The Shattering#
Nearly 1,800 years ago, a new star appeared in the sky over a land we know frighteningly little about. What we do know is that all of the oracles, augurs and sibyls of this land started receiving constant visions of death and calamity on a scale that they’d never seen. Years pasted, and the star grew brighter and brighter in the night sky, now called Xylte, Destroyer of Worlds promised doom to all that lived below.
A band of heroes then rose with a plan to save the land from certain destruction.
- Kieros, Herald of Divinity
- Gralf, Herald of Courage
- Azeem, Herald of Foresight
- Izuka, Herald of Knowledge
- Rimev, Herald of Happiness
- Xul, Herald of Stealth
It was only through their work that civilization survived the impact of Xylte, an event now known as the Shattering. While we don’t know how they did it, what we do know is that afterwards the heart of the Star of Death was suspended over a newly formed basin.
These events occurred 1763 years ago. For the next several hundred years, records are incomplete and little is known.
The Basin Today#
The Great Basin as it has become is currently divided into ten kingdoms with a boundary ring of mountains and large lake in the center, Kratermeer.
Arendelle#
A mostly human kingdom with a well above average rate of elemental humans born within it’s border.
Government Structure#
A traditional monarchy.
Locations#
- Capital City: Arendelle
People#
- Forum Delegates:
- Murtagh
- Freya
- Task Force Members:
- Dr. Luna (Former)
Atreides Duchy#
Yep. This is shamelessly stolen from Dune. To be fair, I picked that specific book before I realized how many of you have read the book. The largest difference between the people in the book and the people here is that Paul was never born.
The Atreides Duchy is located in the northwest of the Great Basin, directly above the Principality of Vi. The government of the Duchy is centered around the Duke and Duchess, currently Leto and Jessica Atreides. There capital city of Caladan is not opulent like some other capital cities, but it is very welcoming. That describes the Atreides people well, not the wealthiest, but very generous and sharing with others. They are one of the first to offer assistance to other kingdoms and because of this are generally well liked by the other members of the Koncord.
Government Structure#
The title of Duke is hereditary, pasted from parents to the eldest child through the generations. The Duke and Duchess serve as the executive seat of power, directing the military and negotiating with the other kingdoms. Laws are enforced by the Duke and Duchess but passed by the Landsraad, a legislature consisting of representatives from towns and cities of the Duchy with a set number of representatives per population bracket. Individual cities are able to pick representative however they feel.
Locations#
- Capital City: Caladan
- Secondary Cities:
- Acadia
- Bellfort
People#
- Four Important Figures:
- Duke Leto Atreides
- Duchess Jessica Atreides
- Master at Arms Gurney Halleck
- Leader of the military forces of the Duchy. While these forces are small, Halleck is an well known and respected warrior and likewise the quality of the Atreides infantry is very high.
- Mentat Thufir Hawat
- The Mentat title is a very important one within the Atreides Duchy, reversed for a trusted advisor with a truly formidable breadth of knowledge. Hawat uses a spacial meditative state to strength his mental abilities.
- Forum Delegates:
- Lord Andrew Cantort
- Lady Elizabeth Cantort
- Four Common Names:
- Molly
- Thomas
- Robert
- Katherine
- Naming Guidelines: British English
Commune of Atrxous#
Most of the other governments have centralized power structure, but not the Commune of Atrxous. This government is communism, enforced via a magic contract called The Atrxous. Once you sign the contract, you agree to share all of your wealth, shed your social status and live for the betterment of the Commune. Violating the contract is impossible, enforced via enchantment magic and the transmutation of the valuable to the worthless.
Government Structure#
Formally speaking, there is no structure to the government since there is effectively no government. Generally there is no need for one either since the Atrxous prevents crimes from being committed against others who have signed it.
Locations#
- Capital City: (If they formally had one) Atrxous - Hardly more than a hamlet, Atrxous holds the contract in the only fully stone building in the Commune
People#
- Important NPCs:
- Forum Delegate Brigita Červinkov
- Forum Delegate Leopold Kadlec
- 4 Common Names:
- Ludvik
- Kristian
- Saskie
- Dagmar
- Language of Inspiration: Longer names, often with harsh consonant sounds. Similar to Czech.
Eichen Kingdom#
Editor’s Note: Ah, yes, how can anybody forget the fascist, German squirrels?
The land of the Eichen is the land of their forests. Populated nearly exclusively by shape-changing anthropomorphic squirrels (A re-flavored kitsune), the Eichen Kingdom is a militarist place with a… strong sense of community. There is also a strong worship of Grosse Eichornchen, the squirrel god.
