I’m not a Toril expert or anything but this is awesome! Props on you!
Honestly I think D&D 6E may have lore changes like this due to how they want a lot of races to not be seen as “evil” which I am good with. I just think the potential 6E changes may not be on this level.
Thanks. It's hard work, and taking a longer time than I thought it would.
I kind of built this because of those changes. People have been complaining for a long time about the Forgotten Realms, and I think something like this could help it be a bit more new and interesting. I'm sure in 6e these will not be similar to any possible changes made to the FR, but I did want to do this just as a thought experiment.
As you can see, most of the races that were almost universally evil in the Forgotten Realms are now different, and mostly more neutral. I. e. Gnolls are now their own people without any loss of control due to demonic beings, Orcs and Goblinoids losing their evil deities led to them remaking their cultures, free Drow becoming a good race of star worshippers.
Something that you may have noticed, not all the races are this way. There are a few races that are still mostly evil. Duergar, Dhaer, Yuan-Ti, Krakens. Most of these races that did not change enough to lose their evil nature was due to a few reasons, depending on the circumstances of the Catastrophe:
They didn't lose all their evil deities (Yuan-Ti, Duergar at first, etc)
Their culture was strengthened by the Devils winning the Blood War (basically only Duergar)
They weren't accepted by the other creatures (Fallen Aasimar, Dhaer to an extent)
There was no real reason for them to become good/neutral (Aboleths, Krakens, Duergar)
They were not effected enough by the Catastrophe (Aboleths, Krakens, Mind Flayers, etc)
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Klörvak: After the end of the Second Dragon-Giant War, the giants had to abandon their previous societal structure. No longer allowed to kill a dragon unprovoked, they needed a new way to determine the worth of a member of the giant communities. Many of the giants were impressed by the power of the celestials, as they were able to best them in combat to force them to stop fighting the dragons. One of the commanders in the celestial forces was a female Archon of Falling Stars (known in this world as the Archons of Fallen Stars) named Paevtara. She was designated by the Council of Celestials to be in charge of watching over the giants and making sure they didn't do anything deemed illegal by the council. During the battles of the Second Dragon-Giant War, when both forces were forced to a stalemate by the celestials at the Battle of Forkloe, Paevtara slew many dragons and rocs atop her winged lion, Scair.
The giants were impressed, and humiliated. They were forced to surrender, but in their minds, it wasn't as bad as it could've been. They were bested not by the dragons, but by an outside force who proved herself to be a worthy fighter. Already unintentionally high-ranking in the giant society, Paevtara took advantage of this respect by asserting her dominance over the giants. They fought back, but in the end they prevailed, with supporters in the giant ranks already. She became the warlord leader of the new giant nation she founded, which became known as Klörvak (clue-rr-vahk). Now, the giants buried their dragon-bone weapons, draconic-scale armor, and other prizes of war, and turned around as a culture. She focused them on older topics that were previously not as important. They became engaged in rune-magic, fostered the construction of giantish libraries, and started a renaissance of a sorts. No longer endeavoring completely for brutish force, strength in combat, and hatred of dragons, she caused them to start looking at the world in a whole new way.
Taking multiple decades of transformation, Paevtara revolutionized the giantish society. She was still loyal to the Council of Celestials, and started pursuing a new goal. She convinced the Giants that the ocean had been taken from them, telling the Storm Giants that it was time to reclaim the homes of their fathers. With the newly structured society that was more focused on insight and production, Klörvak declared war on the Krakens and Aboleths. With help from their runic casters, crafters, and a new focus on ranged attacks (with gargantuan cannons, legions of bow and firearm-equipped giant warriors, and spellcasters) they seek to reclaim the oceans for the giants and other races.
As the war continues, the giants have mostly become a coastal-dwelling people. They often live fairly close to humanoid settlements, often trading huge agricultural products, refined metals, and lost knowledge for support in their war, entertainment, modern technologies, and other humanoid specific goods. The giants are a more calm people, enlightened and open to interaction with the smaller races. It was a bloody history leading up to their new society, but was an improvement in the eyes of the celestials.
How were the Moonshae Isles effected. As an island nation I would imagine that the Aboleths would have more power there. It would be very isolated for a time until it was safe for ships to sail or air ships to be common. The Ffolk religion might survive due to the islands isolated nature and diuretic path of it. Their Capital city seem to be far enough from the water. Religions warfare might be how the Aboleths attack it. It has a contact with the under dark but due to the seas being unsafe they would be safe from the Duergar. That’s just my thoughts on it though
How were the Moonshae Isles effected. As an island nation I would imagine that the Aboleths would have more power there. It would be very isolated for a time until it was safe for ships to sail or air ships to be common. The Ffolk religion might survive due to the islands isolated nature and diuretic path of it. Their Capital city seem to be far enough from the water. Religions warfare might be how the Aboleths attack it. It has a contact with the under dark but due to the seas being unsafe they would be safe from the Duergar. That’s just my thoughts on it though
Yeah, I'm not sure on that yet. I haven't gotten to how most of the regions would change yet, but I imagine that due to how they are islands, the Aboleths might try to take over them. I doubt that the Ffolk religion and culture would survive the death of the gods and a whole millennium of aboleths controlling the oceans. The Sahuagin would be an increasing problem, and they may have the help of some angels to guard their settlements.
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Sorry, it's been awhile since the last update, this one took awhile. Here we go:
Seelie Court: Just after the Catastrophe occurred, with the death of all the gods, chaos ensued. Though the leaders of the Seelie and Unseelie Court are not seen as deities to many, they truly had divine status. Those who lived in the Outer Planes before the Catastrophe ended had to give up their lives to protect the Material Plane. Many of the deities were in their homes in the Outer Planes, or visiting the Outer Planes when the Catastrophe happened. The deities that were in the Outer Planes, and died, are as follows:
Of the 13 deities who at one point were or had been members of the Seelie Court, only two of the Inner Circle survived, and one of the Outer Circle survived. This shattered the structure of the Seelie Court, even though the two main leaders were left alive. Summer Queen Titania and The Green Lord Oberon were the only true gods that survived the Catastrophe in the Seelie Court. Not only did the Seelie Court lose the majority of its higher powers, it lost many of its allies with the deaths of Morwel, the Seldarine, Lurue, the Tulani, and nature deities from the Outer Planes.
Besides losing many of their members and allies, the Seelie Court also was weakened by the fact that none of their enemies were weakened. The Queen of Air and Darkness was not destroyed and neither was the Unseelie Court, Kannoth the Vampire Lord remained in power, and the Prince of Frost also was largely unaffected. Due to this weakening, the Seelie Court collapsed, the final blow being the war between the fey of the Material Plane and the Minotaurs. The triumph of the minotaurs glaringly showed that the Seelie Court's time had come, and it needed to be replaced. She then organized the Society of Radiance, which had the following members:
Summer Queen Tinaria, the Faerie Queen, and Queen of Light.
Flovaera, the second Daughter of Delight, Lady of Flowers.
Alendrin, the former third Daughter of Delight, Lord of Music.
St. Lalibela, Lady of Natural Beauty, Goddess of Aquan Fey.
Duavara, Lady of Centaurs, Mistress of Nomads.
Zerivixath, Lord of Satyrs, Killmoulis, and Leprechauns, Poet of the Faerie, and Lord of Revelry and Trickery
Happenstance, Leader of Dopplegangers and Changelings, the Changer.
The Society of Radiance rules over all of the Seelie fey, and the player races of the plane normally serve the Society of Radiance in some way. The Satyrs are the partiers and bards of the Feywild, the Feybolg are the hidden pranksters and jesters of the plane, the Verdan are the lawyers and persuaders of the Feywild, the Eladrin are the most common warriors, the Centaurs are the nomadic traders, and the Sea Elves are the fishers and crafters of the Feywild.
Unseelie Court: Though the Queen of Air and Darkness's true lair was in the infernal plane of Pandemonium, when the Abyss was destroyed and the Blood War ended, she fled her home plane to return back to the Feywild, where she started a temporary war with her sister, the Summer Queen Titania. She dwelled in the Feydark for the 79 years until the rest of the gods were destroyed. During this time, she organized the Fomorians, Glouras, Quicklings, Annis Hags, and other dark fey, growing the size of her Unseelie Court. Titania was weakened due to her allies' involvement in the battles of the Catastrophe, her unwillingness to fight the Queen of Air and Darkness, and the dark queen's newfound allies. To gain even more power in the Feywild, the Queen of Air and Darkness turned to other dark archfey to empower the Unseelie Court even more. The Prince of Frost, Neifion, and Kannoth all joined the Unseelie Court, and their followers joined the ranks of the dark queen. This added Bhuer Hags, Fey Vampires, Lycanthropes, Myconids, Meenlocks, and other fey under her domains.
