D&D General Tor-eal (1000 years after the Devils win the Blood War)

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Firbolg: When the Minotaurs came to the surface world and started building their settlements in the forests and woods of Toril, they started logging and killing animals inside the woods. This did not bode well with the wood elves, firbolg, centaurs, treants, and other sentient creatures who were inhabitants for the woods. They started a woodland war with the Minotaurs, who were able to succeed due to the resilient nature of their fortresses, and their large, monstrous sizes at the time of these battles. The Wood Elves were driven to the North, and became Tundra Elves. The Firbolg were scattered. There were not many of them to begin with, and so they were weakened by their loss in this war, and they had to flee.

Thanks to the fey creatures who were driven out by the Minotaurs, the forests were filled with temporary portals to different planes of existence. Most of them went to the Feywild, but a few went to the Shadowfell and elemental planes. Different groups were scattered across the multiverse, but only two populations of Firbolg were able to survive in their new planes of existence. One group went to the feywild, where they got powers of manipulating magic, and got shorter over the course of the millennia. This group became known as the Feybolg.

The second group that survived went to the Shadowfell. They started becoming worshippers of the Raven Queen and her agents that she would send across the planes to slay creatures that were raised from the dead without her permission. They often are wizards, which aid in extraplanar travel, and recently have started helping preserve the "good" parts of the Shadowfell. They especially hate the undead of the plane, as well as the sorrowsworn and shadow creatures. They are known as the Sharbolg, their name having no connection to the now dead goddess Shar.

Aarakocra: When the Catastrophe struck, there were two separate populations of Aarakocra in the Inner Planes; those in the Elemental Plane of Air, and those on the Material Plane. After the Celestial creatures migrated to the Elemental Plane of Air, and basically took over (even though there was no physical conflict that determined this) the plane, they settled down on the floating islands of the plane, building majestic strongholds. Though the Aarakocra, Djinni, and other races of Plane of Air were slightly offended by the presence of their new neighbors, they did eventually grow closer, and the Plane of Air's nature became more celestial in nature. It only took around a century for the Aarakocra people to forget the fact that the Celestials were new.

Over the course of the thousand years up until the modern day, the Aarakocra had multiple instances of them cross-breeding with the Celestials, giving them divine powers, extending the length of their lives, and created a new race of people, known as the Aurakarae. They now are seen as another type of celestials, though they are still humanoids. Their feathers are almost completely white, with a few streaks of gold-colored feathers as well. Their beaks, talons, and skin are gold-colored as well. They are often clerics, especially of the Light, Tempest, and Life domains, and are occasionally Circle of Dreams Druids, Paladins, and Rangers.

Another population of Aarakocra existed in the Material Plane, with only small populations. These populations eventually grew, and they migrated to the Star Mounts as they Dragons and Giants started a war, allowing them to live their mostly undisturbed. They eventually transformed over the centuries as well, their talons becoming another set of wings, increasing their ability to fly to very fast speeds. These people became known as the Chai-ehr and dwell on top of mountains and plateaus, and hunt creatures below the mountains.

Aasimar: After the Catastrophe, with the Celestials stuck in the Inner Planes, they decided to start dwelling in the Elemental Plane of Air. While they were leaving, the Celestials offered to bring the Scourge and Protector Aasimar with them. They accepted, and left the Material Plane. Spending the next several centuries living in the plane, which was now ruled by Celestials. They had to dwell on the floating islands contained in the plane. In order to travel from island to island, they often domesticated flying animals (normally Celestials), from Pegasi to Winged Bulls. Also creating flying chariots to transfer multiple people and objects at once, the Aasimar developed a structured and cultured society in the Elemental Plane of Air. Protector Aasimar were at an advantage as well, capable of flying for short bursts of time if something went wrong and they needed to quickly save themselves by flying to an earthmote, and were in general more risk takers in the Elemental Plane of Air. The Scourge Aasimar were more careful than the Protectors, normally domesticating loyal mounts to save them in these moments of peril.

Many Aasimar in the Elemental Plane of Air became Bards, Paladin protectors, and Divine Soul Sorcerers. They built great buildings, crafted divine magic items, and created an empire spanning the plane, under which the Archons and Empyreans were in charge of the society. They now occasionally journey into the other planes to smite evil where it rises, and attack swiftly.

The Fallen Aasimar were not so lucky. Though a few of them were evil, the vast majority were not. They were shunned by the Celestials, and this left a mark on them greater than their dark-divine powers that they already possessed. They were driven from most cities in Faerun, and had to live in the settlements of Gnolls and Orcs, causing many celestial half-born of these races to be born.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

(Just a couple more. Feel free to comment below.)
Lizardfolk: At the start of the Catastrophe, when the Demons were overthrown, the demon lord Sess'innek lost his small hold over the Lizardfolk race. The Lizardfolk goddess Semuanya took this opportunity to assert control over his race, who followed him completely. He showed them signs, guided the race to safer homes and away from fiendish intruders in the Material Plane. Most lizardfolk who served dragons left their previous masters, and started new settlements inside swamps (mostly moving to the Evermoors). The lizardfolk community enjoys 79 years of total dedication to Semuanya, and then the Catastrophe ended, along with the life of Semuanya.

Utter chaos ensued. In the years following the end of the Catastrophe, the Second Dragon-Giant War caused more contention across Faerun. The lizardfolk, who had followed the dragons before and left their service on decent terms, were divided. A group of the Lizardfolk denied the death of Semuanya, claiming that he would return to guide the Lizardfolk once more. Another faction joined with the dragons, following the Bronze Dragons, whom were assigned to instruct them (the different races that followed the dragons had different commanders. The lizardfolk under the Bronze, the kobolds under the Green, and the hearthdrak under the black). The lizardfolk who followed them, over the centuries were changed, living at the bottom of the lakes, now being known as the Daervak. Eventually interbreeding with the bronze dragons, the Daervak gained the ability to breath underwater, gained larger and more powerful claws, and inherited the ability to change shape, similar to adult metallic dragons.

The Daervak are now the cunning brutes of the draconic forces. Though the Second Dragon-Giant War ended hundreds of years ago, the Daervak are still devoted to their draconic masters. Occasionally spying on others in changed form, often becoming druids, fighters, and rogues, they are suspiciously viewed on by others. Though the Daervak changed, the followers of Semuanya, now known as the Seyume.

Goliaths: During the Second Dragon-Giant War, after the giants had re-organized their society to be based around Dragon-slaying, they invited the Goliaths and Firbolg to join them in their war-like society. The Firbolg did not accept the offer, but the Goliaths were, admiring the power of the newly founded Giant society. For the next few centuries during the Second Dragon-Giant War, the Goliaths acted as the Giants' medium-sized servants, attacking the Lizardfolk, Kobold, and Dragonborn servants of the dragon armies. They also would occasionally seek out and destroy dragon nests and eggs, and they were prideful of their prowess in war.

