Foxface's Collaborative Campaign Project! Get Creative!

[Fralex]

This was a fun thread with some cool ideas. I dunno if Foxface goes here too and would rather do it him/her self, but I'm sure it won't ruin anything if I do it now. Hey, maybe we can even keep working on it here!
Source: https://web.archive.org/web/2015091...um/dd-next-general-discussion/threads/4067166

i've been thinking about doing this for a while, but I had to work out the logistics first, but the time has come to bite the bullet and just do it.

I'm going to be running a D&DN campaign, and I want us (the assembled masses of this forum) to create the setting. The history, the gods, the cultures, the nations, the geography, the cosmology, the world itself. Everything that goes into creating a setting. Daunting, no?

Don't worry, I've done this before. Kinda.

I've collaboratively created campaigns (as a player and DM) dozens of times in my home games. Sitting at a table with a relatively small group of like-minded players makes this relatively easy. I'm an old pro. People make suggestions, others elaborate, nobody contradicts, and the world sort of creates itself. The end result isn't planned so much as sprung forth from the collective consciousness of the group.

But doing the same thing on a public forum with a sizeable population of posters with vastly different preferences is another thing entirely. So, in the interest of actually seeing this Spruce Goose idea actaully have a chance of lifting off the ground, I have to make a few concessions to order, and lay down some ground rules that go beyond the few that I employ at my own tables.

Ultimately, this is a bit of an experiment, and I'm not sure if it's going to work. I just really want to see what happens.

General Conceits

Assume D&D Next as the ruleset. I know this is implicit, and seems self-evident, but it bears being made explicit. This campaign will be a D&DN campaign primarily. If it can be adapted to another edition or game entirely, more the better. But it primarily needs to serve the rules of D&DN.

Don't assume any existing flavor. This is the entire point of this project. Nothing, flavor-wise, is assumed. It all has to be created by us. Every race, every class, etc, exists only as a package of mechanics. An "elf" is no more the "nature-loving, bow-using guy" from the Realms than he is the "desert-sprinting nomad" of Athas. What he, and everything else, is in this setting is up to us. Create it.

Because of the collaborative nature of this project, if you contribute something to the setting, don't anticipate it to grow and evolve the way you want or expect it to. Much like how a DM's plan for an adventure can go wildly off-road when exposed to the players, you cannot control how anything in this setting will end up, and that's kinda the point. When you contribute something, you have to do so knowing that you are letting it out into the wild and it will end going off on its own. Don't fight it.

In addition to the rules I'm establishing below, I'm also going to serve as a sort of moderator/god for this project. I want to make it clear that this is a role I don't relish taking, as I don't take on such a role at my own tables even when I'm the DM. In anticipation for trolls, potential breakdowns of communication, etc, I'm giving myself broad editorial powers. If I see something spinning wildly out of control, or destructive contributions, or other harmful discussion, I will step in. However, I also want to make it clear that I hope to use these powers infrequently (ideally never), as over-using them defeats the whole purpose of this project. If I constantly editorialized and put up barriers to your ideas, I'd be conforming your collective vision to mine. If I wanted my vision to hold sway, I'd just make the setting myself (and I've done that, too). Since I want to see what we can come up with, I promise to be very moderate with my authority, and I hope you will trust me enough to hold myself to that.

General Rules

As contributions, suggestions, and elaborations are made, I will be periodically updating a post just below this one that will serve as a "campaign bible" of sorts. Once something is added into that post, it is effectively "true" and gospel. Don't feel that you have to refrain from elaborating on things in that are not yet in the campaign bible. I won't be in front of my computer all day, so I cannot update the campaign bible 24/7. I want you to contribute and elaborate all the time. When I do update the bible, I will add all constructive contributions and subsequent elaborations at once.

Post only if you're going to contribute. If the idea of being a part of a collaborative campaign doesn't interest you, then don't post. We don't need to know your objections. The thread will be hard enough to follow if everything goes right (it won't...), and posts that contribute nothing only complicate matters, plus they dampen the spirits of those who are engaged in the project. If you don't care about collaborative campaigns, you have no stake in the matter, so kindly take your objections elsewhere.

Similarly, try to avoid "Me, too" posts. While it is perfectly fine to note that you like someone's suggestions, simply saying that and nothing more doesn't help build the setting. Instead, if you find something you like well enough to say publicly that you do, take that as an opportunity to elaborate on what you like, adding more details into the setting. That's how this project will take wing and begin to soar.

When contributing or elaborating, do not contradict what has previously been established or contributed, known in improv circles as a "block" or a "neg". This is very important. This keeps the creation moving forward. This isn't a democracy, for good or for ill. We cannot stop to vote on whether each addition is "acceptable" or not. Just assume that as long as it doesn't directly contradict something in a prior post, it is acceptable and now "true", even if it hasn't made it into the campaign bible yet. If it follows the rules, you can be confident that it will be added to the bible in due time.

Contribute or elaborate constructively. If I suspect that you are purposely contributing joking, destructive, or ridiculous additions for the express purpose of mocking the collaborative process or undermining the project, I will confront you. Not only will I report your posts to have them removed, you're accomplishing very little as I am ultimately in charge of what gets permanently added to the campaign bible. If I confront you, that is your chance to convince me that you're not trolling. Make it count.

As the world gets filled in, I will highlight lingering questions about the world that remain unanwered or unclear. If I feel something deserves more elaboration, I may nudge the conversation in that direction by prompting people in the thread and asking them to elaborate. Feel no need to heed my prompts. I'll only be doing so as aids to spur creation. If you want to contribute something else, that's totally cool.

In summation:

- Refer to the campaign bible post
- Contribute constructively
- Don't block
- Don't troll

Specific Rules

- When making a contribution, please keep it short and sweet.

You don't want to establish too much all at once, as it defeats the purpose of collaboration. Leave some room for elaboration. I'm not invoking a hard limit on how big a contribution can be i.e, how many lines or how many details. It is a nebulous thing. In essence, keep it to a statement or two.

For example...

Pirates ply their trade on the Dagger Coast
​

...is a good example. It establishes pirates and the Dagger Coast, and implies several things about the world that might be elaborated on, but refrains from specifying where the Dagger Coast is, why it is called that, who the pirates are, what 'plying their trade" actually is, etc. That's for other posters to elaborate on.

If I think your contribution is too specific, I will point it out, and invite you to amend your post to something less specific.

- It is inevitable that someone will contribute, suggest, or elaborate something that is effectively a "block". Most of the time, it will be on accident. They will miss a post earlier in the thread, or misread something, and end up "blocking" or "neg-ing" without intending to do so.

If you're not trolling and the blocking post was made in good faith, I will point it out, and invite you to amend your post to something that doesn't block.

- When elaborating on a previous contribution, please quote what you are elaborating on. This helps others understand what you are talking about, and helps me organize the campaign bible post.

- When elaborating on a previous contribution, please quote only the part you are elaborating on. If quoting a large post (namely, the campaign bible post), please edit it down to only the relevant part.

- Avoid quote tunnels. Three quotes deep is as far as should ever be necessary, and should still be rare. One or two should be enough 99% of the time.

- Do not elaborate on something you contributed until at least one other poster has elaborated on it OR a full 24 hours has passed. Give people time to collaborate. Posting an idea and then quickly elaborating on it again and again is functionally no different from posting an overly-detailed contribution in the first place. If no one jumps on your suggestion after a day, feel free to add more, then wait another day. If someone elaborates, feel free add more immediately,

- In the case of two posters elaborating on the same post in mutually-exclusive fashion, whoever posted first gets precedence, assuming it wasn't a block already. If I think that the two elaborations can "live together', with a small change, I may suggest such to the second poster, and invite them to make the change.

- If you think someone posted something 'against the rules' (a block, or a troll post), please notify me. Send me a PM pointing to the post, and feel free to quote the post in the thread along with your explanation of why you feel it is against the rules. But either way, understand that it is ultimately up to me to judge if it truly is against the rules of this project.

Note: this doesn't undermine the general rules of this forum. If you see posters breaking the rules of this forum as a whole, then report them to moderators/ORCs as you would normally. The "rules" i'm talking about are the rules of this particular project.

- If something is found to be against the rules, then all subsequent elaborations on it will also be ignored. Basically, if a block post is made, and then elaborated on, it amounts to nothing. If the elaborations have value unto themselves and don't really require the block post, then they will remain.

- If a troll post is made (something deliberately undermining) and is elaborated on sufficiently in good faith, I may consider the troll post "reclaimed". Basically, a troll post can be rendered into something good if the collective creative forces of the forum make it so. Again, good faith is required. If a small group of trolls make troll posts and troll elaborations in a ruse to create "legitimacy", their non-contributions will be ignored.

Final Notes

Does that sound good? Are you excited? I'm excited!

If I find additional rules are necessary, I will post them and also update this post. If you feel you have an idea that will positively benefit the project, feel free to post suggestions. If I find your idea valuable, I will quote your suggestion and also update this post to reflect the addition.

Okay everyone, get creative. I'll start you off in the first post below...

 

[Fralex]

Originally posted by Foxface:

THE CAMPAIGN BIBLE

The world is known as "Kohlcamm". (for COLLaborative CAMpaign)

Gods and Creation

In the beginning there was unsteady chaos. Then, the ambitious, ideological, and proud Gods each tried their level-best to shape the chaos in accords with their Own Image. And no one god had more nor less power and ambition than any other, though their interests and designs were varied. So the chaos took the shape of their Will and reflected their competing desires. The world of Kohlcamm emerged as the central point of tension - an intersection of each God's Will and influence. They constantly vie for more sway - that reality itself might reflect Their Glory.

Unsurprisingly, this divine fervor and conflict is the cause of much turmoil among the many peoples of Kohlcamm, who, to one degree or another, are imitations of their creators.

The gods themselves take an active role in the affairs of the world, frequently meddling with mortals and their institutions. The gods are also notoriously fickle, and often change who their "favorites" are. Mortals have had to adapt in turn.

As a result, a secret group known as the Ormahr formed. The Ormarh are dedidicated to ridding the world of meddling gods and their priests. Ridding the world of the Ormarh is the one thing all of the gods can agree on. (see Organizations, below)

The gods have restarted the world several times, building overtop their abandoned creation. This has left layer upon layer of former civilizations that were discarded by the gods.

The gods of Kohlcamm are legion. Any attempts to categorize them and codify their numbers is an excercise in futility. Thus, claims to divine guidance from some heretofore unheard of god by upstart cults or religions are not met with any surprise. Ironically, since no one has any reason to doubt the claims of the new priests coupled with the plethora of choices of gods to worship, most citizens actually take a close look at doctrine of whatever faith is attempting to convert them, rather than accept the claims blindly and submit to religious servitude.

So while very few people are true athiests, the vast swathes of mortals are a deeply cynical lot with regard to the gods.

The Forgotten God, whose voice was never heard escaped the noisy song the other gods, is hiding in the center of the world. Waiting from darkness, stretching their wicked tendrils to silence the song of life, consumed by jealousy, only the complete destruction of this world will bring peace to the rage within! The thing that should not be rips the earth with desruction (volcanoes), and pulls fire from the skies (meteors). Members of all the Races have connections with this god (even if they do know the god exists) and some even harness the raw energies to wonderous effect! But every time they pull from this mystic force the world becomes more unstable, for the Forgotten God is made stronger as the energy is spread...

Whether they realize it or not, all arcane casters are drawing from the latent power of the forgotten god. The mystic runes, the incantations, the elaborate gestures, they are all derived the unheard and ignored lamentations of The Forgotten God. (see Magic, below)

One rogue god, Rhenny O'Shea (a fallen god of luck and mischief) often assumes the guise of mortals in order to stir the pot, and complicate the lives of adventurers. If he can change the fate of 1 million mortals he shall regain a place with the other active gods.

During creation, the sphere of Kohlcamm was spun along its axis at high a speed of rotation tethered at the north pole by the plane of water, and on the south pole, the plane of fire. When Kohlcamm slowed into is normal rotation the tethers were then simultaneously retracted leaving behind corresponding border planes at the poles.

 

[Fralex]

[sblock=Page 1]Originally posted by Azure.Shade:

Geography additions:

Wolf's Cry Woods
These woods are as peaceful as can be expected in a frontier area. Nearby settlers have reported goblin sightings in the past, but the little green buggers have been mostly too shy to mount a formal raid on anything. The focal point of this location is the legend of a great silver wolf that stalks the misty woods during the Spring and Harvest festivals. Locals call this creature the Ghost Paw, and are quick to end their festivities at midnight when the mists begin to roll in from the forest and the wolf's cry sounds. Some villages around the forest have taken to leaving an offering to the wolf, believing it to be a form of guardian spirit that keeps the goblins at bay. Others believe it to be a monster of the Feywild, sent to punish those who would harm the forest.


The Witchsands
Beyond the far mountains lies the desolate grey wastes known by the Arumee tribes as The Witchsands. The pale firmament of this foreboding location is not actual sand, as the name would suggest, but more of a silty ash, left behind by an apocalyptic conflagration ages ago. Sharp winds move tons of this fine dust around the constantly shifting desert, revealing, and then quickly reburying long lost acropoli and vaults. Thrill seekers can often be found traversing The Witchsands in hopes of looting ancient treasures when the sands part. A few of these grave-robbers, however, have failed to get out of their excavation sites in time, and now their bleached bones are all that mark their passing when the sands shift once more.

Local nomads speak of strange lights that sometimes lure the unwary out into the sands at night, never to be seen again. There is also talk of a dark coven that roams the wastes, searching for dangerous artifacts from a bygone age.


Originally posted by Foxface:

AzureShade wrote:Geography additions:

Wolf's Cry Woods
These woods are as peaceful as can be expected in a frontier area. Nearby settlers have reported goblin sightings in the past, but the little green buggers have been mostly too shy to mount a formal raid on anything. The focal point of this location is the legend of a great silver wolf that stalks the misty woods during the Spring and Harvest festivals. Locals call this creature the Ghost Paw, and are quick to end their festivities at midnight when the mists begin to roll in from the forest and the wolf's cry sounds. Some villages around the forest have taken to leaving an offering to the wolf, believing it to be a form of guardian spirit that keeps the goblins at bay. Others believe it to be a monster of the Feywild, sent to punish those who would harm the forest.


The Witchsands
Beyond the far mountains lies the desolate grey wastes known by the Arumee tribes as The Witchsands. The pale firmament of this foreboding location is not actual sand, as the name would suggest, but more of a silty ash, left behind by an apocalyptic conflagration ages ago. Sharp winds move tons of this fine dust around the constantly shifting desert, revealing, and then quickly reburying long lost acropoli and vaults. Thrill seekers can often be found traversing The Witchsands in hopes of looting ancient treasures when the sands part. A few of these grave-robbers, however, have failed to get out of their excavation sites in time, and now their bleached bones are all that mark their passing when the sands shift once more.

Local nomads speak of strange lights that sometimes lure the unwary out into the sands at night, never to be seen again. There is also talk of a dark coven that roams the wastes, searching for dangerous artifacts from a bygone age.

While these are wonderfully evocative, I think they are too detailed. in your first suggestion, you've established not only the woods and its general location, but their inhabitants, how they behave, local customs, as well as establishing the Feywild. Thats too much all at once. You've left little room for other to contribute to the nature of the Wolf's Cry Woods.

Same thing for the Witchsands.

Let's start small, and let this grow. I love your spirit, though. The enthusiasm is great!

if you could choose one or two details for each of these locations, what would you establish?


Originally posted by sleypy:

The decendants of former shunned goliath (half-giants) have formed a guild of assassins known only as The Shadow. They operate out of the 11 Towns. The 11 towns are a cluster of towns scattered across one of far northern territories known as Hungry Sky Reach.


Originally posted by bawylie:

Creation Myth: In the beginning there was unsteady chaos. Then, the ambitious, ideological, and proud Gods each tried their level-best to shape the chaos in accords with their Own Image. And no one god had more nor less power and ambition than any other, though their interests and designs were varied. So the chaos took the shape of their Will and reflected their competing desires. The world of Kohlcamm emerged as the central point of tension - an intersection of each God's Will and influence. They constantly vie for more sway - that reality itself might reflect Their Glory.

Unsurprisingly, this divine fervor and conflict is the cause of much turmoil among the many peoples of Kohlcamm, who, to one degree or another, are imitations of their creators.


Originally posted by pauldanielj2:

The world has no moons, but it does have a large planetary ring. From the surface, this looks like a huge, shining bridge or path across the sky, which has contributed greatly to the mythologies of the various civilizations.

Without a moon, the concept of a month was never developed. Instead, the year is divided into the four seasons, and then subdivided by weeks. Each week is named, usually after an animal or monster (week of the troll, week of the badger, week of the dragon, et cetera).




Originally posted by edwin_su:

Elves have a very neen sense of hearing and in evlen cociety there is a paerfect note.
the volume of a brass bell playing this note is the elves standard mesure of volume.
A string playing this note is their mesure of length.


Originally posted by Orzel:

There is a mysterious small city in the wilderness named Rangertown. It is not the official name but that is what they call it as all the inhabitants are survivalists, hunters, trackers, and outdoorsmen... rangers.

Originally posted by itworks:

nice ideia

cultural addition:
Humans are the most common race in Kohlcamm, but unlike other planes, demihumans races (like elf, dwarf and orc) have vasts kingdoms too...

geography addition:
One of the famous places of Kohlcamm is the Field of Howls a large savannah, lair of wargs where a big war was fought in the past...


Originally posted by Foxface:

bawylie wrote:Creation Myth: In the beginning there was unsteady chaos. Then, the ambitious, ideological, and proud Gods each tried their level-best to shape the chaos in accords with their Own Image. And no one god had more nor less power and ambition than any other, though their interests and designs were varied. So the chaos took the shape of their Will and reflected their competing desires. The world of Kohlcamm emerged as the central point of tension - an intersection of each God's Will and influence. They constantly vie for more sway - that reality itself might reflect Their Glory.

Unsurprisingly, this divine fervor and conflict is the cause of much turmoil among the many peoples of Kohlcamm, who, to one degree or another, are imitations of their creators.

I see what you did there...

To add:

The gods themselves take an active role in the affairs of the world, frequently meddling with mortals and thier institutions. The gods are also notoriously fickle, and often change who their "favorites" are. Mortals have had to adapt in turn.




Originally posted by Foxface:

edwin_su wrote:Elves have a very neen sense of hearing and in evlen cociety there is a paerfect note.
the volume of a brass bell playing this note is the elves standard mesure of volume.
A string playing this note is their mesure of length.

This connection to sound and music informs their worldview. Living itself is known as "playing the song of life", and living in harmony with others while improvising your own melody "in tune" with the song of life is an elf's highest ideal.


Originally posted by edwin_su:

Foxface wrote:

edwin_su wrote:Elves have a very neen sense of hearing and in evlen cociety there is a paerfect note.
the volume of a brass bell playing this note is the elves standard mesure of volume.
A string playing this note is their mesure of length.

This connection to sound and music informs their worldview. Living itself is known as "playing the song of life", and living in harmony with others while improvising your own melody "in tune" with the song of life is an elf's highest ideal.

and a salesman who short changes would be discribed as a salesman whose bell doesen't ring true


Originally posted by Foxface:

pauldanielj2 wrote:The world has no moons, but it does have a large planetary ring. From the surface, this looks like a huge, shining bridge or path across the sky, which has contributed greatly to the mythologies of the various civilizations.

WIthout a moon, the concept of a month was never developed. Instead, the year is divided into the four seasons, and then subdivided by weeks. Each week is named, usually after an animal or monster (week of the troll, week of the badger, week of the dragon, et cetera).

These weeks are so-named because of constellations in the sky. Where the path of the sun intersects with the ring during the day, that constellation at night in the same position determines the week.


Originally posted by bawylie:

Orzel wrote:There is a mysterious small city in the wilderness named Rangertown. It is not the official name but that is what they call it as all the inhabitants are survivalists, hunters, trackers, and outdoorsmen... rangers.

Is there a Mayor?


Originally posted by Burrytar:

Foxface wrote:

pauldanielj2 wrote:The world has no moons, but it does have a large planetary ring. From the surface, this looks like a huge, shining bridge or path across the sky, which has contributed greatly to the mythologies of the various civilizations.

WIthout a moon, the concept of a month was never developed. Instead, the year is divided into the four seasons, and then subdivided by weeks. Each week is named, usually after an animal or monster (week of the troll, week of the badger, week of the dragon, et cetera).

These weeks are so-named because of constellations in the sky. Where the path of the sun intersects with the ring during the day, that constellation at night in the same position determines the week.

The exact relationship between the constellations and the gods is widely recognized by diverse scholars as one of the Five Great Mysteries.


Originally posted by strider1276:

First, this is a wonderful idea! Thanks for starting it.

Okay, geography/setting idea:

The Forest of Forgotten Souls holds an enclave of gnomes. Unlike their cousins, they are not happy-go-lucky. To the contrary, they consume the souls of wayward travelers who brave the Forest for its treasures.


Originally posted by Foxface:

bawylie wrote:

Orzel wrote:There is a mysterious small city in the wilderness named Rangertown. It is not the official name but that is what they call it as all the inhabitants are survivalists, hunters, trackers, and outdoorsmen... rangers.

Is there a Mayor?

Why don't you tell us, bawylie?



Originally posted by jtfowler:

Great idea!

Societal Norm: The "Adventurer Stock Market" (not necessarily the name)

Those with a mercenary streak can enlist in the market! They are assigned contracts, benefactors can invest gear for greater dividends, etc.


Originally posted by Foxface:

jtfowler wrote:Great idea!

Societal Norm: The "Adventurer Stock Market" (not necessarily the name)

Those with a mercenary streak can enlist in the market! They are assigned contracts, benefactors can invest gear for greater dividends, etc.

Near the most dangerous parts of the world, 7 cities have sprung up as a sort of Fantasy New York/Las Vegas. Not only are there adventurer guilds that post jobs and quests to take for profit, and private investors who sponsor adventurers in exchange for larger shares of the spoils, there exists a strong better's market where wealthy visitors can wager on who will successfully complete contracts.

One of these 7 cities also happens to be one of the 11 outposts of The Shadow, the goliath assassin's guild.


Originally posted by Orethalion:

Foxface wrote:

bawylie wrote:Creation Myth: In the beginning there was unsteady chaos. Then, the ambitious, ideological, and proud Gods each tried their level-best to shape the chaos in accords with their Own Image. And no one god had more nor less power and ambition than any other, though their interests and designs were varied. So the chaos took the shape of their Will and reflected their competing desires. The world of Kohlcamm emerged as the central point of tension - an intersection of each God's Will and influence. They constantly vie for more sway - that reality itself might reflect Their Glory.

Unsurprisingly, this divine fervor and conflict is the cause of much turmoil among the many peoples of Kohlcamm, who, to one degree or another, are imitations of their creators.

I see what you did there...

To add:

The gods themselves take an active role in the affairs of the world, frequently meddling with mortals and thier institutions. The gods are also notoriously fickle, and often change who their "favorites" are. Mortals have had to adapt in turn.

Yes, and as a result, a secret group known as the Ormahr formed. The Ormarh are dedidicated to ridding the world of meddling gods and their priests. Ridding the world of the Ormarh is the one thing all of the gods can agree on.


Originally posted by strider13x:

The Forgotten God, whose voice was never heard escaped the noisy song the other gods, is hiding in the center of the world. Waiting from darkness, stretching their wicked tendrils to silence the song of life, consumed by jealousy, only the complete destruction of this world will bring peace to the rage within! The thing that should not be rips the earth with desruction (volcanoes), and pulls fire from the skies (meteors). Members of all the Races have connections with this god (even if they do know the god exists) and some even harness the raw energies to wonderous effect! But every time they pull from this mystic force the world becomes more unstable, for the Forgotten God is made stronger as the energy is spread...


