Mystbound Realms Setting

Mystbound Realms This is the name given to the Campaign Setting where this game is located. This setting is composed of 40 or so 'worlds' that are each surrounded and separated by an eldritch 'Myst' that blocks magical and mundane sight and irredeemably corrupts any mortal creature that it touches.The Worlds of the setting are extremely varied but most will not directly impact this game, except as part of the background for Player Characters. The Mysts The Mysts are about a mile high and flight over them is usually impossible. Travel through the Mysts is also impossible; though temporary corridors or tunnels sometimes open up through the Mysts that allow passage; these are the so called 'Mysts tides'. And like the tides of the sea, many of these partings of the Mysts occur with a regular and periodic pattern and are used for trade and travel. The corollary of this is that most worlds are cut off from the others for much of the time; and hence each world retains a very distinct culture, religion and history. The Mysts and Myst tides are a fact of life in the worlds of the campaign and are no more strange to it's inhabitants than the rising of the sun is to us. Some worlds are also linked by Ur-Gates; portals built by an unknown race that directly connect the various worlds at all times; and this is especially true of the world of Skarn, which acts as a 'hub' world and is connected to more of the other worlds than any of the others. The Mysts are feared because they are slowly closing in on the various worlds as the centuries pass. This inward movement is just noticeable within the lifetime of a normal human. Hence some of the worlds are now very small; e.g. Netherfell is just a few days' ride across. The Mysts are also responsible for creating both magic, since the Mysts represent the power of chaos, and monsters, since any mundane animal or creature that enters the Mysts is terribly changed. Some 'monsters' are also races that innately dwell within the Mysts; and these are greatly feared, because the Gods themselves were just Mystwalkers once. The Gods The Gods walked in the Mysts in the time before the worlds were first born out of them. The Gods of the Mystbound Realms are not remote, ethereal nor omnipotent creatures; they actually had physical forms; though they could change their form or lay all form aside if they so desired. Most of the Gods fell into Eldritch Sleep at some time in the distant past, and their sleeping forms quickly became enmeshed in protective sarcophagi or temples that grew up around them because of some instinctive exercise of divine power. Many of the sleeping Gods and their avatars (those faithful who became divine by virtue of service to their God) are now protected by projections of their will; and hence the temples of some sleeping Gods and avatars are extremely dangerous places, though others are simple temples. Indeed all temples, fanes and shrines in the Mystbound Realms contain a tomb of a sleeping avatar or God hidden somewhere within the structure and are often guarded by traps. worshipers and 'divine guardians'. They are also often full of treasures; gifted by supplicants as offerings. Thus followers of rival gods often try to destroy, rob or despoil the Fanes of their enemies; and this is the primary mode of religious wars. The Gods speak to their followers in dreams and visions; and miracles often occur at temples. Followers usually carry a fragment of the mortal remains of their God in an amulet; as a connection to their God and all clerics require these connections to work their magics. Note also that most Gods are associated with one particular race; since the definition of a God in Mystbound Realms is a Myst-walker that used their divine might to create one of the 'Races of Adamant'. Indeed scholars suggest that The Gods created all of the solid, immutable races that are harmed by the Mysts, whereas all the ancient and 'natural' races arose in the Mysts. The nature of magic Magic is not the same everywhere; it's power varies across the surface of the worlds and is defined by a series of auras that are caused by geomantic forces in the earth that scholars believe were laid down by the Mysts as the worlds were created. Each area has an aura rating that roughly corresponds to the highest level of spell that can successfully be cast there. An area with an aura of 0 means that only cantrips work there. Other, higher level magic will fail if attempted in such an area. Humans and other races tend to settle in auras of less than 2; meaning that magic is limited to 2nd level spells or lower. Such auras are preferred as Kingdoms/dwelling places because most monsters will not willingly enter such a place; since many monsters are unable to access their full range of powers in such an aura e.g Dragons can enter but not fly in an aura of 1 and would also be unable to use their breath weapon. Hence a Dragon is much more vulnerable in such an area and would be unlikely to attack a human settlement located there unless the need was great. Indeed monsters encountered in auras of 0 or 1 are likely to be restricted to orcs, goblins and other creatures that are primarily physical beings who lack magical power or abilities. Note also that auras can change rating at certain times of the year; strengthening or lessening according to natural cycles. Another reason for avoiding areas possessing a high magical aura is that