| Magehunt Campaign Setting ILLUSTRATORS AND THE CREATORS OF THEIR PROJECTS Continent and World Maps by Tamlyn PLANET Faldinor (see the World Maps) MOON Posted by Vacithius The Eye of Lot There exists one moon, twice the size of the Earth's moon, with a pale bluish-white color (due to it being covered in ice-sheets). Also, surrounding the planet, is a small ring of asteriods (called Lot’s Tears), but small enough themselves that they are only visible at night. This is because they are largely rock covered in blue-white ice, which makes them invisible during the day, but very bright in the relative darkness of night, making them appear like close stars. WORLD THEMES Posted by Green Magic: Magic is a force that fills the world and that may be "tapped-into" by those born with magical talent. The average person knows of magic's existence, but without the aid of magical devices, those born without talent remain unable to cast spells and must often rely on its physical appearance or visible feats to experience it. Wizards: Those born with magic have a sixth sense, or an awarness of the presence of magic inside and outside of themselves. Like a natural potential, magic simply works for them and is tangible. However, without training from masters they have little or no hope of actually learning spells and casting to any great or controlled effect. Magical lore has been developed over many centuries through trial and error which began as a simple awareness of this often invisible but tangible force. This sixth sense has lead to the complex association of material components, verbal components, and runes and/or somatic components with the channeling and controlled casting of magic (as in the average campaign setting). Magical Organizations: In this case, magical organizations are found almost exclusively in underground socities of wizards, many of whom have gathered together for their own protection (see Gods below). These societies are greatly shunned and are often confronted when found and if possible by clerics of strong faith. Gods: The gods are many and hold many different philosophies and talents. Mostly they are extremely powerful users of magic (they either claim to have created it or don't call it magic though, at least the majority that is, or those most powerful, and perhaps this is true). However, those who deny or claim to have created magic can't seem to control it. Despite this, many forbid the use of magic other than that granted by them to faithful clerics and society (generally those without talent) has been alienated to wizards for some time and actively supports this. Perhaps it all started as simple jealousy towards wizards and their power and was gradually supported for them by their faith. Besides, clerics can seem to do everything they can, so why are they even needed? Many wizards on the other hand, claim that gods are simple immortals who gained power in the past through magic and now wish to protect/improve their status in their greed and fear, although a few unpopular gods (to society at large that is) remain open and supportive of wizards. Such thoughts are blasphemy to most everyone else though. The only thing that keeps the gods from swooping down from the heavens and laying waste to all magic users seems to be their distrust and sometimes even out right hatred for one another. Wizards do use some of the runes, somatics, and magical languages created by the gods to control certain magic powers, although with some fear of retribution. In any case, many a wizard has been confronted in battle by many a righteous cleric, whom outnumber them greatly. Note: the term magic can denote wizardly or clerical magic, but the two are considered separate forces. Clerics: Clerics are devote worshippers of gods who receive magical powers from them to carry out their missions and as a reward. They are however, unlike wizards, subject to their gods whims and may lose all power at the slightest mistake, subject to their god's wishes. Those who are rejected by their gods are a sorry lot, often run out of society in righteous anger and unwanted by other gods. Many end up joining the ranks of the wizards if they can gain their trust or are resentful enough. A cleric's granted powers depends on the talents of their god, but are virtually the same as magic spells, many seem to be alterations of wizardly spells if examend closely by experts of the both crafts, but such collaboration rarily if ever happens anyway. Religious Organizations: The gods, and their followers, who openly support wizardly magic are forced underground like the wizards they support. Such gods are usually of good alignment since they have to be willing to give up their equal status to support wizards, although they hope to change this someday, of course. ALTERNATE REALITIES Posted by Feral The multi-verse (all known universes or alternate realities combined) was, is, and always has been composed of the essence of pure chaos. Chaos, by nature, is a paradox, it includes all possibilities and none, order and disorder. Since chaos is ever contradicting itself it both exisits and doesn't exist, but as such, the aspect of it that doesn't exist can be ignored, leaving only the part that does, which is infinite. This part of chaos, includes all possibilities, of which Magehunt is just one. Magehunt is a portion of chaos which has conformed to such a degree of uniformity, that it represents order in the multiverse. Chaos, when entering the realm of order that is Magehunt/Faldinor, finds itself limited in possibilities, constrained in its powers. The Chaos Stone is a portion of chaos which has eluded the grasp of order in most respects, and yet it is the closest creatures of order can come to the essence of pure chaos without facing the terror of the unkown that is pure chaos. The planes/realms that compose Magehunt are phased-out from on another and can only be reached by magical means or through deadly rifts in reality formed by the essence of chaos intruding upon and annihilating the realms of order. Infinite planes and parallel dimensions exist alongside one another, but they are divided into two groups. The "inner planes", including the material plane/universe in which Faldinor exists. These "inner planes" are those which conform the most to the dictates of order, as such they are the most uniform. The "center" (philosophically speaking) of all the planes of order is said to be a plane of perfect order, a sort of unchanging, static Nirvana. The "outer planes" are planes in which fewer rules exist, but more than in the essence of pure chaos. Links to other clusters of realities, other pockets of order like that of Magehunt are said to exist there. The "outer-most" planes are alien places that creatures of a purer form of order have a hard time functioning in. In an "outer-plane," chasms of darkness may suddenly appear, mountains walk, and clouds turn to iron and fall from the sky. In other words, in the "outer-planes," possibilities go relatively unchecked and most anything can happen. Chaos itself has no preference for good or evil, but