodestone created by the Eloi pantheon. These souls were incarnated into new eloi, but because of their twisted and tormented souls their bodies, too, were twisted. These were the first orcs.
    Modern orcs are hateful and brutal, their souls still tainted by the touch of Daemons. Ironically, many orc tribes now worship the daemons that condemned them to their bestial nature, believing (wrongly) that a new daemonic invasion can bring the peace of oblivion to their tormented souls.


    Giantborne:
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    While the Giants slept, their life giving magic continued to work unconsciously and transformed the very materials that surrounded some of their sleeping forms into Dwarves, Rough Dwarves, Oread, and Barbegazi


    Dragons:
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    Sent by Apsu, the sun god, to save his creation from the ravages of the Daemons. They belong to three seperate flights.
    The Flight of Tiamat is the weakest of the three, their Mother having been killed in the war against Daemons. They are the source of all the non-true dragons in the world
    The flight of Baphomet are the Mettalic Dragons. They were created to fight off Daemons and thus are enemies of all unnatural evil and death.
    The flight of Nerexus are the Chromatic Dragons. They were created to fight off goblins and orcs and thus are enemies to any unbalance in the scales of life and death. The curent population boom of Humans concerns them.


    Strix: Once radiant Aasimars of divine might. The Eloi killed their patron God to harness his power to build their pantheon. They have now turned to necromancy.

    Gnomes:
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    History
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    Gnomes are the living extensions of Antonal, God of Life, Fertility and Nature and began to appear all over the world shortly after Antonal’s spontaneous creation. The original Gnomes, coming into life spontaneously, just as their Divine Father did, emerged from the forests of ancient world in the midst of a peaceful golden age. The Gnomes were created from a Life God and so they spread life wherever they went, causing population surges worldwide and were welcome with open arms by all civilized races of the time. For many years the Gnomes enjoyed this freedom until the Daemon Invasion shattered their golden age.

    In an attempt to create a weapon to stave off the fiends, the Eloi captured a large group of Gnomes and performed arcane experiments on them, warping them into the bestial, sub-human goblinoids. Antonal raged at this affront to his very being and withdrew his blessing from the Eloi. No Gnome was to set foot within their lands. This caused the Eloi population, already dwindling from Daemon siege, to plummet, but it also meant the Gnomes had to abandon the only nation that could have protected them from the fiends. The Daemon army rampaged freely through their population, and Gnomes became all but extinct.

    A long age later, after the fall of the Daemons and the coming of Dragons, Mankind rose to prominence, and with their rise came the return of the Gnomes, walking happily out of the forests as though they had never left.


    Appearance
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    Gnomes are varied as wildly as life itself and come in a plethora of different breeds. The only commonality between these types of Gnomes is their small size and general humanoid shape. Few Gnomes are taller than three feet but their weight varies depending on their breed. Avians have been known to weigh as little as 15lbs fully grown while Deeps and Draconics can get up to 55lbs.

    Most Gnome breeds appear as anthropomorphic animals or very small humanoids. The most human Gnomes in appearance are the Common, Deep and Ancient Gnomes.
    Common Gnomes regularly resemble miniature versions of the humans they live among while deep gnomes are hairless and pale, adapted for living in sunless caverns. Ancient gnomes resemble miniature high elves with pure white eyes and long, whispy facial hair.
    The less human types of Gnome include Vulpine, Feline, Amphibious, Serpentine, Verminous, Simian, Boreal, Avian and Draconic.

    There are twelve known modern breeds but rumours abound that countless others live in the unexplored wilderness.


    Gnomish Breeds
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    Common Gnome
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    Common Gnomes are called as such not because they are the most numerous type of Gnome but because they are the type most often seen living in human communities. They result when a Gnome is conceived in or near a populated center or inside the home of a human.
    The specific appearance of a Common Gnome can be as varies as the Humans they emulate, with skin color ranging from pale pink to dark brown and hair from red and curly to straight and black.
    Most communities welcome Common Gnomes as they are believed to bring good luck.


    Vulpine Gnome
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    Vulpine Gnomes are small, anthropomorphic foxes. They result when a Gnome is conceived at a particularly strong junction of the planet’s leylines.
    They are a rare breed of Gnome with a strong affinity for arcane magic.


    Amphibious Gnome
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    Amphibious Gnomes vary in appearance. Most look decidedly frog-like but there are some who look more like a slimy-skinned lizard or salamander. When a Gnome is conceived in a swamp or underwater, an Amphibious Gnome is the result.


    Serpentine Gnome
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    Serpentine Gnomes have scaly skin and yellow or violet eyes. Their limbs often have hidden joints, allowing them to bend at odd angles.
    Serpentine Gnomes are a very rare breed and are only born when conceived by a gnome who has recently overcome a venomous snakebite.


    Verminous Gnome
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    Verminous Gnomes, also known as Rodent Gnomes, look like anthropomorphic rats or mice. They are not often welcome in human settlements as they are believed to bring plague and infestations with them.
    Verminous Gnomes are conceived in areas of filth, such as landfills or sewers.


    Simian Gnome
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    Simian Gnomes are covered in thick fur and their facial features appear unevolved. They are normally only found in the deep jungle or woodland where they must be conceived and rarely bother with human notions like clothing or good manners.


    Feline Gnome
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    Feline Gnomes are graceful, anthropomorphic cats with slitted pupils and soft fur. They are often accepted into human society because of their strange, graceful beauty.
    Feline Gnomes are another rare breed and only result when two Gnomes come together in an area of woodlands or plains after an adrenaline-filled event like a great battle or chase to conceive them.