Then, the celestials forced the war to end. The Goliaths were outraged, after all, their society is based around the powerful ruling, and the weak being crushed. They viewed the Celestials as weak, as they fled the Upper Planes as the Devils conquered them, and the gods they followed had to sacrifice themselves, which they saw as a pure act of weakness. The Giants then surrendered, as well as the Dragons, but the Giants needed to reform their society. They were based around dragon-slaying, which they no longer were allowed to do. They looked to a celestial who came from the Upper Planes hundreds of years before, an Archon of Falling Stars known as Paevtara. She was a fierce combatant, who rode atop a winged lion named Scair. The Giants started following the orders of this archon, and reformed their culture around protecting the world from otherworldly threats, notably the Aboleths. Goliaths felt betrayed. They spent centuries of their existence looking up to the supposedly mighty Giants, and they gave up when the going got hard. Not only did they give up, which is taboo in Goliath culture, but they started serving a being which they saw as weak, and started fighting the mighty Krakens and Aboleths. To the Goliaths, the Giants were now weak, and the Celestials were not deserving of veneration or worthy to be followed.

Angry, the Goliaths and their primal casters gathered atop the Star Mounts, rallying on the peak of the highest mountain. Their shamans executed a powerful ritual to transform the mountain into a volcanic portal to the Elemental Plane of Fire, where they made their new home. Now dwelling atop of volcanos in the Fountains of Creation, forging weapons with the geothermal power of their new home's volcanic power, the goliaths are preparing. They are sculpting armor out of steel, creating weapons, siege weapons, and vehicles to ready themselves. Now lead by warlords, and protected by shamans and war clerics, they now are plotting. Waiting for the opportunity to take control of the Elemental Planes, they plan to kill all the celestials, and then conquer the rest of the planes. They also have war-aurochs and other domesticated animals to help provide for themselves in their blasted wasteland of a home, but they also depend on their shamans for food and water for their tribes.

 

[Eltab]

You could pull ideas from the 4e Dawn War lore to explain the deaths of the various gods, instead of simply >poof<-ing them out of the story.
Some of the gods did give up their lives for the world's good (Ilmater, Tyr come to mind). Some were ambushed or assaulted when separated from the others (Torog, Cyric; Tharizdun would be a nasty surprise to whoever tracked him down). Others (Bane, Helm; maybe Correllon?) gathered their worshippers / followers / supporters and fought to the bitter end, taking powerful devil hosts - and sometimes archdevil lords - down to the grave with them. However it was done, the gods' blood was spilled out ... and that was the necessary component to power the protective wards around the world.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

You could pull ideas from the 4e Dawn War lore to explain the deaths of the various gods, instead of simply >poof<-ing them out of the story.
Some of the gods did give up their lives for the world's good (Ilmater, Tyr come to mind). Some were ambushed or assaulted when separated from the others (Torog, Cyric; Tharizdun would be a nasty surprise to whoever tracked him down). Others (Bane, Helm; maybe Correllon?) gathered their worshippers / followers / supporters and fought to the bitter end, taking powerful devil hosts - and sometimes archdevil lords - down to the grave with them. However it was done, the gods' blood was spilled out ... and that was the necessary component to power the protective wards around the world.

Yeah, I may do that eventually. Once I finish with all of the more major parts, I'm sure I will go do more specifics on the origin. Now, it's pretty much, as you said it, "poof" and they're gone (most of them, that is).

Also, most people won't know the specifics, so it would be lesser known information that important NPCs might have access to. Some gods did die before the Catastrophe ended, and most just as it was ending.

Thanks for the recommendations. If you have any thoughts on specific changes to races, I would really appreciate it.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Klörvak: After the end of the Second Dragon-Giant War, the giants had to abandon their previous societal structure. No longer allowed to kill a dragon unprovoked, they needed a new way to determine the worth of a member of the giant communities. Many of the giants were impressed by the power of the celestials, as they were able to best them in combat to force them to stop fighting the dragons. One of the commanders in the celestial forces was a female Archon of Falling Stars (known in this world as the Archons of Fallen Stars) named Paevtara. She was designated by the Council of Celestials to be in charge of watching over the giants and making sure they didn't do anything deemed illegal by the council. During the battles of the Second Dragon-Giant War, when both forces were forced to a stalemate by the celestials at the Battle of Forkloe, Paevtara slew many dragons and rocs atop her winged lion, Scair.

The giants were impressed, and humiliated. They were forced to surrender, but in their minds, it wasn't as bad as it could've been. They were bested not by the dragons, but by an outside force who proved herself to be a worthy fighter. Already unintentionally high-ranking in the giant society, Paevtara took advantage of this respect by asserting her dominance over the giants. They fought back, but in the end they prevailed, with supporters in the giant ranks already. She became the warlord leader of the new giant nation she founded, which became known as Klörvak (clue-rr-vahk). Now, the giants buried their dragon-bone weapons, draconic-scale armor, and other prizes of war, and turned around as a culture. She focused them on older topics that were previously not as important. They became engaged in rune-magic, fostered the construction of giantish libraries, and started a renaissance of a sorts. No longer endeavoring completely for brutish force, strength in combat, and hatred of dragons, she caused them to start looking at the world in a whole new way.

Taking multiple decades of transformation, Paevtara revolutionized the giantish society. She was still loyal to the Council of Celestials, and started pursuing a new goal. She convinced the Giants that the ocean had been taken from them, telling the Storm Giants that it was time to reclaim the homes of their fathers. With the newly structured society that was more focused on insight and production, Klörvak declared war on the Krakens and Aboleths. With help from their runic casters, crafters, and a new focus on ranged attacks (with gargantuan cannons, legions of bow and firearm-equipped giant warriors, and spellcasters) they seek to reclaim the oceans for the giants and other races.

As the war continues, the giants have mostly become a coastal-dwelling people. They often live fairly close to humanoid settlements, often trading huge agricultural products, refined metals, and lost knowledge for support in their war, entertainment, modern technologies, and other humanoid specific goods. The giants are a more calm people, enlightened and open to interaction with the smaller races. It was a bloody history leading up to their new society, but was an improvement in the eyes of the celestials.

 

[Thirteenspades]

Only hundreds & thousands of lives? That's pretty cheap to maintain cosmic balance.

Yeah, seeing as each layer of the abyss is the size of entire worlds, it sounds more like mega-millions of demons, at least hundreds of thousands of devils and thousands of "civilians".

 

[Thirteenspades]

As the millennia went on, the Minotaurs lost their savage and brutal ways (still having no love for elves and fey), and became less monstrous. Shrinking in size, due to them no longer being cultists to Baphomet, and becoming more and more human-like, the Minotaurs became another race of humanoids. Now a race of forest-dwelling, logging, and fortress building people, they started trade with other races. Gnolls needed wood for their city's buildings, and the minotaurs needing hides and fabrics for clothing and art. Minotaurs even developed their own language, called Minotaur, which was a mix of Orc, Abyssal, and Common. They eventually learned the ways of masonry, reinforcing their fortresses with stone walls and foundations.

Nowadays, a Minotaur settlement is a fearsome place. Fortresses filled with trophies and hides of slain creatures, no one of elven or feyish descent allowed within a mile of a fortress, the roofs of the castles made out of wood, but covered in fire-proof hides. They no longer a savage and brutal people, but are an industrious and hard-working people. Their fortresses are ever-expanding, many of their fortresses have mines underneath, and forges inside, billowing smoke 24 hours a day. They're master weaponsmiths with a love for gold, whose art shows them conquering woodland creatures, treants, and druids, as well as the rise of their society. They have no religion, except capitalism. They have few laws, except that harming other minotaurs is not allowed. They trade often, but not with Elves or Firbolg.

That reminds me of the Minotaur morals from Mythic Odysseys of Theros.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

That reminds me of the Minotaur morals from Mythic Odysseys of Theros.

If it does, it's purely a coincidence. I wrote that section before I even read MOoT.

