Cakeworld

[Icedaemon]

I would not enlarge the time scale too much. At the 10 000 years of pace, farmers could move hubwards every few generation, but farmhouses, even proper log ones, deteriorate anyway. Cities do have some problems in that geography, at least in coastal areas, is presumably changing swiftly enough that a century would alter the coastline completely, but that ought not be a setting-breaking problem, merely a challenge. Why not let the long-lived folk be more nomadic in mindset?

Do you intend to have nine primordials, as you have now, or eight, as seemed your original statement and as is still written? Why include alignment nonsense at all if the greater deities are beyond that?

I strongly advise a small selection of gods to having all gods from any book, ever. That would lead to a mess - cities would have temple districts that stretch on seemingly forever even if the gods, instead of having individual temples have small shrines and chapels within a greater unified complex instead. Too few options is constraining, yes. Too many, however, dilutes the whole setting.

It would further be interesting if the simple gods' similarities to the primordials, not any arbitrary divine ranks, determine how mighty they are - Kokopelli would clearly remain a greater god, a more 'complete' fragment of primordial chaos than most others.

As for Asteleben, while I like the idea, how likely is it that a pre-renaissance civilisation would even have a concept for evolution, let alone on a world where any absurd crossbreed is possible?

Before focusing on a sun-god and moon-goddess, I advise considering how the damn sun and moon(s) even work on such a world. Does the sun rise and set, effectively making this world an oddly-shaped planet? Is it a glowing magical orb somewhere out there which periodically lights up and dims to the point of complete darkness? You seem to be mixing nice and interesting ideas with old and rather stale ones.

[Serpentine]

Harshcrits

Originally Posted by Icedaemon

Do you intend to have nine primordials, as you have now, or eight, as seemed your original statement and as is still written? Why include alignment nonsense at all if the greater deities are beyond that?

Did I leave eight there? Whoops. I changed my mind about that.
The alignment plane thing is mostly to sorta give the Divinities somewhere to "be", and also to put restrictions on myself.

Originally Posted by Icedaemon

I strongly advise a small selection of gods to having all gods from any book, ever. That would lead to a mess - cities would have temple districts that stretch on seemingly forever even if the gods, instead of having individual temples have small shrines and chapels within a greater unified complex instead. Too few options is constraining, yes. Too many, however, dilutes the whole setting. The same goes for creatures - there are so many various monsters in D&D that including a moon solely to have lycanthropes, unless lycanthrophy is a major theme, is needless. You do not need to make a 'main' campaign setting like Forgotten Realms where anything goes, or do you believe otherwise?

Not all gods are worshipped in the same place. A city that attempted to contain a temple for every god that exists would consist of temples, it'd be a temple city. Moreover, not all gods are worshipped at the same time. And really, most of them are in a state of Schroedinger's God - until a player wants to have something to do with a god, it doesn't really exist, but it could potentially exist. Basically, I haven't vetoed any gods, but they don't necessarily all exist in Cakeworld right now.

Originally Posted by Icedaemon

It would further be interesting if the simple gods' similarities to the primordials, not any arbitrary divine ranks, determine how mighty they are - Kokopelli would clearly remain a greater god, a more 'complete' fragment of primordial chaos than most others.

It's plausible.

Originally Posted by Icedaemon

As for Asteleben, while I like the idea, how likely is it that a pre-renaissance civilisation would even have a concept for evolution, let alone on a world where any absurd crossbreed is possible?

Leaving aside that there's nothing to say scientific knowledge in Cakeworld matches the development here, He's significantly inspired by breeding practices, infanticide - such as that practised by the Spartans - and bigotry. You don't need to have a Theory of Evolution to know that if you let a weak sheep breed, you'll have more weak sheep.

Originally Posted by Icedaemon

Before focusing on a sun-god and moon-goddess, I advise considering how the damn sun and moon(s) even work on such a world. Does the sun rise and set, effectively making this world an oddly-shaped planet? Is it a glowing magical orb somewhere out there which periodically lights up and dims to the point of complete darkness? You seem to be mixing nice and interesting ideas with old and rather stale ones.

Mostly an oddly-shaped planet. Like I said, mostly this world works the same as ours. I'll consider having 2 moons, one close and one far away.

Originally Posted by Icedaemon

Violence, if kept with CE ought to see madness, paranoia, hate and cruelty encompassed within it.

True. Although it doesn't only encompass CE stuff - it could be possible to have a LG god of war, for instance.

