Some info on the setting:
A BRIEF HISTORY:
The Orcs came suddenly from the south, innumerable, like a plague of locusts. Devourers they were, pillaging and taking what they wished. Their new leader was young and ambitious, and after organizing and uniting the Dhrogra Jungle tribes into a great Empire, coveted the lands of his neighbours.
At first the advancing hordes drew little concern. Orcs had, periodically throughout history, ridden north into the Trandal plains, only to be easily broken against the shields of the kingdom of Marguard. The invaders were undisciplined and quickly lost morale against the stalwart defenders, trained to fight in the mountain passes that were their home.
But this Emperor was wily, and he used subterfuge and tactics never employed before by his kin. In this way was he able to invest and capture the Marguardin outpost of Thanuledge. From there, he used it as a staging ground for the enslavement and pillaging of the Free Countries.
From Thanuledge, the Emperor overran several countries, and it seemed as if the flow of savage orc bands from the south would not staunch. The dwarves of Grimdale were the first to fall after the defeat of Marguard. The battle of Deepthane was a pivotal loss, and many Dwarven and Gnomish folk were displaced into the northern lands in the following years, fleeing the orcish purges.
The orcs were trained for warcraft, and in the black arts; and they called upon unknown, depraved deities. They had command of fearsome fiends and wicked cruel dragons ready to mete out destruction and death wherever they went.
The coming years threw the Trandal plains in to chaos. Silverwood, home of the Elven lords, was set to flame. Halfling burrows became tombs. These were dark days indeed for the northern nations of Camos, Heneleh, Portos and Yarth. For twenty years, war raged in this corner of the world.
And then King Asmus of Camos came to power. It was he who set forth a treaty, forming the alliance of the Northern league. The four human nations, Silverwood and Grimdale came together. Sharing their resources and knowledge kept each individual kingdom alive, even as the War ate ever away at their borders. In desperation, the nascent league turned to its scholars and academics, its wizards and sages, to divine a way to defeat the inhuman foe they faced. The wise men came back with a force they named technology.
Combining ancient Dwarven & Gnomish lore with human know-how, the league outfitted itself with iron weapons that spit fire, mighty clockwork constructs and steam-powered engines of war. For the first time, the humans and their allies could say that they were on the offensive. It would take another ten years of blood, but the Northern leagues drove back the hordes at the battle of Blackwood Plain, where the orcish Emperor was slain and the orcs pushed back into the jungles once and for all.
Thirty years have passed, and a rebuilt Marguard watches the southern passes again, vigilant for the orcs once more.
GEOGRAPHY:
The current member nations of the League are Camos, Portos, Heneleh, Yarth, Marguard, Grimdale and Silverwood.
Camos is the wealthiest of the nations, being least effected by the Invasion. It lies in the Trandal Plains, between the Unbroken Sea to the west and Portos to the east. It is ruled wisely by King Asmus and his Royal council. The capitol of Camos is Arcosia, which is the city the campaign will begin in.
Marguard has slowly rebuilt its southern mountain kingdom. These militant humans share their mountain home with the Dwarves of Grimdale, who are located more northerly.
RELIGION:
There are numerous small cults, but these are the generally worshipped deities:
Humans used to have a wide-ranging pantheon, but most of the gods have become relegated to minor saint-like roles, and only three are emphasized. ORMA the father, ARCOS the goddess of creativity and ISAME the healer.
Elves tend to worship the deific representation of the Wild, NATURE. They rarely have clerics, and are more likely to have druids serving as spiritual leaders and defenders of the faith. They also worship many lesser spirits.
More to come...
A BRIEF HISTORY:
The Orcs came suddenly from the south, innumerable, like a plague of locusts. Devourers they were, pillaging and taking what they wished. Their new leader was young and ambitious, and after organizing and uniting the Dhrogra Jungle tribes into a great Empire, coveted the lands of his neighbours.
At first the advancing hordes drew little concern. Orcs had, periodically throughout history, ridden north into the Trandal plains, only to be easily broken against the shields of the kingdom of Marguard. The invaders were undisciplined and quickly lost morale against the stalwart defenders, trained to fight in the mountain passes that were their home.
But this Emperor was wily, and he used subterfuge and tactics never employed before by his kin. In this way was he able to invest and capture the Marguardin outpost of Thanuledge. From there, he used it as a staging ground for the enslavement and pillaging of the Free Countries.
From Thanuledge, the Emperor overran several countries, and it seemed as if the flow of savage orc bands from the south would not staunch. The dwarves of Grimdale were the first to fall after the defeat of Marguard. The battle of Deepthane was a pivotal loss, and many Dwarven and Gnomish folk were displaced into the northern lands in the following years, fleeing the orcish purges.
The orcs were trained for warcraft, and in the black arts; and they called upon unknown, depraved deities. They had command of fearsome fiends and wicked cruel dragons ready to mete out destruction and death wherever they went.
The coming years threw the Trandal plains in to chaos. Silverwood, home of the Elven lords, was set to flame. Halfling burrows became tombs. These were dark days indeed for the northern nations of Camos, Heneleh, Portos and Yarth. For twenty years, war raged in this corner of the world.
And then King Asmus of Camos came to power. It was he who set forth a treaty, forming the alliance of the Northern league. The four human nations, Silverwood and Grimdale came together. Sharing their resources and knowledge kept each individual kingdom alive, even as the War ate ever away at their borders. In desperation, the nascent league turned to its scholars and academics, its wizards and sages, to divine a way to defeat the inhuman foe they faced. The wise men came back with a force they named technology.
Combining ancient Dwarven & Gnomish lore with human know-how, the league outfitted itself with iron weapons that spit fire, mighty clockwork constructs and steam-powered engines of war. For the first time, the humans and their allies could say that they were on the offensive. It would take another ten years of blood, but the Northern leagues drove back the hordes at the battle of Blackwood Plain, where the orcish Emperor was slain and the orcs pushed back into the jungles once and for all.
Thirty years have passed, and a rebuilt Marguard watches the southern passes again, vigilant for the orcs once more.
GEOGRAPHY:
The current member nations of the League are Camos, Portos, Heneleh, Yarth, Marguard, Grimdale and Silverwood.
Camos is the wealthiest of the nations, being least effected by the Invasion. It lies in the Trandal Plains, between the Unbroken Sea to the west and Portos to the east. It is ruled wisely by King Asmus and his Royal council. The capitol of Camos is Arcosia, which is the city the campaign will begin in.
Marguard has slowly rebuilt its southern mountain kingdom. These militant humans share their mountain home with the Dwarves of Grimdale, who are located more northerly.
RELIGION:
There are numerous small cults, but these are the generally worshipped deities:
Humans used to have a wide-ranging pantheon, but most of the gods have become relegated to minor saint-like roles, and only three are emphasized. ORMA the father, ARCOS the goddess of creativity and ISAME the healer.
Elves tend to worship the deific representation of the Wild, NATURE. They rarely have clerics, and are more likely to have druids serving as spiritual leaders and defenders of the faith. They also worship many lesser spirits.
More to come...
