Building a World

[Cevalic]

Current State of Draligar Forest

Besinithalar'mythranax

This ancient green dragon has been low key for the past 9 centuries. She has ruled her half of the forest, but rarely makes an appearance. Those few times she does, she makes sure that those who oppose her feel her wrath. She sees the goblins as small wretches who are mindless cattle that have to pay her to live. They even gave her the name of Yestin-ackilu (goblin for 'Merciless Death).

The dragon doesn't care anything for ruling the forest. The only thing she cares about is gaining a meaningful hoard and a trove of magical treasures. She sees that the elves have both of these.

Recently, a faerie by the name of Te'ros (sorcerer, NE) came and tried to geas her. His spell almost succeeded, but the dragon was able to avoid the effects due to an enchanted item in her pile of coins. Right before she was going to blast him with her breath, she reconsidered, and offered the faerie an alliance. Yestin-ackalu knew that Te'ros would be a powerful ally, and could use his magic to disguise himself as a goblin and elf. He would be best way to get information. Te'ros, for his part, never thought the spell would fail, but sees an alliance as a way of gaining what he wants: the dragon as his servant. He knows that eventually he will find out what is magically protecting the dragon and deal with it. For now he's having fun, loving every minute of the intrigue and suspense that happens when he polymorphs into an elf and walks into Aran'ashoth. He has even met the prince a few times, but stays away whenever the gray robed figure is around. Te'ros is spending a lot of time trying to figure out who the figure is, but hasn't had any luck yet.

A dark elf also came to the dragon and proposed the same plan that it had to the goblins. The dragon laughed, then blasted the drow with it's breath. There haven't been any other dark elves around since then.

 

[Cevalic]

quote:
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Originally posted by ChillyWilly:
Do you general ideas of areas and need specifics or do you more of a rough ideas that need much more expanding?
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I could use a little of everything. I have Draligar Forest pretty much done (I'll post more info on the centaurs and drow soon, along with a prestige class and the dark elf monistary).

I have a good idea what I want to do with the dwarven empire, and the orc and giant empire. I could use a lot of help with the halflings and bugbears. Plus any advice is always welcome. Thanks.

 

[Cevalic]

Current State of Draligar Forest

The Jisinalul (gnomes)

The Jisinalul gnomes are a people who have been pushed to the limits. They migrated into the forest after a war with a group of wood elves forced them to flee. When the survivors heard of a southern forest that was unoccupied they felt their spirits lighten. The thought of the war that nearly wiped them out became a distant thought, as they journeyed towards a new land, where they could start all over. They crossed the plains without trouble, as the halfling barbarians were united in a war against the orc empire.

The gnomes quickly came to learn that it wouldn't be as easy as it seemed. Shortly after establishing three villages, the group of gnomes were approached by a group of elves that easily outnumbered them. The elves claimed the forest was their's and they demanded a form of payment to stay. The elders had no choice, having no items of material value, they agreed let the elves have one hundred gnomes as servants. This was one fifth of the gnomish population, but the community understood. It was either that or enslavement (some even whispered of another war, which the elves would easily win).

The gnomes are led by a council of three gnomes, one from every age group (young, middle age, old). The idea behind this is that fresh views are brought into perspective, with wisdom there to balance the equation out. The three are elected by a majority vote in the community. The council serves for one century before being replaced. A councilor can only serve once in each age group ( in my campaign gnomes live to be 450-500 years, elves live to 1000).

The gnomes are currently spread out in their northern land (600 square miles). There are three villages of one hundred gnomes, while the other six hundred live in small groups.

The Jisinalul have developed a deep hatred for the Halisthian elves. The resent everything that the elves stand for and try to undermine them in any way they can. They are still a peaceful and loving race, but they have had all they can tolerate. Not a day goes by without the gnomes thinking of their relatives in the elven lands.

The gnome servants serve for 50 years, upon which time they are exchanged for new servants. The time they spend among the elves is considered to be a strengthening time of the mind. (Any gnome who has done this gets the Iron Will feat free).

The current council has been looking at a way to end this, but has no solutions at the moment. They have, however, founded a secret order of gnomes that are dedicated to freeing them from the elves. Most are spies that have easy access within all the elven realms as they pose as spies. There is one gnome who hears almost all of the most secret meetings between the king and the council of wizards. The order has no name realizing that any slip of the tongue could give it away and bring inquiring minds knocking on the gnomes doors. A few have adopted the name (among themselves) as Kithi-san (gnome for elf-slayer).

The gnomes would ally with the goblins, but they know that they can't trust them. They have no idea that drow are underneath their feet, and the dragon is a threat to big to handle. They know that they could find allies with the centaurs, but it still wouldn't be enough to take care of the elves. So they bide their time, gathering knowledge of their hated neighbors, waiting for a day when they are completely free to enjoy nature as the peaceful race they were over a millennia before...

