I have a pretty basic backstory for this world but it still needs to be finished, plus it will need detail.
Heres what I have so far:
The fifth planet out from the star Petrichor, Forhastelse translates to “precipitation” in Icelandic, which is an interesting coincidence because it hasn’t rained on this planet FOR OVER 80 YEARS. NOT A SINGLE DROP OF RAIN OR SNOW.
Most of the continents and other regions in Forhastelse are also different variation of the word “rain.” There is the prosperous nation of Duskregn (drizzle), then there are the evil bureaucrats of Regntid (monsoon), and also the great mountain-continent of Skur (storm).
But the most controversial continent is the land of Regnævr (rain). This place has long since been abandoned by the people of Forhastelse, only inhabited by the giant Beetles, the saurians known as Lemurians, the ancient Golems, and other families of monsters.
A recent research expedition was lost in Regnævr, and the Captain of the UES Inc. (United Enterprise Shipping Incorporated) would like to know the cause of their demise. The expedition also contained many valuable magic items that are most likely scattered throughout the region.
Most campaigns in this setting involve “Captain enlists you, you get sent to Regnævr, you find items, find a way to escape, the end.” But there has been another negative influence upon the world.
Originally, there were no creatures on Forhastelse except for plants and the Beetles. But with the arrival of two gods, brothers, from another dimension, who go by Mithras and Providence respectively. They sought to bring creatures close to extinction on other worlds to this planet where they could thrive in peace.
Mithras was uninterested in this prospect, and instead wanted to design creations, Golems that could protect them from negative influences from outside their new planet.
Providence attempted to leave to offer salvation to different planets, but he was unable to because of a dark sickness in the space between the worlds.
Mithras saw how sad his brother was and designed a Gate. These could be used to travel to different worlds instantaneously, without the brothers succumbing to the sickness in the dark seas.
Providence began his journey, saving the Aphelions from a ravenous pathogen. Then he saved the Lemurians from self-destruction (they’re a little stupid). And then he saved the Great Worms, which soon became his favorite creatures.
Providence continued to save more and more different creatures while Mithras designed a more powerful Gate, one that could take them to different dimensions. Instantly.
Providence knew that this was his one opportunity to do what he’s wanted to do since they had been children.
*cue flashback*
“Two children, innocent and curious, stand before a hole of darkness. They throw in dirt, seeds, bits of fruit. They laugh as each bit goes THORP into the hole.”
“But the older brother, sometimes, he would throw in worms. Not when his brother is watching, of course, because his brother loved worms. It would just make him sad. But one day, his brother was watching. And his brother loved worms.”
Providence was still furious at Mithras for mistreating these weak creatures. He wanted to protect them, he wanted to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves.
Who couldn’t protect themselves from people like Mithras, who only wanted to design and build his Golems for eternity.
But Providence would need to build the Divine Gate himself, and he was unsure if Mithras would allow him to affect its design.
So Providence built one of Mithras’s Golems for him, and presented it to him as a “gift.”
Mithras was stunned by the quality. The sheer craftsmanship was far beyond what Mithras was capable of, and he immediately knew why his first Gates were weaker than planned.
“It is your hands that must shape my Designs, brother!”
Providence was immediately tasked with building the Primordial Gate, but even though he was naturally gifted with the art of creation, there were a few components he knew were missing in order to accomplish this feat, components that haven’t been discovered.
He brought this information to Mithras, who immediately began seeking these “components.” It didn’t take long to find them.
*cue flashback 2*
Mithras and Providence stand before four glowing shapes.
Mithras begins to speak, “I think with these, we can understand our universe. These are the compounds that drive reality here. I’ve prepared a demonstration, come look, brother!”
Mithras grabs one of the artifacts, a sphere, and presents it to his brother.
“Now, look here. It’s got presence and weight. Round, with no features. No orientation. It is Mass. Almost everything here is Mass. Mass is boring, but required.”
Mithras throws the spherical object back into the space in front of them and he takes another artifact, a cube this time.
