Valacia Campaign Notes
Posted:
20 Mar 2012, 15:07
by Iunnrais
This thread is for storing facts about the world in which my D&D campaign exists in. See
this thread for campaign session notes.
The Kingdom of Valacia(Alas, photobucket seems to be adding a bit extra compression to the file no matter how I try otherwise. It's still mostly readable)Capital City- Bellas (pop roughly 500,000)
- Currently Ruled by King Baltes VIII
- His family members tend to hold only personal manor houses (and their surrounding villages, of course) but mostly live at court anyway.
- There is a largish population of minor nobles that also live at court.
Duchies and their Counties (in order of court precedence)
- Myrcrest, Ruled by ArchDuke Myrkan
- Falconspike, Ruled by Count Pailer
- Amberway, Ruled by Count Arili
Food supplier for most of the Kingdom - Therdale, Ruled by Count Laupe
- Stelville, Ruled by ArchDuke Stellan
- Thorncrest, Ruled by Count Tellus
Home of the Mage's Guild
- Thingate Canal, Ruled by Baron Cedry
- Wellpit, Ruled by Baron Rium
- Valwick, Ruled by Baron Acian
Ancestral Capital of the Kingdom (very historical but not politically powerful)
- Pinedale, Ruled by Count Kerwin
House Kerwin once ruled the southeastern coast, but was driven back during a war 600 years ago
- Veripole, Ruled by ArchDuke Veritas
- Lydel, Ruled by Count Lynus
Largest Port City, home of several Merchant Houses
- Dacry, Ruled by Baron Imbri
- Kerville, Ruled by Baron Jonat
- Ellport, Ruled by Baron Lystra
Re: Valacia Campaign Notes
Posted:
20 Mar 2012, 16:54
by Iunnrais
Sinster Range, Domain of the NecromancerWhat Everyone Knows- The Sinster Range is the home of The Necromancer, and is flooded with the undead.
- The Necromancer occasionally still attacks Valacia, the most recent occasion being the War of the 7 Lich Kings, which was won before the 70 legions of undead made it past Stelville.
- As such, most people discount The Necromancer as an immediate threat to the world. Much like most Americans view North Korea-- scary, but not direly immediate, and probably won't really try anything. It's been 10,000 years since he holed himself up, after all, and only minor breakout attempts.
- In addition to the undead, Orcs live in the Sinster range.
- Orcs are barbaric to the point of barely being sentient.
- Their intelligence can be rated at the level of rabid gorillas. Their "huts" and "villages" are little more than grass nests.
- Orcs are dangerous, vicious monsters, who slaughter each other at the drop of a hat, rape anything that moves, and drink the blood of human children.
- Orcs have not been seen or heard from in roughly 10,000 years. All reports are from explorers and adventurers.
- Small holdouts of human villages still hide amongst the valleys in the Sinster Range.
- Presumably this is where the Orcs get their human children to drink the blood of?
- These villagers live in constant fear and terror, and are adept at hiding their villages.
What History KnowsThere are ten Lich Kings who rule various sections of the Sinster Range. They rarely leave the mountains, and are remembered mostly from moldy books describing the original War with the Necromancer.