 

[Cevalic]

Current State of Draligar Forest
The Klenikupt (sylvan for collected clans)

This group of centaurs is actually five different tribes that have found a common cause in the Draligar forest: survival. They rule an area of 400 square miles, bordered on the south by the goblins, the dragon on the west, and some sort of ruins where the foulest of creatures lair to the north. The east holds only the elves, of which the centaurs have no love for.

The tribes each came to Draligar in a span of fifty years (starting 150 years ago). They entered through the eastern part of the forest, where they were immediately surrounded by elven warriors. The elves stated that they could either pay them or work as servants if they wished to stay in the forest. The centaurs pride would never allow it, and the remarks instantly enraged them. In an act that took the elves completely off guard, the centaurs attacked. Three elves ran for help, while the rest were slaughtered. The centaurs hadn't lost one of their kind. They began to follow the elves, when a gnome appeared from behind a tree. He told them of the elves and the plight of the gnomes. He also told them of where the elves borders ended, and how they could enter the forest without having to deal with the elves. The centaur leader thanked the gnome and followed his advice. He also sent a messenger back to the east to tell any interested clans that he had found an interesting place to live.

The centaurs set up their homes and settled in for the long hall. The other clans eventually arrived, and at the first gathering of chiefs, they met their other neighbor. While the five chiefs spoke in a tent, the dragon appeared overhead, and let loose it acidic breath. None of the chiefs lived. The dragon then flew away, only wanting to send a message to the centaurs that it was not to be messed with. The centaurs took this in a different light, and declared a war against the beast. This act united the clans. The arrival of the goblins actually made the centaurs happy. They missed a good fight, and think of the goblins as training for the day when they must attack the dragon.

The centaurs are now past the point of being happy with the goblins. They know that the goblins now outnumber them, but have no fear of the little creatures. Someday an all out war will probably happen, and with recent battles between the two races increasing, it seems on taking place soon.

The centaurs have come up with a plan to deal with the dragon. A young centaur exploring the ruins to the north came across a sword of dragon slaying. They plan to give this to a warrior who proves himself as a match for the dragon.

The centaurs have not forgotten about the elves. The are itching for the chance to hand the elves another thrashing, but once again they know they are hopelessly outnumbered. They believe that they could take out the majority of the elven nation before the last centaur fell, and they just might be right. They wish to repay the gnomes who stopped them from walking into a slaughter, and want to see the gnomes free.

They have no knowledge of the dark elves, and don't know what exactly is contained in the ruins to their north...

 

[Cevalic]

Taking a break from the current state of the forest (the drow should be up by the end of the weekend), I figured I'd tell you guys about something I've been working on to add my game world. I started using it last week, even though there are a few things that I have to work out.
Magical Places

There are places in the world where the very earth radiates magic. These places come in every shape and form, from the grove in the forest to the highest mountain peak.

Magical places, also called vortices by the natives of the world are created by two methods. The first (called Blessed vortices) occur when a god walks the on the ground, the ground that they touch becomes enchanted just from the gods presence. These places last for anywhere from 1 to 100 years before the magic seeps away. The second places (Staying Vortices) are permanent. They are the result of invisible magical lines crossing. The more lines that intersect, the greater the power. These spots never run out of magic, as they are essentially places where extra magic is let out of the 'veins' thus stopping the veins from bursting.

At either of the two vortices, a person can feel a tingle when they enter the area. Other strange sensations have been documented as well, but it all depends on the individual votice.

What this means in game terms:

At a magical vortices, the abundance of magical energy allows different things to take place (once again this depends on the individual vortices and how much magical energy is flowing from it). The most common vortices maximizes the spell power for free (the caster feels a rush of energy as his spell is 'filled to the fullest'). If the power of the magical places are high enough, they also Empower, Enlarge, Extend, and Heighten the spell for free. Under no circumstance is it possible for the vortices to quicken, silent, or still the spell. The most powerful vortices can also do even more amazing things.

Example: The Spire, a tower built on a vortices in the middle of three mountains, is the most powerful vortices known in the world (50 fey lines intersect). It allows the casting of permanency for free. A caster can also cast double their first to fifth level spells each day (they must first stay within the vortices for a month, and if they ever leave the vortices the extra spells automatically disappear. This is all on top of the votice affecting all metamagic spells for free.

The power of the vortices can be great, but it comes at a price. Everyone wants it. It is just a matter of time before the current holders are disposed of and new ones take over. Some sites also cause the caster to age if they cast too many spells over a certain period of time (still trying to work the mechanics out on this, any suggestions?).

# of fey lines that cross- power gained
2-maxamize spell
4-empower spell
5-enlarge spell
7-heighten spell
10-extend spell
50-permanancy with no XP cost


That's all I've got about that. Any suggestions/ideas?

 

[Cevalic]

Originally posted by Chilly Willy:

I like the magical area idea. How you thought about doing something similiar with divine spells. Temples and other holy places could act like magical places.
I have be thinking about the falfing nomads. I would say that like the Mongols or the Hun. Highly nomadic and prize their steeds, large dogs. They would have a clan like organization with loose dynamic ties to other halfing clans. They would raid nearby settlements in a hit and run manner. Short bows and slings would be their primary weapons. The other empires could hire them to harrass their enemies.

