Basidium

Basidium is a continent in the world of Torzine. Torzine and Basidium have been ravaged in its recent ages and, in the last 10,000 years, significant world events have taken place.     Most commoners are aware that the world was a much more prosperous and peaceful environment prior to the events over the last 10 millennia. The ancient world then had great works of machinery mixed with incredible feats of magic that made travelling continents with minimal effort and time commonplace through inventions such as airships and ground vehicles could be made to move without indentured animal or humanoid labour. However, the great empires of that age have long since perished and with them the technology and some of the magics. Most common folk know that a plague named ‘The Awakening’ swept the land around 10,000 years ago resulting in famine and wars thereby reducing civilisation of the time to an iron age equivalent that has persisted ever since. More importantly, ‘The Awakening’ brought about new forms of plant, animal life and humanoid species.   After ‘The Awakening’, new kingdoms formed, even some purely along racial lines but the knowledge of scientific machinery was lost and no longer understood even when relics of knowledge and understanding are stumbled upon by explorers and adventurers. In addition, magic had become suppressed for a time out of fear but not completely lost to the ages. The ‘age of recovery’ began around 5,000 years ago, but disputes, such as coveting of resources, lent itself to further wars between nations and kingdoms.   Then another great cataclysm befell the land and continent once known as ‘Forlorn’. The ‘Breaking’ shattered the original continent of ‘Forlorn’ dividing it into 3 large continental sections including that which is now known as ‘Basidium’. The reasons for this event’s occurrence have either never been known or lost to the annals of time. Once again, kingdoms rose through warlords and conquest and, unexpectedly, magic use greatly increased becoming more commonplace than in the prior 4,000 years. Further, certain kingdoms of Basidium fell and their lands became mostly uninhabitable. The nations of Coradin, Stoldime and Falshia became eventually known as Auld-Coradin, Nightcrown and Darkveil respectively while other nations migrated their people away from the great rupture in the earth known as the ‘Wound’ formed by the ‘Breaking’.   As weariness from wars and conflicts grew, the ‘Treaty of Celeste’ was signed between the majority great kingdoms amongst the 3 separated isles to restore trade, partially restoring order and aligning borders between individual nations. In addition, a great council of nations was formed to adjudicate disputes between these nations and acted as the uppermost authority for resolving legal, trade or military conflicts.   Nearly 500 years of peace ensued, but then the event known as ‘Convergence of the Heavens’ (better known as ‘Coth’ for short) took place resulting in the formation of a second moon (‘The Light Moon’). This event resulted in an increase in the frequency of earthquakes over the next 1,000 years, a permanent material change to tidal patterns and a visible change to the evening sky. More importantly, for 14 days increased intensity of moon light during both day and night exists due to the new celestial body and darkness is now subdued to levels equivalent to dusk. The next 14 days are more like those prior to the Coth where normal hours of sunlight and darkness exist; however, tides can be as severe as 400 feet in places resulting in flooding to various port cities and villages along along the coast. People still operate in normal patterns of sleep, but it disadvantages those races with darkvision on the surface during the 4 days when the light reflected is at its most intense.   Key calamities that have unfolded on the land are common knowledge; however, few but the more erudite individuals and rulers of nation understand some of the reasons behind how and why these changes have occurred or been brought about by certain groups.   Your character now enters an age in which commoners have been accustomed to these conditions for the last 1,300 years and the world is now known as ‘Torzine’. Although the most common form of government remains hereditary entitlement with a noble class system, there is no standard form of government and various forms of belief systems, churches, and temples are openly tolerated in most lands.   A wide variety of races inhabit these nations and its unlikely many will bat an eye at a different form of humanoid given the regular sight of, and sheer variety of, races. Although prejudices can exist in certain lands, most races are tolerated. However, some races are considered less friendly to the rest: amongst them drow, orcs, goblins, yuanti, duruegar, hobgoblins, and bugbears would not necessarily be welcomed with open arms in most civilisations though there are known exceptions to the rule.   There are many deities in the world. Some are aligned in racial pantheons; however, gods have risen and fallen. Gods are generally observant and do not directly act on the planes of existence. Gods do typically draw to themselves forms of clergies from which their missives can be directed. The greater the following and regularity of worship, typically the greater strength of the God.   Welcome and good luck in the land of Basidium!