After the end of the Catastrophe, the Queen of Air and Darkness was empowered even more, with the Seelie Court being crippled from their losses, and their losing of the War of the Forests. Queen Titania commanded the fey to return to the Feywild, and decided to devote all her resources fighting one war, instead of split amongst two wars. It was too late for Titania to keep ahold of the Seelie Court, and so she had to create the Society of Radiance. During this time, the Queen of Air and Darkness had lost her increased power from the death of Auril, but her gained power from other sources caused this loss in power to be cancelled out. Over the centuries, the Queen of Air and Darkness's power grew, and she became the sole power in charge of the Feydark. This growth and change of her home plane caused another change, this one in the nature of the dark queen. She cast off her previous names and titles, and grew in status.
Her new name is the Dusk Queen Umbra, with the titles of; Lady of the Fell, Darkmaiden of Terrors, and the Mistress of Gloom. Though she is now a major goddess with power over the dark, but unlike the Raven Queen, she has no powers over the aspects of life and death. Instead, she rules over the dark emotions; anger, apathy, atrophy, fear, envy, and the like. She uses these powers manipulate mortals, waste away at joy and prosperity, and cause torment upon her enemies. She is the matriarch of the Gloam Council, which includes the following:
Umbra, the Dusk Queen, Lady of the Fall, Mistress of Gloom.
Icaernei, the King of Frost, Master of Ice, the Biting Winter.
Neifion, the Lord of Bats, Master of Night, Father of Shadows.
Kinnofang, the Vampire Master, Sharp-Toothed, Patron of the Bloodied.
Psilofyr, the Carrion King, Master of Fungus, Lord of Myconids.
Cynaol, the Lycan Lord, the New Moon, Savage Lord.
Bahyaga, the Matron of Hags and the Occult, Mother of Disgust, Madam of the Foul.
The Gloam Council meets in the deep city of Oagemfell, inhabited by the unseelie fey and other gloomed ones. The Feywild is now a biarchy of sorts, a land ruled by the dark emotions and extreme feelings. The Society of Radiancepromotes immediate action and bursting feelings, while the Gloam Council works to spread cynicism and mistrust.
Edit: Adding Happenstance, the leader of dopplegangers and changelings. I decided to add changelings, and am shunting them into the domain of fey.
I like most of this, but I have a few questions/nitpicks.
1. Celestials are not stupid. Why did they make such a badly formed pact?
2. How did the Devils attack the upper planes? The pact outright forbade that.
3. How are the dragons doing? Is Tiamat guiding them?
4. Why are the Guardinals and Eladrin obeying the pact? They have no reason, and it is clearly causing more harm than it prevents.
1. That is just the story the Celestials told the people of the Inner Planes. Whether or not it is the real version of the story is unknown. This leads to more questions; why are they hiding the truth, do they actually know the complete truth, did the devils actually do those events and so on? 2. In that version of the story (which there will be multiple versions of when I'm done), the Celestials broke the pact to attack the devils in Mechanus. The pact would have specified that no devil or general fiend can harm any celestial in any physical or mental manner, and vice versa, as well as not invading each others' territories. The Celestials broke the compact, which would allow the devils to break it as well. 3. The dragons are fine, other than having a huge war with the giants that lasted several years. In a future post, I will add more to their current culture, but they're currently doing fine. The metallic dragons aren't all good now, and the chromatic aren't all bad. They're all mostly neutral, with some fringe individuals. Tiamat cannot guide them, as she is cut off in the Outer Planes, and absolutely no communication with the Outer Planes through standard means are possible (by standard, I mean the typical ways of communication. Travel and communication to the Outer Planes from the Inner Planes or vice versa are not possible through the conventional means. Now, there are very, very, very few ways to do those two things, which I will list in a future post). 4. The pact story may or may not be entirely accurate, but the celestial Guardinals and celestial eladrin had to obey the pact, all fiends and celestials had to.
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That Yuan-ti Dreamscarrer seems crazy overpowered. Flight and magic resistance? Plus poison immunity and innate spellcasting?
It's on the same scale as the Yuan-Ti Pureblood, but the wings are a huge boost as well. They are not intended to be a player race in most campaigns, and are more the answer of the questions "what happened to the yuan-ti purebloods?" question. The Pureblood race is OP in the first place, and I may get rid of the Magic Resistance just to make the flight a bit more balanced. I definitely want them to have the Innate Spellcasting as well as the wings due to lore reasons, but I am indifferent at best towards the Magic Resistance.
So, yes. I agree with you. They're crazy overpowered (but I assure you that I can find more broken homebrew player races) and are more just in the world due to lore reasons.
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Vecna: The Whispered One, Lord Vecna, God of Undying Secrets. All of these name before the Catastrophe would only be recognized by the most knowledgeable of sages and most devout clerics. Unfortunately for the Multiverse, times have changed. Now, nearly all omembers of the Inner Planes have come across the name at some point in their lives. The returned undead deity now haunts the dark underground caverns of the Shadowfell's Underdark, also known as the Underfell (I made up this name, as far as I can tell, there is no name for this large region of the Shadowfell).
Around 30 years after the devils won the Blood War, a servitor to Tiamat known as Arkhan the Cruel travelled to the Elemental Plane of Air to retrieve the EYe of Vecna, which he discovered a local community of Aarakocra had gotten possession of through forgotten circumstances. He traded a fragment of the Rod of Seven Parts with the Aarakocra for the undeathly eye, and then left under the orders of Tiamat, travelling to the Elemental Chaos to prepare the plane as his lady's new home. During this time, for reasons unknown, Tiamat's plot to travel to the Elemental Chaos fell through, and Arkhan the Cruel perished with the old eye and hand attached to his corpse.
During the time following Arkhan's death, a chaotic Archomental named Jivelxer claimed the Hand of Vecna from the corpse of Arkhan. The whereabouts of the Eye of Vecna are currently unknown, and it is also unknown whether or not Arkhan's body had the eye when Jivelxer encountered his body. He added the item to his collection of trophies that he wore on his body. During the Second Dragon-Giant War, Jivelxer was summoned to the Material Plane by a dragon archmage, where it unleashed its total fury and destroyed many giants before it perished by the blade of a celestial. After this battle was over, when a goliath was raiding the corpses of the fallen creatures, it claimed the hand from the fallen Archomental's body, and left the battlefield. A Goblin Arcana Cleric slew the goliath on the road, and took the Hand from its corpse. This cleric was a female goblin priestess named Zilya Brightstring, a follower of the Yikare who then was corrupted by the hand's unholy powers, turning her into a follower of the fallen Lord Vecna.
She soon started a cult to her fallen master, gathering many followers, and began performing rites to the deity. Through years of dedicated service, increasing cultists, and massive rites of sacrificing humanoid bodies and souls to Vecna, they were able to resurrect their dead god in 234 FC (Following Catastrophe). After the casting of an Epic Spell to reincarnate their deity, the risen Vecna slew many of his cultists to consume their souls, reanimated their bodies into undead under his control, and left with the rest of his followers to the Shadowfell. Zilya Brightstring, now going by the title Saint Zilya Darkcord, became an undead power under the service of Vecna, similar to a lich, with cleric powers as well as arcane ones.
Vecna quickly amassed an army of undead, sorrowsworn, nothics, and his followers, which he used to assault the Raven Queen's Fortress of Memories, slaying many Shadar-Kai in the process. The Shadar-Kai and other servants of the Raven Queen were barely able to save their queen's palace, and they forced the remaining armies of the Undying King into the Underfell. After this battle, both Vecna and the Raven Queen began preparing for further battles.
Vecna took his followers, many unwilling humanoid residents of the Shadowfell, and combined them with his power over undead energies. This changed them into a new race of deathtouched humanoids known as the Vezyi, and most of them are devoted to Vecna. Their society is a magotheocracy, run by necroarcane priests, based on service to Vecna, and return back to life to serve their undead god.
