Tellus

**bc56** · 2018-01-13, 10:33 PM (ISO 8601)

Tellus
A homebrew setting initially intended for D&D 5e.

Spoiler: Geography

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The main area of Tellus lies between three major geographic features: The Eastern Mountains, to the north and east, the Sunset Sea, to the west, and the Great Elven Forest to the south. The northern section is taken up by rolling hills. The west coast is made up of rocky cliffs, with few places safe for ships to land. The southern section is swampland. In central Tellus,
there are plains and moors. Significant landmarks are Dragon Lake in the west, volcanic Mount Vokthiss in the south, Lake Rengiir in the southeast, and the Northern Pass in the northwest.

Spoiler: Chronology

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Time on Tellus is measured in years. The calendar system was created by the dwarves, and measures time in VHK and NHK, or Before Holy War and After Holy War. The timeline of Tellus can be split into six periods:

Spoiler: 0: The Time of Creation (timelessly ancient)

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The Great Creator creates the world, the gods, dragons, elementals, humanoids, and most of the life forms present on Tellus. He gives the gods a mandate to shepherd the world and protect its people. The gods rebel against the Great Creator, and he strikes them with various flaws. The gods continue to create new life, and eventually forget about the Great Creator. Arcane magic is discovered by the Elves. Dwarves begin mining iron and making steel. Gnolls gain renown after destroying a few small towns. An early arcane experiment creates the Dragonborn.

Spoiler: 1: The Holy Wars (until 1 NHK)

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The gods of Tellus were young and active. They grouped into pantheons based mainly on geography, and the people worshipped them. However, as pantheons started to encounter one another, they realized that there wasn't room in the world for, say, three gods of war. Pantheons declared open war on each other, and gods clashed on battlefields across Tellus alongside legions of their faithful. During the battles, dozens of gods were slain, and the equipment of the fallen deities became the first artifacts wielded by mortals. Aecor created the Krakens to fight in the war, but they turned on him and retreated to the depths of the ocean. The war came to an end.when the few surviving gods held a peace conference, after which the remaining deities formed a new pantheon. The gods then informed their followers that they would be withdrawing from the world and taking a more passive role in it, because they had come to an agreement, that like the mortals they shepherded, they were flawed creatures, and they sought answers to the riddle of their existence.

Spoiler: 2: The Rise of Cities (1 NHK to 447 NHK)

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The city-states that formed before and during the Holy War suddenly found themselves with a great deal of responsibility. Each city founded a government in its own manner, and began to conquer the land around its walls. Through the next 400 years, city-states competing for land and resources would engage in many border skirmishes, but few true wars. The Elves, Dwarves, and Dragonborn solidified their kingdoms based on shared culture at the same time. In 229 NHK, a ship bearing the first Orcs landed on the west coast. Goblinoids were nearly wiped out by the Dwarves, but an alliance with the Giants of the north allowed them to survive in greatly reduced numbers. An attempt at creating new Dragonborn creates Kobolds. Praelior breaks the pact of non-interference and creates the Goliaths. It comes to light that several other gods had secretly created races. Aecor had created the Tritons as a defense against Kraken attacks, Umbra made the Kenku, and Sevillak had made the Yuan-ti. The fiends reveal their existence, and begin actively tempting humans and attempting to capture souls. A botched fiendish pact leads to the creation of the first Tieflings.

Spoiler: 3: The Great War (447 NHK to 501 NHK)

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A failed summoning attempt causes the Green Isle Disaster, opening a rift to the Realm Beyond the Stars. Aberrant entities swarmed forth from the breach, destroying, enthralling, or altering all life they came across. The aberrants sail northeast from Green Isle and land in the Northlands. They then cut south, decimating the Dragonborn Empire and reducing it to only three city-states. It is at this time that the humanoids put down their petty squabbles and form the Free Confederation of Tellus. The armies of this alliance are able to hold the aberrants at a standoff, but the bloodiest battle of the war is fought, destroying the city of Coldhearth. In the end, an elite strike force sailed to Green Isle and managed to disable the portal. Without reinforcements, the aberrations were scattered, and many went into hiding around Tellus. Many of their foot soldiers and mutants are sequestered in hidden vaults and magically placed in stasis. The Vrenta, a slave race that was brought by the invaders into Tellus, are freed.