Originally posted by Redblue200:

itworks wrote:nice ideia

cultural addition:
Humans are the most common race in Kohlcamm, but unlike other planes, demihumans races (like elf, dwarf and orc) have vasts kingdoms too...

geography addition:
One of the famous places of Kohlcamm is the Field of Howls a large savannah, lair of wargs where a big war was fought in the past...

A halfblood Yuan-Ti lives in a simple hut deep within the Field of Howls. His only companion is a halfling child. For some reason, the wargs never approach his hut.


Originally posted by Foxface:

Redblue200 wrote:

itworks wrote:nice ideia

cultural addition:
Humans are the most common race in Kohlcamm, but unlike other planes, demihumans races (like elf, dwarf and orc) have vasts kingdoms too...

geography addition:
One of the famous places of Kohlcamm is the Field of Howls a large savannah, lair of wargs where a big war was fought in the past...

A halfblood Yuan-Ti lives in a simple hut deep within the Field of Howls. His only companion is a halfling child. For some reason, the wargs never approach his hut.

Ooooooooh, good one.

The largest structure in the Field of Howls is a single lone tower atop a small hill. It isn't very large, but compared to the scattered ruins that litter the fields for miles around, it might as well be a ziggurat.


Originally posted by Foxface:

strider13x wrote:The Forgotten God, whose voice was never heard escaped the noisy song the other gods, is hiding in the center of the world. Waiting from darkness, stretching their wicked tendrils to silence the song of life, consumed by jealousy, only the complete destruction of this world will bring peace to the rage within! The thing that should not be rips the earth with desruction (volcanoes), and pulls fire from the skies (meteors). Members of all the Races have connections with this god (even if they do know the god exists) and some even harness the raw energies to wonderous effect! But every time they pull from this mystic force the world becomes more unstable, for the Forgotten God is made stronger as the energy is spread...

Whether they realize it or not, all arcane casters are drawing from the latent power of the forgotten god. The mystic runes, the incantations, the elaborate gestures, they are all derived the unheard and ignored lamentations of The Forgotten God.


Originally posted by jonathan_sicari:

Goblin mercenaries are known for their trustworthyness and loyalty, if not their combat skill (think Friendlies from Dickson's Childe Cycle).


Originally posted by iserith:

Foxface wroteoes that sound good? Are you excited? I'm excited!

Sorry for the aside, but this is crazy-awesome and ambitious and as soon as I sober up, I am totally in.


Originally posted by cranebump:

Beyond the Jagged Edge, just past the mist-shrouded hills of Mourning, lies a plane of ice and snow ruled by the legendary White Queen of Adlbore. Towns bordering the plane of ice pay her constant tribute in exchange for the lucrative mining rights to the mountains nearby, lest they receieve a vist from the dread Autumn Wards (masters of the dual-bladed "Cleave-Pikes"). Things may be about to change, however. Rumors speak of a nascent rebellion, led by a figure known only as "Kestral."


Originally posted by cranebump:

The bloodthirsty halflings of Tanglewood were once slaves to the Elves there. They drove off their captors long ago, and now control the deep part of the forest, where the ancient treasures of the Elves (considered vile and uinholy by the halflings) lie waiting to be found. (Basically, xenophobic halflings who do NOT like visitors).


Originally posted by bawylie:

Dwarves are 9 feet tall and 5 feet wide on average. They carefully guard a sacred forge that holds the powers of Making and Unmaking.


Originally posted by Rhenny:

One rogue god, Rhenny O'Shea (a fallen god of luck and mischief) often assumes the guise of mortals in order to stir the pot, and complicate the lives of adventurers. If he can change the fate of 1 million mortals he shall regain a place with the other active gods.


Originally posted by Foxface:

cranebump wrote:The bloodthirsty halflings of Tanglewood were once slaves to the Elves there. They drove off their captors long ago, and now control the deep part of the forest, where the ancient treasures of the Elves (considered vile and uinholy by the halflings) lie waiting to be found. (Basically, xenophobic halflings who do NOT like visitors).

The elves who kept the halfling slaves were a cultural offshoot of the "regular"
elves. Unlike the elves who strove to live in harmony with the world, the slave-keeping elves, known as "the discordant", chose to live selfish lives and sing their own songs, songs of strife and blood.

Driven from their own woods by their former slaves, the discordant elves fled into the deepest parts of the world. Some say that during the darkest night, if you listen carefully in complete silence, you can hear their song of strife coming from the shadows.


Originally posted by Foxface:

bawylie wrotewarves are 9 feet tall and 5 feet wide on average. They carefully guard a sacred forge that holds the powers of Making and Unmaking.

This "forge" is actually a great fissure in the ground, atop of which is built a huge stone fortress, likely one of the biggest mortal-made structure in all of Kohlcamm. The heat from the fissure powers everything inside.

The dwarves themselves are masters of technology, and the readily available source of energy as afforded them the ability to constantly research new forms of magic and technology. Some suspect that they are very close to merging the two.


Originally posted by Foxface:

Orethalion wrote:

Foxface wrote:

bawylie wrote:Creation Myth: In the beginning there was unsteady chaos. Then, the ambitious, ideological, and proud Gods each tried their level-best to shape the chaos in accords with their Own Image. And no one god had more nor less power and ambition than any other, though their interests and designs were varied. So the chaos took the shape of their Will and reflected their competing desires. The world of Kohlcamm emerged as the central point of tension - an intersection of each God's Will and influence. They constantly vie for more sway - that reality itself might reflect Their Glory.

Unsurprisingly, this divine fervor and conflict is the cause of much turmoil among the many peoples of Kohlcamm, who, to one degree or another, are imitations of their creators.

I see what you did there...

To add:

The gods themselves take an active role in the affairs of the world, frequently meddling with mortals and thier institutions. The gods are also notoriously fickle, and often change who their "favorites" are. Mortals have had to adapt in turn.

Yes, and as a result, a secret group known as the Ormahr formed. The Ormarh are dedidicated to ridding the world of meddling gods and their priests. Ridding the world of the Ormarh is the one thing all of the gods can agree on.

This is awesome. As soon as I think of something to add to this, I will. This might be my favorite thing added so far!



Originally posted by Uchawi:

Large rocks that appear to be dropped from the heavens, are well known by local travelers as the giants teeth. They are scattered across the open grasslands of Ansobar. During the high summer solstice the rocks cast shadows that are rumored to take shape and move amongst the field of stone.


Originally posted by Mecheon:

Not wishing to live by the whims of fickle gods, some chose instead to worship the very spirits of the land and the wilds. Using it is said they can draw upon the very strength of the animals they intend to emulate

Some say some worshippers have gone so far as to blend the forms of themselves and their idol of worship into one, but these are just rumours


Originally posted by sleypy:

The standard unit of measurement was created during the rule of Queen Merwin Brandywine of Verdaen, She was beloved by her people who lovingly refered to her as The Halfling Queen due to her small stature. During her 67 year the Verdaen Foot, using her foot size, became the standard unit of measure of the Verdaens. Over the years the Verdaen Foot has been adopted as the standard unit for trade. It has become common venacular to use the short form "feet"; Verdaen jest that they will only call it the Verdaen Foot, because the distance its short enough already.


Originally posted by Fralex:

Score! just found the fun thread!

AzureShade wrote:The Witchsands
Beyond the far mountains lies the desolate grey wastes known by the Arumee tribes as The Witchsands. The pale firmament of this foreboding location is not actual sand, as the name would suggest, but more of a silty ash, left behind by an apocalyptic conflagration ages ago.

Magma is not the only substance of power that flows beneath the earth. Ectoplasm, the raw stuff ghosts are made of, lies beneath the surface in some parts of the world. Evidence points to a dark time in the past when an ectoplasmic volcano erupted, giving form to even the slightest of lingering spirits and possibly creating some new entities.


Originally posted by souldoubt:

Foxface wrote:

Orethalion wrote:

Foxface wrote:

bawylie wrote:Creation Myth: In the beginning there was unsteady chaos. Then, the ambitious, ideological, and proud Gods each tried their level-best to shape the chaos in accords with their Own Image. And no one god had more nor less power and ambition than any other, though their interests and designs were varied. So the chaos took the shape of their Will and reflected their competing desires. The world of Kohlcamm emerged as the central point of tension - an intersection of each God's Will and influence. They constantly vie for more sway - that reality itself might reflect Their Glory.

Unsurprisingly, this divine fervor and conflict is the cause of much turmoil among the many peoples of Kohlcamm, who, to one degree or another, are imitations of their creators.

I see what you did there...

To add:

The gods themselves take an active role in the affairs of the world, frequently meddling with mortals and thier institutions. The gods are also notoriously fickle, and often change who their "favorites" are. Mortals have had to adapt in turn.

Yes, and as a result, a secret group known as the Ormahr formed. The Ormarh are dedidicated to ridding the world of meddling gods and their priests. Ridding the world of the Ormarh is the one thing all of the gods can agree on.

This is awesome. As soon as I think of something to add to this, I will. This might be my favorite thing added so far!

Agreed. (And this thread is an awesome idea in general.)

The Ormarh move in the world in secret, as they know that the eyes of the gods (and in some cases the gods themselves) are everywhere. Though they have many secret enclaves throughout the world, only a single unhidden citadel, Dunormarh, stands in open defiance of the gods, in the city of Moth, which is also one of the 7 "adventurer" cities. Moth is so named because it lies in a shallow crater which is shaped like a moth, the city's walls following the contours of two giant moth-shaped wings with the fortress of Dunormarh at its center. For unknown reasons, the gods have no power within this ancient crater, and thus no power in Moth.

Uchawi wrote:Large rocks that appear to be dropped from the heavens, are well known by local travelers as the giants teeth. They are scattered across the open grasslands of Ansobar. During the high summer solstice the rocks cast shadows that are rumored to take shape and move amongst the field of stone.

Some folk believe that the Giant's Teeth are pieces from some celestial game being played out by the gods overhead.

It has also been proposed that long ago a massive Giant's Tooth fell upon the spot where the city of Moth now stands.


Originally posted by souldoubt:

Burrytar wrote:

Foxface wrote:

pauldanielj2 wrote:The world has no moons, but it does have a large planetary ring. From the surface, this looks like a huge, shining bridge or path across the sky, which has contributed greatly to the mythologies of the various civilizations.

WIthout a moon, the concept of a month was never developed. Instead, the year is divided into the four seasons, and then subdivided by weeks. Each week is named, usually after an animal or monster (week of the troll, week of the badger, week of the dragon, et cetera).

These weeks are so-named because of constellations in the sky. Where the path of the sun intersects with the ring during the day, that constellation at night in the same position determines the week.

The exact relationship between the constellations and the gods is widely recognized by diverse scholars as one of the Five Great Mysteries.

In most societies, the New Year is celebrated in spring with the Week of the Fox.


Originally posted by souldoubt:

(Okay, last one for now, I promise)

The orcs of Ansobar pride themselves as poets, and frequently gather to compose and recite long lyrical sagas in their native tongue, sometimes taking turns continuing the same tale.



[/sblock]

 

[Fralex]

[sblock=Page 2]Originally posted by bawylie:

The Tarrasque is a bear and during its dormant stage is the constellation Ursa Major. 


Originally posted by pauldanielj2:

The roughest port on the Northern coast is the half-ruined city of Ashtmorven. Its most infamous tavern is The Bloody Cudgel; popular with half-orcs, the tavern's claim to fame is serving roast unicorn.


Originally posted by Miladoon:

During creation, the sphere of Kohlcamm was spun along its axis at high a speed of rotation tethered at the north pole by the plane of water, and on the south pole, the plane of fire.  When Kohlcamm slowed into is normal rotation the tethers were then simultaneously retracted leaving behind corresponding border planes at the poles.  
 
Just a warning to those that enter the Seventh Sanctum
 
It takes a lot of willpower to return from its enlightening randomosity.  But it is a lot of fun with world crafting like this.


Originally posted by sleypy:

Foxface wrote: 

strider13x wrote:The Forgotten God, whose voice was never heard escaped the noisy song the other gods, is hiding in the center of the world. Waiting from darkness, stretching their wicked tendrils to silence the song of life, consumed by jealousy, only the complete destruction of this world will bring peace to the rage within! The thing that should not be rips the earth with desruction (volcanoes), and pulls fire from the skies (meteors). Members of all the Races have connections with this god (even if they do know the god exists) and some even harness the raw energies to wonderous effect! But every time they pull from this mystic force the world becomes more unstable, for the Forgotten God is made stronger as the energy is spread...
 

 
Whether they realize it or not, all arcane casters are drawing from the latent power of the forgotten god.  The mystic runes, the incantations, the elaborate gestures, they are all derived the unheard and ignored lamentations of The Forgotten God. 

 
It is believe by many that the Forgotten God exacts a price from the world of mortals for his arcane knowledge. For every bit of mystical knowledge gain other knowledge is lost. The Forgotten God is blamed everytime a name or appointment is forgotten. Mental ailments that cause a lose of memory is often blamed on selfish casters who draw too deeply from the Forgotten God's font of knowledge.


Originally posted by Foxface:

sleypy wrote: 

Foxface wrote:Whether they realize it or not, all arcane casters are drawing from the latent power of the forgotten god.  The mystic runes, the incantations, the elaborate gestures, they are all derived the unheard and ignored lamentations of The Forgotten God. 
 

 
It is believe by many that the Forgotten God exacts a price from the world of mortals for his arcane knowledge. For every bit of mystical knowledge gain other knowledge is lost. The Forgotten God is blamed everytime a name or appointment is forgotten. Mental ailments that cause a lose of memory is often blamed on selfish casters who draw too deeply from the Forgotten God's font of knowledge.

 
Haha, that's great. 
 
Since the Forgotten God is also associated with storms and natural disasters, forgetting things that should be easily remembered (anniversaries, birthdays, names, etcetera) is seen as a bad omen in some cultures.


Originally posted by Foxface:

bawylie wrote:The Tarrasque is a bear and during its dormant stage is the constellation Ursa Major. 

 
The Week of the Bear is accordingly a dark time, where people across the world fear the rise of the tarrasque


Originally posted by Miladoon:

Deep within the tangles of the Salamander Swamp, lies the wreckage of a large vessel that appeared to be part trireme and part gargantuan nautilus.  A few theorists guess that the only way it could of crashed there was if it had the capability to fly. 


Originally posted by Redblue200:

The blood of dragons was originally part of Kohlcamm's skies and the mere presence of a dragon changes the weather.  If the blood of a dragon is spilled, the ability runs rampant, creating disastrously powerful meteorological events.


Originally posted by bawylie:

Massive Behemoth-meat Tacos are a Dwarven staple food. Most smaller folk roll them into large burritos. 


Originally posted by Miladoon:

Redblue200 wrote:The blood of dragons was originally part of Kohlcamm's skies and the mere presence of a dragon changes the weather.  If the blood of a dragon is spilled, the ability runs rampant, creating disastrously powerful meteorological events.

 
A great many rooftops in the civilized world have sprouted a Bronze Dragon weathervane which are widely regarded as superstitious protective icons.


Originally posted by Foxface:

strider13x wrote:The Forgotten God, whose voice was never heard escaped the noisy song the other gods, is hiding in the center of the world. Waiting from darkness, stretching their wicked tendrils to silence the song of life, consumed by jealousy, only the complete destruction of this world will bring peace to the rage within! The thing that should not be rips the earth with desruction (volcanoes), and pulls fire from the skies (meteors). Members of all the Races have connections with this god (even if they do know the god exists) and some even harness the raw energies to wonderous effect! But every time they pull from this mystic force the world becomes more unstable, for the Forgotten God is made stronger as the energy is spread...

 

Redblue200 wrote:The blood of dragons was originally part of Kohlcamm's skies and the mere presence of a dragon changes the weather.  If the blood of a dragon is spilled, the ability runs rampant, creating disastrously powerful meteorological events.

 
The connection between dragons and meteorological events has led to a theorized connection between the dragons and The Forgotten God.  As the Forgotten God is also the source of all arcane magic, this in turn has connected dragons to arcane knowledge and power.
 
Those "in the know" about the creation of Kohlcamm think/theorize that dragons might be the sole creation of The Forgotten God.  The god's own song of creation was drowned out in the squabbling chaotic cacophony of the other gods' creation songs, and his creations were thus similarly chaotic.  How else do you explain creatures larger than giants with the body of a cat, tail of a crocodile, wings of a bat, scales of a lizard, claws of a lion, horns of a bull, tongue of a snake, and the breath of death itself?


Originally posted by manuerukun:

souldoubt wrote:In most societies, the New Year is celebrated in spring with the Week of the Fox.

 
This is specially true for human societies because in the Week of the Fox in Spring is celebrated the ascension to power of Emperor Vulporion Faxis, human conqueror whose empire expanded over the world hundreds of years ago. This is the main reason that most races speak Common, originally the language of humans.


Originally posted by The_Jester:

Foxface wrote: 

jtfowler wrote:Great idea!
 
Societal Norm: The "Adventurer Stock Market" (not necessarily the name)
 
Those with a mercenary streak can enlist in the market! They are assigned contracts, benefactors can invest gear for greater dividends, etc.
 

 
Near the most dangerous parts of the world, 7 cities have sprung up as a sort of Fantasy New York/Las Vegas.  Not only are there adventurer guilds that post jobs and quests to take for profit, and private investors who sponsor adventurers in exchange for larger shares of the spoils, there exists a strong better's market where wealthy visitors can wager on who will successfully complete contracts. 
 
One of these 7 cities also happens to be one of the 11 outposts of The Shadow, the goliath assassin's guild. 

While some adventuring companies are independant or funded by private investors, most eventually go public and sell "shares" of potential treasure to "stake holders". 
 

bawylie wrote:The Tarrasque is a bear and during its dormant stage is the constellation Ursa Major. 

The Tarrasque or Ultimate Bear is just the most well known of the stellar beasts, with each constellation being a slumbering creature, the ultimate expression of an animal. 


Originally posted by Foxface:

The_Jester wrote: 

bawylie wrote:The Tarrasque is a bear and during its dormant stage is the constellation Ursa Major. 
 

The Tarrasque or Ultimate Bear is just the most well known of the stellar beasts, with each constellation being a slumbering creature, the ultimate expression of an animal. 

 
Only the Tarrasque/Ultimate Bear has ever actually woken up in recorded history.  That's why it is the most well known.


Originally posted by The_Jester:

Foxface wrote: 

bawylie wrote:Creation Myth: In the beginning there was unsteady chaos. Then, the ambitious, ideological, and proud Gods each tried their level-best to shape the chaos in accords with their Own Image. And no one god had more nor less power and ambition than any other, though their interests and designs were varied.  So the chaos took the shape of their Will and reflected their competing desires. The world of Kohlcamm emerged as the central point of tension - an intersection of each God's Will and influence. They constantly vie for more sway - that reality itself might reflect Their Glory. 
 
Unsurprisingly, this divine fervor and conflict is the cause of much turmoil among the many peoples of Kohlcamm, who, to one degree or another, are imitations of their creators. 
 

 
I see what you did there...
 
To add:
 
The gods themselves take an active role in the affairs of the world, frequently meddling with mortals and thier institutions. The gods are also notoriously fickle, and often change who their "favorites" are. Mortals have had to adapt in turn. 

The gods have restarted the world several times, building overtop their abandoned creation. This has left layer upon layer of former civilizations that were discarded by the gods.


Originally posted by Zardnaar:

 The dominant race is not humans but the Steel Empire a mighty nation of Hobgoblins. Even now they lay siege to Actura the last city of the pentarchy.....


Originally posted by The_Jester:

itworks wrote:Humans are the most common race in Kohlcamm, but unlike other planes, demihumans races (like elf, dwarf and orc) have vasts kingdoms too...

Zardnaar wrote: The dominant race is not humans but the Steel Empire a mighty nation of Hobgoblins. Even now they lay siege to Actura the last city of the pentarchy.....

While the most common race, humanity is divided with the Steel Empire seperating and isolating the small human nations and city-states.


Originally posted by Mecheon:

Of course, the reason Actura's has held out so far against hundreds of sieges from hostile humans or hobgoblins alike has been its location, along the lovely named Coast of Spires in the north. Getting ships there is treacherous enough for friendly nations, yet alone an invading army
 
The elves benefit from some ancient treaty that no one quite seems to know the details of, but is loose and general enough that border skirmishes between Elven and Hobgoblin territory are common, but neither side pushes into the other's heartland


Originally posted by Zardnaar:

Mecheon wrote:Of course, the reason Actura's has held out so far against hundreds of sieges from hostile humans or hobgoblins alike has been its location, along the lovely named Coast of Spires in the north. Getting ships there is treacherous enough for friendly nations, yet alone an invading army
 
The elves benefit from some ancient treaty that no one quite seems to know the details of, but is loose and general enough that border skirmishes between Elven and Hobgoblin territory are common, but neither side pushes into the other's heartland

 
 Andm some whisper of graceful elven ships sailing the skies and beyond.....


Originally posted by Mecheon:

Zardnaar wrote: 

Mecheon wrote:Of course, the reason Actura's has held out so far against hundreds of sieges from hostile humans or hobgoblins alike has been its location, along the lovely named Coast of Spires in the north. Getting ships there is treacherous enough for friendly nations, yet alone an invading army
 
The elves benefit from some ancient treaty that no one quite seems to know the details of, but is loose and general enough that border skirmishes between Elven and Hobgoblin territory are common, but neither side pushes into the other's heartland
 

 
 Andm some whisper of graceful elven ships sailing the skies and beyond.....

Some claim they made these to hear the songs of the Ring itself, while more pragmatic folk claim its to measure out exact geological coordinates in order to best the hobgoblins at what exactly their ancient treaties claim each party's territory to be. Issue with basing things on ancient rivers is those rivers can change course which has, over time, lead to "Diplomacy" being a hobgoblin curse word
 
They're not the only ones in the skies, though. The hidden fortresses of the dwarves, dark imposing structures, occasionally unleash strange mechanisms that float across the sky as simple as a cloud. No one's seen a dwarf in milenia though, only the strange machines that seem to guard their lands...


Originally posted by Foxface:

Mecheon wrote: 

Zardnaar wrote: 
 Andm some whisper of graceful elven ships sailing the skies and beyond.....
 

Some claim they made these to hear the songs of the Ring itself, while more pragmatic folk claim its to measure out exact geological coordinates in order to best the hobgoblins at what exactly their ancient treaties claim each party's territory to be. Issue with basing things on ancient rivers is those rivers can change course which has, over time, lead to "Diplomacy" being a hobgoblin curse word
 
They're not the only ones in the skies, though. The hidden fortresses of the dwarves, dark imposing structures, occasionally unleash strange mechanisms that float across the sky as simple as a cloud. No one's seen a dwarf in milenia though, only the strange machines that seem to guard their lands...

 
Good stuff going on here, but the bolded part is a bit troublesome. It effectively removes dwarves from the setting, even though they are an expected part of the core rules of D&DN.  Might I suggest merging this idea with one bawylie proposed (dwarves are 9 feet tall and 5 feet wide on average)?
 
Dwarves have become incredibly insular, holed up in the mountain fortresses, researching new forms of magic and technology.  While elves and halflings stick to themselves, there are enough sightings and regular trade that most everyone has a concept of what an elf or halfing is, and could spot one in a crowd.  Dwarves, on the other hand, have become so remote that the tales about them are more common than any true sighting, and the tales themselves differ widely.  One in particular claims that dwarves are 9 feet tall and 5 feet wide (that's Verdean feet, mind you...).  But that just might be confusion over a sighting of some magical mechanical metal man.
 