[Serpentine]

Finished the gods, put in Afterlife.

[Serpentine]

Updated, for the first time in 6 months. Mostly the section on Gensia.

[Serpentine]

GEOGRAPHY

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GENSIA

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Gensia is more or less your fairly typical pseudo-medieval fantasy land.
Maps:

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EAS

(The Eas region is strongly inspired by medieval Europe (or at least an idealised, fantastical version of medieval Europe). In particular the politics of the region are based on the time and campaigns of Charlemagne: small, independent states that were once under the control of a central government but which have since abandoned their responsibilities; now undergoing a campaign by a strong ruler to bring all these small states under central control again.)

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Climate and Ecology

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Cool temperate, similar to northern Europe or Scotland. Fairly mild summers, often long, bitter winters. Gets even colder towards the east, until it's completely polar. Part of the eastern-most tip of the continent sticks out over the edge of the planet. This area is freezing to the point where it's almost uninhabitable.
Ecologically it's pretty much what you'd expect from your typical Eurocentric fantasy world: the wilds are abundant with deer, wolves and bears; the forests teem with owls, small furry animals, fey and unicorns. Dragons occupy the mountaintops, frostwyrms lurk under the ice sheets, and orcas and seawolves hunt seals on the coast.
There are a few natural plains areas in the lowlands, but generally anywhere not cleared for farming is dominated by deciduous forest, turning to pine forest on the slopes to alpine on the mountaintops and towards the east. In the middle of the lowlands is an enormous swampland, more than 100 miles across. This huge, inhospitable place is known as Sha'Nakorvanna to the elves who live there, and The Bog to everyone else. To the south, out to sea, are the Goblin Isles. This is a large archipeligo of islands ranging from a hundred miles across to a few metres; most are between about 1 and 30 miles. As the name suggests, there is a significant presence of goblinoids in the islands, but it is not known whether it is they who gave the islands the name or confusion with the gnomes who drove most of them out.

History

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The gnomes drove most of the goblinoids out of the Goblin Isles many centuries ago. They have been in a near-constant state of island-state rivalry, raiding and semi-civil war ever since. Some of the gnomes moved onto the mainland, mostly concentrating around Port Ahlue and Cliffton.

Hundreds of years ago, most of the lowlands of the Eas were united under the rule of a feudal Bandlia empire. Over time, though, a series of weak monarchs and military crises requiring increasing compromises allowed the vassal lords to amass greater power and wealth at the expense of the royal family. The empire fractured into innumerable petty kingdoms and city-states.
In recent years, a charismatic, ambitious young man has inherited the Bandlia throne. He has set off on a campaign of military, diplomatic and economic conquest, renewing and reinforcing all the ancient contracts and oaths, and reconstructing the once-glorious empire one fief at a time. His wife rules from Port Ahlue in his absence.

Civilisations

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The lowlands of Eas is dominated by the reinvigorated Bandlia empire. Its architecture is mostly designed for practical defence and to impress and intimidate - dark castles and fortresses, surrounded by fortified towns. Some of the more arrogant petty lords have turned their forboding strongholds into elaborate monuments to their wealth and lack of concern for any danger, but mostly the architectural creativity of Bandlia's people is concentrated in the ancient and well-defended Port Ahlue.
Bandlia's citizens are mostly humans, although there is a significant naturalised elf, dwarf and orc population, along with the accompanying mixes. There are some small communities of other races around the place, including a number of halfling caravans that travel throughout the region; their legal status within the empire is ambiguous (think gypsies in Europe). There is also a significant gnomish presence in Port Ahlue and other coastal towns, where they tend to act as bankers, moneylenders, merchants and smugglers - relied on, but mistrusted, possibly injustly (think Jews in the middle ages).
Port Ahlue is the capital of Bandlia, a major trade hub well-defended against attacks both by land and by sea. It is notably the hometown of the famous chain of magic item shops, Suchensutch Magical Emporium, Lord Jerome Suchensutch himself.

