Llöthlor, Don't Ask Me How It's Pronounced (WIP Help)

[BootStrapTommy]

Llöthlor
A Homebrewed Fantasy Campaign Setting

*In case you're stupid, the shading is mountains!

This is a campaign setting I’d say has been in development for years, rolling out of various short stories I’ve penned or imagined. My intent is to eventually flesh it out to the extent of a whole cosmos, filling it with languages, other nations, and cultural and migratory histories. You know, go all Middle Earth/Westeros on it.

In addition to showing it off, I posted it for help and critiques. I have put a big effort into this, but it will take a big effort to get it where I want it. Plus, I think the idea of crowdsourcing the remaining content to be awesome. Not only would I enjoy help from whoever wishes, I also give permission to anyone who wishes to use it, whole or in part.

There are a number of ideas which need fleshing out. Places and people that exist still need names and specific details and histories need to be written. And I will exalt any who help as among the greatest persons to populate this earth. Like Corneel, DarkBunny91, LordotTrinkets, Mechalich, and Tzi, all of whom I think are awesome.

I constantly update. So for those interested, keep an eye out for more! Subscribe if you like!

Spoiler: Brief History

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Just Kidding!

In the beginning, a conflict emerged between the animist spirits inhabiting the Realm of Aeda and those ancient Elder Gods, the Titans, whose mightly hands shaped the Realm. Among the most powerful of these spiritual beings was Llöthlor, the Creator, more ancient, perhaps, than even the Elder Gods, who seeded Aeda with some of first intelligent species. He lead his forces against the Titans in a serious of world shaping conflicts which would become known as the Progenitor Wars. A millennia long dissension, it culminated in the imprisonment of the Titans deep within the Realm they'd helped forge.

The continent of Llöthlor derives its name from the ancient empire, and its deitital founder, which once ruled much of its shores. Emerging sometime after the Progenitor Wars, the Llöthlori Empire was a mighty, loosely-held magocracy ruled by an order of powerful Dragonlords, which faltered over many centuries before collapsing in the Great Interregnum, a cataclysmic civil war nearly as bloody as the Wars of Creation. As with many cataclysmic civil wars in fantasy and in reality, the Great Interregnum lead to the destruction of much of the learning and history of this first historical empire, which now lives on largely in the legends, the ruins, and the names it left behind.

The end of the Llöthlori Empire brought about a dark age upon the lands which once comprised the vast Empire, which splintered and crumbled not into successor states, but into a scrabbling mess of independent fiefdoms vying for the scattered infrastructure of their predecessor. Often referred to by contemporary historians simply as the Age of Darkness, the Great Night following Llöthlor’s demise is known little better than the interregnum that preceded it. But the historical works which do survive paint a picture of a brutish struggle between clansmen, warlords, generals, and petty kings to claim land and glory for their posterity.

The Age of Darkness met its end after centuries of blood shed in a bloodbath nearly as brutal as the Age itself. In the south of Llöthlor, in those Lands of Endless Summer, a religious cult to a violent Orc goddess named Ysera the Mauler rallied the forsaken and downtrodden among the vicious desert Orc tribesmen of the Sand Shield, erupting a vile war between the cultists and their Elven neighbors. This conflict drove the cultists north, fleeing persecution yet in search of conquest. Gathering Orcs and goblinoids to their banner as they went, the movement now known as the Great Horde emerged as the first true empire building force from the ruins of Llöthlor. Fueled by fervor for land and a religious mandate for conquest, the first Horde carved the first “empire” in over a millennium. At the base of the Southron Spines in the lands surrounding the Sea of Elytheria, the Horde subjugated the petty kingdoms, forging a brutal theocratic militocracy which claimed dominion over the lands for over a generation. The irony of this first “empire”, however, is how instrumental it was the formation of the great nation-states to come. As the Horde’s armies proved neigh unstoppable, the fiefdoms and city-states of central and northern Llöthlor forged alliances and true kingdoms to stem the tides of fearsome Orc warriors. It was the petty Dwarven clans which called the Southron Spines their home who, interestingly enough, helped forge the first chain of great nations which would follow, overcoming their internal struggles and forging a stalwart alliance with the neighboring free states, their kinsmen in the Northern Spines, and the mysterious Dragonlords which called the central isles of the Sea of Nisos their home.

The First Smyrna Alliance, as it is now known, dealt a series of devastating blows to the Horde, crushing their seats of power at the base of the Southron Spines and in the lands north of the Sea of Elytheria. But its victory was short lived, as within a generation a new more imposing Horde emerged, under a new charismatic prophet name Kal Al'Darrock. Bolstered by influx of crusaders from across the continent fueled by tales of the glory of its predecessor, the second incarnation of the Great Horde proved more brutal than the first, and soon the forces of the liberators crumbled under its weight, the Southron host retreating to their mountain strongholds while the Northern host retreated back across the Sea of Nisos. As the Horde stormed the Southron Spines, only the Dragonlords of the Isles stayed true to their alliance, their forces bolstered only by mercenary from the frigid lands north of the inland Sea of Nisos.

The Second Smyrna Alliance fared better than the odds would have ever predicted. After successfully breaking a number of sieges, a small force of Southron dwarves, bolstered by mercenaries lead by a charismatic Dragonlord named Mosaham Abramose and a powerful Northman wizard name Gabriel the Bold, lead a daring assault on the Orc’s Court in the vale of Smyrna, were the cunning and daring of the Alliance forces slew the Orc prophet and dealt a crushing blow to the second Great Horde from which the movement never recovered. As the Horde’s dominion collapsed into internal squabbles, the victorious Alliance grew. Fueled by Dwarven craftsmanship, Northman magic, and the iron-fisted rule of Dragonlords who claimed descendency from the Llöthlori, Smyrna emerged as the first true empire from the rubble of the old. From their ceremonial fortress at Orquacourt, the new Dragonlords, with their mage and Dwarven allies, forged a kingdom which comprised much of the lands to the south, east, and west of the Southron Spines, as well as a number of colonies which dotted the Sea of Nisos, many of which would rise to form nations of their own in time. Over the following centuries, however, the Realm of the Dwarves and the Dragonlords would wane, as emerging threats from the north and the east whittled away the great empire. Ultimately, as the star of the Northman rose, the star of Smyrna set. The cataclysmic Great Waste swept the land, turning the heartland into wildlands, and weakening its borders for those great leaders enterprising enough to forge their own legacies. An age of successor states followed, many of them empires in their own right.

To the northwest of the Sea of Nisos, nestled between the Great Sea and the Northern Spines, are the vast semi-arid plains of the Vale of Rhune. Once a rugged borderland of Llöthlor, it is now home to a hardy but disunited people at home as much in a saddle as on the deck of a ship. A geographically divided land dominated by three rivers where loyalty to clan and jarl are the highest value, its sorcerers and warriors oft found employ as mercenaries to the south, many of them helping to forge Smyrna. But the Northmen’s greatest conflicts always pointed inward, as clans vied for water, land, resources, and power in their culturally and geographically divided territories. By the Twilight of Smyrna and the age of its successors, the clans had merged into twelve petty fiefdoms, each ruled by powerful warlords called “dux”. Seeing an opportunity in the waning power of Smyrna, however, an enterprising leader from the Bay of Amur name Dafydd Penddraig, strengthened by his marriage to the daughter of a warlord from the Behrune Gap, began a lifelong campaign to unite the Rhunites as One People under One Banner. He succeeded in this endeavor through both cunning and conquest, crowning himself the first King of the Rhunites in his twilight years. But a kingdom did not suffice his son, Llywelyn, a boy who outshined his father in both wit and skill of arm, not only securing the disunited peoples, but centralizing control. So when the first King of the Rhunites was laid to rest, the first Emperor of Rhune, Llywelyn I Penddriag, was crowned.

The Great Rhunic Empire emerged over the coming century as the greatest power since the Llöthlori, forging a dominion which stretched through Rhune and the former lands of Smyrna to the northern shores of the Sea of Elythria. As the power of the Dukes of Amur waned, the power of the Dukes of Nisos waxed, forming the basis for a maritime empire which stretched to every shore of the Sea of Nisos and south of Elthyria. The Rhunites reforged the long forgotten infrastructures of Llöthlor, exploring the western oceans and the land beyond and reforging new trade routes with the emerging nations to the south and east from those once established by Smyrna and its successor states. Yet even the Rhunite’s new glory ultimately could not withstand the sands of time.

The Rhunic Interregnum rivaled it predecessor, yet record of the period remain surprisingly intact. A blood letting forged in the crucible of questioned succession, the Empire splintered as regional warlords laid claims to lands no longer protected by Legions now embroiled in the civil war. By the time the dust settled, the Second Empire was a new animal, much of its former lands culled with naught but the heartlands and its Nisosi colonies remaining. Yet it too crumbled under its own weight as age old Rhunite quarrels reemerged and the Remnant collapsed into infighting.

Post-Rhunite Llöthlor has been a land of rising and falling states. Many empires have themselves risen and fallen in the years following Rhune’s demise. The Federation that rules the Vale of Rhune is powerful, but a pale spectre of the Empire it succeeds and must face off against growing Elven powers to the south, rising city-states to the east, and new threats from beyond the horizons.

Spoiler: Timeline

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Timeline:

approx. 2000 BCE - Cataclysmic events result in the collapse of the Llöthlori Empire. The Great Interregnum destroys the great empire's legacy. The Age of Darkness begins.
1100 BCE - A short lived and small Empire of Genoi collapses into infighting
854 BCE - Halfling exiles fleeing Nemeria land in Llöthlor.
750 BCE - The Dwarves of the Northern Spines begin mining and forging iron. The discovery of the magic resistant qualities of granite by Southron Dwarves sparks the Age of Castles.
611 BCE - The Horde emerges from the Sand Shield, ending the Age of Darkness.
586 BCE - The Horde conquers Soissons, claiming unchallenged dominion over the lands south of the Sea of Nisos.
553 BCE - The First Smyrna Alliance routes the Horde at the Battle of Carraig Dún.
518 BCE - The Horde re-emerges under Kal Al'Darrock.
511 BCE - The Second Smyrna Alliance emerges victorious from the Battle of the Orc's Court.
447 BCE - Genoi ceded to Smyrna, ending nearly five decades of conflict between Smyrna and the Nisosi Dragonlords.
397 BCE - A massive Smyrnan fleet of Dwarven explorers travel west across the Great Sea and never return.
301 BCE - Smyrnan smiths, under direction of the Dwarves, develop the first steels, ending the Age of Bronze.
113 BCE - First Lord of the Freeman of the Dale secedes his realm from Smyrna. The Southron Dwarves develop the first warforged during the resultant conflict.
1 CE - The Great Waste Begins. Smyrna collapses.
5 CE - Monsters emerging from Smyrna devastate Carraig Dûn, Soissons, and the City-states of Nisos' southern shore.
32 CE - Dafydd Penddraig marries Bronwyn of Behrune, uniting two of the most powerful clans in Rhune.
64 CE - After conquering the Duchy of Nisos, Dafydd Penddraig is crowned King of the Rhunites.
75 CE - Following his father's death, Llywelyn I Penddraig consolidates power and is crowned Emperor of Rhune by Fornoxi priests at a ceremony on the slopes of Dagon's Mount.
76 CE - Soissons falls to the armies of Rhune.
90 CE - Vandalus (modern Elyt) falls to the Rhunites.
120 CE - Llywelyn II Penddraig inherits the largest empire since the fall of Smyrna from his grandfather.
180 CE - Rhunite Legions emerge victorious from the Siege of Genoi, clearing the way for Rhunic domination of the Sea of Nisos.
191 CE - Cerys I Penddraig perishes in Nuren with her legions. With no heir, the throne passes to her cousin, the Duke Gwyndaf of Nisos.
197 CE - Emperor Gwyndaf I subjugates the Demuren Free Cities.
201 CE - The Masked Empress of the Dales accepts vassalage to the Empire, taking on the title of Mistress of the Freeman.
300 CE - Rhune establishes contact with the Halfings and Gnomes of Nemeria. Southron Dwarves begin mining adamantine and mithril.
570 CE - The Empire reaches its greatest extent under Gawain III Penddraig, the last Great Emperor.
578 CE - The legions of Gawain III Penddraig encounter the Nihoni, precipitating in war.
585 CE - Following Gawain III's death, Aeres of Fornox challenges her brother Gawain IV's claim to Dagon's Throne, beginning the Rhunic Interregnum.
590 CE - Genoi and the Dales rebel against the Empire, further obfuscating the ongoing civil war.
600 CE - The Rhunites' grip over the Sea of Nisos collapses as the region erupts into war. Nihoni forces reach the shores of the Sea of Nisos.
603 CE - Elven general Elyt the Grand betrays Duke Ianto of Nisos, taking much of Rhune's Vandalus Coast for himself.
636 CE - The Rhunic Interregnum ends when Cerys VI takes Dagon's Throne. Outside the Vale of Rhune, only Soissons and a handful of Nisosi island colonies remain.
640 CE - War erupts between the Remnant and the Elyt Estate after Elyt the Grand supports Wood Elven separatists in the Bay of Kyn.
738 CE - Elyt the Grand takes Soissons.
743 CE - Elyt the Grand dies to an assassin's dagger.
744 CE - Elyt the Grand's second wife, Mariella, crowns herself Empress of Elythria by divine mandate.
750 CE - Civil war erupts in Elythria as the Wood Elven separatists demand their own nation. Rhune take the opportunity to reclaim Soissons.
757 CE - Empress Mariella marries her step-son, Arlo I, who cedes the Bay of Kyn to the Wood Elves.
800 CE - The Remnant reaches its greatest extent under Emperor Gawain the Great.
1017 CE - War with Genoi and rebellions in Soisson and Demure precipitate the collapse of the Remnant and the formation of the Federation.
1024 CE - A proxy war between the Federation and the Empire erupts in Soissons.
1030 CE - Arlo I perishes during the Siege of Soisson.
1101 CE - Arlo II and his mother, Empress Mariella, perish in combat with Genosi and Rhunite mercenaries just across the Elythrian border. Lacking soldiers, Arlo III founds the Order of Wardens to remedy the Empire's brigandry problem, increasingly relying on non-elven soldiers.
1130 CE - Arlo III finalizes a treaty with Soissons, ending over a century of war. By Imperial decree, the Warden is disbanded.
1132 CE - Arlo III is assassinated by the Warden. A civil war erupts in Elythria.
1140 CE - The Elythrian Civil War ends with the near-genocide of the Empire's humans. Those who survive are enslaved.
1200 CE - Civil War in Nemeria drives Gnome exiles to flee to Demure.
1413 CE - Warlock Domingo Delgadio seizes control of the Duchy of Vandalusia through cunning and magic, holding its Duchess hostage. The Warden re-emerges and rallies behind Domingo, sparking a civil war in Elythria.
1420 CE - At the Battle of the Elyt Peninsula, Domingo Delgadio defeats Elythria's forces, slaying both Emperor Mateo I and his son. Newly crowned Empress Isla sues for peace with her hand in marriage, much to the discontent and protest of her elven court.
1421 CE - Civil war is averted in Rhune with the election of Duchess Aelia of Fornox to the Archduchy.
Early 1422 CE - Mercenaries under the employ of Genoi depose a bandit lord ruling over the disputed territories bordering between Nuren and the Dales, establishing a client kingdom of the Dragonlords and raising tensions in the region.
Late 1422 CE - Present day.