“We can take Mass and shape it to form. Features, angles, and intent. Look at the planarity of the surfaces!”
“This is Design. I love Design. Maybe slightly less than kifruit, though. I sure do love kifruit.”
Mithras gently sets the cube in front of him, suspended in air, as he takes another shape, this one a violently glowing pyramid.
“Now this one here, this is Blood, and highly volatile.”
“Blood is heat. The lifeline that drives everything, it is creation, destruction, entropy.”
“The sample here is my own, but Blood can be found everywhere.“
Mithras places the pyramid even gentler into the space and he takes a transparent octahedron from the space, the last artifact.
“Now look closely, see this thin film, this almost transparent veil?”
“This is what you call Soul, unarguably the most powerful of the components, but of course, the most frail.”
“Soul represents the free will of beings, not just their sentience, but their free will.”
“But, just as too much Mass can destroy worlds, too much Soul could be even more dangerous to a planet, or more importantly, to ourselves.”
“Do you understand? It’s your turn, brother! I’ve simply found the compounds. It is your hands that must craft value from them.”
With these newfound compounds, Providence quickly built the Primordial Gate. The first test took a stone from the Material Plane to the Feywild. Progress.
The second test transported a Lemurian to Limbo. Providence was unhappy about this.
The third test took a Golem to the Far Realm. Mithras was confident now it could support the transportation of gods to new realms.
But Providence had different plans.
*cue flashback 3*
After testing some close distance experiments, with the intent of transporting the brothers to the moon (since there was a mysterious blockade in place), Mithras leads Providence to the Primordial Gate, an excited look on his face.
“My brother, it is done, Come! See!”
“Look to the moon… the first beacon shines brightly on the other side! There was no gap in its sequence, it has traveled instantaneously. We can cross the dark sea without succumbing to its sickness if we simply do not travel through it at all, is it not a brilliant light of hope?”
“Only your hands could have realized my Design, brother. I feel truly now that there is no obstacle nor force we cannot overcome together, with my Designs, and your Constructions. While it pains me to see your heart still torn for the doomed, we are not amongst them. There is an entire cosmos for us. We can escape this planet. Our prison. If your heart truly yearns to save… then surely more of our kind awaits among the other worlds, trapped by the dark sea.”
“And to them we can offer the gates.”
“When next She visits our world I must ask her to take a gate with her. Perhaps dozens! You should be celebrating with me, brother!”
“… And yet I see your somber gaze will not lift. Please, take the gate. Step foot on another world. Reap the rewards of your toil. Prove to the universe you are free! I cannot bear to see you in such a pitiable mood on such a joyous occasion.”
“…”
“If you insist, brother, I will go first. Forget about those creatures, and do not dawdle. I want to see joy on your face.”
Mithras approaches the Primordial Gate and presses down on its pedestal. At once he is gone in a flash of light.
Providence stood motionless, staring at the now locked gate.
Where, just a moment ago, his brother once stood.
It had worked. The lock had worked, just as he predicted.
And now, his brother was gone.
Providence felt sick. He collapsed to his knees, retching as the gravity of what he had just done washed over him like a tidal wave.
For a while, Providence sat at the footsteps of the gate. By now, his brother would have realized what had happened.
Now, there was no going back. He had made his choice.
Providence’s gaze drifted to the remains of the meal he and his brother had shared prior to the final test and subsequent activation of the gate. The last time the two had enjoyed a civil, even jovial, discussion. Providence’s heart ached.
After a while, the ache subsided. Only an emptiness remained.
With a sigh, Providence took one of the cups his brother had delicately carved from stone. And one last time, he raised the cup to the sky, a toast to the beginning of a new age for Regnævr.
Ok so I need help building my world.
I have a pretty basic backstory for this world but it still needs to be finished, plus it will need detail.
Heres what I have so far:
The fifth planet out from the star Petrichor, Forhastelse translates to “precipitation” in Icelandic, which is an interesting coincidence because it hasn’t rained on this planet FOR OVER 80 YEARS. NOT A SINGLE DROP OF RAIN OR SNOW.