 

[Umbran]

I don’t find the whole cosmic contract mechanus thing appealing or convincing, but I don’t think the details actually matter that much. It’d be fun to play in.

Yeah. Specifically, the idea that the Celestials would completely miss the fact that some planes are not "upper" or "lower" and not covered by the contract I find... kind of implausible.

A lot of the rest of the stuff is quite cool, though.

 

[Thirteenspades]

Yeah. Specifically, the idea that the Celestials would completely miss the fact that some planes are not "upper" or "lower" and not covered by the contract I find... kind of implausible.

Yes, I would make up an alternate take on this system, plus a prequel (The Shadow War, where Orcus becomes an epic god, most of the demon lords' feuds are solved and the Abyss itself gains power) to better explain why a 30,000 year old plus feud suddenly stops.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Yeah. Specifically, the idea that the Celestials would completely miss the fact that some planes are not "upper" or "lower" and not covered by the contract I find... kind of implausible.

A lot of the rest of the stuff is quite cool, though.

Thanks. I agree it's kind of implausible. As I've stated before, that's just what the Celestials have told the people of Tor-eal, and may or may not be true.

(I personally think it's not likely to be true, but is what I came up with the first time. The reality is definitely more complicated, and I will develop further after I've finished most of everything else.)

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Seelie Court: Just after the Catastrophe occurred, with the death of all the gods, chaos ensued. Though the leaders of the Seelie and Unseelie Court are not seen as deities to many, they truly had divine status. Those who lived in the Outer Planes before the Catastrophe ended had to give up their lives to protect the Material Plane. Many of the deities were in their homes in the Outer Planes, or visiting the Outer Planes when the Catastrophe happened. The deities that were in the Outer Planes, and died, are as follows:

• Verenestra
• Hyrsam
• Sqeulaiche
• Eachthighern
• Skerrit
• Fionnghuala
• Caoimhin
• Emmantiensien
• Nathair Sgiathach
• Sarula Iliene

Those that were in the Feywild or other Inner Planes at the moment of the Catastrophe, and therefore survived, are the following few:

• Titania
• Oberon
• St. Lalibela

Of the 13 deities who at one point were or had been members of the Seelie Court, only two of the Inner Circle survived, and one of the Outer Circle survived. This shattered the structure of the Seelie Court, even though the two main leaders were left alive. Summer Queen Titania and The Green Lord Oberon were the only true gods that survived the Catastrophe in the Seelie Court. Not only did the Seelie Court lose the majority of its higher powers, it lost many of its allies with the deaths of Morwel, the Seldarine, Lurue, the Tulani, and nature deities from the Outer Planes.

Besides losing many of their members and allies, the Seelie Court also was weakened by the fact that none of their enemies were weakened. The Queen of Air and Darkness was not destroyed and neither was the Unseelie Court, Kannoth the Vampire Lord remained in power, and the Prince of Frost also was largely unaffected. Due to this weakening, the Seelie Court collapsed, the final blow being the war between the fey of the Material Plane and the Minotaurs. The triumph of the minotaurs glaringly showed that the Seelie Court's time had come, and it needed to be replaced. She then organized the Society of Radiance, which had the following members:

• Summer Queen Tinaria, the Faerie Queen, and Queen of Light.
• King Orivan, the Green Lord, the Spring Hunter.
• Flovaera, the second Daughter of Delight, Lady of Flowers.
• Alendrin, the former third Daughter of Delight, Lord of Music.
• St. Lalibela, Lady of Natural Beauty, Goddess of Aquan Fey.
• Duavara, Lady of Centaurs, Mistress of Nomads.
• Zenovagath, Lord of Satyrs and Leprechauns, Poet of the Faerie, and Lord of Revelry
• Happenstance, Leader of Dopplegangers and Changelings, the Changer.

The Society of Radiance rules over all of the Seelie fey, and the player races of the plane normally serve the Society of Radiance in some way. The Satyrs are the partiers and bards of the Feywild, the Feybolg are the hidden pranksters and jesters of the plane, the Verdan are the lawyers and persuaders of the Feywild, the Eladrin are the most common warriors, the Centaurs are the nomadic traders, and the Sea Elves are the fishers and crafters of the Feywild.

Unseelie Court: Though the Queen of Air and Darkness's true lair was in the infernal plane of Pandemonium, when the Abyss was destroyed and the Blood War ended, she fled her home plane to return back to the Feywild, where she started a temporary war with her sister, the Summer Queen Titania. She dwelled in the Feydark for the 79 years until the rest of the gods were destroyed. During this time, she organized the Fomorians, Glouras, Quicklings, Annis Hags, and other dark fey, growing the size of her Unseelie Court. Titania was weakened due to her allies' involvement in the battles of the Catastrophe, her unwillingness to fight the Queen of Air and Darkness, and the dark queen's newfound allies. To gain even more power in the Feywild, the Queen of Air and Darkness turned to other dark archfey to empower the Unseelie Court even more. The Prince of Frost, Neifion, and Kannoth all joined the Unseelie Court, and their followers joined the ranks of the dark queen. This added Bhuer Hags, Fey Vampires, Lycanthropes, Myconids, Meenlocks, and other fey under her domains.

After the end of the Catastrophe, the Queen of Air and Darkness was empowered even more, with the Seelie Court being crippled from their losses, and their losing of the War of the Forests. Queen Titania commanded the fey to return to the Feywild, and decided to devote all her resources fighting one war, instead of split amongst two wars. It was too late for Titania to keep ahold of the Seelie Court, and so she had to create the Society of Radiance. During this time, the Queen of Air and Darkness had lost her increased power from the death of Auril, but her gained power from other sources caused this loss in power to be cancelled out. Over the centuries, the Queen of Air and Darkness's power grew, and she became the sole power in charge of the Feydark. This growth and change of her home plane caused another change, this one in the nature of the dark queen. She cast off her previous names and titles, and grew in status.

Her new name is the Dusk Queen Umbra, with the titles of; Lady of the Fell, Darkmaiden of Terrors, and the Mistress of Gloom. Though she is now a major goddess with power over the dark, but unlike the Raven Queen, she has no powers over the aspects of life and death. Instead, she rules over the dark emotions; anger, apathy, atrophy, fear, envy, and the like. She uses these powers manipulate mortals, waste away at joy and prosperity, and cause torment upon her enemies. She is the matriarch of the Gloam Council, which includes the following:

• Umbra, the Dusk Queen, Lady of the Fall, Mistress of Gloom.
• Icaernei, the King of Frost, Master of Ice, the Biting Winter.
• Neifion, the Lord of Bats, Master of Night, Father of Shadows.
• Kinnofang, the Vampire Master, Sharp-Toothed, Patron of the Bloodied.
• Psilofyr, the Carrion King, Master of Fungus, Lord of Myconids.
• Cynaol, the Lycan Lord, the New Moon, Savage Lord.
• Mevfera, the Matron of Hags, Mother of Disgust, Madam of the Foul.

The Gloam Council meets in the deep city of Oagemfell, inhabited by the unseelie fey and other gloomed ones. The Feywild is now a biarchy of sorts, a land ruled by the dark emotions and extreme feelings. The Society of Radiance promotes immediate action and bursting feelings, while the Gloam Council works to spread cynicism and mistrust.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Vecna: The Whispered One, Lord Vecna, God of Undying Secrets. All of these name before the Catastrophe would only be recognized by the most knowledgeable of sages and most devout clerics. Unfortunately for the Multiverse, times have changed. Now, nearly all omembers of the Inner Planes have come across the name at some point in their lives. The returned undead deity now haunts the dark underground caverns of the Shadowfell's Underdark, also known as the Underfell (I made up this name, as far as I can tell, there is no name for this large region of the Shadowfell).