Spoiler: The Nations and Regions of Llöthlor

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Spoiler: Behold! The Glorious Drunk Map has Arrived! *Hiccup*

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*In case you're stupid, the shading is mountains!

The Federation of Rhune
Government: Feudal Confederacy
Capital: The Imperial Demesne
Climate: Ranging from Cold, Arid Steppes to Cold, Damp Mountains
Language: Fornoxi
State Religion: The Six Goddesses

"The Daughters of Dagon gave birth to a people who cannot know peace." -Elythrian Emperor Elyt IV

The Vale of Rhune is a cold, arid plain bordered on all sides by mountains, located in the northwestern corner of Llöthlor. In the center of the Vale lies Dagon’s Mount, a dormant volcano and the largest peak in Llöthlor. Runoff and hydrothermal vents on the mountain’s side converge to feed the Vale’s three major waterways, the Amuri, the Behrune, and the Nisos. Surrounding the Mount is the Ring of Rhune, a small range of sheer mountains which cut off the Mount from the rest of Rhune, save the three gorges cut out by the emerging waterways. The Mount and those lands within the Ring are sacred to Rhunites, and the six “Goddesses” of Rhune guard the way, two statues where each of the three rivers emerge from the Ring. It was around the Ring which rose one of Rhune’s most powerful fiefdoms, the Duchy of Fornox, Rhune’s spiritual capital and home to its best spellcasters. From there, the three great rivers of Rhune have shaped the land and its people, watering otherwise parched steppes with the water needed for livestock and agriculture. The Behrune flows north and west, carving the Behrune Gap between the northern White Mountains and the western Demure’s Daggers. Here the Duchy of Behrune formed, hardy northern farmers rich from trade with the frigid lands north of the Sea of Ice into which the Behrune empties. The Nisos flows south and east, where it empties into the inland Sea of Nisos where that sea juts out west between the Northern and Southron Spines and Rhune’s Grey Mountains. Here rose the Duchy of that name, whose sailors are among the most skilled in Rhune and feared throughout the sea that bears their name. Last is the Mighty Amuri, shortest but greatest of the rivers, which flows into the Bay of Amur that separates the Behrune Penisula to the north from the southlands of Rhune. It was there, upon the Amuri Delta, that the Empire was first founded by the Dukes of Amur, and it is there that the grand Imperial Demesne lies, the Gem of the North and one of the greatest cities in Llöthlor.

The Rhunites are a hardy people, and incredibly diverse, surviving in a land comprised of mostly cold steppes. Suited perfectly for these steppes and for warfare, the large, shaggy bred of horses known as the Fadenwaith have become the primary livestock for much of Rhune’s pastoralists. As a result, the majority of central Rhunites are born and raised in the saddle. Preferring heavy armor and bows, Rhunic cataphracts are some of the most feared cavalry in northern Llöthlor. The denizens of the Duchies of the Rivers, however, grew to accept the bounty of the Daughters of Dagon, being the best farmers and sailors in all the north. These Rhunites often preferred axes and shields to bows and fight in medium and light armor, if any. As the spiritual leaders of Rhune and Guardians of Dagon, a common myth among the other Duchies states that all Fornoxi are wizards. While they aren’t (some are sorcerers, druids, clerics, and warlocks!), they do produce the most talented spellcasters in all of northern Llöthlor.

The Federation is a loose confederacy comprised of the 12 fiefdoms of old. Each Duke/Duchess rules his/her Duchy with near autonomy, with the help of feudal Earls, the remnants of the clan leaders of old. It is from the Twelve that the Federation elects the Archduke/Archduchess, who must renounce their claim to their Duchy and rule as Chancellor and Grand Margrave from the Imperial Demesne for life. This practice has had the effect of leading Rhunites to abandon primogeniture, as abdicating such a position without an heir could be disastrous. The Archduke/Archduchess is largely a figure head, however they are expected to lead Rhunite armies into battle and mediate disputes between Duchies.

Other Duchies include Aratoy, Oriam, Gwyned, Mercia, Deheubarth, Saoisti, Briefne, and Fadenwaith.

The Demuren Free Cities
Government: Autonomous, Oligarchic Republics
Climate: Ranging from Cold, Damp Islands and Cold, Damp Swamps
Language: Demuren Pidgin
Dominant Religion: Animism

"Demure knows a price for everything." -Demuren proverb

The Behrune Peninsula and its core mountains, Demure’s Daggers, jut south from the Behrune Gap along Rhune’s western border with the Great Sea, forming the outer edge of the Bay of Amur. Demures Dagger’s sheer peaks slowly taper with the peninsula’s length, descending into a land of swampy hills known as the Mere of Demure, which itself dissolves into the series of lagoons, atolls, and archipelagoes known as Demure’s Fingers. Here, among the cold, shallow waters of the labyrinth which guards the Bay’s mouth, the rugged Demurens make their living from the Sea. A people bound to their waters, they rival the Nisosi’s maritime exploits. Ever watchful, their skill at arms has been honed by years of conflict with the pirates who haunt the Finger’s, the monsters who haunt the Mere, and the might of the Great Sea. Unlikely as it is, among these cold, wet rocks clinging off the coast of Llöthlor a number of powerful trading cities emerged.

The Fingers, located not only beside the mouth of the Bay of Amur but as the last true ports through to the Sea of Ice and the mysterious far western isle nation of Nemeria, sit upon a vital trade route which have enriched the fisherman and sailors of these hostile waters with goods and trade from far distant lands. Yet the numerous isles and fertile waters of the Finger’s have also made it a haven for pirates, while the Mere’s murky depths hide sea creatures of great peril. Each of the Free Cities find themselves hard pressed to protect themselves, let alone quarrel with each other or protect ports and fishing villages upon which they rely. As a result a flourishing mercenary culture has emerged, freelance monster and pirate hunters working for the highest bidder.

While de jure vassals of the Federation, the Free Cities share de facto autonomy, many ruled as republics or even democracies. A few however are ruled by powerful mages, merchants, or sea captains.

The Demuren Free Cities include Atoloi, Llacuna, Dalamere, Padnos, Llyn, Istretti, and Ynys.

The Dominion of Soissons
Government: Autocratic Republic
Capital: Soissons
Climate: Temperate Coastal Forest
Language: Fornoxi
State Religion: The Six Goddesses

"Upon the western shore of the Nisos rose a great city, Soissons, a beacon of hope from the ashes of the Waste." -The Death of Smyrna

Nestled between the Grey Mountains to the north and the Southron Spines to the east, the Dominion of Soissons is a rising city-state along the Sea of Nisos’s southwesternmost shores. Centered in the eponymous seaport, it is a nation founded by refugees fleeing the ancient Horde, and bolstered today by those fleeing persecutions in the neighboring Elythrian Empire and her Three Sisters. Vassal to the Duchy of Nisos, Soissons holds its Elven enemies at bay through the sponsorship of its powerful northern neighbors.

A proud place, the city itself is said to predate even the rise of Smyrna, having repelled numerous attempts by the Horde to subjugate it. But where the Orcs had failed however, Dwarves and Dragons succeed, as the lone city-state on the Sea of Nisos became the gateway to Smyrna’s Nisosi colonies and the launching ground for Smyrna’s attempts to quell the remaining Dragonlords of the Isles. After brief independence during the Twilight of Smyrna, the city became one of the first additions to the Rhunic Empire under its first Emperor. Ever after tied to Rhune, it became little more than an extension of the Duchy of Nisos, remaining in the Empire through the Rhunic Interregnum. Even when the Empire finally collapsed, Nisos held sway in Soissons.

As xenophobia and racism grew through Elven separatist lands to the south, humans fled to Soissons, where they found protection under a Nisosi court. Despite attempts by the Elven forces to their south to claim the city and its dominions, the Nisosi dux of Soisson have held true. Now, recent events in the Elthyrian Empire have armed the city-state to go on the offensive and maybe even find allies where once were enemies.

The Dwarven Fiefdoms of the Spines
Government: Feudal Fiefdoms
Climate: Frigid Mountains
Langauge: Brythonic (Northern), Smyrnan (Southron)
Dominant Religions: Ancestral Animism, The Cult of the Strangers

"The stout men of the Spines are as sturdy as the metals they mine..." -A Dalesman tavern song

The Spines are a vast range of gargantuan mountains which make their way down west-central Llöthlor, between Lands of Winter to the north and the eastern most reach of the Sea of Elthyria to the south. Vast peaks snow-capped to their very southern reaches, they serve as one of the most extreme geographic barriers in all of Llöthlor. At their center however, separating North from South, the vast inland Sea of Nisos gouges its way between them, the island remnants of this stretch of the peaks speckling the waters. As imposing a barrier as the mountains themselves, the Sea has separated the Spines’s kinsmen, the Dwarves.

In the North the Spines are a frigid wasteland, their interior and eastern slopes cold and dry and their western slopes cool and wet. Vast in breadth, only a small number of passes pierce from east to west, while countless other winding paths create a deadly labyrinth waiting to swallow the naive and lost. Home to numerous bands of primitive tribals, the true powers of these vast peaks honeycomb the mountains’ depths living hidden in their massive fortress-mines. The rugged and resourceful dwarves of the Northern Spines dredge valuable metals, minerals, and gems deep beneath the behemoth peaks. With these they forge beautiful works of art, their furnaces fueled by wood cut from the mountain side by their tribal neighbors. The most prosperous mines, however, are those which arose along the viable trade ways, enriched not their own mineral wealth, but by the markets which emerged at their door steps. But greed and revenge run deep among the Dwarves, and petty feuds between Dwarven fiefdoms persist, ensuring continued disunity within the mountains.

In the South, things are a shade different. Once the industrial heartland of the Dragonlords of Smyrna’s vast domain, the mines of the Southron Spines where ravaged by the same Waste which brought that empire they served to its knees. Many of the once great mines of Smyrna now lay empty, nothing more than monster filled ruins dotting the warm, dry peaks which border the wild central valley of Smyrna. Those Dwarven strongholds which remain in these barren peaks are insular and xenophobic, keenly aware that their ancestors paid dearly for their foreign alliances and expansionist ambitions.

The Wildlands of Smyrna
Climate: Cool, Temperate Mountain Valley
Dominant Religion: The Cult of the Strangers

"In the valleys of the Southron Spines there live monsters the likes of which make men sick at the sight of." -A Comprehensive Bestiary of the Spines

As the Southron Spines reach south toward the Sea of Elythria, they split down the middle, forming a fertile valley watered by the summer run-off of the vast surrounding peaks. It was within this wild, easily defended valley that the Great Horde made its greatest holdfasts against their Dwarven enemies. And it was there that the second Alliance defeated the Great Horde at the court the Orc’s had made. It was on the ruin of that battlefield that the some of Dragonlords of Isles commemorated their victory with their Dwarven allies by raising their own holdfast, the mighty Orquacourt, among the greatest fortresses since the long ruined holds of the Llöthlori. These Dragonlords of the Vale subjugated a vast dominion with magic, stretching throughout the lands bordering the mountains and the shores of the Sea of Nisos. Records of the nation these Dragonlords built are spotty, much lost in the chaos now known as the Great Waste, a strange, unknown affliction which torn at the heart of the empire, ravaging its heartland and leaving its hinterlands ripe for the taking.

The valley of Smyrna is now a wild land shrouded in mystery, shaped and change by the events which precipitated the Great Waste. Few who venture into the valley every return. Those who do return changed, shaken by the experience, babbling tales of a twisted landscape populated by strange monsters and stranger magic.

The mysterious cult of the Strangers holds these lands to be sacred.

The Elythrian Empire
Government: Monarchy
Capital: L'Alcasaba
Climate: Ranging from Temperate Forest to Arid Desert to Subtropical Rainforest
Language: High Elyt
State Religion: The Church of Elyt
Dominant Religions: The Church of Elyt, The Church of Regina

"Humans are simple animals. And history illustrates the folly of their continued free agency." -Elyt the Grand in a letter to his first wife

Forged during the collapse of the Rhunic Empire by Elven separatist, the Elythrian Empire is the primary successor state to the estate of a High Elven conqueror of old. With ample coast lines along the Great Sea to the west and to the south along its namesake, the Empire stands as a prosperous hub of trade. A temperate fertile land which bridges the lands of the North with those south of the Sea of Elthyria, the Empire has emerged as one of the greatest nations in Llöthlor. Ruled by an insular High Elven upper class, its power was forged on the backs of slaves justified by a belief in Elven racial superiority. While the Woods Elves of the Empire form its minor lords and merchant middleclass, its Human population have suffered over the centuries in bondage, those few who have their freedom condemned largely to a life of poverty and discrimination.

A decade ago the fires of rebellion were kindled as Humans revolted against their High Elven overlords. Beginning as a simple of act of disobedience, a revolutionary movement rose around a charismatic, young warlock name Domingo Delgadio. After years of battle and numerous miraculous victories, the rebels delivered the killing blow in the Battle of the Elyt Peninsula, where the Emperor and his son fell in battle, leaving the lands in the hands of the Emperor’s young daughter, Isla Aurelia.

On face value the rebels have emerged victorious. Suing for piece, the Empress has done the unthinkable and offered her hand in marriage the rebel leader. Though denied the title of Emperor, Domingo Delgadio has been given the position of Grand Margrave, commander-in-chief for the Empires armies. Even after 3 years, Elythrian politics smolder on the verge of renewed violence. While slavery remains, reforms have released many from bondage, while in turn enslaving many of the land’s former ruling class. Those High Elves which remain in power stand with their Empress against the aggressive policies of her husband, a situation only complicated by the warlock’s mistress, a High Elven turncoat bent to claim the throne for herself.