Spoiler: 4: Temporary Peace (501 NHK to 1064 NHK)

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In the year 533 NHK, the Free Confederation of Tellus collapses due to infighting. The city-states of Tellus maintain an uneasy and uneventful peace for hundreds of years. In the 520s NHK, the great wizard, Thorn Uklan creates a massive fortress within Mount Vokthiss. Corrupted by a fear of death, Uklan soon becomes a lich and king of the surrounding area, but his organization mysteriously vanishes around 540 NHK. Years pass. Orcs carve out a good section of central Tellus as their territory, but civil war rapidly consumes it. In 1025, Gnolls capture Greymoor Keep, driving the resident nobles out. These Gnolls and allied cultists use the keep as a base of operations to launch raids on nearby settlements.

Spoiler: 5: The Resurgence (1064 NHK and on)

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Sightings of aberrants suddenly become far more frequent. The Beholder-lord Vox-Vorago judges that the time is ripe for him to take control, and begins sending the few forces he has remaining to kidnap humanoids and replenish his supply of thralls. Three aberrant leaders, the entities known as Gormin, Omiz, and Charo are freed from the ice in which they were trapped, presumed dead, during the battle for Green Isle. They proceed to murder anyone who knows of their existence, to gather the sequestered troops, and to attempt to open a new rift. At the same time, gnolls are pushing outward from Greymoor Keep and forcibly indoctrinating captives into their cult.

Spoiler: gods of Tellus

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Deity	Alignment	Domain	Symbol
Aecor, god of the sea	NE	Tempest, War	The skeleton of a fish
Alitura, goddess of nature	CN	Nature	A fern frond
Ars, god of craftsmanship	LN	Forge	A pair of crossed hammers
Arx, god of caves and the underground	LE	Death, Forge	A shattered human skull
Dolus, god of trickery	CG	Trickery	A half-closed eye
Eosos, god of the day	LG	Light	The sun
Interitio, god of destruction	CE	Trickery, War	A pair of flaming sickles
Iter, god of travel	N	Knowledge, Trickery	A winding road with a trail of footprints
Kroll, god of Winter	NE	Death, Tempest	A stylized silver and white glacier
Malus, god of justice	LG	Light, War	A javelin wreathed in light and flame
Merca, goddess of luck	CG	Life, Trickery	A die with a 6 on each face.
Nex, goddess of crime	CE	Death, Trickery	A droplet of blood and a gold coin
Novo, god of invention	NG	Forge, Knowledge	A seven-toothed cog
Occidere, goddess of death	LN	Grave	A gravedigger’s spade
Peritia, goddess of knowledge	LE	Death, Knowledge	A book with a chain around it.
Praelior, god of war	LG	War	A shortsword and shield
Procella, goddess of storms	CG	Life, Tempest	A thundercloud and lightning bolt.
Reliquus, god of prophecy	N	Knowledge	A hook and a ring
Sevillak, god of poison	CE	Death, Nature	A dagger dripping venom
Sideralis, god of the stars	LG	Grave, Light	A cluster of stars around a lock
Spirabillis, god of healing	NG	Life	A pair of cupped hands
Tlacua, goddess of swamps and motherhood	LG	Life, Nature	A macahuitl surrounded by wreath of brightly-colored feathers
Umbra, goddess of the night	CN	Grave, Trickery	The moon
Venenarius, god of magic	N	Knowledge	A wand surrounded by green light
Yoron, god of commerce	N	Forge, Trickery	A mask, half golden and half copper

Spoiler: Demigods

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Demigods are rare on Tellus. Formed by the union of a god and a mortal, they draw life and power from their divine parent. They are utterly dependent on their godly parent for life; if they rebelled, the parent could snuff their life instantaneously. Likewise, if a god dies, their demigod children do as well. Because of this dependency, demigods are ideal servants to the gods of Tellus, and formed the bulk of armies during the Holy War. Demigods live longer than normal mortals of their race, but not forever.

Spoiler: Races

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Spoiler: Dragonborn

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The Dragonborn were once one of the most widespread races, but their land was hit heavily by the Great War. They are a proud people, with a culture based around honor and justice. They control three cities in the northwest, Aarok, Tovalis, and Kell, which form a loose confederacy, but are mostly independent of each other.