What I'm saying is "Dwarves are on the cusp of making magical Iron Man suits" and the prototypes have been spotted.


Originally posted by Zardnaar:

Warforged-Dwarf genocidal war. Called it. 


Originally posted by Mecheon:

Foxface wrote:Good stuff going on here, but the bolded part is a bit troublesome. It effectively removes dwarves from the setting, even though they are an expected part of the core rules of D&DN.  Might I suggest merging this idea with one bawylie proposed (dwarves are 9 feet tall and 5 feet wide on average)?

The implication I had wasn't that they'd died, but simply that no one's seen one. So basically your thing in regards to being insular


Originally posted by Foxface:

Mecheon wrote: 

Foxface wrote:Good stuff going on here, but the bolded part is a bit troublesome. It effectively removes dwarves from the setting, even though they are an expected part of the core rules of D&DN.  Might I suggest merging this idea with one bawylie proposed (dwarves are 9 feet tall and 5 feet wide on average)?
 

The implication I had wasn't that they'd died, but simply that no one's seen one. So basically your thing in regards to being insular

 
I get ya.  I was just taken aback by "No one's seen a dwarf in a millenia".  Other statements in this thread imply that there's been at least *some* contact.  But you've established that the contact is incredibly rare.  All is good.  Proceed.


Originally posted by BlackScarPaladin:

Foxface wrote: 

strider13x wrote:The Forgotten God, whose voice was never heard escaped the noisy song the other gods, is hiding in the center of the world. Waiting from darkness, stretching their wicked tendrils to silence the song of life, consumed by jealousy, only the complete destruction of this world will bring peace to the rage within! The thing that should not be rips the earth with desruction (volcanoes), and pulls fire from the skies (meteors). Members of all the Races have connections with this god (even if they do know the god exists) and some even harness the raw energies to wonderous effect! But every time they pull from this mystic force the world becomes more unstable, for the Forgotten God is made stronger as the energy is spread...
 

 
 
 

Redblue200 wrote:The blood of dragons was originally part of Kohlcamm's skies and the mere presence of a dragon changes the weather.  If the blood of a dragon is spilled, the ability runs rampant, creating disastrously powerful meteorological events.
 

 
The connection between dragons and meteorological events has led to a theorized connection between the dragons and The Forgotten God.  As the Forgotten God is also the source of all arcane magic, this in turn has connected dragons to arcane knowledge and power.
 
Those "in the know" about the creation of Kohlcamm think/theorize that dragons might be the sole creation of The Forgotten God.  The god's own song of creation was drowned out in the squabbling chaotic cacophony of the other gods' creation songs, and his creations were thus similarly chaotic.  How else do you explain creatures larger than giants with the body of a cat, tail of a crocodile, wings of a bat, scales of a lizard, claws of a lion, horns of a bull, tongue of a snake, and the breath of death itself?

 
Maybe the first dragon is a lesser god, a servitor of the Forgotten, known as the Dreamer, and around the world cultists (converted in their dreams) kidnap innocents to sacrifice to this dark entity in hidden rituals.  Those who go to investigate usually disappear, often leaving behind maddened journals with inscriptions like "THE DREAMER WILL WAKE"


Originally posted by Orzel:

Due to the death of their patron deity, lizardfolk rarely use divine magic themselves. Somehow their very small hidden tribes survive unconquered. This clauses speculations why a Hobgoblin army can never find one.


Originally posted by OrwellianHaggis:

Farmers in a small town in the middle of nowhere have given up raising chickens because goblins kept stealing them. Now they raise cockatrice, and sell remarkably lifelike goblin-scarecrows to crop farmers with pest problems. The enchanting market has had a wonderful boost since the change, as every farmer now requires special goggles to safely collect the eggs.


Originally posted by Orzel:

OrwellianHaggis wrote:Farmers in a small town in the middle of nowhere have given up raising chickens because goblins kept stealing them. Now they raise cockatrice, and sell remarkably lifelike goblin-scarecrows to crop farmers with pest problems. The enchanting market has had a wonderful boost since the change, as every farmer now requires special goggles to safely collect the eggs.

 
These farmers also sell gorgon milk as gorgon cows are not aggressive and lack noxious breath. Capturing gorgon bulls alive for breeding is a lucrative business as male calves are killed or sold before they develop their breath weapons.


Originally posted by Uchawi:

Or course, taming gorgons and cockatrices would not be possible if not for the efforts of the beast singers that travel the land from town to town, and tell tales of the lost time and the calling. A time when all beasts challenged each other for supremacy to determine who would be the lord of animals.


Originally posted by Hebitsuikaza:

The influence of the Steel Empire is so strong that even in some primarily human cities, it is common for nearly half the town watch to be composed of Hobgoblins. They have a nasty reputation for being uncomprimising, unsympathetically strict when it comes to enforcing the laws. They have been known to arrest people over the minoriest infractions and kill people for protesting being arrested. The real criminals live in dire fear of them, while most other citizens just try to avoid them.


Originally posted by Uchawi:

Deep within the royal libraries, in the captial city of Wen-Zar'Zul, there is a reported book that tells the tale of the creators and the little folk, the two bands of dwarves that first walked the land. The larger kin guard a sacred forge that holds the powers of Making and Unmaking. The lesser kin have mysteriosly disappeared from recent history. The dwarven giants, that are seen from time to time in smithies and other trades shops, just state the little folk are searching the underworld for the source of the floating rivers or rivers of dreams. The rivers are wonderous and dangerous at the same time, and flow upwards from the underdark. They bristle with prismatic ebbs and flows.


Originally posted by sleypy:

jonathan_sicari wrote:Goblin mercenaries are known for their trustworthyness and loyalty, if not their combat skill (think Friendlies from Dickson's Childe Cycle).

 

Mecheon wrote:Of course, the reason Actura's has held out so far against hundreds of sieges from hostile humans or hobgoblins alike has been its location, along the lovely named Coast of Spires in the north. Getting ships there is treacherous enough for friendly nations, yet alone an invading army
 
The elves benefit from some ancient treaty that no one quite seems to know the details of, but is loose and general enough that border skirmishes between Elven and Hobgoblin territory are common, but neither side pushes into the other's heartland

 
Actura's defense depended on the loyalty of goblin mercenaries. The Mercenary Code is placed ahead of their loyalty to their goblin people. Without there loyalty, Actura would have been hard pressed to hold out against their enemies.


Originally posted by mellored:

Mer-koblods who worship th cromatic-kracken, are trying to cause global warming and flood the world.

Originally posted by BoldItalic:

In every town there is at least one tavern called "The Streaky Sausage". They all sell identical pies and identical mugs of ale. This is good, because you can go into any Streaky Sausage anywhere, knowing exactly what you will be getting. It is also bad because their pies and ale taste equally awful everywhere.
 
Streaky Sausages are frequented by all those unsuccessful characters who were rolled up by players and then discarded because their ability rolls were too low. They have to eat somewhere.
 
They are a great place to pick up rumours, make contact with low-life, fraternise with the town guard and generally spend down-time.


Originally posted by bawylie:

The Goblin Folk Hero "Scratch" was a legendary bard with a beaten-up fiddle. He was known for "pulling fast ones" on the larger races for the benefit of Gob-kin. His name is now synonymous with getting buffaloed or pulling off a caper, prank or heist. 
 
"I got scratched!" (Complaint that one was grifted, etc)
 
"We're gonna scratch 'em." (Describe an intent to trick someone). 
 
"Oh, we need to figure out how to scratch that itch." (Plan a heist, etc). 
 
"You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours"  is a threat. 


Originally posted by jtfowler:

souldoubt wrote:In most societies, the New Year is celebrated in spring with the Week of the Fox.

 
And it is the most anticipated celebration of the year! Seasonal flowers fill the streets, vendors bring out their best sweets and many people (mostly the young and young-at-heart) don fox masks and play harmless tricks on each other. The idea is that the trickery will fend off bad luck (and Rhenny O'Shea!) for the rest of the year.


Originally posted by souldoubt:

Is it bad form to quote myself?  Just elaborating to tie into things that others have posted.
 

souldoubt wrote:The Ormarh move in the world in secret, as they know that the eyes of the gods (and in some cases the gods themselves) are everywhere.  Though they have many secret enclaves throughout the world, only a single unhidden citadel, Dunormarh, stands in open defiance of the gods, in the city of Moth, which is also one of the 7 "adventurer" cities.  Moth is so named because it lies in a shallow crater which is shaped like a moth, the city's walls following the contours of two giant moth-shaped wings with the fortress of Dunormarh at its center.  For unknown reasons, the gods have no power within this ancient crater, and thus no power in Moth. 
 

Uchawi wrote:Large rocks that appear to be dropped from the heavens, are well known by local travelers as the giants teeth. They are scattered across the open grasslands of Ansobar. During the high summer solstice the rocks cast shadows that are rumored to take shape and move amongst the field of stone.
 

Some folk believe that the Giant's Teeth are pieces from some celestial game being played out by the gods overhead.
 
It has also been proposed that long ago a massive Giant's Tooth fell upon the spot where the city of Moth now stands.

A competing legend states that there was once a Constellation of the Moth, which fell from heaven.
 
The exact nature of the crater that the city of Moth stands in is one of the Five Great Mysteries of Kohlcamm.


Originally posted by souldoubt:

jtfowler wrote: 

souldoubt wrote:In most societies, the New Year is celebrated in spring with the Week of the Fox. 

 
And it is the most anticipated celebration of the year! Seasonal flowers fill the streets, vendors bring out their best sweets and many people (mostly the young and young-at-heart) don fox masks and play harmless tricks on each other. The idea is that the trickery will fend off bad luck (and Rhenny O'Shea!) for the rest of the year.

New Year's tricks are traditionally revealed with cries of, "Fox Fools!"
 
So, for example, you might rush into a room crying that there's a troop of goblin jesters dancing in the front yard, and then cry "Fox Fools!" when everyone goes to the window and looks to see that it's only a donkey you've dressed in colorful motley.


Originally posted by Orethalion:

souldoubt wrote:The Ormarh move in the world in secret, as they know that the eyes of the gods (and in some cases the gods themselves) are everywhere.  Though they have many secret enclaves throughout the world, only a single unhidden citadel, Dunormarh, stands in open defiance of the gods, in the city of Moth, which is also one of the 7 "adventurer" cities.  Moth is so named because it lies in a shallow crater which is shaped like a moth, the city's walls following the contours of two giant moth-shaped wings with the fortress of Dunormarh at its center.  For unknown reasons, the gods have no power within this ancient crater, and thus no power in Moth.

 
Yes, and the gods have been known to move through agents other than priests.  Even in Moth, there ironically exists a secret society of those godsworn who are tasked with keeping tabs on, and eliminating when possible, those Ormarh that live there.


Originally posted by Foxface:

Orethalion wrote: 

souldoubt wrote:The Ormarh move in the world in secret, as they know that the eyes of the gods (and in some cases the gods themselves) are everywhere.  Though they have many secret enclaves throughout the world, only a single unhidden citadel, Dunormarh, stands in open defiance of the gods, in the city of Moth, which is also one of the 7 "adventurer" cities.  Moth is so named because it lies in a shallow crater which is shaped like a moth, the city's walls following the contours of two giant moth-shaped wings with the fortress of Dunormarh at its center.  For unknown reasons, the gods have no power within this ancient crater, and thus no power in Moth.

 
Yes, and the gods have been known to move through agents other than priests.  Even in Moth, there ironically exists a secret society of those godsworn who are tasked with keeping tabs on, and eliminating when possible, those Ormarh that live there.

 
The godsworn aren't faithful servants like priests at all. They are merely mercenaries, many of them goblins, who serve the highest bidder. Few can bid higher than a god. 

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[Fralex]

[sblock=Page 3]Originally posted by Orethalion:

Foxface wrote: 

Orethalion wrote: 

souldoubt wrote:The Ormarh move in the world in secret, as they know that the eyes of the gods (and in some cases the gods themselves) are everywhere.  Though they have many secret enclaves throughout the world, only a single unhidden citadel, Dunormarh, stands in open defiance of the gods, in the city of Moth, which is also one of the 7 "adventurer" cities.  Moth is so named because it lies in a shallow crater which is shaped like a moth, the city's walls following the contours of two giant moth-shaped wings with the fortress of Dunormarh at its center.  For unknown reasons, the gods have no power within this ancient crater, and thus no power in Moth.

 
Yes, and the gods have been known to move through agents other than priests.  Even in Moth, there ironically exists a secret society of those godsworn who are tasked with keeping tabs on, and eliminating when possible, those Ormarh that live there.
 

 
The godsworn aren't faithful servants like priests at all. They are merely mercenaries, many of them goblins, who serve the highest bidder. Few can bid higher than a god. 

 
And no race is more mercenary than goblins.  Once bought (and they all can be bought if you have their price), they will do their utmost to fullfill their contract.  Due to goblin necromancers, not even death will bar the completion of many deals.


Originally posted by Orzel:

There is a chance that any female human born on the week of the snake transforms into a medusa on their 17th birthday. Rumors claim the transformation is linked to the girl's happiness on that day. 


Originally posted by Foxface:

Orzel wrote:There is a chance that any female human born on the week of the snake transforms into a medusa on their 17th birthday. Rumors claim the transformation is linked to the girl's happiness on that day. 

 
In the interest of having a workable calendar for Kohlcamm, there are months of the [insert celestial animal], divided by 4 weeks. 
 
Week of the rising animal
week of the moving animal
week of the sleeping animal
week of the dying animal
 
Of the 12 animals, the named ones are the fox, snake, bear, and the deer. 
 


Originally posted by Orethalion:

Despite the various religions being aware of, and hunting the Ormahr, knowledge of the Ormahr is kept from the lower ranks so as not to scare away potential and recent converts.  The high priests give the knowledge only to those they think can handle it.


Originally posted by Hebitsuikaza:

Underneath the land lies another world controlled by the Illithid and their Fomorian and demonic allies. However, after thousands of years of capturing slaves, they have bred their own dark and twisted versions of all the common races. Elves, dwaves, gnomes, halflings, orcs, goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears, ogres, trolls and, yes, humans... they have a version of each that more or less serve them. The stone trolls are the most frightening of them all possessing an intellect and magically capacity that matches their physicality.

Originally posted by Snot-Elemental:

Foxface wrote: 

Orzel wrote:There is a chance that any female human born on the week of the snake transforms into a medusa on their 17th birthday. Rumors claim the transformation is linked to the girl's happiness on that day. 
 

 
In the interest of having a workable calendar for Kohlcamm, there are months of the [insert celestial animal], divided by 4 weeks. 
 
Week of the rising animal
week of the moving animal
week of the sleeping animal
week of the dying animal
 
Of the 12 animals, the named ones are the fox, snake, bear, and the deer. 
 

2 other celestial animals are the Crow and the Praying Mantis.
 
The latter is worshipped by a large group of Shamans, situated in the Weird Wood, called The Order of Locusts. These Shamans are able to control large swarms of insects that sometimes crawl over their bodies in large numbers for a number of reasons.


Originally posted by cranebump:

Two more:
(1) Situated along the lone path to Mount Mann is a stone formation resembling the fabled warrior Praxis, who in ancient times, summoned the spirit of the Earth God and held an entire army of Blood Demons at bay while his companions escaped to fight another day. Dead on his feet, Praxis became one with the earth and assumed this shape. Legends say that, on blood-red dawns, warriors can commune with his spirit to determine their worth (and perhaps, perhaps, receive the blessings of Praxis). 
 
(2) The Gnolls of The Roams (called the Puneenji) are great horse warriors who erect platforms to their dead. When combined and activated by ritual, the platforms serve as conduits to the lands of the dead, where the greatest secrets of necromancy can be obtained.  However, disturbing any single platform in the slightest way earns the wrath of the Puneenji, in particular, their Beast Masters, who ride into battle with seven ghostly wolves abreast on either side (so the goblins of nearby Cairnhill report.


Originally posted by Snot-Elemental:

The citywatch of Ral-Partha consists entirely of golems which are painted in bright colors.


Originally posted by Fralex:

To many rock gnomes, the purest way to express oneself is to create a game. For to create a game is to create a reality all your own, and the more people wish to partake in it, the greater the mind who invented it is. Leadership among rock gnome communities is often determined by those who make the best games, or sometimes those who best the current leader at her own game. Though they frequently dabble in other areas of creating, most of their inventions were made simply to augment their game-making capabilities. Many dwarves view this philosophy as lacking ambition. Many rock gnomes find the dwarves' fascination with machinery that has military applications worrysome.


Originally posted by Fralex:

So who else wants to use this as a campaign setting in their next Next adventure? I sure do!

strider1276 wrote:The Forest of Forgotten Souls holds an enclave of gnomes. Unlike their cousins, they are not happy-go-lucky. To the contrary, they consume the souls of wayward travelers who brave the Forest for its treasures.

These shady gnomes use mind-piercing illusion magic to drive their victims mad with nightmares. The gnomes are seldom actually seen, they simply work their dream-magic from the shadows, patiently waiting for their prey to lose all ability to sleep normally. This lowers their mental defenses, enough for one of the gnommish priests to pluck the soul from the body. Both the empty bodies and the detached souls are kept for some dark ritual, centuries in the making.


Originally posted by souldoubt:

In the Searing Desert south of the grasslands of Ansobar, the Sultanate of Six Spires holds sway.  While the sultan and the majority of the inhabitants are orcs, the Sultanate is quite diverse.  Sultanate orcs enjoy fine art and music even more than their poetic Ansobarian cousins, and are considered the most civilized and cultured members of their race, nearly opposite to their savage cousins of the far northern realms.  There is a saying that, "In the Sultanate, even slaves are free," as even the lowest slave has rights under the Sultan's Law.  However, like all orcs, those of the Six Spires are fearsome in battle and dangerous when provoked.
 

A typical orc of the Sultanate
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Snot-Elemental wrote:The citywatch of Ral-Partha consists entirely of golems which are painted in bright colors.

Some of the golems are even equipped with a set of magic mouth spells designed to say things like "Please avoid resisting arrest" and "Have a nice day!"  Older golems can be easily identified by chipped and fading paint, and set phrases that moan and stutter unnervingly.


Originally posted by LawfulNifty:

They say that dragons avoid Moth and the crater around it, perhaps due to their connection with the Forgotten God and a fear that, without his power, their impossible bodies will stop working. In any case, Moth seems to have much milder weather than any place nearby. A torrential downpour just outside the crater will become a gentle shower the moment you cross the walls.


Originally posted by souldoubt:

While it has no moon, Kohlcamm has two suns, Solus and Enfero.  The smaller, red sun, Enfero, is said by some to be the elemental plane of fire.  Likewise, archons are said to dwell in the celestial plane of Kohlcamm's rings.  In fact, the Astromancers of Ral-Partha have built a telescope so powerful that it can see other planes -- only as indistinct spheres, but an impressive achievement nonetheless -- including one made entirely of water, evidently boiling into steam on the suns-facing side and freezing on the other.  These planes are quite large, but because they appear small through the telescope, the Astromancers have taken to calling them "little planes" or simply "planets."   While they were previously thought to be strangely moving bright stars, this discovery confirms a longstanding association of these "planets" with the planes, as well as explaining why their movements seem to have effects on events in Kohlcamm.


Originally posted by jonathan_sicari:

souldoubt wrote:In the Searing Desert south of the grasslands of Ansobar, the Sultanate of Six Spires holds sway.  While the sultan and the majority of the inhabitants are orcs, the Sultanate is quite diverse.  Sultanate orcs enjoy fine art and music even more than their poetic Ansobarian cousins, and are considered the most civilized and cultured members of their race, nearly opposite to their savage cousins of the far northern realms.  There is a saying that, "In the Sultanate, even slaves are free," as even the lowest slave has rights under the Sultan's Law.  However, like all orcs, those of the Six Spires are fearsome in battle and dangerous when provoked.
 
 

 
 
 

Snot-Elemental wrote:The citywatch of Ral-Partha consists entirely of golems which are painted in bright colors.
 

Some of the golems are even equipped with a set of magic mouth spells designed to say things like "Please avoid resisting arrest" and "Have a nice day!"  Older golems can be easily identified by chipped and fading paint, and set phrases that moan and stutter unnervingly.

 
With in the Sultanate, the Monestary of the Stone Fist produces some of the best armed and unarmed combatants in the world, as well as being the greatest library in the hemisphere.


Originally posted by sleypy:

souldoubt wrote:While it has no moon, Kohlcamm has two suns, Solus and Enfero.  The smaller, red sun, Enfero, is said by some to be the elemental plane of fire.  Likewise, archons are said to dwell in the celestial plane of Kohlcamm's rings.  In fact, the Astromancers of Ral-Partha have built a telescope so powerful that it can see other planes -- only as indistinct spheres, but an impressive achievement nonetheless -- including one made entirely of water, evidently boiling into steam on the suns-facing side and freezing on the other.  These planes are quite large, but because they appear small through the telescope, the Astromancers have taken to calling them "little planes" or simply "planets."   While they were previously thought to be strangely moving bright stars, this discovery confirms a longstanding association of these "planets" with the planes, as well as explaining why their movements seem to have effects on events in Kohlcamm.

 
During their study they also discovered clusters of black holes. The most well known dead constellation is called "The Mask." It received its monicer due to its shape and the theory that all 9 stars are believe to have died less then a year of each other as if a mask was pulled over the entire constellation.


Originally posted by Uchawi:

Where the sun rarely shines, and the wind howls for hundreds of years, lies waterfast fortress, beyond the borders of the white queens reign. The fortress holds the tempest clockwork, a pendulum that swivels within a massive cylindrical chamber that orders the times and seasons. It is guarded by the mysterious order of the void. You must go beyond the jagged edge, the plain of ice, and look beyond the horizon to the endless expanse and the icecrag mountains.


Originally posted by Snot-Elemental:

Uchawi wrote:Where the sun rarely shines, and the wind howls for hundreds of years, lies waterfast fortress, beyond the borders of the white queens reign. The fortress holds the tempest clockwork, a pendulum that swivels within a massive cylindrical chamber that orders the times and seasons. It is guarded by the mysterious order of the void. You must go beyond the jagged edge, the plain of ice, and look beyond the horizon to the endless expanse and the icecrag mountains.

The Order of Locusts is at war with the Order of the Void. The two have been fighting for over 300 years, sometimes openly, sometimes covertly. There are rumours that the Order of the Void stole a powerful artefact from the Order of Locusts to power the Tempest Clockwork. Others claim that the Order of the Void through the use of the Tempest Clockwork keeps the Order of Locusts from turning the Weird Wood into a bland, foul an insect-ridden landscape.


Originally posted by cranebump:

Snot-Elemental wrote: 

Uchawi wrote:Where the sun rarely shines, and the wind howls for hundreds of years, lies waterfast fortress, beyond the borders of the white queens reign. The fortress holds the tempest clockwork, a pendulum that swivels within a massive cylindrical chamber that orders the times and seasons. It is guarded by the mysterious order of the void. You must go beyond the jagged edge, the plain of ice, and look beyond the horizon to the endless expanse and the icecrag mountains.
 

The Order of Locusts is at war with the Order of the Void. The two have been fighting for over 300 years, sometimes openly, sometimes covertly. There are rumours that the Order of the Void stole a powerful artefact from the Order of Locusts to power the Tempest Clockwork. Others claim that the Order of the Void through the use of the Tempest Clockwork keeps the Order of Locusts from turning the Weird Wood into a bland, foul an insect-ridden landscape.

