The Fantastic World of Geora

[airwalkrr]

The Fantastic World of Geora is a campaign setting I invented when I was 10 years old. At the time, I called it Tandelle and it featured only one nation, which was called "Tandelle." Over time I added to Tandelle and the lands around it. It became part of the continent of Caeland, which was a land rich in history and ancient lore. I charted the family trees of dynasties going back 300 years, wrote tales of some of the greatest heroes of the land, and invented a few of my own monsters. When I was 17 I used it as the setting for my very first D&D campaign, and I still revisit it on occasion today. At one point I even decided to start designing my own fantasy RPG system based upon the world since I decided that the world of Geora had a story to tell that couldn't be limited by the laws of D&D. I give to you here some snippets of information to serve as inspiration for your own role-playing stories and adventures.

In ancient times, so long ago that no one knows the exact date, the world was ruled by Dezmaeron, the Demon King. He ruled from the Ivory Palace in what is believed to be the present day Northern Wasteland, also know simply as the Desolation. Dezmaeron was a wicked tyrant, said to have the power of subjecting a mortal to his will by gouging out a mortal's eye and replacing it with one of his own. This allowed the Demon King to command and see through the eyes of his vessel without limiting his own actions or eyesight. Because Dezmaeron is said to have had thirteen eyes, he was able to exercise this control over as many as thirteen mortals at a time. If any of his thralls were ever slain, his eye dissolved and a new one quickly grew to take it's place upon his own being, allowing him to enthrall another mortal. According to legend, this vile ocular transference also bestowed a small portion of the demon's power upon the mortal, the power being dependent upon the eye that was used. He could even replace both eyes of the mortal with two of his own, thus granting the enthralled mortal two of his powers, though he rarely did so. His thralls were known as Eye Princes and each ruled over a fief in the Demon King's name, serving as executor's of his will throughout the world.

The Demon King's fall occurred when a powerful mortal named Eindore (some legends say he was an elf, others say he was a man, and still others even claim he was an orc) studied in secret for many years hidden in the mountains that now bear his name. When he had mastered all the magic there was to know, he fostered thirteen disciples, one for each of Dezmaeron's Eye Princes, teaching them the methods that would be needed to overcome the powers granted by the Demon King. When they had mastered the techniques Eindore laid out for them, they all struck at the Eye Princes simultaneously while Eindore confronted the Demon King himself. In an epic battle, the Eye Princes were felled and Eindore gathered his disciples to him for one final assault on the Ivory Palace. Combining their mastery of different techniques with Eindore at the confluence to direct their energies, they weaved the Spell of All-Consuming Fire, which sundered the Ivory Palace and forever sealed Dezmaeron within Bathys, the Underworld.

Eindore's disciples are known as the progenitors of the thirteen schools of magic. Many since have followed in their ways. Some have been able to master two or even three schools of magic, but it is widely accepted that no practitioner of magic since Eindore has ever mastered all thirteen schools.

After the sundering of the Ivory Palace, Eindore went away into the mountains to live out his life in seclusion, leaving his disciples to pave the way for the new world. Many believe Eindore never died, but instead ascended to serve as the avatar of Radiar, the arch-deity of light. Others say that when he died, his disciples erected for him a tomb in the Mountains of Eindore and each warded it with a spell of their own crafting. Many treasure-seekers and adventurers have journeyed to the Mountains of Eindore searching for this lost tomb, hoping to face the Disciples' Wards and plumb it for what are undoubtedly priceless magical artifacts of a bygone era. But no one has ever found the tomb, at least, no one who has done so has survived to tell the tale.

Today, a small community exists within the Mountains of Eindore in the Citadel of the Thirteen, a shrine to the memory of the great wizard and his disciples. The denizens of this community live an ascetic lifestyle, devoting themselves wholly to the pursuit of mastering the thirteen schools of magic. It is generally accepted fact that mages who have trained at Eindore are the most talented of their kind in all of Geora.

I have lots more on the Fantastic World of Geora. Perhaps if I have time I will update this more in the future.

 

[Ebonyr]

Yoink!... runs away with a giggle

 

[airwalkrr]

The Universal Wills

Doug, I fear you flatter me too much.

Below is a part of the creation myth of Geora. This was written a very long time ago, but I have added a little bit to it and corrected some spelling and grammar. Clearly this bit was partly inspired by the D&D alignment system, but I think it is a fresh take.

It is said that there was once a time when the whole of existence consisted solely of pure concentrations of the four primal elements. Water, earth, fire, and air existed as a swirling maelstrom in a great nether long before Geora itself ever came to be, always brushing up against each other but never interacting. Then, in a single instant, the elements collided to form the matter which would make up the fantastic world of Geora. Though the elements themselves were lifeless, the sheer amount of energy generated from the collision of the four primal elements caused the Universal Wills to be. For the four primal elements to interact, there had to be a governor for their interaction. This governance was provided by the Universal Wills.

The first will was Order. Order desired that all of existence be governed by rules, structure, and conformity. The second will was Chaos. Chaos was the opposite of Order, a champion of the spirit of individuality and freedom. Chaos sought to mold the world in it's own image, all things being separate and different from each other. The third will was Good. Good favored harmony and promoted morality, seeking to create rather than destroy and support equality rather than tyranny. The final will was Evil. Evil embodied all that was selfish and ambitious. Before Evil, there had been no death, no anguish, no sadness. Evil exulted in these things, causing fear and terror throughout all existence.