    Avian Gnome
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    Avian Gnomes are covered in feathers that can have multiple hues and speak through a small beak that always results in a slight lisp. The beak can be an advantage though, as it doesn’t show much emotion, and, combined with their shap, small eyes, give Avian Gnomes some of the best poker faces around.
    Avian Gnomes must be conceived at a dizzying height or on a precarious perch.


    Draconic Gnome
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    Draconic Gnomes are one of the newer breed and, sadly, are often ignored or disdained by the creatures that had a hand in forming them. While they lack the mighty claws, wings and maws of their namesake, Draconic Gnomes maintain their dragon ‘sires’ energy affinity and scale color.
    Whenever a gnome is conceived in any proximity to a dragon, a Draconic Gnome will be the result.


    Boreal Gnome
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    Boreal Gnomes are a curiosity in that they cannot be conceived. Instead, they randomly spring forth from the undergrowth when the body of a deceased Gnome is buried in a heavily forested area. They rarely have dealings with other races, or even other Gnomes and can often be found living a hermit’s life, deep in the woods that birthed them.
    Their appearance is based entirely on the vegetation surrounding the corpse they were fathered from. Some could appear as bark-skinned folk with twigs and foliage about, others may look like a humanoid mass of briars.


    Deep Gnome
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    Deep Gnomes are believed to be the youngest of the breeds. They began to appear just a few years after the allied Humans, Dwarves and Chromatic Dragons discovered the Deep Caves and started using them as a penal colony.
    Deep Gnomes appear similar to Common Gnomes but differ in that they are completely hairless and have gray, mottled skin, adapted for living in sunless caverns.
    It’s expected that Deep Gnomes result when a gnome is conceived near a human settlement in the Deep Caves but that is not certain, as the only Deep Gnomes to come forth so far have been of the spontaneous creation variety.


    Ancient Gnome
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    Ancient Gnomes date back to a time before Antonal shunned the Eloi for twisting his Gnomes into goblinoid abominations. Their appearance and characteristics are based on those of the Eloi, the long dead progenitor race of the Elves.
    No new Eloi Gnomes have been created since their race’s affront to Antonal and the Ancient Gnomes that still exist do so through prodigious use of arcane magic. They are rare in number and dwindling, usually hidden away somewhere they can sustain themselves with the longevity granting spells they need to survive.


    Society
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    Gnomes have no central government or Gnome-exclusive settlement. They live wherever life abounds, except those places shunned by Antonal, and are generally welcome by all benevolent races, though the more disturbing breeds like Verminous and Boreal are less welcome than others.

    While the first Gnomes were created by Antonal from whole cloth, this is by no means their usual method of creation anymore. Gnomes make sure they are great examples of the fertility they spread through the world and proliferate rapidly. While some spontaneous creation still occurs in the wild places of the world, most Gnomes are born naturally. Their gestation is not much shorter than that of humans but twins births are very common for Gnomes and, once birthed, the parents waste no time on working on the next couple. A single child in a Gnome family is very much an oddity.

    A Gnome’s parents’ breed is of no concern in determining that of their offspring. The manner of the child’s conception is the sole deciding factor. Usually this relies on the child being conceived in a certain location, but there are some other factors, like a specific event occurring immediately prior to the act.

    While Antonal made his Gnomes prolific, they are not long-lasting. A Gnome comes to maturity at the age of 12 and few live past 30 years without arcane assistance. As such, they are always busy, trying to get as much living into the short years they have.

    A Gnome is always up for an adventure and will leap at any chance for excitement. Once Gnome children fully mature they are urged by their parents to travel, to live life to the fullest. When coming to a fork in the road, a Gnome will wonder why he is bothering with roads and head off in a random direction through the bushes.


    Alignment and Religion
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    All Gnomes are borne of Antonal and all naturally worship Him through the proliferation of their race, but few are active in spreading his word otherwise. Oddly enough for a race of such obviously divine origin, Gnomes are not an overly religious folk. Most believe making children and urging others to do so is service enough for their patron, and in this they are correct. Antonal is not a demanding God.

    Gnomish clergymen are rare and as likely to be preaching the word of Antonal as that of any other deity. This is not out of disloyalty but out of the Gnomes’ skewed perspective of priorities: “Antonal is Life, Life is everywhere. This other God is good too, but he is not nearly as everywhere as Antonal! I’ll help him out.” Despite this odd point of view, the idea that their worship is an act of altruism for the deity, Gnomes who find religion do so with the same fervor they treat anything else in life.

    Being creations of life and nature, those are values all Gnomes hold highly and it would indicate something truly wrong with a Gnome for him to promote the ideals of any God of destruction, pestilence or death.

    Most Gnomes are chaotic neutral, leaning to good.

    Names
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    Gnomes traditionally ask a neighbor who is either with child or trying to become pregnant to name their children so Gnomish names can come from any culture of any race the Gnomes are living among.


    Goblins:
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    Weapons engineered by Eloi to fight the daemons. Goblins were formerly gnomes. They have no culture and are just barely sentient. They reproduce rapidly; all are male and fertilize any form of plantlife with spores upon their death. The plants transform into egg sacs that birth 4-50 goblins, depending on the size of the plant, in 2-12 months. Many were wiped out by dragons but there were always enough left to make another population explosion. They are constantly hunted by all other races to keep them in check.


    Daemons: created from the body of a dead god; Choryx, god of Oblivion and the End who was killed by the Eloi trying to harness his power.

    Lizardfolk: A primitive race who worship the Fire Dwarves.