Most of the continents and other regions in Forhastelse are also different variation of the word “rain.” There is the prosperous nation of Duskregn (drizzle), then there are the evil bureaucrats of Regntid (monsoon), and also the great mountain-continent of Skur (storm).
But the most controversial continent is the land of Regnævr (rain). This place has long since been abandoned by the people of Forhastelse, only inhabited by the giant Beetles, the saurians known as Lemurians, the ancient Golems, and other families of monsters.
A recent research expedition was lost in Regnævr, and the Captain of the UES Inc. (United Enterprise Shipping Incorporated) would like to know the cause of their demise. The expedition also contained many valuable magic items that are most likely scattered throughout the region.
Most campaigns in this setting involve “Captain enlists you, you get sent to Regnævr, you find items, find a way to escape, the end.” But there has been another negative influence upon the world.
Originally, there were no creatures on Forhastelse except for plants and the Beetles. But with the arrival of two gods, brothers, from another dimension, who go by Mithras and Providence respectively. They sought to bring creatures close to extinction on other worlds to this planet where they could thrive in peace.
Mithras was uninterested in this prospect, and instead wanted to design creations, Golems that could protect them from negative influences from outside their new planet.
Providence attempted to leave to offer salvation to different planets, but he was unable to because of a dark sickness in the space between the worlds.
Mithras saw how sad his brother was and designed a Gate. These could be used to travel to different worlds instantaneously, without the brothers succumbing to the sickness in the dark seas.
Providence began his journey, saving the Aphelions from a ravenous pathogen. Then he saved the Lemurians from self-destruction (they’re a little stupid). And then he saved the Great Worms, which soon became his favorite creatures.
Providence continued to save more and more different creatures while Mithras designed a more powerful Gate, one that could take them to different dimensions. Instantly.
Providence knew that this was his one opportunity to do what he’s wanted to do since they had been children.
*cue flashback*
“Two children, innocent and curious, stand before a hole of darkness. They throw in dirt, seeds, bits of fruit. They laugh as each bit goes THORP into the hole.”
“But the older brother, sometimes, he would throw in worms. Not when his brother is watching, of course, because his brother loved worms. It would just make him sad. But one day, his brother was watching. And his brother loved worms.”
Providence was still furious at Mithras for mistreating these weak creatures. He wanted to protect them, he wanted to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves.
Who couldn’t protect themselves from people like Mithras, who only wanted to design and build his Golems for eternity.
But Providence would need to build the Divine Gate himself, and he was unsure if Mithras would allow him to affect its design.
So Providence built one of Mithras’s Golems for him, and presented it to him as a “gift.”
Mithras was stunned by the quality. The sheer craftsmanship was far beyond what Mithras was capable of, and he immediately knew why his first Gates were weaker than planned.
“It is your hands that must shape my Designs, brother!”
Providence was immediately tasked with building the Primordial Gate, but even though he was naturally gifted with the art of creation, there were a few components he knew were missing in order to accomplish this feat, components that haven’t been discovered.
He brought this information to Mithras, who immediately began seeking these “components.” It didn’t take long to find them.
*cue flashback 2*
Mithras and Providence stand before four glowing shapes.
Mithras begins to speak, “I think with these, we can understand our universe. These are the compounds that drive reality here. I’ve prepared a demonstration, come look, brother!”
Mithras grabs one of the artifacts, a sphere, and presents it to his brother.
“Now, look here. It’s got presence and weight. Round, with no features. No orientation. It is Mass. Almost everything here is Mass. Mass is boring, but required.”
Mithras throws the spherical object back into the space in front of them and he takes another artifact, a cube this time.
“We can take Mass and shape it to form. Features, angles, and intent. Look at the planarity of the surfaces!”
“This is Design. I love Design. Maybe slightly less than kifruit, though. I sure do love kifruit.”
Mithras gently sets the cube in front of him, suspended in air, as he takes another shape, this one a violently glowing pyramid.
“Now this one here, this is Blood, and highly volatile.”
