Selestya

Created by

Stepped through the wrong portal, did ya? Not surprising, when you finally get to the moon and you find one structure and the first thing you see there is a hall of mirrors, the day is bound to go south. But you're here now, and this place ain't so bad. Some of it might even feel familiar - you'll see your dwarf types and human types, even the wee ones here called perrin, maybe even an elf (but don't call them that to their faces).   Tavern? Oh, mate, there's always a tavern. C'mon, first round's on me.
Welcome to my little slice of the multiverse, the continent (and world) of Selestya. Selestya has been my gaming world, writing world, and mind experiment world for many years* now. Since the first time I picked up a book with fantastical creatures in it, I've been entranced by alternate worlds. The magic and the action were a huge draw but ultimately, it's always about the people. If I didn't care about the characters, the story didn't really matter.   So Selestya is more about the people than anything - how they live, what they do for fun, how the world they live in makes them who they are and what they can do about it if they don't like it. If you poke around, and I hope you do, you'll see some stories, some info, a little under the hood of what happens when the walls between the elemental realms spring a leak and create a new world.   Ok, I'll bite, tell me more.
The predominant races are derived from the four core ancestral sentient races, which were human, faerie, giant, and dragon. From the humans descended Men (ranging from Torgs to Druini to Southrons), Perrin (perrymen, or halflings (which is a pretty derogatory term)), and Barghest (wolfen, dog- or hyena-like humanoids). From the giants, Viellun (aka goblins or orcs after Orcus) and Dwarves. From the faerie: the Aes Sidhe and their fallen cousins the Baen Sidhe (don't call either of them elf if you know what's good for you). There are many others of course, including the lizardy Kobolds of dragon ancestry (lizardmen is also derogatory, they're not men), as well as actual giants, faerie creatures, and dragons, but these are far rarer, and shy away from civilization.   Selestya is a magic-rich fantasy world on the cusp of an industrial and social revolution. Magic is commonly practiced and only the most fog-headed lout doesn't know at least a cantrip or two his granny would have taught him. If you're well off enough or show enough talent to be sponsored, you could go to one of the universities and learn, or at least apprentice yourself to a wizard and learn the trade. For most though, magic is like electricity - there's enough of it around to make it useful, but only a few know how it works (and when something using it breaks, you call the guy).   Selestya has five major religions with numerous cults, religions being based on the four forces, whereas the cults are based on anything from individual deities to elemental worship and witchcraft (Keltic druidism). Religion is superficial in some cases (help me find the keys to the barn), very practical in others (prevent Grandma's corpse from rising).   The focus of the world (i.e. civilization) is in the southern part of the main continent Selestya, where a number of small independent countries and city-states are bound into a commercial commonwealth. Most, but not all, adventures and stories have taken place here. Also on the continent is the great primeval forest of Nelfheim, where one can find the cities of the Aes Sidhe and other faerie creatures, assuming one doesn't get lost amongst the fairy circles and gallitraps. To the north of the Commonwealth across the Pellinore Mountains are the petty states that are the remnants of the old Torgish Empire. To the south and west of the Commonwealth, across the Riftwater Sea, upon the continent of Valay, is the originally named Valasian Empire, inhabited almost completely by Men, Barghest, and Kobolds. Also on Valay is the Great Forest of Ghosts, which was the southern part of Nelfheim back in the good old days when there was no Riftwater Sea.
                  *how long, you ask? About this long.

D&D Basic - Yep I had this one
                 
A NOTE ABOUT GAMING
I last played DnD somewhere between second and third edition. Any gaming notes found in here will be relevant to that game, but realistically should make sense and be easy enough to adjust to any fantasy gaming system.