Dragonhelm said:
I noticed on this thread that a few people mentioned Kalamar. Admittedly, I don't know much about it. At a quick glance, it came across to me as another "generic" D&D world, much like the Realms or Greyhawk. Would this assessment be true? If not, what makes it stand out?
Ah, the "generic" fantasy. That word seems to get tied to a lot of settings, and it means something slightly different to everyone.
Yes, the Kingdoms of Kalamar campaign setting is "generic fantasy" if you mean that it has elves, dragons, gnomes, etc in a world of medieval technology. Of course, there are plenty of differences as well, the most obvious being the hobgoblin kingdoms and their use as a standard PC race.
It also has geography, politics and such based on realism. This lets the DM determine exactly what feel he or she desires. Tellene features elements common to many popular fantasy works, including J.R.R Tolkien’s Middle-Earth from “the Lord of the Rings,” Robert E. Howard’s Hyboria from the Conan stories, and the land of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time, among others.
The feel of the land depends mostly on what region the player characters are in. For example, the Reanaaria Bay region is standard fantasy common to most other settings, where the human and humanoid races trade among each other and the enemies are mostly bandits, pirates and monsters. Most other lands, however, do not share this view of life. In the Kingdom of Eldor far to the west of the Bay, humans are fiercely proud of their ancestry and strive to keep their bloodline pure, and visitors of other races are persecuted, while the military fights a skirmish war with the elves. In the Theocracy of Slen, to the north, the clerics of an evil god control all, and darkness lies across the land. The Isle of Svimohzia, too, is a study in contrasts. This ancient land of dark-skinned peoples holds cities of magnificent beauty, war-torn lands, and a great looming jungle that devours the foolhardy.
Now, I know your next question is:
"What does ‘based on realism’ mean? How does that make the Kingdoms of Kalamar setting different from other settings, like the Forgotten Realms?"
So my answer is: based on realism means that the geography, climate and political interactions follow logical patterns based on previous events. Kalamar is not as dramatically low on magic as Harn, but most inhabitants of the world aren’t exposed to magic on a routine basis. This lets the DM tailor the world to his or her own magic taste. It’s easy to sprinkle in more magic if that’s the way you like to play, but it can be more difficult to take magic out if an entire society or town is based on some magical element. Realism also means that the world was built from the bottom up. We considered plate tectonics, placed mountains based on that, set weather patters and bodies of water, defined migration patterns of early inhabitants and eventually developed the modern societies all in a logical progression. We can contrast this with Forgotten Realms or Greyhawk. My understanding of these settings is that they were based on D&D campaigns of Gary Gygax and Ed Greenwood. The players probably started somewhere and the world grew out from there as the DMs needed to fill in the details. This type of top down world is fine if that’s the way you want to play but it can lead to some logical inconsistencies. For example, Kalamar has six human races, each with their own language. Thus, each place that race populates should be named in the language of the people who live there. An exception to this would be if the place was conquered. The place name is often renamed by the victors.
Here's some more highlights, frequently asked questions and such below...
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HIGHLIGHTS
What are some of the highlights of the
Kingdoms of Kalamar campaign setting?
1. A
logical, realistic topography. Deserts, mountains, rivers, lakes and forest are all where they belong.
2.
A setting driven by the actions of ordinary men. Thus even a low-level PC can have a profound effect on the world and shape the history with his actions.
3. The
wide variety of races have an extensively detailed history and background, starting from their original migration to the main continent and continuing through the present year. This makes character background easy and interesting to create.
4. The political entities have a similarly detailed background history.
Each governmental body is fully described with their history of war and peace. Thus it is easy to work large military and political conflicts into your campaign.
5. The world of Tellene contains
every type of terrain or obstacle you could desire, and thus a wide variety of locations in which to base your campaign.
6. The setting is
neither under-populated nor over-populated. Monsters and fantastical creatures exist, but they are not so numerous that they begin tripping over each other.
7.
Nothing happens without a logical reason. The explanation is never "that’s just the way it is," or "it's magic – it doesn't have to make sense."