    Osguloth: Deep underground, worshippers of Seyotek
    Last edited by The Cats; 2014-10-29 at 09:56 PM.
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    Default Re: Tollaria: Where Gods Walk Among Men

    Nations of Tollaria

    The Northern Continent

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    Andorus
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    Pop: Human (Andori) 85%, Human (Other) 5%, Gnome 5%,
    Other (High Elf, Half Elf, Dark Elf Dwarf, Rough Dwarf, Oread, Metallic Dragon) 5%
    The only nation with a successful colony on a group of islands off the coast of the Eloi continent called Ehawhen by the locals and Dorland by the conquerors, Andorus is a constitutional Monarchy. Andorus is very wealthy and gunpowder and other tech brought in from Chernia, at cheap prices thanks to a favorable peace treaty, is common. It is quite stable and it’s economy is based largely on the spices and gold brought in from it’s colonies. Andorus’s standing army is relatively small but it has a large naval fleet that regularly patrols it’s shipping routes.

    Chernia:
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    Pop: Human (Chernian) 65%, Human (Other) 15%, Gnome 15%
    Other (Dwarf, Rough Dwarf, Oread, Metallic Dragon) 5%
    A landlocked nation rich in ores and ingenuity. Formerly a meritocracy based on military prowess, peace with Andorus and Pledeis brought about a power shift. Chernia is technically a dictatorship but the General Tattus is more of a figurehead. Real power lies in the ever-changing heads of the Chernian guilds. The current Head of the Mechanics Guild (the most influential guild) is a gnome called Torrenttus. Chernians invented firearms, gunpowder and a number of other mechanical marvels that continue to be it’s main export. There is a hidden society of sentient constructs in Chernia, originally made by Torenttus and his acolytes but now self-replicating and unfettered by their creators.


    Pleides:
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    Pop: Human (Pleides) 60%, Human (Other) 5%, Gnomes 5%, Dwarf 20%, Rough Dwarf 5%
    Other (Oread, Metallic Dragon, Orc) 5%
    The largest of the Human ‘nations,’ Pledeis is actually a collection of city-states and their related territories. While they are all in a shaky alliance right now, it is not sure how much longer that will last now that the war with Chernia has ended. It’s only a matter of time before the Six Jewels of Pleides descend to constant quarrels with each other again. One of the jewels is the dwarven stronghold Da-Tun, connected by a Giant Gate to it’s sister stronghold Da-Morug-Tun on Eloiwhyn.


    Ogroshi:
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    Pop: Human (Ogroshi) 30%, Ogura 30%, Human (Other) 15%, Gnomes 10%, Elves (High, Half, Dark) 10%
    Other (Dwarf, Rough Dwarf, Oread, Metallic Dragon) 5%
    the smallest of the human nations, Ogroshi is also called the Ogre Valley. Ogroshi is named for the Giant slumbering within the sacred valley and is a very spiritual place. Most of the humans living within are descendants of the original nomadic discoverers of Ogroshi and have been transformed by their faith and proximity to the giant into the Ogura, called ogres by outsiders. There is a small community of normal humans living among the ogres as well as a sizeable community of dwarves and dragons and a small group of Elves escaping from slavery in Andorus. Ogroshi is a serene place, filled with monasteries and temples. It has never seen war, due in equal parts to the intimidating stature of it’s native popultion, it’s lack of any great resources and the protection offered by the local kami spirits, who most believe are Ogroshi’s version of the other giants’ dwarven creations. Tech from Chernia is not allowed within the valley as it has a history of disturbing the peace.

    Land of the Wardens (Fermaria):
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    Pop: Human (Fermian) 85%, Human (Other) 5%, Gnomes 5%
    Other (Dwarf, Rough Dwarf, Oread, Metallic Dragon, Ogura, Orc, High Elf, Half Elf, Dark Elf) 5%
    Fermaria is a rugged land full of rugged people. Their form of government and name is constantly changing as different groups rise to power to overthrow the current dictator or what have you, but despite the new boss’s lofty ideals they inevitably degenerate to being same as the old boss and the cycle continues, leading to an incredibly unstable nation. The only constant in this nation is the power of the wardens, a group of mysterious rangers who hold the key to the Deep Caves. Fermaria attempted to join in on colonization alongside Andorus, back when it was called Candor but proved unable to maintain influence over their colony after the a new revolution shifted priorities, and the people of Nord declared themselves a sovereign nation. Fermaria is rampant with crime and, with the discovery of the Deep Caves began to use them as a penal colony. The entrance to the caves are hidden and prisoners are teleported in by the Wardens. Candor allows the use of the caverns by neighboring nations for a fee, and the caves are now populated with a smattering of most human races, dwarves, gnomes and dragons. The deep caves are now a main source of income for the nation, and the shadowy Wardens who control the entrance hold great power there.




    The New World/Eloiwhyne

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    Nehwhyn/Dorland:
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    Pop: Human (Andori) 50%, Elf (Half, Dark) 40%, High Elf 5%
    Other (Gnome, Human (Other)) 5%
    A colony of Andora. Originally Nehwhyn was one of the latest places where the Elves returned to the surface, but the Andori descended on them long before they were prepared for such aggression. Elves in Dorland are trapped in servitude to the Andori nobles who rule the colony. Elves who are shipped back to Andora are equally unlucky, as they are kept as novelty ‘pets’ for Noble children and, in the worst cases, are put on public display. Some Elves brought to Andora manage to flee and often end up in Ogroshi, the only place on the human continent where they are not regularly persecuted.
    Dorland is rich in natural resources and most Elves are put to work in the various mines and plantations it was founded to exploit.
    Dorland controls a Dwarven Portal that connects to the Lightcaves and has a small settlement surrounding it. The Humans’ presence in the Lightcaves has been so-far undiscovered by the Elves within.