Around 30 years after the devils won the Blood War, a servitor to Tiamat known as Arkhan the Cruel travelled to the Elemental Plane of Air to retrieve the EYe of Vecna, which he discovered a local community of Aarakocra had gotten possession of through forgotten circumstances. He traded a fragment of the Rod of Seven Parts with the Aarakocra for the undeathly eye, and then left under the orders of Tiamat, travelling to the Elemental Chaos to prepare the plane as his lady's new home. During this time, for reasons unknown, Tiamat's plot to travel to the Elemental Chaos fell through, and Arkhan the Cruel perished with the old eye and hand attached to his corpse.

During the time following Arkhan's death, a chaotic Archomental named Jivelxer claimed the Hand of Vecna from the corpse of Arkhan. The whereabouts of the Eye of Vecna are currently unknown, and it is also unknown whether or not Arkhan's body had the eye when Jivelxer encountered his body. He added the item to his collection of trophies that he wore on his body. During the Second Dragon-Giant War, Jivelxer was summoned to the Material Plane by a dragon archmage, where it unleashed its total fury and destroyed many giants before it perished by the blade of a celestial. After this battle was over, when a goliath was raiding the corpses of the fallen creatures, it claimed the hand from the fallen Archomental's body, and left the battlefield. A Goblin Arcana Cleric slew the goliath on the road, and took the Hand from its corpse. This cleric was a female goblin priestess named Zilya Brightstring, a follower of the Yikare who then was corrupted by the hand's unholy powers, turning her into a follower of the fallen Lord Vecna.

She soon started a cult to her fallen master, gathering many followers, and began performing rites to the deity. Through years of dedicated service, increasing cultists, and massive rites of sacrificing humanoid bodies and souls to Vecna, they were able to resurrect their dead god in 234 FC (Following Catastrophe). After the casting of an Epic Spell to reincarnate their deity, the risen Vecna slew many of his cultists to consume their souls, reanimated their bodies into undead under his control, and left with the rest of his followers to the Shadowfell. Zilya Brightstring, now going by the title Saint Zilya Darkcord, became an undead power under the service of Vecna, similar to a lich, with cleric powers as well as arcane ones.

Vecna quickly amassed an army of undead, sorrowsworn, nothics, and his followers, which he used to assault the Raven Queen's Fortress of Memories, slaying many Shadar-Kai in the process. The Shadar-Kai and other servants of the Raven Queen were barely able to save their queen's palace, and they forced the remaining armies of the Undying King into the Underfell. After this battle, both Vecna and the Raven Queen began preparing for further battles.

Vecna took his followers, many unwilling humanoid residents of the Shadowfell, and combined them with his power over undead energies. This changed them into a new race of deathtouched humanoids known as the Vezyi, and most of them are devoted to Vecna. Their society is a magotheocracy, run by necroarcane priests, based on service to Vecna, and return back to life to serve their undead god.

Vecna now has built a fortress in the Underfell, known as the Bastion of Risen Powers, guarded by legions of heavily armed undead. Inside the keep reside him, his Council of Hallowed Death, and Saint Zilya Darkcord, all who work together to overthrow the Raven Queen. The only humanoids allowed inside the keep are Vezyi that have devoted lifetimes of service to Vecna, and any others who attempt to get in never get out. It is rumored that the heart of the bastion contains Vecna's phylactery.

Vezyi: These gray-skinned deathtouched humanoids, who are fairly new to the world of Tor-eal, are now a very populous race of Shadowfell dwellers. Run by priests of Vecna, known as Iremongers, their societies run on worshipping and serving their undead Lord Vecna. This race was created through the undeadly powers of Vecna, designed in both physicality and cultural structure to be the prime worshippers of the newly reborn god. Though Vecna has plenty of undead forces to fill his army, like any deity, he needs mortal followers to devote themselves to his worship in order to maintain power. The Vezyi (Vezye in singular form) have a magotheocracy, with the leaders of their settlements typically being Arcana Clerics that focus on necromantic magics. These priests are the Vezyi Iremongers, and they dwell in the center of their settlements, where the inverted necropolises that serve as the Vezyin temples reside. The Vezyi Iremongers are at the forefront of the Vezyin society, and they could not function as servants to Vecna without these priests.

Though Iremongers are key to the Vezyin settlements, they are not typically the leaders of their communities. The Vezyi have a democratic republic of sorts, all of which form a relatively complex system of appointing Iremongers. In nearly every settlement, the people of the Vezyin community vote for a champion that will lead their city, known as their Hand of Vecna. The Hand of Vecna will appoint 7 councilors, known as Keys, which must be confirmed into their seats by a vote by the residents of the Vezyin communities. The Hands of Vecna remain in power for 10 years, and the Keys have terms of 5 years. If during the time that a Hand is in power, if an Iremonger dies (there is most often only 2), and their death is permanent, the Keys will vote for a replacement. The Hand gets to approve or deny this replacement, but once the Iremonger is confirmed, they are in until they perish and have no pardons left.

When a Vezye is born, they are brought to an Iremonger, and receive a circular black mark on their left hand's pinky finger. When a Vezyi dies, if their body is recovered quickly enough, the Iremonger will restore them back to life, typically with a Raise Dead spell (Due to the Vezyi's extended time period for resurrection, the Raise Dead spell can be cast on them 100 days after their death). During the casting of the spell, the Iremonger bestows another similar mark on the finger to the left of the most recently marked finger (so, if this is their first restoration, their left ring finger's tip will recieve a mark, and so on). These restorations are called "pardons" and are integral to the Vezyin societies. If mutilated to the point where it is unclear how many pardons a perished Vezyi has left, Iremongers will often choose not to restore the dead back to life if foul play is suspected in any way.

Any Vezyi is allowed 9 pardons, granting them a total of 10 lives. Those who have used less pardons are typically more reckless in Vezyin societies, and are considered less experienced by those with more pardons used. The society has titles for those who have used any specific amount of pardons. A Vezye that has used all their pardons is not allowed to be revived by any Iremongers, but are not prevented from seeking out resurrection magic in other races, though it is normally considered taboo in their society. When a Vezye has used all 9 pardons, perishes, and their body is returned back to a Vezyin Necropolis, an Iremonger will reanimate them as a Zombie, Skeleton, or other undead, and will eventually release the undead into the Underfell, where it will wander until it becomes a member of Vecna's undead army.

The following lists the title of those who have used a specific amount of pardons:

• Zero pardons used, Zon.
• One pardon used, Ahnz.
• Two pardons used, Tuek.
• Three pardons used, Threz.
• Four pardons used, Feik.
• Five pardons used, Frahc.
• Six pardons used, Sed.
• Seven pardons used, Svoe.
• Eight pardons used, Eht.
• Nine pardons used, Tenith.
• Ten pardons and beyond, Vulek.

