Heroic Chronicle: Shattered Teeth

Past the seemingly unending Fool's Curtain, an incessant bank of fog that lasts for many miles, one can find the cluster of forty-three islands known as the Shattered Teeth. The Shattered Teeth serve as the home for a pair of peoples who make up the majority of its population: a conglomerate of native tribes for whom dreams and nightmares have special religious significance known as the Ossended Host as well as the brutally capitalistic faux-nation governed under the Wanderman Assembly. Both maintain a tense peace filled with clashes at the border, as the colonists of the Wanderman Assembly try to claim the isles for themselves while the Ossended Host strike to chase away the invaders to their land.
STILL TO BE ADDED: Ancestries: Goliath (Iosi), Hobgoblin (Ossended Host), Lizardfolk (Ossended Host) - not a mechanical change, Godkeeper Elves (Iosi), Nephilim (Iosi), Kitsune

Culture

Roll a d100.

• 01-45: Wanderman Assembly
• 46-88: Ossended Host
• 89-00: The Iosi

Home Settlement

Consult the following sections for brief detail on the faction your character is a part of. Then, roll a d100 to determine your home settlement.

Wanderman Assembly

Just over three centuries ago, the well-established Wanderman Trading Company embarked on an expedition from the Menagerie Coast, hoping to find themselves in Marquet. Fate would have it otherwise, as the fleet of ships accidentally breached the Fool's Curtain due to a miscalculation, leading to a drastic error in their course. As the crew continued to sail towards the southeast without a correct understanding of their course, the arrival of an unexpected hurricane pushed them past the boundaries of the fog, crash-landing them against the northwestern shores of the islands of the Shattered Teeth. It didn't take long for them to decide that this land was unoccupied - and by the time they realized otherwise, they were already committed to expansion, especially as winter arrived. The population of the newly-formed Wanderman Assembly soared through reproduction and industrial development, taking over more and more of the islands in the west and displacing more and more of the native peoples until they were forced to form a coalition of their own.

• 01-29: Alburgh (City). The current seat of power, an enormous city housing districts dedicated to all major corporations. The Chairman is seated here, and most major decisions in the Assembly come through here. The most culturally diverse part of the Assembly by far.
• 30-46: Leaman (City). This city was originally an attempt to recreate classic halfling dwellings by the Hobbit-Hole company. The project fell through due to structural instabilities in the environment, however, and with an influx of settlers on the way, the Independence Association stepped in to help fill the holes and construct streets running around the large hills - in exchange for a number of prime business locations. This now serves as the de facto headquarters for the Association, though no company is entirely unknown here (and the Hobbit-Hole company still owns and manages a number of high-end neighborhoods).
• 47-63: Flatharbor (City). Once a small Ossended Host settlement called Binhareth on the southern shore of a smaller island, this city was captured about a hundred years ago - and quickly expanded into a sprawling fishing and farming town, with fields and docks running along the seashore for nearly three miles. It provides the majority of food for the surrounding areas, and the two rivers that run through it provide a source of fresh water to supplement that which is purified via magical or solar means. Thomas & Sons has a near-monopoly here.
• 64-78: Haven (City). Often held as the initial landing point for the people of the Wanderman Assembly, this city in the north takes that role very seriously. Only the oldest companies have strong roots here, and Landing Day celebrations here come with extra fervor. A memorial to those lost in the initial voyage stands at the town's center, complete with a statue of the founder - Alphonse Wanderman - atop it. Families of this area take pride in tracing their ancestry back as well.
• 79-88: New Damali (City). Arguably the closest thing to a "military" city in the Assembly, this city houses a large number of weapons-manufacturing facilities, about half of which are managed by a local company called the Black Powder Brigade that frequently comes into business-related clashes with the larger companies. In addition, it's home to a wide variety of mercenaries; it's regarded as a hive of scum & villainy by some, but it's the closest thing to an adventurers' haven you can find in the west.
• 89-93: Darton (Town). The mining town that sources most of the Assembly's raw metals. It's not as big as it could be, but with the advent of blast mining/drilling and blasting, it's been able to keep up with demand - mostly. A few companies have stock here, and it's the only other town with representation from the Black Powder Brigade.
• 94-96: Stillbough (Town). This village manages logging (managed by the Golden Road company) and farming (managed by the Hobbit-Hole company) en masse. It has a directly confrontational relationship with the Iosi, having chased at least one village out as it expanded into the forests to the north.
• 97-98: Fairlight (Town). A mostly-peaceful little frontier town with only a token presence by the Valerian Corporation; has had decent relations with the few Iosi who've come through.
• 99-00: Small, unlisted village, defined by you.