Government Structure#
Unlike most monarchies where the title is passed down by blood, the title of King or Queen in the Eichen Kingdom is determined by a series of challenges including sparring (unarmed and armed), survival tests and quizzes about the history of the Kingdom and military tactics. After the challenges, the populous votes in a ranked-choice election.
Once elected, the monarch rules for life and near-complete control over all aspects of Eichen government, military and economy (which are all basically the same thing).
Locations#
- Capital City: Whichever city the monarch’s house is in.
People#
- Important NPCs:
- King Romstein
- General Maximilian
- Reverend Velecia
- Forum Delegates:
- Marchi Elenek
- Barno Henchor
- Task Force Members:
- Zorro
Empire of Xylte#
A territorial and xenophobic empire, one of the few which has actually conquered land after the founding of the Koncord. The Empire started as Republic before a series of increasingly brutal civil wars caused the Republic of Xylte to condense and centralize power into a Consul who then overthrew the Senate and declared an Empire.
Government Structure#
The Imperial Cult of Xylte recognizes the Emperor, his wife and first born son as divinely sanctioned to rule the Empire. The Emperor has absolute power over other the government, the people, their religion and most importantly the military.
Location#
- Capital City: Maestri
Ændor
One of the most notable events in recent history was the conquering of Ændor in 1623. A small satellite nation of elves on the western border of the Empire. After years of aggressive behavior, when Ændor’s King died it was the perfect time for Xylte to take over. After stripping Ændor of its legal protection, the army of Xylte invaded, burning the small nation nearly to the ground. Many military strategists believe that the only reason that the Ændorran elves weren’t completely massacred was the presence of troops from the Ecihen Kingdom.
People
- Task Force Members:
- Oisin
- Task Force Members:
People#
- Important NPCs:
- Emperor Falto Tatius
- Imperial Legate Brutus Halburn
- Forum Delegates:
- Silvius Albina
- Janus Brutus
Kingdom of Galimatias#
A progressive kingdom with a issue with undead, Galimatias is the economic hub of the basin, rich in materials from the most mountainous parts of the boundary ring and fertile fields. Cultural festivals are a cornerstone of the Galimatian year, with three major festivals celebrating birth, death and the renewal of the year.
Government Structure#
The government is controlled by a King and Queen, a title passed down by blood, who rule with a divine mandate from the two primary deities of the land, Perun the God of Guidance and Mokosz the Goddess of Earth. While the Church also holds considerable political power, the monarchy is firming in control of both domestic and foreign policy.
Locations#
Galimatias is divided into several districts
- Jeden - Farming district
- Dwa - Fishing district
- Piec - Research district
- Siedem - Business district
- Osiem - Mining district
People#
- Important NPCs:
- Queen Tekli Shadowmend
- King Bennett James
- Prince Valintin
- Forum Delegates:
- Jacob Nowak
- Lilka Moonriver
- Task Force Members:
- Breagan
Kingdom of Trobreryn#
A mercantile kingdom and the shipping hub of the Basin. Although each nation has a territorial boundary waters extending into Kratermeer, the majority of the lake is ruled as territorial waters of Trobreryn, allowing them to control most of the boat traffic on the lake.
Government Structure#
Formally the Kingdom of Trobreryn is a monarchy, ruled by the Rosach family. However, a guild system also exists which regulates the lucrative trade economy. The monthly formal meeting between the monarch and the guild leaders is called the Guildmaster Gathering.
Notable guilds include:
- Merchant Guild
- Mage Guild
- Bard Guild
- Farmer Guild
- Builder Guild
- Medical Guild
- Non-denominational Clerics Guild
Locations#
- Capital City: Taerwyn
People#
- Important NPCs:
- King Miall Rosach
- Captain of the Guard Nessa Preston
- Merchant Guidlmaster Foalan Ragnory
- Forum Delegates:
- Hand of the King Videla Parre
- Hand of the Guilds Peric Abell
- Task Force Members:
- Wil Ragnory
Niven Imperium#
The Niven Imperium is undoubted a force to be reckoned with, if they ever wanted to. This government is relatively isolationist and stagnant. That last major reform was implemented over 200 years ago. While the three major cities are decadent and bustling, the status of the villages and farmers is relatively unknown. The Imperium is also known to be the only government with several settlements on the outer flanks of the boundary ridge of the Basin.
Government Structure#
The Imperium is ruled by an Emperor, who has absolute power but rarely uses it. Most of the daily administration of the Imperium is facilitated between military leader, the Shogun and the primary advisor to the Emperor, who uses the title of Adobaizā.
Places#
- Capital City:
- Daitoshi - An absolutely massive city rife with vice and violence under the less than watchful personal guard of the Emperor.
