< by Lee, aka Dr Pepper, grixit@yahoo.com >
The history of the world of Entrendaaon can be divided into 4 Ascendancies.
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The Ascendancy of Spirit encompasses all of mortal development through what earthings would call the Stone Age and into the Bronze Age. In this period, the only non physical abilities known were related to animism. Shamans coaxed or traded favors with spirits of place, while individuals who could channel the personifications of natural forces became tribal leaders.
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The Ascendancy of Spells replaced the Ascendancy of Spirit with the growth of nations along with the understanding of energy flows. Magicians learned to harness this energy directly from the environment. Clerics claimed they received energy from the Gods, beings far greater than any of the spirits. For the rest of the Bronze age, and into the Iron Age, wars increased in number and ferocity. Empires rose and fell, meanwhile the most powerful spellcasters became wizards, self sufficient and paranoid, and living in grandiose structures as isolated as possible from society as a whole. But eventually the all wizards became involved in the wars at the same time. That produced once all consuming conflict, afterwards called the Spell War. The result was the destruction of populations, nations, lands, aspects of the natural order, and magic itself. Documentation of the Ascendancy of Spells is incomplete due to the cataclysmic finale, but even less is known about the time that followed. It can be surmised, though, that it was a wretched time, and that many of those who survived the mass destruction perished in the struggle to survive in a ruined world. This time is referred as the First Interval. Eventually new societies emerged. There were no spells, though, as the rules seemed to have changed. In any case, those who dared to still pursue control of the energies were at best outcast and at worst killed in horrible ways. Anyone who managed to so much as produce a spark was considered a potential wizard and so an enemy of civilization. Instead, something else developed.
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This was the Ascendancy of the Makers. There were two main disciplines, Alchemy, which involved substances, and Animation, which involved constructs. Alchemists claimed they never touched the energies, they merely manipulated inherent properties. Animators insisted they used no spells, they were finding new homes for the long neglected entities once central to the Ascendancy of Spirit. New countries, new conflicts, new factions. New empires, new forms of destruction. And more and deadlier wars. And in the end, another apocalypse. Instead of dragons and flying wizards, this one featured gigantic golems hurling incendiaries, poisons, and corrosives. And then, the Second Interval. There was less destruction than the first, but the effects lasted generations.
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This time recovery brought on the current period, known as the Ascendancy of Application. There are three main disciplines, Mechanics, Vitalism, and Occultism. These have produced a sort of steampunk setting.
To keep things simple, just use the stat array method.
- Physical characters such as fighters and thieves are as normal. Although some technology has reached late 19th century equivalent, there are no guns or bombs. Explosives and incendiaries are considered forbidden alchemy.
- Spellcasters are rare and generally marginalized. Magicians have to start out as level 0 and pass an initiation. Clerics have to start as level 0 and find a deity. Spells only go up to 4th level. Techniques that produce effects equivalent to spells can go up to 5th level.
- Healers are considered to be practicing vitalism. They can perform up to 4th level spells (but they'd better not use that word) and can do 5th level spells as rituals.
- Alchemists are rare and reviled. They often pose as apothecaries. They can produce effects equivalent up to 5th level spells, but materials are extremely difficult to obtain.
- Constructs, whether warforged, golems, or even something as harmless as a bird sculpture that sings, are considered abominations, and those who make them are pursued as outlaws, but are still sought out by the wealthy or desperate.
There are no great religions and no great deities. All worshippers are either solitary or cultic. Most entities that are worshipped are called angels or saints, not deities. The term “demon” is used mainly as a descriptive term, not a category of being. Likewise there are no creatures of great innate power although there are tales of such in the past. That includes dragons-- the ones known today are just big flying flamethrowers. Few people believe in the existence of true undead. Most reports of such are attributed to animators. Ghosts are not undead, they are spirit. Necromancers whose operations are confined to dealing with ghosts are tolerated, within reason. So are shapeshifters. There is no extraplanar descent. There are a lot of occultists of various kinds and also a lot of fakers. There are many kinds of engineers, but most are not adventurers. A lot of non adventurers have some skills in this discipline, though. Complex mechanical devices are usually made with windows or gaps in their covering, to show the working parts. This is done partly out of pride and partly to show that only mechanics is happening, not animation. For any other classes or skills check with me.
All the core species are available, and different areas have different proportional mixtures. The big four, Human, Elf, Dwarf, and Hobbit, are found almost everywhere. There is no category of “monster” that applies to any sapient species. Yes, orcs are people too. For anything outside the core, check with me.
