Campaign Idea- All Elf Setting

[Tokiwong]

Just some random bits of of stuff for an elf setting... well elves being the only playable characters....

Loose Notes

*Single Race Campaign: The elves will be the only playable race in this setting... not sure how many if any subvarieties there will be... but I will try to create a vivid hopefully original world...

*Cosmology: Looking at instead of the Astral Plane, using the Spirit World as a Transitive Plane... the Spirt Realm connects to the Elemental Planes and the Upper and Lower Worlds...

*Deities: There will be two main pantheons, the Current Elven Pantheon and the older Fae Spirits... plus the pantheon of other intelligent yet races...

The spirits of the Fae will be more in tune with the Spirits out of the book The Shaman's Handbook by Green Ronin... the Elven Pantheon will be loose... and the rest will be as needed...

*Tone: Still undecided...

The Cosmology

Overall Scheme: The Prime Material Plane is for the most part the center of the universe for most of the Aelfar, elves. The elves are the descendents from the more capricious and wilder Fae. The Fae were created in the Dreamscape, in time immemorial by a being simply known as the Dreamer. The Dreamer gave the Fae form and function, and unleashed them into the Dreamscape, Region of Dreams. After Millennia of travels they found the Prime Material Realm. It was a pristine place wholly empty of the abundance of chaos and life that they were used to, and many retreated into the closer and much more amicable Twilight Realm, Plane of Faerie, and for a long time they existed there enjoying the bounties of the strange new realm.

But time flows like a river and soon some of the Fae learned how to survive on the less magical Prime Material Plane, Yerth, and discovered that it was connected to many realms beyond their comprehension. These first colonists were the first of the Aelfar, the Fae who forsake their old ways and began to eke out an existence in the new lands. Beyond Yerth is the ever-present Spirit Realm similar to the Twilight Realm but inhabited by the spirits of the land and not just the Fae. The Spirit Realm was the doorway to distant worlds. The first was the dark and bloody plane of Yetheril, home of the Elder Darkness, and the second was Thessil, abode of the Glowing Light. Beyond these two planes of existence at the edges of the Spirit World were the Elemental Planes; none could fathom what could lie beyond such alien realms…

It was merely 4,000 years by Aelfar reckoning when the first contact with the divine could be recounted. Though one may technically count the Dreamer as a deity it shows neither compassion nor concern for this realm and seems to exist outside of its borders. From the Planes of Yetheril and Thessil lived beings that were simply gods, beings of such power that none would rightfully challenge them.

 

[GWolf]

Cool

Sounds very nice but I would diffently say you will need to have as many subraces as possible, to keep the game diverse, and to make up for lack of other races.

 

[saFire]

you should definately make lotsa sub-varities and give them different special ablities depending on their environment. for example:

an elf from a tundra-type area wolud have cold resistance, bonus to wild. lore checks in the tundra, etc.

you could do things like that for desert (heat resistance), forest, mountains(bonus to climb checks), island(bonus to swim checks)
they could have different favorite classes, emphasis on different ablilities, etc.

in the campaign I'm playing in now, we did that too only with humans instead of elves

 

[Tokiwong]

Thanks working up some gods right now... and have a few things to consider... I always loved the skaven, rat-like humanoids, and will use them as a major player in the world... an evil race that skulks in the sewers... not sure if I will have the the more traditional enemies of the elves...

 

[Tokiwong]