“Blood is heat. The lifeline that drives everything, it is creation, destruction, entropy.”
“The sample here is my own, but Blood can be found everywhere.“
Mithras places the pyramid even gentler into the space and he takes a transparent octahedron from the space, the last artifact.
“Now look closely, see this thin film, this almost transparent veil?”
“This is what you call Soul, unarguably the most powerful of the components, but of course, the most frail.”
“Soul represents the free will of beings, not just their sentience, but their free will.”
“But, just as too much Mass can destroy worlds, too much Soul could be even more dangerous to a planet, or more importantly, to ourselves.”
“Do you understand? It’s your turn, brother! I’ve simply found the compounds. It is your hands that must craft value from them.”
With these newfound compounds, Providence quickly built the Primordial Gate. The first test took a stone from the Material Plane to the Feywild. Progress.
The second test transported a Lemurian to Limbo. Providence was unhappy about this.
The third test took a Golem to the Far Realm. Mithras was confident now it could support the transportation of gods to new realms.
But Providence had different plans.
*cue flashback 3*
After testing some close distance experiments, with the intent of transporting the brothers to the moon (since there was a mysterious blockade in place), Mithras leads Providence to the Primordial Gate, an excited look on his face.
“My brother, it is done, Come! See!”
“Look to the moon… the first beacon shines brightly on the other side! There was no gap in its sequence, it has traveled instantaneously. We can cross the dark sea without succumbing to its sickness if we simply do not travel through it at all, is it not a brilliant light of hope?”
“Only your hands could have realized my Design, brother. I feel truly now that there is no obstacle nor force we cannot overcome together, with my Designs, and your Constructions. While it pains me to see your heart still torn for the doomed, we are not amongst them. There is an entire cosmos for us. We can escape this planet. Our prison. If your heart truly yearns to save… then surely more of our kind awaits among the other worlds, trapped by the dark sea.”
“And to them we can offer the gates.”
“When next She visits our world I must ask her to take a gate with her. Perhaps dozens! You should be celebrating with me, brother!”
“… And yet I see your somber gaze will not lift. Please, take the gate. Step foot on another world. Reap the rewards of your toil. Prove to the universe you are free! I cannot bear to see you in such a pitiable mood on such a joyous occasion.”
“…”
“If you insist, brother, I will go first. Forget about those creatures, and do not dawdle. I want to see joy on your face.”
Mithras approaches the Primordial Gate and presses down on its pedestal. At once he is gone in a flash of light.
Providence stood motionless, staring at the now locked gate.
Where, just a moment ago, his brother once stood.
It had worked. The lock had worked, just as he predicted.
And now, his brother was gone.
Providence felt sick. He collapsed to his knees, retching as the gravity of what he had just done washed over him like a tidal wave.
For a while, Providence sat at the footsteps of the gate. By now, his brother would have realized what had happened.
Now, there was no going back. He had made his choice.
Providence’s gaze drifted to the remains of the meal he and his brother had shared prior to the final test and subsequent activation of the gate. The last time the two had enjoyed a civil, even jovial, discussion. Providence’s heart ached.
After a while, the ache subsided. Only an emptiness remained.
With a sigh, Providence took one of the cups his brother had delicately carved from stone. And one last time, he raised the cup to the sky, a toast to the beginning of a new age for Regnævr.
…and his brother loved worms.
Who lives in Skur?
Shoutout to the 2 Crew! - the cast of Not Another D&D Podcast
Roomba Knight, Architect of the Cataclysm, Foxy Lunar Archpriest. He/Him.
Ravenclaw, bookworm, Lego fanatic, mythology nerd, rock climber, pedantic about spelling, and proudly Canadian.
Extended sig: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/3153-extended-signature-thread?comment=438
I love K-pop Demon Hunters and the theatre. I will someday do a campaign, but I travel too much at the moment
Hmm
Build us a door
And rest here with me
Lights are on
But nobody's home...
extended sig
Mostly Beetles and Lemurians. The occasional Wisp and Jellyfish though.
…and his brother loved worms.