Vecna now has built a fortress in the Underfell, known as the Bastion of Risen Powers, guarded by legions of heavily armed undead. Inside the keep reside him, his Council of Hallowed Death, and Saint Zilya Darkcord, all who work together to overthrow the Raven Queen. The only humanoids allowed inside the keep are Vezyi that have devoted lifetimes of service to Vecna, and any others who attempt to get in never get out. It is rumored that the heart of the bastion contains Vecna's phylactery.
Vezyi: These gray-skinned deathtouched humanoids, who are fairly new to the world of Tor-eal, are now a very populous race of Shadowfell dwellers. Run by priests of Vecna, known as Iremongers, their societies run on worshipping and serving their undead Lord Vecna. This race was created through the undeadly powers of Vecna, designed in both physicality and cultural structure to be the prime worshippers of the newly reborn god. Though Vecna has plenty of undead forces to fill his army, like any deity, he needs mortal followers to devote themselves to his worship in order to maintain power. The Vezyi (Vezye in singular form) have a magotheocracy, with the leaders of their settlements typically being Arcana Clerics that focus on necromantic magics. These priests are the Vezyi Iremongers, and they dwell in the center of their settlements, where the inverted necropolises that serve as the Vezyin temples reside. The Vezyi Iremongers are at the forefront of the Vezyin society, and they could not function as servants to Vecna without these priests.
Though Iremongers are key to the Vezyin settlements, they are not typically the leaders of their communities. The Vezyi have a democratic republic of sorts, all of which form a relatively complex system of appointing Iremongers. In nearly every settlement, the people of the Vezyin community vote for a champion that will lead their city, known as their Hand of Vecna. The Hand of Vecna will appoint 7 councilors, known as Keys, which must be confirmed into their seats by a vote by the residents of the Vezyin communities. The Hands of Vecna remain in power for 10 years, and the Keys have terms of 5 years. If during the time that a Hand is in power, if an Iremonger dies (there is most often only 2), and their death is permanent, the Keys will vote for a replacement. The Hand gets to approve or deny this replacement, but once the Iremonger is confirmed, they are in until they perish and have no pardons left.
When a Vezye is born, they are brought to an Iremonger, and receive a circular black mark on their left hand's pinky finger. When a Vezyi dies, if their body is recovered quickly enough, the Iremonger will restore them back to life, typically with a Raise Dead spell (Due to the Vezyi's extended time period for resurrection, the Raise Dead spell can be cast on them 100 days after their death). During the casting of the spell, the Iremonger bestows another similar mark on the finger to the left of the most recently marked finger (so, if this is their first restoration, their left ring finger's tip will recieve a mark, and so on). These restorations are called "pardons" and are integral to the Vezyin societies. If mutilated to the point where it is unclear how many pardons a perished Vezyi has left, Iremongers will often choose not to restore the dead back to life if foul play is suspected in any way.
Any Vezyi is allowed 9 pardons, granting them a total of 10 lives. Those who have used less pardons are typically more reckless in Vezyin societies, and are considered less experienced by those with more pardons used. The society has titles for those who have used any specific amount of pardons. A Vezye that has used all their pardons is not allowed to be revived by any Iremongers, but are not prevented from seeking out resurrection magic in other races, though it is normally considered taboo in their society. When a Vezye has used all 9 pardons, perishes, and their body is returned back to a Vezyin Necropolis, an Iremonger will reanimate them as a Zombie, Skeleton, or other undead, and will eventually release the undead into the Underfell, where it will wander until it becomes a member of Vecna's undead army.
The following lists the title of those who have used a specific amount of pardons:
Zero pardons used, Zon.
One pardon used, Ahnz.
Two pardons used, Tuek.
Three pardons used, Threz.
Four pardons used, Feik.
Five pardons used, Frahc.
Six pardons used, Sed.
Seven pardons used, Svoe.
Eight pardons used, Eht.
Nine pardons used, Tenith.
Ten pardons and beyond, Vulek.
No Iremonger is allowed to purposefully restore a Vezye back to life that has clearly used all their 10 lives, but mistakes happen. If a Vezye has lost their right hand or both, and it is not clear that they have any lives left, the only Iremongers allowed to restore them back to life are those who can restore their lost limbs once their life is restored. In such a case, the body is bound tightly before the Iremonger resurrects the Vezye and restores their lost limbs through a regenerate or resurrection spell, and they then analyze their amount of pardons left. If they discover that they should not have been revived, their life is not taken away, but they are given three circumpunct marks on their body. One on the palm of each hand, and one on the forehead of the Vezye. These marks are called the "Eyes of Vecna" and they are given just before the Vezye is cast out of the settlement forever.
Those who have the Eyes of Vecna marking their skin are known as the Vulek, and they are banished from reentering Vezyin society. Any Vezyi that slays a Vulek once they are banished, and brings back evidence of their death, are awarded by an Iremonger magically removing one mark from their fingers, therefore awarded another life. In the case that a particular Vulek becomes too much of a problem to allow enjoyment of their stolen life, the Iremonger that gave them their latest life will hire a Vezyin bounty hunter to track down the escaped Vezye, and bring back the cut off palms and skin of the forehead of the slain Vulek. The Iremonger will then animate both hands as crawling claws, and often keep the skin of the forehead as a prize. These bounty hunters are known as Palmbearers, and are honored by Vezyin culture, and feared by Vuleks across the Multiverse.
Though the Vezyin society is evil and venerates Vecna, Teniths often leave the society, free of any motivation to remain inside of the society. Vuleks are driven out of the society, literally chased by those trying to kill them, and barely ever return back to any Vezyin settlements. Most Vezyi adventurers are either sent on quests by Iremongers in the name of Vecna, or are Teniths or Vuleks that are no longer members of Vezyin society.
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Also, the layout of the 3 main planes is like this:
Material Plane, filled with diverse races and monsters. The Underdark is ruled by Duregair, and populated by their slaves as well. The oceans are dominated by the Krakens and Aboleths, with the humanoid race of the oceans being the Krakenspawn (simic hybrids).
Shadowfell, filled with humans, shadar-kai, sharbolg, nemrav, and is ruled by the Raven Queen. The Underfell is ruled by Vecna, and populated with sorrowsworn, nothics, legions of undead, and Vezyi. The oceans are ruled by sahuagin.
The Feywild, filled with Seelie Fey and the feyish races. It is populated by Eladrin, Centaurs, Satyrs, Changelings, and humans, and ruled by the Society of Radiance. The Feydark is ruled by Queen Umbra, and populated by Unseelie Fey, Shifters, the Umber, and Myconids, as well as other creatures. The oceans are inhabited by Merfolk, Nixies, and other watery fey creatures.
So both outlaws and 10 pardoned vezyi are called vulek?
The outlaws are the 10 pardoned vulek. You're only supposed to be allowed 9 pardons as a Vezyi, normally. If you're given 10, you become a Vulek, and are an outlaw. Vuleks are chased out of the city by their previous neighbors who are attempting to kill them.
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The flightless race of birdfolk, the Kenku, before the Catastrophe, were scattered across the world and broken. Forced to live without flight or free speech, they were cursed by an ancient master. No one seems to know, or at least be telling, who this original master was, but the Raven Queen was the prime suspect. Thrown out of their home plane and rid of their former glory, the kenku were pitied and despised by the races of the Material Plane.
Though the identity of their previous master is hidden, the race now serves the RAven Queen, possibly for the second time. This happened not because of a moment of forgiveness or compassion, but in a moment of desperation, for the Raven Queen foresaw her own demise at the hand of Vecna-serving unholy kenku if she did not accept them. With heavy casualties among her precious Shadar-Kai, the Raven Queen decided to embrace the Kenku and restore them to their former glory.
Now, the risen kenku have received their wings once more, and their voices were restored as well. Now, they had to form a societal structure inside the Shadowfell. Their settlements are known as Nests, and they are led by a Darkfeather, which is a magical follower of the Raven Mother, which is typically a Grave Cleric, Whispers Bard, or Warlock bound to the Raven Mother. They are occasionally Phantom Rogues or necromancy clerics, as well. The Darkfeathers serve their queen until their death, whereupon they are replaced by the second most powerful Darkfeather in the Nest. Larger cities have a Council of Voices which is appointed by the Darkfeathers, which will take care of the more minor issues.
Now, the kenku have abandoned their former crime-doing lives, and with that lifestyle lost, they adopted a new name: Nemrav. They are servitors tot he Raven Queen, which they call the Raven Mother or Matron of the Nests. Darkfeathers devote all resources to accomplishing the orders of the Raven Queen.