8. The Kingdoms of Kalamar is an
extensively supported campaign setting. Currently, we have the campaign setting (the history book of all the lands) and the
Player's Guide, plus two more optional core products (such as a
24-panel Dungeon Master's Screen),
12 adventure modules,
14 supplements (including an incredibly detailed, realistic-looking
Atlas; plus
Elves and Bugbears arriving in a couple of weeks),
2 Living (tournament) products,
fonts, and many more products on the way.
9. The book contains a
large, full color map and hex overlay to accurately measure distance and travel time.
10. Kalamar is an
official Dungeons and Dragons product, not d20, and therefore is official third edition material, like D&D product from Wizards of the Coast. As well as being edited and reviewed by Kenzer and Company staff, all art and text is also reviewed by WotC in several stages to ensure compatibility.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. What is the setting [Kalamar] like? What makes it unique?
A. Kingdoms of Kalamar is a medieval fantasy setting fundamentally based on realism. Its recent history encompasses the proliferation of six human races (subraces really, since they're all human) throughout the world of Tellene. It also includes all the standard fantasy races of D&D like elves and dwarves and a few new ones unique to Kalamar like half-hobgoblins. In fact, full-blooded hobgoblins are also a prevalent civilized race with their own independent kingdoms.
The most advanced societies use steel including plate armor, and can fashion complex siege weapons. Less advanced groups may still be using bronze or even stone tools. There is no gunpowder. Then again, who needs gun powder when you've got magic? Magic exists, and certainly influenced the history of the world but wizards and sorcerers are not overly common and the average person accepts most unusual or seemingly inexplicable events as the work of one of the gods, rather than arcane magic. In smaller communities, the townsfolk easily confuse wizards and especially sorcerers with clerics, and misconstrue arcane spells as miracles or portents of the gods.
In fact, the pantheon of deities is one of the aspects of the Kingdoms of Kalamar that makes it unique. Just reading the pantheon of Kalamaran deities gives inspiration for untold gaming sessions and adventures to both players and Dungeon Masters alike.
Q. How is the
campaign setting sourcebook different from the previous Kalamar box set from years back?
A. The new campaign setting supplement has about 50% more material. Nearly every city on the map has been added to, the art has been updated, and the overall presentation is much slicker with a 272-page hardcover book format. There are also a few new goodies like new spells, new armor types, reworked rune sets and languages, new races for player characters, and much more.
The maps are about the same size, but they're a bit brighter, with some minor modifications. They include a compass rose and legend as well as a few other nifty features. And at 272 pages, the book weighs in much heavier than the 188 pages from the last edition. In any case, we think this product is a great buy. We've added so much and after seven years, we only inched the price up $5.
Q. What about changes in terms of terms of politics, geography and monster ecology, etc?
A. The politics of the setting haven’t changed greatly. This is primarily because we don't advance the timeline. However, we have detailed many more of the cities. This brings with it a whole slew of subplots of regional politics as they relate to the larger politics of the different nations and regions. There are also several new independent cities (particularly in the Reanaaria Bay area) that add possibilities for subplots to the overall politics of the region. The geography is essentially the same as before, although we did some work on the map to make it stand out even more. The monster ecology was intentionally pretty loose in the earlier editions of Kalamar books. This was done so we could focus on the interactions of the people of the world and let individual gamemasters determine how to sprinkle the world with monsters to suit their own campaign. However, with each new release that supports the core book, fans get more and more specifics on what monsters inhabit different regions – particularly with the supplement
Dangerous Denizens: the Monsters of Tellene.
Q. What about the sun? The moon, planets, etc?
A. Tellene's sun is yellow, much like Earth's. Here is an excerpt from the book on celestial bodies:
"Orbiting Tellene are three moons: Diadolai (Elven Moon), Pelselond (Big Star) and Veshemo (Mother Above). Diadolai is the smallest of the three moons and is reddish-pink in color. It is on an 80 day cycle from full moon to full moon. For most of the 80 day period, however, Diadolai does not appear in the nighttime sky. Because of its size (about 1/3 the size of Veshemo), Diadolai does not give off much light, even when full. The elves believe Diadolai to be the home of the gods.