The Goblin Isles are dominated by gnomes. The capital of the region is Dobadeglock, a city on the largest island with white, column-like towers that plunge nearly as far under the ground as they tower into the sky. The towers are connected by walkways and decorated with gardens. It is the largest, richest an most powerful island-state in the Goblin Isles. Each island is its own state, although often several islands make an alliance or weaker ones are controlled by the stronger; such conglomerations rarely last more than a few years, and the whole archipeligo is a mess of constantly shifting borders and alliegances.
The Goblin Isles are defined by warfare and conflict. The island-states are constantly competing against one another, fighting and trying to take over others. Naval battles are commonplace, piracy and privateership runs rampant, and there are raids happening in all directions - gnomish island-states raiding other gnomish island-states, gnomish raiders attacking coastal towns and travelling ships, pirates of various races from the surrounding area raiding the gnomish island-states, and so on. The bulk of that classic gnomish ingenuity and inventiveness is devoted to improving defenses at home and building bigger, faster, stronger and more eloborate war- and raiding-ships.
Most of this strife happens at sea. Life on the islands themselves is usually relatively peaceful. Quite a few slaves are taken as part of the conflicts by many of the island-states, and they are generally left to do all the work under the control of non-combatant family. There is little trust in these slaves, however (and given the chance many of them would be extremely dangerous), so some Goblin Isles gnomes are working on building more docile mechanical slaves (i.e. warforged) to perform the manual labour and defend the families at home while the able-bodied are at sea.

The Bog is occupied by the Bog elves and a few tribes of lizardmen and the like. The Bog elves are tribal, wild, unpredictable, and extremely xenophobic. They despise all non-elven humanoids; only elves are allowed in their swamp if they can possibly avoid it, and even they find a cold reception.

The people of the highlands and the far east are hardy, stoic and of a Nordic template. Their environment is too tough, their lives too much of a struggle, to wage any warfare beyond some raids and scuffles. Similarly, few outsiders can stand the cold well enough to be anything like a threat to them.
The only highland city of any substantial size is Cliffton. It is build on the edge of a huge ravine, which cuts off the highlands from the lowlands for more than a hundred miles. Its populace is a varied mix of various cold-weather humanoids, and has one of the largest communities of gnomes outside of the Goblin Isles. These gnomes are your standard tinkerers, preferring to turn their ancestral inventiveness away from the warlike applications of their homeland counterparts and instead to more peaceful endeavours: toys, entertainment, discovery, the advancement of magic, agriculture, industry and so on. In fact, Cliffton has a strong magical presence, including its own thaumaturgical college.

The wild forests, particularly those in the mountains and especially in the highlands, have a strong presence of sylvan elves. These people are often shy but friendly to all who mean no harm to their woodland homes, and have a close relationship with the fey that live there. There are also dwarf mines dotted around the mountain ranges; they tend to be taciturn but not hostile to outsiders.

Social Issues

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Racism
Distrust of gnomes in the lowlands, where they are considered sneaky, suspicious, swindling people who will cheat you if they can get away with it. On the other hand, gnome banks are considered the best and safest place to keep one's valuables. The frequency of raids by gnomish pirates breeds resentment of them on the coastal towns, as well. In the highlands, however, gnomes enjoy a great reputation for being excellent company and talented mages.
Halflings are similarly mistrusted, but are suspected of much more direct crimes: theft, pickpocketting, getting into fights... even of spreading curses by the more isolated, suspicious country peasantry. The nobility often drive them off their land if they try to camp there. However, they are welcome at fairs and festivals where they supply exotic goods and entertainments from far-off lands. The denizens on the far-eastern edge of Gensia are extremely isolated by the mountain ranges, often not seeing anyone outside of their own clans for years at a time. As a result, the arrival of a halfling caravan marks a much-needed set of new faces, supplies and news and is greeted with great celebration.
Some orcs have come down from the mountains and wilds in recent years, while others were absorbed into Bandia centuries ago as the empire absorbed their lands. Thus orcs are not uncommon, and half- or part-orcs are a reasonably frequent sight. They have a reputation for strong backs, short tempers and a readiness for violence, which is a double-edged sword: they are often preferred for jobs involving manual labour, as guards and in the military, but have more trouble finding other employment or advancing socially or economically, and are disproportionately represented in the prisons. The people of the more isolated, mountainous region tend to be more hostile to orcs and orc-mixes due to their greater contact with the "wild", territorial tribes which sometimes clash through raids or over resources.
Sylvan elves and those who have integrated into Eas society are generally regarded very well. Arbour elves from the Peninsulai are rare, and usually met with puzzlement at their aloof manner. The Bog elves are seen even more rarely still, and tend to form the bogeymen of bedtime stories told to children living around the Bog.
Dwarves have a reputation for being hard workers, and hard dealers. They are generally accepted, but not often immediately liked.
More unusual races are occasionally seen. Their reception generally depends upon their appearance, local stories, and individual prejudices. The default is usually suspicion and hostility, but not usually violence without provocation (although that provocation may not necessarily be fair). Some town guards may turn a blind eye to many crimes against weird-looking strangers, but the main trading cities, at least, would take a reasonably fair approach to it. The highland folk tend to be suspicious until someone proves themselves useful.