The Elyt Estates
Government: Monarchy
Capital: Elytia
Climate: Ranging from Temperate Forest to Arid Desert to Subtropical Rainforest
Language: High Elyt
Dominant Religions: The Church of Elyt, The Church of Regina

[Pending]

The Three Sisters
Government: Monarchy
Capital: Kyn (Kyn), The Haven (Mithlin), Arborein (Arden)
Climate: Temperate Coastline and Forest
Language: Elyt
Dominant Religion: Ancestral Animism

"On Kyn rose Three Sisters, like emeralds from a sea of blood..." -A History of the Elyt Estates

The three Wood Elven nations of Kyn, Mithlin, and Arden nestled between the Grey Mountains and the Elythrian Empire share their powerful southern neighbor’s pedigree. Born from the northern borderlands of an old High Elven estate, the Three Sisters straddle along the shores and islands of the massive Bay of Kyn. While the two Sisters of the Arms, Mithlin and Arden, are more welcoming to trade with any nation, the Sister of the Interior, Kyn, suffers xenophobia in greater degree than even the elite of the Empire, trading only with their Elven neighbors.

Many within the Sisters look suspiciously upon their neighbors across the Grey Mountians, the Rhunites, and look covetously upon their neighbor, Soissons, a prize they claim is their own.

The Land of Nuren
Government: Gerontocracy
Capital: Tharbad
Climate: Cool, Temperate Forest
Langauge: Thaurban
Dominant Religion: Animism

"In the primordial forests between the Nisos and Lake Nuren did fall Cerys I Penddraig's legions to arrows beyond number." -A History of Rhunic Expansion

One of the Lands Beyond the Nisos, Nuren is a insular nation of Hobbits and Wood Elves in the east of Llöthlor, tucked between the Sea of Nisos and its smaller eponymous Sea (more of a lake). Nuren’s denizens have a long history, having resisted colonization by both Smyrna and Rhune, the large wood hills and dells of their land providing them the cover for brutal guerrilla war. Master archers, the Nuren Elves and Haflings prefer simplistic living. However, they have in recent years opened trade with denizens of the shores of Nisos, a fact potentially motivated by problems along their northern border with the Great Steppe.

The Pirate States and the Sand Shield
Government: Meritocratic Kleptocracy
Climate: Hot, Arid Desert Coast
Language: Ysry, High Elyt
Dominant Religions: Animism, The Church of Regina, The Cult of the Mauler

"Fear men who live long lives in professions where men shouldn't." -Sailor's proverb

Along the southern shore of the Elythrian Sea, dotting the Sand Shield's coast, are numerous ports which serve as havens for the pirates which haunt the Sea. These cities, the Pirate States, are largely independent city-states fueled by trade from the south and plunder from the Sea.

Among them includes Salé, a republic, populated in great part by human refugees from the Elythrian empire; Dzayer, the Islands, a city located in a protected cove on a cluster of islands; Ruskikda, the Promontory of Fire, where natural eruptions of naphtha fuel a cult of fire worship; and Mahdya, ancient capital of a short lived federation of all of the pirate cities whose Despot still pretends to lord over them all.

Tahert, the Lioness, lies somewhere deep within the Sand Shield. It is home to what remains of the cult to the godess that is called the Mauler.

Other Pirate States include Tampsus, Elea, Tyre, and Ur, the City of Thieves.

The Kingdoms of the Hared Desert
Government: Monarchy
Climate: Mostly Arid Desert
Language: Smyrnan, Ysry
Dominant Religions: Animism, The Cult of the Mauler

[Pending]

The Dales
Government: Autocracy
Capital: Royeaux
Climate: Cool, Temperate Mountain Valley
Language: Brythonic
Dominant Religion: Animism, Cult of the Mask

"Here I am the Law, and even Death fears me." -The Masked Empress of the Dales to Rhunic Emperor Llywelyn IV Penddraig

One of the oldest nations in Llöthlor, the Dales were originally conquered by a young charismatic chieftain and his beautiful sorceress wife in the years that followed the defeat of the Horde. Crowned Lord of the Freeman of the Dales, the young chieftain ruled his holding until his death. But the sorceress was the true power behind the throne. In the centuries to come she ruled the Dales in secret, advising her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren as each took the Lordship of the Vale. But as the Great Waste took Smyrna, distrust of magic grew. The nobles of the Dales rose up against their ruling Lady and her immortal chief adviser, the sorceress, bringing them to trial and executing them as maleficarum.

But all great mages have contingencies. The Witch of the Dale rose from the ashes with a terrible wrath. Through magic, trickery, and conquest, the Dales fell to their new Masked Empress. And she has ruled the Dales ever since, feared by her people.

The City-State of Genoi
Government: Autocratic Republic
Capital: Genoi
Climate: Temperate Forrest
Langauge: Llöthlori
Dominate Religions: The Six Goddesses, The Cult of the Strangers

"In Genoi ancient structures stand vigilant, the last true heirs of the Dragonlords." -The Nations of Nisos

Situated on the Isle of Llöth in the Sea of Nisos, Genoi is the oldest city in all of Llöthlor, founded in the days of that Greatest of Empires. Originally home to those Dragonlords who survived the fall of their great empire, the centrally located City emerged as a regional trade power during the Age of Darkness. Following the Great Waste, Genoi served as the primary military rival to Rhunite expansion in the Nisos, eventually falling to the Rhunites after nearly a century at war.

But the Genosi are a proud people and were among the first to throw off the yoke of Imperial rule as the Rhunic Empire collapsed. In the years since, Genoi has re-established itself as one of the primary powers on the Nisos and re-emerged as one of Llöthlor's primary trade cities. Now days, the Dragonlord's numbers dwindle, the migrations of the great wyrms making the replenishment of their numbers more difficult. As a result, lesser class of ruler under them has arisen from among the great merchant captains and privateers of the island. Called Sealords, they have held greater sway over the affairs of city-state in recent years, seeking collectively to grow the city-state's power and influence, meddling in neighboring affairs and establishing client states along the Sea of Nisos.

The Nihoni Empire
Government: Monarchy
Capital: Azuma
Climate: Varies greatly
Language: Nihoni
Dominant Religion: Ancestral Animism

"Never falter. Never fail. Never give in. And never surrender." -Nihoni Warrior Code

Over a decade before the Rhunic Interregnum, the legions of Rhune pushed east of the Nisos, inadvertently starting the war which precipitated Great Empire's collapse. There the legions encountered the fierce Nihoni, whose fledgling Empire rivaled their own.

The largest state in modern Llöthlor, the Nihoni Empire rivals Great Rhune at its height, stretching from the easternmost shore of the Nisos to the easternmost edge of Llöthlor. A huge land dominated by constant conflict between fueding warlords, it is loosely held coalition of city-states and fiefdoms beholden to One Emperor.

Possessing some of the fiercest warriors in Llöthlor, the Nihoni still long to expand their empire west. If, and only if, they could cease their infighting...

The Other Lands Beyond the Nisos

"It was the Nisos which fueled the Rhunites' Empire. And it was at the Nisos' mercy that it fell." -On the Rhunic Interregnum

North of the Sea of Nisos, stretching to the Lands of Winter, is the Great Steppe, a massive northern plain populated by ramblers and nomads. South of the Sea lies the Hared Desert, a land of desert kingdoms which cuts its southern and eastern neighbors off from the rest of Llöthlor..

The Lands Beyond the Elythrian

"Those mad enough to brave the Sand Shield find that it guards a land which has never known the Frostmaiden's Touch." -The Travels of Baird the Bard

Along the southern shore of the Elythrian, the thin band of the Sand Shield cuts off the Pirate States from the Lands of Endless Summers to the south. In these lands of mountains and jungle, the only nations which emerge do so near the embrace of the Great Sea or atop the cool peaks of its many mountains.

The Lands Beyond the Great Sea

"It is said that in Nemeria they know no want. I wonder why they would want to live somewhere that cold." -Behrunen Duchess Bronwyn III

Llöthlor isn't the only continent to populate the world, and the Great Sea surrounding Llöthlor hides many lands. Rhunite explorers have visited many across the western Sea, establishing trade with the strange lands beyond. The most noted of these is the frigid land of Nemeria, a Halfing forest nation to the northwest, made wealthy by the mining efforts of its Gnomes.

Spoiler: Population Centers

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Great Cities:

The Imperial Demesne
The metropolis at the mouth of the Amur River is the ancient capital of the Rhunic Empire, now the seat of the Federation's Archduchy.

Founded by Llywelyn I Penddraig, the enormous city on the Bay of Amur is a major trade hub, serving as the primary port for goods entering Rhune from Demure, Nemeria, and the lands south along the Great Sea. As Rhune's primary Great Sea port, it is a multicultural mecca.

Built on a series of islands in the Amur River Delta, the city is heavily fortified with massive stone walls, the only entrances a series of fortified bridges to the mainland. A series of mainland satellite villages have cropped up where these bridges connect to the mainland, housing most of the city's poor, while the artisans, merchants, and nobles of the Imperial Demesne live among the fortified islands.

On an island in the middle of the city lies the black granite walls of the Black Keep, the dwelling of the Rhunic Archduchess and one of the most formidable fortresses in Llöthlor.

L'Alcasaba
[Pending]

Genoi
[Pending]

Soissons
[Pending]

Royeaux
[Pending]

Mahdya
[Pending]

Ur
[Pending]

Tahert
[Pending]

Atoloi
[Pending]

Great Ruins:

Orquacourt
Deep within the Vale of Smyrna lies the towering husk of the Adamantine Tower and the haunted, walled ruins of the Smyrna's once great capitol.

Orquacourt is a indelible place, a huge walled city haunted by aberrations and abominations, seemingly left untouched since the Great Waste first claimed it. Shrouded in perpetual clouds of dust and darkness, it is one of the most dangerous places in all of Llöthlor, the creatures who call it home being frightening beasts of evil and magic.

The Adamantine Tower, a ruin even in the days before the great capitol that surrounds it, is the most mysterious place of all, visible pierce the wicked Veil over the city for leagues around. Evidence seems to indicate the enormous ruined keep is still inhabited, those by who or what is not known, since all who have entered have never returned.

It is a pilgrimage site for those mysterious Cultists of the Strangers.

Carraig Dûn
[Pending]

Carnedd Dagon
[Pending]

Outposts:

[Pending]

[BootStrapTommy]

Spoiler: Religion

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All existing deities might find a place somewhere in Llöthlor. However, the majority only hold sway over a handful of followers and few physically manifest.

The most dominant religious practice in Llöthlor is animism. Yet some nations possess strong, widely worshiped deities. The Six Goddesses of Rhune, for example, are Rhune’s highest pantheon, pious Rhunites often going so far as to deny the existence of others. Dwarves rarely worship deities, even their own, preferring an animist form of ancestor worship. In the Elythrian Empire and her Three Sisters, their founder Elyt holds deitital status, while among the rebels' worship of a fertility goddess is common. In other nations, strange monotheistic traditions have taken hold.

The strangest faith, however, is the emerging cult of the Strangers. This odd religion, spreading through the lands which border the Southron Spines, is super secretive, worshiping some sort of trinity.

The duality of Good and Evil is far less prominent in Llöthlor. Thus Evil deities tend to be less explicitly so, more subtly so. The churches of any explicitly Evil deities are often merely regional cults.

Aeda possesses a Creator. Few worship or are even aware of the existence of this Being, its name only appearing scattered through ancient documents. Expect, you know, everywhere on the continent which bares its name...

Cosmic Beings:

Goddesses of Rhune:
Queen Pantanassa the Just, Lawful Good
Lady Eleousa the Merciful, Neutral Good
Maiden Eleutherotria the Liberator, Chaotic Good
Mistress Ponolytria, Deliverer from Pain, Lawful Evil
Mother Pharmakolytria, Deliverer from Poison, Neural Evil
Sister Deomene the Supplicant, Chaotic Evil

Edoc'sil the Allseer, Baelnorn
Neutral Good Quasideity

Domains: Knowledge, Light
A member of the trinity of the mysterious Cult of the Strangers, Edoc'sil is the embodiment of Freedom, Creativity, and man's Good natures.

Maurgner the Great Wyrm, Dracolich
Neutral Quasideity

Domains: Tempest, Nature, Life
To the Cultists of the the Strangers, the Great Wyrm is the paradoxical embodiment of Chaos and Law, of Change and Immutability. He is also the Cult's fertility god, representing the virility of Dragons.

Sjachi the Supressor, Lich
Lawful Evil Quasideity

Domains: War, Trickery, Death
Sjachi is the dark deity of the Cult of the Strangers. He is the embodiment of Power and man's Evil natures.

Regina, Madonna of Plenty, Goddess
Chaotic Good Deity

Domains: Life, War, Nature
A fertility goddess whose worship arose among human slaves in the Empire. She emerged as a goddess of war and victory as the patron of Domingo's revolt. Some have pointed out similarities between her and the Rhunic goddess, Eleutherotria.

Ysera the Mauler, Goddess
Lawful Evil Deity

Domains: War, Trickery, Death
Ysera the Mauler is the violent war goddess worshiped by a number of orc and hobgoblin tribes inhabiting the Sand Shield. It was her cult which first spurred the Horde into action, catalyzing the formation of nation-states in the wake of the Age of Darkness.

Elyt the Grand, Hero
Lawful Neutral Quasideity

Domains: War, Trickery
Worship of the God-Emperor Elyt is a common form of monotheism among the Elthyrian Empire's High Elves.

Tesolk the Whisperer, Guardian
Lawful Neutral Deity

Domains: War, Trickery, Life
Originating among the Guilds of Nuren, the need to protect trade secrets spawned the Cult of Telsok. The Whisperer is the Guardian of Secrets, and patron to kings, councillors, merchants, and bodyguards.

Entropy, Titan
Chaotic Neutral Deity

Domains: Trickery, Tempest, Death
"What is Entropy?" asked the wizard's apprentice. "Nothing. It is the void."

While the other Titans slept, the Void remained vigilant. A being of pure Chaos, its motives and powers remain a mystery. All that is known is that this being is the last of the Elder Gods.

Gaia, Titaness
Lawful Neutral Deity

Domains: War, Nature
The Eldest Goddess, Gaia is the Mother of the Titans and the elemental Titan of Earth. Dagon's Mount is rumored to be her tomb.

