I have already posted my want to create a group that was geared towards those that enjoy delving into characters and roleplay. I have had a few people express interest but also heard that people couldn't come up with something without a setting. Normally I like to create the setting with the group so that it is much their creation as it is mine, however it seems that it is best to just create the setting ahead of time and go from there. So with that in mind I am going to post a "short" synopsis on the world of Amorsa. The game is going to start off in the Jade Manor and the players will decide from there. I have a map created as well as short blurbs about the cities/towns that comprise Zemrik, but don't want to create a post that is a mile long. I figure this should be enough to get people started, the where part is easy to add in later. I also want to touch base on the application process just to make sure everyone is on the same page. I am not necessarily looking for people to send me character concepts as I know that when I get the rare chance to play that I like to wait to see what the party is going with. So feel free to send me the reasons why you should be picked over the others. Almost like when you apply for a job, although in this case you don't get paid in cash but in fun :P The World
In the ancient times the Precursors ruled all of Amorsa. As the
first born from the gods these powerful beings dwarfed even the
oldest of dragons, claiming large spanses of land as their personal
domains. As the gods continued to create life with which to populate
the world, the Precursors continued their dominance, subjugating all
the new races. For centuries the Precursors held the world in their
grasp, warring with their own kind in order to bolster their power.
However power always sways, bringing forth a revolution of the
slaves against their masters. The other races would no longer remain
under the feet of the Precursors. The conflicts were bloody and often
reshaped the terrain of the lands, but in the end the first ones were
slain and a new age was ushered in.
The Kingdom of Zemrik
Contained within the island of Zalthar, it was once the home of
Xagthria the last Precursor, but now is ruled by King Voldrik Artuu.
Since the defeat of Xagthria, the Koothaal (malignant aquatic
creatures) that lived in the surrounding waters, have become far more
aggressive. In just a few short years they managed to claim dominance
of the water, cutting off Zemrik from the outside world. For
centuries the protracted conflict has continued, neither side gaining
much ground. With no way to contact the outside world, the kingdom of
Zemrik grew with no knowledge of the rest of Amorsa, creating a
slightly xenophobic mentality among the people. Even now, twelve
years after the first airship from the Orjo'ly Empire arrived, the
citizens of Zemrik continue to distrust outsiders.
Zemrik is also home to a large slave market, and while all races
can be used in slave labour only elves may be bought or sold. As part
of the trade agreements with the Orjo'ly Empire, the king has made
amendments to the laws regarding elves and slavery. The most notable
change was his repeal of the law stating that all elves were to be
enslaved on sight.
The capital of Zemrik is the Jade Manor, which is home to well
over 30 000 citizens.
The Jade Manor
The capital city of the kingdom of Zemrik, it was built around the
name sake of the city, a large house sculpted entirely from jade. The
legends say that the Ancient One Xagthria was enamored with the gem
type and gathered as much as he could, molding them into manor. With
his death, mankind took up residence in the home, carving away at it
in order to alter it to accommodate their small stature. It took
several hundred years for the craftsmen to complete their work.
With the process requiring the artisans to chip about at large
slabs of jade, the stone became quite common amid the kingdom of
Zemrik, becoming one of their main sources of trade. This abundance
has caused Jade to become the official stone of the kingdom,
represented on their flag as well.
The
largest city in the kingdom, The Jade Manor is home to over 10,000
citizens as well as the ruling family. From the outside the Jade
Manor appears as a large home although one of enormous proportions.
Stepping inside its gates reveals the truth, that the structure has
been carved out into dozens of floors. During sunny days the city is
cast in a beautiful green glow that gives the appearance of being
under water.
The Metaphysical Institute
In the kingdom of Zemrik arcane magic is seen as something that
needs to be controlled or at least guided. If those that use it are
left to their own devices they are quite capable of great destruction
or being corrupted by the very power they wield. The Metaphysical
Institute ensures that arcane magic users are watched over. Those
that show an ability to weave the fabrics of arcane magic are tested,
those that pass are seen as worthy of being granted the right to
continue to practice their arts.
The tests that a candidate must endure push them mentally and
physically, many dieing from their ordeals. Those that fail but
survive are marked with a magical sigil across their face. They are
also forbidden to use magic under penalty of incarceration or death.
Some potential wizards that undertake the test are deemed to
dangerous and are often maimed if not outright killed.
