Widely Available Lore

The following article details major (and a couple of minor) events that have taken place since the beginning of this campaign.

Noteworthy Locations

Isteria

Isteria is a rather small world with a circumference of roughly 10,000 kilometres (roughly 4x smaller than Earth) and is largely divided into two halves. The western continents (The Old World) are rather advanced in comparison to the eastern continents (The New World). Finally, there is a small continent in the far south that remains independent. In the past few decades, the nations of the Old World have begun to colonise the Eastern Continent.
This world is defined by the extremely thin membrane between the material plane and the other planes of existence. Different places on the globe are connected do different inner or outer planes, with some regions experiencing the turmoil of several planes clashing at once. Besides the obvious ways of plane shifting and whatnot, rifts between planes are formed constantly for various reasons, leaving the material plane prone to influence from outer planes. Different regions in the world have their own plane that they are closely connected to. Omea, for example, is closely connected to the plane of Limbo. These connections do not just allow for creatures to move between planes relatively freely (if they have the know how), they also cause corruption and mutation, leading to dangerous afflictions and creatures with unnatural traits such as the Feytouched Zookspie (A flying mouse) or many of the planet's six limbed animals.
The origins of this thin membrane are traced back to the great clash, when the Prime Material plane as we know it clashed with that of an alternate universe, bringing with it not only the ever thinning membrane between planes, but also new continents and a variety of formerly unknown species such as the dragonborn.

Illish

Most players originate from Illish, a sprawling nation in the Old World known for its temperate climate and tall, frigid mountain peaks. Their sigil is a silver, six legged horse on a black field surrounded by silver stars. (See: Illish Warhorse)

Ozor

Illish has a relatively small ground army, but is in possession of an excellent naval force. They have a colony in the southern regions of the Red Sands, a massive desert in the continent of Ozor. This settlement, named Aramoor, is the last stop the Illish ships make before setting sail for Carracosta.

Carracosta

Carracosta is a ‘newly’ discovered Island in the eastern sea. Somewhere last year, a large settlement effort was sent out by the Illish to lay claim to this island. It is the central focus point of the campaign Taming Carracosta; the second expedition and your new home.

A Brief History of Violence

Early last year, the first group of adventurers were sent off to Carracosta. Their pockets lined with nothing but promises of good pay and many of head filled with illusions of grandeur, our first settlers arrived on the shores of the eastern bay area. Ships attempting to approach the island from any other direction mysteriously vanish and ninety percent of the island is surrounded in tall, unforgiving cliffs, forcing us to settle in the coastal bay.
Being the last hope of claiming this potentially valuable land proves to be a task that is not easily accomplished. Aside from a set of three 'leaders' selected by the Illish government; an elf priestess of Chauntea named Sune, a paladin known to many only as "The Captain" and a scribe by the name of Sully are the only protection and guidance these people receive. A handful of commoners have travelled along in this first wave in the hopes of starting a new life.
The first task at hand is setting up a base camp. On the shores, the skeleton of an old settlement is found with nothing but an intact tavern remaining. By breaking down their ship, the party does not only manage to build the first camp, they also reaffirm that the only way is forward now.

The beach is a relatively safe place to live, but danger lurks everywhere for relatively inexperienced adventurers. Many fall in their first quests to obtain food, livestock and wood to get the colony on its feet. Strange things keep happening around the colony; one day it rains worms, another day all the plants turn white and yet another time an earth elemental bursts through the tavern only to grab a singular rat before leaving. It is quickly discovered that amidst the adventurers, there are a lot of sorcerers who possess raw magical power. The use of their magic causes a surge of wild magic that will prove to put the settlement in danger many of times.

The very first emergency quest takes place not long after this, as a portal to the elemental plane of water is opened in the well and a hydra bursts out. The three leaders, Sune, Sully and the Captain, fight it off while the adventurers hold back wave after wave of sahaguin and elementals.

Within the first few weeks, a logging camp is set up and the first resources begin to come into the camp. A large wyvern has been spotted over the forest, leading many of people to become nervous to enter it. Shortly thereafter, a group of adventurers go missing.
Orcs are spotted in the forest and an orc encampment is discovered. It appears as though the orcs worship the wyvern as a god.
A quest to assess the orc threat turns into a suicide squad mission and hostility is established. Missing adventurers are brought back into the fold. The settlement is now fighting a war on two fronts; with orcs in the west and goblins in the north and east.

At some point, the camp's food becomes magically poisoned in a wild magic surge. Many commoners and Sune fall gravely ill and start dying off like flies. The only cure is the sap of a treant. A massive effort is put into action to take down a treant which resides in the forest. Many die and are reincarnated in a strange ritual that takes place within the place the treant was protecting. This portal, leading to an extra dimensional space, is the first sighting of dryad architecture. Dustik Rallam, a dwarf, is resurrected as an aasimar and is returned back to life with the shard of a dragon's soul inside of him.

The systematic eradication of orcs begins. Few are left standing in the wake of our ambushes. On their last mission to wipe out the camp once and for all, the party is ambushed by the wyvern, who introduces himself as Syrax. He proposes a deal to receive Dustik Rallam to revive his dead mate in exchange for his alliance. The party is split on the matter and half of them die trying to stop Syrax while the other half stands by. Dustik is sacrificed and Meleys, an adult green dragon, is resurrected using the shard of a dragon's soul that was attached to Dustik's.

A large dome of necromantic energy is found in the forest. The party entering said dome is ambushed by shadows and one adventurer is slaughtered, raised as a skeleton. Sune, who has entered a relationship with said adventurer, goes against everything she stands for and makes a pact with a devil to bring him back. She exchanges an arm, a leg and unbeknownst to her, the well being of their unborn child. She is made to place down a piece of moss on an ancient portal which grows into an alkilith and opens a portal straight into a circle of hell. Another emergency quest later, the colony manages to close the portal without any permanent casualties. Syrax proves his loyalty by saving the settlement when all hope seems lost.

The eastern forest lay ripe for the taking.

West Marches? Why not North? Why not South? Why not East?

Exploration heading all wind directions continued. In the south, the forest and coastline were largely ruled by large, lonely creatures and even a couple of survivors of other settlement efforts. In the east lay the large fort of the goblins of Krazzak while the north and west more remnants of an ancient dryad civilisation were found.