Here is the Nemrav race:
Nemrav Race Details
Before the Catastrophe, the kenku were a disgraced race of people. Rejected and cursed by their previous master, after Vecna's return, the Raven Queen accepted them. She restored their lost wings and voices, causing the race to accept her as their patron. Their society is now based around magical followers of the Raven Mother, called Darkfeathers.
From the Raven Mother they received a priceless gift; the ability to fly. With their rings restored, and the ability to freely speak, they quickly changed their names and culture. They dedicate themselves to the service of the Raven Mother, often becoming clerics and bards to her. They despise the Vezyi and Vecna's other followers, and attack them whenever given the chance. They also try to destroy incorporeal undead when possible, and typically dislike corporeal undead.
Your Nemrav character has the following racial traits.
Ability Score Increase.
Your Dexterity Score increases by 2 and any other ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Age.
Nemrav have shorter lifespans than humans. They reach maturity at about 12 years old and can live to 60.
Alignment.
As followers of the Raven Queen, nemrav typically lean towards lawful neutral, but may be any alignment.
Size.
Nemrav are around 5 feet tall and weigh between 90 and 120 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed.
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision.
You can see in dim light as if it were bright light, and darkness as if it were dim light, out to a range of 90 feet. While in darkness, you cannot discern colors, and instead see shades of gray.
Wings.
Your base flying speed is 30 feet.
Keen Talent.
Choose one skill, two artisan tools or two music instruments, or one of each. You gain proficiency in those that you choose.
Languages.
You can speak, read, write, and understand Common and Ravvick (the language of the Nemrav).
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Elves: What happens when your gods die and your heaven is destroyed? If a people knows that their creator and afterlife's paradise are gone, and that death will truly be the end of their souls, what happens to the race? How does that people deal with such a calamitous event? The elves of Tor-eal are an answer to this question, as that, briefly, was exactly what happened to them.
Before the Catastrophe's end, the elves of Toril were special. When the non-drow, non-shadar-kai races would die, they would return to the heavenly paradise of Arvandor, where they would reside for a time until they would stay until Corellon would return them to the Material Plane or Feywild in a new form. When an elf would enter their trance, they would see visions of their previous lives and time on Arvandor. This system all changed with the Catastrophe.
Unknown to most of the elves at the time, when the Catastrophe began, and the Drow were freed from Lolth's grasp, Corellon was able to reclaim the souls of the drow. Some of the drow that died during the 79 years of the Catastrophe were reincarnated as other elves or drow, and some of the elves that died during the Catastrophe were reborn as drow. For the first time in several millenia, some drow could see visios of previous lives in their trances. Unfortunately, this time period didn't last long.
When the gods sacrificed themselves to protect the Inner Planes, each god devoted part of their essence to create the magical barrier that bars travel and communication too and from the Inner Planes from the Outer Planes. Though most of the gods' energies were devoted to this act, most gods were able to devote part of their power to another purpose of their choice, and some groups of gods contributed to the same purpose. Mystra chose to devote power to reform magic, Gond chose to inspire his followers and artificers in Lantan, Bahamut chose to allow Chromatic Dragons and Metallic Dragons to be any alignment, and so on. Almost all of the Seldarine united in the act of reforming the soul cycles of the elves.
24 hours after the gods died, the elven soul cycle was reborn. The Seldarine chose a new system, revolving around the paradise of Evermeet. They took Evermeet, and turned it into a major demiplane of the Feywild. They made it only be accessible by the souls of half-elves and elves, where they would go after death. Now, after death, the soul of an elf will journey to Evermeet, where they will stay in paradise until they choose to leave the island. When they leave, they choose a subrace of elf that they will become in the next life. Within a year of their leaving Evermeet, they will be reborn as any individual elf, born from a pregnant elf of the same subrace as their choosing. When an elf enters into a trance, they see visions of their time in Evermeet. This process is known as Metesence, and all elf subraces, except for Shadar-Kai and Dhaer, undergo this cycle. The elven religion, culture, and subraces were devastated by this change at first, but it slowly became the new normal of the elven life cycle.
Though their souls were saved, the elves were still in trouble. The Dhaer were dominated by the Duergar, who discovered how to steal their souls and bind them into Soul Cubes, which they would use to keep the whole race under their control. The Shadar-Kai were also not members of the Metesent Cycle, as the Raven Queen had complete control of their souls. The elven race as a whole was shattered across the planes, each subrace dealing with their own individual crises, often relying on their neighbors for support instead of their elven cousins. The Eladrin were splintered into supporting different sides of the Faerie War, the Shadar-Kai were busy combating Vecna and his Vezyi servants, the Wood Elves were battling the Minotaurs with their fey, firbolg, and centaur companions, and the Sea Elves were being driven from the seas by the Sahuagin. During all of these disastrous events, if the whole of the elven race had been united and supporting each other, they would have been able to be united, instead of being fractured and furthering their diaspora.
When the elves failed to unite together during the fallout of the Catastrophe, it resulted in uncountable amounts of elven deaths. The price was too high for independence, but the elves still failed to unite. They are still scattered across the multiverse, with the various subraces still as diverse and unconnected as possible.
Dwarves: Like the elves, the dwarves experienced the deaths of their pantheon. However, the dwarven subraces were not as numerous and widespread as the elven subraces, and their societies were more resilient than the elven ones, so the outcome was not too intense for the dwarves. After the deaths of the dwarven pantheon and the end of the Catastrophe, the dwarven response was confusing. The dwarven gods had aided the dwarves in their fights against the Duergar during the Catastrophe, but the aid was not too necessary or extremely useful in the first place. When the Catastrophe ended, overall, the Dwarves were a bit relieved. Orcs and Goblinoids were no longer completely out to get them, but the goblins weren't super friendly, either. Chromatic Dragons weren't evil at default, but Metallic Dragons could be evil just as easily as Chromatic Dragons now. The Duergar lost their deities and devil servants, but they didn't take a significant enough blow to cripple their society, similar to the Dwarves. The changes were not completely bad or good for the Dwarves, they were just changes. A problem had developed, though. With the Duergar being able to take over the Underdark during the Catastrophe and enslave whole races of people, they were still strong and would still attack Dwarven Strongholds, who had weakened defenses after the Catastrophe. The Dwarves had to find solutions to the Duergar problem, and different groups of them found different resolutions to this issue.
The main group of Mountain Dwarves left their previous mines and strongholds that were subject to duergar raids, and went up to the surface, dwelling on the side of mountains. There, they would build strongholds on wheels, connected to the mines below, which they would disconnect from when they needed to escape from raiders. They would then roll down the mountain with their treasure and other supplies inside the rolling stronghold, and return back to their previous mine if the Duergar left, finding nearly no supplies to raid. This group of Mountain Dwarves focuses primarily on the art of artifice, and have designed traps in their rolling strongholds just in case a group of Duergar or other invaders were to somehow break inside. This group is still known as Mountain Dwarves, but they also have the nickname of "Cliffrollers". These dwarves are often Artificers, Transmutation Wizards, and many other types crafters and creators.
The second, smaller group of Mountain Dwarves also left their previous mines and strongholds, but left the Material Plane as well. They travelled to the Elemental Plane of Earth, near the volcanic vents of the Elemental Plane of Fire, which they would harness the heat of for their forges. They dwelled underground in stone-carved tunnels and decorated caverns. This group is not well-known outside of the Elemental Planes, and are even mostly hidden inside of the Elemental Planes. The dwelled near the new home of the Goliaths for centuries before they discovered each other. They are now known as Ertdwef, a twisted version of Earthdwarves, and their society revolves around mining. They are often Conjuration and Transmutation Wizards, Land Druids, and heavily armored warriors.
The Hill Dwarves took their own approach. The subrace instead decided to make an agreement with the Celestials. The Celestials helped guard their strongholds in exchange for the Hill Dwarves supplying them with weapons, armor, and other tools. This group, over the course of a millenia, mated with the Celestials and Aasimar who moved into their homes, and are now a taller, stronger race of celestial and dwarven heritage. They now venerate celestial power, the art of forging, and the brute strength of divine warriors. This new race of celestial-touched dwarves are known as the Kelderr, and are truly separate from the rest of the dwarves. They are now often Forge Clerics, Paladins, and Celestial Warlocks, other followers of the divine.
