Author Topic: World Information  (Read 3675 times)

Offline ariasderros

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World Information
« on: October 17, 2012, 10:35:15 AM »
In the world of Perus (Paer-oos), there was a great war some 3,000 years ago. Each of the Humanoid races had their own side, Ancient (Primordial) Giants, Dragons, and Mind Flayers, all in a war royal. The power of magic was being thrown back and forth, decimating entire land-masses at a time. Magic energies coursing back and forth, back and forth, bowed, then broke. A maelstrom of Magic ripped across the world, leaving the forces of the armies too decimated to recover, in no small part due to the fact that magic had stopped working.

Each of the forces went back to their own homes, erecting peace accords that still stand to this day.

Generations later, magic started to return, but it was weak.

It still is. Those who have the ability to use magic, in any form, must usually manage to learn their talent by first handling a source of magical energies (a small magic item, usually). The people who can use magic are feared. Everyone knows enough of the historical stories to know what magic did to their world once. But people who use magic, or at least wield magic equipment, are needed. If a Basilisk shows up in a mine, it could well be the end of the operation, or even the town, without the aid of "adventurers".

Because of this combination of fear, antagonism, and need, those with the potential to awaken the magic in dormant items, or learn to use magic itself, are not considered to be a part of their race. Adventurers must deal with a little xenophobia just for wielding some portion of the power that once ripped across the world, but nowhere near as much as the races still feel toward each other.

Magic, while it has returned to an extent, is still weaker than it once was. Magic items must be used, strengthening their magical energies through use, or to the exposure of other magics, it is unclear exactly what causes some magic items to "re-develop".

Of course, there are organizations that have formed out of the people who are gifted. Many are "Royal Adventuring Companies", small groups who have charters with the local powers-that-be to go out and take care of problems that require the talents of such people. Other than such groups, there are others whose presence is known throughout most of the world. The Seal Wardens are quite well known as well, this group has one goal, things that are sealed away should stay that way {This is the Keepers of the Seal from Dungeonscape p61, same history and all, just re-named}. Then of course, there is the Grand Academy, a university that trains those who study how to use magic.

The three most well known groups, however, are the Keepers of Magic, The Incantum, and the School of the Sublime.

The Keepers are a group that catalogs magic, and the information about it. Their library would be the culmination of all spell-knowledge in the world, which makes it a target for thieves who wish to sell their finds to spellcasters (or thieves who are spellcasters). The Keepers vault, which is rumoured to contain magic items of all sorts, would be a much greater target. Only fools try to go after either of the Keepers collections, as they have used their knowledge of magic to protect their property and studies. The Keepers of Magic originally were, and mostly still are, clerics of the gods of magic. Because of the abuses of magic in the past the Keepers have two guiding rules: "Observe, record, and collect, never intervene"; "Do not allow for the abuse of magic to lead to another great ruination, even if one must gather the dispensation to ignore our first law".

The Incantum is much less intrusive in the affairs of others. This group formed because of invaders from other planes were endangering the lives of the people soon after magic started to return to Perus needed to be stopped. In order to stop these creatures, many of whom had powerful magical abilities of their own, the Incantum developed their own training on how to twist magic to be far greater than is typically capable for most spellcasters. This group still maintains these abilities, and uses them to make sure that no portals exist to the other planes, and make sure that any incursion by their old foes sees their enemies destroyed or sent back from where they came.

The School of the Sublime refers to all of the various monasteries, temples, and other training grounds that maintain contact with one another sending about representatives from one school to another. {To be lazy about the description of the function of the group, imagine any given Martial Arts organization that regulates the sport and the spirit of any of the martial arts.} The School has its origins in the original Temple of the Nine Swords, and the basic nine styles are still the most widely practiced. Over time however, a large number of other schools have been developed by other martial practitioners, even including the dragons on their island of Litrixearenkssifisv. There are many who support the School over all other organizations, seeing these people as ones who are able to deal with the threats of the world, without using the magics that once imperiled the world.
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Offline ariasderros

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About Magic
« Reply #1 on: October 19, 2012, 08:38:24 PM »
{en bracket is me, all else is NPC}
{Note: not all of what is said here is common knowledge}
Addressed to a neonate class of arcanists-to-be.

Hello, I am Professor
(click to show/hide)
I am the Head Professor of the Grand Academy. I am here today to teach you about magic in the world of Perus.

First, the principal of the essence.
(click to show/hide)

Second, the principal of the pattern.
(click to show/hide)

Third, the principal of the result of the pattern.
(click to show/hide)

Fourth, the principal of the pattern in nature.
(click to show/hide)

Fifth, the principal of the magic that is lost.
(click to show/hide)

Was everyone paying attention? Good, because now you're going to be tested on what I just covered.
{There will not be a test.}
« Last Edit: November 05, 2012, 03:57:04 PM by ariasderros »
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Offline ariasderros

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Religion
« Reply #2 on: October 19, 2012, 08:49:26 PM »
This campaign uses the Oerth / Grayhawk pantheon (in its entirety), and the various racial pantheons, including the draconic.

The people are relatively impious though, so whatever.
The people were subjected to each other in the war, and the gods did not intervene. The people suffered the maelstrom, and the gods did not intervene. The people had to deal with monsters who still had their abilities, when the people did not, and the gods did not intervene. The people now have to rely on a very small sub-set of individuals, some of whom are little better than monsters themselves, and the gods do not intervene. The people are not cared for by the gods, so most do not care for the gods. :fu
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Offline ariasderros

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Races veiws
« Reply #3 on: October 22, 2012, 04:57:05 PM »
Those races who had their own side in the war are covered here.
The other races can be covered too, at request, though some just aren't common enough to have predominant opinions about them.

Views From Outside

(click to show/hide)



Views of Themselves

(click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: December 25, 2012, 01:20:52 PM by ariasderros »
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Offline ariasderros

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Landmarks around the World
« Reply #4 on: December 25, 2012, 01:19:14 PM »
Mountain of Trials
(click to show/hide)


Tower of the Master
(click to show/hide)


Marsh of Beetles
(click to show/hide)


Wondrous City: Pordalchoon
(click to show/hide)


Blight Lands
(click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: March 06, 2013, 04:34:55 PM by ariasderros »
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Offline ariasderros

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Other Important things of World-wide Note
« Reply #5 on: December 25, 2012, 01:26:33 PM »
The Post-War Treaties
(click to show/hide)

The Elven Beast
(click to show/hide)

The Keepers


The Seal Wardens


The Grand Academy (and its history)


The Incantum


The School of the Sublime
« Last Edit: March 13, 2013, 05:25:06 PM by ariasderros »
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Offline ariasderros

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Re: Local Information
« Reply #6 on: March 15, 2013, 03:03:38 AM »
Team 1: Ahnwae.
A Country at the western edge of the continent.

(click to show/hide)

(click to show/hide)

(click to show/hide)

(click to show/hide)



Team 2: Frais
A country at the eastern edge of the continent.

(click to show/hide)

(click to show/hide)

(click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: April 29, 2013, 05:45:17 PM by ariasderros »
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