It is generally believed that Entrendaaon is more or less spherical. It is orbited by a sun and two moons. The sun is called Ang, and was once thought to be a deity or the domain of one. It travels from east to west, its path wavering with the season. Or the seasons change in response to its changing path, as some scholars insist. The larger moon is called Ishindom. It travels from east to west and is seen mostly at night. The smaller moon is called Varelk. It travels from north to south, under, and back north again, its path gradually drifting so that it passes over every part of the world. The interplay between these three is complex and has been known to surprise even astrologers, but most people no longer believe there is any supernatural significance to their eclipses and crossings.
a large narrow diamond shaped continent in the northern hemisphere of Entrendaaon, which was the home to the earliest known civilizations. It has several large deserts and a lot of low scattered hills, which are the remains of what had been mighty mountain ranges before the war that brought on the First Interval. There are a few great rivers and plains and hundreds of ruins of cities destroyed in the Spell War. Many of them contain dungeons and possibly the final legacies of wizards. A few large but weak empires hold the territory. Most of the population is poor because the continent has few resources and little good land.
a small trident shaped continent west of Aqarth and joined to its western point. This area features the largest number of slag pits, which are the bubbling remains of alchemy installations. It's wise to keep clear. Ekranst is divided into many countries of greatly varying sizes. Most of the continent is highly developed and full of roads, trains, lighting systems, and factories.
a long oval continent that took the worst of both apocalypses. It is a blasted ruin from end to end. Only outlaws and mutants live there.
a long series of islands stretching east from Aqarth, hooking to the north at the end. Fendik used to be a small continent but it was shattered during the Spell War. All the islands are built over with massive fortifications.
a scattering of islands and island chains of varying sizes in the southern hemisphere below Aqarth. It is home to many different societies.
a medium sized round continent in the southern hemisphere below Amenafor. It is mostly jungle and thought to be inhabited by primitive tribes and their shamans.
A small round continent at the top of the world. There are many stories of civilizations that existed there during earlier Ascendancies, but now it is a forbidding wasteland of ice and poisonous swamps. Rumor has it that there are hidden lairs of practicing alchemists there.
There are 6 large countries on Aqarth which call themselves empires.
holds about one fifth of the continent from the northern tip down. It is a hereditary monarchy, churned by occasional coups. There are 47 provinces with varying degrees of attachment to the central government. 12 of them are designated royal provinces, and are permitted to call their rulers regents. 17 are designated palatine provinces, and their rulers are called high stewards. 9 are called grand tenancies and their rulers are called marshals. 8 are just called provinces and their rulers have a variety of traditional feudal titles. The last one, Delmarknuu, was a royal province until 4 generations ago, when its leadership staged an uprising and took over rule of the empire. Now it is referred to as the imperial seat. While the descendants of the leader of the coup are now the imperial family, the rule of the province itself is determined by a council of local leaders who often elect a non imperial as regent. The economy of Sarigenom is based on quarrying and fishing.
holds about an eighth of Aqarth from the western tip on east. It has the most land suitable for crops on the continent, along with a nice big river. It also benefits from being adjacent to Ekranst and hosts the eastern terminal of the Iron Web. It has provinces, instead it designates administrative zones around its main cities, a practice it adapted from its western neighbors. The imperial court is housed in a special train that visits every city in a cycle of 3 to 5 years. Its economy is based on grains and vegetables, trade, light manufacturing and the licensing and taxing of adventurers wanting to explore the ruins in its borders.
holds about a quarter of Aqarth, Its shaped like a bloated wedge with the base starting in the corner formed by Sarigenom and Erneeon, and the tip reaching the ocean to the east. It has 3 main rivers and an extensive canal system, which allows it to make the most of its poor soil. There are 7 provinces, called chiefdoms, and the crown rotates through their principal families. Its economy is based on fishing, meat and animal products, and exotic fruits.
holds about one fifth of Aqarth, from the bottom tip up. It has the only truly impressive mountain on the continent. The mountain is called Taamwiik and nestled in its slopes is a world famous university. The rest of the slopes are full of trees. Deblem also has a fine natural harbor. Its 18 provinces are called districts and the government is a republic with a dash of democracy for seasoning. The economy is based on crafts and timber.
holds about one tenth of Aqarth, from Deblem east. It is nearly all desert and has the highest concentration of ruins on the continent. There are no provinces and no cities, just towns and villages. The local leaders all claim to be old style shamans or some sort of occultist and use the title guru. The ruler is called the supreme guru of the tribes and is elected by the gurus from their own ranks. The economy is based on drugs and minerals.