Throughout the various dwarfholds, clergy is less common then before, except among the Kelderr. Instead, arcane magic is no longer as taboo as it was before, and is accepted across the dwarven races. Artificers, Wizards, Eldritch Knights, and other casters of arcane powers are increasingly more common. Most of the Arcane casters focus around fire, which they use for forging weapons and armor, as forging is still an essential part of the dwarf culture. Though they are more accepting of most types of magic, among the Cliffrollers, Ertdwef, and Kelderr, psionics is mostly banned. Those who practice it are suspected of corresponding with the Duregair, and are often banished from their stronholds.
I’m not a Toril expert or anything but this is awesome! Props on you!
Honestly I think D&D 6E may have lore changes like this due to how they want a lot of races to not be seen as “evil” which I am good with. I just think the potential 6E changes may not be on this level.
Thanks. It's hard work, and taking a longer time than I thought it would.
I kind of built this because of those changes. People have been complaining for a long time about the Forgotten Realms, and I think something like this could help it be a bit more new and interesting. I'm sure in 6e these will not be similar to any possible changes made to the FR, but I did want to do this just as a thought experiment.
As you can see, most of the races that were almost universally evil in the Forgotten Realms are now different, and mostly more neutral. I. e. Gnolls are now their own people without any loss of control due to demonic beings, Orcs and Goblinoids losing their evil deities led to them remaking their cultures, free Drow becoming a good race of star worshippers.
Something that you may have noticed, not all the races are this way. There are a few races that are still mostly evil. Duergar, Dhaer, Yuan-Ti, Krakens. Most of these races that did not change enough to lose their evil nature was due to a few reasons, depending on the circumstances of the Catastrophe:
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Klörvak: After the end of the Second Dragon-Giant War, the giants had to abandon their previous societal structure. No longer allowed to kill a dragon unprovoked, they needed a new way to determine the worth of a member of the giant communities. Many of the giants were impressed by the power of the celestials, as they were able to best them in combat to force them to stop fighting the dragons. One of the commanders in the celestial forces was a female Archon of Falling Stars (known in this world as the Archons of Fallen Stars) named Paevtara. She was designated by the Council of Celestials to be in charge of watching over the giants and making sure they didn't do anything deemed illegal by the council. During the battles of the Second Dragon-Giant War, when both forces were forced to a stalemate by the celestials at the Battle of Forkloe, Paevtara slew many dragons and rocs atop her winged lion, Scair.
The giants were impressed, and humiliated. They were forced to surrender, but in their minds, it wasn't as bad as it could've been. They were bested not by the dragons, but by an outside force who proved herself to be a worthy fighter. Already unintentionally high-ranking in the giant society, Paevtara took advantage of this respect by asserting her dominance over the giants. They fought back, but in the end they prevailed, with supporters in the giant ranks already. She became the warlord leader of the new giant nation she founded, which became known as Klörvak (clue-rr-vahk). Now, the giants buried their dragon-bone weapons, draconic-scale armor, and other prizes of war, and turned around as a culture. She focused them on older topics that were previously not as important. They became engaged in rune-magic, fostered the construction of giantish libraries, and started a renaissance of a sorts. No longer endeavoring completely for brutish force, strength in combat, and hatred of dragons, she caused them to start looking at the world in a whole new way.
Taking multiple decades of transformation, Paevtara revolutionized the giantish society. She was still loyal to the Council of Celestials, and started pursuing a new goal. She convinced the Giants that the ocean had been taken from them, telling the Storm Giants that it was time to reclaim the homes of their fathers. With the newly structured society that was more focused on insight and production, Klörvak declared war on the Krakens and Aboleths. With help from their runic casters, crafters, and a new focus on ranged attacks (with gargantuan cannons, legions of bow and firearm-equipped giant warriors, and spellcasters) they seek to reclaim the oceans for the giants and other races.
As the war continues, the giants have mostly become a coastal-dwelling people. They often live fairly close to humanoid settlements, often trading huge agricultural products, refined metals, and lost knowledge for support in their war, entertainment, modern technologies, and other humanoid specific goods. The giants are a more calm people, enlightened and open to interaction with the smaller races. It was a bloody history leading up to their new society, but was an improvement in the eyes of the celestials.
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How were the Moonshae Isles effected. As an island nation I would imagine that the Aboleths would have more power there. It would be very isolated for a time until it was safe for ships to sail or air ships to be common. The Ffolk religion might survive due to the islands isolated nature and diuretic path of it. Their Capital city seem to be far enough from the water. Religions warfare might be how the Aboleths attack it. It has a contact with the under dark but due to the seas being unsafe they would be safe from the Duergar. That’s just my thoughts on it though
Mostly nocturnal
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Yeah, I'm not sure on that yet. I haven't gotten to how most of the regions would change yet, but I imagine that due to how they are islands, the Aboleths might try to take over them. I doubt that the Ffolk religion and culture would survive the death of the gods and a whole millennium of aboleths controlling the oceans. The Sahuagin would be an increasing problem, and they may have the help of some angels to guard their settlements.
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Is there any stat blocks for races? Are they going to be playable?
DM: Dragon of Icespire Peak PbP
Yes, I have developed some races for this world. There are links throughout the posts, but if you need help finding them, I can give you the links.
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Sorry, it's been awhile since the last update, this one took awhile. Here we go:
Seelie Court: Just after the Catastrophe occurred, with the death of all the gods, chaos ensued. Though the leaders of the Seelie and Unseelie Court are not seen as deities to many, they truly had divine status. Those who lived in the Outer Planes before the Catastrophe ended had to give up their lives to protect the Material Plane. Many of the deities were in their homes in the Outer Planes, or visiting the Outer Planes when the Catastrophe happened. The deities that were in the Outer Planes, and died, are as follows:
Those that were in the Feywild or other Inner Planes at the moment of the Catastrophe, and therefore survived, are the following few:
Of the 13 deities who at one point were or had been members of the Seelie Court, only two of the Inner Circle survived, and one of the Outer Circle survived. This shattered the structure of the Seelie Court, even though the two main leaders were left alive. Summer Queen Titania and The Green Lord Oberon were the only true gods that survived the Catastrophe in the Seelie Court. Not only did the Seelie Court lose the majority of its higher powers, it lost many of its allies with the deaths of Morwel, the Seldarine, Lurue, the Tulani, and nature deities from the Outer Planes.
Besides losing many of their members and allies, the Seelie Court also was weakened by the fact that none of their enemies were weakened. The Queen of Air and Darkness was not destroyed and neither was the Unseelie Court, Kannoth the Vampire Lord remained in power, and the Prince of Frost also was largely unaffected. Due to this weakening, the Seelie Court collapsed, the final blow being the war between the fey of the Material Plane and the Minotaurs. The triumph of the minotaurs glaringly showed that the Seelie Court's time had come, and it needed to be replaced. She then organized the Society of Radiance, which had the following members:
The Society of Radiance rules over all of the Seelie fey, and the player races of the plane normally serve the Society of Radiance in some way. The Satyrs are the partiers and bards of the Feywild, the Feybolg are the hidden pranksters and jesters of the plane, the Verdan are the lawyers and persuaders of the Feywild, the Eladrin are the most common warriors, the Centaurs are the nomadic traders, and the Sea Elves are the fishers and crafters of the Feywild.
Unseelie Court: Though the Queen of Air and Darkness's true lair was in the infernal plane of Pandemonium, when the Abyss was destroyed and the Blood War ended, she fled her home plane to return back to the Feywild, where she started a temporary war with her sister, the Summer Queen Titania. She dwelled in the Feydark for the 79 years until the rest of the gods were destroyed. During this time, she organized the Fomorians, Glouras, Quicklings, Annis Hags, and other dark fey, growing the size of her Unseelie Court. Titania was weakened due to her allies' involvement in the battles of the Catastrophe, her unwillingness to fight the Queen of Air and Darkness, and the dark queen's newfound allies. To gain even more power in the Feywild, the Queen of Air and Darkness turned to other dark archfey to empower the Unseelie Court even more. The Prince of Frost, Neifion, and Kannoth all joined the Unseelie Court, and their followers joined the ranks of the dark queen. This added Bhuer Hags, Fey Vampires, Lycanthropes, Myconids, Meenlocks, and other fey under her domains.
