More D&D stuff! This is a continuation of this blog with additional details about the world in which we played.
The layout of the Ivory Gardens was not inspired by a ship from Star Trek.
A couple of notes on the Ivory Gardens:
The Ivory Gardens is the center of magical research on the continent for a reason. The layout of the streets are shaped to form a rune, which is part of a larger working. (Although the majority of the population is not aware of this. In fact, even the high-ranking wizards don't know. It's a secret kept by the living Saint and a very few others.) The rune has the side effect of seemingly enhancing the properties of magical spells and items while inside of the city's borders. This is, however, a two-way street—the presence of magic allows the rune to continue functioning, although the function itself is also a secret known to only a few.
The living Saint resided in the palace in the middle of the city. She won the palace (and, nominally, her leadership) in a bet: she was challenged to lift the palace over her head, which she did. Afterward she kept the palace floating one inch from the ground as a show of power; the Saint's personal chambers float above the palace itself.
When the Saint disappeared, the palace lowered gently to the ground. Her living chambers, however, remained afloat, leading to speculation that she was not as far away as some suggested.
[02] Races
This world was put together while we were playing 2nd edition, so the population of the continent was pretty standard. It's a mostly human land, with centralized populations of the rest. Elves in the forests of western Yith Kara, dwarves in the mountain range of East Spire (with the mandatory tunnels sprawling the entire continent), gnomes on some distant continent that nobody had ever heard of, halflings and bard all killed in an ancient god-created plague, etc. More recent playable races are therefore fairly new to the land, and still a bit exotic to the citizens who have been living here the whole time. If anybody is playing what used to be a non-traditional race, depending on back-story, they can be second generation immigrants, a hidden nation that just recently revealed itself to the world, travelers from afar, magical experiments that broke free from their creators, whatever. If you want to come from an established line, it's probably going to be from a place that most inhabitants of this particular continent have never heard of. We can work out whatever is best for you.
[04] Notable Organizations
Just a few notes on some of the more public orders, guilds, organizations, etc. Additional organizations can be created to fit your background, but these are a few of the commonly known groups.
Knights of East Spire (Order of the Raven): This is the secular order of knights founded in East Spire. All about honor and duty and so on—mainly a warrior order with very little arcane or divine influence. They rely on the Order of the Holy Spire to handle the majority of any supernatural threats that may afflict their nation.
Knights of Cyr-Myth (Order of the Holy Spire): This is the religious knighthood founded in Cyr-Myth. This is where most of the paladins and battle-priests are trained; the order is not as martial as the Order of the Raven, but much more capable when it comes to hunting paranormal monsters. It is not devoted to a single deity—followers of all Saints (except maybe the Lord of Chaos) fill the ranks, and conflict between them is kept to a minimum out of respect for the Queen, who acts as a priestess to all gods. Dedication to the Queen, and through her the various Saints, is paramount in the Order.
Yith Kara military: Technologically advanced (although low-tech by the standards of a fantasy world setting), constantly on deploy, and trained from birth to be ready for anything, any individual in the Yith Kara military has probably seen more action that most low level adventurers. Discipline is high even when morale is low; Yith Kara has survived too many hopeless wars due to its tenacity to deny the effectiveness of order in the chaos. Most of the troops are deployed to the south, guarding the taur border, but many others have been to faraway and exotic lands, where they probably killed a bunch of people/monsters. The army is low on magic users, but the wizards and clerics that it does have are highly trained.
Camp Diego: Located in Cyr-Myth, Camp Diego is almost a sovereign city in its own right. Camp Diego trains and hires out highly skilled mercenaries, practiced in combat, magic, espionage, and any other skill you can come up with. It generally only accepts above-board contracts and has, from time to time, withdrawn from conflicts for moral or political reasons. Normally it hires out small squads of specialists that can handle any job, but it accepts individual contracts as well.
Now sort of in color!
Various priesthoods: As expected, there are plenty of orders representing the Saints and their various natures. As mentioned earlier, alignments and agendas vary widely between the orders—even those dedicated to the same Saint and nature. There are several predominant orders, though, that hold sway about how you would expect—a medical order devoted to Pelona the Healer, a death cult in awe of Martin the Deathbringer, a fighters organization dedicated to Kain the Warlord. Nothing obviously shocking (although some of the smaller, more secret orders may have a few interesting things to contribute).
Deep Earth Coalition: The smugglers guild of Midus. Hard to find, impossible to prove, this organization supposedly exists in any city big enough to rub two gold pieces together. They operate out of Midus, but also have a large presence in the Silver Lands; if you want it, they can get it. If you can't afford it, well, they accept payment plans, and not always in just gold.
Sorcerer's Refuge: When 3rd edition came out and sorcerers were introduced, the existing practitioners of magic took a poor view of this new rising power. Sorcerer discrimination was brutal, as the well-established wizards put their collective foot down hard on any untrained talent with too much power. Many sorcerers simply left civilization to find peace elsewhere...and enough of them gathered together to form their own small haven. Nobody knows where Sorcerer's Refuge is, but it's rumored to have grown beyond a place merely for sorcerers, becoming a safe-hold for any creature with otherworldly power that does not fit into its own society.
Hand of the Lake: A group of so-called heroes that aspire to glory and renown. Often mistaken for a traveling drama troupe, the Hand of the Lake is actually extremely well trained and effective, matching Camp Diego agents for skill and accomplishment. Much of the effect is lost, however, as they perform their feats with so much affected drama and grand-standing that practically no other organization takes them seriously...usually to their detriment.
Clan of the Setting Sun: A roaming band of nomadic monks, masters of a fierce unarmed fighting style that is contrary to an otherwise serene demeanor. The Clan of the Setting Sun travels the border of the Silver Lands, constantly on the lookout for...something, which they refuse to discuss. Occasionally one will leave the order to live amongst the rest of the world, either in training or on some inscrutable mission. They never stay away from the desert for long, though, unless on the most dire of missions.