    Nord:
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    Pop: Human (Fermarian) 70%, Human (Other) 10%, Gnome (15%)
    Other (Dwarf, Rough Dwarf, Oread, Ogura, Metallic Dragon, Orc) 5%
    The former colony of the Land of the Wardens, nord takes after it’s father in it’s lawlessness. Found on a peninsula on the eloi continent and bordered by the hostile Strix, Nords rely on their newfound magical prowess, caused by a powerful leyline convergence and the presence of Daru Biggs the new god of primal magic and drink, and pirating raids on Andori shipping lines to maintain their young nation.


    Neharwhyn
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    Pop: Half Elf 50%, Dark Elf 30%, High Elf 15%
    Other 5%
    Neharwhyn is a small nation of elves on the mid-north coast of the Eloiwhyn. The third and most recent wave of elves to return to the surface, the Neharum emerged through an old Dwarven portal, that was found in a remote corner of the Lightcaves, onto the islands of what used to be Nehwhyn a scant ___ years ago. When the Andori, who, by coincidence had completed a survey of the islands a just couple years prior to the Neharum emergence, returned en-masse to colonize the islands, the elves were completely unprepared. The majority of them were driven off, but a good number were captured to be used as slave labour. The elves that fled founded the nation of Neharwhyn.
    The Neharum’s military is no match for the Andori navy that protects Dorland but still regularly sends small raiding parties to besiege coastal towns and pirate the Andori shipping lanes. These raids are always met with swift but half-hearted retaliation as the Andori navy has it’s hands full on multiple fronts.
    The Neharum are mostly Half Elves who left the central Lightcave civilization to escape their second-class status, but there is a smattering of High and Dark Elf sympathizers who fled with them.


    Sorivia
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    Pop: High Elf 40%, Dark Elf 50%, Oread 5%
    Other 5%
    Sorivia is a large nation of Elves taking up almost all of the eastern land mass of the Eloi continent. The sorivians were the first group of Elves to emerge from the Lightcaves ___ years before modern human civilization began and, unchallenged by their racial enemies the Strix who were still licking their wounds from the Daemon invasion, grew rapidly and became a thriving, self-sustaining nation of farmers and artisans. Their territory is limited, however, by the Oread metropolis of Ugun that sprawls across the narrow land bridge that connects the Sorivian landmass to the rest of the Eloiwhyn. The Oread do not allow mass movements of elves through their land but are otherwise good neighbors.
    Sorivia was devastated by the first Goblin explosion that decimated their population before Apsu sent the chromatic dragonflight to stop it. Sorivis’s problems were not over, though, as Apsu remembered the role the Elves’ predecessors had in killing his brother Barbarus and in unleashing Daemons upon creation and Sorivians are regularly harassed by Nerexus and her ‘flight. Nerexus currently controls the sorivian entrance to the Lightcaves.
    Sorivians left the Lightcaves early, before interbreeding between the High and Dark elves became common place and they adhere to a class system even stricter than that which used to be found in the Lightcaves that prohibits intermingling of the subraces, so it’s population is made up of an even number of High Elves, found mostly in the cities, and lower-class Dark Elves. Half Elves are usually exiled or killed at birth.


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    Underground

    Vahdru,The Lightcaves.
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    Pop: High Elf 30%, Dark Elf 30%, Half Elf 30%
    Other 10%
    When the last bastion of the Eloi fell, the race fled below the surface, sealing themselves in to prevent the Daemon hordes from following. They found themselves in a massive system of caverns. After their archmages managed to create small, artificial suns to brighten them, the caverns became known as Vahdru, the Lightcaves.
    The Elves (which the Eloi became after losing their connection to Temunan, the second Lodestone Moon) were completely uncontested in Vahdru. The only other prominent sentient specie was a tribe of rough dwarves who moved to darker tunnels once the Vahdru were lit up.
    The Elves dominated and prospered in Vahdru for a time, but the Lightcaves are a place of scarce resources, and eventually their population grew too large and bloated to sustain itself. They had no food. The Elven civilization collapsed. The people began waging war with each other over scraps of meat and the population declined rapidly.
    Now, Vahdru is home to over a dozen small tribes of elves. Even the great central metropolis of Vahara is carved up into districts, each belonging to a separate tribe. Each tribe has different customs and relations with the others. Some, often those further from from city, are peaceful farmers. Others are nomadic raiders who hunt for their food. A few of the elven tribes have even resorted to cannibalism in their hunger.
    The Vahdru tribes are an even mix of high, dark and half elves, though the ratio varies with each tribe and some are exclusively a single subrace.


    Muir, The tunnels
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    Pop: Dark Elf 70%, Rough Dwarf 20%
    Other 10%
    Soon after entering the caves, the high eloi altered the physiology of the lower class to be more suited to subterranian life using the same techniques they used to turn gnomes into goblins. The early results were the morlocks, ropers and mongrelmen but eventually the technique was refined enough to keep the ‘volunteer’s’ mind and body mostly intact. These experiments were the first dark eloi. A servitor sub-race perfectly suited for life in the dark caverns.
    Soon after the eloi became the elves and created the artificial suns of the Vahdru, the dark elves found themselves less a valuable resource required for survival and more an unpleasant reminder of the extremes of the old eloi nobility.
    The current ruling class of high elves, while not cruel enough to engage in genocide, enacted harsh laws that evicted many dark elves from Vahara and the surrounding areas and demanded exorbitant taxes from them.
    The dark elves, already forced to the dim outskirts of the lightcaves, fled the persecution. They descended into the vast network of tunnels surrounding the caverns where, thanks to their altered physiology, they thrived in darkness and founded their own nation of Muir.
    While the laws against dark elves in the Vahdru were eventually softened and the shifting of elven culture over generations actually lead to a large population of half-dark, half-high elves, the dark elves who had fled into the tunnels never returned to the lightcaves and met any excursions into their territory with hostility and violence.
    The Muir have fared far better than their cousins. This is thanks in part to the much smaller population but more to the tribe of rough dwarves the dark elves discovered and united with soon after entering the tunnels. Where the elves of the Vahdru were bending the caves to their will, using insufficient magic to grow insufficient surface crops, the dark elves of Muir learned how to survive on the bounty the deeper caves already provided from their rough dwarf allies.