No Iremonger is allowed to purposefully restore a Vezye back to life that has clearly used all their 10 lives, but mistakes happen. If a Vezye has lost their right hand or both, and it is not clear that they have any lives left, the only Iremongers allowed to restore them back to life are those who can restore their lost limbs once their life is restored. In such a case, the body is bound tightly before the Iremonger resurrects the Vezye and restores their lost limbs through a regenerate or resurrection spell, and they then analyze their amount of pardons left. If they discover that they should not have been revived, their life is not taken away, but they are given three circumpunct marks on their body. One on the palm of each hand, and one on the forehead of the Vezye. These marks are called the "Eyes of Vecna" and they are given just before the Vezye is cast out of the settlement forever.

Those who have the Eyes of Vecna marking their skin are known as the Vulek, and they are banished from reentering Vezyin society. Any Vezyi that slays a Vulek once they are banished, and brings back evidence of their death, are awarded by an Iremonger magically removing one mark from their fingers, therefore awarded another life. In the case that a particular Vulek becomes too much of a problem to allow enjoyment of their stolen life, the Iremonger that gave them their latest life will hire a Vezyin bounty hunter to track down the escaped Vezye, and bring back the cut off palms and skin of the forehead of the slain Vulek. The Iremonger will then animate both hands as crawling claws, and often keep the skin of the forehead as a prize. These bounty hunters are known as Palmbearers, and are honored by Vezyin culture, and feared by Vuleks across the Multiverse.

Though the Vezyin society is evil and venerates Vecna, Teniths often leave the society, free of any motivation to remain inside of the society. Vuleks are driven out of the society, literally chased by those trying to kill them, and barely ever return back to any Vezyin settlements. Most Vezyi adventurers are either sent on quests by Iremongers in the name of Vecna, or are Teniths or Vuleks that are no longer members of Vezyin society.

 

[Coroc]

Vecna: The Whispered One, Lord Vecna, God of Undying Secrets. All of these name before the Catastrophe would only be recognized by the most knowledgeable of sages and most devout clerics. Unfortunately for the Multiverse, times have changed. Now, nearly all omembers of the Inner Planes have come across the name at some point in their lives. The returned undead deity now haunts the dark underground caverns of the Shadowfell's Underdark, also known as the Underfell (I made up this name, as far as I can tell, there is no name for this large region of the Shadowfell).

Around 30 years after the devils won the Blood War, a servitor to Tiamat known as Arkhan the Cruel travelled to the Elemental Plane of Air to retrieve the EYe of Vecna, which he discovered a local community of Aarakocra had gotten possession of through forgotten circumstances. He traded a fragment of the Rod of Seven Parts with the Aarakocra for the undeathly eye, and then left under the orders of Tiamat, travelling to the Elemental Chaos to prepare the plane as his lady's new home. During this time, for reasons unknown, Tiamat's plot to travel to the Elemental Chaos fell through, and Arkhan the Cruel perished with the old eye and hand attached to his corpse.

During the time following Arkhan's death, a chaotic Archomental named Jivelxer claimed the Hand of Vecna from the corpse of Arkhan. The whereabouts of the Eye of Vecna are currently unknown, and it is also unknown whether or not Arkhan's body had the eye when Jivelxer encountered his body. He added the item to his collection of trophies that he wore on his body. During the Second Dragon-Giant War, Jivelxer was summoned to the Material Plane by a dragon archmage, where it unleashed its total fury and destroyed many giants before it perished by the blade of a celestial. After this battle was over, when a goliath was raiding the corpses of the fallen creatures, it claimed the hand from the fallen Archomental's body, and left the battlefield. A Goblin Arcana Cleric slew the goliath on the road, and took the Hand from its corpse. This cleric was a female goblin priestess named Zilya Brightstring, a follower of the Yikare who then was corrupted by the hand's unholy powers, turning her into a follower of the fallen Lord Vecna.

She soon started a cult to her fallen master, gathering many followers, and began performing rites to the deity. Through years of dedicated service, increasing cultists, and massive rites of sacrificing humanoid bodies and souls to Vecna, they were able to resurrect their dead god in 234 FC (Following Catastrophe). After the casting of an Epic Spell to reincarnate their deity, the risen Vecna slew many of his cultists to consume their souls, reanimated their bodies into undead under his control, and left with the rest of his followers to the Shadowfell. Zilya Brightstring, now going by the title Saint Zilya Darkcord, became an undead power under the service of Vecna, similar to a lich, with cleric powers as well as arcane ones.

Vecna quickly amassed an army of undead, sorrowsworn, nothics, and his followers, which he used to assault the Raven Queen's Fortress of Memories, slaying many Shadar-Kai in the process. The Shadar-Kai and other servants of the Raven Queen were barely able to save their queen's palace, and they forced the remaining armies of the Undying King into the Underfell. After this battle, both Vecna and the Raven Queen began preparing for further battles.

Vecna took his followers, many unwilling humanoid residents of the Shadowfell, and combined them with his power over undead energies. This changed them into a new race of deathtouched humanoids known as the Vezyi, and most of them are devoted to Vecna. Their society is a magotheocracy, run by necroarcane priests, based on service to Vecna, and return back to life to serve their undead god.

Vecna now has built a fortress in the Underfell, known as the Bastion of Risen Powers, guarded by legions of heavily armed undead. Inside the keep reside him, his Council of Hallowed Death, and Saint Zilya Darkcord, all who work together to overthrow the Raven Queen. The only humanoids allowed inside the keep are Vezyi that have devoted lifetimes of service to Vecna, and any others who attempt to get in never get out. It is rumored that the heart of the bastion contains Vecna's phylactery.

Vezyi: These gray-skinned deathtouched humanoids, who are fairly new to the world of Tor-eal, are now a very populous race of Shadowfell dwellers. Run by priests of Vecna, known as Iremongers, their societies run on worshipping and serving their undead Lord Vecna. This race was created through the undeadly powers of Vecna, designed in both physicality and cultural structure to be the prime worshippers of the newly reborn god. Though Vecna has plenty of undead forces to fill his army, like any deity, he needs mortal followers to devote themselves to his worship in order to maintain power. The Vezyi (Vezye in singular form) have a magotheocracy, with the leaders of their settlements typically being Arcana Clerics that focus on necromantic magics. These priests are the Vezyi Iremongers, and they dwell in the center of their settlements, where the inverted necropolises that serve as the Vezyin temples reside. The Vezyi Iremongers are at the forefront of the Vezyin society, and they could not function as servants to Vecna without these priests.

Though Iremongers are key to the Vezyin settlements, they are not typically the leaders of their communities. The Vezyi have a democratic republic of sorts, all of which form a relatively complex system of appointing Iremongers. In nearly every settlement, the people of the Vezyin community vote for a champion that will lead their city, known as their Hand of Vecna. The Hand of Vecna will appoint 7 councilors, known as Keys, which must be confirmed into their seats by a vote by the residents of the Vezyin communities. The Hands of Vecna remain in power for 10 years, and the Keys have terms of 5 years. If during the time that a Hand is in power, if an Iremonger dies (there is most often only 2), and their death is permanent, the Keys will vote for a replacement. The Hand gets to approve or deny this replacement, but once the Iremonger is confirmed, they are in until they perish and have no pardons left.

When a Vezye is born, they are brought to an Iremonger, and receive a circular black mark on their left hand's pinky finger. When a Vezyi dies, if their body is recovered quickly enough, the Iremonger will restore them back to life, typically with a Raise Dead spell (Due to the Vezyi's extended time period for resurrection, the Raise Dead spell can be cast on them 100 days after their death). During the casting of the spell, the Iremonger bestows another similar mark on the finger to the left of the most recently marked finger (so, if this is their first restoration, their left ring finger's tip will recieve a mark, and so on). These restorations are called "pardons" and are integral to the Vezyin societies. If mutilated to the point where it is unclear how many pardons a perished Vezyi has left, Iremongers will often choose not to restore the dead back to life if foul play is suspected in any way.