Pelselond is a small moon as well, appearing only slightly larger than Diadolai. Pelselond’s full moon cycle is approximately 34 days and it usually appears white or off-white in color. Pelselond has an elliptic orbit and therefore, appears to be moving at varying speeds across the sky.
Veshemo is the largest of the three moons and occasionally eclipses the other moons from view. It is on a 28 day cycle, which is the basis for the calendar that most of Tellene uses. On the 14th of every month Veshemo is full; but being pale yellow in color, Veshemo gives off only slightly more light than Pelselond.
Every 280 years the three moons are aligned and full simultaneously. This event is recognized, but not necessarily celebrated, by almost every religion on Tellene. Veshemo and Diadolai are full together on various days in a 20 year cycle. Veshemo and Pelselond as well as Pelselond and Diadolai are full together at least once per year. Veshemo, Pelselond and Diadolai align or are full concurrently once every few years in a 40 year cycle. Two of the moons are in alignment several times a year.
The Brightstar: Another star exists only about half a light year away from Tellene’s. It is a double star with its twin being a black hole. The two rotate around each other so this very bright star slowly disappears and then reappears. Some hold that the two stars influence good and evil. While the Brightstar shines goodwill prospers, but when it dims, evil reigns supreme."
The chapter on celestial bodies also details 30 constellations (with art) among other celestial features.
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THE LANDS OF TELLENE
The most well-known of the six prominent nations (Brandobia, Kalamar, Reanaaria Bay, the Svimohzish Isle, the Wild Lands, and the Young Kingdoms) is Kalamar, from which the setting takes its name.
Brandobia: The fractured nations of Brandobia are little more than three would-be empires that share a common history. A Brandobian king bore triplet sons who quarreled over rights to the throne after their father’s death. The kingdom didn’t survive the dispute and instead fractured into three sovereign nations: Condol, Eldor and Mendarn.
Kalamar: As a nation, Kalamar has its roots in peace and prosperous co-existence of humans and non-humans. Over time, fragments of the Kingdom sued for independence one by one. Today, the Kalamaran Empire sits in the middle of a barely controlled collection of nations consisting of the Kingdom of Kalamar, the Kingdom of Basir, the lands of Tarisato, the Duchy of Dodera and the Kingdom of Tokis.
The Young Kingdoms: The history of the Young Kingdoms may be the most tumultous of all the many lands of Tellene. Almost 500 years ago, the Kalamar Emperor Kolokar divided the former Eastern Brandobia into independent territories under the Kalamaran flag. Time, distance and ineffectual rule eventually lead to these Young Kingdoms declaring (and maintaining) independence one by one.
The Wild Lands: The great Wild Lands are collectively home to many offshoots of the Fhokki people. Though the Fhokki are a hardy bunch of survivors, theirs is a sad tale of the splintered lineage of a wandering people. The Torakkis, the Targgas, the Drhokker and the Skarrns -- are all splinter groups from the original Fhokki tribe. Yet there is much distrust among the tribes which at best is mere suspicion and at worst is open hostility.
Svimohzia: All the roads of human history eventually lead backward through time to the Svimohzish Isle, the cradle of Tellene civilization. All the ancestors of all of the ruling empires migrated from this exotic southern land. Eventually war broke out with the hobgoblins of Ul-Karg. The physical and economic toils of war took their toll and the kingdom splintered. The three former holdings of Meznamish gained their independence and Ahznomahn later emerged as the economic power.
Reanaaria Bay: The lands surrounding Reanaaria Bay are not a unified nation, though all share roots back to a common ancestry. In ancient times, the early Reanaarese traveled through what is now southern Kalamar, following the migration patterns of the game they hunted. Today, the original settlements are now independent city-states governed by a single ruler or king.