holds about one tenth of Aqarth from Kishngik east. It has open plains and some reasonably good soil, plus a lot of hot springs. It has 11 provinces, each based around a castle, and ruled by its holder. The holders are considered vassals of the crown. Its economy is based on meat and animal products, horses, and crafts. The southeastern portion of Aqarth is called Loofedeeij. It is all narrow valleys, broken boulder piles, rocky cliff, and caves. It shows signs of having once been the delta of a giant river. There's still a river, not so big, which enters region as a violent waterfall, and leaves through a narrow inlet. While small boats can get in and out, there is no real harbor. This area is quite subject to the whims of nature. Sometimes the waterfall will flood, and bring a bounty of mud from the higher lands. Then for a few years, the people can have crops. Other times, the river all but stops, people go thirsty, and the sea encroaches, turning the ground into salt encrusted hardpan. This is not an empire, or even a country. It is a collection of small communities caught in severe poverty, and wracked by constant upheaval. The economy, such as it is, is based on fishing, salt collection, and remittances.
Territory in Ekranst is divided among a few dozen dominant cities. Each country is just the total territory of one or more cities in partnership. Territory on the edges are often traded back and forth for other considerations. There are wars, but they tend to be minor. There is a continent wide organization, called Ekpact, which is not an empire. Its cohesiveness is a little stronger than a set of treaties but definitely not as strong as a federation. Still, it does act on behalf of peace and cooperation among its members. Some say, however, that the reduction of open hostility has led to a lot more spying and sabotage.
The cities are all at least potentially self sufficient, as each has agriculture and manufacturing, but most agree, with various degrees of enthusiasm, that a robust process of trade benefits everyone, or at least minimizes inconvenience. There is, however considerable disagreement on what exactly is meant by benefit or inconvenience.
The greatest of achievement of Ekpact, according to many, is the Iron Web, the railroad system that links all the major cities of Ekranst and quite a few of the minor ones, plus the capital of Erneeon. This is linked directly to local transport systems in the cities, which in some, include pneumatic tubes.
The cities themselves are bustling and prosperous, and active at all hours, often with the aid of gas lighting. In some quarters there is concern over the suffering of the poor, or the amount of black smoke coming from the increasingly larger factories. But for the majority, these are minor issues compared to the thought that, having turned away from the ill considered practices of the past, civilization is in no danger of repeating to catastrophes of the past.
the western end of Ekranst, where it divides into 3 long peninsulas. Each is dominated by a city. From north to south they are called Driim, Dolet, and Bardilans. These cities were built during the Ascendancy of the Makers and named after previous cities that were lost in the Spell War. There are legends that Ensap was once the dominant power on Ekranst and also controlled much of Amenafor.
There was once a large island north of the mainland of Ekranst. It was called Brent. During the Ascendancy of Spells, a single country spanned both Brent and parts of northern Ekranst. During the Spell War, the island sank, leaving only the tops of mountains above water. During the Ascendancy of the Makers, Brent's empire was reduced to a sliver of territory on the northern edge of Ekranst. The inhabitants built the city of Noomar there. As with the cities of Ensap, this was named after a previous city that they'd lost. Later, the Noomarans reclaimed the islands that had been mountains of Brent. On one of these islands was what had been Brent's northernmost city, Glasbur. While they did little more than plant the flag there at the time, Glasbur later became a refuge when things became bad towards the end of the Ascendancy of the Makers. It was said that the defenders of Glasbur used ancient magic that they found there. It is still rumored that there are secret spellcasters there.
this territory borders Ensap to the west. To the east it is partly bordered by the Radun, a major river that flows from south to north. It consists of the cities of Prash, Marsh, Poret, Lin, Tor, and Tel. Ngarf and Brent were bitter rivals for much of the Ascendancy of Spells. The most common design for chess sets in Ekranst is many centuries old and depicts idealized armies of the two countries.
this territory, east and northeast of Ngarf, spans both sides of the lower Radun. During the Ascendancy of the Makers it was constantly being fought over by Ngarf andChoidarm. The cities here are called Amerast, Bruustag, Pakoohan, Patwarn, Trechuu, Bitorg, Linek, Konal, and Preep. There are only loosely allied, mainly to support each other against the strength of their neighbors.
this territory occupies the center of the continent. Its cities are called Minchuu, Lebner, Deefor, Haavon, Stagat, and Branav.
this territory occupies the southern part of the continent. It's cities are called Nejav, Cherz, Poolad, Marpel, Frensal, Orm, and Thesan.
this territory occupies the eastern edge of the continent at the connection with Aqarth. Its cities are called Rak, Warok, Gorap, Pesh, Vekii, Beruk, Foos, and Greld.