Spoiler: Dwarf

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Dwarves have the only cohesive government left in Tellus, ruled by their king from somewhere. They keep a strict isolationist policy, only allowing foreigners into the southwesternmost cities of Steinheim and Erdbrucke. They have developed magic clockwork technology, but are loath to share it with outsiders, going so far as to kidnap and imprison any non-Dwarf they find with the stuff and no permit.

Spoiler: Elf

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Elves live in the southern forests, but a good number live elsewhere. They believe strongly in personal freedom. They have no government at all, and their cities are ruled by assemblies of the people. Vigilante justice is unfortunately common in their lands.

Spoiler: Goliath (rare race)

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Goliaths share the mountains with dwarves, leading to squabbles over resources and general tense relations. They live in simple tribes on the peaks.

Spoiler: Half-Elf

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Half elves use their general likeability to fit in everywhere except with dwarves and orcs. They tend to be travelling merchants, as they are better at it.

Spoiler: Halfling

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Halflings have small, tight-knit farming communities scattered throughout central Tellus. They are often afflicted with wanderlust, an issue which divides families, as a halfling who leaves without warning may find themselves disowned.

Spoiler: Half-Orc

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Orc bands occupy a northern portion of central Tellus. They occasionally interbreed with humans, which creates half-orcs.

Spoiler: Human (or VHuman)

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Humans are the generic race that they are in most fantasy settings. They are scattered about Tellus and run most of the cities.

Spoiler: Kenku (rare race)

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Unlike in standard lore, Kenku are not weird uncreative bird people. They are highly religious, following various gods of nature and trickery.

Spoiler: Lizardfolk (rare race)

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Lizardfolk live in swamps to the south. They have strictly organized communities of hunters and woodslizardmen. It's rare, but not unheard of to see them further north.

Spoiler: Tiefling (rare race)

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Tieflings don't fit in anywhere, thanks to their fiendish blood. They tend to be found on the fringes of civilization, as they aren't always treated with kindness.

Spoiler: Triton (rare race)

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Tritons come from the depths of the western sea, living in small villages under martial law. Occasionally, one will be exiled or simply go exploring, and find themselves on the surface

Custom or Modified races (documents are here!)

Spoiler: Half-Troll (rare race)

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Half-Trolls are formed when the spilled blood of a troll mingles with that of a humanoid. The blood sometimes regenerates and results in a purple-skinned, brutish humanoid.
Document

Spoiler: Kobold

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Kobolds are small, crafty humanoids who live underground, often in caves or ruins. They are quick to worship creatures that are stronger than them, and this often leads to their being manipulated by evil beings.
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Spoiler: Vrent (rare race)

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Vrenta are highly unusual humanoids brought to Tellus as a slave race by Mind Flayers. When the Illithids were driven out, the Vrenta remained. They are strange, having grey or coppery skin, blue-green hair, and large, brightly-colored eyes.
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Spoiler: Classes

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Classes amd subclasses which do not have significant accompanying lore are excluded from this list.

Spoiler: Barbarian

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Zealot barbarians are empowered by one or more gods to carry out divine will in a similar, but more violent, way to a cleric. They are usually treated with similar reverence to a priest of their god, but a little more caution.

Spoiler: Bard

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Bards draw their power from the essence of deceased gods of music. Each bardic college is tied to a different god, although the names of the gods the bards serve are kept a deep secret.

Spoiler: Cleric

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Since Clerics are the most common way a god promotes their agenda on Tellus, there are a large number of them. Most towns or villages have a temple to at least one god, and some have many more. Some clerics choose to seek after the Great Creator instead of a lesser god. Their life is devoted to searching for the true nature of the entity which created the gods. Any domain except Death is valid for such a cleric.

Spoiler: Monk

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Monks don't exist in Tellus. The culture, geography, and politics are based of Europe (although in different time periods) and a fist fighter empowered by self-actualization doesn't really fit in.

Spoiler: Paladin

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Most paladins are trained in an order of knights who operate forts scattered throughout Tellus. Each knightly order is associated with a color and a paladin oath.

Color	Oath of
White	Devotion
Green	The Ancients
Black	Vengeance
Red	Conquest
Gold	Redemption
Blue	Extermination

The Oath of Extermination is a homebrew oath I have in the works right now.