Ignatia, Titaness
Neutral Deity

Domains: War, Nature
The Endless Flame, Ignatia is the elemental Titan of Fire. Some say the naphtha fields at Ruskikda mark her final resting place.

Caelum, Titan
Neutral Deity

Domains: Tempest, Nature
The Coming Storm, Caelum is the Father of the Titans and the elemental Titan of Air. It is said by some that his corrupting influence beneath Smyrna caused the Great Waste.

Pontus, Titaness
Chaotic Neutral Deity

Domains: Tempest, Nature
The Maelstrom, Pontus is the elemental Titan of Water. It is said her corruptive influence created the Mere of Demure.

Llöthlor the Creator, Overdeity
Variably Aligned Comic Book Character

Spoiler: Prominent NPCs

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Historical Figures:

Kal Al'Darrock, Orc
Lawful Evil Religious Leader


"Brother Kal left this world as he entered. Screaming, covered in someone else's blood." -Kal Al'Darrock's epitaph

The Son of Ysera, Kal Al'Darrock emerged as a charismatic leader from the ruins of the first Horde. Drawing followers from the envious goblinoids of the lands between the Elythrian and the Nisos, uniting the shattered remains of the first Horde into an even more fearsome host.

He perished at the Battle of the Orc's Court along with his second Horde, defeated by the forces of the second Smyrna Alliance.

Dragonlord Mosaham Abramose, Half-elf
Chaotic Good Military Leader


"How fickle Fate, that she put the destiny of free peoples in the hands of a raconteur." -Gabriel the Bold

Outcast by his heritage at an early age, Mosaham Abramose was a wanderer, making a living off songs, stories, and adventures travelling the Sea of Nisos. But his stunning rise to power was precipitated by his rebellion against the gods and eventual alliance with a powerful great wyrm. Earning his spurs within the first Smyrna Alliance, he gained his reputation as one of the most feared Dragonlords during the second such alliance, leading the Alliance in its greatest victory at the Orc's Court, along side the remaining Southron Dwarf clans and the mercenary forces of his companion, the Fornoxi wizard, Gabriel. After the Horde's defeat, Mosaham oversaw the work to construct the fortress of Orquacourt. There he ruled as Dragonlord of Smyrna of many decade.

Dragonlords are long lived, potentially as immortal as their their marvelous mounts, and while Mosaham's name slowly disappeared from this history books, it was never fully forgotten. The last known record of the famous Dragonlord dates to just before the Great Waste, though whether it was the famous hero or simply another Dragonlord of the same name is not known...

Gabriel the Bold, Human
Lawful Evil Military Leader


"So cold a man is he, that the dead shiver in his presence." -Dragonlord Mosaham Abramose

The youngest son of a Fornoxi earl, the wizard known as Gabriel the Bold made a name for himself as a adventurer and mercenary in the lands of the North in the days preceding the second Smyrna Alliance. A close friend and ally of the emerging Dragonlord Mosaham Abramose, the wizard lead a volunteer band of Northern mercenaries, supplemented by magical abominations, to aid the beleaguered Dragonlord and his Dwarven Allies against the returned Horde. As part of the second Smyrna Alliance, the wizard's magic helped turn the tide against the crusaders and clerics of Ysera the Mauler.

Gabriel was instrumental in the formative years of Smyrna, providing his magic in both the construction of the nation state and the early military campaigns to expand it. However, a few short decades after the completion of Orquacourt, the wizard mysteriously disappears from the history books. A few tomes of magic dating from the early days of the Rhunic Empire, however, tell tales of a great lich in the Southron Spines with uncanny similarities...

Emperor Llywelyn I Penddraig, Human
Lawful Neutral Military Leader


"Cunning was the son of Dafydd Penddraig, King of the Rhunites, who claimed dominions far beyond the ken of his people." -On Rhunic Expansion

The son of Dafydd Penddraig, the Amuri King of the Rhunites, Llywelyn was destined for greater things. Inheriting his father's throne, the young warlord bestowed upon himself the title Imperator, his claims bolstered by Fornoxi support. He turned the Rhunites' attention outward, leading the armies which claimed Demure, Sinope, and the borderlands of the disintegrated Smyrna.

He first commissioned the Imperial Demesne, though it was not completed until the twilight of the reign of his grandson, Llywelyn II.

Elyt the Grand, High Elf
Lawful Neutral Military Leader


"In the the Imperial Demesne did quake the Emperor with rage over the betrayal of such an esteemed warrior." -A History of the Elyt Estates

A mercenary general in the employ of the Dukes of Nisos, Arlo Mateo Maximiliano Aurelia, more commonly known by his Fornoxi name, Elyt the Grand, became disgusted by what he saw as the greed of dwarves and men. Rebelling against the crumbling Rhunic Empire, he forged a nation for the elves from the Southern reaches of the Empire.

Upon his death after 140 years of rule, a cult emerged in his honor, responsible for the foundation of the Elythrian Empire.

Contemporary Political Figures:

Archduchess Aelia of Fornox, Human
Neutral Good Political Leader


"The Duchess is as true a Daughter of Dagon as the Rivers." -Duke Brynjolf of Behrune

The former Duchess of Fornox, Aelia is one of only a handful of Fornoxi dukes in history to take the reigns of the Federation. Her election was part of a compromise between Nisosi and Amuri factions following the death of her predecessor. Nisosi-leaning, she took over the Imperial Demesne, while her Amuri-leaning younger brother took Fornox. A capable leader, Aelia's reign has so far been a prosperous one. But tensions within the Federation are always simmering beneath the surface, and who knows what might bring them into the light?

Margrave Domingo Delgadio, Human
Chaotic Neutral Military Leader


"It was my folly to not fear one with nothing left to lose. It is my greater folly to love one." - Azkadelia Tellus

Born a slave in the Duchy of Vandalusia in the south of Elthyria's Balearic Peninsula, the young warlock forged his Pact to throw off the yoke of the sadistic Duchess Azkadelia Medina, whose eye and ire he earned working in her household.

Domingo's capture of the Duchess and her stronghold sparked rebellion, as the human separatist faction known as the Warden unexpectedly rallied to the aid of the warlock's impulsive power grab. The civil war which ensued lasted seven years, during which Domingo Delgadio demonstrated a natural talent and mastery of the battlefield unmatched by his Elven opponents. At the Battle of the Elyt Peninsula, Domingo's cunning, magic, and tactical mastery delivered a stunning defeat to the High Elven forces, resulting in the death of both the Emperor and his son and heir.

The Emperor's young daughter, Isla Aurelia, succeeded her father. Suing for peace she wed the rebel leader, appointing him Grand Margrave and commander-in-chief of Elythria's martial forces. Backed by the Warden, Margrave Jeremiah has emerged as the most powerful leader in the Empire, his power only challenged by the remaining minority of High Elven loyalists to his wife.

Empress Isla Aurelia, High Elf
Neutral Good Political Leader


"At what cost have I bought peace for my people?" - Empress Mara Aurelia to the High Magister Kynn

Young, talented, and an oft thorn in her father's side, the wild young daughter of Elythria's Emperor was thrust into the dire world of Elythrian politics after her father and older brother's untimely demise at the hands of Domingo Delgadio's rebel war machine. Lacking the manpower to hold against the the approaching human army, the young Empress instead sued for peace, a peace she only bought with her hand in marriage to the rebel leader.

A number of loyalists remain in her camp, holding enough power and influence to shield her from any further power grabs by her new husband's allies. Her marriage to Margrave Delgadio has been far from a happy one, marred by the political tensions, simmering violence, and his notorious philandering.

Azkadelia Medina, High Elf
Lawful Evil Turncoat


"The heirs of Vandalusia are cruel. You would do well to fear us." -Duke Ezequiel Medina

Once the Duchess of the wealthy and powerful Catalan, Azkadelia was the first victim of the rebellion which swept Elthyria. Stripped of her power by Domingo Delgadio, she spent the early years of the rebellion imprisoned within her own castle. Charismatic and cunning, she worked her way into her captor's graces, turning coat and emerging from the war as both his mistress and closest confidant, much to the detriment to both the Warden and the Empress. Many believe she has designs for the throne.

Masked Empress of the Dales, Unknown
Lawful Evil Political Figure


"Here I am the Law, and even Death fears me." -The Masked Empress of the Dales to Rhunic Emperor Llywelyn IV Penddraig

The ancient and mysterious ruler of the land known as the Dales, the Empress was once a women of unparalleled beauty and a sorceress of unparalleled power. It was under her wing that the first Lord of the Dales, a young unproven chieftain, united the tribes of the Dales. In the centuries to come she ruled the Dales as the power behind the throne, advising the Lords and Ladies that follow, most her own children and grandchildren. But as the Great Waste took Smyrna, distrust of magic grew. The nobles of the Dales rose up against their then Lady and her immortal chief adviser, bringing them to trial and executing them as maleficarum.

But all great mages have contingencies. The Witch of the Dale rose from the ashes with a terrible wrath. Through magic, trickery, and conquest, the Dales fell to their new Masked Empress in a bloodbath sincer spoken of in hushed whispers. She has ruled the Dales for centuries since, feared by her people.

Spoiler: Important Organizations

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The Warden

Emperor Arlo III ascended the throne inheriting the ruin wrought by his grandfather's war with the Remnant. His soldier tied up in battles with Soissons and the Nisosi, the Empire's roadways fell victim to brigrandry with no sentries to patrol them. As desperate times call for desperate measures, the Emperor enlisted the help of the Empire's most plentiful resource: slave labor. Gathered from the sturdiest ranks of slaves, he purchased a great many young humans. Offered greater responsibilities in exchange for future freedoms, these new slave soldiers were trained in survival and combat and put in charge of cleaning up the tradeways of the Empire. Initially a success, the Order of Wardens soon proved a burden, as its freed members themselves turned to brigrandry and so eventually the end of conflicts with the Empire's northern neighbors spelled the Order's doom.

The former slaves now denied their freedom, the scorned warriors soon emerged as an underground human resistance movement among the slaves of the Elythtrian Empire, fighting against the very empire which first armed them. It was the Warden, not the warlock himself, that made Domingop Delgadio the centerpiece of rebellion against the Empire's repressive High Elven regime. Had it not been for their quick response in rallying to the impulsive warlock's actions, Domingo may have quickly perished without the rebel army needed to challenge Elthyria's military forces. As the war raged on, it was the Warden who tempered Domingo's hasty strategy, insuring the long term survival of the rebellion and its eventual victory at the Battle of the Elyt Peninsula. However, not all within the Warden welcomed the ensuing peace. Members within still plot to finish what they started and overthrow the Empress and the High Elven slave system.

The Grey Company

One of the most famous mercenary companies among Demure's Fingers, the Grey Company has distinguished itself with a radically different business model than many of its competitors. While other groups rent out bands of soldiers for the various intercity conflicts, members of the Grey Company are veteran pirate and monster hunters. The Grey Company more often rents the services of just one or two of its members to the towns and villages of the Fingers and the Mere to train local militias or hunt monsters, bandits, or pirates. In those battles which the Company has taken part, however, they have proved decisive.

The Grey Company also possesses the largest private fleet in the Fingers, which they rent out as escorts.

The Cult of the Stranger

In the areas once ravaged by the Great Waste has arisen a strange trinitarian Cult dedicated to three powerful otherworldly beings, Edoc'sil, Maurgnar, and Sjachi. With the dedicated cause of the restoration of Smyrna, the crimson-robed Cult of the Strangers has not only emerged as an influential religion throughout Llöthlor, but also a potent political force.

The Triune Sibyls are among the highest priestesses of the Cult, identifiable by their sacrifice of their right eye and left hand to the High Ones. An underground religion through most of the world, today, its largest congregations center around the ruins of Smyrna, as well as along the trade networks of the Nisos.

The Cult of the Entropomancers
[Pending]

The Knights of the Undying Vigil
[Pending]

[BootStrapTommy]

Spoiler: House Rules

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A Progenitor War occurred long before even the Llöthlori, waged between the primordial gods and elemental titans. This cosmic war ended with the titans going dormant. Many religious texts speak of the Waking of the Titans, a sort of end times. A powerful titan known as Entropy is rumored, however, to still be awake and active, plotting to consume everything. The cosmology is otherwise classic D&D.

In the days of Llöthlor, magic was as common as breathing and spellcasters shaped the very reality around them. This changed during the Age of Darkness, following the devastation of the Great Interregnum, when magic not only reshaped Llöthlor politically, but physically. Whatever events striped much of the magic from Llöthlor, it is a low-magic campaign. Magic can be fickle and often involves unintended consequences. Players should try to limit spellcasters to one per party (paladins, rangers, warlocks, and many arcane archetypes and non-primary casters are exceptions). The most common magics in Llöthlor are divine and pact, since they are bestowed rather than learned. Magic is rare in Llöthlor, but it is Power, as every empire to rise since the Age of Darkness has had some measure of magocracy. The number of mages a society produces greatly affects that society’s power. The Duchy of Fornox is the greatest among the Federation, despite the accomplishments of the Amuri and Nisosi, due to their mages (some theorize Dagon’s Mount is to blame). High Elves hold power in the Empire and elsewhere due to their race’s natural propensity for the arcane, a fact which is the foundation of High Elven racial theories.

Dragons and High Elves aren't long lived. They’re immortal. Other races have shorter than PHB live spans. Humans have longer. Rumors abound that some of the Llöthlori Dragonlords still live, while the Dragonlords of Genoi claim descent from them.

Gnomes only hail from Nemeria. It is believed by many scholars that the Gnomes of Nemeria are the descendants of a band of Dwarven traders whose ship blew off course in the northern Great Sea and who found themselves shipwrecked. Over time they intermingled with their Halfing hosts, and their descendants began craving great mines under the hillside smials of their Halfling neighbors. The treasures they unearthed have made Nemeria rich with trade, both from Llöthlor and from lands further west.

Magictech and gunpowder are new, extremely rare, and totally the Dwarves' and Gnomes' fault. Dwarven Weapon Familiarity applies to Renaissance gunpowder weapons. Gnomes treat gunpowder weapons as Martial weapons. Everyone else must be taught, though this knowledge is common place in the Rhunic heartland and the Free Cities.

Despite lite magictech and gunpowder, plate is rare. Leather, ring, scale, chain, and splint are exponentially more common.

Warforged are the creation of Smyrna-era Southron Dwarves. Incredibly long lived, they’ve moved up within Southron Dwaven society, from automaton soldiers and workers to elders and keepers of lore and wisdom. Undying are common among Wood Elven elders.