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INDEPENDENT ORGANIZATIONS
Amid the populace of Tellene operate several independent organizations. These groups have specialized (and often illegal) goals that range from preparing for the return of the Creator to world domination. Typically, their influence on society varies with the strength of the local government. While many of these groups interact with religious organizations and may have similar goals, they are unaffiliated with the churches of Tellene.
The Blackfoot Society
The Blackfoot Society is a loose-knit group of anti-monarchists. They dispute the popularly held belief that royal families have the divine right to rule. The Society's goal is the overthrow of all monarchies, whether oppressive or benevolent. The Society enjoys its largest support in the Kalamaran Empire, Eldor, Meznamish and Shynabath. Even in countries where the regime is especially oppressive, and the environment is ripe for dissent, the Blackfoot Society has been unable to foster much of an uprising, largely due to weak and ineffective leadership.
The Secret Network of the Blue Salamander
The largest secular organization on Tellene, the Secret Network of the Blue Salamander has as its goal nothing less than world domination. The Network regularly infiltrates governments and guilds, rising to positions of power through skullduggery, ranging from blackmail to assassination. Its agents come from all levels of society, from servants and laborers to Guildmasters and nobles. The Network's members are also active in military insurrections, piracy, and terrorism in nearly every region of Tellene.
Brotherhood of the Broken Chain
A relatively new, but quickly growing organization, the Brotherhood is dedicated to the elimination of slavery on Tellene. Either by fomenting and aiding rebellions among slaves, or ambushing caravans of slave-traders, they have freed many captives, and also added to their organization's strength and numbers. As a last resort, the brotherhood will purchase slaves for the sole purpose of freeing them. But in all cases they would prefer to deny any profit to slave merchants.
The Disciples of Avrynner
Dedicated to the father of modern psionics, this secret society exists to foster contacts between those gifted with psionic abilities on Tellene. Because membership in the society is based solely on whether one is gifted with psionic abilities, the group does not really have a set "agenda." Its goals do include opposing those bent on eliminating or enslaving psionicists, such as illithids.
Disciples of the Creator
After the Creator disappeared, her temples, shrines and altars were desecrated, burned and destroyed by agents of those who opposed her. Her priests and followers were hunted down and sacrificed to other gods. The few believers that escaped these purges kept their faith alive in secret, passing the faith down to their children, cautiously recruiting new followers and awaiting the creator's return. They continue to do so.
The Golden Alliance
The largest merchant's guild on Tellene, the Golden Alliance seeks to dominate and control all trading in all areas. Its members disregard ethics completely, even financing brigand activity and piracy to weaken other guilds. They have also secured, through lucrative deals and outright bribery, the protection and advocacy of many high-ranking public officials, although their political philosophy really amounts to the idea that trade should be unfettered by both laws and taxation in the quest for ever-higher profits.
Guardians of the Hidden Flame
The Guardians are a clandestine group of Kalamaran dissidents loyal to the Inakas Dynasty, and a thorn in the side of the Bakar family, current rulers of the Empire. They fund and train groups of seasoned freedom fighters for guerilla strikes against the Empire. They also preach opposition to Emperor Kabori's regime, and in the past have tried to encourage peasant uprisings. Very little is known about the actual activities of the Guardians, but they have for centuries remained stalwart in both their opposition and their efforts.
Sentinels of the True Way
Mainly Fhokki in membership, with some halflings and dwarves, this group is dedicated to the elimination of magic and a return to a simpler way of life. They seek to destroy magic items and creatures, and tend to be distrustful of priests, druids, rangers, bards and paladins.
Vessels of Man
Founded by a disillusioned Basiran cleric, the Vessels of Man are dedicated to the elimination of godly influence on Tellene. They are fairly few in number, and believe that to deny the gods power, the clerics who spread their faiths must be destroyed. Merelor, their founder and leader, is hunted, and is very rarely seen. He now surrounds himself with a small, intensely dedicated and extremely competent group of followers.
