The Foundation of Irodan

Scope

What is your motivation for building this world?

I want to dive deep in classical fantasy. Medieval and mystical dangers are lurking around, the world beauty and fangs laid bare.

What are you hoping to get out of it?

I want to give my players a tough earned victory. Through victory and defeat, hardships and glory, fight their way to their individual goals.

What is the Hook or Unique Selling Point of your world? What makes it unique or different?

The wild is raw, untameable and dangerous. Civilization has had a rough time claiming land and expanding due to the neverending dangers.

Theme

What's the genre of your world

Fantasy with a mild touch of magic. Though its prescence is seen all across the lands, it is not widely used or widely available.

How does the world feel? (Player experience)

The world feels dangerous, threatning and scary but beatable by those with the drive and courage to wrestle through it. Choices are never black and white, and moral ambiguity will lead the party to question what is good and what is evil.

What is the tone of your world?

The world is dark-ish, with vestiges of light giving air to the otherwise bleak world.

What is the character agency level like?

The campaign should feel epic. The players can effect great changes at various points in the story and truly leave their mark on the world as it stands.

What are the recurring themes which reinforce the genre, tone and feel of your world? (Give three examples)

1. The sight of magical darkness impedes grave danger.
2. Drearyness is no uncommon sight in Irodan. But, with some elbow grease, any cloud will part to shine light once again.
3. The vestiges of light will shine as bright as they can, while they can. (A feeling of safety in the reaches of civilization.

Meta

What is the tone of your world?

Class relations: Whether it is through the ability to cast spells, heritage of simple the amount of gold coins in their pockets, there is often a stark difference between classes in cities. This, then, also leads to grinding conflicts between those of a chaotic and lawful good alignment. Furthermore, the underground rings take advantage of these lobsided relationships as well. Religious influence: Many individuals believe in the great and powerful changes deities can bring in their lives. This has lead many cities, especially the bigger ones to vow their dedication to a single deity and their goals. This has lead some regimen to prosperity and others to ruin under the same deity based solely on interpretation of the deities goals. Spreading of this word has also lead to dissent between cities. Furthermore, Takhisis has been pushing her Race Relations: The typical stereotypes exist. However since the vestige of the high elves took a massive hit, the more rare races are being pushed further into the limelight than many are comfortable with.

Drama:

1. An ancient evil goddess is regaining her powers. By strategically moving chess pieces, she has already claimed a number of cities under her eternal darkness.
2. The gods receive their strengths from their followers. As the pillars' followers dwindle, so does their strength.
3. An ancient party of adventurers left their mark on the world. Though eons in the past, their footprint can still be noticed until this day. Even if their names are widely forgotten.
4. Pressure to the lower ranks of banora is rising and civil dissent is growing. Though the underground has flurished in this dissent, it has become unable to maintain the balance they profit off.
5. A scar in planes in the south has lead devils into the material plane. They have set hold in the far south and seem contemt with what they have at the moment. Awaiting some grander goal.