Greenhammer

The world consists of three known planes - Arundel, the land of the normal, Feywild, the land of the fantastical, and Shadowfell, the land of shadow.

Feywild, Shadowfell and the Underdark

Not much is known of the Feywild or Shadowfell, as many millennia ago their planes were shut off from Arundel with only sporadic holes and passages between the planes appearing. The Eladrin (high elves with startling skill and accuracy) are known to come from Feywild while Shadowfell is inhabited only by creatures of nightmares and horror tales.

The Underdark is a series of caverns, passages and oceans underneath Arundel, home to Dark Elves (The Drow) the Dark Dwarves (The Dueger), as well as various Orcs, Half-Orcs and Goliaths. There are points of contact with the Underdark throughout Greenhammer (though most are guarded or blocked up).

Arundel

Arundel is split into 6 main regions:

  • Dracon, home of the Dragonborn and ancient Dragons.
  • Selthym, home of the Elves.
  • Thlaal, populated by Dwarves.
  • Hielam, a small island where the aetheral Devas live.
  • The Infinite Islands of the Abyss, where all manner of monsters and demons can be found.
  • Greenhammer, an island shared by the Humans, Goliaths, and the Orcs.
  • Mage's Island, home of the most powerful (yet solitary) magic-users in the world.

Greenhammer is the traditional home of the Humans and also believed to be where Goliaths and Orcs originated.

History

Greenhammer was rocked two generations ago by the Drow Wars when the Drow came up from the Underdark. The Drow tried to take Greenhammer, with had limited success. To the surprise of most, Half-orcs turned against their own and fought alongside the humans against the invasion, resulting in their quickly being accepted by humans and integrated into mainstream Greenhammer society.

As part of the Drow invasion, they broke into Feywild which is when the battle turned against them - the skilled creatures of Feywild took down the bulk of the Dark Armies and then disappeared again as quickly as they had spilled into the world.

Races

On the continent of Greenhammer cities populated by Humans and Half-orcs are commonplace. The war resulted in a number of Goliath and Orc communities being set up on the island, but they largely keep to themselves, with most people still biased against them after their part in the Drow Wars. Dwarves are rare, Elves even rarer, and few have ever seen an Eladrin, Deva or Dragonborn. Passages to the Underdark can be found, but are not easily accessible (or if they are, they are never left unguarded).

Trade is mostly between Greenhammer and Thlaal, with human ships dominating the sea of the Abyss. Explorers will occasionally venture into the Infinite Islands of the Abyss but rarely return. Particularly adventurous traders will sporadically make it back from Hielam, with enchanted items and stories of its bright-skinned inhabitants.

Geography

Greenhammer is named for its lush, verdant forests and plains. The northern and western borders are covered in mountains, and the entire continent is covered in southern-flowing rivers. The majority of the Human cities are located on the "handle", with the major trade points being dotted along the south-east coast.

Politics

Greenhammer is currently ruled by a king though the Drow War exhausted his resources and his influence does not travel much further than the capital and a few of the nearby towns. Most towns are ruled by the local Lord or Baron.

Gods

The main Gods of Arundel are as follows:
The Aboveground Gods:

  • Corellon Larethian (God of the Elves)
  • Io of the Dragon (God of the Dragons and the Dragonborn)
  • Moradin, the All-Father and Forger of Souls (God of the Dwarves)
  • Avandra of the Immortal Plane (God of the Devas)
  • Greedy Roknar, Mountain God (God of the Goliaths)

The Underdark Gods:

  • Lolth, Demon Queen of Spiders (God of the Drow and the Dueger)
  • Gruumsh One-Eye (God of the Orcs)

The humans once had their own God, but he was destroyed in the battle that sealed off the other planes. All record of his name was removed from history, and today he is only known as "He-Who-Was". Humans typically don't worship a god unless they have particularly strong social or family ties to another race.

Languages

Most people raised in Hammerfell only speak Basic. Sailors will often speak Dwarven as well, and those who fought in or study the Drow War will understand bits and pieces of Primordial, the language of the Underdark


Here's what happened to Mystery directly before the campaign begins:

Walking through Winterbole Forest can be scary to some and fascinating to others, but it's certainly never boring. Looking around, up at the trees and at the wildlife sporadically spotted around, you failed to keep an eye on your feet. What feels like a stray root snags one of your legs, but when you look down you realise that no, it's a carefully placed piece of rope. Before you can do anything, you notice a large bolder, deliberately poised on the side of a small hill nearby rush towards you. The impact hurts, and then everything goes dark...


Directly before the events, here's what Tanglar observed:

You normally know to avoid this part of the forest; this is where the slavers reputedly do their work, capturing anyone who goes this way and making sure that they're never seen again. But circumstances have driven you here, and so you make sure to keep a look-out for anything that may enganger your life.

Not close enough of a look-out, however, for you hear a twig crack, and turn around to discover four orcs with huge, slobbery smiles facing you. Before you have a chance to react, three of them have raised their clubs.

You only feel the first two blows. The third one, if it connects at all, hits your unconscious cranium.