More on Player Races and Settlements of Ildur
I just finished reading an
excerpt from
Wizards Presents: Worlds and Monsters. I'll paste a portion of it here that discusses the typical human-dominated D&D world:
If you examine all the campaign settings produced for the D&D game, each is unique and interesting, but all share a key feature: The world is divided into realms, and is largely dominated by humans. From its beginning as a medieval wargame, D&D has always assumed that humans rule the world. Even if humans don’t control all of it, the majority of any previously published campaign setting is divided into kingdoms as clearly as a modern globe delineates real-world countries. This assumption has the side effect of civilizing a world. Things seem safer when you put borders around them. Farms should dot the landscape, and army patrols should pass through on some regular schedule. These two characteristics combine to make a typical D&D setting a simulation of the real world. As a result, the world becomes less fantastic. A human-populated empire that resembles ancient Egypt, but with mummies in control, is less interesting than a realm ruled by salamanders, lizardfolk, or even dwarves. For 4th Edition D&D, we wanted to break away from a civilized, human-dominated world as the default setting. More of the world should be mysterious and dangerous—offering more places for adventures and providing players with a sense of wonder.
I definitely want to embrace this in my "points of light" style setting. However, going back over Ildur as it stands now, it still smacks a little too strong of being just another "simulation of the real world" -- as I freely admitted, Ildur is essentially just a fantasy version of the Faroe Islands. So, how can I "4th Edition" it up a bit?
Well, first of all, I clearly made the assumption that my Viking-like settlers, the monastery raiding, turf-roof house building, longboat sailing Venidur, are humans. Why? Because of course it was human Vikings (there being no other variety) that settled the Faroe Islands. But in my D&D game, the "Vikings" don't have to be human! In fact, there are plenty of reasons why these feared raiders and mighty warriors shouldn't be human. In a D&D world, wouldn't it be scarier to see orcs or hobgoblins spilling forth onto the shore to rain death and destruction down on your little village?
But I'm not looking for a "monster" race of settlers, I'm looking for a PC race. How about dragonborn? After all, compared with humans, they look pretty darn scary. Based on what little I know, they are capable warriors. I also know this bit of flavor from the implied setting:
Hundreds of years ago, the leaders of the human empire of Bael Turath made pacts with devils to solidify their hold over its enormous territory. Those humans became the first tieflings, and they governed their empire in the name of their infernal masters. In time, Bael Turath came into conflict with Arkhosia, the ancient empire of the dragonborn, and decades of warfare left both empires in ruins. Bael Turath’s grand capital was thrown down in ruin. Isn't it possible that the shattered remnants of the dragonborn empire might hold a bit of a grudge against humans? Might they not consider it fair game to raid human points of light that have cropped up, in part because they can, but also in part to make sure these sparks of humanity never grow into the flames of empire again?
To summarize my thoughts on PC races in the "home base" of Ildur: Dwarves were here first, brought by their giant masters. Descendants of these dwarven slaves remain in Ildur, having carved out a life for themselves in the islands' mountains and rocky cliffs. Next came a monotheistic, monastic order of humans devoted to a god of light. Then came dragonborn raiders, intent on sacking the monastery and putting out this human light. But these raiders instead became converts. They returned to their homeland, and brought their families back, settling Ildur. I can give the Viking-style settlements of Ildur some dragonborn trappings -- the longboats are called dragonboats, and have intricate dragons carved into the prow, for example. In the two hundred or so years since the first dragonborn settlement, others have been drawn to the islands. Some are religious pilgrims come to Ildur to worship at the monastery (or at least soul-searching and looking for answers). Others could be outcasts or exiles.
I imagine that the inhabitants of the monastery are about: 75% human, 10% dwarf, 10% dragonborn, and 5% other. Most are simply devout monastic worshipers, though there would be some clerics and paladins -- obviously any PC of one of these classes likely trained in the monastery. The biggest settlement has grown up around the monastery. The population here is mostly human, but includes religious pilgrims, merchants, outcasts and exiles of virtually every race. There are dwarf settlements sprinkled throughout the islands, built into cliff-faces and mountains (and maybe even small settlements or family estates in sea stacks?). There are several small dragonborn villages (like Tanavik described in my first post, but I may give it a name more appropriate to dragonborn now).
I only need to focus on a small area of the island archipelago for now -- just one of the 18 islands will do. I'll start with the monastery and surrounding town, and expand out to include at least one dragonborn village (it will be the oldest) and one dwarven settlement. I also know that the small, uninhabited, mist-enshrouded island of Mjorki (a sometimes-gate to the Feywild) lies nearby. I also know that the iconic sea stacks Kellingin (the giant) and Karis (the witch) loom out in the distance, visible from the monastery and/or the dragonborn village.
So, let me hear from the good citizens of ENWorld. What do you think of this proposed "role reversal?" Anyone think dragonborn aren't a good fit for my raiders/settlers (e.g., is there any reason to believe that they are terrified of boats and water and would make horrible sailors?)?