Being a denizen of the Underdark doesn't make you evil. While Drow retain some of their cultural identities, much of what might be considered evil in their cultures derive from the necessity of underground survival, not just them being *****. Many of the Southron Spine Dwarves are Duergar, potentially a result of the Great Waste.

Common does not exist. There is however a commonly used trade cant, Nisosi Trade Koine, which is nothing more than an overly-simplified trade language. Communicating complex ideas with it is very difficult. Undercommon is replaced by the same, just angrier sounding. All other languages (with the exception of the exotic languages like Draconic, Infernal, etc.) are regional languages, rather than racial. Wood Elves from Nuren cannot communicate with High Elves from Elythrian, except maybe when trading. Nor could Rhunites with Humans from the Empire.

Drop bears are real.

Spoiler: Bestiary (5e)

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Sand Shield Orc
Armor Class: 14 (studded leather)
Hit Points: 13 (2d8 + 4)
Speed: 30ft.
STR 16 (+3) DEX 14 (+2) CON 14 (+2) INT 10 (+10) WIS 11 (+0) CHA 9 (-1)
Skills: Intimidation +2, Animal Handling +2
Senses: darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 10
Languages: Common, Ysry

Features:
Aggressive. As a bonus action, the orc can move up to its speed toward a hostile creature that it can see.

Actions:
Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage.
Shortbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage

Sand Shield Orc Chieftain
Armor Class: 16 (ring mail, shield)
Hit Points: 93 (11d8 + 44)
Speed: 30ft.
STR 18 (+4) DEX 12 (+1) CON 18 (+4) INT 11 (+0) WIS 11 (+0) CHA 16 (+3)
Saving Throws: Str +6, Con +6, Wis +2
Skills: Intimidation +5, Animal Handling +5
Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 10
Languages: Common, Ysry

Features:
Aggressive. As a bonus action, the orc can move up to its speed toward a hostile creature that it can see.
Ysera's Fury. The orc deals an extra 4 (1d8) damage when it hits with a weapon attack (included in the attacks).

Actions:
Multiattack. The orc makes two attacks with its scimitar or its spear.
Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 12 (1d6 + 4 plus 1d8) slashing damage.
Spear. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (1d6 + 4 plus 1d8) piercing damage, or 13 (2d8 + 4) piercing damage if used with two hands to make a melee attack.
Battle Cry (1/Day). Each creature of the war chief's choice that is within 30 feet of it, can hear it, and not already affected by Battle Cry gain advantage on attack rolls until the start of the war chief's next turn. The war chief can then make one attack as a bonus action.



Orcish Crusader of Ysera
Armor Class: 16 (ring mail, shield)
Hit Points: 45 (6d8 + 18)
Speed: 30ft.
STR 16 (+3) DEX 12 (+1) CON 16 (+3) INT 10 (+0) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 12 (+1)
Skills: Intimidation +3, Animal Handling +3, Religion +1
Senses: darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 11
Languages: Common, Ysry

Features:
Aggressive. As a bonus action, the orc can move up to its speed toward a hostile creature that it can see.
Ysera's Fury. The orc deals an extra 4 (1d8) damage when it hits with a weapon attack (included in the attack).
Spellcasting. The orc is a 3rd-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit with spell attacks). The ore has the following cleric spells prepared:
Cantrips (at-will): guidance, resistance, thaumaturgy
1st level (4 slots): bless, command
2nd level (2 slots): augury, spiritual weapon

Actions:
Spear. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (1d6 + 3 plus 1d8) piercing damage, or 12 (2d8 + 3) piercing damage if used with two hands to make a melee attack.

Sand Shield Hobgoblin
Armor Class: 16 (half-plate)
Hit Points: 11 (2d8 + 2)
Speed: 30ft.
STR 14 (+2) DEX 13 (+1) CON 12 (+1) INT 12 (+1) WIS 10 (+0) CHA 10 (+0)
Skills: Intimidation +2, Animal Handling +2
Senses: darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 10
Languages: Common, Ysry

Features:
Martial Advantage. Once per turn, the hobgoblin can deal an extra 7 (2d6) damage to a creature it hits with a weapon attack if that creature is within 5 feet of an ally of the hobgoblin that isn't incapacitated.

Actions:
Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d8 + 1) slashing damage, or 6 (1d10 + 1) slashing damage if used with two hands.
Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d8 + 1) piercing damage.



Sand Shield Hobgoblin Captain
Armor Class: 17 (half plate)
Hit Points: 39 (6d8 + 12)
Speed: 30ft.
STR 15 (+2) DEX 14 (+2) CON 14 (+2) INT 14 (+2) WIS 10 (+0) CHA 14 (+2)
Skills: Intimidation +4, Animal Handling +4
Senses: darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 10
Languages: Common, Ysry

Features:
Martial Advantage. Once per turn, the hobgoblin can deal an extra 10 (3d6) damage to a creature it hits with a weapon attack if that creature is within 5 feet of an ally of the hobgoblin that isn't incapacitated.

Actions:
Multiattack. The hobgoblin makes two greatsword or two longbow attacks.
Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) piercing damage.
Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d8 + 1) piercing damage.
Leadership (Recharges af ter a Short or Long Rest). For 1 minute, the hobgoblin can utter a special command or warning whenever a non-hostile creature that it can see within 30 feet of it makes an attack roll or a saving throw. The creature can add a d4 to its roll provided it can hear and understand the hobgoblin. A creature can benefit from only one Leadership die at a time. This effect ends if the hobgoblin is incapacitated.

Rhunic Legionnaire

Armor Class: 16 (ring mail, shield)
Hit Points: 52 (8d8 + 16)
Speed: 30ft.
STR 16 (+3) DEX 13 (+1) CON 14 (+2) INT 10 (+0) WIS 11 (+0) CHA 10 (+0)
Skills: Athletics +5, Perception +2
Senses passive Perception 12
Languages: Common, Fornoxi

Features:
Formation Fighting. The legionnaire has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the legionnaires's allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated. If the legionnaire isn't incapacitated, the legionnaire can add their shield’s AC bonus to any Dexterity saving throw they make against a spell or other harmful effect that targets only them. If the legionnaire is subjected to an effect that allows them to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, they can use their reaction to take no damage if they succeed on the saving throw, interposing their shield between themself and the source of the effect.

Actions:
Spear. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage, or 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage if used with two hands to make a melee attack.
Battleaxe. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage, or 8 (1d10 + 3) slashing damage if used with two hands.
Shield Bash. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) bludgeoning damage. If the target is Large or smaller, it must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

Rhunic Cataphract

Armor Class: 19 (splint, shield)
Hit Points: 58 (9d8 + 18)
Speed: 30ft.
STR 16 (+3) DEX 14 (+2) CON 14 (+2) INT 11 (+0) WIS 11 (+0) CHA 15 (+2)
Saving Throws: Con +4, Wis +2 Senses passive Perception 10
Languages: Common, Fornoxi

Features:
Brave. The cataphract has advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
Mounted. A cataphract usually rides a warhorse. A cataphract has advantage on melee attack rolls against any unmounted creature that is smaller than their mount and can force an attack targeted at their mount to target them instead.

Actions:
Multiattack. The cataphract makes two melee attacks.
Lance. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d12 + 3) piercing damage.
Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage, or 8 (1d10 + 3) slashing damage if used with two hands.
Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, ranged 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage.

Elythrian Soldier
Armor Class: 15 (chain shirt)
Hit Points: 44 (8d8 + 8)
Speed: 30ft.
STR 10 (+0) DEX 14 (+2) CON 12 (+1) INT 12 (+1) WIS 12 (+1) CHA 10 (+0)
Skills: Nature +4, Perception +5, Stealth +6, Survival +5
Senses: darkvision 60ft, passive Perception 15
Languages: Common, High Elyt

Features:
Keen Hearing and Sight. The high elven soldier has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or sight.
Fey Ancestry. A high elven soldier has advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put them to sleep.
Cantrip (at-will): druidcraft

Actions:
Multiattack. The scout makes two melee attacks or two ranged attacks.
Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.
Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, ranged 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage.

Nuren Pesilat
Armor Class: 15 (studded leather)
Hit Points: 78 (12d8 + 24)
Speed: 25ft.
STR 10 (+0) DEX 16 (+3) CON 14 (+2) INT 12 (+1) WIS 10 (+0) CHA 10 (+0)
Saving Throws: Dex +7, lnt +5
Skills: Acrobatics +7, Deception +4, Perception +4, Stealth + 11
Damage Resistances: poison
Senses: passive Perception 14
Languages: Common, Thaurben

Features:
Assassinate. During its first turn, the pesilat has advantage on attack rolls against any creature that hasn't taken a turn. Any hit the pesilat scores against a surprised creature is a critical hit.
Evasion. If the pesilat is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, the pesilat instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw,. and only half damage if it fails.
Sneak Attack (1/Turn). The pesilat deals an extra 13 (4d6) damage when it hits a target with a weapon attack and has advantage on the attack roll, or when the target is within 5 feet of an ally of the pesilat that isn't incapacitated and the pesilat doesn't have disadvantage on the attack roll.
Brave. The pesilat has advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
Halfling Nimbleness. The pesilat can move through the space of any creature that is of a size larger than them.
Naturally Stealthy. The pesilat can attempt to hide even behind any ally that is at least one size category larger than them.

Actions:
Multiattack. The pesilat makes a shortsword attack and an unarmed strike or two longbow attacks.
Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage, and the target must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 24 (7d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Unarmed strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) bludgeoning damage, and the target must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of the pesilat's next turn.
Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, ranged 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage.

Plague Construct
Armor Class 10
Hit Points 38 (4d12 + 12)
Speed 20 ft.
STR 16 (+3) DEX 10 (+0) CON 16 (+3) INT 3 (-4) WIS 6 (-2) CHA 5 (-3)
Saving Throws: Wis +0
Skills: Athletics +5
Damage Resistances: acid; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons that aren't adamantine
Damage Immunities: necrotic, psychic, poison
Condition Immunities: charmed, exhaustion, frightened, petrified, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., blindsight 30ft., passive Perception 8

Features
Immutable Form. The plague construct is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.
Regeneration. The plague construct regains 10 hit points at the start of its turn. If the plague construct takes radiant damage, this trait doesn't function at the start of the plague constructs's next turn. The plague construct dies only if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn't regenerate.
Plague Fortitude. If damage reduces the plague construct to 0 hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a success, the plague construct drops to 1 hit point instead.
Death Burst. When the plague construct dies, it explodes in a burst of dark energy. Each creature within 10 feet of it must make a DC 11 Dexterity saving throw, taking 7 (2d6) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Loathsome Limbs. Whenever the plague construct takes at least 15 slashing damage at one time, roll a d20 to determine what else happens to it:
1-10: Nothing else happens.
11- 17: One arm is severed from the plague construct if it has any arms left.
18-19: One leg is severed from the plague construct if it has any legs left.
20: The plague construct is decapitated, but the plague construct dies only if it can't regenerate. If it dies, so does the severed head.
If the the plague construct finishes a short or long rest without reattaching a severed limb or head, the part regrows. At that point, the severed part dies.
Until then, a severed part acts on the plague construct's initiative and has its own action and movement. A severed part has AC 13, 10 hit points, and the plague constructs's Regeneration trait. A severed leg is unable to attack and has a speed of 5 feet. A severed arm has a speed of 5 feet and can make one claw attack on its turn, If its head is severed, the troll loses its bite attack, with disadvantage on the attack roll unless the plague construct can see the arm and its target. If both its arms are severed, the plague construct loses its claw attack. If its head is severed, the plague construct loses its bite attack and its body is blinded unless the head can see it. The severed head has a speed of 0 feet. It can make a bite attack but only against a target in its space. The plague construct's speed is halved if it's missing a leg. If it loses both legs, it falls prone. If it has both arms, it can crawl. With only one arm, it can still crawl, but its speed is halved. With no arms or legs, its speed is 0, and it can't benefit from bonuses to speed.

Actions:
Multiattack. A plague construct gets two attacks, one claw attacks and one bite attack
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage.

Spoiler: Future

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Needing creating:
Geographical overhaul
More extensive history and cosmos
The languages
More religions
The colonies, nations, and city-states of the Sea of Nisos
The rest of the Lands Beyond
An Underdark
Important Organizations
Local areas, cities, and ruins

Any additional suggestions/ideas are greatly appreciated!

[BootStrapTommy]

Spoiler: Archive of Past Contributions

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As a present a few names for your pirate cities (their location reminded me of the Barbary Pirates so guess where I got some of my inspiration...)
Salé - a city republic, populated in great part by human refugees from the Elythrian empire. They might have to reconsider their policy of indiscriminate raids of the Elythrian coast with the ascent of the new Margrave in the empire.
Dzayer (= the Islands) - a city located on a cluster of islands close to the coast
Ruskikda (= promontory of fire) natural eruptions of naphtha or gas that sometimes spontaneously combust led to a cult of fire worship
Mahdya, ancient capital of a short lived federation of some or all of the pirate cities, the Despot of Mahdia still pretends to be the leader of these cities
Tahert (= the lioness) not really one of the pirate cities, but lying somewhat landinward within the hills/mountains this town is home to a shrine to a godess that is called the Mauler. She might be the same goddess that the Hord revered.

Not gunna say the similarities are intentional, but they are likely subconscious. The Lands of Endless Summer are more or less "Take Subsaharran Africa and smash it with Mesoamerica and bring them into the Iron Age." So Berber pirates along the Sand Shield sounds fitting! And the names all feel like pirates should be there. Thanks!

And a Berber/Bedouin aesthetic for orcs and hobs would be pretty neat. Breaks the "berserking maurader" trope for more of a "skilled horsemen/camel rider" one. Lightly armored, with spears, javelins, and bows, instead of medium armor with axes and sword.

I'm a fan of the dark age/warring states aesthetic, but I also love the city-state aesthetic, more ancient though it may be. The Sword and Dragon Coasts in Forgotten Realms and the Greek and Italian City-States fascinate me, hence the prominence of that style, as opposed to feudalism, within the setting.

The Mauler I'd have to mull over. Though that certainly sounds like a goddess one wouldn't want to mess with. Yicks!

Currently playing 5e, however this campaign setting had its genesis in 3.x. (Dragonlords are literally the Draconomicon Dragon Rider)

But I'd go with 5e for the time being, however I was purposely keeping edition vague so it could be broadly applied.

And thanks! Any help is greatly appreciated!