Those that manage to pass the Institutes tests are allowed to join
the ranks of the Institute. The symbol of the Institute is tattooed
on the back of their hands, granting them the right to cast arcane
spells without worry of wrongful arrest.
The Orjo'ly Empire
The closest nation to the Kingdom of Zemrik, the Orjo'ly Empire is
steeped in mystery. Ruled by elves, the Empire possesses a greater
understand of magic and its uses, allowing them to create wondrous
devices such as the airships seen in the port cities. With travel by
sea being impossible, the Empire controls the trade routes between
the two nations. The Orjo-ly Empire is ruled by empress Rai-xia,
known more commonly amongst the people of Zemrik as the Masked
Empress due to the extravagant masks she always wears. It is rumored
that no one has ever seen her face.
Climate
The world of Amorsa is hot, most of the populace having never seen
snow or experienced temperatures that dip below the freezing point.
Jungles, grasslands and deserts are frequent. Regardless of the
season, Amorsa experiences high levels of humidity.
Calendar
The people of Amorsa track the passage of time via the cycle of
the moon and the seasons. Each season the moon completes a single
cycle, requiring roughly 100 days in order to do so. The people of
Amorsa keep track of the year in terms of reference to a major event.
The last major even that restarted the count was the death of
Xagthria. When writing the date they use this style: 45th day of
Summer, 332nd year.
The Mirror World
The world that connects the material plane to all the others, the
Mirror World is a gray reflection of Amorsa. Also known as the Spirit
World, it is home to a variety of creatures. Like the world that it
reflects, the inhabitants of the Mirror World vary greatly in terms
of personality and goals. Some are willing to aid those that seek it
while others seek only destruction.
While a reflection of the Material Plane this world is heavily
influenced by magic, altering its appearance based on it. Places
fraught with vile magics begin to twist and distort themselves into
broken versions of their former selves. Conversely, those places ripe
with protective or healing magics become brighter, serene even.
Major Deities
Treifahness: Goddess of the sea and storms she is often
depicted as being a slender woman with hair as blue as the ocean
itself. She is known as being somewhat unstable, switching from a
calm demeanor to a great rage, much like the sea and sky. Her symbol
is a trident with lightning bolts shooting from the tips and her
favoured weapon is a trident.
Valsin: God of light and valor, Valsin urges his followers
to cleanse the world of the vile and evil creatures. While many
consider Valsin to be a man of virtue there is a small contingent
that view him as nothing more than a racist. It is commonplace for
his followers to perform crusades, pushing into areas that are
controlled by or merely ripe with the monstrous races. His favoured
weapon is the flail.
Borjhuul: Worshiped by most in order to curry his favour,
Borjhuul governs the land of dead. A barren wasteland where souls
venture to if they are deemed unworthy by their god. As Borjhuul can
not be there to lead every soul to his domain, he sends his
minions...the lost souls of children that end up on his plane. The
favoured weapon of Borjhuul is Bolliruss, a long spear made from
bone.
Infarria: Known as the Blood Maiden, her presence haunts
battlefields as she looks for skilled fighters to join her forces.
Warriors of all sorts offer their prayers to her as they enter the
battlefield. When she appears before mortals it is always as a
redheaded woman in simple clothes, clutching a longsword. Her holy
symbol is a depiction of two longswords crossed above a rose.
Uumloa: The source of all fire, Uumloa is a giant fire bird
that travels high in the sky. Uumloa is also known by a simpler name:
the sun. It is said that when its flames touch the world they take on
a life of their own, creating the phoenix's that roam the world.
Uumloa's holy symbol is a giant flaming bird.
Rilm: Father of lies, Rilm is a god that is revered by
rogues, criminals and those that prefer to use the cover of darkness
for their goals. Rilm is also the god of secrets and is quite
inquisitive. Of all the gods he meddles in the affairs of mortals the
most, attempting to sate his lust of forbidden knowledge’s. While
he appears in many guises, the god is easily identified by the curved
daggers he wields.
Aomgree: Protector of nature and the oldest tree in Amorsa,
this god is incredibly slow to act. Aomgree is also known for having
a flawless memory, capable of recalling all events in perfect detail.
Aomgree has been engaged in a fued with Uumloa since the dawn of
time. The god of fire attempted to land on Aomgree, setting the
gentle giant ablaze with a fire that is still lit. Aomgree is
represented by a tree that is partly on fire.