Any Vezyi is allowed 9 pardons, granting them a total of 10 lives. Those who have used less pardons are typically more reckless in Vezyin societies, and are considered less experienced by those with more pardons used. The society has titles for those who have used any specific amount of pardons. A Vezye that has used all their pardons is not allowed to be revived by any Iremongers, but are not prevented from seeking out resurrection magic in other races, though it is normally considered taboo in their society. When a Vezye has used all 9 pardons, perishes, and their body is returned back to a Vezyin Necropolis, an Iremonger will reanimate them as a Zombie, Skeleton, or other undead, and will eventually release the undead into the Underfell, where it will wander until it becomes a member of Vecna's undead army.

The following lists the title of those who have used a specific amount of pardons:

• Zero pardons used, Zon.
• One pardon used, Ahnz.
• Two pardons used, Tuek.
• Three pardons used, Threz.
• Four pardons used, Feik.
• Five pardons used, Frahc.
• Six pardons used, Sed.
• Seven pardons used, Svoe.
• Eight pardons used, Eht.
• Nine pardons used, Tenith.
• Ten pardons and beyond, Vulek.

No Iremonger is allowed to purposefully restore a Vezye back to life that has clearly used all their 10 lives, but mistakes happen. If a Vezye has lost their right hand or both, and it is not clear that they have any lives left, the only Iremongers allowed to restore them back to life are those who can restore their lost limbs once their life is restored. In such a case, the body is bound tightly before the Iremonger resurrects the Vezye and restores their lost limbs through a regenerate or resurrection spell, and they then analyze their amount of pardons left. If they discover that they should not have been revived, their life is not taken away, but they are given three circumpunct marks on their body. One on the palm of each hand, and one on the forehead of the Vezye. These marks are called the "Eyes of Vecna" and they are given just before the Vezye is cast out of the settlement forever.

Those who have the Eyes of Vecna marking their skin are known as the Vulek, and they are banished from reentering Vezyin society. Any Vezyi that slays a Vulek once they are banished, and brings back evidence of their death, are awarded by an Iremonger magically removing one mark from their fingers, therefore awarded another life. In the case that a particular Vulek becomes too much of a problem to allow enjoyment of their stolen life, the Iremonger that gave them their latest life will hire a Vezyin bounty hunter to track down the escaped Vezye, and bring back the cut off palms and skin of the forehead of the slain Vulek. The Iremonger will then animate both hands as crawling claws, and often keep the skin of the forehead as a prize. These bounty hunters are known as Palmbearers, and are honored by Vezyin culture, and feared by Vuleks across the Multiverse.

Though the Vezyin society is evil and venerates Vecna, Teniths often leave the society, free of any motivation to remain inside of the society. Vuleks are driven out of the society, literally chased by those trying to kill them, and barely ever return back to any Vezyin settlements. Most Vezyi adventurers are either sent on quests by Iremongers in the name of Vecna, or are Teniths or Vuleks that are no longer members of Vezyin society.

Say, are you in the process of forming an alternative Athas out of Toril ?

Else, hm, you could try the following:

"At some point in the future WotC decides to release 6e. Due to strange alterations of the rules (orcs are in reality LG for example) per canon a new sundering is necessary. This is when something goes south, and FR ceases to exist. As a backlash things are reversed on the first world (Our Earth) so the 6th ed did not happen yet. Strangely, FR is still gone for good "

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Say, are you in the process of forming an alternative Athas out of Toril ?

No, just shaking things up a bit in the Forgotten Realms. It also is a way of explaining why drow, orcs, goblins, and other more evil races are good or neutral now.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Here's the race for the Vezyi:

The Vezyi Race for Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) Fifth Edition (5e) - D&D Beyond

Due to their connection with the powers of death and undeath, the Vezyi are difficult to slay and easy to bring back to life. They age slowly, rarely eat, and only ever consume beverages and foods that bring them pleasure due to their infrequent eating. They serve Vecna's prie...

www.dndbeyond.com

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Nemrav (Winged Kenku): The flightless race of birdfolk, the Kenku, before the Catastrophe, were scattered across the world and broken. Forced to live without flight or free speech, they were cursed by an ancient master. No one seems to know, or at least be telling, who this original master was, but the Raven Queen was the prime suspect. Thrown out of their home plane and rid of their former glory, the kenku were pitied and despised by the races of the Material Plane.

Though the identity of their previous master is hidden, the race now serves the RAven Queen, possibly for the second time. This happened not because of a moment of forgiveness or compassion, but in a moment of desperation, for the Raven Queen foresaw her own demise at the hand of Vecna-serving unholy kenku if she did not accept them. With heavy casualties among her precious Shadar-Kai, the Raven Queen decided to embrace the Kenku and restore them to their former glory.

Now, the risen kenku have received their wings once more, and their voices were restored as well. Now, they had to form a societal structure inside the Shadowfell. Their settlements are known as Nests, and they are led by a Darkfeather, which is a magical follower of the Raven Mother, which is typically a Grave Cleric, Whispers Bard, or Warlock bound to the Raven Mother. They are occasionally Phantom Rogues or necromancy clerics, as well. The Darkfeathers serve their queen until their death, whereupon they are replaced by the second most powerful Darkfeather in the Nest. Larger cities have a Council of Voices which is appointed by the Darkfeathers, which will take care of the more minor issues.

Now, the kenku have abandoned their former crime-doing lives, and with that lifestyle lost, they adopted a new name: Nemrav. They are servitors tot he Raven Queen, which they call the Raven Mother or Matron of the Nests. Darkfeathers devote all resources to accomplishing the orders of the Raven Queen.

Here is the Nemrav race:

Nemrav Race Details
Before the Catastrophe, the kenku were a disgraced race of people. Rejected and cursed by their previous master, after Vecna's return, the Raven Queen accepted them. She restored their lost wings and voices, causing the race to accept her as their patron. Their society is now based around magical followers of the Raven Mother, called Darkfeathers.

From the Raven Mother they received a priceless gift; the ability to fly. With their rings restored, and the ability to freely speak, they quickly changed their names and culture. They dedicate themselves to the service of the Raven Mother, often becoming clerics and bards to her. They despise the Vezyi and Vecna's other followers, and attack them whenever given the chance. They also try to destroy incorporeal undead when possible, and typically dislike corporeal undead.

Nemrav Names:
Female Names: Area, Ayakeh, Bulinca, Cureena, Deloora, Eulera, Foolihna, Guilahreva, Huisona, Iilara, Keerua, Laefora, Norasoveh, Ovfarae, Puuleva, Qiltora, Rosina, Suolita, Ufera, Wileera, Zoekella
Male Names: Areekay, Azuko, Baheeran, Coelenor, Dovehrin, Forehzik, Gowielar, Hihzen, Ivtar, Jillareen, Loorenth, Movinthehr, Nork, Pwellin, Queel, Roarthin, Twileevohr, Volinehron, Welcooteth, Xeelenth, Zelconeir
Surnames: Airdark, Birdfeather, Cyreek, Duskcrow, Earhaunt, Flaonte, Goventoth, Highhover, Icetongue, Jokivanth, Killdeath, Longwing, Moonfeather, Nearblight, Ovalegg, Pearleye, Quillfeather, Righttalon, Silentflight, Trillscreecher, Uvarath, Vilewraith, Wailcaller, Zithmar

Nemrav Traits
Your Nemrav character has the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase.
Your Dexterity Score increases by 2 and any other ability score of your choice increases by 1.