The Gods of Yerth

Deities of The Aelfar

· Meshara, Mistress of War: The dark knight, mistress of the bloody blade and more, Meshara is a conqueror and warrior. She is a force that fights constantly, yet she is no belligerent berserker. But a cold calculated murderer on epic proportions. Among the Gods she is peerless in fighting ability, or at least so it is said. For it was here that took the fight to the Elder Gods, now banished far beyond the known realms of the Universe in a place simply referred to as the Far Realms. Despite her “heroic” actions, she is feared among the Aelfar and is the patron of the Shaer, the children of the Unseelie. (Divine Rank 16; Lawful Evil; Yetheril)
· Ithiol: Lord of the Moon, trickster in the night, he who stole the stars for the sake of doing it. Ithiol is characterized with the traits of a fox. Ithiol is neither good nor evil, and is a traveler by nature. Neither side trusts him, and he sees that as a virtue. He is a young deity as far as deities go; he stole the mantle of godhood from a now forgotten deity that served the Elder Darkness. (Divine Rank 7; Chaotic Neutral; Varies)
· Lanilelani, The Virtue: The champion of the light, Lady of the Golden Lance, the champion of the sun, Lanilelani is a warrior of the light, a champion of the just and good peoples of the land. She is a patron of valiant and just warriors, and a leader among the forces of the Light and a crusader against the Elder Darkness. (Divine Rank 14; Lawful Good; Thessil)
· Shadis Masin: The all-consuming darkness, the night, the shadow, the darkness within. Shadis Masin is the all-consuming corruption of the Elder Darkness. Calculating and patient, Shadis Masin is evil in the extreme and hopes for nothing more then to drag all creation into its comforting darkness screaming all the way. Most beings that worship him, rarely know what it is that they truly pay homage to. His cults crop up in the oddest places, for corruption lies in the heart of any and all beings… (Divine Rank 17; Neutral Evil; Yetheril)
· Masa & Mune, Brothers at Arms: The Brothers of Battle, masters of the Blade, saints of the sword. The aloof gods of battle representing both the law and chaos of fighting are aligned with neither side of the gods. They are warriors, brave and true, where Masa is reckless and uncontrolled, Mune is precise and disciplined. Together they are a force to be reckoned with. (Divine Rank 10/10; Chaotic Neutral/Lawful Neutral; Varies)
· Solaris: The Arcane Sage, he who holds all knowledge, the silver haired magus who taught the Aelfar the ways of true magic. He is old and wise knows all the knowledge of all the worlds. The creator of a thousand artifacts, he is the master artisan without peer. (Divine Rank 16; Neutral Good; Thessil)
· Shuliandra, Lady of Lust: The most beautiful creature in the entire universe, and one of the most spiteful because of it. She is a dark woman who is used to getting her way. Her voice is silken and smooth, her form lithe, perfect and all too enticing, and her eyes whirlpools of intoxication. She oozes sensuality, and her temples are places of carnal pleasures and desires… (Divine Rank 13; Neutral Evil; Yetheril)
· Tuliandra, Mistress of the Heart: The twin sister of Shuliandra and she represents Love and the harvest and the bounty of life. Some say that she is not as beautiful as her sister but few except the most keen of eyes can see the difference. She is a giving goddess and is quite the romantic, being the patron of Love… (Divine Rank 13; Neutral Good; Thessil)
· Vargas, The Undying: The dead linger on; they hunger for the life denied them. They live to drag others into the darkness, into the glowing light of death. Vargas is their lord, the tragic downfall of a mighty deity torn from the light and thrust into the mantle of the darkness. Corrupted by the Shadis Masin, and turned wholly from the light. He is thing of the undead now, a creature that hungers for the life stolen from it in one final moment of betrayal… (Divine Rank 12; Chaotic Evil; Yetheril)
· Raziel, The Vengeance: The dark avenger, the hunter of the dark, born out of betrayal. The trumpeter of the end times. He is the hunter, the ever-crusading god, and dark angel among the light. Raziel is rumored to be an ascended mortal, the slayer of a cruel demigod long since forgotten by those with the good sense to forget such things… (Divine Rank 10; Neutral Good; Varies)
· Alundris: The crystalline Dragon of Thessil, the ancient voice of the Glowing Light. Alundris is old even by the standards of the Gods, aloof yet wholly good he has never faced the forces of the Elder Darkness firsthand, though it is said when the end times come, he will fight and die in the End Times and take with him one-third of all creation… (Divine Rank 17; Chaotic Good; Thessil)
· Illithis: Let the blood flow, let the children die, for everything is meat for the slaughter. The cruel alien thing that is Illithis subsists on the pain and chaos abundant in the world. It is a creature wholly dedicated to ripping other creatures to shreds, suffice to say that Illithis is insane… the chained dog of the Elder Darkness, a minor power of wanton death and destruction. (Divine Rank 8; Chaotic Evil; Yetheril)