Myada: The goddess of luck, fate and time. Myada is capable
of seeing into the future but lacks the ability to focus on the past
at all and struggles to keep her mind on the present. Whether this is
a side effect of her diving or merely a personal choice is unclear.
While she is a pacifist at heart, she understands that sometimes she
must intervene in the affairs of the world. When she does, she is
said to use a giant axe.
Minor Gods
Dozens of minor gods dot Amorsa.
Races
Dwarves: The Dwarven clans of Zemrik are few in number but
close knit in nature. Nestled deep underground, they hardly see the
surface for the majority of their lives. During their adolescence
they are sent on the Rundlewoon , an age old tradition where
they are given a task to complete above ground in order to be seen as
members of their society. It is during the Rundlewoon that
many of them see the surface world for the first time. This process
is used to weed out those that lack the dedication to their clan
while doing away with the weak.
Dwarven architecture is seen in two lights. While not creative in
comparison to the other races, it has no equal in terms of structural
integrity. To a dwarf, true beauty lies in the function rather than
the form.
Game Mechanics: Dwarves live for 150 years.
Drák ōn
(Dragonborn): Most people in Zemrik go their entire lives without
learning of the Drákōn
let alone seeing one. Hailing from the few quagmires that dot the
kingdom they are forced to adopt a harsh mentality. With limited
resources available to them Drákōn
society does not allow the weak or old to slow them down. If a member
of their society is deemed as a hindrance they are either killed
outright or cast out to be left to the fates.
Game Mechanics: The Drákōn
come in two types; those that spew acid and those that spew poison.
When creating a Drákōn
you decide which type your breath weapon is and whether it is a cone
or a line. They also have scales of green, brown, black, tan or other
natural/earthen tones.
Elves: The majority of elves of Zemrik are born into a life
of slavery. Those lucky enough to be "Freeborn" still must
live with the constant fear of ending up as one of the "Irons".
While the kingdom allows the use of slave labour, only the elves are
able to be subject to sale and/or trade. With roving bands of slavers
hunting them, elves tend to stick to their hidden communities. Those
that do roam tend to do so en masse.
Since beginning trade agreements with the Orjo'ly Empire the
relation between elves and the Zemrik Kingdom have started to
improve. As an empire ruled by elves, the Orjo'ly Empire has slowly
been working to better the living conditions of their distant
cousins.
Game Mechanics: Elves from Zemrik all use the Wood Elf
traits. Elves hailing from the Orjo'ly Empire use the high elf
traits. The elves from Zemrik also replace the weapons granted by
their Elf Weapon trait with the following ones: Flail, Whip, Light
Crossbow, Crossbow. Elves live for 340 years.
Gnomes: Builders and inventors the gnomes of Amorsa seek
out knowledge in all its forms. From this passion they have managed
to create wondrous machines powered by steam and driven by gears.
These insights have come at a price, all gnomes regardless of
religion and location are all mad in one way or another.
Game Mechanics: The gnomes of Amorsa use the Rock Gnome
traits and replace the bonus to Constitution with a bonus to
Dexterity. Gnomes can live 120 years.
Half-elves: Known as half-breeds, the bastard children of
elves and humans have started to see a surge in their numbers due to
the banning of the law that allowed them to be hunted. With 100 years
of "freedom" the half-breeds have started to flourish
although they are still received rather poorly in many places. It is
currently unknown how long half-elves actually live for in Zemrik.
Those from the Orjo'ly empire have a better understanding of them
(175 years).
Half-orcs: These poor creatures are seen in the same light
as their full blooded cousins. Feared by most, they often lead very
hard and very short lives. If death does not kill them, they only
live for four decades.
Halflings: There have never been any known halflings in the
world of Amorsa.
Game Mechanics: They don't exist.
Humans: The dominant race in Zemrik, humans are said to be
the first race that stood against the oppressive reign of the Ancient
Ones. This has left many of them to be rather arrogant when dealing
with the other races however like all things in the world, exceptions
do exist. The humans of Xemrik are ignorant to the world outside of
their kingdom.
Tiefling: To the civilized world of Amorsa, there is no
difference between a demon, devil or tiefling. As such they are
hunted and killed without hesitation.
Game Mechanics: This is a playable race, it is just
extremely difficult.