 
The Tempest Clockwork is said to be a creation of the current pantheon, one of several artifcacts designed en masse by these entities to prevent Ouroboros, the One Who Sleeps from awakening, and devouring the heavens, at it has already done twice before.


Originally posted by Foxface:

Orzel wroteue to the death of their patron deity, lizardfolk rarely use divine magic themselves. Somehow their very small hidden tribes survive unconquered. This clauses speculations why a Hobgoblin army can never find one.

 
Before anyone else runs with this....

The true name of the patron diety of the Lizardfolk has been lost to time, but he was commonly referred to as "The Wrecan".


Originally posted by Foxface:

The gods of Kohlcamm are legion.  Any attempts to categorize them and codify their numbers is an excercise in futility.  Thus, claims to divine guidance from some heretofore unheard of god by upstart cults or religions are not met with any surprise.  Ironically, since no one has any reason to doubt the claims of the new priests coupled with the plethora of choices of gods to worship, most citizens actually take a close look at doctrine of whatever faith is attempting to convert them, rather than accept the claims blindly and submit to religious servitude.
 
So while very few people are true athiests, the vast swathes of mortals are a deeply cynical lot with regard to the gods.


Originally posted by Foxface:

Campaign bible updated to reflect posts about gods and creation.
 
This has been going really great so far!  Keep it up!
 
In the future, I will do my best to retype all of this in my own personal "voice", doing my level best to present the ideas within as they were intended.  When that's done, I will present it to the forum (probably in the DM forum after 5e is released).


Originally posted by Orethalion:

Foxface wrote:The gods of Kohlcamm are legion.  Any attempts to categorize them and codify their numbers is an excercise in futility.  Thus, claims to divine guidance from some heretofore unheard of god by upstart cults or religions are not met with any surprise.  Ironically, since no one has any reason to doubt the claims of the new priests coupled with the plethora of choices of gods to worship, most citizens actually take a close look at doctrine of whatever faith is attempting to convert them, rather than accept the claims blindly and submit to religious servitude.
 
So while very few people are true athiests, the vast swathes of mortals are a deeply cynical lot with regard to the gods.

 
Adding to the chaos are of course, are all of the con artists who see claims of "divine inspiration" as a meal ticket or road to power.


Originally posted by Foxface:

Orethalion wrote: 

Foxface wrote:The gods of Kohlcamm are legion.  Any attempts to categorize them and codify their numbers is an excercise in futility.  Thus, claims to divine guidance from some heretofore unheard of god by upstart cults or religions are not met with any surprise.  Ironically, since no one has any reason to doubt the claims of the new priests coupled with the plethora of choices of gods to worship, most citizens actually take a close look at doctrine of whatever faith is attempting to convert them, rather than accept the claims blindly and submit to religious servitude.
 
So while very few people are true athiests, the vast swathes of mortals are a deeply cynical lot with regard to the gods.
 

 
Adding to the chaos are of course, are all of the con artists who see claims of "divine inspiration" as a meal ticket or road to power.

 
Exactly.  Everyone claims to have divine guidance, and all claims are potentially valid, so inherently con-artist claims are thus possible,  The people have reacted by being extra dubious.  The average person believes in the gods as much as true believer could, while simultaneously being as cynical about the supernatural as an athiest.
 
In other words, very much like the Discworld.


Originally posted by Orethalion:

Foxface wrote: 

Orethalion wrote: 

Foxface wrote:The gods of Kohlcamm are legion.  Any attempts to categorize them and codify their numbers is an excercise in futility.  Thus, claims to divine guidance from some heretofore unheard of god by upstart cults or religions are not met with any surprise.  Ironically, since no one has any reason to doubt the claims of the new priests coupled with the plethora of choices of gods to worship, most citizens actually take a close look at doctrine of whatever faith is attempting to convert them, rather than accept the claims blindly and submit to religious servitude.
 
So while very few people are true athiests, the vast swathes of mortals are a deeply cynical lot with regard to the gods.
 

 
Adding to the chaos are of course, are all of the con artists who see claims of "divine inspiration" as a meal ticket or road to power.
 

 
Exactly.  Everyone claims to have divine guidance, and all claims are potentially valid, so inherently con-artist claims are thus possible,  The people have reacted by being extra dubious.  The average person believes in the gods as much as true believer could, while simultaneously being as cynical about the supernatural as an athiest.
 
In other words, very much like the Discworld.

 
Yes, and Commander Vimes.. ::cough:: ::cough::  Sorry

Originally posted by BoldItalic:

Foxface wrote:The gods of Kohlcamm are legion.  Any attempts to categorize them and codify their numbers is an excercise in futility.  Thus, claims to divine guidance from some heretofore unheard of god by upstart cults or religions are not met with any surprise.  Ironically, since no one has any reason to doubt the claims of the new priests coupled with the plethora of choices of gods to worship, most citizens actually take a close look at doctrine of whatever faith is attempting to convert them, rather than accept the claims blindly and submit to religious servitude.
 
So while very few people are true athiests, the vast swathes of mortals are a deeply cynical lot with regard to the gods.

 
The same goes for the gods vis a vis mortals. Mortals can say they follow particular gods, but that's too easy. The gods have grown cynical about all such claims and generally demand serious proof of loyalty. Even sacrificing one's life for one's deity is not really enough, these days. A mortal who is in danger of imminent death could easily call on a convenient deity in the hopes of getting an easy afterlife without really deserving it, and the gods are well aware of that. It's become an uphill task for mortals to get any sort of recognition from the gods at all. It's their own fault.


Originally posted by Uchawi:

The nomadic toads, that pilgrimage every year from the salamander swamps to the searing desert, speak of the one soul and the balance. It is present in every being in Kohlcamm. When a being dies, their soul travels to the underworld where they join their ancestors. If one speaks ill of an acenstor or does not respect the dead, then the spirits become restless. If one is fortunate enough to meet a toad, they may request a borrowing. It is a long held practice of the toads to burrow next to the grave of the recently deceased to guide them on their journey to the underworld. On rare occasions one may find dozens or more toads concentrated on the field of battele, once the conflict has ended. Toad shamans warn of the imbalance and wakening the devourer of heavens, the dreamer, or the forgotten. The toad shamans are not clear if this is one or multiple entities.


Originally posted by Foxface:

Uchawi wrote:The nomadic toads, that pilgrimage every year from the salamander swamps to the searing desert, speak of the one soul and the balance. It is present in every being in Kohlcamm. When a being dies, their soul travels to the underworld where they join their ancestors. If one speaks ill of an acenstor or does not respect the dead, then the spirits become restless. If one is fortunate enough to meet a toad, they may request a borrowing. It is a long held practice of the toads to burrow next to the grave of the recently deceased to guide them on their journey to the underworld. On rare occasions one may find dozens or more toads concentrated on the field of battele, once the conflict has ended. Toad shamans warn of the imbalance and wakening the devourer of heavens, the dreamer, or the forgotten. The toad shamans are not clear if this is one or multiple entities.

 
In many cultures across Kohlcamm, it has become tradition to mark graves with statues of frogs and/or toads. Some that bury their dead also include small frog tokens or figurines with the body. 
 
In many religions across Kohlcamm, frogs and toads are psychopomps, and benevolent gods of death or their assistants often take the form frogs. 


Originally posted by bawylie:

Most zombies appear dapper. The embalming and interning of corpses is done with great care with an emphasis on preservation and proper treatment of the body. The idea being that by treating the person well & giving a grand send off, they won't come back and haunt anyone. Consequently, the living dead appear with minimal, if any, decay and are usually dressed in finery (ballroom clothes, not what we typically consider funereal). They're still distinguishable as zombies by their behavior and dress (often too nice for the circumstances).  


Originally posted by Fralex:

Miladoon wroteuring creation, the sphere of Kohlcamm was spun along its axis at high a speed of rotation tethered at the north pole by the plane of water, and on the south pole, the plane of fire.  When Kohlcamm slowed into is normal rotation the tethers were then simultaneously retracted leaving behind corresponding border planes at the poles. 

During creation, the world had a tenuous connection to the planes of earth and air, and probably would've likewise left border planes at sides of the equator had the world not been spun so fast, mixing the two together and propelling them outward. Kohlcamm's ring, a chaotic maelstrom of shimmering crystals and swirling mists, is a border plane of the air and earth combined. Since then it has been exposed to many other mysterious forces, so not every effect it has on the world is a strictly elemental one.
 

Foxface wrote: 

pauldanielj2 wrote:The world has no moons, but it does have a large planetary ring. From the surface, this looks like a huge, shining bridge or path across the sky, which has contributed greatly to the mythologies of the various civilizations.
 
WIthout a moon, the concept of a month was never developed. Instead, the year is divided into the four seasons, and then subdivided by weeks. Each week is named, usually after an animal or monster (week of the troll, week of the badger, week of the dragon, et cetera).
 

 
These weeks are so-named because of constellations in the sky. Where the path of the sun intersects with the ring during the day, that constellation at night in the same position determines the week. 
...
In the interest of having a workable calendar for Kohlcamm, there are months of the [insert celestial animal], divided by 4 weeks. 
 
Week of the rising animal
week of the moving animal
week of the sleeping animal
week of the dying animal

Lycanthropy takes its hold on the cursed creature at the end of each starbeast's( a general term for any constellation used in tracking months) "rising" week. It has something to do with the alignment of the Ring.
Moonbeam, the Druid Circle of the Moon, and similar magical effects all exist in Kohlcamm, but go by different names( ex. Ringbeam, Circle of the Rising Starbeast).


Originally posted by Snot-Elemental:

Foxface wrote:In many cultures across Kohlcamm, it has become tradition to mark graves with statues of frogs and/or toads. Some that bury their dead also include small frog tokens or figurines with the body. 
 
In many religions across Kohlcamm, frogs and toads are psychopomps, and benevolent gods of death or their assistants often take the form frogs. 

The Frog is also a celestial animal.


Originally posted by Fralex:

bawylie wrote:Most zombies appear dapper. The embalming and interning of corpses is done with great care with an emphasis on preservation and proper treatment of the body. The idea being that by treating the person well & giving a grand send off, they won't come back and haunt anyone. Consequently, the living dead appear with minimal, if any, decay and are usually dressed in finery (ballroom clothes, not what we typically consider funereal). They're still distinguishable as zombies by their behavior and dress (often too nice for the circumstances).  

I love this idea, and was inspired to do some fanart of it.

Ta-daaaa:
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Originally posted by bawylie:

Fralex wrote: 

bawylie wrote:Most zombies appear dapper. The embalming and interning of corpses is done with great care with an emphasis on preservation and proper treatment of the body. The idea being that by treating the person well & giving a grand send off, they won't come back and haunt anyone. Consequently, the living dead appear with minimal, if any, decay and are usually dressed in finery (ballroom clothes, not what we typically consider funereal). They're still distinguishable as zombies by their behavior and dress (often too nice for the circumstances).  
 

I love this idea, and was inspired to do some fanart of it.

 
Hee hee hee!


Originally posted by Fralex:

Foxface wrote: 
In many cultures across Kohlcamm, it has become tradition to mark graves with statues of frogs and/or toads. Some that bury their dead also include small frog tokens or figurines with the body. 
 
In many religions across Kohlcamm, frogs and toads are psychopomps, and benevolent gods of death or their assistants often take the form frogs. 

Likewise, tadpoles are regarded as symbolizing life, fertility, spirit, and beginnings. The simple tadpole shape is often stylized as a magatama-esque form and incorperated into religious artwork. Some very devoted healers have, as a holy symbol, a small globe of water in which a live tadpole swims perpetually( through magical means). Religious people in cultures where these amphibians are so revered often raise frogs and toads as pets, studying their life cycles in the hopes of gleaning insight to the nature of life and death.
 
Also in these cultures, funerals commonly use water lillies as decoration, and are traditionally held near ponds, bogs, marshes, or similar places.


Originally posted by Fralex:

Uchawi wrote:The nomadic toads, that pilgrimage every year from the salamander swamps to the searing desert, speak of the one soul and the balance. It is present in every being in Kohlcamm. When a being dies, their soul travels to the underworld where they join their ancestors. If one speaks ill of an acenstor or does not respect the dead, then the spirits become restless. If one is fortunate enough to meet a toad, they may request a borrowing. It is a long held practice of the toads to burrow next to the grave of the recently deceased to guide them on their journey to the underworld. On rare occasions one may find dozens or more toads concentrated on the field of battele, once the conflict has ended. Toad shamans warn of the imbalance and wakening the devourer of heavens, the dreamer, or the forgotten. The toad shamans are not clear if this is one or multiple entities.

These toads are to bullywugs what gnomes and fairies are to humans. They resemble tiny bullywugs, but glow a dim blue or green in the dark( a trait they can "turn off" if necessary). They call themselves the Bullywyrd, and rarely speak Common, prefering the native tongue of their larger kin.


Originally posted by Fralex:

Snot-Elemental wrote: 

Foxface wrote:In many cultures across Kohlcamm, it has become tradition to mark graves with statues of frogs and/or toads. Some that bury their dead also include small frog tokens or figurines with the body. 
 
In many religions across Kohlcamm, frogs and toads are psychopomps, and benevolent gods of death or their assistants often take the form frogs. 
 

The Frog is also a celestial animal.

The Frog starbeast marks the end of the year. Legends say the celestial creature slumbering there as a pattern in the stars will awaken only once, at the end of all things, to help guide the souls of this world to the next chapter in the tale of reality.


Originally posted by Burrytar:

Fralex wrote:The Frog starbeast marks the end of the year. Legends say the celestial creature slumbering there as a pattern in the stars will awaken only once, at the end of all things, to help guide the souls of this world to the next chapter in the tale of reality.

 
Dances held this time of year hold special significance among all classes of society.  The costume one wears may well be what one is buried in, and so the dances are nominally in honor one's ancestors.  It is a time for debutantes and bastards both to claim their place in dynasties.  Moreover, ghost stories abound of dances visited by the dead, sometimes to give dire warnings or to pass judgment on someone present, but sometimes just to enjoy the night's festivities.


Originally posted by pauldanielj2:

Zardnaar wrote:The dominant race is not humans but the Steel Empire a mighty nation of Hobgoblins. Even now they lay siege to Actura the last city of the pentarchy.....

 

jonathan_sicari wrote:Goblin mercenaries are known for their trustworthyness and loyalty, if not their combat skill (think Friendlies from Dickson's Childe Cycle).

 
Hobgoblins believe strongly in their own racial superiority. Within the Steel Empire, all other races, including goblins, are considered slaves. Bugbears are treated slightly better - more like indentured servants retained for their combat ability. The loyalty of goblin mercenaries outside the Steel Empire is due in no small part to the hatred "free" goblins have for the empire they escaped.
 
Within the borders of the Steel Empire, the most gruesome sight is the slave camps -- massive, grim fortifications surrounding fields and mines where slaves are worked to death before their bodies are thrown to the worgs.
 
 


Originally posted by Uchawi:

Ghostpaw is one of the last remaining witnesses to the last calling, when the wolf cry's wood bordered the starfire lake all the way to the northern coast where the city of Ashtmorven flourished. But the steel empire excacted a heavy toll through metal and blood. Few escaped it's grasp. But a small band of druids still protects the last sacred groves, within the wood's misty vales, from the relentless falling of trees and forging the weapons of the iron fist.


Originally posted by The_Jester:

Foxface wrote: 

Uchawi wrote:The nomadic toads, that pilgrimage every year from the salamander swamps to the searing desert, speak of the one soul and the balance. It is present in every being in Kohlcamm. When a being dies, their soul travels to the underworld where they join their ancestors. If one speaks ill of an acenstor or does not respect the dead, then the spirits become restless. If one is fortunate enough to meet a toad, they may request a borrowing. It is a long held practice of the toads to burrow next to the grave of the recently deceased to guide them on their journey to the underworld. On rare occasions one may find dozens or more toads concentrated on the field of battele, once the conflict has ended. Toad shamans warn of the imbalance and wakening the devourer of heavens, the dreamer, or the forgotten. The toad shamans are not clear if this is one or multiple entities.
 

 
In many cultures across Kohlcamm, it has become tradition to mark graves with statues of frogs and/or toads. Some that bury their dead also include small frog tokens or figurines with the body. 
 
In many religions across Kohlcamm, frogs and toads are psychopomps, and benevolent gods of death or their assistants often take the form frogs. 

The Grippli are a race of spiritualists, seen as having a strong connection to the spirit world. They often serve as intermediaries between this world and the one beyond, acting as spirit guides and mediums. 
(or, instead of being a race, they could be people who serve the spirits and are transformed into frogs)
 
Grippli that abuse their gifts and connection to the spirits become corrupted, tainted by selfishness. They are transformed into bullywugs.


Originally posted by The_Jester:

pauldanielj2 wrote:

Zardnaar wrote:The dominant race is not humans but the Steel Empire a mighty nation of Hobgoblins. Even now they lay siege to Actura the last city of the pentarchy.....

jonathan_sicari wrote:Goblin mercenaries are known for their trustworthyness and loyalty, if not their combat skill (think Friendlies from Dickson's Childe Cycle).

Hobgoblins believe strongly in their own racial superiority. Within the Steel Empire, all other races, including goblins, are considered slaves. Bugbears are treated slightly better - more like indentured servants retained for their combat ability. The loyalty of goblin mercenaries outside the Steel Empire is due in no small part to the hatred "free" goblins have for the empire they escaped.
 
Within the borders of the Steel Empire, the most gruesome sight is the slave camps -- massive, grim fortifications surrounding fields and mines where slaves are worked to death before their bodies are thrown to the worgs.

Hobgoblin slavery is a form of a caste system, goblins being workers, hobgoblins as generals and leaders, and non-goblins as lesser races unworthy of respect. If other races were meant to be more than slaves they would have been born a goblinoid.  
 
Goblinoids are also one of the few races that remember the previous cycle of divine creation, when other races ruled the world. As their civilization was spared, hobgoblins believe they were chosen by the gods for greatness. 
 



[/sblock]

 

[Fralex]

[sblock=Page 4]Originally posted by pauldanielj2:

The_Jester wrote:

pauldanielj2 wrote:

Zardnaar wrote:The dominant race is not humans but the Steel Empire a mighty nation of Hobgoblins. Even now they lay siege to Actura the last city of the pentarchy.....

jonathan_sicari wrote:Goblin mercenaries are known for their trustworthyness and loyalty, if not their combat skill (think Friendlies from Dickson's Childe Cycle).

Hobgoblins believe strongly in their own racial superiority. Within the Steel Empire, all other races, including goblins, are considered slaves. Bugbears are treated slightly better - more like indentured servants retained for their combat ability. The loyalty of goblin mercenaries outside the Steel Empire is due in no small part to the hatred "free" goblins have for the empire they escaped.

Within the borders of the Steel Empire, the most gruesome sight is the slave camps -- massive, grim fortifications surrounding fields and mines where slaves are worked to death before their bodies are thrown to the worgs.

Hobgoblin slavery is a form of a caste system, goblins being workers, hobgoblins as generals and leaders, and non-goblins as lesser races unworthy of respect. If other races were meant to be more than slaves they would have been born a goblinoid.

Goblinoids are also one of the few races that remember the previous cycle of divine creation, when other races ruled the world. As their civilization was spared, hobgoblins believe they were chosen by the gods for greatness.

Not only do hobgoblins believe they were chosen for greatness, they believe that the cycles of divine creation only exist as a prelude to their greatness. It's sort of like the movie "Groundhog Day", where everything just starts over and over again, repeating itself until some perfect paradigm is arrived at to break the cycle. The core belief of the Steel Empire is that the world is doomed to an endless cycle of being destroyed and created anew, and the only thing that can break the cycle is for their empire to conquer the entire world.






Originally posted by Sailing_Pirate_Ryan:


The Science Monks of Torislantis revere the deity Quill, whose one and only edict to the prophet Toris was "prove that I exist". Since that time, the monks have gathered all knowledge of the world that they can, verifying its accuracy according to Quill's holy code (the scientific method). As a result, the Great Library of Torislantis is the most complete repository of knowledge on Kolhcamm, rivaled only by the library of the stone fist. Their meticulous study of science has yielded many discoveries that they hold only for themselves, such as the secret of gunpowder which keeps the hobgoblin's Steel Empire at bay.




Originally posted by Uchawi:


The night of the burning crest happens twice each year when Enfero aligns with Solus. At these times arcane power is unpredictable and random in effect. Most of the cultures accross Kohlcamm hold these days in reverence. None more so than the practioners of dark necromancy in the dead kingdom.




Originally posted by souldoubt:

Sailing_Pirate_Ryan wrote:The Science Monks of Torislantis revere the deity Quill, whose one and only edict to the prophet Toris was "prove that I exist". Since that time, the monks have gathered all knowledge of the world that they can, verifying its accuracy according to Quill's holy code (the scientific method). As a result, the Great Library of Torislantis is the most complete repository of knowledge on Kolhcamm, rivaled only by the library of the stone fist. Their meticulous study of science has yielded many discoveries that they hold only for themselves, such as the secret of gunpowder which keeps the hobgoblin's Steel Empire at bay.

The Science Monks have an intellectual rivalry with the Astromancers of Ral-Partha.

Uchawi wrote:The night of the burning crest happens twice each year when Enfero aligns with Solus. At these times arcane power is unpredictable and random in effect. Most of the cultures accross Kohlcamm hold these days in reverence. None more so than the practioners of dark necromancy in the dead kingdom.

It is whispered that if the cycle of the suns' alignments ever falls in such a way that three such alignments occur within the same year, the third alignment would have potentially cataclysmic effects.




Originally posted by Burrytar:


(Cookies to the first person who deeply connects this Enlightment & Imperialism theme to a old school dungeoncrawl hook.)




Originally posted by Fralex:

bawylie wrote:Most zombies appear dapper. The embalming and interning of corpses is done with great care with an emphasis on preservation and proper treatment of the body. The idea being that by treating the person well & giving a grand send off, they won't come back and haunt anyone. Consequently, the living dead appear with minimal, if any, decay and are usually dressed in finery (ballroom clothes, not what we typically consider funereal). They're still distinguishable as zombies by their behavior and dress (often too nice for the circumstances).

Skeletons are typically dressed in hooded robes and wear sometimes-ornate masks over their skulls.




Originally posted by jonathan_sicari:


Actura is governed by a council headed by Chancellor Pallentides, a consumate politician who is wise enough to heed the advice of the Order of the Lion, a militant order of knights loyal to the city and devoted to just governance. Thier leadership of the goblin mercenaries is part of the reason they are able to stand against the might of the Steel Empire.

A new general, Greedar, the Relentless, has risen in the Empire and is making new inroads into Acturan territory. Greedar is reknowned for the discipline and steadfastness of his troops, his tactical and strategic genius and his personal combat skill (rumors persist that the last is somewhat over-rated).




Originally posted by ittyan:


In the glens and valleys high in the mountains of Kohlcamm, there grows a small white wildflower known as "foxpaw". Benign to most races, it exhibits strong narcotic effects in hobgoblins. Effects vary from mild feelings of euphoria and acceptance on contact, to a slurred, stumbling stupor when ingested. For this reason, most goblin mercenaries and professional merchants carry on their person a small pouch of dried and ground foxpaw powder for use in quickly ending unpleasant encounters with the dominant race. Often, a pinch of powder puffed in the face is enough to distract or otherwise disable even the most zealous sergeant long enough to get away. However, they must be careful to conceal it well, as hobgoblin law imposes stiff penalties for possesion of foxpaw, starting with the loss of a hand for a first offense and quickly escalating to more vital extremities.