After the end of the Catastrophe, the Queen of Air and Darkness was empowered even more, with the Seelie Court being crippled from their losses, and their losing of the War of the Forests. Queen Titania commanded the fey to return to the Feywild, and decided to devote all her resources fighting one war, instead of split amongst two wars. It was too late for Titania to keep ahold of the Seelie Court, and so she had to create the Society of Radiance. During this time, the Queen of Air and Darkness had lost her increased power from the death of Auril, but her gained power from other sources caused this loss in power to be cancelled out. Over the centuries, the Queen of Air and Darkness's power grew, and she became the sole power in charge of the Feydark. This growth and change of her home plane caused another change, this one in the nature of the dark queen. She cast off her previous names and titles, and grew in status.
Her new name is the Dusk Queen Umbra, with the titles of; Lady of the Fell, Darkmaiden of Terrors, and the Mistress of Gloom. Though she is now a major goddess with power over the dark, but unlike the Raven Queen, she has no powers over the aspects of life and death. Instead, she rules over the dark emotions; anger, apathy, atrophy, fear, envy, and the like. She uses these powers manipulate mortals, waste away at joy and prosperity, and cause torment upon her enemies. She is the matriarch of the Gloam Council, which includes the following:
The Gloam Council meets in the deep city of Oagemfell, inhabited by the unseelie fey and other gloomed ones. The Feywild is now a biarchy of sorts, a land ruled by the dark emotions and extreme feelings. The Society of Radiancepromotes immediate action and bursting feelings, while the Gloam Council works to spread cynicism and mistrust.
Edit: Adding Happenstance, the leader of dopplegangers and changelings. I decided to add changelings, and am shunting them into the domain of fey.
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I like most of this, but I have a few questions/nitpicks.
1. Celestials are not stupid. Why did they make such a badly formed pact?
2. How did the Devils attack the upper planes? The pact outright forbade that.
3. How are the dragons doing? Is Tiamat guiding them?
4. Why are the Guardinals and Eladrin obeying the pact? They have no reason, and it is clearly causing more harm than it prevents.
Yes, that would be great!
Also, could I use this for my campaign?
DM: Dragon of Icespire Peak PbP
1. That is just the story the Celestials told the people of the Inner Planes. Whether or not it is the real version of the story is unknown. This leads to more questions; why are they hiding the truth, do they actually know the complete truth, did the devils actually do those events and so on?
2. In that version of the story (which there will be multiple versions of when I'm done), the Celestials broke the pact to attack the devils in Mechanus. The pact would have specified that no devil or general fiend can harm any celestial in any physical or mental manner, and vice versa, as well as not invading each others' territories. The Celestials broke the compact, which would allow the devils to break it as well.
3. The dragons are fine, other than having a huge war with the giants that lasted several years. In a future post, I will add more to their current culture, but they're currently doing fine. The metallic dragons aren't all good now, and the chromatic aren't all bad. They're all mostly neutral, with some fringe individuals. Tiamat cannot guide them, as she is cut off in the Outer Planes, and absolutely no communication with the Outer Planes through standard means are possible (by standard, I mean the typical ways of communication. Travel and communication to the Outer Planes from the Inner Planes or vice versa are not possible through the conventional means. Now, there are very, very, very few ways to do those two things, which I will list in a future post).
4. The pact story may or may not be entirely accurate, but the celestial Guardinals and celestial eladrin had to obey the pact, all fiends and celestials had to.
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That Yuan-ti Dreamscarrer seems crazy overpowered. Flight and magic resistance? Plus poison immunity and innate spellcasting?
A fool pulls the leaves. A brute chops the trunk. A sage digs the roots.
My Improved Lineage System
It's on the same scale as the Yuan-Ti Pureblood, but the wings are a huge boost as well. They are not intended to be a player race in most campaigns, and are more the answer of the questions "what happened to the yuan-ti purebloods?" question. The Pureblood race is OP in the first place, and I may get rid of the Magic Resistance just to make the flight a bit more balanced. I definitely want them to have the Innate Spellcasting as well as the wings due to lore reasons, but I am indifferent at best towards the Magic Resistance.
So, yes. I agree with you. They're crazy overpowered (but I assure you that I can find more broken homebrew player races) and are more just in the world due to lore reasons.
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Vecna: The Whispered One, Lord Vecna, God of Undying Secrets. All of these name before the Catastrophe would only be recognized by the most knowledgeable of sages and most devout clerics. Unfortunately for the Multiverse, times have changed. Now, nearly all omembers of the Inner Planes have come across the name at some point in their lives. The returned undead deity now haunts the dark underground caverns of the Shadowfell's Underdark, also known as the Underfell (I made up this name, as far as I can tell, there is no name for this large region of the Shadowfell).
Around 30 years after the devils won the Blood War, a servitor to Tiamat known as Arkhan the Cruel travelled to the Elemental Plane of Air to retrieve the EYe of Vecna, which he discovered a local community of Aarakocra had gotten possession of through forgotten circumstances. He traded a fragment of the Rod of Seven Parts with the Aarakocra for the undeathly eye, and then left under the orders of Tiamat, travelling to the Elemental Chaos to prepare the plane as his lady's new home. During this time, for reasons unknown, Tiamat's plot to travel to the Elemental Chaos fell through, and Arkhan the Cruel perished with the old eye and hand attached to his corpse.
During the time following Arkhan's death, a chaotic Archomental named Jivelxer claimed the Hand of Vecna from the corpse of Arkhan. The whereabouts of the Eye of Vecna are currently unknown, and it is also unknown whether or not Arkhan's body had the eye when Jivelxer encountered his body. He added the item to his collection of trophies that he wore on his body. During the Second Dragon-Giant War, Jivelxer was summoned to the Material Plane by a dragon archmage, where it unleashed its total fury and destroyed many giants before it perished by the blade of a celestial. After this battle was over, when a goliath was raiding the corpses of the fallen creatures, it claimed the hand from the fallen Archomental's body, and left the battlefield. A Goblin Arcana Cleric slew the goliath on the road, and took the Hand from its corpse. This cleric was a female goblin priestess named Zilya Brightstring, a follower of the Yikare who then was corrupted by the hand's unholy powers, turning her into a follower of the fallen Lord Vecna.
She soon started a cult to her fallen master, gathering many followers, and began performing rites to the deity. Through years of dedicated service, increasing cultists, and massive rites of sacrificing humanoid bodies and souls to Vecna, they were able to resurrect their dead god in 234 FC (Following Catastrophe). After the casting of an Epic Spell to reincarnate their deity, the risen Vecna slew many of his cultists to consume their souls, reanimated their bodies into undead under his control, and left with the rest of his followers to the Shadowfell. Zilya Brightstring, now going by the title Saint Zilya Darkcord, became an undead power under the service of Vecna, similar to a lich, with cleric powers as well as arcane ones.
Vecna quickly amassed an army of undead, sorrowsworn, nothics, and his followers, which he used to assault the Raven Queen's Fortress of Memories, slaying many Shadar-Kai in the process. The Shadar-Kai and other servants of the Raven Queen were barely able to save their queen's palace, and they forced the remaining armies of the Undying King into the Underfell. After this battle, both Vecna and the Raven Queen began preparing for further battles.
Vecna took his followers, many unwilling humanoid residents of the Shadowfell, and combined them with his power over undead energies. This changed them into a new race of deathtouched humanoids known as the Vezyi, and most of them are devoted to Vecna. Their society is a magotheocracy, run by necroarcane priests, based on service to Vecna, and return back to life to serve their undead god.
Vecna now has built a fortress in the Underfell, known as the Bastion of Risen Powers, guarded by legions of heavily armed undead. Inside the keep reside him, his Council of Hallowed Death, and Saint Zilya Darkcord, all who work together to overthrow the Raven Queen. The only humanoids allowed inside the keep are Vezyi that have devoted lifetimes of service to Vecna, and any others who attempt to get in never get out. It is rumored that the heart of the bastion contains Vecna's phylactery.
Vezyi: These gray-skinned deathtouched humanoids, who are fairly new to the world of Tor-eal, are now a very populous race of Shadowfell dwellers. Run by priests of Vecna, known as Iremongers, their societies run on worshipping and serving their undead Lord Vecna. This race was created through the undeadly powers of Vecna, designed in both physicality and cultural structure to be the prime worshippers of the newly reborn god. Though Vecna has plenty of undead forces to fill his army, like any deity, he needs mortal followers to devote themselves to his worship in order to maintain power. The Vezyi (Vezye in singular form) have a magotheocracy, with the leaders of their settlements typically being Arcana Clerics that focus on necromantic magics. These priests are the Vezyi Iremongers, and they dwell in the center of their settlements, where the inverted necropolises that serve as the Vezyin temples reside. The Vezyi Iremongers are at the forefront of the Vezyin society, and they could not function as servants to Vecna without these priests.