The Universal Wills shaped the primordial elements in their own image, clashing with each other, making and breaking alliances, though Order never cooperated with Chaos and Good never sided with Evil. Each Will sought to preserve that which it had created and remove that which had been created by its antithesis from all existence. The conflict continued to escalate until soon the Universal Wills realized that if they were to continue, the very threads of the universe would unravel and all would become but a confluence of the four primordial elements again. So the Universal Wills made a collective agreement. They formed a fifth Universal Will, Magic, and the original four Universal Wills each imbued Magic with a small portion of its power so that Magic could preserve what so far been accomplished. Magic was a neutral party to the conflict of the Universal Wills, and its primary purpose was to act as a conduit through which the original Wills could continue their rivalries without threatening existence itself. The Will of Magic simultaneously aided the original four Wills in their conflict and resisted their attempts to completely destroy each other, ultimately safeguarding creation.

 

[airwalkrr]

Here are a few morsels about the various religions of Geora.

Geora is full of very religious people. From the magnificent ancient temples to Kaiya, to the hidden forest fanes dedicated to Volnari, there is a wide religious diversity within the world. Most Georans ascribe to one of four major religions. In the Old Countries, the worship of an overgod, Kaiya, is predominant. This religion is notable for its simultaneous monotheistic and polytheistic beliefs. In some of the wild regions and barbarian tribes, the worship of Volnari, goddess of nature, is most common. Within the secretive Republic of Berandal, as well as a few other places, the dualistic religion of Convergence is recognized, pitting a god of light against a god of darkness. Among the monster races and some evil human and humanoid communities, demon worship, including that of the ancient Demon King, can be found.

Kaiya is known within the Old Countries (those countries that derived from the ancient Empire of Kale-Jerome) as the All-Seeing, the Great Mother, and the Omnipotent. If you were to ask any Old Countryman about his religion, he would tell you he is a monotheist. However, in the same breath he might also tell you of the Great Conflict and his reverence for the Exalted Councilors, the Grand Stewards, the Communicators, and the Avatars, large pantheons of seemingly numerous deities. The truth is both are correct. Belief in Kaiya acknowledges at once that Kaiya is the only deity, and that there are many gods and goddesses who are merely aspects of Kaiya manifested in the divine realm. Thus, while Lucar (also known as the Judge) might seem to outsiders to be a separate deity within the pantheon of the Exalted Councilors, an Old Countryman recognizes that Lucar is merely an aspect of Kaiya's lawful nature. Old Countrymen see nothing contrary about claiming that Lucar and his brother Quesym (a deity of chaos, also known as the Tempest) are actually both aspects of Kaiya's complex true nature. To make things even more confusing, there is also a male aspect of Kaiya known as Orajahn, the Mighty Father. Both are worshiped together but at times seem distinct entities to an outsider.

The worship of Volnari is both an interesting and unusual thing. Those who place their faith in her do not necessarily deny the divinity of other beings. Rather they acknowledge Volnari's sovereignty over the natural world in which they live and believe that other faiths simply have little to offer them. You will never find a temple to Volnari in a city, but you would be hard pressed to find a forest or wild plain without at least a small shrine dedicated to her somewhere. Priestesses of Volnari (men are relegated to being supplicants and holy warriors at best) usually serve nomadic tribes as wise women and spiritual guides and are said to be capable of speaking with trees and animals as one man converses with another.

The history of the faith of Convergence (also known as Dualism) is, in many ways, the history of Berandal itself. The adherents of this religion believe in two deities to the exclusion of all others, and believe that at some point in the future, these two powers will engage in a final conflict that shall bring the world to an end. Those who side with the winner will be exalted while those who side with the loser shall endure eternal ruin. Those who worship the light follow Radiar, and he is the embodiment of all that is good, just, kind, and merciful. Those who worship the darkness place their faith in Ga'lon, and he is the embodiment of all that is evil, oppressive, vile, and cruel. Over the years each has waxed and waned within the Republic as the leanings of its people and rulers has changed. In Radiars waxing years, the people offer their prayers to him in hopes that he will protect them from Ga'lon's predations. In his waning years, the people have offered sacrifices and penance to Ga'lon in hope that he will be pacified and avoid causing strife and pestilence in their midst.

Demon worship has existed since the age of the Demon King, and it still thrives in some parts of the world today. The most common cult is the Summoners of Dezmaeron. These wicked followers of the Demon King who used to rule the world seek to undo the magic weaved by Eindore and the Thirteen that binds their lord in Bathys and return him to the world, ushering in a new era of tyranny and chaos. Most sane people have little to do with this cult and consider its adherents to be utterly mad. There are also the mysterious followers of Yaargh-Anoth, who seek to undermine the various other religions of the world in a number of ways. Those with rebellious leanings, traitors, and turncoats are generally characterized (whether accurately or not) as followers of the Insurgent (an epithet for Yaargh-Anoth). Prophets of Yaargh-Anoth, generally known as Mendicants, live in poverty and give all that they have away to charitable causes. Such behavior is unusual for a demon-worshiper, but it is said that doing so gives them oracular abilities, and it is in no small way responsible for the growing popularity of this cult as an underground movement. There are those who claim that Yaargh-Anoth is not truly a demon, but rather he has simply been characterized as such by the religions that consider the cult to be stealing their worshipers.