[As] Asdoran: A Godless World
Dec 4, 2018 20:39:32 GMT -6
Post by Aerion on Dec 4, 2018 20:39:32 GMT -6
ASDORAN
A Godless World
A Godless World
A Campaign Setting made for Dungeons and Dragon's 5th Edition
Introduction
It has only been 20 years since what is now known as the Cataclysm happened. Without warning, the four moons that represented the elemental balance of our world shattered, forming the multicolored ring around the planet that's omnipresent in our sky. This signaled the death of our four gods and the evolution of the world into one filled with magic that we were not ready for.Asdoran was not a world without magic beforehand. We had our arcane scholars, nowadays known as 'wizards' as modern times have demanded specificity, and we had the men of faith we now uniformly call 'clerics' who commanded magic on behalf of the gods. There were even those who channeled forces of magic through the power of oaths, now known as Paladins. But they were small drops in the pond compared to the magic available now. Children were born with phenomenal powers at young ages, less effort was required in arcane gestures in order to coax magic from the air, and those with power beforehand saw their powers increase exponentially.
But the powers of mages as not the only change. The gods magic of creation falling to the earth caused countless catastrophes, entire cities being wiped away without a trace, and some even being replaced altogether with new terrain we've never seen before. Volcanoes erupting, earthquakes leveling mountains, and storms raging for weeks were the least phenomenal of these changes. The gods held the balance between Asdoran, its moons, and the overlapping planes that touch all parts of our world. When they passed, the lines between our plane and the next were blurred, and as scholars now understand it, our world and two others collided altogether. The first, a plane of Darkness that has come to be known as the Shadowfell, and the second to be a plane of color we have come to know as the Feywild.
This collision between our three worlds had the most unexpected change: The creation of new life. All worlds seem to be inhabited, but there were no people to inhabit these crossover zones. And so, as if it was the final act of the gods powers of creation before bestowing it on mankind, the races of Elves and Gnomes came into existance, with no past, no culture, but a future and seemingly boundless curiosity to explore it with.
The greatest and most frightful change, however, wouldn't be seen until the cataclysm ended. When the catastrophes stopped, and it seemed we had time to adjust again, we learned that only the gods we worshiped had disappeared. The fiends we detested and feared now had nothing keeping them back, no divine force to hold them in their pits in Oblivion. And worse, the Keeper's passing left Purgatory unguarded, allowing the dead to return again to take from the living.
Nowadays, Asdoran has adjusted to the abundance of magic in the world, but that doesn't mean things still aren't changing. The orcs and the dwarves are still trying to find their places in the world without their Holy War against one another. The gnomes and elves are divided between joining preexisting cultures or creating a new one of their own. The humans cling to their piety and their theocratic monarchy, and as such authority is questioned with the 20 year absence of the gods. The dragons of the far north have increasing interest with the mortal races. And, as our goddess fell as well, we Halflings have troubles as well as we seem to be one of the few races equipped to deal with the large influx of creatures from the Feywild in our lands.
The new age has come, but the growing pains haven't ceased.
Religion
The Four Fallen Gods:While there are other faiths in the world, there are only four that are recognized as true Deities, one of each of the elements. It was these four gods that passed away 20 years ago, marking the beginning of the cataclysm.
Ghaelle
Mother Nature, The Whispering Willow
Symbol: A feathered tree
Portfolio: Air, Life, Nature, Fey, Halflings
Alignment: NG
Domains: Life, Nature, Trickery
Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff
Seen as both the most well intentioned and the most free spirited of the Four, Ghaelle was the patron of air, life, and nature. She was the goddess most deeply connected with the plane that has now become the Feywild, and as such many elves pay respects to her, even though they came into existance after her passing. She was commonly depicted as a winged dryad with feathers rather than leaves on her branches.
Valberg
The Living Mountain, The Stone Warrior
Symbol: An axe hewing stone
Portfolio: Earth, Battle, Craftsmanship, Dwarves, Orcs
Alignment: CN
Domains: Forge, War
Favored Weapon: Greataxe
The most tempermental of the Four, Valberg seemed to be far more a god of war than he was the god of earth. So great was his craving for conflict on Asdoran that he chose two races as his followers rather than one, so that they could engage in an eternal Holy War against one another. Valberg's passing caused an end to the war, though his followers still believe in glory through armed conflict. Valberg was commonly depicted as a faceless armored warrior carved from stone.
The Keeper of Chains
The Warden, The Final Judge, The Human God
Symbol: A key made of bones
Portfolio: Fire, Death, Judgement, Humans
Alignment: LN
Domains: Grave, light
Favored Weapon: Flail
The youngest of Four by a wide margin, The Keeper of Chains was actually the second god of Fire and Death. The Keeper was a human who assumed the mantle only 300 years ago, and formed the plane of Purgatory, the final prison a soul goes to as it awaits judgement on whether it goes to Eternity or Oblivion. The Keeper's death left Purgatory unguarded, allowing souls to wander back to the Material Plane rather than to their afterlives, and also allowed souls to choose their own afterlife rather than being judged. The Keeper of Chains was depicted as a large human draped in mismatched chain mail, with various rings in his armor holding keys.
Makua
He Who Writes in Water, The Drowning Mage
Symbol: A waterlogged tome
Portfolio: Water, Magic, Secrets, Sahaugin
Alignment: NE
Domains: Arcana, Knowledge, Tempest
Favored Weapon: Dagger
The most mysterious of Four, Makua was rightfully the god of Water and the hidden depths, where it is said he kept the most powerful of magical secrets. His teachers were of hording knowledge and power for oneself at all costs, and was often portrayed on the surface as a malicious god to be feared and for respects to be paid before any seafaring adventure, less the knowledge you own be forcefully added to his collection by shipwreck. Makua was often depicted as a figure entirely hidden by a drenched brown robe, though among the Sahaugin he was never depicted at all.
Other Religions:
The are other religions outside the Four, however. There are beings that, while not true gods, have cult followings spread across the world. They have not disappeared or dwindled in strength with the death of the Four, causing popularity among them to surge in those who still seek to look to a higher power and don't believe the gods may return.
Baelfyr
The Forsaken God, The Archfiend, The Reaper
Symbol: A grinning flame
Portfolio: Fiends, Undead, Oblivion
Alignment: NE
Domains: Death (Fiend Patron)
Favored Weapon: Scythe
The first god of Flame and first master of Death, Bealfyr was a tyrannical god who enjoyed playing with mortal lives and sewing fear and discord into the world. Disgusted by the endless catastrophes he caused on Asdoran, Ghaelle, Makua, and Valberg stripped the then god of his power and bestowed it on the human who became the Keeper of Chains. In this, Baelfyr was banished to Oblivion and became the first Fiend. Unfortunately for us, this meant he was not a true god when the Four died, meaning Baelfyr has survived. His cult has gained following in recent years, believing him to be the only true god left in this world. Baelfyr is often depicted as a red skinned, horned demon, wearing a black robe and wielding a bloody scythe.
The Ancient
The First, The Great Old One, The All Creator
Symbol: A dragon wrapped around an eye
Portfolio: Dragons, Creation, Fate
Alignment: N
Domains: None (Great Old One patron)
Favored Weapon: None
Dragons tell tales of an overdiety who created the four elements, and with them the three gods to control them. They call this being The Ancient, and believe him to be so vast in his power that beginning to comprehend him will cause madness in the mortals. Worship of this being is uncommon outside of the draconic races, who generally see him as a patron of insanity rather than a creator diety. The Ancient is often depicted as a dragon covered in countless eyes.