Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Something Rotten in Ilmahal! (Akrasia's C&C campaign.)
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Akrasia" data-source="post: 2166555" data-attributes="member: 23012"><p><strong>Ilmahal -- A Brief Overview</strong> </p><p></p><p><u>Historical and Literary Comparisons:</u></p><p></p><p>The island of Ilmahal is approximately two-thirds the size of Britain, and also resembles Britain in terms of geography and climate, except for the fact that Ilmahal has a number of small but imposing mountain ranges along its eastern coast. It exists in the northern part of the world of <em>Ilden</em>. </p><p></p><p>Culturally and politically, Ilmahal resembles post-Roman, Dark Ages Britain. The southern portion of the island is largely controlled by a young kingdom called Olbian, and resembles pre-Saxon, ‘Arthurian’ England. The main literary inspiration for the setting is the <em>Lyonesse</em> trilogy by Jack Vance. Other key sources of inspiration include David Gemmell’s <em>Rigante</em> novels, R.E. Howard’s <em>Conan</em> stories (especially the ones with ‘Lovecraftian’ gods and monsters), and, of course, the collected works of J.R.R. Tolkien. </p><p></p><p><u>An Absurdly Brief History of the Island:</u></p><p></p><p>It is widely believed by sages and loremasters that approximately 10 eons ago the last of an ancient and powerful race -- the '<em>Oeldreya</em>' -- departed from the island of Ilmahal, and presumably from the rest of Ilden as well. The reason for their departure remains unknown, though some legends suggest that they died out as the result of a terrible curse. Only a few scattered ruins and artifacts remain as their legacy.</p><p></p><p>Shortly after the end of the time of the Oeldreya, two peoples from the plane of <em>Faerie</em> -- the <em>Alfar</em> (elves) and the <em>Waldleuti</em> (gnomes) -- arrived in Ilden. While the Waldleuti were content to dwell in the green hills and forests of the world in a state of blissful anarchy, the Alfar of Ilmahal established the Kingdom of <em>Adalbrikt</em> (which means 'noble and bright' in the Alfar tongue). Adalbrikt lasted many eons, during which time humans lived as primitive feral creatures, away from the cities and towers of the Alfar. Also during this time, some small scattered <em>Vadhre</em> (dwarven) clans established underground towns in the mountains of Ilmahal. </p><p></p><p>The last Eldar War, roughly 3500 years ago, ruined the Kingdom of Adalbrikt, and the surviving Alfar entered into a period of gradual decline. Some centuries later, the '<em>Morghain</em>' emerged as a distinctive culture. Feeling some affinity with these woodland humans, the lingering Alfar taught the Morghain the art of metallurgy, as well as the essential elements of magic. The deities known as the 'Green Lady' and the 'Pale Hunter' also made their presence known to the free spirited Morghain, and gained many worshippers. These deities taught the most promising and wise of the Morghain the druidic secrets.</p><p></p><p>Around 2000 years ago, a great empire in the south arose: it was called the <em>Aphorian Imperium</em>. In time, approximately 1200 years ago, the Aphorian Imperium conquered the southern parts of Ilmahal. They ruled this province -- which came to be known as '<em>Arsilonia</em>', and whose chief city was Arislond -- for some eight centuries. However, they eventually were forced to abandon Arsilonia due to an event called 'The Devastation' which destroyed the ancient Aphorian capital and plunged the empire into civil war.</p><p></p><p>Shortly after the collapse of the Aphorian Imperium, the northern Vadhre towns and strongholds were lost to hordes of goblinoids, black <em>forgrim</em> (orcs), and grey ('Iron') Vadhre -- all led by an enigmatic being known only as the 'Golden One'. Also around this time, a small Morghain island to the west of northern Ilmahal called <em>Fiachna</em> was conquered by blue forgrim (orcish) pirates. Raids from Fiachna have troubled the western coasts of Ilmahal ever since. Finally, over a century ago, a terrible disease called the 'Crimson Plague' ravaged Ilmahal, affecting mainly the human population, and greatly depleting its numbers. It is little wonder that the past four centuries -- the time since the withdrawal of the Aphorian legions -- are commonly referred to as the 'Black Years' by the inhabitants of Ilmahal!</p><p></p><p>But hope has recently returned to the southern lands of Ilmahal. For almost five decades now, the divided and demoralized lands of southern Ilmahal have been united under the leadership of King Emrich, the former Duke of Arsilond. The new kingdom is called '<em>Olbian</em>', which means 'the Land' in ancient Aphorian. However, not all is bright. Two decades ago the Golden One managed to conquer the northern Morghain lands with his hordes of goblinoid, forgrim, and corrupt Morghain followers. In response to this move, the surviving free Morghain clans called upon Olbian for help, and were subsequently incorporated into the Kingdom. </p><p></p><p>Now two hostile powers dominate Ilmahal: the Kingdom of Olbian in the south, and the Dominion of the Golden One in the north. In addition to these two powers, there also exist a number of smaller independent realms: the Republic of <em>Cif</em>, the Alfar city of <em>Fridmund</em> in the center of the Lake of Mists, the beautiful witch Amarrah's domain in the Weeping Woods, the pirate realm of Fiachna, and the Vadhre enclaves within the Collain mountains. With the exception of Fiachna, these independent realms are not hostile towards Olbian, but only the Vadhre enclaves actively support King Emrich in his struggle against the vile Golden One.</p><p></p><p>So, in the year 2030 (Aphorian Reckoning), the island is a place of conflict and struggle. And while Olbian is perhaps the island's best hope for a brighter future, the kingdom itself is not free of corruption and intrigue. Moreover, the Golden One's strength seems to grow daily. Who can say when his malevolent hordes might strike again?