Locations Mentioned in Races & Classes

[~Johnny~]

Awesome round-up! Since the first post of this thread renders my thread on the subject obsolete, let me add a few locations we know.

"As kingdoms and empires grew and collapsed -- the human realm of Nerath, the dragonborn Arkhosia, the tiefling Bael Turath, and countless nations before them -- the elves remained in their woodland homes, mostly unaffected by the rise and fall of nations." (source)

"The [DMG example] town is called Fallcrest, and I'm pretty proud of it. It's a trading town located at the falls of a big river, where folks stop and portage cargo around the falls. I've made sure to include several potential dungeons right in the town (Fallcrest is a small town built atop the ruins of a larger city). At the moment I've also got a good-sized area around the town included in the description, so that you know where the nearby towns are too, and half a dozen good potential dungeon sites and adventures within a couple days' travel."
(source)

"The town of Winterhaven stands watch over a ruined keep that was once a bastion of good in the realm. This keep overlooks the Shadow Rift, a dark scar in the world that was once a gateway to the Shadowfell but has been dormant for many years." (source)

"Beneath Thunderspire Mountain lies a sprawling network of mazes, tombs, and caverns collectively known as the Labyrinth of Lost Souls. In recent years, this vast labyrinth has become a living dungeon where trade between the surface and subterranean worlds is possible. However, beyond the well-lit halls where prospectors, merchants, and traders convene lies a darker world where adventurers battle monsters and fiendish beings perform secret rituals for their dark masters." (source)

"The ancient trees of the Shadowsong Forest have borne witness to the passing of epochs, and hidden beneath their dark canopies are the remains of empires long departed. Few souls brave enough to explore the primeval forest ever return, for countless horrors haunt the crumbled ruins. When a band of evil criminals seeks refuge within the darkest reaches of the forest, brave adventurers are needed to root them out. The trail leads to the heart of the woods, wherein looms the greatest secret of all — the Pyramid of Shadows." (source)

I still have one question: does anyone know if the places mentioned in Greg Bilsland's playtest reports (Ionia, Telder, Teluvia) are from the Points of Light setting?

 

[Asmor]

I still have one question: does anyone know if the places mentioned in Greg Bilsland's playtest reports (Ionia, Telder, Teluvia) are from the Points of Light setting?

I don't think there is a Points of Light setting. It's more of a design ethos. Points of Light is meant to be a guiding focus for when you make your homebrew and for the default play style which 4e is meant to emphasize. In other words, "Points of Light" is no more a setting than "Pulp Noir Adventure."

The idea is that ideally you don't even need to make or use a setting. You can just make up a name for a town, play around that for a while, and then say "Hey, this Thunderspire mountain thing sounds pretty cool. I'll plan their next adventure there and let's say it's a day's travel away."

 

[~Johnny~]

I don't think there is a Points of Light setting. It's more of a design ethos. Points of Light is meant to be a guiding focus for when you make your homebrew and for the default play style which 4e is meant to emphasize. In other words, "Points of Light" is no more a setting than "Pulp Noir Adventure."

The idea is that ideally you don't even need to make or use a setting. You can just make up a name for a town, play around that for a while, and then say "Hey, this Thunderspire mountain thing sounds pretty cool. I'll plan their next adventure there and let's say it's a day's travel away."

It will be interesting to see the extent to which that's true. I understand that they're trying to leave it very open, so there will be plenty of "room" for homebrewed content, no metaplot, et cetera. But there's certainly setting information in the form of cultural descriptions and adventure sites, similar to how some of the first D&D settings began. To me, the biggest question is whether or not they'll ever publish some sort of continental map, or if they'll just describe things in vague ways like "to the east" or "two days south of Fallcrest."

 

[TwinBahamut]

It will be interesting to see the extent to which that's true. I understand that they're trying to leave it very open, so there will be plenty of "room" for homebrewed content, no metaplot, et cetera. But there's certainly setting information in the form of cultural descriptions and adventure sites, similar to how some of the first D&D settings began. To me, the biggest question is whether or not they'll ever publish some sort of continental map, or if they'll just describe things in vague ways like "to the east" or "two days south of Fallcrest."

I imagine that we will see maps of small regions, like a single valley or an area within a few days travel of a town, but we will never see any map which connects those regions. I think the intent is that a DM could place any Point of Light from any adventure in whatever arrangement best suits the individual campaign.

 

[Asmor]

The way I'm guessing it's going to be, there is literally no canon. Any descriptions of cities, events, nations, etc are all meant to be examples that you are free to lift. In fact, any such examples will be barely detailed and there could even be contradictory examples.

Like I said, that's my guess, though.