So you needed six goddess of Rhune, So have a partial pantheon of goddesses who are worshiped by their titles because their names are lost to the ages. Starting off at Lawful Good we have the Sister of Saints, for Neutral Good the Matron of Grace, for Lawful Neutral the Lady of Justice, the Chaotic Neutral Harbinger of Entropy, for Neutral evil the Baroness of Night, and last but not least the Mistress of Pain represents Chaotic Evil.

Might chop off the ends and just use the titles. Like the Mistress, the Matron, etc.

So, I was looking at language basses for naming places, and I thought I would give you a few Dwarveny sounding names for places, have a few fortress names.

Spoiler: Dwarven Forts

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Carraig Dún
Mór-Tua Dún
Tua-Dubh Coinnigh
Féaraigh Dún
Ann ar Bharr Cnoic Coinnigh

Those names work with the North's Romano-Briton flavor.

I've been working on the other nations around the Sea of Nisos. Got a few ideas, need a few more.

The Dales will be a nation nestled in the valleys of the eastern Northern Spines. It's ruled by a Masked Empress, and is an up and coming power in the region.

Originally a land of divided chiefdoms, it was conquered by a young charismatic chieftain advised by a beautiful sorceress.

Crowned Lord of the Freeman of the Dales, he ruled his holding until his death, some 40 years. As the chief's issues acsended the throne, the immortal sorceress remained advisor to many generations of Lords and Ladies until she was finally ousted of her position by a rebellion of nobles and burned at the stake as a maleficarum.

But the sorceress survived the burning and laid waste to the Dales, subjugating them. And thus the Freeman of the Dales were rendered notsofree and bowed before their new Empress.

Light is Evil - I heard somebody else on the forums mention the idea of a world where light is regarded as the ultimate, overwhelming evil instead of darkness and I think this could work if done right. From the overall gist of the world, having it be the unquestioned evil of the universe would be a bit much, but it might be a perfect way to make the underdark a more interesting place. After all, if most creatures that live down there find light unpleasant or even fatal, why wouldn't they consider the stuff to be evil?

From a subjective perspective, it would make sense that creatures of the night might easily view creatures of the light in the same way the latter views the former. I like it.

Finally, this idea has nothing to do with any idea I personally have, just something I figured for how to get a fix on those six goddesses of yours and what their portfolios might be. Simply put, the answer to the question would seem to easily come from their relation to the three rivers. Why is a particular maiden statue built next to a particular river, and why next to that other one? Could they somehow be two sides of the same coin that somehow relate to an important event in the river's past/thing it does for Rhunites? Are they sentinels that work together to guard the land or some great treasure? Might they have absolutely no relation to the rivers and are actually related to a completely different but nearby formation? A combination of the previously suggested ideas? The possibilities are endless so long as you consider what the symbolism of the rivers might mean.

Aesthetically speaking the statues are inspired by Argonath on the Anduin in LotR.

I don't remember if I went into detail in history, but basically the Ring of Rhune is an impenetrable wall of sheer cliffed mountains which separates Dagon's Mount from the rest of Rhune. A natural geologic fence, if you will. The statues "guard" the only feasible entrances to the Ring, where the rivers carve a path through them.

I'm inclined to say that the statues might not be of the goddesses, just that the Rhunites decided that the statues, which predate their culture, were their goddesses.

And their purpose, maybe the intended or maybe the Rhunites, is to serve as a "warning" to those who enter the Ring, as Dagon's Mount is both wilderness and sacred land.

Spoiler: history

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The continent of Llöthlor derives its name from the ancient empire which once ruled much of its shores. Emerging sometime after the Dawn War from which the world was formed (who fought this war? Gods? Titans?), the Llöthlori Empire was a mighty, loosely-held magocracy ruled by an order of powerful Dragonlords (actual spell-casting dragons or some kind of title?), which faltered over many centuries before collapsing in the Great Interregnum, a cataclysmic civil war near as bloody as Creation (Creation was bloody? Assuming this is a reference to the Dawn War but not sure). As with many cataclysmic civil wars in fantasy and in reality, the Great Interregnum lead to the destruction of much of the learning and history of this first historical empire, which now lives on largely in the legends, the ruins, and the names they left behind.

The end of the Llöthlori Empire brought about a dark age upon the lands which once comprised the vast Empire, which splintered and crumbled not into successor states, but into a scrabbling mess of independent fiefdoms vying for the scattered infrastructure of their predecessor. Often referred to by contemporary historians as the Warring States Period, or simply as the Age of Darkness (I like Age of Darkness better, other one invokes Sun Tzu), the Great Night following the Llöthlor’s demise is known little better than the interregnum that preceded it. But the historical works which do survive paint a picture of a brutish struggle between clansmen, warlords, generals, and kings to claim land and glory for their posterity.




The Age of Darkness met its end after centuries of blood shed in a bloodbath nearly as brutal as the Age itself. In the south of Llöthlor, in those Lands of Endless Summer (is this a region? It’s not on the map), a religious cult to a violent Orc goddess named Ysera the Mauler rallied the forsaken and downtrodden among the vicious desert Orc tribesmen of the Sand Shield, erupting a vile war between the cultists and their Elven neighbors (the elves lived next to the desert? This intrigues me), which drove the cultists north fleeing persecution and in search of conquest. Gathering Orcs and goblinoids to their banner as they went, the movement now known as the Great Horde emerged as the first true nation building force from the ruins of Llöthlor. Fueled by fervor for land and a religious mandate for conquest, the first Horde carved the first “empire” in over a millennium. At the base of the Southron Spines in the lands surrounding the Sea of Elytheria, the Horde subjugated the petty kingdoms, forging a brutal theocratic militocracy which claimed dominion over the lands for over a generation. The irony of this first “empire”, however, is how instrumental it was the formation of the great nation-states to come. As the Horde’s armies proved neigh unstoppable, the fiefdoms and city-states of central and northern Llöthlor forged alliances and true kingdoms to stem the tides of fearsome Orc warriors. It was the petty Dwarven clans which called the Southron Spines their home who, interestingly enough, helped forge the first chain of great nations which would follow, overcoming their internal struggles and forging a stalwart alliance with the neighboring free states, their kinsmen in the Northern Spines, and the mysterious Dragonlords which called the central isles of the Sea of Nisos their home.

The First Smyrna Alliance (why was it called this? Is this the name of the region?), as it is now known, dealt a series of devastating blows to the Horde, crushing their seats of power at the base of the Southron Spines and in the lands north of the Sea of Elytheria. But its victory was short lived, as within a generation a new more imposing Horde emerged, under a new charismatic prophet. Bolstered by influx of crusaders from across the continent fueled by tales the of the glory of it predecessor, the second incarnation of the Great Horde proved more brutal than the first, and soon the forces of the liberators crumbled under its weight, the Southron host retreating to their mountain strongholds while the Northern host retreated back across the Sea of Nisos. As the Horde stormed the Southron Spines, only the Dragonlords of the Isles stayed true to their alliance, their forces bolstered by mercenary from the frigid lands north of the inland Sea of Nisos.

The Second Smyrna Alliance faired better than the odds would have ever predicted. After successfully breaking a number of sieges, a small force of Southron dwarves, bolstered by mercenaries lead by a charismatic Dragonlord named Mosaham Abramose and a powerful Northman wizard name Gabriel the Bold, lead a daring assault on the Orc’s Court in the vale of Smyrna, were the cunning and daring of the Alliance forces slew the Orc prophet and dealt a crushing blow to the second Great Horde from which the movement never recovered. As the Horde’s dominion collapsed, the victorious Alliance grew. Fueled by Dwarven craftsmanship, Northman magic, and the iron fisted rule of Dragonlords who claimed descendency from the Llöthlori, Smyrna emerged as the first true empire from the rubble of the old. From their ceremonial fortress at Orquacourt, the Dragonlords, with their mage and Dwarven allies, forged a kingdom which comprised much of the lands to the south, east, and west of the Southron Spines, as well as a number of colonies which dotted the Sea of Nisos, many of which would rise to form nations of their own in time. Over time, however, the Realm of the Dwarves and the Dragonlords would wane, as emerging threats from the north and the east whittled away the great empire. Ultimately, as the star of the Northman rose, the star of Smyrna set. The Great Waste swept the land, turning Smyrna into wildlands (was this a mundane disaster? A magical one? What kind of disaster?), and weakening its borders for those great leaders enterprising enough to forge their own legacies. An age of successor states followed, many of them empires in their own right. [COLOR="#B22222"](How long did Smyrna last? Centuries? Millennia?)

To the northwest of the Sea of Nisos, nestled between the Great Sea and the Northern Spines, are the vast arid plains of the Vale of Rhune. Once a rugged borderland of Llöthlor, it is now home to a hardy people at home as much in a saddle as on the deck of a ship (this is a mounted and seafaring culture? Those two aren’t usually compatible, some expansion might be good). A geographically divided land dominated by three rivers where loyalty to clan and jarl are the highest value, its sorcerers and warriors oft found employ to the south, many of them helping forge Smyrna. But the Northmen’s greatest conflicts always pointed inward, as clans vied for water, land, resources, and power. By the Twilight of Smyrna and the age of its successors, the clans had merged into twelve petty fiefdoms, each ruled by powerful warlords called “dux”. Seeing an opportunity in the waning power of Smyrna, however, an enterprising leader from the Bay of Amur name Dafydd Penddraig, strengthened by his marriage to the daughter of a warlord from the Behrune Gap, began a lifelong campaign to unite the Rhunites as One People under One Banner. He succeeded in this endeavor through both cunning and conquest, crowning himself the first King of the Rhunites in his twilight years. But a kingdom did not suffice his son, Llywelyn, a boy who outshined his father in both wit and skill of arm. So when the first King of the Rhunites was laid to rest, the first Emperor of Rhune was crowned.




The Great Rhunic Empire emerged over the coming century as the greatest power since the Llöthlori, forging a dominion which stretched through Rhune and the former lands of Smyrna to the northern shores of the Sea of Elythria. As the power of the Dukes of Amur waned, the power of the Dukes of Nisos waxed, forming the basis for a maritime empire which stretched to every shore of the Sea of Nisos and south of Elthyria. The Rhunites reforged the long forgot infrastructures of Llöthlor, exploring the western oceans and the land beyond and forging new trade routes with the emerging nations to the south and east from those once established by Smyrna and its successor states. (Was this empire a Mongol-style steppe empire, or did the Rhunites adopt agriculture once they obtained power?) Yet even the Rhunite’s new glory ultimately could not withstand the sands of time. (How much time?)

The Rhunic Interregnum rivaled it predecessor, yet record of the period remain surprisingly intact. A blood letting forged in the crucible of questioned succession, the Empire splintered as regional warlords laid claims to lands no longer protected by legions now embroiled in the civil war. By the time the dust settled, the Second Empire was a new animal, much of its former lands culled with naught but the heartlands and its Nisosi colonies remaining. Yet it too crumbled under its own weight as age old Rhunite quarrels reemerged and the Remnant collapsed into infighting.

Post-Rhunite Llöthlor has been a land of rising and falling states. Many empires have themselves risen and fallen in the years following Rhune’s demise. The Federation that rules the Vale of Rhune is powerful, but a pale spectre of the Empire it succeeds and must face off against growing Elven powers to the south, rising city-states to the east, and new threats from beyond the horizons. (Are the Federation and Vale the core setting regions then?)

The Dawn War is functionally identical to it's Forgotten Realms equivalent. Which is explained under Religion.

Dragonlord is a collective title for a rider and their dragon. This is explained in both Prominent NPCs and auxiliary posts.

Creation was the Dawn War. Sorry, I like doing that Tolkien literary thing where you refer to one event by multiply names and hope the reader can infer from context.

The Age of Darkness is a combination of the European Dark Ages and the Chinese Warring States Period. And for the record, Sun Tzu predates the Warring States Period.

The Lands of Endless Summer are proxy Africa. They're the land south of the Pirate States. See Lands Beyond the Elythrian.

I made my Sub-Saharran proxy civilization Elven. Because, yeah, it's pretty cool.

It's called that because it's responsible for the foundation of Smyrna.

The Great Waste was a magical blight/plague. One of the "unintended consequences" of magic referenced in the House Rules section.

I purposely avoid setting a timeline. Timelines can be a fickle bitch.

As is referenced under the Federation, Rhune is not one culture, so much as 12. Amur, Behrune, and Nisos border both huge rivers and seas. The rest of the Duchies are land lock. Hence Amur, Behrune, and Nisos are naval cultures. Aratoy, Oriam, Thrace, Gwynedd, Mercia, Crimea, Saoisti, and Fadenwaith are equine cultures. And Fornox, and their spellcasters, are the source of any cultural unity that does exist.

The Rhunic Empire is a proxy Roman Empire.

I hate timelines. They're hard

Yes. The whole campaign setting emerged from me fleshing out a world to surround Rhune.

Spoiler: States

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The Federation of Rhune
The Vale of Rhune is a cold, arid plain bordered on all sides by mountains, located in the northwestern corner of Llöthlor. In the center of the Vale lies Dagon’s Mount, a dormant volcano and the largest peak in Llöthlor (wait Dagon has a volcano? Did this plain once lie on the sea floor?). Runoff and hydrothermal vents on the mountain’s side converge to feed the Vale’s three major waterways, the Amuri, the Behrune, and the Nisos. Surrounding the Mount is the Ring of Rhune, a small range of sheer mountains which cut off the Mount from the rest of Rhune, save the three gorges cut out by the emerging waterways. The Mount and those lands within the Ring are sacred to Rhunites, and the six “Goddesses” of Rhune guard the way, two statues where each of the three rivers emerge from the Ring. It was around the Ring which rose one of Rhune’s most powerful fiefdoms, the Duchy of Fornox, Rhune’s spiritual capital and home to its best spellcasters. From there, the three great rivers of Rhune have shaped the land and its people, watering otherwise parched steppes with the water needed for livestock and agriculture. The Behrune flows north and west, carving the Behrune Gap between the northern White Mountains and the western Demure’s Daggers. Here the Duchy of Behrune formed, hardy northern farmers rich from trade with the frigid lands north of the Sea of Ice into which the Behrune empties. The Nisos flows south and east, where it empties into the inland Sea of Nisos where that sea juts out west between the Northern and Southron Spines and Rhune’s Grey Mountains. Here rose the Duchy of that name, whose sailors are among the most skilled in Rhune and feared throughout the sea that bears their name. Last is the Mighty Amuri, shortest but greatest of the rivers, which flows into the Bay of Amur that separates the Behrune Penisula to the north from the southlands of Rhune. It was there, upon the Amuri Delta, that the Empire was first founded by the Dukes of Amur, and it is there that the grand Imperial Demesne lies, the Gem of the North and one of the greatest cities in Llöthlor.

