Setting Idea: Wounded Gaia

Shades of Green · Feb 13, 2010

I'll think I'll start a new thread for Zagadur Isle once I'll create the map, and move all relevant information about the island there, keeping this thread for general setting material.

GandalfMithrandir · Feb 14, 2010

Is it alright if I use this campaign setting for a few of my games? I'm always looking for more places and this looks like it has really good potential for a campaign!

Shades of Green · Feb 15, 2010

GandalfMithrandir said:
Is it alright if I use this campaign setting for a few of my games? I'm always looking for more places and this looks like it has really good potential for a campaign!

No problem - feel welcome to use my material in your game

Shades of Green · Mar 6, 2010

I'm thinking about adding another nation or two to Zagadur Isle (in addition to the Kingdom of Zagadur). The second nation I'm thinking about is Korovod, a Chaotic kingdom (of sorts) located in the swampy southern tip of the Isle, where the warm ocean currents have their greatest influence. Korovod is ruled by a Rusalka Queen - a powerful Spirit - and is inhabited by an unruly mixture of Lizardmen, free Spirits (such as fey), Lerini, Frog Men and some Humans and Elves. Zagadur has a tendency to get into border skirmishes with Korovod, the last one occuring a decade ago and resulting in a sound defeat of the Zagaduran forces by the perils of the swamp.

I'm also thinking about a possible third nation, maybe a monstrous nation ruled, perhaps, by a dragon and composed of Kobolds and goblinoids. A Lawful theocracy ruled by a cult of Clockwork God clerics with a small hoard of pre-Freeze technology is another possibility.

GandalfMithrandir · Mar 22, 2010

hmm... if it were me, I would make all the other nations on Zagadur Isle smaller than Zagadur (Otherwise why would it be called "Zagadur Isle") I would have the small cultures be very extreme toward the clockwork god, VERY lawful and does whatever their god dictates, or VERY extreme toward the Earth god, hating the clockwork kingdom to the extent of frequent war about it. even to the extent that maybe if the PCs are wearing anything other than natural equipment, they will be disliked, or even attacked by the inhabitants of the country

again, as always, just MY opinion, use it or not.

Shades of Green · Mar 23, 2010

GandalfMithrandir said:
hmm... if it were me, I would make all the other nations on Zagadur Isle smaller than Zagadur (Otherwise why would it be called "Zagadur Isle") I would have the small cultures be very extreme toward the clockwork god, VERY lawful and does whatever their god dictates, or VERY extreme toward the Earth god, hating the clockwork kingdom to the extent of frequent war about it. even to the extent that maybe if the PCs are wearing anything other than natural equipment, they will be disliked, or even attacked by the inhabitants of the country

This is an interesting idea; Korovod would be Chaotic, meaning that it will dislike clockwork technology and firearms and be allied with various nature/wood/Chaotic beings. The Clockwork kingdom (I'm still looking for a name for it) will be ruled by a small priestly caste with access to a small selection of high-tech artifacts (maybe even a steam warship? a train?) used to preserve its rule. The main reason that there is no all-out war between Korovod and the clockwork nation is that Zagadur is stuck in the middle between them.

Shades of Green · Mar 31, 2010

I've been having second thoughts about the default setting.

The thing is that I fear that I might have deviated a bit from the original idea of the setting. What I originally thought about is a chaotic post-apocalyptic setting beset by wild beasts, bandits/thugs/goblinoids and a cold climate. But I've ended up with a kingdom, not a very well-ordered one, but a kingdom nonetheless, a system of law, order and some military might. I started feeling that the Kingdom would detract from the post-apocalyptic side of the setting, and reduce its uniqueness. And a post-apocalyptic setting might be better served by small, isolated, independent settlements, some ruled by their residents, some ruled by whatever leaders, some ruled by tyrants and some - by monsters. This would not only be more post-apocalyptic but also more sword-and-sorcery IMHO.

So the question arises: would the organized kingdom of Zagadur, with its feudal order, be appropriate, or would a group of small, independent settlements, surrounded by wild chaos, be more appropriate to the setting?

GandalfMithrandir · Mar 31, 2010

I think that it depends on how you play it. You could play it so that it was always that way and it survived the Apocalypse, and then you lose the apocalypse feel, or you could play it that the survivors of the Apocalypse banded together there to try and survive as a group, not so unreasonable, in any case, the mainland would stay to a much more points of light type area, with the exeption of the island, that might have a loose aristocracy or magocracy set up to keep order until it can be rebuilt.

Of course if you want to get rid of the kingdom aspect that would be OK too.

Shades of Green · Apr 1, 2010

I'm leaning more and more towards independent and semi-isolated settlements (with some trade between them) rather than kingdoms for Zagadur Isle. The reasons for this are two-fold. First and foremost, I'd like to have a very strong post-apocalyptic/sword-and-sorcery feel to the setting, as called for by the original idea - a few points of surviving civilization (4E would call them 'Points of Light') surrounded by wilderness filled with bandits, goblinoids and iconic wild beasts. Second independent towns would give me a greater variety of settings to present to my players, from generally decent folks running their own towns or villages, through local despots and warlords, to monsters - or even weirder beings - ruling over towns.

I'm also thinking about moving the timeline into an earlier period, closer to the Ten Years without a Summer, so that ruins will still be, for the most part, unspoiled and filled with treasures (and traps/monsters, of course!).

GandalfMithrandir · Apr 4, 2010

Shades of Green said:
independent towns would give me a greater variety of settings to present to my players, from generally decent folks running their own towns or villages, through local despots and warlords, to monsters - or even weirder beings - ruling over towns.

This could work well... if all of the towns are different that the PCs go to, then at each town they come to, they have to think "Is this a safe place to go into or are we going to get attacked as soon as we enter" this can add up some suspense for the PCs, as well as provide a more varied setting, maybe the PCs will get hired in one town to escort a caravan through the wilderness inhabited by owlbears or something along those lines.