    Roust
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    Pop: Dark Elf 80%, Rough Dwarf 15%
    Other 5%
    As the Muir population grew and they explored further into the tunnels, they felt the ground beneath them slant upwards. They had stumbled across a natural entrance into the caves.
    The surface they emerged into was much different from the daemon-ravaged wasteland their ancestors had fled. They found themselves in a savage jungle full of enormous, saurian beasts, an unruly goblin population and, worst of all, the Garuda. While these ancestors of the eloi’s racial enemy the Strix had rejected the daemon-worshipping ways of their more ‘civilized’ kin, they were still deadly, ferocious and fiercely territorial.
    Not about to give up on the sun they had only ever heard about in old stories before, the Muir fought back with vigor, constructing the fortress of Roust over the tunnel entrance. After many years and vicious struggle, thanks to constant resupplies from the tunnels, the Muir managed to secure a small territory around the stronghold as well.
    The dark elves and rough dwarves of Roust wage constant war with the local goblin and garuda populations but are determined to stay in the sun.




    Also:
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    Deep caves: Below the northern continent. (see Land of the Wardens for a little info) home of
    -The Convicts (working title) convicted criminals sent down from the northern continent
    -Korvoth, prison of the Fire Giant
    -Sshavikava, homeland of the serpentfolk

    Gor'Durak: Deep below the Lightcaves. Home of the Osguloth and Seyotek's Chosen.

    Da-Morub-Tun: Dwarven stronghold and holdings in south-western Eloiwhyne.

    Ugun: Sprawling metropolis in central Eloiwhyne. Home of the Oreads.

    Old Eloiwhyn: Large peninsula just south of Da-Morub-Tun. High concentration of Orc tribes.

    Green Lands: Large, northernmost chunk of the northern continent. Ironically above the 'arctic circle' so its almost never green. So named due to the large Orc presence and Goblin infestation.

    The Barbegazi Glacier: Huge chunk of ice sitting at Tollarias south pole. Home of, you guessed it, the Barbegazi

    Abaddon: Intimidating sronghold and holdings on north-western Eloiwhyne, just south of Nord. Home of the Daemon worshipping Strix.

    Barbarus: Small stronghold in south-western Eloi, east of Da-Morub-Tun. Home to the Strix who have not succumbed to the Daemon's taint.
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    Default Re: Tollaria: Where Gods Walk Among Men

    Gods, Cosmology and Magic


    Gods of Tollaria

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    The First Three
    Before anything came The First Three. Apsu, the sun, his brother Barbarus, the Moon and Choryx, the Oblivion. All three emerged at the same time. Choryx was the antithesis of Apsu and Barbarus.

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    Apsu, the Sun NG
    Life, Fire, Good, Sun, Strength
    The Creator
    Apsu is the great ball of fire in the sky, the one who makes life possible. He made the Dragons and, alongside Barbarus, the Giants.

    Barbarus, the Moon NG
    Darknes, Knowledge, Water, Weather
    Deceased. Former patron of Aasimar
    Barbarus was the moon. He had the loyalty of the Aasimar and, in return, lent them his divine power. He was killed by the Eloi to pave the way for the Eloi Pantheon.

    Choryx, the Oblivion NE
    Death, Destruction, Evil, Void
    Deceased
    Choryx was the darkness that filled the sky. When he was killed by the Eloi, his body splintered into an immense horde of soul-devouring fiends, led by the Four Horsemen. Without his dark bulk covering the night, stars appeared. The early Humans looked up at these stars and wondered what they could be. Choryx’s death inspired human curiosity and drove the race to greatness. While his mantle as The End of All Things had been taken up by the Four Horsemen, the horsemen were not hovering over everyone every night and the lack of that forbodeing, once the fiendish hordes had been thwarted, sent the world into a heroic age.


    The Giants
    Apsu and Barbarus together made eight giants and sent them down to the world to shape it and make life. Choryx, wishing to keep the brothers in check, made two giants of his own.
    The Giants of Apsu and Barbarus now lay in a deep slumber. Clerics of these Giants gain their divine power from the amazing amounts of divine magic that emanate from the Giants’ sleeping bodies. The Giants never speak to their followers and so their will is always just an interpretation. They have no names but those given them by their followers.

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    Korvosh, the Fire God CE
    Fire, Chaos, Rune
    Patron of Fire Dwarves
    One of the Giants made by Choryx, Korvosh tried to stymie his brothers’ efforts to shape the world by causing great explosions of magma to ravage the land. Morub and Tun together drove Korvosh deep underground and imprisoned him there within a huge lake of magma. Thousands of years passed and Korvosh’s magic infused the lake he was trapped in, giving birth to the Demondand who work tirelessly to free Korvosh from his prison, constantly driven by the Fire God’s whispers.


    Morub, the Shaper N
    Earth, Strength, Artifice,
    Patron of Stone Dwarves
    Morub and Tun together created the continents and now lay side by side deep beneath a mountain range on the Eloi continent. Their magical energies reacting with the stone that entombed them created the Dwarves. These Dwarves see Morub as the one who gave them their bodies.