The Rhunites are a hardy people, and incredibly diverse, surviving in a land comprised of mostly cold steppes. Suited perfectly for these steppes and for warfare, the large, shaggy bred of horses known as the Fadenwaith have become the primary livestock for much of Rhune’s pastoralists. As a result, the majority of central Rhunites are born and raised in the saddle. Preferring heavy armor and bows, Rhunic cataphracts are some of the most feared cavalry in northern Llöthlor. The denizens of the Duchies of the Rivers, however, grew to accept the bounty of the Daughters of Dagon, being the best farmers and sailors in all the north (what are they building their ships out of? Even if arable near rivers, steppe environments generally don’t produce timber suited for shipbuilding?). These Rhunites often preferred axes and shields to bows and fight in medium and light armor, if any. As the spiritual leaders of Rhune and Guardians of Dagon, a common myth among the other Duchies states that all Fornoxi are wizards. While they aren’t (some are sorcerers, druids, clerics, and warlocks!), they do produce the most talented spellcasters in all of northern Llöthlor.




The Federation is a loose confederacy comprised of the 12 fiefdoms of old. Each Duke/Duchess rules his/her Duchy with near autonomy, with the help of feudal Earls, the remnants of the clan leaders of old (pastoralists and feudalism can have trouble mixing, how does this particular system work?). It is from the Twelve that the Federation elects the Archduke/Archduchess, who must renounce their claim to their Duchy and rule as Chancellor and Grand Margrave from the Imperial Demesne for life. This practice has had the effect of leading Rhunites to abandon primogeniture, as abdicating such a position without an heir could be disastrous. The Archduke/Archduchess is largely a figure head, however they are expected to lead Rhunite armies into battle and mediate disputes between Duchies.

Other Duchies include Aratoy, Oriam, Thrace, Gwynedd, Mercia, Crimea, Saoisti, and Fadenwaith.

The Demuren Free Cities
The Behrune Peninsula and its core mountains, Demure’s Daggers, jut south from the Behrune Gap along Rhune’s western border with the Great Sea, forming the outer edge of the Bay of Amur. Demures Dagger’s sheer peaks slowly taper with the peninsula’s length, descending into a land of swampy hills known as the Mere of Demure, which itself dissolves into the series of lagoons, atolls, and archipelagoes known as Demure’s Fingers. Here, among the cold, shallow waters of the labyrinth which guards the Bay’s mouth, the rugged Demurens make their living from the Sea. A people bound to their waters, they rival the Nisosi’s maritime exploits. Ever watchful, their skill at arms has been honed by years of conflict with the pirates who haunt the Finger’s, the monsters who haunt the Mere, and the might of the Great Sea. Unlikely as it is, among these cold, wet rocks clinging off the coast of Llöthlor a number of powerful trading cities emerged.




The Fingers, located not only beside the mouth of the Bay of Amur but as the last true ports through to the Sea of Ice and the mysterious far western isle nation of Nemeria, sit upon a vital trade route which have enriched the fisherman and sailors of these hostile waters with goods and trade from far distant lands. Yet the numerous isles and fertile waters of the Finger’s have also made it a haven for pirates, while the Mere’s murky depths hide sea creatures of great peril. Each of the Free Cities find themselves hard pressed to protect themselves, let alone quarrel with each other or protect ports and fishing villages upon which they rely. As a result a flourishing mercenary culture has emerged, freelance monster and pirate hunters working for the highest bidder (do the mercenaries turn pirate when contracts are scarce?).

While de jure vassals of the Federation (what does this entail? Tribute? Service as auxiliaries?), the Free Cities share de facto autonomy, many ruled as republics or even democracies. A few however are ruled by powerful mages, merchants, or sea captains.

The Kingdom of Sinope
Nestled between the Grey Mountains to the north and the Southron Spines to the east, the Kingdom of Sinope is a rising city-state along the Sea of Nisos’s southwesternmost shores. Centered in the eponymous seaport, it is a nation founded by refugees fleeing persecutions in the neighboring Elythrian Empire and her Three Sisters. Vassal to the Duchy of Nisos (What does vassaldom imply?), Sinope holds its Elven enemies a bay through the sponsorship of its powerful northern neighbors.

A proud place, the city itself is said to predate even the rise of Smyrna, having repelled numerous attempts by the Horde to subjugate it (but they’re a vassal state? Is there an underground movement for independence?). But where the Orcs had failed however, Dwarves and Dragons succeed, as the lone city-state on the Sea of Nisos became the gateway to Smyrna’s Nisosi colonies and the launching ground for Smyrna’s attempts to quell the remaining Dragonlords of the Isles. After brief independence during the Twilight of Smyrna, the city became one of the first additions to the Rhunic Empire under its first Emperor. Ever after tied to Rhune, it became little more than an extension of the Duchy of Nisos, remaining in the Empire through the Rhunic Interregnum. Even when the Empire finally collapsed, Nisos held sway in Sinope.

As xenophobia and racism grew through Elven separatist lands to the south, humans fled to Sinope, where they found protection under a Nisosi court. Despite attempts by the Elven forces to their south to claim the city and its dominions (diplomatic pressure? Wars? Assassinations?), the Nisosi kings of Sinope have held true. Now, recent events in the Elthyrian Empire have armed the city-state to go on the offensive and maybe even find allies where once were enemies.

The Dwarven Fiefdoms of the Spines
The Spines are a vast range of gargantuan mountains which make their way down west-central Llöthlor, between Lands of Winter to the north and the eastern most reach of the Sea of Elthyria to the south. Vast peaks snow-capped to their very southern reaches, they serve as one of the most extreme geographic barriers in all of Llöthlor. At their center however, separating North from South, the vast inland Sea of Nisos gouges its way between them, the island remnants of this stretch of the peaks speckling the waters. As imposing a barrier as the mountains themselves, the Sea has separated the Spines’s kinsmen, the Dwarves.




In the North the Spines are a frigid wasteland, their interior and eastern slopes cold and dry and their western slopes cool and wet. Vast in breadth, only a small number of passes pierce from east to west, while countless other winding paths create a deadly labyrinth waiting to swallow the naïve and lost. Home to numerous bands of primitive tribals, the true powers of these vast peaks honeycomb the mountains’ depths living hidden in their massive fortress-mines. The rugged and resourceful dwarves of the Northern Spines dredge valuable metals, minerals, and gems deep beneath the behemoth peaks. With these they forge beautiful works of art, their furnaces fueled by wood cut from the mountain side by their tribal neighbors. The most prosperous mines, however, are those which arose along the viable trade ways, enriched not their own mineral wealth, but by the markets which emerged at their door steps. But greed and revenge run deep among the Dwarves, and petty feuds between Dwarven fiefdoms persist, ensuring continued disunity within the mountains.

In the South, things are a shade different. Once the industrial heartland of the Dragonlords of Smyrna’s vast domain, the mines of the Southron Spines where ravaged by the same Waste which brought that empire they served to its knees. Many of the once great mines of Smyrna now lay empty, nothing more than monster filled ruins dotting the warm, dry peaks which border the wild central valley of Smyrna. Those Dwarven strongholds which remain in these barren peaks are insular and xenophobic, keenly aware that their ancestors paid dearly for their foreign alliances and expansionist ambitions.

The Wildlands of Smyrna
As the Southron Spines reach south toward the Sea of Elthyria, they split down the middle, forming a fertile valley watered by the summer run-off of the vast surrounding peaks. It was within this wild, easily defended valley that the Great Horde made its greatest holdfasts against their Dwarven enemies. And it was there that the second Alliance defeated the Great Horde at the court the Orc’s had made. It was on the ruin of that battlefield that the some of Dragonlords of Isles commemorated their victory with their Dwarven allies by raising their own holdfast, the mighty Orquacourt, among the greatest fortresses since the long ruined holds of the Llöthlori. These Dragonlords of the Vale subjugated a vast dominion with magic, stretching throughout the lands bordering the mountains and the shores of the Sea of Nisos. Records of the nation these Dragonlords built are spotty, much lost in the chaos now known as the Great Waste, a strange, unknown affliction which torn at the heart of the empire, ravaging its heartland and leaving its hinterlands ripe for the taking (was this a plague? Or some kind of land-destroying blight?).

The valley of Smyrna is now a wild land shrouded in mystery, shaped and change by the events which precipitated the Great Waste. Few who venture into the valley every return. Those who do return changed, shaken by the experience, babbling tales of a twisted landscape populated by strange monsters and stranger magic.

The mysterious cult of the Strangers holds these lands to be sacred.

The Elythrian Empire
Forged during the collapse of the Rhunic Empire by Elven separatist (was this mentioned in the history section?), the Elythrian Empire is the primary successor state to the estate of a High Elven conqueror of old. With ample coast lines along the Great Sea to the west and to the south along its namesake, the Empire stands as a properous hub of trade. A temperate fertile land which bridges the lands of the North with those south of the Sea of Elthyria, the Empire has emerged as one of the greatest nations in Llöthlor. Ruled by an insular High Elven upper class, its power was forged on the backs of slaves justified by a belief in Elven racial superiority (so the elves rule an empire of human slaves. That’s different. It’s a cool direction, seems worthy of expansion). While the Woods Elves of the Empire form its minor lords and merchant middleclass, its Human population have suffered over the centuries in bondage, those few who have their freedom condemned largely to a life of poverty and discrimination.

A decade ago the fires of rebellion were kindled as Humans revolted against their High Elven overlords. Beginning as a simple of act of disobedience, a revolutionary movement rose around a charismatic, young warlock name Roland Jeremiah. After years of battle and numerous miraculous victories, the rebels delivered the killing blow in the Battle of the Elyt Peninsula, where the Emperor and his son fell in battle, leaving the lands in the hands of the Emperor’s young daughter, Mara Aurelia (this seems a very human name for an elven ruler, is there linguistic commonality?).




On face value the rebels have emerged victorious. Suing for piece, the Empress has done the unthinkable and offered her hand in marriage the rebel leader. Though denied the title of Emperor, Roland Jeremiah has been given the position of Grand Margrave, commander-in-chief for the Empires armies. Even after 3 years, Elythrian politics smolder on the verge of renewed violence. While slavery remains, reforms have released many from bondage, while in turn enslaving many of the land’s former ruling class. Those High Elves which remain in power stand with their Empress against the aggressive policies of her husband, a situation only complicated by the warlock’s mistress, a High Elven turncoat bent to claim the throne for herself.

The Three Sisters
The four Wood Elven nations nestled between the Grey Mountains and the Elythrian Empire share their powerful neighbor’s pedigree. Born from the northern borderlands of an old High Elven estate, the Three Sisters straddle along the shores and islands of the massive Bay of Kyn (there’s four nations but three sisters?). While the two Sisters of the Arms are more welcoming to trade with any nation, the Sister of the Interior suffer xenophobia in greater degree than even the elite of the Empire, trading only with their Elven neighbors.

Many within the Sisters look suspiciously upon their neighbors across the Grey Mountians, the Rhunites, and look covetously upon their neighbor, Sinope, a prize they claim is their own.

The Land of Nuren
One of the Lands Beyond the Nisos, Nuren is a insular nation of Hobbits and Wood Elves in the east of Llöthlor, tucked between the Sea of Nisos and its smaller eponymous Sea (more of a lake). Nuren’s denizens have a long history, having resisted colonization by both Smyrna and Rhune, the large wood hills and dells of their land providing them the cover for brutal guerrilla war. Master archers, the Nuren Elves and Haflings prefer simplistic living (since these wood elves live with the halflings in some form of harmony are they a different cultural or ethnic group from the wood elves in the empire?). However, they have in recent years opened trade with denizens of the shores of Nisos, a fact potentially motivated by problems along their northern border with the Great Steppe.

The Pirate States and the Sand Shield
Along the southern shore of the Elythrian Sea, dotting the Sand Shield's coast, are numerous ports which serve as havens for the pirates which haunt the Sea. These cities, the Pirate States, are largely independent city-states fueled by trade from the south and plunder from the Sea.

Among them includes Salé, a city republic, populated in great part by human refugees from the Elythrian empire; Dzayer, the Islands, a city located in a protected cove on a cluster of islands; Ruskikda, the Promontory of Fire, where natural eruptions of naphtha fuel a cult of fire worship; and Mahdya, ancient capital of a short lived federation of all of the pirate cities whose Despot still pretends lord over them.

Tahert, the Lioness, lies somewhere deep within the Sand Shield. It is home to what remains of the cult to the godess that is called the Mauler.

The Other Lands Beyond the Nisos
Many kingdoms, fiefdoms, and city-states have arisen along the Sea of Nisos, some founded by natives, other former colonies of Smyrna, Rhune, and Nisos. Tales even tell of a great eastern empire near Nuren, whose lands stretch far east to another Great Sea!

North of the Sea of Nisos, stretching to the Lands of Winter, is the Great Steppe, a massive northern plain populated by ramblers and nomads (do these people claim any sort of kinship or enmity with the Rhunites?). South of the Sea lies the Hared Desert, a land of desert kingdoms which cuts its southern and eastern neighbors off from the rest of Llöthlor.

The Dales lie along the Nisos' northern shore, nestled against the Northern Spines.

The Lands Beyond the Elythrian
Along the southern shore of the Elythrian, the thin band of the Sand Shield cuts off the Pirate States from the Lands of Endless Summers to the south. In these lands of mountains and jungle, the only nations which emerge do so near the embrace of the Great Sea or atop the cool peaks of its many mountains.

The Lands Beyond the Great Sea
Llöthlor is only the only continent to populate the world, and the Great Sea surrounding Llöthlor hides many lands. Rhunite explorers have visited many across the western Sea, establishing trade with the strange lands beyond. The most noted of these is the frigid land of Nemeria, a Halfing forest nation to the northwest, made wealthy by the mining efforts of its Gnomes.

Dagon's Mount (If your asking about the names, there's linguistic history behind it, but for the moment it's irrelevent) is like the Lonely Mountain. It, and the Ring of Rhune, cannot be explained by traditional geologic forces. As the Six Goddesses might imply, the volcano might not be of natural origins. Blame it on the Llöthlori.