They are:
- Landin, appearing as a 10 year old boy with one eye socket completely empty, weeping blood
- The Lost One, Child of Tears, He of the Red Gaze, Song's End, the Sovereign of Frozen Fire, Lord of the Ghostly Shroud, the Decrepit Dawn, Wielder of the White Staff
- Alayna, appearing as an 11 year old girl with the skin of an ancient crone and long white hair, missing in places on her scalp
- Queen of Terror, Flower of Fear, Whisperer to the Grave, Hag of the Yellow Cliffs, Dream Thorn, The Lady of Luck, Caller to the Abyss, The Summoner
- Janelle, appearing as a 12 year old girl with completely charred and cracking skin that bleeds with her every movement
- Bloody Elle, the Crimson Heart, the Unclean, the Defiler, Hagraven of the West, Daughter of Cracks, the Flame of Disease, Lady of Blood, Queen of Plague
- Kendrick, appearing as a 13 year old boy with half his flesh removed; the other half looks normal
- Blade of Panic, Lord of Lies, the Mists of Malus, the Black Wind
- Reina, appearing as a 14 year old girl with eyes and mouth stitched closed, a hole where the nose would be, and body completely covered in scars
- Queen of Knives, the Sightless, the Voiceless, the Wandering Hag, Witch of the Circle Mountains, She of the White Path, Mistress of the Skywand
- Malachi, appearing as a 15 year old boy with a hole where his face would be, leaving just the inside of the back of his skull to look at you
- The Hollow Man, King of the Broken Crown, Lord of Emptiness, Merciless Master, the Cruel One, Bringer of Echoes
- Finley, appearing as a bald 16 year old boy with whithered flesh, no tongue, no eyes, and sagging skin that lacks any meat between it and his bones
- The Seventh Word, The Stripped Storm, Shard of Palantis, Thief of the Rising Sun, Namer of Ages, Serpent of the Sky's Reflection
- Kelanus, appearing as a 17 year old man missing a fourth of his skull, with insects living where his brain would be
- Lord of Worms, King of Halves, Famine Lord, Voidlock, Fatigue of Fate, Legacy of Dust
- Marisol, appearing as a beautiful 18 year old woman from the front, but completely skeletal from the rear
- The Glass Queen, The Tarnished Mirror, Argent Abnegation, the Lonely Solipsist, She Who Walks Dreaming
- Adriana, appearing as a 19 year old woman completely covered in a black veil
- The Unseen Witch, Lady Ironhand, Widow of Suppuration, the Loathly Veil
- Khalid, appearing as a 20 year old man with shards of bone extruding from his skin
- The Finger of Death, Reaper of All, Whitestare, Veskbane, the Last
Re: Valacia Campaign Notes
Posted:
20 Mar 2012, 16:55
by Iunnrais
The Esterwall, Kingdom of DwarvesDwarven Cities of the EsterwallArranged by Clan- Capital: Vhardum
Seat of Dhunvari
- High Hold: Khlire
Seat of Lhari
- Pits of Slagh
- Khelme
- Ikhebow
- Sohis
- High Hold: Vhalemardhum
Seat of Mardokhi
- Mheldis
- Markhis
- Ahrmehel
- Dhelim
- Ghekhal
- Low Hold: Valimbri
Seat of Imi
- Low Hold: Kharus
Seat of Khari
- Low Hold: Lokh Stera
Seat of Sterali
- Lokhivar
- Kheles
- Kharit
- Khid
- Steravar
- Khelvar
- Bhekivar
Dwarven SocietyDwarven Society is highly structured, and based on two factors of birth: Clan and Caste. The Caste system is fairly strict, but it is possible for a dwarf to rise or fall from one caste to another due to extraordinary deeds, usually involving warfare. Interestingly enough, it is also possible, and arguably easier in some cases, to change your Clan than caste, and is usually done for purposes of marriage. Clan changes are accomplished by performing a trial set by the clan heads-- the difficulty of the trial generally reflects the status of the clan at that time. It is also possible for a human, or other race, to partake in these trials-- in which case they will be legally considered dwarves for most purposes.
(Note that there are no marriage alliances between clans, you are either a member of one clan or another, and those that leave one clan to join another are considered dead by their former family.)
ClansThere are six dwarf clans, ranked in order. The order of the ranking can change over time as clans gain or lose honor and reputation. The current rankings are:
- Dhunvari - Translated "Volcano Dwarves" (lit "People of the Magma River"), current Royal House
- Lhari - Translated "Deep Dwarves" (lit "People of the Long Dark")
- Mardokhi - Translated "Mountain Dwarves" (lit "People of the High Peaks")
- Imi - Translated "Lake Dwarves" (lit "People of Tears")
- Khari - Translated "Hill Dwarves" (lit "People of Grain")
- Sterali - Translated "Eastern Dwarves" (lit "People of the Dawn")
CastesThere are eight main castes in dwarven society, most of which are split further. For purposes of precedence, these splits only count in terms of "ties".