Age.
Nemrav have shorter lifespans than humans. They reach maturity at about 12 years old and can live to 60.

Alignment.
As followers of the Raven Queen, nemrav typically lean towards lawful neutral, but may be any alignment.

Size.
Nemrav are around 5 feet tall and weigh between 90 and 120 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed.
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision.
You can see in dim light as if it were bright light, and darkness as if it were dim light, out to a range of 90 feet. While in darkness, you cannot discern colors, and instead see shades of gray.

Wings.
Your base flying speed is 30 feet.

Keen Talent.
Choose one skill, two artisan tools or two music instruments, or one of each. You gain proficiency in those that you choose.

Languages.
You can speak, read, write, and understand Common and Ravvick (the language of the Nemrav).

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Elves: What happens when your gods die and your heaven is destroyed? If a people knows that their creator and afterlife's paradise are gone, and that death will truly be the end of their souls, what happens to the race? How does that people deal with such a calamitous event? The elves of Tor-eal are an answer to this question, as that, briefly, was exactly what happened to them.

Before the Catastrophe's end, the elves of Toril were special. When the non-drow, non-shadar-kai races would die, they would return to the heavenly paradise of Arvandor, where they would reside for a time until they would stay until Corellon would return them to the Material Plane or Feywild in a new form. When an elf would enter their trance, they would see visions of their previous lives and time on Arvandor. This system all changed with the Catastrophe.

Unknown to most of the elves at the time, when the Catastrophe began, and the Drow were freed from Lolth's grasp, Corellon was able to reclaim the souls of the drow. Some of the drow that died during the 79 years of the Catastrophe were reincarnated as other elves or drow, and some of the elves that died during the Catastrophe were reborn as drow. For the first time in several millenia, some drow could see visios of previous lives in their trances. Unfortunately, this time period didn't last long.

When the gods sacrificed themselves to protect the Inner Planes, each god devoted part of their essence to create the magical barrier that bars travel and communication too and from the Inner Planes from the Outer Planes. Though most of the gods' energies were devoted to this act, most gods were able to devote part of their power to another purpose of their choice, and some groups of gods contributed to the same purpose. Mystra chose to devote power to reform magic, Gond chose to inspire his followers and artificers in Lantan, Bahamut chose to allow Chromatic Dragons and Metallic Dragons to be any alignment, and so on. Almost all of the Seldarine united in the act of reforming the soul cycles of the elves.

24 hours after the gods died, the elven soul cycle was reborn. The Seldarine chose a new system, revolving around the paradise of Evermeet. They took Evermeet, and turned it into a major demiplane of the Feywild. They made it only be accessible by the souls of half-elves and elves, where they would go after death. Now, after death, the soul of an elf will journey to Evermeet, where they will stay in paradise until they choose to leave the island. When they leave, they choose a subrace of elf that they will become in the next life. Within a year of their leaving Evermeet, they will be reborn as any individual elf, born from a pregnant elf of the same subrace as their choosing. When an elf enters into a trance, they see visions of their time in Evermeet. This process is known as Metesence, and all elf subraces, except for Shadar-Kai and Dhaer, undergo this cycle. The elven religion, culture, and subraces were devastated by this change at first, but it slowly became the new normal of the elven life cycle.

Though their souls were saved, the elves were still in trouble. The Dhaer were dominated by the Duergar, who discovered how to steal their souls and bind them into Soul Cubes, which they would use to keep the whole race under their control. The Shadar-Kai were also not members of the Metesent Cycle, as the Raven Queen had complete control of their souls. The elven race as a whole was shattered across the planes, each subrace dealing with their own individual crises, often relying on their neighbors for support instead of their elven cousins. The Eladrin were splintered into supporting different sides of the Faerie War, the Shadar-Kai were busy combating Vecna and his Vezyi servants, the Wood Elves were battling the Minotaurs with their fey, firbolg, and centaur companions, and the Sea Elves were being driven from the seas by the Sahuagin. During all of these disastrous events, if the whole of the elven race had been united and supporting each other, they would have been able to be united, instead of being fractured and furthering their diaspora.

When the elves failed to unite together during the fallout of the Catastrophe, it resulted in uncountable amounts of elven deaths. The price was too high for independence, but the elves still failed to unite. They are still scattered across the multiverse, with the various subraces still as diverse and unconnected as possible.

Dwarves: Like the elves, the dwarves experienced the deaths of their pantheon. However, the dwarven subraces were not as numerous and widespread as the elven subraces, and their societies were more resilient than the elven ones, so the outcome was not too intense for the dwarves. After the deaths of the dwarven pantheon and the end of the Catastrophe, the dwarven response was confusing. The dwarven gods had aided the dwarves in their fights against the Duergar during the Catastrophe, but the aid was not too necessary or extremely useful in the first place. When the Catastrophe ended, overall, the Dwarves were a bit relieved. Orcs and Goblinoids were no longer completely out to get them, but the goblins weren't super friendly, either. Chromatic Dragons weren't evil at default, but Metallic Dragons could be evil just as easily as Chromatic Dragons now. The Duergar lost their deities and devil servants, but they didn't take a significant enough blow to cripple their society, similar to the Dwarves. The changes were not completely bad or good for the Dwarves, they were just changes. A problem had developed, though. With the Duergar being able to take over the Underdark during the Catastrophe and enslave whole races of people, they were still strong and would still attack Dwarven Strongholds, who had weakened defenses after the Catastrophe. The Dwarves had to find solutions to the Duergar problem, and different groups of them found different resolutions to this issue.

The main group of Mountain Dwarves left their previous mines and strongholds that were subject to duergar raids, and went up to the surface, dwelling on the side of mountains. There, they would build strongholds on wheels, connected to the mines below, which they would disconnect from when they needed to escape from raiders. They would then roll down the mountain with their treasure and other supplies inside the rolling stronghold, and return back to their previous mine if the Duergar left, finding nearly no supplies to raid. This group of Mountain Dwarves focuses primarily on the art of artifice, and have designed traps in their rolling strongholds just in case a group of Duergar or other invaders were to somehow break inside. This group is still known as Mountain Dwarves, but they also have the nickname of "Cliffrollers". These dwarves are often Artificers, Transmutation Wizards, and many other types crafters and creators.

The second, smaller group of Mountain Dwarves also left their previous mines and strongholds, but left the Material Plane as well. They travelled to the Elemental Plane of Earth, near the volcanic vents of the Elemental Plane of Fire, which they would harness the heat of for their forges. They dwelled underground in stone-carved tunnels and decorated caverns. This group is not well-known outside of the Elemental Planes, and are even mostly hidden inside of the Elemental Planes. The dwelled near the new home of the Goliaths for centuries before they discovered each other. They are now known as Ertdwef, a twisted version of Earthdwarves, and their society revolves around mining. They are often Conjuration and Transmutation Wizards, Land Druids, and heavily armored warriors.