- Secondary Cities:
- Machi - Smaller and located deep in the mountains, Machi started as a research station working with rare mountain ores but has since grown into a large alpine city. It is still home to the Machi Laboratories, a renowned research facility that seems to be in decline, overtaken by newer facilities in other kingdoms.
- Mura - Smaller than even Machi, Mura is the agricultural hub of the empire, where farmers come from the fertile plains below the mountains to sell goods up the main trade route to Daitoshi and Machi.
People#
- Four Important NPCs:
- Shogun Ichika, the Dragon Slayer
- Ichika is a brilliant strategist, and one of the most respected generals in the Great Basin, famous for her single handed take down of a black dragon hunting travelers in a mountain pass now know as the Tail of the Dragon that left her without a left arm or left eye.
- Emperor Yuusei
- Whatever Yuusei wants he shall receive, and as a result he wants for nothing. He few obligations include being the formal head of state of the Imperium, so he travels to other governments when needed.
- Daimyo Riku
- A Diamyo is a regional warlord and Riku is the warlord of Machi. His forces are thus well equipped and the most fearsome constituent of the military forces of the Imperium.
- Adobaizā Aoi
- The Adobaizā is the personal advisor of to the Emperor and spiritual leader of the Imperium, and since she administers the daily operation of the empire, Aoi wields considerable internal power.
- Shogun Ichika, the Dragon Slayer
- Forum Delegates:
- Daimyo Akabashi
- Daimyo Ikoma
- Four Common Names:
- Mio
- Koharu
- Souta
- Haru
- Language of Inspiration: Japanese
Principality of Vi#
The people of the Principality of Vi are deeply religious as the Church of Kroina, the goddess of foresight holds vast power within the principality and as of late increasingly opposed to arcane magic.
Government Structure#
One of the notable things to be aware of with the Principality is that while the Princess has the most power on paper, the people of the principality are very deeply religious, so much political power also resides in the Church and the Highpriest. Most “laws” within the principality are actually Holy Mandates from the church. The current highpriest, Orden Wur, has been leaning a crack down on arcane magic since he came to power 32 years ago. The Church also enforces its Mandates, leaving the formal government primarily dealing with other government and managing the relation between the Principality and the Koncord.
Locations#
- Capital City:
- Cerca - A fortress city on the shore of the Carter Lake, home to the Princess’s Palace and the Central Cathedral.
- Secondary City:
- Vurki - The economic center of the Principality, as the Church dictates a separation between the divine and the mundane of the economy.
People#
- Four Important NPCs:
- Highpriest Orden Wur
- Princess Luria Vi
- Hereditary Princess Viven Vi (daughter of the Princess)
- Liaison to the Church, Mu Sarka
- The official bridge between the Princess and the Highpriest.
- Four Common Names:
- Bur
- Juska
- Stef
- Ami
- Language Tools: Names should be short with long vowel sounds. See the Jamaican Names fantasy name generator.
Roksduens#
In the east of the Great Basin lies a desert and a constant struggle for survival. Raids from savages outside the Basin make the harsh life here even harder. Due the extreme nature of Roksduens, their formal government is limited and most of their cultural practices are designed to help them survive the extreme environment. One such example utilizes a unique type of creatures called ediolons which bond with a particular summoner. The summoners frequently have duels between ediolons as training for the raids that are sure to follow.
Government Structure#
There are six tribes that comprise the Roksduens,
- Tomo: Located in the center of the Roksduens, this tribe is the closest that the Roks have to a trade hub and because of that one of the only ones who can organize things across tribes.
- Tema: Run over out of a large village on the Western border of Roksduens. This is the only place information gets into or out of the Roksduens, making it a critically important among the otherwise ignorant Roks.
- Kuraab: South of the deserts are some rain forests, and in the rain forests are the hunter gatherer tribe of Kuraab, harvesting exotic plants from forests.
- Kricrem: In the northern parts of Roksduens the rolling hills start to give away to mountains and here lie the Kricrem tribe. The Kricrem are focused on innovation and artifice, but despite their hard work the raids destroy most of their progress.
- Calchiroos: Sitting on the Eastern border of Roks, the Calchiroos tribe is beaten each and every day, either by the harsh desert or the near constant raids.
- Kuboma: Next of the Svängbar river is the fishing Kuboma tribe.
Locations#
- Capital City: Tomo or Tema would probably fill that role.