Incidentally, it is not uncommon for goblin mercenaries to have a mismatched hand, ear, or other appendage taken from some poor sap who "wasn't using it anyway" and has been magically fused to their body to replace the missing part. Often this is a sign of an experienced mercenary, and prices are higher accordingly. The most skilled mercenaries are said to "cost an arm and a leg".




Originally posted by LawfulNifty:

sleypy wrote:The decendants of former shunned goliath (half-giants) have formed a guild of assassins known only as The Shadow. They operate out of the 11 Towns. The 11 towns are a cluster of towns scattered across one of far northern territories known as Hungry Sky Reach.

One of these towns, the city-state of Skaeldrün, is named after its first (and still current) king, an ancient and powerful demilich. He has members of The Shadow on retainer to do his dirty work for him, earning them the nickname of The Skullbashers among the townspeople. It is rumored that the jewelled skull that appears as King Skaeldrün in public is actually a construct he controls from his true location, a sanctum deep within the catacombs that criss-cross far below the old city's streets.




Originally posted by ittyan:


The mighty river Urr winds lazily thru the grasslands of Ansobar, joining the sea in a huge delta at the Bay of Krippe. The bay and the surrounding waters is home to a large population of merfolk. The grasslands are home to a race of elves that long ago abandoned the forest. In the delta is the half-sunken city of Pelin. There, merfolk and plains elves live and interact in relative harmony.




Originally posted by jonathan_sicari:


Drow rebels against the Illithid have invited the Steel Empire to help them. This has offerred the Empire new lands to conquer.

A tribe of Gnolls, consisting of the membership of five full clans, has come out of the Witch Wood, seeking co-existence with their civilized neighbors. Despite an initial bad meeting where their heralds were butchered as raiders, negotiations have been on going.




Originally posted by ittyan:

Hebitsuikaza wrote:Underneath the land lies another world controlled by the Illithid and their Fomorian and demonic allies. However, after thousands of years of capturing slaves, they have bred their own dark and twisted versions of all the common races. Elves, dwaves, gnomes, halflings, orcs, goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears, ogres, trolls and, yes, humans... they have a version of each that more or less serve them. The stone trolls are the most frightening of them all possessing an intellect and magically capacity that matches their physicality.

It is commonly said that everyone on Kohlcamm has a dark twin in the world below, constantly attempting to influence them for the worse. (Possibly to try and trade places?)

souldoubt wrote:While it has no moon, Kohlcamm has two suns, Solus and Enfero. The smaller, red sun, Enfero, is said by some to be the elemental plane of fire.

One's shadow changes depending upon the time of day and year as Solus and Enfero pass overhead. It can range from a single, crisp outline (like shadows on single-sunned worlds), to no shadow being cast at all, depending on the relative positions of the two suns. Most of the time one has one or two blurry dark blobs for a shadow.

The composition of one's shadow is considered a reflection of the influence that one's dark twin has upon oneself at that moment. Statements or actions made while casting a full shadow are viewed askance, while those done with no shadow are trusted and honored. Marriages, trials, and the like are often timed to coincide with auspicious alignments.

Some say if you can manage to kill your dark twin, then you will never cast a shadow again.




Originally posted by sleypy:

LawfulNifty wrote:

sleypy wrote:The decendants of former shunned goliath (half-giants) have formed a guild of assassins known only as The Shadow. They operate out of the 11 Towns. The 11 towns are a cluster of towns scattered across one of far northern territories known as Hungry Sky Reach.

One of these towns, the city-state of Skaeldrün, is named after its first (and still current) king, an ancient and powerful demilich. He has members of The Shadow on retainer to do his dirty work for him, earning them the nickname of The Skullbashers among the townspeople. It is rumored that the jewelled skull that appears as King Skaeldrün in public is actually a construct he controls from his true location, a sanctum deep within the catacombs that criss-cross far below the old city's streets.

Smugglers say the catacombs have passages connect Skaeldrün to the rest of "Lev'n Towns." Only smuggler caravans or the truely desperate risk the underground passages. These underground pathways earn the colorfully name "Skull Crossings" due to the dangerous that lurk there and the bones pilled that dot the edges of the passage ways. Many believe that the Skull King himself is responsible for the ancient road ways. No one knows for certain, however the bone cairns contribute (for some confirm) this rumor.




Originally posted by sleypy:

Redblue200 wrote:

itworks wrote:nice ideia

cultural addition:
Humans are the most common race in Kohlcamm, but unlike other planes, demihumans races (like elf, dwarf and orc) have vasts kingdoms too...

geography addition:
One of the famous places of Kohlcamm is the Field of Howls a large savannah, lair of wargs where a big war was fought in the past...

A halfblood Yuan-Ti lives in a simple hut deep within the Field of Howls. His only companion is a halfling child. For some reason, the wargs never approach his hut.

The Mercantile nation of Gondarea is located on the northern border of the Field of Howls. The intermingling of dwarves, halfling, Yuan-Ti and kobold has lead to the majority of the population being nimble kobold and squat Yuan-ti malison. The nation was able to prosper in the hostile savannah due to developing a means to harness the lightning energy created by storm drakes. storm drakes capacity to store lighting, not to mention its delicious meat products, has allow Gondarea to prosper.




Originally posted by Caliburn101.:


This is an old idea of mine which I never used.

Have a game world which, unbeknowst to the people living in it, is a large corner of a layer of Hell.

It's there because Asmodeus wanted to increases soul-harvesting efficiency and thought bringing a population of mortals to his realm would do this.

He wills a living, breathing world into existence (it's his plane after all...) and then populates it by kidnapping etc.

Over millenia the true origin cosmology of the world is lost. Asmodeus and a corrupt Solar working with him pretend to be the gods of good and evil - but both harvest the souls of their faithfull - some of which serve to provide clerical magic to all and sundry via a soul burner artefact.

Thus the whole world can go on as if it's normal - good gods, evil gods, good races, evil races, etc. - but everyone in the end is under Asmodeus' control and led to evil by one route or another so they can be harvested.

The PCs can be the game-changers once they reach high level and figure out the ruse...






Originally posted by jonathan_sicari:


Well, this is what I came up with for a write up for General Greedar. Some numbers are best guesses based on the bestiaries, mainly the Bestiary and Against the Slavelords.



General Greedar
[sblock]General Greedar
Hobgoblin Leader (Captain)/Monk 1/Ranger 2
Medium Humanoid (Goblinoid)
Armor Class 16 (chain mail)
Hit Points 45 (5d8 + 1d6 + 2d10 + 8)
Speed 25 ft.
Senses darkvision 60 ft.
Str 10 (+0)
Dex 13 (+1)
Con 12 (+1)
Int 12 (+1)
Wis 13 (+1)
Cha 13 (+1)
Alignment lawful evil
Languages Common, Goblin
TRAITS
Commander +2: Friendly creatures with the disciplined action that can see or hear the hobgoblin and are within 30 feet of it gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls. If multiple friendly creatures have the Commander trait, only the highest bonus applies. (Against the Slave Lords has a version of this ability that allows the bonus to any friendly creature within 30 feet, without the disciplined requirement)
Steadfast: The hobgoblin cannot be frightened while it can see a friendly creature within 30 feet of it that also has this trait.
Flurry of Blows: Greedar has 2 Ki points. If he makes an unarmed attack as part of an action, he can spend a ki point to make an additional unarmed attack.
Hordeslayer: When you damage a creature with a weapon attack each other creature you damage this turn takes an additional 1d8 damage.
Tracking: As a ranger
ACTIONS
Multiattack: The hobgoblin makes three short sword or unarmed attacks.
Melee Attack—Shortsword or Unarmed Strike: +5 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature). Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) piercing (bludgeoning if unarmded )damage. Unarmed strikes count as magical to penetrate resistances.
Encounter Building:
Level 5 xp: 350



General Greedar of the Empire of Steel is known for his Strategic and Tactical brilliance. He prefers to attack under the cover of darkness with the support of his lieutenants and Bugbear and goblins supporting his hobgoblin troops. A typical encounter for 4 level 5 characters encountering General Greedar would be
XP: (740 [easy budget, tough due to numbers])
General Greedar 350xp
5 hobgoblins 100 (20) xp
4 Bugbears 200 (50) xp
Wolf 20xp
Warg (Wolf, Dire) 70 xp.


[/sblock]


Originally posted by cranebump:


The hamlet of Halvant Knoll sits atop rich veins of mithral, which it mines and exports...when not being extorted by the Arachnil. The spider cult's promises to bring about a "day of cleansing" terrifies the Halvant Coundil of Merchant Lords, who believe the cult controls huge numbers of phase spiders. The Merchant Lords would indeed pay a pretty penny to have this problem solved. The problem is that it's been attempted 7 times already, none successful. Strangely no great cleansing has yet occurred, but retaliatory raids by Arachnil sorcerers leading large numbers of Wolf Spiders has happened twice.




Originally posted by mathfreaksquared:

The_Jester wrote:

Foxface wrote:

bawylie wrote:Creation Myth: In the beginning there was unsteady chaos. Then, the ambitious, ideological, and proud Gods each tried their level-best to shape the chaos in accords with their Own Image. And no one god had more nor less power and ambition than any other, though their interests and designs were varied. So the chaos took the shape of their Will and reflected their competing desires. The world of Kohlcamm emerged as the central point of tension - an intersection of each God's Will and influence. They constantly vie for more sway - that reality itself might reflect Their Glory.

Unsurprisingly, this divine fervor and conflict is the cause of much turmoil among the many peoples of Kohlcamm, who, to one degree or another, are imitations of their creators.

I see what you did there...

To add:

The gods themselves take an active role in the affairs of the world, frequently meddling with mortals and thier institutions. The gods are also notoriously fickle, and often change who their "favorites" are. Mortals have had to adapt in turn.

The gods have restarted the world several times, building overtop their abandoned creation. This has left layer upon layer of former civilizations that were discarded by the gods.

The last time they did so, a woman named Ormahr escaped to the newly created world with the help of Rhenny O' Shea. Cursing the gods, who have no concern for their own creations, she founded the Ormahr.

Also, the Whale is a celestial animal, and during the week (month?) of the whale, the tide is unpredictable and the waves massive. There have also been sightings of creatures as big as cities underwater during these times. This is another of the 5 Great Mysteries.




Originally posted by sleypy:

mathfreaksquared wrote:

The_Jester wrote:

Foxface wrote:

bawylie wrote:Creation Myth: In the beginning there was unsteady chaos. Then, the ambitious, ideological, and proud Gods each tried their level-best to shape the chaos in accords with their Own Image. And no one god had more nor less power and ambition than any other, though their interests and designs were varied. So the chaos took the shape of their Will and reflected their competing desires. The world of Kohlcamm emerged as the central point of tension - an intersection of each God's Will and influence. They constantly vie for more sway - that reality itself might reflect Their Glory.

Unsurprisingly, this divine fervor and conflict is the cause of much turmoil among the many peoples of Kohlcamm, who, to one degree or another, are imitations of their creators.

I see what you did there...

To add:

The gods themselves take an active role in the affairs of the world, frequently meddling with mortals and thier institutions. The gods are also notoriously fickle, and often change who their "favorites" are. Mortals have had to adapt in turn.

The gods have restarted the world several times, building overtop their abandoned creation. This has left layer upon layer of former civilizations that were discarded by the gods.

The last time they did so, a woman named Ormahr escaped to the newly created world with the help of Rhenny O' Shea. Cursing the gods, who have no concern for their own creations, she founded the Ormahr.

Also, the Whale is a celestial animal, and during the week (month?) of the whale, the tide is unpredictable and the waves massive. There have also been sightings of creatures as big as cities underwater during these times. This is another of the 5 Great Mysteries.

What few if any realize is that the god are not driven purely by hubris. The lays upon layer of abandoned worlds act as a buffer reinforcing the Old Ones prison. More then just a physical barrier, the multitude of orphaned worlds hold the corrupting touch of the Old Ones at bay.

Ormahr caught a glimpse of the gods true reason for abandoning their creations, but does not fully grasp the implications. The old one Ansah, cause of the most recent abandonment, came to Ormahr in the guise of the gods' oldest creation. It claimed to be all that was left of the first race abandoned by the gods. With Ormahr escape into the new world, Ansah was unable to completely enthraw Ormahr. However it did manage to sow the first seeds of her discontent with the gods.




Originally posted by Uchawi:


In the fields of Anosbar, next to one of the giant's teeth called Sun Spiral Cathedral, the orcs found an elven female child during the high summer solstice that always casts a shadow duing the day. She is mute, and does not show much affection, but she has symbol of Terius the Harbringer, first of the old ones, burned into her palm. She was found at the base of stairs that climbs to the abandoned cathedral that rests on the craggy face cliff face. It is rumored to be built during the age of the first ones, and anyone that dares to venture into the spiralling structure is never seen again.




Originally posted by mathfreaksquared:

Foxface wrote:

Orzel wrote:There is a chance that any female human born on the week of the snake transforms into a medusa on their 17th birthday. Rumors claim the transformation is linked to the girl's happiness on that day.

In the interest of having a workable calendar for Kohlcamm, there are months of the [insert celestial animal], divided by 4 weeks.

Week of the rising animal
week of the moving animal
week of the sleeping animal
week of the dying animal

Of the 12 animals, the named ones are the fox, snake, bear, and the deer.

pauldanielj2 wrote:The world has no moons, but it does have a large planetary ring. From the surface, this looks like a huge, shining bridge or path across the sky, which has contributed greatly to the mythologies of the various civilizations.

WIthout a moon, the concept of a month was never developed. Instead, the year is divided into the four seasons, and then subdivided by weeks. Each week is named, usually after an animal or monster (week of the troll, week of the badger, week of the dragon, et cetera).

This "workable calender" is contrary to the other post, which came first. So... let's revise:

The seasons are named the season of Rising, Moving, Dying, and Sleeping, which correspond to Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter respectively. Each week is 10 days long, and a year is 360 days long, consisting of 36 weeks. A season is 90 days long and consists of 9 weeks. Each week is named after an animal or monster, and the current list includes Preying Mantis, Whale, Frog, Fox, Snake, Bear, and Deer. The week of the frog comes at the end of the season of Dying, just before the year "ends." There are no months.





Originally posted by mathfreaksquared:


Geographical Addition:
The floating temples of M'llaran rest on magical clouds. They are the domain of storm genasi. In these temples, couatls are worshipped like guardian dieties, and storm elementals are considered their servants.

Geographical Addition:
In the south lies Bloodlurk Marsh, the domain of the Mosquite Vampires. Unlike ordinary vampires, the Mosquite Vampires are not vulnerable to sunlight. They also do not have batlike powers or any relating to shadows, (thought they are undead.) However, they can command mosquitos, transform into montrous mosquitos, and drain blood from people extremely fast.

Cultural Addition:
In most human cities, gnomes are mustrusted and stereotyped as theives. They are widely regarded as evil, even moreso than goblins and kobolds.




Originally posted by Foxface:

mathfreaksquared wrote:

Foxface wrote:

Orzel wrote:There is a chance that any female human born on the week of the snake transforms into a medusa on their 17th birthday. Rumors claim the transformation is linked to the girl's happiness on that day.

In the interest of having a workable calendar for Kohlcamm, there are months of the [insert celestial animal], divided by 4 weeks.

Week of the rising animal
week of the moving animal
week of the sleeping animal
week of the dying animal

Of the 12 animals, the named ones are the fox, snake, bear, and the deer.

pauldanielj2 wrote:The world has no moons, but it does have a large planetary ring. From the surface, this looks like a huge, shining bridge or path across the sky, which has contributed greatly to the mythologies of the various civilizations.

WIthout a moon, the concept of a month was never developed. Instead, the year is divided into the four seasons, and then subdivided by weeks. Each week is named, usually after an animal or monster (week of the troll, week of the badger, week of the dragon, et cetera).

This "workable calender" is contrary to the other post, which came first. So... let's revise:

The seasons are named the season of Rising, Moving, Dying, and Sleeping, which correspond to Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter respectively. Each week is 10 days long, and a year is 360 days long, consisting of 36 weeks. A season is 90 days long and consists of 9 weeks. Each week is named after an animal or monster, and the current list includes Preying Mantis, Whale, Frog, Fox, Snake, Bear, and Deer. The week of the frog comes at the end of the season of Dying, just before the year "ends." There are no months.

Good catch. Are you suggesting that there are 36 celestial animals, or 9 celestial animals that are repeated 4 times per year?




Originally posted by jtfowler:


Foxface, I would say nine animals that are repeated four times a year. The first season, "Rising" would have the animals as rising, naturally. Every 9 weeks, the animal would repeat in the next season?

Rising Fox [9 weeks] Moving Fox [9 weeks] Dying Fox [9 weeks] Sleeping Fox [9 weeks] Rising Fox, etc.

Recent legend speaks of a tyrant of a Green Dragon, Webrunner to the locals, nestled deep in the mangrove jungles along the Southern Seas. His favored servants are the giant spiders that live in the canopy, their webs blocking much of the sunlight from reaching the flooded floor. The story is that he viciously guards a wealth beyond measure..




Originally posted by Burrytar:


Someone also invented that the animal-weeks corresponded time-wise with the visual movement of the world's rings through the constellations. The notion, I believe, was that it was "rising" when the rings were just entering the constellation, "sleeping" when the rings were just leaving, etc. I thought an important implication of the idea was that as one animal goes to sleep, another awakens.

(It'd be cool if the constellations actually seemed to shift in pose to reflect this story. Maybe the rings have a magnifying effect. Somehow. A natural telescope!)

So I'd suggest going with 36 animal constellations, perhaps with nine of them larger and/or more culturally important than the others. This gives leeway for different cultures to emphasize a different set of nine animals as the superior animals. Yes, that'd still leave something like a month-long period of 4 weeks, but conceptually the important thing would be three inferior animal weeks followed by one superior-animal week.




Originally posted by mathfreaksquared:


Well, because some things already refer to the week of the fox or the week of the snake, it might be better to have 36 celestial animals. Also, I think there was a post that said "the week of the fox is in the spring," or something of that vein. The week of the frog is already confirmed to be the last week of the year. So... lets go with 36 celestial animals. It's just easier. Also, it provides more room to create a mythos and define the world. If 36 is too much... we could always reduce the year length or increase the week length.
Burrytars idea about the inferior/superior constellations is interesting. Then we could also correlate anything to do with the month cycle to this cycle. However, I'm not sure it makes sense that every culture emphasizes exactly nine animals that are each separated by exactly three weeks... I like the idea thar different cultures emphasize different animals, but I think turning it into a sequence is a bit too much. Also, I think it would make sense if the animal constellations got larger/brighter during their week, and maybe moved as well.

Also, I made a mistake in the calender, the "new year" should be in spring. I noticed this when I was looking for the post that mentioned that the week of the fox was in the spring.

So, to clarify: There are 35 constellations. (The moth fell, and thus it's old week, which came just after the fox's, is the 'blank week.') The toad is in the Season of Sleeping, just before the Season of Rising and the new year, of which the first week is the week of the fox.

Also, some more details:
The week of the Crow is the first week in the Season of Dying, and during this week, people put up massive scarecrows to ward off evil and death.
On the week of the Fox, foxpaw grows extremely fast, sprouting up where ever possible. At the end of the week, most of them wither away.
Hunters don't hunt on the week of the Deer, because it is superstition that on this week, catching any prey brings bad luck.
The week of the Preying Mantis is the second week in the Season of Dying, and it is believed that all crops should be harvested in this week, or else they will wither when it ends.




Originally posted by souldoubt:

mathfreaksquared wrote:So, to clarify: There are 35 constellations. (The moth fell, and thus it's old week, which came just after the fox's, is the 'blank week.') The toad is in the Season of Sleeping, just before the Season of Rising and the new year, of which the first week is the week of the fox.

sleypy wrote:

souldoubt wrote:While it has no moon, Kohlcamm has two suns, Solus and Enfero. The smaller, red sun, Enfero, is said by some to be the elemental plane of fire. Likewise, archons are said to dwell in the celestial plane of Kohlcamm's rings. In fact, the Astromancers of Ral-Partha have built a telescope so powerful that it can see other planes -- only as indistinct spheres, but an impressive achievement nonetheless -- including one made entirely of water, evidently boiling into steam on the suns-facing side and freezing on the other. These planes are quite large, but because they appear small through the telescope, the Astromancers have taken to calling them "little planes" or simply "planets." While they were previously thought to be strangely moving bright stars, this discovery confirms a longstanding association of these "planets" with the planes, as well as explaining why their movements seem to have effects on events in Kohlcamm.

During their study they also discovered clusters of black holes. The most well known dead constellation is called "The Mask." It received its monicer due to its shape and the theory that all 9 stars are believe to have died less then a year of each other as if a mask was pulled over the entire constellation.

The so-called "blank week" is also known as the Week of the Mask. It is unique in being the only week not associated with an animal, as this time of year is associated with a patch of apparently blank sky, where only recently the Astromancers have discovered the dead constellation which they dubbed "The Mask." In certain years (every four years?), the Week of the Mask lasts eleven days instead of ten. In the vast majority of cultures, being born on the eleventh day of the Week of the Mask is considered either very good luck, or very bad luck; very few societies are neutral on this subject, believing very strongly one way or the other.

The weeks are marked according to where the constellations cross the Rings in the night sky. (This is as opposed to our western Zodiac, which has to do with where the sun rises in relation to constellations.)




Originally posted by Foxface:


I'm beginning to favor 35 animals plus the mask (formally the moth) for each week.




Originally posted by mathfreaksquared:


There are no other planes besides the material plane. However, in the farthest reaches of the world, there are places roughly anologous to planes called Domains. Domains are places that have inherent magic. Within them, the laws of the world may be different. One domain is the Faerie, which lies far west, past the ancient forests of Addas.

The Mole is a celestial animal. It's week is in the Season of Moving, and during that week, the number of earthquakes is unusually high.
The Dove is a celestial animal. Wars are temporarily stopped for it's week, which is in the Season of Rising.

Also, I'm pretty sure I read that the Moth constellation fell from the sky where the city of Moth now stands. So we may want to change that thing about the mask. But... the idea that the mask was one of the celestial animals is a great idea, definantely keep that. It would also be interesting if the ultimate representation of the creature was killed, and that's why the constellation went out... it could be an extinct animal, too.

Edit: Okay, so it turns out there was one post about "myths of a giant's tooth falling where the city of Moth stands," and then there was another post describing competing legends that speak of a Moth constellation that fell from the sky. Hmm... we could say that the crater was made by the steller beast of the moth while the constellation existed, and that it later burned out, or we could say that the mask was actually a different constellation, and there are only 34 existing constellations. I don't really care, either way, so the next poster can decide.




Originally posted by Miladoon:


Just want to point out that the north pole region is tied into the plane of water and the south pole region is tied into the plane of fire. The take is from the L&L article that talked about creating some settings that are border planes. Kohlcamm has opposing border planes at its poles.




Originally posted by ittyan:

mathfreaksquared wrote:There are no other planes besides the material plane. However, in the farthest reaches of the world, there are places roughly anologous to planes called Domains. Domains are places that have inherent magic. Within them, the laws of the world may be different. One domain is the Faerie, which lies far west, past the ancient forests of Addas.

The Mole is a celestial animal. It's week is in the Season of Moving, and during that week, the number of earthquakes is unusually high.
The Dove is a celestial animal. Wars are temporarily stopped for it's week, which is in the Season of Rising.