Other Deities and Powerful Spirits of Yerth

· Krik’thil, Father of the Skaven: The patron deity of the skaven, the spreader of filth and disease. Krik’thil has worked the Aelfar deities on occasion but tends to his own plots against the world at large and that of his rival Sneer, Lord of the Rats. He is a loathsome creature and wholly dedicated to his children ruling all the world, all creatures then slaves… (Divine Rank 9; Neutral Evil; Yetheril)
· Kazak’dul, The Assassin: Daughter of Krik’thil, Kazak’dul is an assassin and deceiver able to change shapes and work from the shadows. She is a lesser deity in the skaven pantheon and wholly loyal to her father. She is worshipped among assassin circles as well in other forms usually under the name of Alustir… (Divine Rank 6; Neutral Evil; Yetheril)
· Sneer, Lord of the Rats: The Beast Lord of the rats and elder patron of the skaven, Sneer is vindictive and cruel. In a moment of weakness, as he considers it he granted divinity to Krik’thil and has regretted the decision ever since… Sneer is more powerful then Krik’thil, but nowhere near as intelligent being a wholly animalistic being… the skaven that follow him are of a wilder bunch more often found skulking well outside of the boundaries of civilization. (Divine Rank 10; Neutral Evil; Spirit World)
· Beast Lords: There are a variety of Beast Lords, great spirits of animals that serve as the patrons of their species and the most powerful spirits of nature. Each haunts the Spirit World and sometimes passes into Yerth but only rarely unless there is a great need… they are venerated by the shamans, druids, and rangers of the lands… (Divine Rank is always 10; Alignment is usually Neutral; Spirit World)
· The Great Spirit of the Forest: The Great Spirit of the Forest is an ancient being far older then any can imagine. It was present when the Aelfar first arrived in the lands of Yerth. It is a power well beyond most gods and yet it is aloof in the extreme. It cares only of the Forests, the land, and the natural things… It exists in the Spirit World by day… but by night it enters Yerth and wanders the great forests as a giant walking being simple referred to as the Nightwalker… (Divine Rank 19; Neutral; Spirit World/Yerth)
· The Great Spirits: There is a Great Spirit of the Mountains, of the Oceans, the Plains and lands yet known. For the Great Spirits are the caretakers of the land. The great stewards of the Spirit Realms, the greatest of all spirits, the most powerful of the spirits… and for some the most alien… (Divine Rank 19; Neutral; Spirit World/Yerth)
· The True Fae: The Fae that exist in the Twilight Realms are a strange lot, but compared to the True Fae they are wholly normal. The True Fae are the pure spirits given form by the Dreamer, immortal beings of chaos. None can fathom their ways, for they are creatures of the Dreamscapes, who rarely if ever venture from the Dreamscapes… (Divine Rank 0; Always Chaotic; Dreamscapes)

 

[Tokiwong]

The Races

The Races of Yerth

The Aelfar: The children of the Fae, the Aelfar have spread far and wide throughout the lands of Yerth, they have created diverse cultures of peoples but they are all very much the same race of people… the only true divergence are the Shalien, the wild ones who have taken to a more primal barbaric culture…

The Aelfar are very much like the elves of other worlds…(As per normal Dungeons and Dragons rules)

The Shalien: The Shalien are also children of the Fae but live apart from civilization in the lost tribes inhabiting the deeper wilds. The Shalien live in tune with the wilds, they consider themselves children of the Spirits and venerate the natural world, and rarely if ever look to gods. The Shalien are not a united nation but a grouping of tribes and peoples who share similar characteristics.