Amur is a forrested, mountainous coastland. Behrune is in a huge river valley through the mountains. Nisos is also a coastland, tucked between two mountain ranges. Needless to say, the mountains have trees.

The Earls are the remnants of clan jarls. I guess their not so much feudal lords, as heads of very large extended families. Think Scottish Lairds.

That would certainly explain where the pirates come from.

Demure is the gateway to both Amur and Behrune. The Rhuntes benefit from keeping trade open. Thus Rhunite Ambassadors are involved in the Demuren Republics, Demurens are considered dependents of Rhune, and the Amurite and Behrunen naval forces put a lot of effort toward fighting piracy. But despite all this, Rhunites exert little political control currently.

Sinope is the counterpoint to Demure. On paper it's free, but the Duke of Nisos is the real power in Sinope.

Obviously not all citizens of Sinope appreciate being puppets.

War. This is explained under Important Organizations section under The Warden.

Magic plague/blight.

It's incorporated under the "other empires rose and fell after Rhune" thing. I plan on fleshing out Elyt the Grand and his conquests at a later date.

Elves are long lives, and my High Elves are immortal. Rather than assuming that they would emerge more civilized, I wondered if they might turn out like the Aldmeri Dominion and develop Nazi-like racial theories.

When I think "empire" I think Rome. Sorry, it's a bad bias. Hence the Latin surname.

That was a typo.

The distance between the two cultures is basically the whole of the map. So yeah.

The mountain range between the two is the proxy Himalayas. So no. Any exchange between the two is filtered through the Dwarves.

[DarkBunny91]

Aesthetically speaking the statues are inspired by Argonath on the Anduin in LotR.

I don't remember if I went into detail in history, but basically the Ring of Rhune is an impenetrable wall of sheer cliffed mountains which separates Dagon's Mount from the rest of Rhune. A natural geologic fence, if you will. The statues "guard" the only feasible entrances to the Ring, where the rivers carve a path through them.

I'm inclined to say that the statues might not be of the goddesses, just that the Rhunites decided that the statues, which predate their culture, were their goddesses.

And their purpose, maybe the intended or maybe the Rhunites, is to serve as a "warning" to those who enter the Ring, as Dagon's Mount is both wilderness and sacred land.

Upon reading, maybe the reason the statues were constructed was to act as a seal, or as part of an ancient seal that keeps an apocalypse level monstrosity in a state of slumber. Think about it, a natural formation with three feasible entrances each guarded by a pair of monolithic statues?

[BootStrapTommy]

Upon reading, maybe the reason the statues were constructed was to act as a seal, or as part of an ancient seal that keeps an apocalypse level monstrosity in a state of slumber. Think about it, a natural formation with three feasible entrances each guarded by a pair of monolithic statues?

Shhh!!! No one's supposed to know that yet!

Probably gunna make Dagon's Mount the prison for the Titans...

[DarkBunny91]

Llöthlor is only the only continent to populate the world

Noticed a thing in the beyond the sea bit.

[BootStrapTommy]

Filled in a whole bunch of stuff. Added a quick info section with regional languages, religion, and geography in the regions section.

Added flavor quotes to a bunch of stuff, just for kicks.

Filled out a few things in organizations, religion, geography and history.

The Nihoni Empire and the City of Genoi made their debut. Named the Demuren Cities and Pirate States.

Added a Monster Manual!

Still looking for names for Pirate States. Thinking maybe four more? Finished naming all the unnamed things! Now it is time to create more content! Any suggestions or ideas are greatly appreciated!

[DarkBunny91]

Do you already have specific ideas for the language bases in each area? I can help with naming/designing cities and the like, but I don't want to tragically misrepresent flavor in the region with ignorance.

[BootStrapTommy]

Hmmm...

Rhune so far has a Briton flavor. And Elythria is intended to have a Latin flavor. The Sand Shield stuff currently feels Arabic. Demure is generic Romance. The Dales are kind of French. So far I'm on the fence for the Dwarves. Torn between further Briton, or maybe Scandinavian. Maybe both, along the Northern/Southron divide.

[Corneel]

Hmmm...

Rhune so far has a Briton flavor. And Elythria is intended to have a Latin flavor. The Sand Shield stuff currently feels Arabic. Demure is generic Romance. The Dales are kind of French. So far I'm on the fence for the Dwarves. Torn between further Briton, or maybe Scandinavian. Maybe both, along the Northern/Southron divide.

As the Dwarves are not related to humans, why not go for some slightly more exotic flavour, like Armenian or other other mountain people (Chechen, Swiss, Tibetan,...).

[BootStrapTommy]

As the Dwarves are not related to humans, why not go for some slightly more exotic flavour, like Armenian or other other mountain people (Chechen, Swiss, Tibetan,...).

That sounds awesome actually. The issue is I'd have to find the right mountain language. Armenian, Tibetan, and Chechen all don't use the Latin alphabet, meaning I'd be hopelessly lost. And in Switzerland, they speak up to four different languages (all, with the exception of Romansh, are boring)...

The only other mountain languages I can think of are Scandinavian languages or Romanian (yet another Romance language).

[LordotTrinkets]

Well, how true to the native language of the cultures you're working with are you wanting to go? If by 'you'd be completely lost in any language that doesn't use the latin alphabet' are you referring to not knowing what the symbols themselves mean, what the basic rules of the language are, or what? Alphabet should be easy enough for most languages, a little bit of scrounging around could easily buy you a working knowledge of such, unless of course the written language is so uber-complex that native speakers spend their entire lives learning all the ins and outs (looking at you, Kanji).

Basic rule sets would be a little difficult unless you know someone else who knows them, as you'll almost definitely have to study the language yourself. Perhaps you could side-step by playing fast and loose with the rules. Use google translate to convert entire phrases and when someone who knows the language brings up a snarky remark, tell them "Hey! This isn't 'X', this is Dwarven. Whatcho doin' comparing it to that anyway?". Or if you want to go full-lingual-Tolkien-ist and get the bonus points almost no one would care about, make up an entire language. Because if you're going to Middle Earth something, go for the gusto.

---

On a different note, here's an idea for a deity: Tesolk, god of secrets and privacy.

He is a deity that came from beyond Elythrian, but few people on Llöthlor actually know about him. Tesolk's major teachings are that privacy is paramount and the desire to keep something a secret must be respected. Worship of him is primarily among the security forces for royal families, who have complete and utter trust in their servant' ability to not divulge important information (not that they actively tell them these secrets, just that the religious vows are very effective fail-safes).

His image in artwork is almost always as a purple cloud with white speckles floating in it, usually sitting in front of a door made completely of bone. His actual appearance (and some say gender) is utterly unknown with the single exception of his mouth, which is sown shut.

Just spit-balling here, but maybe his deific foil is the embodiment of curiosity.

[BootStrapTommy]

Basic rule sets would be a little difficult unless you know someone else who knows them, as you'll almost definitely have to study the language yourself. Perhaps you could side-step by playing fast and loose with the rules. Use google translate to convert entire phrases and when someone who knows the language brings up a snarky remark, tell them "Hey! This isn't 'X', this is Dwarven. Whatcho doin' comparing it to that anyway?"

That's kinda what I do. The problem with non-latin alphabets is that translation softwares spit out something I can't read, let alone pronounce. And I at least need to be able to reliably latinize it to use it...

On a different note, here's an idea for a deity: Tesolk, god of secrets and privacy.

He is a deity that came from beyond Elythrian, but few people on Llöthlor actually know about him. Tesolk's major teachings are that privacy is paramount and the desire to keep something a secret must be respected. Worship of him is primarily among the security forces for royal families, who have complete and utter trust in their servant' ability to not divulge important information (not that they actively tell them these secrets, just that the religious vows are very effective fail-safes).

His image in artwork is almost always as a purple cloud with white speckles floating in it, usually sitting in front of a door made completely of bone. His actual appearance (and some say gender) is utterly unknown with the single exception of his mouth, which is sown shut.

Just spit-balling here, but maybe his deific foil is the embodiment of curiosity.

That is absurdly cool, if I do say so. Make him ridiculously anti-divination.

[LordotTrinkets]

That's kinda what I do. The problem with non-latin alphabets is that translation softwares spit out something I can't read, let alone pronounce. And I at least need to be able to reliably latinize it to use it...

Yeah, I got nothin' for you there.

That is absurdly cool, if I do say so. Make him ridiculously anti-divination.

Thanks! I figured that he should be against divinations, though it does seem that one caveat would be appropriate. Should a follower of Tesolk be in the act of guarding a secret and in need of magical means of protecting it, certain divinations (likely see invisibility and detect lies) are allowed.

Also figured he'd be against blackmailing and opening locked doors, the latter being a minor sin that a worshiper can easily ignore in fellow PCs.

[BootStrapTommy]

Wouldn't a god of secrets be pro-lying and pro-hiding? You know, to protect the secret?

[LordotTrinkets]

Probably, I kind of figure that higher level clerics have been rumored to be so good at lying that you not even zone of truth or speak with dead can make them spill a secret. However, as I designed him, he's not overly fond of lying, as it was when the fox (or some other, more appropriate trickery animal) lied to him that his sealed lips were revealed to the world. In fact, it is that same story that explains why Tesolk despises blackmail.

Of course, I'm really donating Tesolk to you, so you can do whatever you please with him. He's what you'd call a homeless idea right now, doesn't really belong to any setting.

[BootStrapTommy]

Thinking of overhauling the geography. Maybe do some serious tweeking to a number of the nations, maybe even fill out the whole world map.

[BootStrapTommy]

Haven't had the free time to overhaul the geography like I want too, nor add anything new. But finally did fill out a bunch of things which needed filling out....

Still looking for ideas frm any one who wishes to contribute!

[BootStrapTommy]

Still haven't had a chance to overhaul my geography. Need the right environment for that and life has been chaotic of late. Only gunna get more chaotic... At some point I plan on doing that.

I was inspired by a comment by Tzi in the Wordbuilding Talk Thread about filling out small scale details instead of getting caught up in painting all the large scale details. Decided to fill out details about more local locations by adding a "Population Centers" sections where I talk about various cities and major ruins and such.

Working on a few expanded details still, like the Hared Desert's kingdoms and the Elyt Estates, a more true, less culty successor to the Elyt the Grand's empire.

[Tzi]

Thinking of overhauling the geography. Maybe do some serious tweeking to a number of the nations, maybe even fill out the whole world map.

Well maybe not totally fill out but if you expand more nations outside you could give those nations within your campaign scope a bit more context.

So like were might these peoples trade with? Are their far off empires and States with things to buy and sell? Silk Roads? Ect ect.

[BootStrapTommy]

Well maybe not totally fill out but if you expand more nations outside you could give those nations within your campaign scope a bit more context.

So like were might these peoples trade with? Are their far off empires and States with things to buy and sell? Silk Roads? Ect ect.

There are a few obvious candidates.

Nemeria is one. Trade with the Nemerian haflings and gnomes, and the lands west of them, is a contributing factor in the power of the Demuren Free Cities as well as the Amuri and Behruni Rhunites. Some primitive gunpowder and magictech, among other things.

The Nihoni, who occupy the void between the Hared and Nuren, are another, as their massive empire stretches east to the Sea. What territory they possess in fleshed out Llöthlor is but their weak, westernmost borderlands (like Britannia was to Rome).

I am currently working on the kingdoms of the Hared, who serve as gatekeepers to trade partners to the southeast. If I wanted a not-Silk Road, I might put it there.

Or further south, like the Lands of Endless Summer south of the Sand Shield, whose elven empires were the motivators behind the formation of the first Horde.

[BootStrapTommy]

Still trying to find the time, seclusion, and prerequisite perfect level of intoxication to overhaul the map and the geography. Yet to find any one, yet alone all three.

Finally killed writers' block enough to fill out the Imperial Demesne and the ruins of Orquacourt, which was awesome. Started on two more organizations, theoretically in opposition to each other. Stat'd a plague construct resulting from the Great Waste for the bestiary. And cleaned up a few dead link pictures.

Hopefully I can overcome my damn writers' block enough to fill out those other cities and get those organizations fleshed out. And actually finish those new nations I started on...

[EtuBrutus]

Dropping the ball, bro. Get workin'!

You have seemed to overlook a key feature of Gabriel: his lycanthropy. I feel like it was an important part of his character, biased as I am as his former player.

Also, you always spoke of the Elythrian Estates in the past tense, as if they were the precursor to the Empire. Why did you decide to change that?

Finally, I feel like Fire Guy is absent and that makes me sad.

[BootStrapTommy]

Dropping the ball, bro. Get workin'!

Job makes it hard.

You have seemed to overlook a key feature of Gabriel: his lycanthropy. I feel like it was an important part of his character, biased as I am as his former player.

I did in fact forget about that. Whether I add it however...

Also, you always spoke of the Elythrian Estates in the past tense, as if they were the precursor to the Empire. Why did you decide to change that?

Finally, I feel like Fire Guy is absent and that makes me sad.

Yeah, I decided to make not-super-racist high elves and wanted more nations. It seemed like a good concept to resurrect.

As for Fire Guy?

Ruskikda, the Promontory of Fire, where natural eruptions of naphtha fuel a cult of fire worship

Looks like a good place, yes?

[EtuBrutus]

Wow, Lunch. Maybe since you will soon be free of Empire for a few moments, you can finally come back to this? Because you done drop the ball.

Anyway, had a nation of the Nisos or maybe a Hared Desert idea, from a concept I threw around in the lyrics thread, so having stolen a bunch of names form you in Empire, I think I'll give back.

The Suzerainty of the Phoenix? Ruled by the Phoenix Suzerain, which is a Dalai Lama-esque, reincarnating lich ruler? Each incarnation is imbued with the spirit, essence, and conscientiousness of the previous rulers, creating a amalgam ruler that gets more intelligent and experienced with each new incarnation. Sound fun?

[BootStrapTommy]

Not gunna lie, I like it. Though I might not use it in the campaign setting. I might steal it for Empire3.

[tantric]

i'm reasonably skill in linguistics...Llöthlor

ll like in gaelic, IPA ʎ (upside down y) soundfile
ö as in german, IPA œ , like ur in english 'hurt' soundfile
thl could be a θ like the th in 'thing', followed by a voiceless l, like in please
then or like in english

my bantu setting has click language - !tsharg, the sapient baboon race. '!' is when you suck your tongue off the roof of your mouth 'pop' - oh, and the ogre kingdom of Ñdânth

[BootStrapTommy]

I suppose that is one way to pronounce it.

[BootStrapTommy]

I should get back to this at some point.