Spoiler: Sorcerer

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Sorcerers draw their power from a variety of sources. A Wild Magic sorcerer has power stemming from the Feywild or the Far Realm. They may have a fae being in their ancestry, or the stars may have been aligned perfectly at their birth to give them a touch of the Far Realm's power. Divine Souls have an extra dose of godly blood in their veins, and are usually descended from one or more powerful demigods.

Spoiler: Warlock

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Warlocks, regardless of their patrons, are distrusted by almost everyone. At best, shopkeeps keep their weapons close to hand, at worst, an angry mob will seek out warlocks to burn them at the stake. Warlocks of the Fiend are never considered good or even neutral, as the cost for such power is to sell your soul, and a person without a soul will always be evil. Similarly, many Great Old Ones also ask for a soul in exchange for power, but not all. Hexblades are bestowed power by either the spear, Slayer, in the possession of the Order of the Blue Knights, the Sword, Starbane, which is long lost, or the Bow, Oblivion, the hereditary weapon of the ancient elven kings, now belonging to an elvish noble house.

Spoiler: Technology and Magic

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Tellus has an early renaissance level of technology. The first guns have been created, but they are still less effective than crossbows.
Tellus is a high magic world. Magic items are available for purchase.

Spoiler: Heroes of Tellus

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This section covers the former PCs that had significant impact on the world.

Spoiler: The Three

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The Three was a group of adventurers. They began their careers in the village of Elyorac near Mt. Vokthiss. They recovered valuable medicine that had been stolen by Kobolds, and discovered a huge underground fortress in the mountain which once belonged to the lich king Thorn Uklan. While exploring, they found that a beholder named Vox Vorago was trapped in the lich's palace for 500 years, and that the containment was weakening. They resolved to confront Vorago and collected the four runestones needed to open the gate to his lair. After slaying the beholder king and his force of cultists, they turned the mountain fortress over to the silver dragon living above it and the myconids living below. They also founded the adventurers' guild of Desarke and the actors' and assassins' guilds of Roaringwater. The party was Euclid, half elf wild sorcerer, Arboreas, wood elf assassin, and Kothar, lizardfolk paladin.

Spoiler: City-states, Kingdoms, and Governments

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Spoiler: Rengiir

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The unofficial capital of Tevrus and the largest city, Rengiir is located on the southeast shore of Lake Rengiir in the eastern part of Tevrus. Rengiir is ruled by the Red Queen. It is dominated by its impressive lakeside fortress, created by a wizard in a bygone age. Rengiir mints gold and silver coins, called Goats and Fish, and they also officially use older electrum coins called Guildens, from a ruined city nearby.

I will update this periodically with new info, but the setting is already done. It just takes time to input info. Also, I am lazy.

Any comments?

**S_A_M I AM** · 2018-01-22, 09:59 AM (ISO 8601)

So I've done a quick readthrough of what you've posted and it all seems solid enough. (The suggestion that trolls have a variety of non-sexual reproductive methods has a bunch of fun implications, for example.)

What's possibly why you haven't had replies until now is because you're not providing context for any kind of way to shape how we're supposed to be looking at Telus.

What are your goals with the setting? What kind of stories do you want to tell within it? Should people expect to be able to team up with your

How much of your story/ stories are going to hinge upon providing setting appropriate specificity for the moments of common D&D backstory that you've included? (The Dawn War, creation of the dragonborn, incursion of the far realm.)
As an extension of that: What "standard" character behaviours are you intending to encourage through how you're framing say, an Orcs or a Wizards place in the world?

You've given us a fairly extensive pantheon of gods here: Is there a unique way they interact with their worshipers? Are they active or passive? Can anybody make an offering to any god for some specific, small benifit whileotherwise never making themselves known, for example?
If there isn't a unique quirk to the systems around people's relationships with the divine: What does each god stand for? How do they accomplish that?
If you don't know the answer to either of those questions or they are heavily dependant on the specifics of any given story you're telling within your setting; would this imply that you've created a group of NPC's or factions that are largely unmotivated? If that's not true: Why not?

And most importantly: Is there anything you're specifically asking for feedback about?

**bc56** · 2018-01-22, 05:53 PM (ISO 8601)