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Akrasia, post: 2166555, member: 23012"] [b]Ilmahal -- A Brief Overview[/b] [u]Historical and Literary Comparisons:[/u] The island of Ilmahal is approximately two-thirds the size of Britain, and also resembles Britain in terms of geography and climate, except for the fact that Ilmahal has a number of small but imposing mountain ranges along its eastern coast. It exists in the northern part of the world of [i]Ilden[/i]. Culturally and politically, Ilmahal resembles post-Roman, Dark Ages Britain. The southern portion of the island is largely controlled by a young kingdom called Olbian, and resembles pre-Saxon, ‘Arthurian’ England. The main literary inspiration for the setting is the [i]Lyonesse[/i] trilogy by Jack Vance. Other key sources of inspiration include David Gemmell’s [i]Rigante[/i] novels, R.E. Howard’s [i]Conan[/i] stories (especially the ones with ‘Lovecraftian’ gods and monsters), and, of course, the collected works of J.R.R. Tolkien. [u]An Absurdly Brief History of the Island:[/u] It is widely believed by sages and loremasters that approximately 10 eons ago the last of an ancient and powerful race -- the '[i]Oeldreya[/i]' -- departed from the island of Ilmahal, and presumably from the rest of Ilden as well. The reason for their departure remains unknown, though some legends suggest that they died out as the result of a terrible curse. Only a few scattered ruins and artifacts remain as their legacy. Shortly after the end of the time of the Oeldreya, two peoples from the plane of [i]Faerie[/i] -- the [i]Alfar[/i] (elves) and the [i]Waldleuti[/i] (gnomes) -- arrived in Ilden. While the Waldleuti were content to dwell in the green hills and forests of the world in a state of blissful anarchy, the Alfar of Ilmahal established the Kingdom of [i]Adalbrikt[/i] (which means 'noble and bright' in the Alfar tongue). Adalbrikt lasted many eons, during which time humans lived as primitive feral creatures, away from the cities and towers of the Alfar. Also during this time, some small scattered [i]Vadhre[/i] (dwarven) clans established underground towns in the mountains of Ilmahal. The last Eldar War, roughly 3500 years ago, ruined the Kingdom of Adalbrikt, and the surviving Alfar entered into a period of gradual decline. Some centuries later, the '[i]Morghain[/i]' emerged as a distinctive culture. Feeling some affinity with these woodland humans, the lingering Alfar taught the Morghain the art of metallurgy, as well as the essential elements of magic. The deities known as the 'Green Lady' and the 'Pale Hunter' also made their presence known to the free spirited Morghain, and gained many worshippers. These deities taught the most promising and wise of the Morghain the druidic secrets. Around 2000 years ago, a great empire in the south arose: it was called the [i]Aphorian Imperium[/i]. In time, approximately 1200 years ago, the Aphorian Imperium conquered the southern parts of Ilmahal. They ruled this province -- which came to be known as '[i]Arsilonia[/i]', and whose chief city was Arislond -- for some eight centuries. However, they eventually were forced to abandon Arsilonia due to an event called 'The Devastation' which destroyed the ancient Aphorian capital and plunged the empire into civil war. Shortly after the collapse of the Aphorian Imperium, the northern Vadhre towns and strongholds were lost to hordes of goblinoids, black [i]forgrim[/i] (orcs), and grey ('Iron') Vadhre -- all led by an enigmatic being known only as the 'Golden One'. Also around this time, a small Morghain island to the west of northern Ilmahal called [i]Fiachna[/i] was conquered by blue forgrim (orcish) pirates. Raids from Fiachna have troubled the western coasts of Ilmahal ever since. Finally, over a century ago, a terrible disease called the 'Crimson Plague' ravaged Ilmahal, affecting mainly the human population, and greatly depleting its numbers. It is little wonder that the past four centuries -- the time since the withdrawal of the Aphorian legions -- are commonly referred to as the 'Black Years' by the inhabitants of Ilmahal! But hope has recently returned to the southern lands of Ilmahal. For almost five decades now, the divided and demoralized lands of southern Ilmahal have been united under the leadership of King Emrich, the former Duke of Arsilond. The new kingdom is called '[i]Olbian[/i]', which means 'the Land' in ancient Aphorian. However, not all is bright. Two decades ago the Golden One managed to conquer the northern Morghain lands with his hordes of goblinoid, forgrim, and corrupt Morghain followers. In response to this move, the surviving free Morghain clans called upon Olbian for help, and were subsequently incorporated into the Kingdom. Now two hostile powers dominate Ilmahal: the Kingdom of Olbian in the south, and the Dominion of the Golden One in the north. In addition to these two powers, there also exist a number of smaller independent realms: the Republic of [i]Cif[/i], the Alfar city of [i]Fridmund[/i] in the center of the Lake of Mists, the beautiful witch Amarrah's domain in the Weeping Woods, the pirate realm of Fiachna, and the Vadhre enclaves within the Collain mountains. With the exception of Fiachna, these independent realms are not hostile towards Olbian, but only the Vadhre enclaves actively support King Emrich in his struggle against the vile Golden One. So, in the year 2030 (Aphorian Reckoning), the island is a place of conflict and struggle. And while Olbian is perhaps the island's best hope for a brighter future, the kingdom itself is not free of corruption and intrigue. Moreover, the Golden One's strength seems to grow daily. Who can say when his malevolent hordes might strike again? [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Something Rotten in Ilmahal! (Akrasia's C&C campaign.)
Top