People#
- Important NPCs:
- Hibiscian Saffren, Elder of Tomo Tribe
- Rabiat Talare, Elder of Tema Tribe
- Blota Trad, Elder of Kuraab Tribe
- Iskall Stenson, Elder of Kricrem Tribe
- Sandiga Ridbyxor, Elder of Calchiroos Tribe
- Lugna Vatten, Elder of Kuboma Tribe
- Forum Delegates:
- Vild Klinga
- Hjartat av Sangen
- Task Force Members:
- Redfern Taiga
The Koncord of Kieros#
After the nascent governments had solidified their hold on regional power structures, it became clear that some structure was required to prevent the loss of life as the new powers jostled for position. The result was the Koncord of Kieros, a diplomatic forum where the nations could discuss their grievances and seek redress without resorting to war. Interestingly, there is no founding document for the Koncord, merely fragments of Kieros’s journal and centuries of tradition.
The ruling council of the Koncord is called the Forum, composed of two delegates from each nation. The powers of the Forum are intentionally ill defined and wide ranging. Anything to prevent a war within the basin. The Forum operates on a system of resolutions and grievances. Resolutions are non-enforceable decrees that all members should follow, while grievances are allegations of wrong doing filed be a plaintiff against a respondent. Resolutions can to anything from mandate the market price of goods or add and remove members from the council. Grievances have been used to stop executions of high value political prisoners, expose spies or do things as petty as force a kingdom to take down unflattering artwork of another kingdom’s ruler.
If no resolutions or grievances have been filled about a topic, then the Koncord has no official stance on it and anything goes. The few times it has become an issue, the Forum’s parliamentarian has ruled that resolutions are binding across multiple instances of an issue but grievances are never binding outside of their original context, however they can be argued as precedent in future rulings on any issue.
Kerkard#
Clearly whichever government hosted the Forum meetings would have considerably more power over the meeting than the rest. A neutral location was needed and the heart of Xylte was still floating above the basin. A meeting place was soon established on top of this massive piece of floating rock and over the years developed into a large city. It is a mixing pot of people and good from all over the Basin.
Forum Delegates#
There are twenty forum delegates and five spacial roles.
- Herske: The formal head of the Forum, equivalent to a Prime Minister. They control the schedule for the Forum and are also the tie-breaking vote.
- Krig: The military leader and coordinator for all joint military operations that the Koncord conducts.
- Regler: The parliamentarian who maintains the rules and protocols of the Forum.
- Viden: Scientific and arcane liaison, required to oversee research that the Koncord funds and track recent developments by the arcane schools of the Basin.
- Penge: Economic advisor and regulates inter-state trade.
While they are listed with their respective government, the delegates are also listed here.
- Arendelle
- Murtagh
- Freya
- Atreides Duchy
- Lord Andrew Cantort
- Lady Elizabeth Cantort (Regler)
- Commune of Atrxous
- Brigita Cervinkov
- Leopold Kadlec
- Eichen Kingdom
- Marchi Elenek (Krig)
- Barno Henchor
- Empire of Xylte
- Janus Brutus (Viden)
- Silvius Albina
- Kingdom of Galimatias
- Jacob Nowak (Penge)
- Lilka Moonriver
- Kingdom of Trobreryn
- Videla Parre
- Peric Abell
- Niven Imperium
- Akabashi Osa
- Ikoma Sakome
- Principality of Vi
- Bur Harcosa (Herske)
- Vessimur Yutros
- Roksduens
- Vild Klinga
- Hjärtat av Sången
Secondary Organization#
There are three notable secondary organizations that are run by the Koncord.
- Library of the Muse: The official library and record keeping body of the Koncord. This is the organization that Oisin is attached to and his reason for being in the task force.
- Truthspeakers: A network of bards paid by the Koncord to deliver the news of the forum to the Koncord.
- Bastion of the Sky: The police of Kerkard and enforces of the Koncord. It is a small guard force who only has jurisdiction on Kerkard or if explicitly granted by the Forum.
The Task Force#
At the annual Founder’s Gala at the end of Goldwave, all of the delegates and dignitaries gather and acknowledge the history of the Koncord and remember the Shattering.
During this event, an explosion went off and the Sword of Divinity was stolen. This sword was on Xylte when the first explorers managed to let back to the floating asteroid and was wielded by Kieros herself during her heroic effort to save the Basin.
A task force was created to recover the sword, and the player characters were selected to serve on that Task Force.
A chronicle of the activities of the Task Force can be found on this website. However, notable events include:
34 Goldwave 1763: The Sword of Divinity is stolen.
02 Fireharvest 1763: Jusa Lok appointed as task force member from the Principality of Vi (NPC Cleric).
03 Fireharvest 1763: Alisha Shamra found potentially tampering with the Trance Wine in the Church of Kroina on Kerkard.
05 Fireharvest 1763: Task Force obtains warrant and raids Alisha’s shop for potential burglary crimes and selling illegal drugs.