within it both exist. Some of the "inner-most" planes may be realms of pure and orderly evil. The "inner" and "outer" terminology is relative. A creature from a realm farther "out" than another may view a realm near it as more orderly than a creature from a realm farther "in." The gods of order rule heavens farther "in" than the material universe (the universe in which Faldinor exists), whereas the gods with more chaotic alignments inhabit planes farther "out." The entire multiverse that includes Faldinor can be called Magehunt by players or DMs outside of the game, but should be called Faldorea by knowledgeable PCs (rare), even though its boundaries are almost entirely undefineable. Magic is sometimes thought to be the lingering essence of chaos lingering in objects of relative order by sages, a sort of controllable (by magic users) potential for new possibilities, but this is not neccessarily true and other sages debate it is closer to some form of lifeforce. THE AFTERLIFE Posted by Feral Upon death a soul (now a ghost), including lifelong devotees to a religion, must pray to one of the gods for entrance into their heaven and the god must accept them in order for them to enter. Some servants, in the case of evil dieties, may have already lost their souls to a particular god and are drawn into a certain realm without choice. Those souls who don’t pray for entrance into one of the god’s realms lose power and fade away after existing as a ghost for an unknown period of time, sometimes thousands of years if the will is strong in them. Ghosts have the ability to communicate with other ghosts, they can sense the presence of other souls, living or dead, at great ranges, but they cannot physical interact even among their own kind. As ghosts they can be seen in their travels by those with magic power and even captured and enslaved by powerful beings, but they are incapable of physical interaction with the world, incapable of performing magic, and can only watch the world in their vaporous, inmaterial bodies (which can pass through solid objects). Again, they are prey to living magicians or clerics, etc., who can communicate with them and block their presence. Ghosts feel a constant weariness and must concentrate harder and harder as time passes to keep from fa ing away. No one knows what happens to ghosts who fade away, but some think they are reincarnated and their soul energy is not lost in this way, others think they remain a mindless energy, perhaps magical energy itself, many fear it as oblivion. Souls lack the power to transport themselves to other planes, even through portals made by the living, unless expressly made for this purpose, and are marooned upon Faldinor unless acted upon by an exterior force. Ghosts can pray for entrance into a god’s realm at any time and be allowed entrance at anytime after their death, but before they fade away. Wizards have Wenvardor and Eilloria, but evil wizards often find themselves without solace, even Malladorian is loath to allow them entrance into his realm. Souls that gain entrance into a god’s realm regain their bodies (as good as new), and are free of hunger and disease. Their bodies can be destroyed like normal though, upon which they return to a ghost state. The gods can destroy a soul (force it to fade away) if they have the means and desire to do so. They can banish souls, empower them, torture them, and enslave them as they will. WORLD SPECIFIC ELEMENTS Posted by Vacithius Magic/Morphing/Chaos Stone: I think it might have been Feral that suggested this a long time ago, but I suggest the same idea with a few changes in application: there exists a magical, glowing, transparent gem of an infinite variety of colors that can take on most any form, including sorts of droid humanoid and animal forms (also any element, like water, stone, wood), that supplies a powerful and dangerous magic to anyone who can capture it in its natural form (mentioned above). Once in physical contact with its original form, and if remaining so, the possessor has the ability to take on any form (they must see an existing example first though), including a dragon. The abilities of the person match that of the creature exactly (except they retain their mind), but the person can still be killed in any form, reverting to their natural form at death. The stones seem to possess a chaotic-mischeivious intellect and so choose their pos essors, often after playing some deadly games with them and only submitting when they feel they've been beat in a certain form. They can usually escape/disappear by turning into wind. The gem can only move if it takes on an animate for, like a person or animal. Once a person loses bodily contact, even for an instance, the stone will use all of its powers to escape. The stone is really a miniture essence of chaos that has yet to conform to the laws of nature and thus take on a permanent material state. Those who know have suggested that all of the world was once this way and finally conformed to the laws of order that exist now, leaving only a spiritual essence behind that is known as magic, which permeates everything, but this is highly debated in some wizard circles. The stones seem to appear most anywhere and change position at will. They are also extremely rare and thought a legend even amongst some wizards. Posted by Tamlyn Star Stone: Legend states that years ago when the god Wenvardor ascended to the stars, pieces of stone fell to the earth. These pieces of stone, called Star Stones, contained magical god-like power. It is said the pixies grind the stone for their farie dust, dwarves use it to make magical weapons, elves covet it like gold, mysteene use it for protection and all other races use it as well. It's full power is unknown. Posted by Keryon Yandirf: a non-ferrous, non-conductive metal found in the mountains of northern Chi'lore. It's black, with a purple reflection when exposed to sunlight and a orange one under candlelight. It can be melted only one time after its extraction, but, after cooling, it's unbreakable. different chunks of yandrif cannot be mixed after melting, so the forger must use only one chunk of it to make anything. It naver comes in pieces large enough to make armors. Milkstone: this white, pearly mineral is very rare, but can be found in all important mountain ranges. When touched by a priest of Synad, it melts and cures any wound it touches. If ingested, it cures all internal injuries and diseases. UNDEAD Posted by Tamlyn The undead of Faldinor are like the other undead in any other AD&D setting, except for the lich. A true lich is extremely rare (I suggest 1-2 per continent) and the remaining liches are in fact archliches (undead priests), 80% or more of which are servants of the god Udra. DRAGONS Posted by Tamlyn Though this hasn't always been the case, dragons have a loose knit society. As humanoids slowly spread out over the continents, dragons found it necessary to form a network of communications. By keeping the odd Milkrash as its loyal messenger, each dragon is kept informed of the movements of all humanoids. 04/08/99 |