Ossended Host

Scattered throughout the many islands of the Shattered Teeth lie the Ossended Host, a culture of a large number of people held together by their shared experience: every member of the Ossended Host experiences strange dreams and visions, and many of them possess direct supernatural ties to the plane of dreams itself. The culture itself has existed since before the Calamity, but the connections have strengthened in the centuries since. Now forced to unite under one banner due to the Wanderman Assembly's threat to their way of life, a culture once fractured by disagreements and infighting has become a strongly united front in both religion and ideals.

• 01-32: Rilvallen (City). Previously a force to be reckoned with in its own right, under the unity afforded by Emperor Aknezak, this city has quickly become the closest thing to a metropolis that the Ossended Host possess. Still strongly stratified, both by class and by city-affiliation (which usually has strong ties to ancestry), one can still wander down the streets and find a sampling of all that the different regions provide.
• 33-52: Canlas (City). This coastal, partially waterborne city is populated by mostly Triton and Lizardfolk. The Lizardfolk who dwell in the Host are not cannibalistic and share a symbiotic relationship with the Triton, with the Triton farming undersea plants and minerals while the Lizardfolk use the tools of the land for manufacturing. The nature of both ancestries means that these roles can transcend ancestry given the proper socialization, training, and gifts.
• 53-70: Savoashtai (City). An academic location and the center for study and history, this city is home to the Savoashtai Library, a collection of records tracing the history of the people of the Host back to the beginning of time. Even in times of strife, this city has remained a neutral and welcoming party, a place regarded as sacred, with wall after wall filled with scrolls and tomes of dream-prophecies. It's expected that an individual who grows up in this city will walk the halls of the library and spend at least three years in focused, almost-monastic study upon reaching adulthood.
• 71-86: Kentash (City). The only majority human city in the Host, this city weaves traditions that could be traced back to the earliest cultures of the world, with an oral tradition that has stood the test of centuries if not millenia. This town possesses a strongly higher portion of Kalashtar than any other region in the Ossended Host; some attribute this to the predisposition of human blood, while others attribute it to the almost dreamlike nature of the location, shrouded in forest that runs through the town despite its proximity to the shore.
• 87-90: Urghan (Town). A town of refugees from the now-conquered city of Vauramul, this town contains the last gasps of a culture nearly lost to conquest. Its precarious place near the "frontier" as decided by the Wanderman Assembly puts it at even more risk. The majority of the townsfolk here possess a shared Goliath heritage, descended from Iosi tribes a dozen or more generations back, and share their own traditions that fuse the Ossended Host's dream-reverence with the god-reverence of the Iosi.
• 91-94: (Town).
• 95-96: (Town).
• 97-98: Nalvod Outpost (Outpost). One of the larger recently-constructed outposts on the edge of the Host's territory, this outpost keeps watch for the activity of Wanderman Assembly troops. It plays host to a large number of families despite its military role; the children who grow up here tend to be military brats through and through.
• 99-00: Small, unlisted village, defined by you.

The Iosi

Known to the people of the Ossended Host as godkeepers or spiritkeepers (and to the people of the Wanderman Assembly as "those weird, spooky forest people"), the Iosi people are a tribe that dwells around and throughout many of the most important spiritual locations of the Shattered Teeth, practicing a religious, traditional reverence for nature, extraplanar beings, and life itself.