The Bugbears would be like the Spartans. They prize strength. They would live in warbands lead by warlords. Bugbear society would be highly factured. One warband would demise all others. Fights among the Bugbears would be extremely common. Warlords would be the most powerful fighter in his group. Leaders wouild be male; females would be viewed as lesser being used for only breeds. Rarely, maybe once or twice, a female Bugbear would lead a warband. Bugbears would hate sneaky fighting. Fights are one on one conflicts on roughly equal terms. They would also hate magic. They see no use of it.

I have more ideas but they're not all that clear right now. I'll post them when I clarify them more. Let me know what you think of these ideas.

 

[Cevalic]

The vortices affect both arcane and divine magic. Sorry if I didn't make that clear. I was thinking about separating the two, but wasn't really sure if I should. I'll have to re think that. Good idea, Chilly.

The halfling idea would fit quite well. I don't know that much about the Monguls (my high school education never delved into that subject). I'll look it up when I get to the library next time. Any info that you can give would be appreciated. I like the large dogs as mounts, I wasn't really sure what they should ride (and I didn't want to go with war ponies). There have been a few times that the halflings united to war with neighbors, but normally it's only a clan or two. The largest gathering came a thousand years ago when all the tribes united and invaded the orc empire to the north. I'll detail that later.

The bugbears idea is along the lines that I was thinking about, but there is one thing that I think I'll add. The idea of most hating magic is good, and it even adds to this. There is a secret order of bugbears that have been gifted with magic (sorcerers) and have formed a special force unit. They hire themselves out anyone with the right amount of money. All of them have some level in fighters (only a few have more levels as sorcerer than fighter). A few have some levels in rogue. They are shunned by the rest of the bugbears (most are outcasts because of their magical abilities). The groups missions normally include assassinations, stealing secret information, and other sorts of things that go against what the other bugbears stand for.

With the bugbear topic, the most powerful war band will have a fortified city on the ocean. They have a few ships and are looking to build a navy. I want the bugbears to be a rising power in the world. Something that people are going to have to be on the watch for.

Thanks again for the good ideas Chilly. Please keep em coming if you got more...

 

[Cevalic]

Originally posted by sjbigred:

685
posted 29 December 2000 04:39 PM
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The magical vortices sound really cool, kind of like the Magic: The Gathering books if I remember correctly (I only read two of them so I may not). One thing I was thinking is that maybe the lines crossing could be for arcane magic while the places where Gods have touched ground would empower arcane magic. Just a thought, but I do think they should be seperated. Also, since sorcerors are by nature more in tune with magical force (I am taking this for granted since they "feel" powers while wizards learn them) maybe the vortices could be more beneficial to them but also have a better chance to harm them. I really like that idea.
This is shaping up to look great, good job.

-Tom

 

[Cevalic]

Originally posted by ChillyWilly:

I like the idea of a bugbear special forces, souds sweet. Didn't notice, are their other naval powers in the area? Being a naval power would allow then to strike up and down the coast and deep into unfriendly territories. I like military history and the such so I tend to think about things like this, sorry if it's redundant.
How do you view their society? Did you want to have a caste system? Will they big into religion?

I would think that their society vary slightly for band to band but be more or less the same.

It would be very strict. It would be very difficult to move upwards. Once a bugbear found his place, that's were he'll be until he dies or screws up badly. Being a warlike society, they would honor great blacksmiths, armorsmiths, and weaponsmiths. Each Warchief could have his own personal set of smiths. In order to gain weapons and armor of any quality, a bugbear must earn it in combat and sweat loyalty to the Warchief. This way the Warchief controls weapons and men fairly easily.

As far as religion goes, I'm not sure how to handle that. Religion is generally important to all societies. On the surface, religion can be subservant to the Warchiefs and warriors but behind the scenes they have more power and plot for overt control.

How's that sound so far? If it doesn't look good, let me know. I won't take it personally.

 

[Cevalic]

Actually Chilly, I really like it. It's helping more than you know. I'm not sure about the religion, although I figured that they might pray to the god of war (the god of war in my game is Tyrus), but I wasn't sure how much of an influence it should have on the society as a whole. One of those things I need help with.
The bugbears would be one of the few races on the continent with naval power, giving them a big advantage over some of the other nations. There are a lot of land locked nations (giants and orcs) but the ones that aren't are mostly defenseless against this invasion. If I had a way to put a map online I would, but I have no idea how to go about it.

The rest of your suggestions are definitely going into the effect.

I'm not sure what alignment the nation should be. I was thinking of lawful evil, and making the head warlord a relentless conqueror. This is the obvious way to go, and works with the naval power. I don't know if I want them slaughtering innocents though. Enslaving them might be more of their style. I was going to make it a good society, but I have an empire of good orcs, so I think that seals it. The other races better be on their toes.