The Hill Dwarves took their own approach. The subrace instead decided to make an agreement with the Celestials. The Celestials helped guard their strongholds in exchange for the Hill Dwarves supplying them with weapons, armor, and other tools. This group, over the course of a millenia, mated with the Celestials and Aasimar who moved into their homes, and are now a taller, stronger race of celestial and dwarven heritage. They now venerate celestial power, the art of forging, and the brute strength of divine warriors. This new race of celestial-touched dwarves are known as the Kelderr, and are truly separate from the rest of the dwarves. They are now often Forge Clerics, Paladins, and Celestial Warlocks, other followers of the divine.

Throughout the various dwarfholds, clergy is less common then before, except among the Kelderr. Instead, arcane magic is no longer as taboo as it was before, and is accepted across the dwarven races. Artificers, Wizards, Eldritch Knights, and other casters of arcane powers are increasingly more common. Most of the Arcane casters focus around fire, which they use for forging weapons and armor, as forging is still an essential part of the dwarf culture. Though they are more accepting of most types of magic, among the Cliffrollers, Ertdwef, and Kelderr, psionics is mostly banned. Those who practice it are suspected of corresponding with the Duregair, and are often banished from their stronholds.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Duergar: The psionic duergar dwell deep under the surface, enslaving or slaying all who dare travel into the Underdark. The exotic caverns of the Underdark used to be a diverse world under the lands of the surface folk, but during the events of the Catastrophe, the duergar were able to conquer the deep world and claim it for themselves. The remaining Drow were captured, while those on the surface fled. The svirfneblin left their home and moved to the world above, living with the people on the surface. The Mind Flayers fled to Wildspace in an act of self-preservation, and the Myconids had to leave to the Feydark in order to keep their lives. With the help of legions of devils, the Duergar were able to seize complete control of the world below. This devastated the ecosystems of the Underdark, and got rid of much of the assortment of life that was there. The Driders fled to the surface, the Jermlaine were eradicated, Hook Horrers were hunted to extinction, and many of the other races and monsters that formerly roamed free in the Underdark were captured, forced away, or slain by the Duergar.

Then, the Catastrophe ended. While all the races (with very few exceptions) were devastated at the death of their gods, some suffered more than others. The Duergar suffered quite a lot due to the loss of communication with their gods, many people suspecting them to have perished. The very few clerics to Deep Duerra and Laduguer lost their powers, and the few devils that remained with the Duergar were banished at the event of the Great Sacrifice. While most of the gods who perished during the Catastrophe died at the Great Sacrifice, some did die before that event at the hand of other gods. Many scholars and the Duergar don't believe that the Duergar "Pantheon" would have sacrificed themselves in the moment of the Great Sacrifice, as they had nearly no reason to do so. They were allied with the devils, and did not have compassion for any of the races of the Inner Planes, including their followers. Many people believe that one of the following three things happened to the Duergar gods:

• They were killed by Ao or some other gods.
• They were killed by the Devils.
• They are still alive in the Outer Planes.

The Duergar tend to believe that either the gods of the surface dwelling races betrayed the Duergar deities and slew them, or that the surface folks' deities were jealous and scared of their power and chose suicide over domination. Either way, the Duergar use the lack of their deities as an excuse for their hatred of the surface folk, depicting themselves as the victim in this situation.

One way or the other, the Catastrophe ended with the Duergar no longer having deities, and with the loss of their devil allies as well. This was problematic for the Duergar, but did not bring about the downfall of their society. Their society was too rigid and resilient to be destroyed by such an event. To replace the role that their deities filled, the Duergar took up the industry of artificer and experimentation. They quickly became masters of this, discovering ways of combining psionics, emotional energy, and magical inventions. They experimented on their slaves, livestock, and the creatures they captured, finding way to manipulate the inherent powers inside of them. They found ways to toy with the arcane souls of the drow, twisting them into the Dhaer and trapping their spirits inside Soul Cubes. They also discovered ways to manipulate and harness the madness of the Derro, and attempted to do the same with the Kuo-Toa.

They transformed the drow into perfect slaves, capturing their souls and manipulating them as well. They modified the inherent arcane light inside the drows' spirits, and manipulated and warped their bodies. They were frustrated by their inability to control the mad Kuo-Toa, and eventually threw them out of the Underdark and they were forced into the oceans above. The Derro, the Duergar's sick, twisted, shorter cousins were good slaves, and better sources of psionic energy. The Duergar were able to harness the madness of the Derro, which they discovered was connected to the Far Realm, and could cause many strange effects with this connection. They could cause them to have schizophrenic breakdowns that could effect reality, mental meltdowns that would put them in comas, generate power from their dreams and nightmares, as well as contact the Far Realm with their link to it. They also chose to do a different experiment on Kobolds, not a physical or mental test, but a cultural one. They taught the Kobolds how to master alchemy, jus to see what they would do and what would happen to them.

They also experimented on their domesticated animals. They gave the Striders the ability to grow colossal in size, made their Deep Rothe be telekinetic, and gave Diatrymas the ability to teleport. They also found ways to bind psychic power to objects, creating mixtures that could turn you into an ooze, ways to mind-blast stone to find ore, and how to transform diamonds into magical fuel. This short, psychic-industrial race of cold, heartless, experimenting enslavers now have warped and "improved" themselves so much that they no longer are recognizable as dwarves. They are now known as the Duregair, with warped minds that allow protection from unwilling changes to their bodies, and powers over artifice. The Duregair are the insidious taskmasters of the tortured and paved Underdark. If you hear the screaming crack of a mindwhip, see the glowing blue eyes of a chained Dhaer, or hear the sticky steps of a gargantuan Strider, turn back, or it may be too late to save your life and soul.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Here is the Githxei race:

Githxei Race Details
Though they were were separated from their home planes and commands from their superiors, the Gith who were in the Inner Planes at the time of the Gods' Sacrifice were able to unite as a single race. Led by a Shasal'Kou Githyanki named Xei'karr, both the Githzerai and Githyanki united to start a faction of illithid and aberration hunters known as the Telairkarr. The united gith race, now known as the Githxei (gith-xay), recruited humans, surface drow, and gnomes to help them in their quest to track down and destroy the Illithids in Realmspace and the Inner Planes.

Githxei Traits
Your Githxei character has the following racial traits.Size.
Gith are taller and leaner than humans, with most at a slender 6 feet in height. Your size is Medium.
Ability Score Increase.
Your Strength, Intelligence, and Wisdom Scores all increase by 1.
Age.
Githxei reach adulthood in their late teens and tend to live about a century.
Alignment.
Githxei tend towards lawful good and lawful neutral, but may be any alignment.
Speed.
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Martial Training.
Due to your race's dedication to slaying mind flayers and other aberrations, you are a master of martial prowess. You gain proficiency in light and medium armor, as well as firearms.
Disciplined Combatant.
Due to your training in being calm during the most perilous of circumstances, you are able to focus on your attacks, saving throws, and ability checks better than most. As a bonus action while in combat, until combat ends, you cannot have disadvantage on any attack rolls, ability checks, or saving throws until the end of combat or you lose concentration (as if concentrating on a spell). Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you take a long rest.
Githxei Psionics.
You know the mage hand cantrip and the hand is invisible when you cast it with this trait.
When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the shield spell once with this trait, and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the misty step spell once with this trait, and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.
Intelligence is your spellcasting ability modifier for these spells. When you cast these spells with this trait, they don't require components.
Languages.
You can speak, read, write, and understand Common and Gith.