- Ulkheisse - Royalty
- Kheissar - Seated Ruler
- Narkheissi - Royal Slaves
- Kheissen - Immediate Family of Ruler
- Ulmair - Military Commanders / Nobility
- Alkheissar - Family of Ruler
- Mair - Generals
- Lheissar - Relatives of Ruler
- Other military officers, in order of rank
- Uldara - Dragon Handlers
- Uldarakh - Dragon Rider
- Daranit - Dragon Trainer
- Daralin - Apprentice Dragon Handler
- Ulse'ein - Sages
- Nashti - Priests/Wizards ("People of the Gods")
- Vhashti - Scholars ("People of the Books")
- Dhuni - Smiths ("People of Fire")
- Lokhi - Merchants ("People of Gold")
- Ulkhelost - Laborers
- Lhelit - Miners ("Shapers of Darkness")
- Ghalas - Builders ("Ancients")
- Dhilit - Weavers ("Shapers of Warmth")
- Ulmantin - Soldiers
- Ulkhasi - Farmers ("People of Light")
- Ulnai - Criminal
PositionSocietal position, as mentioned, is a combination of Clan and Caste. The combination of the two is an extremely complicated situation that feels entirely intuitive to dwarves. For outsiders, this handy chart may by useful:
Higher numbers indicate higher position. The degree of difference between two dwarves indicates how much the lower dwarf is obligated to obey the higher dwarf.
Re: Valacia Campaign Notes
Posted:
20 Mar 2012, 18:24
by Iunnrais
Vaedijhal, Kingdom of ElvesThe Kingdom of Vaedijhal was not always
completely isolated from the rest of the world, as it is now. Caravans led by carefully selected and trained Elven Scouts would bring shipments of magical trinkets... and weapons... down to trade with Valacia. This is the only known source of magical weapons in the world-- the Eladrin also create magical items, but almost never weaponry, preferring armors and novelties such as enchanted rings.
Elves rarely leave their Kingdom, and rarely talk about it. The following accounts are from merchants who have visited.
The entire Kingdom of Vaedijhal consists of a single city estimated to be at least five times larger than Northolt in size, surrounded by a mysterious forest known as Silvia. Silvia is tremendous in size, stretching from horizon to horizon when viewed from the treetops, and is very confusing in its topography. Orientation is nearly impossible, and it is very easy to simply walk in circles for days-- thus, Elven Guides are utterly required for traversing it.
The city itself is wondrous to behold. Their architecture favors very tall, spindly buildings with obsessive levels of ornamentation, often covered in glass windows or simply faceted with multi-colored mirrors. Their marketplaces are laid out with massive mozaics in the very street, utilizing colored stones to depict pictures or merely patterns.
The city seems to be laid out according to pattern. On the outside of the city are structures that are starkly simple in design, with subtle ornamentation that bespeaks true beauty. As you head inwards, the ornamentation because more elaborate, but somehow less effective-- garish even. At some point, the ornamentation becomes even more elaborate, but also more skilled, making the elaborations more aesthetically pleasing. At the very center of the city is a massive palace that towers over everything else, stretching up to the very sky and seemingly made entirely out of emerald-- or at least green glass.
Elven law seems strange to us. Amongst the few items of law that were explained, there is to be no worship of any deity, with the penalty being severe ridicule. Other laws we were made aware of included the care of gardens (neglect or harm to a flower could mean imprisonment in a hanging cage above the marketplace-- the cages were seen during trade, but none were occupied in our view) and rules about public dueling (private duels were outlawed, but public ones were encouraged-- the government even offered prizes for victors).
Re: Valacia Campaign Notes
Posted:
20 Mar 2012, 18:29
by Iunnrais
Kingdoms of the Coral Sea
Little is known of the other Kingdoms sharing a shore with the Coral Sea at this time, other than that other species fare from lands across the waters, such as Halflings. Merchant traders bring back only rumors of the places they trade with.
Re: Valacia Campaign Notes
Posted:
20 Mar 2012, 20:36
by Iunnrais
Epic Paragons of Valacia
These men are not merely favored of the gods, they have Pierced the Veil, and even Vesk will find it hard to hold them. They can walk the planes, they can tap into the power of the gods in a way that priests would only dream of, they can shape the world...
Devin Myers, Favored of Custos
Mighty Paladin, currently in the service of King Baltes VIII and the Captain of his guard. Considered to be the mightiest warrior in the land, if not the world, and the champion of the nation. Almost single-handedly repulsed the Incursion of the 7 Lich Kings twenty years ago, such that many believe that the draft from that time was not only unnecessary, but a deliberate political deception for other purposes. This is an unfair belief, given that 70 legions marched on Valacia from the Sinster Range, but Devin sought out the Liches themselves to duel them one-on-one. Not that the Liches agreed to such honorable combat, but he fought his way to them-- it is said that he fought his way to them by the power of his conviction alone. Highly idealistic, romantic, and moral... he has little to no favor with the Court Nobles, but quite a bit of favor with the peasantry.