Sexism
In general, men and women can take on similar roles and the same sorts of jobs. Local and individual prejudices are fairly common, and sexual assault and domestic abuse sadly present and usually directed at women. However, women and men have the same legal rights in most parts of the Eas, are generally held in the same esteem in religion (although some individual gods favour one sex or the other), and possess roughly the same amounts of wealth. There are exceptions to this, however: over the last century or so it has become increasingly fashionable in the upper eschelons of society for women to be confined to the domestic sphere and to be manipulated or coerced into marital unions made for political or economic gain. Being able to support women without them having to work outside the home is an increasingly popular way to display a family's wealth and prestige, and as the rich do, so the middle classes start to imitate. On the other hand, while Bandlia's king is on campaign, his queen has complete command of the administration of the kingdom, and his eldest daughter is heir to the throne.
The elves tend to be matriarchal, the official heads of their families, religions and communities usually being the eldest women. Halflings also tend towards matriarchy. Dwarven clans tend to divide their authority, women having command of the home and men being in charge of economic activities (e.g. farming, shopkeeping, or mining); both roles are considered equally important, and are not enforced as strictly as in Hock-Barrok. In orc tribes authority goes to those strong enough to take it; thus more leaders are male than female, but female leaders are not uncommon. Male and female orcs are almost equally likely to be victims of sexual and domestic abuse. Gnomes are completely egalitarian - husbands are as likely to be the ones left behind to manage the home as wives.

Sexuality and Gender

Places of Interest

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Port Ahlue
Cliffton
Dobadeglock
The Bog
The Edge

PENINSULAI

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Greco-Roman themed, and containing the insular elven homeland at its heart and the downright unfriendly dwarven homeland to the north.

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QU'RAI

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Primarily Egyptian/Arabian-themed, but with a Transylvannia-like area to the west.

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HANDIA

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Based on the Americas. Humans are a minority, elves, dwarves, gnomes, halflings and orcs are almost unknown, and the truly bizarre races are the norm. Centaurs dominate the plains to the north, lizardfolk and yuan-ti the jungles, abeil the plains in the south-east, and raptorans the mountains in the south-west - but that's by no means a comprehensive list.

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INVENIA

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A dead continent having the magical life sucked out of it by an epic artifact from a bygone war.

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TREMORIA

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Dinosaurs! And their near-deific Druid guardian.

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[wonderfulspam]

I don't know if anyone else has commented on this, but there is the possibility that this world would be a vary different place than earth indeed. The planet would have to orbit the sun and spin laterally (so that the sun always traveled around the horizon) because otherwise it would assume a spherical shape like earth, this would make it so that seasons never changed and it was a very cold place (unless the sun was porportionally larger). The above suggestion is not, by any means, to be taken too seriously since it is after all a fantasy world. The one thing that bugged me however is that the continents have no-where to go once they slip off the side of the cake. Would they slowly erode and be taken into the water circling through the planet, or would they just pile up? In addition, if the planet was any age, there would be no continents in the center, just the ones on the outside, they would be mountainous and would stop the cyclical process that the water takes upon moving through the plannet.

[Serpentine]

Using my phone, so quoting is hard.

"The planet would have to orbit the sun and spin laterally (so that the sun always traveled around the horizon)"
Nope, spins the other way. Unsure of details, though, working on that.

"because otherwise it would assume a spherical shape like earth"
Nope, because magic :I No, really, that's exactly what it says under physics...

"seasons never changed and it was a very cold place (unless the sun was porportionally larger)."
The seasons will be explained in the section on the plains.

"The one thing that bugged me however is that the continents have no-where to go once they slip off the side of the cake. Would they slowly erode and be taken into the water circling through the planet, or would they just pile up? In addition, if the planet was any age, there would be no continents in the center, just the ones on the outside, they would be mountainous and would stop the cyclical process that the water takes upon moving through the plannet."
This is explained in Geo...logy, I think it was. Continents are born in the intense volcanic action at the centre, and break apart on the outside to be sucked through the ocean between the planetary plates, then come out of the Bores to make more land.