the Mysts seem to swallow those areas first; and this is something that all the races fear. Most of Valmar is in areas with aura ratings of 2 or less. Whilst this might seem to limit the power of spell-casters, in practice it does not because of the social effect of magic. Normal humans and other mundane races are not used to magic and fear and distrust it. Also, knowledge of magic is very limited and spell-casters are very few. Hence clever spell-casters can exaggerate or bluff easily and illusions are hence very powerful. In addition, there are no special defenses against magic in many places. The Empire of Valmar The Empire is located on the world of Skarn. It is an ancient Empire, founded by a race of Holvari or High Men; a race who arose in the Mysts and were not created by any Gods. Hence these original High Men were very arrogant and had a long history of conflict with the Gods and other races. They were also immensely gifted and powerful, lived for thousands of years and could wield magic as easily as breathing. Now, the High men are just a memory; their only legacy is that they bred with normal humans and passed a measure of their power into various human bloodlines. Hence, within the Empire, the purest patrician families can trace their line back to the Holvari of old, and some Imperial families boast living members who are hundreds of years old. The Empire of Valmar is based around ancestor worship; the entire City of Valmar is a huge necropolis. The living dwell in the houses of the dead and their days are taken up in veneration and sacrifice. The Valmari believe that their ancestors are reborn into new children and so infants are swaddled and sleep upon the cold tombs of the ancestors of old. The other obsession is with the Mysts; the Valmari are terrified of the encroaching Mysts and actually started conquering other worlds and races to subjugate them. They did this after Valmari scholars noticed that the Mysts seldom swallowed the Fanes of a God, as if divine power can hold the Mysts at bay. This caused past Emperors to launch wars of conquest to steal and relocate the Gods of other races back to the City of Valmar; indeed Valmar is now known as 'The City of a Thousand Gods' as so many stolen Gods have been brought back as spoils of war. This is so much so that Valmari families sometimes have small Gods or avatars sited in their own family homes as personal shrines. Valmari now worship, venerate and try to placate these various Gods because worship stirs the Gods from sleep and increases their powers to hold the Mysts at bay. The official Religion of the Empire, is the Imperial Cult; Valmari believe that their own Emperors are divine because of their bloodline connections to the Holvari and also because many Emperors ritually imbibe the blood of the sleeping Gods of Valmar to lengthen their lives and gain power. Indeed, Emperors seldom die; they merely fall into slumber, much like the Gods once did. After this happens they are interred in Imperial Shrines and used as objects of veneration. Miracles do happen at such shrines and Clerics of the Imperial Cult do indeed gain magical powers from venerating the past Emperors. Maladon The Campaign is set on the Isle of Maladon; an island that was once the home of the terrible Sithi. The Sithi were an elf-like race who used blood magic and worshiped a fell God known as Arawn; The Horned King. The Sithi used to secretly roam the many worlds on their hunts as part of their rites of passage into man and womanhood. The Sithi killed a Prince of Valmar during a hunt about a century ago and the Emperor Vedin declared war upon them and sent his War-Talons out to seek out the Sithi homeland. Eventually, The Isle of Maladon was discovered; though the Isle was hidden in a previously unknown world that was only connected to the Empire once a year for a mere month by an opening in the Mysts. The Empire launched its war machine and started the conquest of Maladon. This war was terrible because Maladon is a highly magical realm and includes areas with very high auras that the Imperials were unused to. The Sithi used their blood-magic and made the Empire pay for every step. Yet eventually the Sithi broke under the onslaught and retreated into the vast forests that cover Maladon. The Empire then located a colony on the banks of the Sable River and made plans to map and conquer the whole island; and to wipe the Sithi from the face of creation in the process. For twenty years, all was well, though the colony was cut off from the Empire for eleven months of the year. Then one year, the first ship through the Myst Tide came to the colony and found it completely deserted with no signs of violence. The captain turned his ship around and fled and no-one from the Empire went back for over fifty years. Six years ago a new Emperor was crowned in Valmar. As part of his inaugural celebrations The Emperor Octavin announced his plans for reconquest of Maladon and granted licenses to Ten Captains to form Companies of men and Women to retake the island. Now the Imperial Colony has been restarted at a new location; re-using the old island Fortress of Haven as it's base of operations. The Empire has now began shipping debtors, criminals and malcontents to Maladon to act as unwilling colonists, though the colony is only a year old. The PCs are willing or unwilling colonists and are tasked with the exploration of the mysterious Isle............