Though Iremongers are key to the Vezyin settlements, they are not typically the leaders of their communities. The Vezyi have a democratic republic of sorts, all of which form a relatively complex system of appointing Iremongers. In nearly every settlement, the people of the Vezyin community vote for a champion that will lead their city, known as their Hand of Vecna. The Hand of Vecna will appoint 7 councilors, known as Keys, which must be confirmed into their seats by a vote by the residents of the Vezyin communities. The Hands of Vecna remain in power for 10 years, and the Keys have terms of 5 years. If during the time that a Hand is in power, if an Iremonger dies (there is most often only 2), and their death is permanent, the Keys will vote for a replacement. The Hand gets to approve or deny this replacement, but once the Iremonger is confirmed, they are in until they perish and have no pardons left.
When a Vezye is born, they are brought to an Iremonger, and receive a circular black mark on their left hand's pinky finger. When a Vezyi dies, if their body is recovered quickly enough, the Iremonger will restore them back to life, typically with a Raise Dead spell (Due to the Vezyi's extended time period for resurrection, the Raise Dead spell can be cast on them 100 days after their death). During the casting of the spell, the Iremonger bestows another similar mark on the finger to the left of the most recently marked finger (so, if this is their first restoration, their left ring finger's tip will recieve a mark, and so on). These restorations are called "pardons" and are integral to the Vezyin societies. If mutilated to the point where it is unclear how many pardons a perished Vezyi has left, Iremongers will often choose not to restore the dead back to life if foul play is suspected in any way.
Any Vezyi is allowed 9 pardons, granting them a total of 10 lives. Those who have used less pardons are typically more reckless in Vezyin societies, and are considered less experienced by those with more pardons used. The society has titles for those who have used any specific amount of pardons. A Vezye that has used all their pardons is not allowed to be revived by any Iremongers, but are not prevented from seeking out resurrection magic in other races, though it is normally considered taboo in their society. When a Vezye has used all 9 pardons, perishes, and their body is returned back to a Vezyin Necropolis, an Iremonger will reanimate them as a Zombie, Skeleton, or other undead, and will eventually release the undead into the Underfell, where it will wander until it becomes a member of Vecna's undead army.
The following lists the title of those who have used a specific amount of pardons:
No Iremonger is allowed to purposefully restore a Vezye back to life that has clearly used all their 10 lives, but mistakes happen. If a Vezye has lost their right hand or both, and it is not clear that they have any lives left, the only Iremongers allowed to restore them back to life are those who can restore their lost limbs once their life is restored. In such a case, the body is bound tightly before the Iremonger resurrects the Vezye and restores their lost limbs through a regenerate or resurrection spell, and they then analyze their amount of pardons left. If they discover that they should not have been revived, their life is not taken away, but they are given three circumpunct marks on their body. One on the palm of each hand, and one on the forehead of the Vezye. These marks are called the "Eyes of Vecna" and they are given just before the Vezye is cast out of the settlement forever.
Those who have the Eyes of Vecna marking their skin are known as the Vulek, and they are banished from reentering Vezyin society. Any Vezyi that slays a Vulek once they are banished, and brings back evidence of their death, are awarded by an Iremonger magically removing one mark from their fingers, therefore awarded another life. In the case that a particular Vulek becomes too much of a problem to allow enjoyment of their stolen life, the Iremonger that gave them their latest life will hire a Vezyin bounty hunter to track down the escaped Vezye, and bring back the cut off palms and skin of the forehead of the slain Vulek. The Iremonger will then animate both hands as crawling claws, and often keep the skin of the forehead as a prize. These bounty hunters are known as Palmbearers, and are honored by Vezyin culture, and feared by Vuleks across the Multiverse.
Though the Vezyin society is evil and venerates Vecna, Teniths often leave the society, free of any motivation to remain inside of the society. Vuleks are driven out of the society, literally chased by those trying to kill them, and barely ever return back to any Vezyin settlements. Most Vezyi adventurers are either sent on quests by Iremongers in the name of Vecna, or are Teniths or Vuleks that are no longer members of Vezyin society.
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Okay, here's the Vezyi race.
Also, the layout of the 3 main planes is like this:
Material Plane, filled with diverse races and monsters. The Underdark is ruled by Duregair, and populated by their slaves as well. The oceans are dominated by the Krakens and Aboleths, with the humanoid race of the oceans being the Krakenspawn (simic hybrids).
Shadowfell, filled with humans, shadar-kai, sharbolg, nemrav, and is ruled by the Raven Queen. The Underfell is ruled by Vecna, and populated with sorrowsworn, nothics, legions of undead, and Vezyi. The oceans are ruled by sahuagin.
The Feywild, filled with Seelie Fey and the feyish races. It is populated by Eladrin, Centaurs, Satyrs, Changelings, and humans, and ruled by the Society of Radiance. The Feydark is ruled by Queen Umbra, and populated by Unseelie Fey, Shifters, the Umber, and Myconids, as well as other creatures. The oceans are inhabited by Merfolk, Nixies, and other watery fey creatures.
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So both outlaws and 10 pardoned vezyi are called vulek?
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The outlaws are the 10 pardoned vulek. You're only supposed to be allowed 9 pardons as a Vezyi, normally. If you're given 10, you become a Vulek, and are an outlaw. Vuleks are chased out of the city by their previous neighbors who are attempting to kill them.
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The flightless race of birdfolk, the Kenku, before the Catastrophe, were scattered across the world and broken. Forced to live without flight or free speech, they were cursed by an ancient master. No one seems to know, or at least be telling, who this original master was, but the Raven Queen was the prime suspect. Thrown out of their home plane and rid of their former glory, the kenku were pitied and despised by the races of the Material Plane.
Though the identity of their previous master is hidden, the race now serves the RAven Queen, possibly for the second time. This happened not because of a moment of forgiveness or compassion, but in a moment of desperation, for the Raven Queen foresaw her own demise at the hand of Vecna-serving unholy kenku if she did not accept them. With heavy casualties among her precious Shadar-Kai, the Raven Queen decided to embrace the Kenku and restore them to their former glory.
Now, the risen kenku have received their wings once more, and their voices were restored as well. Now, they had to form a societal structure inside the Shadowfell. Their settlements are known as Nests, and they are led by a Darkfeather, which is a magical follower of the Raven Mother, which is typically a Grave Cleric, Whispers Bard, or Warlock bound to the Raven Mother. They are occasionally Phantom Rogues or necromancy clerics, as well. The Darkfeathers serve their queen until their death, whereupon they are replaced by the second most powerful Darkfeather in the Nest. Larger cities have a Council of Voices which is appointed by the Darkfeathers, which will take care of the more minor issues.
Now, the kenku have abandoned their former crime-doing lives, and with that lifestyle lost, they adopted a new name: Nemrav. They are servitors tot he Raven Queen, which they call the Raven Mother or Matron of the Nests. Darkfeathers devote all resources to accomplishing the orders of the Raven Queen.
Here is the Nemrav race:
Nemrav Race Details
Before the Catastrophe, the kenku were a disgraced race of people. Rejected and cursed by their previous master, after Vecna's return, the Raven Queen accepted them. She restored their lost wings and voices, causing the race to accept her as their patron. Their society is now based around magical followers of the Raven Mother, called Darkfeathers.
From the Raven Mother they received a priceless gift; the ability to fly. With their rings restored, and the ability to freely speak, they quickly changed their names and culture. They dedicate themselves to the service of the Raven Mother, often becoming clerics and bards to her. They despise the Vezyi and Vecna's other followers, and attack them whenever given the chance. They also try to destroy incorporeal undead when possible, and typically dislike corporeal undead.
Nemrav Names:
Female Names: Area, Ayakeh, Bulinca, Cureena, Deloora, Eulera, Foolihna, Guilahreva, Huisona, Iilara, Keerua, Laefora, Norasoveh, Ovfarae, Puuleva, Qiltora, Rosina, Suolita, Ufera, Wileera, Zoekella
Male Names: Areekay, Azuko, Baheeran, Coelenor, Dovehrin, Forehzik, Gowielar, Hihzen, Ivtar, Jillareen, Loorenth, Movinthehr, Nork, Pwellin, Queel, Roarthin, Twileevohr, Volinehron, Welcooteth, Xeelenth, Zelconeir
Surnames: Airdark, Birdfeather, Cyreek, Duskcrow, Earhaunt, Flaonte, Goventoth, Highhover, Icetongue, Jokivanth, Killdeath, Longwing, Moonfeather, Nearblight, Ovalegg, Pearleye, Quillfeather, Righttalon, Silentflight, Trillscreecher, Uvarath, Vilewraith, Wailcaller, Zithmar
Nemrav Traits
Your Nemrav character has the following racial traits.