    Ogrosh, the Ogre Lord N
    Nobility, Healing, Community
    Patron of Ogres
    Ogrosh was the last of the Giants to enter the deep sleep. He waited until the shaping of the world was complete before making his masterpiece: Creatures who would have been too frail to survive the changes caused by the Giants’ remodelling. Ogrosh is responsible for all the non-magical creatures of the world, including Mankind. He sleeps in a valley that was discovered by a group of adventurers who saw him as a God. Eventually, the valley was settled and a great cathedral was built to house his body. The proximity to Ogrosh, combined with prayer and meditation in the pursuit of becoming His image, caused these humans to grow to great size and turned them into Ogres.

    Sha, the Whisperer CE
    Water, Madness, Trickery
    Patron of Deep Water Dwarves and the Frost Dwarves
    Sha is the second Giant sent by Choryx to lay low all that Apsu and Barbarus have made. Unlike Korvosh, he kept his arrival quiet and even now hides beneath the waves, waiting for the right moment to rise and bring ruin to those that dwell above. Where Korvoth favors brute methods, Sha’s are much subtler. Unbeknownst to her, It was Sha that led the Eloi Matriarch to the secret of God-Killing. He is also responsible for several other historical disasters, always acting behind the scenes. He is waited on by the aboleth, a creation as insane and diabolical as their creator.

    Tun, the Maker N
    Earth, Law, Protection
    Patron of Stone Dwarves
    Morub and Tun together created the continents and now lay side by side deep beneath a mountain range on the Eloi continent. Their magical energies reacting with the stone that entombed them created the Dwarves. Tun is said to be the one who breathed life into the first of these Dwarves

    Ugun, the Stone Father N
    Earth, Rune, Magic
    Patron of Diamond Dwarves
    Ugun’s role in shaping the planet was to map out the Arcane Leylines that would not only feed magic to world but keep it from running rampant and tearing apart the masterpiece he and his brothers worked so hard to create. He sleeps in a crystal cavern below the Eloi continent.
    From these crystals sprang the Oreads.

    Unamed Giant in the Arctic N
    Weather, Repose, Knowledge
    This Giant formed the climate of the world as a whole. He has no name as the Frost Dwarves that make their home in his glacial resting place will not name him, their scholars on a fruitless quest to discover what the Giant was called. The Barbegazi were created from His magical body but, oddly for a race so focused on knowing, refuse to believe Him to be their progenitor. They believe their God lies elsewhere and has tasked them with learning about this creature trapped in the ice. This is a result of Sha’s trickery. The Ice Giant does not speak to his creations, but Sha whispers in their minds, driving them to terrible misinterpretations and misunderstandings of the knowledge they crave.

    Unamed Giant Underground N
    Earth, Chaos, Destruction
    This Giant carved the great caverns below the surface of the earth, seeding it with life that would remain hidden to those on the surface for many thousands of years, including the Lizardfolk who were quickly enslaved by Korvoth’s Magmin. He sleeps in a cavern that once had a tunnel to the surface of the human continent. When his body spawned the Crag Men, it caused a massive quake. The newly born creatures fled for their lives up the tunnel as it collapsed behind them, entombing the unknown Giant.

    Twin Unamed Hidden Giants N
    Creation, Destruction, Life, Death
    These Giants together created the powerful, magical races of the world. As a masterpiece, each created a sentient race in his likeness. One made the Aasimar, the other made the Eloi. They sleep somewhere hidden, where even other Gods cannot find them.


    The Eloi Pantheon
    The Pantheon were created when the Eloi used the secrets given by Sha, the Whisperer to kill one of the FIrst Three: Barbarus, the Moon. His divinity was harnessed by the Eloi and elevated them to even greater heights. The creation of The Eloi Pantheon marked the end of the Eloi Aasimar war and the beginning of a 120 year golden age for the Eloi.

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    The Matriarch LN
    Magic, Knowledge, Glory, Nobility
    Deceased. Former patron of Eloi
    The Matriarch was a great leader of her people. When the Eloi stole the Moon’s divinity she used some of it to elevate herself to Godhood so she could continue to lead her people through the generations. Her own hubris proved her downfall when, from her urgings, the Eloi tried the steal divinity from Oblivion, unleashing nightmarish fiends upon the world. The Matriarch fought alongside her people but was eventually slain, her divine soul torn into four pieces and trapped by all four of The Horsemen.

    Temunan and Asulmun, the Twin Lodestone Moons LN and LN
    Darkness, Weather, Death, Knowledge
    Patrons of Eloi
    Asulmun is Patron of High Elves and Dark Elves
    When the Eloi killed Barbarus, the moon was split in twain. Using her new godhood and amazing arcane rituals, The Matriarch bound some of Barbarus’s divinity into the split halves of his corpse and transformed them into new gods and mystic Lodestones for her peoples’ souls. Asulum, the larger half, is a magnet of sorts. He would stop the souls of Eloi from leaving the material plane to rejoin the wheel of life and death through the outer planes. Every soul instead would pass through him, and onto Temunan, the smaller half, who would prepare the souls for rebirth and send them back to their newly made bodies, previous lives and memories intact.
    When the fiends of Choryx were unleashed, they began devouring mortal souls, sentencing them to oblivion. Due to the Lodestone Moons, the Elois’ souls could not be completely destroyed and instead became tainted by their passage through the monsters. These souls came to Asulmun as normal and he sent them on the Temunan. The tainted souls proved difficult to process and caused Temunan to become faulty in his duties. The tainted Eloi were returned not as Eloi but as the ravaging Orcs.
    In a final attempt to escape the Horsemen’s army, the High Nobles of the Eloi fled the surface for the safety of Temunan. Their exodus was foreseen, however, and decimated by the fiends. The thirty two survivors watched as the last bastion of Eloi civilization fell and, assuming themselves to be the last of the Eloi, harnessed the power of Temunan and repurposed him, using his divinity to grant them all true immortality so long as they remain on the Moon.
    Asulmun continued to work as a lodestone, keeping the remaining Eloi, the Orc and eventually the Elf souls from leaving the Material plane, but without Temunan to process them they were returned to the world without any memory of their previous lives.