Also, I'm pretty sure I read that the Moth constellation fell from the sky where the city of Moth now stands. So we may want to change that thing about the mask. But... the idea that the mask was one of the celestial animals is a great idea, definantely keep that. It would also be interesting if the ultimate representation of the creature was killed, and that's why the constellation went out... it could be an extinct animal, too.

Edit: Okay, so it turns out there was one post about "myths of a giant's tooth falling where the city of Moth stands," and then there was another post describing competing legends that speak of a Moth constellation that fell from the sky. Hmm... we could say that the crater was made by the steller beast of the moth while the constellation existed, and that it later burned out, or we could say that the mask was actually a different constellation, and there are only 34 existing constellations. I don't really care, either way, so the next poster can decide.

Why can't it be both? For races with pointy horns or ears (like Elves, Hobgoblins, Gnomes, &c.) it would be natural to have a mask shaped like a moth to hide one's identifying facial features. Maybe in hobgoblin-ese the word for mask and moth is one and the same (or close enough to invite ambiguity) due to their similar shapes. Or maybe the linguistic connection is a holdover from the previous world, when the Moth was a proper celestial animal.

Also for animals/weeks, don't forget the dnd-specific. Case in point, I propose there be a week of the Owlbear.




Originally posted by Miladoon:


The Displacer Beast Week. Where in the nine hells did I put me sword?

Originally posted by ittyan:

ittyan wrote:The mighty river Urr winds lazily thru the grasslands of Ansobar, joining the sea in a huge delta at the Bay of Krippe. The bay and the surrounding waters is home to a large population of merfolk. The grasslands are home to a race of elves that long ago abandoned the forest. In the delta is the half-sunken city of Pelin. There, merfolk and plains elves live and interact in relative harmony.

The ruling council of Pelin consists of ten representatives, half chosen from the elven population and half from the merfolk. Up to half of each half may be made up of half-elf/half-merfolk citizens, with half that many having half votes for either half. In a pinch, a halfling may stand in for a half-session at most.

Currently the city's biggest threat is the green dragon Webrunner and his spiders.

During the week of the Whale the entire city floods and the merfolk have the city to themselves. Conversely, during the week of the [insert appropriate animal] the tide goes out, and the river Urr slows to a trickle, leaving the entire city dry for the elves.




Originally posted by souldoubt:

Miladoon wrote:Just want to point out that the north pole region is tied into the plane of water and the south pole region is tied into the plane of fire. The take is from the L&L article that talked about creating some settings that are border planes. Kohlcamm has opposing border planes at its poles.

mathfreaksquared wrote:There are no other planes besides the material plane. However, in the farthest reaches of the world, there are places roughly anologous to planes called Domains. Domains are places that have inherent magic. Within them, the laws of the world may be different. One domain is the Faerie, which lies far west, past the ancient forests of Addas.

Both of these seem to contradict the Astromancers of Ral-Partha discovering the plane(t)s in a previous post....

They could be reconciled, such that the north pole houses a gateway to Aquam, the plane(t) of water, and the south pole houses a gateway to Enfero, the second sun of Kohlcamm which is also believed to be the plane of fire. (Enfero and the plane(t) of water were established in a previous post, though the latter was not named.) The Domains could either be other plane(t)s or totally separate realms that don't orbit the suns of Kohlcamm and are quite literally "on another plane of existence."

mathfreaksquared wrote:Also, I'm pretty sure I read that the Moth constellation fell from the sky where the city of Moth now stands. So we may want to change that thing about the mask. But... the idea that the mask was one of the celestial animals is a great idea, definantely keep that. It would also be interesting if the ultimate representation of the creature was killed, and that's why the constellation went out... it could be an extinct animal, too.

Edit: Okay, so it turns out there was one post about "myths of a giant's tooth falling where the city of Moth stands," and then there was another post describing competing legends that speak of a Moth constellation that fell from the sky. Hmm... we could say that the crater was made by the steller beast of the moth while the constellation existed, and that it later burned out, or we could say that the mask was actually a different constellation, and there are only 34 existing constellations. I don't really care, either way, so the next poster can decide.

sleypy wrote:The Mask consists of the few remaining stars of the Moth that did not fall from the sky. Before the dying of stars and fall of The Moth, the stars of Mask made up the "hind wings" of the constilation.

Some of this also contradicts earlier posts. To clarify:
The two different explanations for the crater of Moth are competing myths/theories as to the origin of the crater. One legend states that there was once a moth constellation that fell (and thus the moth-like shape of the crater), and the other legend states that the crater was created by a truly massive Giant's Tooth (because Moth lies at the edge of the plains of Ansobar, where the Giant's Teeth fall). The crater is actually one of the Five Great Mysteries, so while some may take the side of one legend or the other, there's no consensus on which is true. As to the Mask, it is a blank patch of sky, consisting of no stars; only recently have the Astromancers of Ral-Partha used an extremely powerful telescope to observed the dead remains of 9 stars in the space identified as the Mask, which may or may not confirm the legend of the constellation of the moth, depending on who you ask. (This is stuff that's all established in earlier posts, I just consollidated it.)




Originally posted by sleypy:

souldoubt wrote:

mathfreaksquared wrote:Also, I'm pretty sure I read that the Moth constellation fell from the sky where the city of Moth now stands. So we may want to change that thing about the mask. But... the idea that the mask was one of the celestial animals is a great idea, definantely keep that. It would also be interesting if the ultimate representation of the creature was killed, and that's why the constellation went out... it could be an extinct animal, too.

Edit: Okay, so it turns out there was one post about "myths of a giant's tooth falling where the city of Moth stands," and then there was another post describing competing legends that speak of a Moth constellation that fell from the sky. Hmm... we could say that the crater was made by the steller beast of the moth while the constellation existed, and that it later burned out, or we could say that the mask was actually a different constellation, and there are only 34 existing constellations. I don't really care, either way, so the next poster can decide.

sleypy wrote:The Mask consists of the few remaining stars of the Moth that did not fall from the sky. Before the dying of stars and fall of The Moth, the stars of Mask made up the "hind wings" of the constilation.

Some of this also contradicts earlier posts. To clarify:
The two different explanations for the crater of Moth are competing myths/theories as to the origin of the crater. One legend states that there was once a moth constellation that fell (and thus the moth-like shape of the crater), and the other legend states that the crater was created by a truly massive Giant's Tooth (because Moth lies at the edge of the plains of Ansobar, where the Giant's Teeth fall). The crater is actually one of the Five Great Mysteries, so while some may take the side of one legend or the other, there's no consensus on which is true. As to the Mask, it is a blank patch of sky, consisting of no stars; only recently have the Astromancers of Ral-Partha used an extremely powerful telescope to observed the dead remains of 9 stars in the space identified as the Mask, which may or may not confirm the legend of the constellation of the moth, depending on who you ask. (This is stuff that's all established in earlier posts, I just consollidated it.)

Thanks for the catch souldoubt. I'd missed a few of those details. I'll remove the post you quoted of mine.




Originally posted by Orethalion:

Miladoon wrote:Just want to point out that the north pole region is tied into the plane of water and the south pole region is tied into the plane of fire. The take is from the L&L article that talked about creating some settings that are border planes. Kohlcamm has opposing border planes at its poles.

The polar elemental portals leak water and fire into the center of the planet. As a result the entire world has an abundance of geysers, vents and hot springs caused by the steam seeking outlets to the surface of the planet. Mining is very hazardous as it is common to delve into the wrong spot, cooking the miners in seconds. Refined metals are more valuable and rare than on other worlds.




Originally posted by souldoubt:

ittyan wrote:

ittyan wrote:The mighty river Urr winds lazily thru the grasslands of Ansobar, joining the sea in a huge delta at the Bay of Krippe. The bay and the surrounding waters is home to a large population of merfolk. The grasslands are home to a race of elves that long ago abandoned the forest. In the delta is the half-sunken city of Pelin. There, merfolk and plains elves live and interact in relative harmony.

The ruling council of Pelin consists of ten representatives, half chosen from the elven population and half from the merfolk. Up to half of each half may be made up of half-elf/half-merfolk citizens, with half that many having half votes for either half. In a pinch, a halfling may stand in for a half-session at most.

Currently the city's biggest threat is the green dragon Webrunner and his spiders.

During the week of the Whale the entire city floods and the merfolk have the city to themselves. Conversely, during the week of the [insert appropriate animal] the tide goes out, and the river Urr slows to a trickle, leaving the entire city dry for the elves.

Lungfish? Coelacanth? Otter?




Originally posted by sleypy:

mathfreaksquared wrote:Also, I'm pretty sure I read that the Moth constellation fell from the sky where the city of Moth now stands. So we may want to change that thing about the mask. But... the idea that the mask was one of the celestial animals is a great idea, definantely keep that. It would also be interesting if the ultimate representation of the creature was killed, and that's why the constellation went out... it could be an extinct animal, too.

Edit: Okay, so it turns out there was one post about "myths of a giant's tooth falling where the city of Moth stands," and then there was another post describing competing legends that speak of a Moth constellation that fell from the sky. Hmm... we could say that the crater was made by the steller beast of the moth while the constellation existed, and that it later burned out, or we could say that the mask was actually a different constellation, and there are only 34 existing constellations. I don't really care, either way, so the next poster can decide.

souldoubt wrote:Some of this also contradicts earlier posts. To clarify:
The two different explanations for the crater of Moth are competing myths/theories as to the origin of the crater. One legend states that there was once a moth constellation that fell (and thus the moth-like shape of the crater), and the other legend states that the crater was created by a truly massive Giant's Tooth (because Moth lies at the edge of the plains of Ansobar, where the Giant's Teeth fall). The crater is actually one of the Five Great Mysteries, so while some may take the side of one legend or the other, there's no consensus on which is true. As to the Mask, it is a blank patch of sky, consisting of no stars; only recently have the Astromancers of Ral-Partha used an extremely powerful telescope to observed the dead remains of 9 stars in the space identified as the Mask, which may or may not confirm the legend of the constellation of the moth, depending on who you ask. (This is stuff that's all established in earlier posts, I just consollidated it.)

Some carry the completely unfounded belief that the Giant's Teeth belong to a unfathomable celestial creature. They also will try to convince you that one of its massive tooth had pierced Moth before it fell to Kolhcamm. These thoughts are, however, the ravings of the mad. The very thought of the Teeth of Ansobar belonging to an entity powerful enough to slay a stellar animal is the first step towards madness.




Originally posted by Miladoon:

souldoubt wrote:Both of these seem to contradict the Astromancers of Ral-Partha discovering the plane(t)s in a previous post....

They could be reconciled, such that the north pole houses a gateway to Aquam, the plane(t) of water, and the south pole houses a gateway to Enfero, the second sun of Kohlcamm which is also believed to be the plane of fire. (Enfero and the plane(t) of water were established in a previous post, though the latter was not named.) The Domains could either be other plane(t)s or totally separate realms that don't orbit the suns of Kohlcamm and are quite literally "on another plane of existence."

Fralex wrote:

Miladoon wroteuring creation, the sphere of Kohlcamm was spun along its axis at high a speed of rotation tethered at the north pole by the plane of water, and on the south pole, the plane of fire. When Kohlcamm slowed into is normal rotation the tethers were then simultaneously retracted leaving behind corresponding border planes at the poles.

During creation, the world had a tenuous connection to the planes of earth and air, and probably would've likewise left border planes at sides of the equator had the world not been spun so fast, mixing the two together and propelling them outward. Kohlcamm's ring, a chaotic maelstrom of shimmering crystals and swirling mists, is a border plane of the air and earth combined. Since then it has been exposed to many other mysterious forces, so not every effect it has on the world is a strictly elemental one.

We also have evidence of border planes found in one of Kohlcamm's rings.




Originally posted by BRJN:


The Pirates of the Dagger Coast (pg 1) hang out in an area between two wealthy empires. The empires are hostile to each other, but trade goods via third parties. The pirates are thickest in the 'no-mans-land' where neither Imperial Navy goes. One 'third party' is a legitimate city-state with a very good natural harbor.


[/sblock]

 

[Fralex]

[sblock=Page 5]Originally posted by BRJN:

ittyan wroteuring the week of the Whale the entire city floods and the merfolk have the city to themselves. Conversely, during the week of the [insert appropriate animal] the tide goes out, and the river Urr slows to a trickle, leaving the entire city dry for the elves.

The appropriate animal could be a camel (my preference) or a desert tortise or an iguana ... or The Roadrunner.

Originally posted by The_Jester:

BRJN wrote:The Pirates of the Dagger Coast (pg 1) hang out in an area between two wealthy empires. The empires are hostile to each other, but trade goods via third parties. The pirates are thickest in the 'no-mans-land' where neither Imperial Navy goes. One 'third party' is a legitimate city-state with a very good natural harbor.

Many of the pirates are freebooters, given a licence to raid by the hobgoblin empire, so long as they limit themselves to merchants and the opposing side's navy.




Originally posted by LawfulNifty:

mathfreaksquared wrote:Also, the Whale is a celestial animal, and during the week (month?) of the whale, the tide is unpredictable and the waves massive. There have also been sightings of creatures as big as cities underwater during these times. This is another of the 5 Great Mysteries.

souldoubt wrote:
The exact nature of the crater that the city of Moth stands in is one of the Five Great Mysteries of Kohlcamm.

Burrytar wrote:The exact relationship between the constellations and the gods is widely recognized by diverse scholars as one of the Five Great Mysteries.

No one is sure where the idea of Five Great Mysteries came from, or why, in a world full of mysteries great and small, only five of them would be considered the Five Great ones. However, the concept seems present in every culture across the world, and it is referenced in the records of ancient cultures who could not possibly have had any direct contact.

Though there is significant overlap, different cultures recognize different sets of mysteries as the Five. Societies who had no contact with Moth did not list the crater as one of their mysteries, and societies who lived far from the sea did not consider the strange tides during the Time of the Whale to be one of theirs. While some claim to have the "first" or "canonical" list of mysteries, others say that the true list of Five Great Mysteries is, itself, one of the Five Great Mysteries.




Originally posted by Foxface:

LawfulNifty wrote:

mathfreaksquared wrote:Also, the Whale is a celestial animal, and during the week (month?) of the whale, the tide is unpredictable and the waves massive. There have also been sightings of creatures as big as cities underwater during these times. This is another of the 5 Great Mysteries.

souldoubt wrote:
The exact nature of the crater that the city of Moth stands in is one of the Five Great Mysteries of Kohlcamm.

Burrytar wrote:The exact relationship between the constellations and the gods is widely recognized by diverse scholars as one of the Five Great Mysteries.

No one is sure where the idea of Five Great Mysteries came from, or why, in a world full of mysteries great and small, only five of them would be considered the Five Great ones. However, the concept seems present in every culture across the world, and it is referenced in the records of ancient cultures who could not possibly have had any direct contact.

Though there is significant overlap, different cultures recognize different sets of mysteries as the Five. Societies who had no contact with Moth did not list the crater as one of their mysteries, and societies who lived far from the sea did not consider the strange tides during the Time of the Whale to be one of theirs. While some claim to have the "first" or "canonical" list of mysteries, others say that the true list of Five Great Mysteries is, itself, one of the Five Great Mysteries.

Given the breadth of cultures across Kohlcamm, there's probably 13 or so "Five Great Mysteries".




Originally posted by ittyan:


There is a well-maintained series of roads connecting the Steel Empire. Large passenger wagons pulled by enslaved trolls travel between the cities and towns, providing a form of public transport to the hobgoblin citizens. These "troll-eys", as they are termed, usually seat twelve, plus a driver. Non-goblinoids are allowed to walk behind the carts for a fee.

Trolls "recruited" for this service are fitted with a harness, then their arms and torsos are lacerated and bound together until they fuse. Due to their natural regenerative ability, the cuts heal quickly. The process is repeated until the troll has lost all use of its arms and the harness is fully engulfed in the troll's body, much like a tree growing around a fencepost. When complete, they look like a misshapen lump with two legs and a head, and a wagon hitch growing out of its back. The trolley is then ready for service to the empire.




Originally posted by mathfreaksquared:


Yes, the giants tooth/ moth constellation falling are competing theories, but we need to decide if the Moth constellation burnt out and became the mask, or something else happened to it. If the former, the idea that it fell cannot be correct.
So, let's say that the Moth constellation did indeed burn out, and no one knows why the crater is moth-shaped, though it could have somthing to do with the Moth constellation. Also, there are a couple of ancient documents that refer to the Moth constellation, (which is why the myth of the contellation falling originated,) but they have been lost to time...

Also, the Otter, Owlbear, Displacer Beast, and Camel are celstial animals. (I don't know why everyone is "suggesting" celestial animals, the thread rules allow anyone to decide this kind of thing.)

Foxface wrote:Given the breadth of cultures across Kohlcamm, there's probably 13 or so "Five Great Mysteries".

Just have to say, this is awesome. I don't know why I like this idea so much, but I do.




Originally posted by sleypy:

mathfreaksquared wrote:Yes, the giants tooth/ moth constellation falling are competing theories, but we need to decide if the Moth constellation burnt out and became the mask, or something else happened to it. If the former, the idea that it fell cannot be correct.
So, let's say that the Moth constellation did indeed burn out, and no one knows why the crater is moth-shaped, though it could have somthing to do with the Moth constellation. Also, there are a couple of ancient documents that refer to the Moth constellation, (which is why the myth of the contellation falling originated,) but they have been lost to time...

Also, the Otter, Owlbear, Displacer Beast, and Camel are celstial animals. (I don't know why everyone is "suggesting" celestial animals, the thread rules allow anyone to decide this kind of thing.)

Foxface wrote:Given the breadth of cultures across Kohlcamm, there's probably 13 or so "Five Great Mysteries".

Just have to say, this is awesome. I don't know why I like this idea so much, but I do.

I like the idea that the moth constellation fell and the mask replaced it. However, I'm fine with it burning out. Only say that because I think the idea that something with giant teeth killed the constellation and both the teeth and the moth are the remnents.




Originally posted by souldoubt:

mathfreaksquared wrote:Yes, the giants tooth/ moth constellation falling are competing theories, but we need to decide if the Moth constellation burnt out and became the mask, or something else happened to it. If the former, the idea that it fell cannot be correct.
So, let's say that the Moth constellation did indeed burn out, and no one knows why the crater is moth-shaped, though it could have somthing to do with the Moth constellation. Also, there are a couple of ancient documents that refer to the Moth constellation, (which is why the myth of the contellation falling originated,) but they have been lost to time...

I don't see why it can't be both. A celestial animal is more than just the stars that make up its constellation, but when the stars of the Moth constellation were destroyed (who knows how), the then "starless" Moth -- essentially its dead body -- fell from the Heavens. The stars being the points where a celestial animal is fixed to the firmament, the dead remnants of the stars that formed the Moth constellation can still be detected by the Astromancers' powerful telescope (which is known as the Parthascope, after Ral-Partha). All that remains of the Moth -- if it ever existed at all -- is the crater (some claim) and possibly the blank spot in the sky known as the Mask, wherein the Astromancers of Ral-Partha have recently discovered the remains of at least nine dead stars.

Some argue that there may be as many as ten or eleven dead stars in the dead constellation, or that the number shifts, because of the variable ten-to-eleven day week of the Mask, but so far only nine have been detected.

sleypy wrote:I think the idea that something with giant teeth killed the constellation and both the teeth and the moth are the remnents.

I like that idea too.

Orus Sleypy, a respected but controversial figure among the Astromancers, suggested this possibility as a unified theory of the two competing "crater legends," after he and his colleagues discovered the dead stars within the Mask.

Others still maintain that the giant's teeth are the fallen gamepieces of some celestial game being played by the gods. A religious sect has even sprung up around this notion; its adherents, following the Tenets of the Teeth, fervently believing that when the gods come to collect their lost gamepieces, it will mark the end of the game and thus the world, and only the faithful will thrive in the-world-to-come.




Originally posted by Uchawi:


The knights of the black scale are a band of lizardfolk who still find solice in the teachings of Wrecan, and spread his word beyond the borders of the dead kingdom. They are sworn clutchmates from the egg to full adulthood.




Originally posted by mathfreaksquared:

souldoubt wrote:

Miladoon wrote:Just want to point out that the north pole region is tied into the plane of water and the south pole region is tied into the plane of fire. The take is from the L&L article that talked about creating some settings that are border planes. Kohlcamm has opposing border planes at its poles.

mathfreaksquared wrote:There are no other planes besides the material plane. However, in the farthest reaches of the world, there are places roughly anologous to planes called Domains. Domains are places that have inherent magic. Within them, the laws of the world may be different. One domain is the Faerie, which lies far west, past the ancient forests of Addas.

Both of these seem to contradict the Astromancers of Ral-Partha discovering the plane(t)s in a previous post....

They could be reconciled, such that the north pole houses a gateway to Aquam, the plane(t) of water, and the south pole houses a gateway to Enfero, the second sun of Kohlcamm which is also believed to be the plane of fire. (Enfero and the plane(t) of water were established in a previous post, though the latter was not named.) The Domains could either be other plane(t)s or totally separate realms that don't orbit the suns of Kohlcamm and are quite literally "on another plane of existence."

mathfreaksquared wrote:Also, I'm pretty sure I read that the Moth constellation fell from the sky where the city of Moth now stands. So we may want to change that thing about the mask. But... the idea that the mask was one of the celestial animals is a great idea, definantely keep that. It would also be interesting if the ultimate representation of the creature was killed, and that's why the constellation went out... it could be an extinct animal, too.

Edit: Okay, so it turns out there was one post about "myths of a giant's tooth falling where the city of Moth stands," and then there was another post describing competing legends that speak of a Moth constellation that fell from the sky. Hmm... we could say that the crater was made by the steller beast of the moth while the constellation existed, and that it later burned out, or we could say that the mask was actually a different constellation, and there are only 34 existing constellations. I don't really care, either way, so the next poster can decide.

sleypy wrote:The Mask consists of the few remaining stars of the Moth that did not fall from the sky. Before the dying of stars and fall of The Moth, the stars of Mask made up the "hind wings" of the constilation.

Some of this also contradicts earlier posts. To clarify:
The two different explanations for the crater of Moth are competing myths/theories as to the origin of the crater. One legend states that there was once a moth constellation that fell (and thus the moth-like shape of the crater), and the other legend states that the crater was created by a truly massive Giant's Tooth (because Moth lies at the edge of the plains of Ansobar, where the Giant's Teeth fall). The crater is actually one of the Five Great Mysteries, so while some may take the side of one legend or the other, there's no consensus on which is true. As to the Mask, it is a blank patch of sky, consisting of no stars; only recently have the Astromancers of Ral-Partha used an extremely powerful telescope to observed the dead remains of 9 stars in the space identified as the Mask, which may or may not confirm the legend of the constellation of the moth, depending on who you ask. (This is stuff that's all established in earlier posts, I just consollidated it.)

Ah, for the plane thing, I didn't consider the planets to be planes. Using my perceived definition of "planes," they would be separate dimensions or realities (this is how I thought they usually were, but I could be wrong.) I considered these planets to also be domains, just not on the earth.

And for the Moth, there are too many competing theories. Let's just say the crater is related to the old celestial animal in some way, caused by the stars, the ghost, the steller beast, or something to do with the giants teeth. The mask is in the place the constellation once was, whether it is the burnt out constellation, took it's place, is a remnant, or whatever. Done.

Historical Addition: The Old Ones, the first of which was Tersus the Harbinger, number thirteen. No one knows what they looked like, but evidence suggests they were not human. They were the first to walk this world, and some myths say that they came from the previous world.






Originally posted by LawfulNifty:

mathfreaksquared wrote:Also, the Otter, Owlbear, Displacer Beast, and Camel are celstial animals.