Ability Score Increase.
Your Dexterity Score increases by 2 and any other ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Age.
Nemrav have shorter lifespans than humans. They reach maturity at about 12 years old and can live to 60.
Alignment.
As followers of the Raven Queen, nemrav typically lean towards lawful neutral, but may be any alignment.
Size.
Nemrav are around 5 feet tall and weigh between 90 and 120 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed.
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision.
You can see in dim light as if it were bright light, and darkness as if it were dim light, out to a range of 90 feet. While in darkness, you cannot discern colors, and instead see shades of gray.
Wings.
Your base flying speed is 30 feet.
Keen Talent.
Choose one skill, two artisan tools or two music instruments, or one of each. You gain proficiency in those that you choose.
Languages.
You can speak, read, write, and understand Common and Ravvick (the language of the Nemrav).
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Here's a bit more lore:
Before the Catastrophe's end, the elves of Toril were special. When the non-drow, non-shadar-kai races would die, they would return to the heavenly paradise of Arvandor, where they would reside for a time until they would stay until Corellon would return them to the Material Plane or Feywild in a new form. When an elf would enter their trance, they would see visions of their previous lives and time on Arvandor. This system all changed with the Catastrophe.
Unknown to most of the elves at the time, when the Catastrophe began, and the Drow were freed from Lolth's grasp, Corellon was able to reclaim the souls of the drow. Some of the drow that died during the 79 years of the Catastrophe were reincarnated as other elves or drow, and some of the elves that died during the Catastrophe were reborn as drow. For the first time in several millenia, some drow could see visios of previous lives in their trances. Unfortunately, this time period didn't last long.
When the gods sacrificed themselves to protect the Inner Planes, each god devoted part of their essence to create the magical barrier that bars travel and communication too and from the Inner Planes from the Outer Planes. Though most of the gods' energies were devoted to this act, most gods were able to devote part of their power to another purpose of their choice, and some groups of gods contributed to the same purpose. Mystra chose to devote power to reform magic, Gond chose to inspire his followers and artificers in Lantan, Bahamut chose to allow Chromatic Dragons and Metallic Dragons to be any alignment, and so on. Almost all of the Seldarine united in the act of reforming the soul cycles of the elves.
24 hours after the gods died, the elven soul cycle was reborn. The Seldarine chose a new system, revolving around the paradise of Evermeet. They took Evermeet, and turned it into a major demiplane of the Feywild. They made it only be accessible by the souls of half-elves and elves, where they would go after death. Now, after death, the soul of an elf will journey to Evermeet, where they will stay in paradise until they choose to leave the island. When they leave, they choose a subrace of elf that they will become in the next life. Within a year of their leaving Evermeet, they will be reborn as any individual elf, born from a pregnant elf of the same subrace as their choosing. When an elf enters into a trance, they see visions of their time in Evermeet. This process is known as Metesence, and all elf subraces, except for Shadar-Kai and Dhaer, undergo this cycle. The elven religion, culture, and subraces were devastated by this change at first, but it slowly became the new normal of the elven life cycle.
Though their souls were saved, the elves were still in trouble. The Dhaer were dominated by the Duergar, who discovered how to steal their souls and bind them into Soul Cubes, which they would use to keep the whole race under their control. The Shadar-Kai were also not members of the Metesent Cycle, as the Raven Queen had complete control of their souls. The elven race as a whole was shattered across the planes, each subrace dealing with their own individual crises, often relying on their neighbors for support instead of their elven cousins. The Eladrin were splintered into supporting different sides of the Faerie War, the Shadar-Kai were busy combating Vecna and his Vezyi servants, the Wood Elves were battling the Minotaurs with their fey, firbolg, and centaur companions, and the Sea Elves were being driven from the seas by the Sahuagin. During all of these disastrous events, if the whole of the elven race had been united and supporting each other, they would have been able to be united, instead of being fractured and furthering their diaspora.
When the elves failed to unite together during the fallout of the Catastrophe, it resulted in uncountable amounts of elven deaths. The price was too high for independence, but the elves still failed to unite. They are still scattered across the multiverse, with the various subraces still as diverse and unconnected as possible.
Dwarves: Like the elves, the dwarves experienced the deaths of their pantheon. However, the dwarven subraces were not as numerous and widespread as the elven subraces, and their societies were more resilient than the elven ones, so the outcome was not too intense for the dwarves. After the deaths of the dwarven pantheon and the end of the Catastrophe, the dwarven response was confusing. The dwarven gods had aided the dwarves in their fights against the Duergar during the Catastrophe, but the aid was not too necessary or extremely useful in the first place. When the Catastrophe ended, overall, the Dwarves were a bit relieved. Orcs and Goblinoids were no longer completely out to get them, but the goblins weren't super friendly, either. Chromatic Dragons weren't evil at default, but Metallic Dragons could be evil just as easily as Chromatic Dragons now. The Duergar lost their deities and devil servants, but they didn't take a significant enough blow to cripple their society, similar to the Dwarves. The changes were not completely bad or good for the Dwarves, they were just changes. A problem had developed, though. With the Duergar being able to take over the Underdark during the Catastrophe and enslave whole races of people, they were still strong and would still attack Dwarven Strongholds, who had weakened defenses after the Catastrophe. The Dwarves had to find solutions to the Duergar problem, and different groups of them found different resolutions to this issue.
The main group of Mountain Dwarves left their previous mines and strongholds that were subject to duergar raids, and went up to the surface, dwelling on the side of mountains. There, they would build strongholds on wheels, connected to the mines below, which they would disconnect from when they needed to escape from raiders. They would then roll down the mountain with their treasure and other supplies inside the rolling stronghold, and return back to their previous mine if the Duergar left, finding nearly no supplies to raid. This group of Mountain Dwarves focuses primarily on the art of artifice, and have designed traps in their rolling strongholds just in case a group of Duergar or other invaders were to somehow break inside. This group is still known as Mountain Dwarves, but they also have the nickname of "Cliffrollers". These dwarves are often Artificers, Transmutation Wizards, and many other types crafters and creators.
The second, smaller group of Mountain Dwarves also left their previous mines and strongholds, but left the Material Plane as well. They travelled to the Elemental Plane of Earth, near the volcanic vents of the Elemental Plane of Fire, which they would harness the heat of for their forges. They dwelled underground in stone-carved tunnels and decorated caverns. This group is not well-known outside of the Elemental Planes, and are even mostly hidden inside of the Elemental Planes. The dwelled near the new home of the Goliaths for centuries before they discovered each other. They are now known as Ertdwef, a twisted version of Earthdwarves, and their society revolves around mining. They are often Conjuration and Transmutation Wizards, Land Druids, and heavily armored warriors.
The Hill Dwarves took their own approach. The subrace instead decided to make an agreement with the Celestials. The Celestials helped guard their strongholds in exchange for the Hill Dwarves supplying them with weapons, armor, and other tools. This group, over the course of a millenia, mated with the Celestials and Aasimar who moved into their homes, and are now a taller, stronger race of celestial and dwarven heritage. They now venerate celestial power, the art of forging, and the brute strength of divine warriors. This new race of celestial-touched dwarves are known as the Kelderr, and are truly separate from the rest of the dwarves. They are now often Forge Clerics, Paladins, and Celestial Warlocks, other followers of the divine.
Throughout the various dwarfholds, clergy is less common then before, except among the Kelderr. Instead, arcane magic is no longer as taboo as it was before, and is accepted across the dwarven races. Artificers, Wizards, Eldritch Knights, and other casters of arcane powers are increasingly more common. Most of the Arcane casters focus around fire, which they use for forging weapons and armor, as forging is still an essential part of the dwarf culture. Though they are more accepting of most types of magic, among the Cliffrollers, Ertdwef, and Kelderr, psionics is mostly banned. Those who practice it are suspected of corresponding with the Duregair, and are often banished from their stronholds.
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Awesome!
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