    Antonal, the Living God CG
    Life, Animals, Plants, Healing
    Patron of Gnomes and Goblins
    While the Eloi harnessed much of Barbarus’s divinity to create the Twin Lodestone Moons and grant godhood to the Matriarch, much of the power his death released remained unused. Some came together in the forests of the Eloi continent to spontaneously create Antonal, god of Life and the Living. Shortly after the Moon’s death, small, intelligent, humanoid creatures began appearing, first on the Eloi continent and then around the world. These were the Gnomes, an extension of Antonal’s will. Each Gnome is actually a small part of the God himself, thus the moniker ‘The Living God,’ and each Gnome sees it as their duty to spread as much life as possible, usually through traditional reproduction.

    Seyotek, the Hidden God CN
    Darkness, Chaos, Charm, Trickery, Liberation
    Patron of Dark Elves and Osguloth
    Where Antonal announced his spontaneous creation to the world, Seyotek chose to remain hidden. Deep belowground he discovered one of the primitive races created by the Giant Underground and gave his power to them, allowing their civilization to advance incredibly fast. These Osguloth worship Seyotek unquestionably and adhere to his tenants of stealth, misdirection and subjugation from within. Eventualy, when the Eloi on the surface lost contact with Temunan and became the two sects of elves, Seyotek lured many of the Dark Elves away, to the underground stronghold of the Osguloth where he amasses his forces for some unknown future event.


    The Four Horsemen

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    Charon, Horseman of Death
    Death, Evil, Void
    Patron of the Strix

    Appolyon, Horseman of Pestilence
    Destruction, Evil, Void

    Szuriel, Horseman of War
    Destruction, Evil, Void
    Patron of Orcs

    Trelmarixian, Horseman of Famine
    Death, Evil, Void



    Dragonflight Lords

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    Baphomet LG
    Scalykind, Fire, Good, Liberation
    Patron of Mettalic Dragons

    Tiamat
    Scalykind, Air, Good, Strength
    Deceased

    Nerexus LN
    Scalykind, Air, Law, Magic
    Patron of Chromatic Dragons



    others:

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    Aroden, God of Humanity NG
    Community, Nobility, Luck, Glory, Travel
    Patron of Humans

    Daru Biggs, human god of primal magic CG

    The Wicked Coven, goddesses of elements LE

    Ferryck The Torn, former god of elements, now just a bunch of elementals CN


    Omun, god of life and death, the judge of souls N




    Cosmology
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    Material Plane

    Omun’s Domain
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    In the center of the flaming ball that is the manifestation of Apsu on the material plane is a portal to Omun’s Domain where all mortal souls spend their afterlife. Apsu’s domain is made of three separate planes: First, the seven-tiered mountain of heaven, home to archons and all good and worthy mortal souls. Below heaven, extending as deep down as the massive mountain rises, are the seven pits of Hell, where evil and cruel mortals spend their afterlife being tormented by devils. At the junction between the mountain and the pit lies the Court of Souls, presided over by Omun himself. It is in these massive courts that the god of death judges whether a soul is worthy of the prize of heaven, or damned to the pits of hell. Omun is served by psychopomps, who ferry all mortal souls (save those of the eloi) from the material plane to his plane.


    Abaddon
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    In the early days of the world, Choryx, the Oblivion’s dark form blotted out the night sky. Beyond Choryx’s body was a plane of his own, but while the world within Apsu was one of paradise and pain, Choryx held back a plane of pure destruction: Abaddon. When the Eloi struck him down and his body shattered, the ravening daemons of Abaddon were unleashed into the material plane. This wave of fiends would have consumed everything is Apsu had not reacted swiftly, sending forth a massive army of angels to drive back the invasion. These billions of angels now stand a constant vigil, twinkling as stars before the yawning black chasm that is the entrance to abaddon.


    Astral
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    The astral plane lies within and between all other major planes. It is in the astral plane that the arcane leylines of tollaria originate and pierce through to the material plane at places of convergence. Being concurrent with most other planes, the astral plane is used as a superhighway of sorts for many planar travellers. It is through the astral that Omun’s psychopomps ferry the souls of dead mortals to his court.


    Heightened
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    If one were to move through an area of leyline convergence, into the astral plane then out the other side, he would find himself in the Heightened World. Here, everything is larger than life. It is similar to Tollaria on the material plane but the colors are brighter, the distances farther, the sensations more vivid and the magic more potent. The heightened world is an intensified mirror of Tollaria, created when Ugun formed the leyline network around the world. Every creature, object and event in Tollaria has an exaggerated counterpart in the heightened world. The mundane races are represented by magical fey creatures while the magical races are mirrored as powerful outsiders like agathions, genies and more. The azata are the exception to this. The creatures are an enigma, having apparently no origin, no connection to Apsu and no counterparts on any other plane. Fey creatures from the heightened plane are the most likely inhabitants to be found on the material, being based on mundane creatures and so less loathe of the dull world most heightened creatures see Tollaria as.

    Ethereal

    Shadow

    Maelstrom

    Abyss




    Magic
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    Divine Magic in Tollaria
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    Every God in Tollaria, save those spawned by the death of Choryx, in some way owes their divinity to Apsu, the Sun. Whether they were created directly by his hand, like the slumbering Giants, or ascended to Godhood by harnessing the ambient divine power left over from the death of another God, like some of the younger deities, all divinity traces it’s way back to Apsu. The exceptions are those fiendish deities spawned from Choryx, the Adversary. Their power comes from a darker place, but the mechanics of this profane magic are effectively the same as that derived from Apsu.