An old wives' tale has it that the Week of the Rising Displacer Beast is auspicious for liars and practitioners of illusion magic, and nothing is entirely as it seems. During the Week of the Dying Displacer Beast, they say, good fortune comes to honest folk, but terrible secrets are often brought to light.




Originally posted by sleypy:


Foxface wrote:
Near the most dangerous parts of the world, 7 cities have sprung up as a sort of Fantasy New York/Las Vegas. Not only are there adventurer guilds that post jobs and quests to take for profit, and private investors who sponsor adventurers in exchange for larger shares of the spoils, there exists a strong better's market where wealthy visitors can wager on who will successfully complete contracts.

One of these 7 cities also happens to be one of the 11 outposts of The Shadow, the goliath assassin.

LawfulNifty wrote:
One of these towns, the city-state of Skaeldrün, is named after its first (and still current) king, an ancient and powerful demilich. He has members of The Shadow on retainer to do his dirty work for him, earning them the nickname of The Skullbashers among the townspeople. It is rumored that the jewelled skull that appears as King Skaeldrün in public is actually a construct he controls from his true location, a sanctum deep within the catacombs that criss-cross far below the old city.


The City of Exiles is one of the southern most towns of the 11 Towns, but the northern most of the 7 High Roller Cities. Just like Skaeldrün calling it a town is a misnomer; It is one of the largest cities in the north. The city is the polar opposite of Skaeldrün in that it offers its people the most freedom (and the fewest laws) to be found in all of the 11 towns. Exiles is a meritocracy gorverned by Council of Guilds.




Originally posted by mathfreaksquared:

LawfulNifty wrote:

mathfreaksquared wrote:Also, the Otter, Owlbear, Displacer Beast, and Camel are celstial animals.

An old wives' tale has it that the Week of the Rising Displacer Beast is auspicious for liars and practitioners of illusion magic, and nothing is entirely as it seems. During the Week of the Dying Displacer Beast, they say, good fortune comes to honest folk, but terrible secrets are often brought to light.

Um, I thought we were doing the weeks so that each week occurs once a year, no with a dying/rising/moving/sleeping version of each week. Good lore, though.

Also: The dark twins beneath are not as much evil as pained. They experience constant, torturous, pain, and they each have a powerful dark force inside them that is always whispering in their heads and attempting to control them. Most are enslaved by Formorians, Illithids, and demons. However, if they manage to kill their twin, they can absorb the soul and be freed of all this misery, taking the place of the more fortunate creature.

Furthermore, on the suns allignment: the two allignments each year are actually different. In one, called the Illumination, Solus is facing the earth. The yellow star shines a strong and magical light that weakens demons, Formorians, Illithids, Vampires, and dark twins. The other allignment, the Great Burning, causes all magic, but especially that relating to fire and flames, to become empowered. It also creates a period of lower tides and temporarily prevents rainfall.




Originally posted by LawfulNifty:

mathfreaksquared wrote:

LawfulNifty wrote:

mathfreaksquared wrote:Also, the Otter, Owlbear, Displacer Beast, and Camel are celstial animals.

An old wives' tale has it that the Week of the Displacer Beast is auspicious for liars and practitioners of illusion magic, and nothing is entirely as it seems, until the last day of the week, when good fortune comes to honest folk, but terrible secrets are often brought to light.

Um, I thought we were doing the weeks so that each week occurs once a year, no with a dying/rising/moving/sleeping version of each week. Good lore, though.

My bad, sorry. Fixed it above.




Originally posted by The_Jester:


It might be time for another campaign bible expansion.




Originally posted by souldoubt:

mathfreaksquared wrote:Ah, for the plane thing, I didn't consider the planets to be planes. Using my perceived definition of "planes," they would be separate dimensions or realities (this is how I thought they usually were, but I could be wrong.) I considered these planets to also be domains, just not on the earth.

If "domains" are places that exist in/on the world of Kohlcamm, as opposed to "planes" that exist outside it but potentially visible from it (like the Rings, Aquam, and Enfero), then the distinction serves some purpose. Otherwise, It might be less confusing to refer to them by the common term "planes" (which was also connected to the term "planets," so I think it makes sense to perserve it) and have them all be outside the sphere of Kohlcamm (simpler, but not inherently better).

And for the Moth, there are too many competing theories. Let's just say the crater is related to the old celestial animal in some way, caused by the stars, the ghost, the steller beast, or something to do with the giants teeth. The mask is in the place the constellation once was, whether it is the burnt out constellation, took it's place, is a remnant, or whatever. Done.

That vagueness strikes me as more confusing.... There are two different legends about how the crater came to be -- the moth fell from the heavens, or a massive Giant's Tooth did -- and one of the Astromancers has suggested a possible synthesis of the two legends (the Giant's Teeth come from a the creature that "killed" the moth). So, like, two-and-a-half different explanations? Not sure why that's too many ???




Originally posted by Foxface:

The_Jester wrote:It might be time for another campaign bible expansion.

Yes, and it will be done shortly.

Most of the issue is formatting...




Originally posted by sleypy:

souldoubt wrote:

mathfreaksquared wrote:Ah, for the plane thing, I didn't consider the planets to be planes. Using my perceived definition of "planes," they would be separate dimensions or realities (this is how I thought they usually were, but I could be wrong.) I considered these planets to also be domains, just not on the earth.

If "domains" are places that exist in/on the world of Kohlcamm, as opposed to "planes" that exist outside it but potentially visible from it (like the Rings, Aquam, and Enfero), then the distinction serves some purpose. Otherwise, It might be less confusing to refer to them by the common term "planes" (which was also connected to the term "planets," so I think it makes sense to perserve it) and have them all be outside the sphere of Kohlcamm (simpler, but not inherently better).

And for the Moth, there are too many competing theories. Let's just say the crater is related to the old celestial animal in some way, caused by the stars, the ghost, the steller beast, or something to do with the giants teeth. The mask is in the place the constellation once was, whether it is the burnt out constellation, took it's place, is a remnant, or whatever. Done.

That vagueness strikes me as more confusing.... There are two different legends about how the crater came to be -- the moth fell from the heavens, or a massive Giant's Tooth did -- and one of the Astromancers has suggested a possible synthesis of the two legends (the Giant's Teeth come from a the creature that "killed" the moth). So, like, two-and-a-half different explanations? Not sure why that's too many ???

I actually though have multiple competing theories was cool. It not only adds to the mystery of the moth and giant teeth, but it also adds flavor to Ral-Partha and Torislantis. The Science Monks of Torislantis and Ral-Partha both arguable could claim to be "The Seat of Knowledge." With so much scholarly knowledge in these places people are constantly debating and zealously defending their theories. Torislantis monks leaning towards scrutinizes provaling theories. Ral-Partha scholars focus on gaining scholarly achievement.

Edit: To include Torislantis.






Originally posted by ittyan:

mathfreaksquared wrote:Also, the Otter, Owlbear, Displacer Beast, and Camel are celstial animals. (I don't know why everyone is "suggesting" celestial animals, the thread rules allow anyone to decide this kind of thing.)

True. Then let's add the week of the Dragon, wherein the weather is highly erratic.

That brings us to 20. The remaining 16 animals will be Darwin's Finches, with Geospiza difficilis septentrionalis included twice for good measure.

Why anyone would think this is a good idea is one of the Five Great Mysteries.




Originally posted by ittyan:

Foxface wrote:Near the most dangerous parts of the world, 7 cities have sprung up as a sort of Fantasy New York/Las Vegas. Not only are there adventurer guilds that post jobs and quests to take for profit, and private investors who sponsor adventurers in exchange for larger shares of the spoils, there exists a strong better's market where wealthy visitors can wager on who will successfully complete contracts.

BoldItalic wrote:In every town there is at least one tavern called "The Streaky Sausage". They all sell identical pies and identical mugs of ale. This is good, because you can go into any Streaky Sausage anywhere, knowing exactly what you will be getting. It is also bad because their pies and ale taste equally awful everywhere.

Streaky Sausages are frequented by all those unsuccessful characters who were rolled up by players and then discarded because their ability rolls were too low. They have to eat somewhere.

They are a great place to pick up rumours, make contact with low-life, fraternise with the town guard and generally spend down-time.

Streaky Sausages have a bulletin board where many of the larger jobs and quests from the adventurer guilds are posted, though the information may be a few months out of date. In hamlets and villages, and alongside roads here and there, basically anywhere too small to have a proper Streaky Sausage, there are small signboards where flyers advertising major quests can be found. Along one side of the signboard is a series of small cubbies, each containing either a Streaky Sausage pie or a Streaky Sausage mug of ale. The flyers are updated every few months or so when someone from the nearest Streaky Sausage comes to refill the cubbies (if empty) and collect the money from the box nailed to the post.

It is rumored that strong protection spells have been placed on the cubbies to keep the food fresh, but others say it wouldn't make a difference one way or the other.

(Basically, one of these.)




Originally posted by cranebump:


The Headent tribe of the Jagged Edge (goblins) have perfected a particularly sharp boomerang dagger that returns naturally on a miss (leading many of them to be known by the moniker "...the Three-Fingered"). Their shaman are masters of the "Daggerang," and appear to have the innate ability to infuse volley-type spells into the 'Rang, a la Arcane Archer. These magics are extremely volatile, and sometimes end up being cast on nearby Headent warriors, who then charge into their opponents, usually exploding.




Originally posted by souldoubt:

ittyan wrote:

mathfreaksquared wrote:Also, the Otter, Owlbear, Displacer Beast, and Camel are celstial animals. (I don't know why everyone is "suggesting" celestial animals, the thread rules allow anyone to decide this kind of thing.)

True. Then let's add the week of the Dragon, wherein the weather is highly erratic.

That brings us to 20. The remaining 16 animals will be Darwin's Finches, with Geospiza difficilis septentrionalis included twice for good measure.

Why anyone would think this is a good idea is one of the Five Great Mysteries.

OR, since Charles Darwin (presumably) doesn't exist in Kohlcamm, how about the remaining 16 could be...

Ankheg
Basalisk
Gorgon
Cheetah
Hippogriff
Hyena
Lobster
Octopus
Purple Worm
Rhinoceros
Rust Monster
Salamander
Swan
Tortoise
Unicorn
Viper

That should fill out the list, assuming your count is correct (I have not checked).





Originally posted by Sailing_Pirate_Ryan:


There are four holidays that are celebrated on the last day of each ending season, roughly corresponding to the solstices and equinoxes of our world.

The Day of the Dragon marks the New Year and the start of the Rising Season, between the Weeks of the Frog and the Fox. According to legend, a person born on this day will become a powerful mage.

The Day of the Griffon marks the start of the Moving Season, between the Weeks of the Eagle and the Lion. According to legend, a person born on this day will become a great leader.

The Day of the Phoenix marks the he start of the Dying Season, between the Weeks of the Salamander and the Crow. According to legend, a person born on this day will live a long life.

The Day of the Owlbear marks the start of Sleeping Season, between the Weeks of the Owl and the Bear (Tarrasque). According to legend, a person born on this day will become a mighty warrior.







Originally posted by ittyan:

souldoubt wrote: That should fill out the list, assuming your count is correct (I have not checked).

It is not. (The joke worked better with 20)

There are actually 16, before your post. Here are my notes:

4 "seasons": Rising, Moving Dying, Sleeping; with 9 (is this right?) animals in each.

Rising:
1. Fox (Rising 1) - First week of year, shenanigans, foxpaw sprouts
2. Dove (Rising ?)- No wars

Moving:
3. Mole (Moving ?) - Earthquakes

Dying:
4. Crow (Dying 1) - Hoist scarecrows to ward off death/evil
5. Praying Mantis (Dying 2) - Harvest crops by this time

Sleeping:
6. Frog/Toad (Sleeping 9) - Last week of year, finery & dances

Not yet Placed:
7. Bear - Tarrasque-esque being arises, dark time
8. Camel
9. Deer - No hunting
10. Displacer Beast - Things vanish, secrets appear, good for liars/illusionists
11. Dragon - Erratic weather
12. Moth/Mask - Blank week, sometimes 11 days long, birth is very good or bad
13. Otter
14. Owlbear
15. Snake - Female human born herein become medusas at 17
16. Whale - Tides rise

Newest Added:
17. Ankheg
18. Basalisk
19. Gorgon
20. Cheetah
21. Hippogriff
22. Hyena
23. Lobster
24. Octopus
25. Purple Worm
26. Rhinoceros
27. Rust Monster
28. Salamander
29. Swan
30. Tortoise
31. Unicorn
32. Viper

So that leaves four more. I'd suggest:
33. Wolf
34. Griffon
35. Spider

One more... anything iconic/ironic we're missing? Feel free to replace, add lore, or insert into the calendar.




Originally posted by souldoubt:


I don't have a suggestion for the last celestial animal off the top of my head, but lets add some flavor to some of the weeks.

Basalisk: Some cultures consider looking in a mirror during this time to be bad luck, and cover any mirrors during this week. Others believe the near-opposite, that one should always carry a small mirror during this week... just in case.

Gorgon: Considered a good week for gorgon's milk and cheese.

Cheetah: People persistently claim that this week feels like it goes by faster than the others, but so far no one has found any concrete proof that this is true.

Hyena: In some places, pious (or superstitious) individuals refrain from laughing openly during this week, and believing that anyone who does so brings bad luck on themselves and those around them.

Lobster: Celebrated in coastal regions with feasts of shellfish.

Octopus: During this week, certain species of octopuses migrate up-river into the mountain streams to breed. Predators such as owlbears often wait along these routes to catch the slower octopuses as they slither through the rapids. After breeding, the octopuses die, and their millions of tiny spawn flow back down-river to the sea.

Rust Monster: Many consider it bad luck to buy or sell metals or metal wares during this week.

Salamander: Fire festivals are held in many hamlets, villages, towns and cities around Kohlcamm.

Tortoise: This week is sacred to the Science Monks of Torislantis, who consider the tortoise a contemplative creature, and the monks spend this week in deep inner reflection.


In most societies, killing an animal during its associated week is generally considered bad luck -- or at least bad form, like wearing white after the final week of the Moving season.




Originally posted by sleypy:


The last celestial animal is the Grick.

The Grick is associated with mutations and other abnormalities. It is believe that everyone born during the time of the Grick will be born with or manifest some abnormality. There is some truth to the claim as mental and physical deviations are more likely. More often then not though it is the result of other factors.




Originally posted by LawfulNifty:

sleypy wrote:The City of Exiles is one of the southern most towns of the 11 Towns, but the northern most of the 7 High Roller Cities. Just like Skaeldrün calling it a town is a misnomer; It is one of the largest cities in the north. The city is the polar opposite of Skaeldrün in that it offers its people the most freedom (and the fewest laws) to be found in all of the 11 towns. Exiles is a meritocracy gorverned by Council of Guilds.

Rumor has it that in the hidden backrooms and secluded alleyways of the City of Exiles, a group of merchants known as the Order of the Ruby meet in secret. They seek to infiltrate the Council and overthrow it, establishing themselves as an oligarchy in its stead.




Originally posted by Sailing_Pirate_Ryan:


The animals associated with particular weeks are not universally recognized, since animals are not commonplace in all regions of Kohlcamm. Desert dwellers have no concept of whales and, similarly, northern sailors have never heard of a camel. Nonetheless, the animals of the varied zodiacs do tend to share very similar traits. Where one culture celebrates the week of the mole, another culture celebrates the week of the ankheg. Sometimes, as cultures have merged with each other, animals from different zodiacs have merged into one as well, most notably the Bear and the Tarrasque. Other such mergers would be the Bull and the Gorgon or even the Unicorn, Pegasus, and Horse.

Scholars have competing theories as to why this is, none of which have been conclusively confirmed.




Originally posted by pauldanielj2:


Unique to Kohlcamm is the half-hobgoblin species. Considered by the Steel Empire to be even lower than a slave, half-hobgoblins are the unfortunate side-effect of the Empire's "joy divisions", wherein slaves are used for the entertainment of Imperial soldiers. These half-breeds are almost always exterminated at birth (or before), but on rare occassions they survive to adulthood and escape the Empire's reach. Those who do survive often become adventurers, combining intelligence with resilience and an ability to excel in almost any class. Rumours too exist that suggest some half-hobgoblins, fortunate to resemble full-blooded hobgoblins enough to pass for one, have risen to prominent ranks within the Empire.






Originally posted by ittyan:


The wandering oracle, Bengali Baba Ji, is a black-magic specialist from Aghorinath famed for his love problem solutions. He can solve any problem in just 12 hours, but is known to vanish as quickly as he appears. Services are guaranteed 101%.

Hobgoblin soldiers have orders to shoot him on sight.




Originally posted by edwin_su:


This is more a adventure idea then a campaign idea.

There is a inn based on the song hotell california.

[ATT alt][ATT http[//ATT][//ATT]erdana, Arial; font-size:13px; text-align:center">On a dark desert highway
So it is along a deserd trade route

[ATT alt][ATT http[//ATT][//ATT]erdana, Arial; font-size:13px; text-align:center">Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends
[ATT alt][ATT http[//ATT][//ATT]erdana, Arial; font-size:13px; text-align:center">She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys she calls friends
There would be a npc called tiffany who might be a prostitute.

[ATT alt][ATT http[//ATT][//ATT]erdana, Arial; font-size:13px; text-align:center">So I called up the Captain,
The Captain would be the barman still wearing his old town guards captains uniform.

[ATT alt][ATT http[//ATT][//ATT]erdana, Arial; font-size:13px; text-align:center">hey stab it with their steely knives, [ATT alt][ATT http[//ATT][//ATT]erdana, Arial; font-size:13px; text-align:center">But they just can't kill the beast
refers to the captains son who is a lycantrope.

[ATT alt][ATT http[//ATT][//ATT]erdana, Arial; font-size:13px; text-align:center">"Relax, " said the night man, [ATT alt][ATT http[//ATT][//ATT]erdana, Arial; font-size:13px; text-align:center">"We are programmed to receive. [ATT alt][ATT http[//ATT][//ATT]erdana, Arial; font-size:13px; text-align:center">You can check-out any time you like, [ATT alt][ATT http[//ATT][//ATT]erdana, Arial; font-size:13px; text-align:center">But you can never leave! "
the night man is another employee of the inn who tries to give the characters a warning.


The son of the Captain has gotten more and more restless being caged up at night and not able to feed, his hunger making him grow in power.
the Captain plots to let his son devour some of the guests tne next tme they have guests the Captin thinks might not me missed, in the hope this would restore his son to a more managable state.
Tiffany is tasked with keeping the guests entertained while the preperations are made
erdana, Arial; color:rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align:center">


Originally posted by jonathan_sicari:


Regrettably, the wine cellar is lacking ('we haven't had that spirit here since 1969')

A merchant caravan has also arrived and is enjoying the night life ('living it up at the hotel california, anytime of year, you can find it here')




Originally posted by mathfreaksquared:

Sailing_Pirate_Ryan wrote:The animals associated with particular weeks are not universally recognized, since animals are not commonplace in all regions of Kohlcamm. Desert dwellers have no concept of whales and, similarly, northern sailors have never heard of a camel. Nonetheless, the animals of the varied zodiacs do tend to share very similar traits. Where one culture celebrates the week of the mole, another culture celebrates the week of the ankheg. Sometimes, as cultures have merged with each other, animals from different zodiacs have merged into one as well, most notably the Bear and the Tarrasque. Other such mergers would be the Bull and the Gorgon or even the Unicorn, Pegasus, and Horse.

Scholars have competing theories as to why this is, none of which have been conclusively confirmed.

The tarresque is a great bear, and I don't see why a mole and ankheg would get confused; they look nothing alike. Besides that, this makes sense. However, for each week, there is a single animal that the constellation actually represents, and the special events during that week are based on this animal. Many cultures don't even have animal names for creatures; places without moles may refer to that week as the Week of Groundshaking, or some other such name related to the events that occur at that time.

The week of the Salamander is in the Season of Moving, and it culminates with the summer solstice (it is the 5th week.) At this time, Enferno shines much brighter than usual. It is said that when the Great Burning occurs on the solstice, the world will ignite in a catastrophic blaze and the forces of Enferno (the plane/domain of fire) will descend upon the land.




Originally posted by Hebitsuikaza:


Every 500 years, a comet appears in the sky. It is the omen of the barrier between worlds weakening. When the comet appears in the air, the sacred crystals of air, water, earth and water must be activated. If they are not, then the barriers between the worlds will be broken and darkness will overtake the world. It is said that in the years leading up to the comet's arrival that four warriors of light are born scattered across the world and should the crystals be in danger, they will rise up to rescue the world from darkness.

---------------

There is a dark warrior known as the Overlord who commands an army of imps. He is evil incarnate. It is said that his evil overtakes anyone who vanquishes him, causing one to become the next Overlord-- and the darkness to invades the hearts of anyone nearby enough that their most pronunced sin (vanity, gluttony, greed, lust, envy, wrath, sloth) becomes ever greater until they become a virtual pinnacle of that sin and a greater threat to the safety and security of the world than the Overlord himself is.




Originally posted by mathfreaksquared:

Sailing_Pirate_Ryan wrote:There are four holidays that are celebrated on the last day of each ending season, roughly corresponding to the solstices and equinoxes of our world.

The Day of the Dragon marks the New Year and the start of the Rising Season, between the Weeks of the Frog and the Fox. According to legend, a person born on this day will become a powerful mage.

The Day of the Griffon marks the start of the Moving Season, between the Weeks of the Eagle and the Lion. According to legend, a person born on this day will become a great leader.

The Day of the Phoenix marks the he start of the Dying Season, between the Weeks of the Salamander and the Crow. According to legend, a person born on this day will live a long life.

The Day of the Owlbear marks the start of Sleeping Season, between the Weeks of the Owl and the Bear (Tarrasque). According to legend, a person born on this day will become a mighty warrior.

???
There is no "between Frog and Fox."
Frog is the last week of Sleeping, Fox is the first of Rising. Fox is new years celebrations, and Frog is pre-new years celebrations.

The stuff about Griffon being between Eagle and Lion and Owlbear between Owl and Bear is good, but I don't really know where you were trying to place these on the overall sequence. Maybe they could be the middle (5th) weeks, Owlbear Sleeping, Pheonix Dying, Dragon Rising, and change Griffon with Salamander for Moving? Maybe move the mage thing to Salamender and the leader to dragon? I don't know... you could actually move the Salamender from the middle week of Moving, actually, since I didn't realize I posted that after what you wrote here.

Also, the Lion and Eagle are not recorded. This post should have established that, but later posts omitted it... dang it, which animals should we have? At this point, maybe we should just collaborate to create a single week schedule that will act as official, with the order of the weeks established as well, so that people can just post lore about the animals and stop getting into confusing discussions about what animals are in what order.




Originally posted by Fralex:


So how do we handle lycanthropy if there's no concept of a month/moon cycle? We're not grouping the weeks together in fours anymore, so my old idea about it happening on the weeks of the rising starbeasts won't work. Hmm...
I'm thinking maybe the cycle lycanthropy goes through is more mysterious. Like, some unseen force in the Ring waxes and wanes, causeing lycanthropic transformations at its peak, but it takes an accomplished Astromancer to detect this rising of primal forces in the heavens.
Also I kind of want to do some more fanart for this. Gimme a random thing to draw from Kohlcamm.




Originally posted by LawfulNifty:


Mostly related: this setting reminded me, there's a beautiful series of images depicting Earth with Saturn-like rings: http://io9.com/if-earth-had-a-ring-like-saturn-508750253. Worth a look, if you haven't already seen it.






