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Thursday, July 9, 2015

Overland - The List



One of the first things I do for a new project is create a list of the important points of the campaign setting / adventure path that the normal people from this world know. It ends up being a major "why should you play this" list. This list is for Overland, an arctic adventure path I'm currently working on.

A god killed a thousand years ago, beasts roam the land, grand pyres protect the people from cold, and night can last for months. Welcome to the world of Dukvarrino, or what's left of it. Here are six things about the world that every resident should know.


1.      Everything changed after the cataclysm.


Around ten centuries ago, Ixzit, the god of fire, died. When he died, the ground shook, as water and wind reclaimed the earth. The world was losing its land mass at an alarming rate. Within one year, the land of the world was covered in water.


But there was a shelter from the chaos: Ixzit bled seven drops where he died, in the cold arctic regions. The humanoids made mass migrations to the spots while the waters rose. The earth in these areas rose to the edge of the ice, with a large spire lifting the drop of flame into the sky, leaving beacons to the travelers.


Most of the humanoids did not make the trip, either staying in denial or washed away in the storms. Orcs (but not half-orcs) did not survive the trip. Other extinct races include goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears, lizardfolk, yuan-ti, and ogres.


2.      The beastfolk and frost giants were waiting.


When the humanoids built around the drops of blood, they became communities called pyre cities. The humanoids, now calling themselves pyreborn, called the expanse of ice between the cities the Overland. (“To go to another pyre city, you have to go over this land. Thus, we call it the Overland).


Beastly creatures came from the Overland.

·        Ternats, white, bird-like monstrous humanoids

·        Naylegists, walrus-like creatures with stout legs

·        Urs'haltigo, polar bears standing on their hind legs with wide forearms made of solid bone.


The beasts attacked the pyre cities. Their goal was to destroy the pyre and leave the city to the cold weather.


Frost giants followed the migrations of the other humanoids. No one knows what happened afterwards. Some say the frost giants made a giant circular ice mountain wall around the pyre cities to trap the pyreborn and beastfolk. Others say the pyreborn made the wall to protect them from the frost giants. A third group says the ice mountains were all a part of the beastfolk plans.


3.      The Eight has seat open.


The major gods are divided between two groups: The Eight (also called The Eight Above) and The Seven Demon Lords (also called The Seven, or The Seven Below). With the death of Ixzit, this has emptied a seat on The Eight. The Seven Demon Lords have been trying to put one of themselves on The Eight, hoping to completely tilt the balance and rule the world.


Fortunately, to ascend to Ixzit’s throne requires a strong presence in five of the seven pyre cities. If the demon lords worked together, they could put one of their own on the throne, but their infighting and petty greed keeps them from cooperating.


Unfortunately, there’s not enough of a presence to put any other minor gods on the throne. Tam Lin can’t take the situation seriously enough, and Krathis the destroyer can’t get the worshippers behind “At least she’s not a demon lord.” The only religious movement big enough to replace the god is Xenia, but Xenia, the laws of hospitality that mainly saved the half-orcs, lacks an entity to take the throne. To this day, the Eight and the Seven Below are still at a stalemate.


4.     The pyres curse the pyre cities.


Each of the pyre cities has a curse. Mordat drives the dying to early graves, while it does return undead to the same fate. Eb is infested with skeletons and zombies; while they are docile in the sun, they become ravenous at night. DiabĂ© has a demon problem, handled by the city’s own forces. In Amas, there is one person whose wishes cannot be ignored, or the pyre starts to flicker and dim.


Travelers don’t know the curses of Ulin and Calin. Caravans have moved through Ulin and never picked up on what the curse could be. The consensus of travelers on Calin is that the pyre city is a death trap. The caravans don’t approach that pyre city, and DiabĂ© sends hardened villains into the pyre city, knowing that they’ll never be seen again.


While the curses range from mild to life-threatening, the pyreborn see the pyre cities as much safer than the Overland, with the low temperatures, bad weather, and sadistic beastfolk.


5.      The pyreborn still haven’t recovered their numbers.


The pyreborn now only total about 10,000. The land limits of the pyre cities, combined with attacks from the beastfolk of the Overland and various cults keep the pyreborn numbers from advancing quickly.


6.      The pyreborn have forgotten much.


There are pieces of the past the pyreborn can’t remember. How did the fire god die? Where did the beastfolk come from and why are they attacking the pyreborn? Is there any chance we can return to the past when nations existed and not have to rely on the pyre cities and small shelters? Why do the pyres curse the cities?

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