    Because Tollaria is the land where Gods walk among men, divine magic is everywhere. Each God is a vast reservoir of divinity and many of them aren’t careful about how much spills out into the world around them. Thus, because Gods have been walking Tollaria for many thousands of years, it is relatively easy to tap into the power of the divine. Some divine casters take the traditional route and are granted power by their patron deity while others worship no deity and simply use the ambient divine power that permeates the world. An interesting compromise are those who take their power from the slumbering Giants. Among the oldest of Gods, the Giants have been sleeping since the dawn of time and have never responded to any worshiper’s attempted communion. However, because their bodies are of such powerful divinity, having been created directly from Apsu as opposed to the secondhand power of the younger Gods, followers of the Giants find it easy to tap in to the specific ambient divinity of their patrons.

    Walking with your God
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    Because all Gods on Tollaria take physical form, many worshippers enjoy a much more personal relationship with their deity than those on other worlds. When a divine caster is physically near his patron deity, he is filled to overflowing with divine power and does not expend spell slots for any spells he casts. This is usually within a few dozen feet for weaker gods but the distance grows farther proportional to the deity’s power. There are two exceptions to this. The slumbering Giants are one exception because they do not directly grant power to their followers. A divine caster who worships one of the Giants does, however, cast all spells at +1 caster level when within one mile of their patron, because of the increased concentration of the Giants’ ambient divinity. The Gods Antonal and Ferryck The Torn are the second exception because their physical presence on Tollaria is split between thousands of gnomes and elementals, respectively. Because their presence is so diluted it grants no bonuses to nearby worshipping divine casters.
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    Arcane Magic in Tollaria
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    A network of criss-crossing power conduits, called leylines, that covers the planet are the source of Tollaria’s arcane magic. These leylines exist mostly in the astral plane and only intersect the material at points where two or more leylines converge. As such they are largely undetectable, except by those who are trained in the arcane arts or have a natural inclination for arcana.

    Because the leyline network is so extensive, it is relatively simple for an arcane caster to draw forth power from a leyline from almost anywhere in Tollaria.

    Convergences and Deadzones
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    Places where two or more leylines cross are called convergences. This is an area where the magic of the leyline network in the astral plane pierces through to the material. While lesser convergences, where only two or three leylines meet, are not enough to create any substantial change in local arcana, convergences of dozens or even hundreds of leylines are places of great power for arcane casters. Arcane spells cast in areas of greater convergence where over a dozen leylines converge are cast at +1 caster level. If the area is one of a massive convergence, with over one hundred leylines meeting, arcane spells are cast at +2 caster level. It is hypothesised by some that there are even more powerful areas of convergence hidden around Tollaria that would increase arcane might enough to allow a single wizard to stand up against even a God.

    While convergences are meetings of multiple leylines and places of power for arcane casters, deadzones are the exact opposite. Though rare, there are some areas in Tollaria that no leyline comes near. With no leylines near enough, no new arcane power can be drawn forth while within one of these deadzones. Any arcane caster travelling through a deadzone is advised to bring as many spell-storing items as he can carry, for once he casts all of the spells he prepared, or uses all of the spell slots he had available before venturing into the deadzone he will be unable to regain any spells until he returns to an area with active leylines.

    Random notes
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    Humans are new to arcane magic so mostly wordcast
    The races of Eloiwhyn have had ages to craft spells so use traditional spellcasting
    Daru Biggs has tangled leylines with his divinity and controls primal magic
    The kami of Okuroshi use sutra magic


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    Default Re: Tollaria: Where Gods Walk Among Men

    I'll put stuff here eventually
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    Default Re: Tollaria: Where Gods Walk Among Men

    I'll put stuff here too!
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    Default Re: Tollaria: Where Gods Walk Among Men

    Coming soon: Stuff
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    Default Re: Tollaria: Where Gods Walk Among Men

    Stuff IV: The Stuffening
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    Default Re: Tollaria: Where Gods Walk Among Men

    aaaaand that's it for stuff. Feel free to post. (oh please oh please post. I am so very lonely)
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    Default Re: Tollaria: Where Gods Walk Among Men

    OK, I'll bite.

    Are there more varieties of gnomes than those listed, or do they default to Common Gnome or something if conceived in a 'none of the above' situation?

    If you're not using the default PF race descriptions Dwarves could do with a great deal of fleshing out. Rough Dwarves are referred to but never described!

    The Green Lands sound like goblins would go extinct there quite rapidly due to a lack of vegetation. Or is it not as bad as RL's Greenland?

    Baphomet is a name with some truly awkward implications. I'd stick with Bahamut.

    The Heightened raises all sorts of questions. If there are places and people there analagous to the material plane, can you change the Heightened by changing the material plane? How about vice versa? Does the mirror go as far as magic items - can the PCs have a second go at acquiring some macguffin if they fail the first time by going to the Heightened?

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    Default Re: Tollaria: Where Gods Walk Among Men

    A lot of the names (Apsu, Aroden, others taken directly from Pathfinder/DnD) are just placeholders right now.

    Gnomes are attracted to the proliferation of life so yeah, most are common gnomes due to the widespread success of the human race. I had a little blurb in there about how there may be undiscovered breeds. Might have been removed in editing.

    Anything that looks like it needs to be fleshed out definitely will be eventually.

    Good points.
    Last edited by The Cats; 2014-10-30 at 10:09 AM.
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