Originally posted by Fralex:

LawfulNifty wrote:Mostly related: this setting reminded me, there's a beautiful series of images depicting Earth with Saturn-like rings: http://io9.com/if-earth-had-a-ring-like-saturn-508750253. Worth a look, if you haven't already seen it.

That's amazing. I always wondered what Earth's Sky would look like with a ring. Thanks for sharing!




Originally posted by Foxface:

Fralex wrote:

LawfulNifty wrote:Mostly related: this setting reminded me, there's a beautiful series of images depicting Earth with Saturn-like rings: http://io9.com/if-earth-had-a-ring-like-saturn-508750253. Worth a look, if you haven't already seen it.

That's amazing. I always wondered what Earth's Sky would look like with a ring. Thanks for sharing!

From a link in a comment from that article:

http://josephshoer.com/blog/2009/11/the-rings-of-earth-part-ii-implications/

This guy has thought a whole lot more about this than I ever could have. Lots of good stuff for Kohlcamm, maybe.




Originally posted by BRJN:

souldoubt wrote:Lobster: Celebrated in coastal regions with feasts of shellfish.

There are a handful of exceptions, communities that refer to the animal as "sea cockroaches" and see them as fit for only outsiders and the poorest to eat. The beasties are especially abundant in the bays and harbors near such communities.

This doesn't stop everybody from fishing some up and selling in another, more appreciative, town. But you're weird / gossip target if you do.




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[Fralex]

[sblock=Page 6]Originally posted by Fralex:

Sailing_Pirate_Ryan wrote:The animals associated with particular weeks are not universally recognized, since animals are not commonplace in all regions of Kohlcamm. Desert dwellers have no concept of whales and, similarly, northern sailors have never heard of a camel. Nonetheless, the animals of the varied zodiacs do tend to share very similar traits. Where one culture celebrates the week of the mole, another culture celebrates the week of the ankheg.

Hmm, but going with that example, why would two groups of people look at the same collection of stars and interpret them as beasts with such different appearances? A burrowing insectovore and a giant burrowing bug look pretty different. Presumably the animals of the varied zodiacs would share mostly appearance-based traits? It's not like constellations are known for closely resembling what they represent, but still.
Not trying to nitpick, just want to make this setting the best it can be! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ




Originally posted by ittyan:

mathfreaksquared wrote:Also, the Lion and Eagle are not recorded. This post should have established that, but later posts omitted it...

Sorry about that. It took about 4 hours to write that post up and I missed this new post...

How about this: Instead of the Day of the Dragon, Owlbear, &c. it's the Night of the Griffon, Phoenix, &c. This is because on the last night of each season, the two constellations seem to overlap such that they resemble the hybrid. So Frog and Fox double up and it kind of looks like a Dragon, &c. &c.

Constellations on nights between other weeks can have the same effect, but it's less pronounced and/or constant. This phenomenon gave birth to the separation into the four seasons. To make this work, we need to replace some animals. So:

• Week of the Owlbear is now the week of the Owl. Owl is week 9 of Dying, Bear is week 1 of Sleeping.
• Week of the Wolf is now the week of the Lion. Lion is week 1 of Moving.
• Week of the Griffon is now the week of the Eagle. Eagle is week 9 of Rising.
• Salamander is week 9 of Moving.

Fralex wrote:So how do we handle lycanthropy if there's no concept of a month/moon cycle? We're not grouping the weeks together in fours anymore, so my old idea about it happening on the weeks of the rising starbeasts won't work. Hmm...
I'm thinking maybe the cycle lycanthropy goes through is more mysterious. Like, some unseen force in the Ring waxes and wanes, causeing lycanthropic transformations at its peak, but it takes an accomplished Astromancer to detect this rising of primal forces in the heavens.

The rings reflect the sunlight from the dual suns, and thus their brightness waxes and wanes depending on the time of year. Lycanthropy occurs when the rings are at their brightest.

Also I kind of want to do some more fanart for this. Gimme a random thing to draw from Kohlcamm.

A melf (half-merfolk half-elf from Pelin).
A halfling what got bit by a werebear in mid-transformation on the night of the full rings.
The barkeep at the Streaky Sausage. (It doesn't matter which one, they all look the same, a la nurses or whatever in Pokemon)
An upperclass hobgoblin dressed in finery (+ a moth-esque mask) for the New Year's celebrations.
Ormahr, founder of the Ormahr.
A field of foxpaw in full bloom.




Originally posted by Uchawi:

Fralex wrote:

Sailing_Pirate_Ryan wrote:The animals associated with particular weeks are not universally recognized, since animals are not commonplace in all regions of Kohlcamm. Desert dwellers have no concept of whales and, similarly, northern sailors have never heard of a camel. Nonetheless, the animals of the varied zodiacs do tend to share very similar traits. Where one culture celebrates the week of the mole, another culture celebrates the week of the ankheg.

Hmm, but going with that example, why would two groups of people look at the same collection of stars and interpret them as beasts with such different appearances? A burrowing insectovore and a giant burrowing bug look pretty different. Presumably the animals of the varied zodiacs would share mostly appearance-based traits? It's not like constellations are known for closely resembling what they represent, but still.
Not trying to nitpick, just want to make this setting the best it can be! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ

You find the story to match the number of stars or shape of a particular constellation, and it will be pretty easy to match up based on a story element, body type, etc. You find that all over the place looking back as different cultures to explain the same constellation in the real world. It is probably too much detail to describe all of them, but certain ones can be called out in Kohlcamm depending on the story. For instance some of the major animals may have been champions of a previous calling.

Amongst the babarian tribes of the Darkfold woods, it is spoken under hushed whispers, that there will be a champion amongst men that will rise from the bodies of his fallen foes to become the lord of animals.




Originally posted by Infinitive:


A campaign idea from an idea that I've had for a while:

There is an extraordinarily hard and rare metal alloy in the world which is impervious to magic. It is called dead iron, in reference to the fact that it is 'dead' to magical forces, and the only people who know the secret of its manufacture are a secretive group of spies and assasins who call themselves the Dead Men. Very little is known about them.




Originally posted by Orethalion:

Fralex wrote:So how do we handle lycanthropy if there's no concept of a month/moon cycle? We're not grouping the weeks together in fours anymore, so my old idea about it happening on the weeks of the rising starbeasts won't work. Hmm...
I'm thinking maybe the cycle lycanthropy goes through is more mysterious. Like, some unseen force in the Ring waxes and wanes, causeing lycanthropic transformations at its peak, but it takes an accomplished Astromancer to detect this rising of primal forces in the heavens.
Also I kind of want to do some more fanart for this. Gimme a random thing to draw from Kohlcamm.

You could untie it from cycles completely. Perhaps changes happen during times of stress, anger, love, etc.




Originally posted by Fralex:

Infinitive wrote:A campaign idea from an idea that I've had for a while:

There is an extraordinarily hard and rare metal alloy in the world which is impervious to magic. It is called dead iron, in reference to the fact that it is 'dead' to magical forces, and the only people who know the secret of its manufacture are a secretive group of spies and assasins who call themselves the Dead Men. Very little is known about them.

Maybe in this campaign setting it would make more sense for dead iron to be a secret kept by the Ormahr.

One of the Ormahr's objectives is the collection and refining of dead iron ore. Its immunity to magic makes it the ideal material from which to forge weapons to use in their cause. Due to its rarity, only a couple of the most high-ranking members of the Ormahr have dead iron implements. They are used mainly for the disenchanting of holy artifacts.

Or perhaps the secrets of working dead iron should be guarded by dwarves. Like, there's an elite group of dwarves that know how to use it, and the Ormahr has for ages been trying to infiltrate their number? Without the secrets, the Ormahr is forced to turn to the underworld and magic black markets to get any dead iron tools.

Which of these concepts makes the most interesting story possibilities?




Originally posted by cranebump:


There are two brand of doppelgänger in the world--changelings and shifters. Shifters are excellent mimics, their powers driven by ESP and practice. They are good entities who once served as spies for the good gods before falling to earth when the Ouroboros devoured the gods the first time. Shifters rarely replace any specific person, and spend much of their time in pursuit of their counterparts...

the changelings. Unlike shifters, these corrupt doppelgänger so cannot innately shift their form to general appearance. They must actually ingest pieces of their target. The more they devour, the longer the can hold the shape, and the more precise their form. Changelings exist to promote chaos, nothing more. Unlike shifters, whose number is finite, changelings can pcocreate. There is evidence to suggest at least one major kingdom is led by a changeling in disguise




Originally posted by Sailing_Pirate_Ryan:

Fralex wrote:

Sailing_Pirate_Ryan wrote:The animals associated with particular weeks are not universally recognized, since animals are not commonplace in all regions of Kohlcamm. Desert dwellers have no concept of whales and, similarly, northern sailors have never heard of a camel. Nonetheless, the animals of the varied zodiacs do tend to share very similar traits. Where one culture celebrates the week of the mole, another culture celebrates the week of the ankheg.

Hmm, but going with that example, why would two groups of people look at the same collection of stars and interpret them as beasts with such different appearances? A burrowing insectovore and a giant burrowing bug look pretty different. Presumably the animals of the varied zodiacs would share mostly appearance-based traits? It's not like constellations are known for closely resembling what they represent, but still.
Not trying to nitpick, just want to make this setting the best it can be! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ

The conflation of moles and ankhegs had little to do with the shape of the week's constellation and more to do with the heightened prevalence of earthquakes during that week. They both burrow and disturb the earth and are thus used to label the week of ground tremors. That said, now that you mention it, I do recall it being mentioned that each constellation had an actual Celestial Beast that phsyically showed up on Kohlcamm somewhere, so greater physical similarity would be good.

The main point of my post was that I objected to blithely filling in all the available weeks for no other reason than to just fill out the list, thus limiting the creativity of someone further down the line having a great idea for, say, a Week of the Badger where everyone gets kinda irritable and ragey at the drop of a hat. Since the rules of the thread say we can't contradict established contributions, having mutiple "totem beasts" per week in different parts of the world was the best solution I could come up with.




Originally posted by Sailing_Pirate_Ryan:

mathfreaksquared wrote:

Sailing_Pirate_Ryan wrote:There are four holidays that are celebrated on the last day of each ending season, roughly corresponding to the solstices and equinoxes of our world.

The Day of the Dragon marks the New Year and the start of the Rising Season, between the Weeks of the Frog and the Fox. According to legend, a person born on this day will become a powerful mage.

The Day of the Griffon marks the start of the Moving Season, between the Weeks of the Eagle and the Lion. According to legend, a person born on this day will become a great leader.

The Day of the Phoenix marks the he start of the Dying Season, between the Weeks of the Salamander and the Crow. According to legend, a person born on this day will live a long life.

The Day of the Owlbear marks the start of Sleeping Season, between the Weeks of the Owl and the Bear (Tarrasque). According to legend, a person born on this day will become a mighty warrior.

???
There is no "between Frog and Fox."
Frog is the last week of Sleeping, Fox is the first of Rising. Fox is new years celebrations, and Frog is pre-new years celebrations.

The stuff about Griffon being between Eagle and Lion and Owlbear between Owl and Bear is good, but I don't really know where you were trying to place these on the overall sequence. Maybe they could be the middle (5th) weeks, Owlbear Sleeping, Pheonix Dying, Dragon Rising, and change Griffon with Salamander for Moving? Maybe move the mage thing to Salamender and the leader to dragon? I don't know... you could actually move the Salamender from the middle week of Moving, actually, since I didn't realize I posted that after what you wrote here.

Also, the Lion and Eagle are not recorded. This post should have established that, but later posts omitted it... dang it, which animals should we have? At this point, maybe we should just collaborate to create a single week schedule that will act as official, with the order of the weeks established as well, so that people can just post lore about the animals and stop getting into confusing discussions about what animals are in what order.

These are days, not weeks, that mark the shifting of the seasons. The Day of the Dragon would take place on the last day of the Week of the Frog, for instance.




Originally posted by Orethalion:

cranebump wrote:There are two brand of doppelgänger in the world--changelings and shifters. Shifters are excellent mimics, their powers driven by ESP and practice. They are good entities who once served as spies for the good gods before falling to earth when the Ouroboros devoured the gods the first time. Shifters rarely replace any specific person, and spend much of their time in pursuit of their counterparts...

the changelings. Unlike shifters, these corrupt doppelgänger so cannot innately shift their form to general appearance. They must actually ingest pieces of their target. The more they devour, the longer the can hold the shape, and the more precise their form. Changelings exist to promote chaos, nothing more. Unlike shifters, whose number is finite, changelings can pcocreate. There is evidence to suggest at least one major kingdom is led by a changeling in disguise

Ingesting pieces of their victims holds an inherent danger for changelings. The moment they ingest the first piece, there is a small chance that they will forever be stuck in the form of the victim, losing all of their changeling abilities. The more they ingest, the greater that chance becomes. Changelings walk a tight rope. Ingesting more of the victim increases the time they can impersonate him, but also makes it more likely that they will forever become him.




Originally posted by sleypy:

Orethalion wrote:

cranebump wrote:There are two brand of doppelgänger in the world--changelings and shifters. Shifters are excellent mimics, their powers driven by ESP and practice. They are good entities who once served as spies for the good gods before falling to earth when the Ouroboros devoured the gods the first time. Shifters rarely replace any specific person, and spend much of their time in pursuit of their counterparts...

the changelings. Unlike shifters, these corrupt doppelgänger so cannot innately shift their form to general appearance. They must actually ingest pieces of their target. The more they devour, the longer the can hold the shape, and the more precise their form. Changelings exist to promote chaos, nothing more. Unlike shifters, whose number is finite, changelings can pcocreate. There is evidence to suggest at least one major kingdom is led by a changeling in disguise

Ingesting pieces of their victims holds an inherent danger for changelings. The moment they ingest the first piece, there is a small chance that they will forever be stuck in the form of the victim, losing all of their changeling abilities. The more they ingest, the greater that chance becomes. Changelings walk a tight rope. Ingesting more of the victim increases the time they can impersonate him, but also makes it more likely that they will forever become him.

A changeling that devours even a smallest piece of another Changeling suffers rapid degeneration. The disease is slower for changeling of seperate blood lines and almost immediate for changeling of similiar blood. in either case It is possible for a changling to survive the ordeal by ingestion a new victim completely, though its unlikely possible for the latter case. The degeneration can happen in as much as forty eight hours or as little as several minutes.




Originally posted by sleypy:

Fralex wrote:

Infinitive wrote:A campaign idea from an idea that I've had for a while:

There is an extraordinarily hard and rare metal alloy in the world which is impervious to magic. It is called dead iron, in reference to the fact that it is 'dead' to magical forces, and the only people who know the secret of its manufacture are a secretive group of spies and assasins who call themselves the Dead Men. Very little is known about them.

Maybe in this campaign setting it would make more sense for dead iron to be a secret kept by the Ormahr.

One of the Ormahr's objectives is the collection and refining of dead iron ore. Its immunity to magic makes it the ideal material from which to forge weapons to use in their cause. Due to its rarity, only a couple of the most high-ranking members of the Ormahr have dead iron implements. They are used mainly for the disenchanting of holy artifacts.

Or perhaps the secrets of working dead iron should be guarded by dwarves. Like, there's an elite group of dwarves that know how to use it, and the Ormahr has for ages been trying to infiltrate their number? Without the secrets, the Ormahr is forced to turn to the underworld and magic black markets to get any dead iron tools.

Which of these concepts makes the most interesting story possibilities?

The Dead Men are ghast from the city Einölen, one of the Eleven Towns. The ore is buried deep underground and is dangerous to mine ontop of need for a skilled hand to smelt. Ormahr are able to protect their secret mines because the inaffectiveness of to scrying and the hazards environment. Few living creatures can survive the fumes released by deadly pockets of viscous oil. Even fewer undead posess the combination of skill and fortitued need to mine dead iron safely.






Originally posted by cranebump:

Orethalion wrote:

cranebump wrote:There are two brand of doppelgänger in the world--changelings and shifters. Shifters are excellent mimics, their powers driven by ESP and practice. They are good entities who once served as spies for the good gods before falling to earth when the Ouroboros devoured the entire pantheon the first time. Shifters rarely replace any specific person, and spend much of their time in pursuit of their counterparts...

the changelings. Unlike shifters, these corrupt doppelgänger so cannot innately shift their form to general appearance. They must actually ingest pieces of their target. The more they devour, the longer the can hold the shape, and the more precise their form. Changelings exist to promote chaos, nothing more. Unlike shifters, whose number is finite, changelings can procreate. There is evidence to suggest at least one major kingdom is led by a changeling in disguise

Ingesting pieces of their victims holds an inherent danger for changelings. The moment they ingest the first piece, there is a small chance that they will forever be stuck in the form of the victim, losing all of their changeling abilities. The more they ingest, the greater that chance becomes. Changelings walk a tight rope. Ingesting more of the victim increases the time they can impersonate him, but also makes it more likely that they will forever become him.

A changeling that devours even a smallest piece of another Changeling suffers rapid degeneration. The disease is slower for changeling of seperate blood lines and almost immediate for changeling of similiar blood. in either case It is possible for a changling to survive the ordeal by ingestion a new victim completely, though its unlikely possible for the latter case. The degeneration can happen in as much as forty eight hours or as little as several minutes.

Identiftying Shifters and Changelings is no easy matter. However, those who study such things insist the following: (1) For some reason, no one knows why, Shifters tend to have have difficulties with digits and ears. Minute flaws (often passed off as birthmarks), appear on the hands and feet. A common shifter flaw is to have too much depth in the gap between the pinky and ring fingers. This has led some to speculate that perhaps magic rings do not function on a Shifter. Of course, no one knows for sure. (2) Identifying a Changeling has vbery much to do with the amount of victim they have ingested. If they have ingested enough, the imitation is perfect. A small amount, however, can lead to gaps in memory or specific knowledge the victim may possess (with long term memory being most difficult to access). Some Changelings keep prisoners, and drink their blood in order to maintain a lenghtier facade. Unfortunately, they have difficulty removing the smell from their breath.

**(I think I know who my bad guys are for at least one adventure next campaign)**




Originally posted by Orethalion:

cranebump wrote:

Orethalion wrote:

cranebump wrote:There are two brand of doppelgänger in the world--changelings and shifters. Shifters are excellent mimics, their powers driven by ESP and practice. They are good entities who once served as spies for the good gods before falling to earth when the Ouroboros devoured the entire pantheon the first time. Shifters rarely replace any specific person, and spend much of their time in pursuit of their counterparts...

the changelings. Unlike shifters, these corrupt doppelgänger so cannot innately shift their form to general appearance. They must actually ingest pieces of their target. The more they devour, the longer the can hold the shape, and the more precise their form. Changelings exist to promote chaos, nothing more. Unlike shifters, whose number is finite, changelings can procreate. There is evidence to suggest at least one major kingdom is led by a changeling in disguise

Ingesting pieces of their victims holds an inherent danger for changelings. The moment they ingest the first piece, there is a small chance that they will forever be stuck in the form of the victim, losing all of their changeling abilities. The more they ingest, the greater that chance becomes. Changelings walk a tight rope. Ingesting more of the victim increases the time they can impersonate him, but also makes it more likely that they will forever become him.

A changeling that devours even a smallest piece of another Changeling suffers rapid degeneration. The disease is slower for changeling of seperate blood lines and almost immediate for changeling of similiar blood. in either case It is possible for a changling to survive the ordeal by ingestion a new victim completely, though its unlikely possible for the latter case. The degeneration can happen in as much as forty eight hours or as little as several minutes.

Identiftying Shifters and Changelings is no easy matter. However, those who study such things insist the following: (1) For some reason, no one knows why, Shifters tend to have have difficulties with digits and ears. Minute flaws (often passed off as birthmarks), appear on the hands and feet. A common shifter flaw is to have too much depth in the gap between the pinky and ring fingers. This has led some to speculate that perhaps magic rings do not function on a Shifter. Of course, no one knows for sure. (2) Identifying a Changeling has vbery much to do with the amount of victim they have ingested. If they have ingested enough, the imitation is perfect. A small amount, however, can lead to gaps in memory or specific knowledge the victim may possess (with long term memory being most difficult to access). Some Changelings get by by drinking the blood of their victims, a small they may have difficulty removing from their breath.

**(I think I know who my bad guys are for at least one adventure next campaign)**

The first part every changeling eats is the head. Not only does it provide the most memories for the amount ingested, but it makes identification difficult if the body is found.




Originally posted by Sailing_Pirate_Ryan:


For centuries, the anti-theistic philosopher-monks of the Ormarh have studied the nature of divinity so as to learn the means of ultimately defeating it. In that time, they have learned that the relationship between the gods and their followers is reciprocal in nature, connected by appears to be a silver thread between the mortals of Kohlcamm and the deities of the Astral Sea. The faith of a mortal worshiper links their thread to their patron deity or deities, granting them a tiny trickle of power. The thread, in turn, grants the deity a degree of awareness and influence over the mortal's life. The thread of a cleric was thicker than that of a normal mortal, like a free flowing river compared to a tributary. The Ormarh, worshiping no gods, discovered that while their threads still reached the Astral Sea, they merely drifted loose like seaweed in the tide. A faction of the Ormarh, after extensive meditation and study, discovered ways to harness this untapped potential. Ways that could link their silver threads to other mortals, granting them an awareness of, and influence over, their target's thoughts. Ways that could link them to the world itself, granting them that same awareness and influence with their surroundings. Ways that could linking their threads to the elemental planes, allowing them to channel magical energy as if they were wizards. Ways to pull their threads within themselves, closely binding an individual's mind, body, and spirit into a cohesive whole. The Ormarh refer to art of wielding their threads as channelling their ki. The science-monks of Torislantis, who learned of the Ormarh's discovery and have since analyzed it themselves, refer to it as psionics.






Originally posted by Uchawi:


The science-monks of Torislantis speak of the hollow sound that permeates the fabric that weaves the thread. It does not occur frequently, but it is one danger that is always present, especially when meditating on future events. For those that have heard the hollow sound, and were able to recover, describe an experience of disjointness from body and mind, with a low pitched hum that makes it very hard to focus your thoughts. The unfortunate that could not overcome the hollow sound, become hyper focused on their last thoughts, to the exclusion of their brethren and the world that surrounds them.




Originally posted by Hammurabi8:


One of the eleven towns is called Kalatar. It's founders are said to have been the first slaves to escape the Steel Empire. Inside the town, chains are seen as a monstrosity. Criminals are heavily fined but never imprisoned. If a crime is too awful for a fine alone, the offender will be punished with death rather than being put in captivity. They see this as merciful.




Originally posted by Uchawi:


There is a band of elves that forsake all sight and sound. They wear intracately formed helmets of fine wood or metal, and only take them off while meditating in rooms with doors or windows that are covered with ghostwind silk to prevent any light or sound from entering.. They are known as the Vernosis, or the unfeeling. There is not a clear understanding on how they are able to converse with each other or even travel.




Originally posted by Foxface:


I want to thank everyone who contributed to this thread, and helped create Kohlcamm. Every post has been dutifully copied into a document, where all the info is being sorted. Please, feel free to continue adding to Kohlcamm. It is your contribution that makes this setting interesting and unique.




Originally posted by Luciender:


It is believed, in some cultures, that many sentient undead are actually the angry souls of those that have died in previous versions of the world and that destroying them weakens the gods, which in turn hastens the world's ultimate destruction.


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[Fralex]

...OK, done. I promise when I have some rest I'll come back and reformat all these posts. Goodnight.

 

[Fralex]

Thanks to the program MerricB made, I have finally made these in not-awful format. Yay!