Lady Angelique Miranda
Reclusive Druidess, found maintaining the magical gardens of Thorncrest. A high ranking member of the Mage's Guild of the same island, but tends to avoid the actual college in favor of personal meditation amongst her enchanted trees and crystalline flowers. She is the reason Valacia still has the ability to any conduct business by sea at all. Although insufficient against the combined might of the Seafarers' Navies and their weather mages, the fact that Lady Angelique was able to fight off dozens of weather mages at once, all by herself, should say a lot. But one can only be in so many places at the same time, causing the state of affairs as they exist today.
General Hayes Velamir
Renowned Warlord, commander of the Armies of Valacia. Led the forces of Valacia against the Esterwall in two different wars against that nation, victorious both times. Considered to be a military genius. Has a known dislike for Devin Myers, whom he considers to be a jumped up farmer and uncultured bore.
Archmage Alejandro Nieves
Archchancellor of the Thorncrest Mage's Guild. Author of nineteen original spells, owner of the Mystic Eye. Supposedly the reason Dragons do not travel south of the Joyhar Woods. Defeated the Demon Lord Karblixeth 40 years ago.
His Holiness Monte Luther
Monk, mystic, spiritualist. Possesses a Mountain Monestary in the Esterwall. Considers himself outside of all mortal politics and is not beholden to the King of Valacia, but likewise is not beholden to the Dwarves. Many seek his wisdom, and more have sought to train under him after he talked an Ancient Dragon out of destroying Valacia... and then married her. The tale of their courtship is legendary, and often involves rooftop escapades and wire-fu martial arts battles.
What the world never knew...
His Holiness Monte Luther sits alone in his chambers, deep in meditation, in the center of his school on top of a mountain. Despite being above the snowline, it is eternally spring there, and it seems that the cherry blossoms are always in bloom. Outside his chambers, dedicated students study martial arts, or floral arrangements, or calligraphy, or any number of other high precision arts with infinite possibility for perfection. Beyond the gates, snows blow and rage on the steep mountain slopes, and occasionally, a dedicated individual will attempt to climb it.
This seems to be all. But a deeper look will reveal that while Luther seems to be sitting alone, he is guarding the Astral plane, mostly from pseudonaturals. The monastery is a haven, a place that they cannot go, and when his mind is damaged from the fight, he returns to the peace of the place, and teaches. But when he has rested, he returns to the fray.
When the Well of Storms opened, it was not just the Shadow Flame that came out. It was not merely the tentacled horror that was first fought by Forseth (and defeated within a week or so). The well seemed endless, and Forseth was not able to catch them all. And the fae began to corral them, leash them.
It was subtle at first. The horrors headed west, towards Aiden and Asean, but Luther was there within the Astral, knowing the place, culture, and people well. They kept going, into the Yellow Desert, where they began infecting dragons. Into the Demon's Hook, where they actually began leaving the Astral and entering the Prime. And into Daemenul Alu, where the Eladrin / Human kingdom began-- becoming strange.
People began going mad, little by little. Wizards began conducting dangerous experiments, which for a little while, provided great benefits to the people there. Healings, resurrections, resource generation, even food production. But then people eating the food went a little... off. And those resurrected started seeming not themselves. And tools made of the new metals would twist in your hands, or worse.
Luther and Ancor worked together then to untangle the problem. Luther fought in the Astral, while Ancor fought in the Prime, and then together, once the horrors were beaten back, slowly healed the wounds of madness, pulling the kingdom back into the realm of sanity.
But the horrors simply moved on, heading south... and across the ocean...
Faerlib
Ancient Gold dragon, mostly found in human form. Wife of Monte Luther. Nearly destroyed Valacia once, before falling in love. It is rumoured she uses her shapeshifting abilities to influence Valacian politics against her husband's wishes.
Greymist
Renowned assassin. Real name unknown. Face unknown. Species unknown. Every unsolved murder in the kingdom is attributed to Greymist. Assassinated King Dalton III, five of his heirs, and twelve other relatives, in the end re-establishing the Baltes Dynasty in Valacia.