09 Fireharvest 1763: In a report to the Forum, the task force recommends opening the docks with additional security restrictions.
19 Fireharvest 1763: In the middle of the night, a quite blast wakes up several members of the task force. A search reveals a large fire burning in Taerwyn, the capital of Trobreryn which is near where Kerkard is floating. During the following days, the task force uncovers evidence that the explosion was caused by the same explosive which was found at the site of the Forum bombing. Not only that, but also that the explosive was distributed by the Keburipemi Syndicate, a large organized crime group from the Niven Imperium.
While infiltrating a Keburipemi safe house, the task force meets Niwa, an evidently high ranking member of the syndicate looking to embarrass the one running the Taerwyn operation, an undine named Vicious.
22 Fireharvest 1763: Using the evacuation plans leaked by Niwa, the Task Force collaborates with the Taerwyn guard lead by Nessa Preston to apprehend them. The resulting operation is mostly a success, capturing the boat and a substantial amount of drugs. While Vicious managed to escape, his underling Voracious was captured.
28 Fireharvest 1763: A packet of documents comes into the procession of the Task Force, a letter from Niwa explaining more of the details of the explosive, called Cylex, and how they were going to sell it to a group in the Eichen Kingdom.
32 Fireharvest 1763: The rescheduled sale of the Cylex takes place in Daquin, a small town in Trobreryn. Thanks to the heads up from Niwa, the Task Force is able to intercept both parties and apprehend the 30 pound barrel of Cylex. The leader of the Eichen delegation, Marius Kleinheisterkamp is captured.
33 Fireharvest 1763: During an interrogation with Marius (who has been rendered blind by Oisin), the task force learns about a group of disenchanted Eichen wounded veterans who believe that the government is conducting experiments on their soldiers. When Zorro and his sword learn about this later, the sword dominates Zorro and attempts to Coup de Grâce a bound Marius. He is unsuccessful thanks to quick intervention by Oisin, Redfern and Breagan.
03 Shimmerfall 1763: After several days of travel, the Task Force arrives back in Kerkard and books Marius and a lackey from the Syndicate into the prison their.
04 Shimmerfall 1763: While Oisin and Breagan are attending the Annual Symposium of Arcane Masters, the rest of the Task Force interrogates Voracious. He seeks willing to talk and reveals that he and Vicious where once pirates on a ship called the Sanguine Ravager and that Vicious is a member of the group which stole the Sword of Divinity, a group called the League Against Koncord Eminence before his prison cell is flooded with negative energy and he dies. When Eaton, the investigative head of the Bastion of the Sky, tries to investigate Voracious’s death, the Task Force refuses to answer question except those from the Forum, forcing Eaton to call an emergency Forum session. At said session, the members of the Forum pressed the Task Force for answer, and they likewise refused to answer specifics, threatening to reveal dirty secrets on each government who threatened them again. The Delegates decided not press further.
07 Shimmerfall 1763: Steven Hetzler, the truthspeaker of Kerkard, leaks that the Sword of Divinity has been stolen during bombing. However, the task force was not metioned.
10 Shimmerfall 1763: The Task Force attends the Niven Lantern Festival under the guidance of Delegate Ikoma. After the Task Force steals Raifusutīrā, the life stealing katana, Niwa whisks them away to an unknown location in the Niven forest.
Calendar#
The post shattering calendar has 6 day weeks, named after Kerios and her five heralds. The suffix for day is “daq” pronounced “dack”.
- Kierdaq
- Azeedaq
- Gradaq
- Xuldaq
- Izudaq
- Rimedaq
The year itself has 11 months, based on two yearly harvests, one of summer crops and one of winter crops as listed below. The year starts with a planting festival.
- Sproutmoor (35 days)
- Verdantwave (35 days)
- Goldwave (34 days)
- Fireharvest (36 days)
- Shimmerfall (33 days)
- Whitermire (34 days)
- Frostgain (33 days)
- Iceharvest (35 days)
- Darknight (33 days)
- Snowdwindle (36 days)
- Riverrun (34 days)
For a total of 378 days per year with 2 leap days, one in Fireharvest and one in Darknight every time the year is 1 mod 3 so those years have 380 days.
This realm has two moons, the larger one is Zion, Bringer of War and the smaller one is Izrail, Bringer of Peace.
Zion is so named due to its reddest hue while Izrail has a bright white hue, brighter than our moon Luna. Their is a lot of superstition regarding the moons and astrology and like what time of the moon cycles are best for assassinations and peace treaties, etc.