The Shalien are dark skinned, tending to ebony and mocha hues with hair in a variety of colors and often heavily mixed with plant life for decoration and disguise. Shalien tend to be aloof of Aelfar ways and tend to see the Aelfar as soft and funny folk but still kin, just wholly ignorant of the way the world truly works. Course Shalien feel quite lost in the cities of the Aelfar and rarely visit them for that purpose… There is little strife between the two peoples but conflict is not unheard of just as they conflict with the Shaer.
· +2 Dexterity, -2 Intelligence; Shalien are known for their great agility but are not known for their academic pursuits and tend to be an earthy simple folk.
· Medium Size creatures; Shalien stand taller then the Aelfar averaging about 6 feet in height, for both sexes much taller then the Aelfar.
· Normal Elven Traits
· Automatic Languages: Shalien Dialect and the Old Tongue.
· Favored Class: Barbarian; Shalien are earthy warriors who live rough and tumble lives and are not afraid to fight. Shamans are common among their people as well and barbarian/shamans are not uncommon.

The Shaer: The descendents of the Seelie were not alone in their journeys of the Yerth; the Unseelie as well journeyed far and wide into and became the cruel and reviled dark elves of the Shaer. The Shaer are despicable evil beings, which openly serve Yetheril and Meshara in particular, their patron Goddess. They appear very much as the Aelfar only their sense of style and in some cases darker shades of color separate them from the Aelfar…

The Shaer live in the distant lands beyond the Illuthrien plains in their dark cities where they plot and scheme and work the will of their dark masters. The Shaer culture is based on cruelty, betrayal and accumulating as much power as can possibly be had. They are a highly ambitious race… wholly dedicated to the Ilieman, The War…
· +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma, -2 Constituion; Shaer are highly intelligent beings with sharpened crafty minds and strong senses of character. But their Unseelie nature leaves them somewhat weaker then norm…
· Medium Size creatures; Shaer are of similar height and build akin to the Aelfar.
· Normal Elven Traits
· Automatic Languages: Shaer and the Old Tongue.
· Favored Class: Necromancer; Shaer dabble in the arcane arts but they specialize in the Black Arts of Necromancy and more often then not tend to be necromancers. There is also a strong warrior tradition among the Shaer, which produces many Fighters and Blackguards…

The Skaven: The old race, the first ones, the children of the Rat. The skaven skulk in the shadows, slinking through the dark moor and in the sewers of the great cities feeding on the refuse of the Aelfar and Shaer alike; they are the ever-present menace lingering just out of the light of civilization. The skaven were present before the coming of the Aelfar and were said to have a great culture or so say their legends but all of that is moot at the present moment as the children of the Rat skulk and plot their grand return to prominence. But none can recall just what that greatness was, but they know that they can only find that greatness after the outsiders are consumed by the hordes of the Rat…

· +2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, -2 Strength, -2 Charisma; The Skaven are swift and agile creatures with a hardened will to live in places where most fear to tread. Yet they are not strong nor do they try to ingratiate themselves with the other races, which they can barely stand…
· Medium Sized creatures, they stand at normally 5 feet in height.
· Base Movement is 30 feet
· Darkvision 60 feet, as per normal Darkvision rules.
· +2 racial bonus to poison and disease saving throws.
· +2 racial bonus to Hide, Move Silently, and Listen checks.
· Scent Feat for free; skaven are very sensitive to the smells around them.
* Automatic Languages: Skaven
· Favored Class: Rogue, the skaven are industrious and stealthy and tend to rely on misdirection and guile then brute strength. They are conniving creatures and rarely if ever tell the truth of things, they tend to just hide it among their many secrets…

 

[Melkor Lord Of ALL!]

Interesting! So there are no other humanoids in this world besides elves and Skaven? What about Dragons?

 

[Tokiwong]

Interesting! So there are no other humanoids in this world besides elves and Skaven? What about Dragons?

There are dragons... though the Dragons are rare and not native to this world... but travellers... they are creatures of the Spirit World, they are intrinsically Spirits... ad tied deeply to that world.... they are not like the Dragons of typical Dungeons and Dragons...

 

[KnowTheToe]

Sounds pretty cool. I think it will work better with the sub-races as well. Good job, it should be fun to play in.