Pirates
Piracy is fairly common on the seas of Tellene, both in the form privateers and buccaneers, who are sanctioned by a specific country in return for a percentage of their booty, and independent outlaws who operate without even that thin veil of legitimacy. There are pirates of nearly all races and from all regions on the crews of these ships.
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GODS OF TELLENE
The world of Tellene, like all other places, did not always exist. It is believed that the Creator, a being of enormous power and intellect, developed the universe for her own amusement. Finding the newly created cosmos wondrous yet unsatisfying, she brought forth from her fingertips life forms to inhabit the various planes of existence.
A total of fifty-four gods, each portraying a specific characteristic or related characteristics of the Creator, from life and truth to death and deceit, were brought into existence to govern the cosmos under the watchful eye of the Creator. In order to serve the needs of her children, she also fabricated various species of creatures: dragons, dwarves, elves, primitive races, insects and all creatures in-between. The gods gathered periodically to discuss the state of events on their different planes and the Creator assigned further responsibilities. This system worked effectively for many eons.
However, intelligent individuals, especially gods, are prone to feel indignant toward authority and the limitations that come with being inferior; and the chaotic gods began to resent the control the Creator had over them. It was with this in mind that several deities, led by the Confuser of Ways, formed a plan for the demise of the Supreme One.
The Creator, of course, learned of their scheme, but she was intrigued. She allowed their plan to continue, and created the illusion of her demise by allowing her essence to be trapped in a crystal shard. Fearing that the destruction of the shard would mean an end to all existence, the culprits secreted the shard in a well-guarded fortress on a distant plane. Shortly thereafter, the Corruptor and the Confuser of Ways conjured false evidence linking the Overlord to the apparent death of the Creator. This situation infuriated all the good deities and they immediately formed a coalition to bring the flabbergasted Overlord to justice.
With the Creator apparently absent, opposing gods immediately tried to destroy one another; law fought chaos, good fought evil and the neutral gods tried to hold the cosmos together. The ensuing mayhem shook the planes and resulted in the death of eleven deities. However, just as the Overlord was about to be the next god slain, the Lord of Silver Linings called upon the Riftmaster to magically whisk the Overlord away into captivity on Tellene. All other deities believed him to be dead.
The conflict continued until a wondrous evolution took place. To the delight of the gods, various races, including humans, began to evolve on Tellene. The attention of the deities was quickly diverted to Tellene. They watched in wonder and amusement as the rapidly advancing races spread their influence across the planet.
Since the gods found that their power grew in proportion the number of worshippers they attracted, each god competed for the right to make worshippers of the new races. Old disputes quickly rekindled and the gods were once again at odds with each other. This time, however, the gods decided to fight one another through their worshippers because they feared personal destruction as witnessed in prior battles. The Creator now sits silently amused, watching the events on Tellene unfold under the manipulation of the deities she created.
Unlike the Creator, the remaining gods are not omnipotent. Within their spheres of influence, they are dominant, but they can be bested in other areas. All gods have the ability to take any form they wish. This includes different races, sexes, sizes and shapes. They can, of course, alter their form to fit any given situation; however, most gods, when associating with mortals, will choose a form similar to that of their audience. Gods can even impersonate one another, although this tends to inspire harsh retaliation from the deity imitated.
The appearance of a deity on Tellene is an uncommon occurrence; they prefer to manipulate events through their clerics and followers. Their ultimate goal is to gain new followers and continue to influence current ones. A god’s power is directly related to the number of followers gained and the prevalence of the god’s spheres of influence. Therefore, the gods always strive to spread their power by gaining followers and clerics.
In most religions of Tellene, there is a distinct difference between levels within the clergy and experience level. Typically, a cleric gains adventuring experience by using skills and overcoming foes. This does not necessarily mean that the cleric has advanced within the hierarchy of the church organization. Responsibilities such as performing rituals, sacrifices, converting followers and serving the needs of the church are generally looked upon more favorably by the deity and church leaders. A cleric who effectively serves the needs of the church will be more respected within the clergy than a cleric who adventures for personal gain.
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Did that help? What else would you like to know?