• 01-36: Taidil (Collection of Villages). Running along the Taidil River - its namesake - from north to south-southeast exists a collection of Iosi villages, each populated by a few families. Each takes responsibility for a section of the forested area around the river and the mountain from which it flows. Both the northern and southern rivers are considered by the Iosi to be a part of the same body of water despite flowing in opposite directions. Villages within Taidil often share meals, social activities, and religious rites with each other, presenting a starkly different culture to the relatively insular villages found elsewhere.
• 37-58: (Village).
• 59-76: (Village).
• 77-88: Merdi (Village). In the northernmost reaches of the Shattered Teeth sits this village, stretching along the coast. Most of its water is purified from ocean-water via magical means, though seawater on its own is consumed as homage to the Thunder Bearer before a storm or to the Wild Mother before venturing into the sea. People of this village venture into the nearest reaches of the fog as a coming of age rite.
• 89-94: Veadan (Village). Atop a mountain, separated (intentionally) from other Iosi settlements, sits a small village, home to a group of Iosi who rarely venture away from their home. These are the Godkeepers - the true inheritors of the title attributed to the Iosi by the Ossended Host. The people of this village are one of the few groups of Iosi who actively train for combat against other humanoids, to ensure that they can defend the sacred place deep within this mountain.
• 95-00: Small, unlisted village, defined by you.

Background

Roll a d20.

1. Acolyte
2. Charlatan
3. City Watch
4. Criminal
5. Criminal (Shell Company)
6. Entertainer
7. Fisher
8. Folk Hero
9. Godkeeper
10. Guild Artisan (Wanderman Assembly)
11. Hermit
12. Inheritor
13. Noble
14. Outlander
15. Refugee
16. Sage
17. Sailor
18. Smuggler
19. Soldier
20. Urchin

Family

Roll stuff.

Allies & Rivals

Roll stuff.

Fateful Moments

Roll a d20.

1. Your parent(s) - or other parental figure(s) - were murdered in front of you. Roll on the Identities table to determine the type of person or creature that killed them. You have proficiency in the Stealth and Survival skills.
2. Dream stuff - Ossended/Quori-related
3. A stranger's gift saved your life. Determine the stranger's identity by rolling on the Identity table, and then roll on Magic Item Table B (the DM can help you with both references) to determine what item you were given. Reroll if you roll a consumable. This item also has special features as detailed in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master's Guide (the DM will roll these for you and explain the results).
4. You were caught in a storm but were saved by a figure you only vaguely remember. You now receive dreams and visions from a deity or other powerful being that can offer additional information or insight in some situations, and you gain proficiency in either the Arcana or Religion skill.
5. A skilled warrior trained you with what has become your signature weapon. You have proficiency with an exotic weapon of your choice, and you own one such weapon. It has special features as detailed in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master's Guide and is mildly magical, though it does not receive a bonus to hit or to damage. You also have the Martial Adept feat from the Player's Handbook.
6. You were the sole survivor of a cataclysmic event over the course of your lifetime, be it a monster attack, storm, military engagement, or any number of other tragedies. You have proficiency in the Stealth skill, proficiency with one martial or exotic weapon of your choice, and possess a book or scroll containing knowledge from your lost people.
7. While traveling, you found a wounded, intelligent creature (humanoid or otherwise) at the side of the road. They begged you for help, and showed you the gestures to cast a spell of healing. You nearly collapsed from the exertion, but managed to cast the spell. You gain the Magic Initiate feat from the Player’s Handbook, learning two bard, cleric, or druid cantrips and the cure wounds spell.
8. At some point during your life, you joined a traveling band of artisans, be they an actual circus or something more focused. Even if you only stayed on for a short time, as a result of your time with them, you have proficiency in one skill of Acrobatics, Performance, and Persuasion as well as proficiency with a disguise kit or set of artisan's tools of your choice.
9. You were transformed by magic and spent a significant portion of your life as a non-humanoid creature before being saved and returned to mostly-normal by a powerful magic user. Magic still lingers within you, though, and you can cast one of the following spells at-will: speak with animals if you were transformed into a Beast or detect magic if you were transformed into an Aberration. If you have an idea for another type of creature, discuss it with your DM. Alternatively, the change, if not significant enough to render you unable to communicate and interact, could have been permanent; discuss this and its possible effects with your DM if you have an idea.
10. You were press-ganged into service with a military and were left shaken by what you experienced and what you saw on the battlefield. You have proficiency with medium armor, shields, and martial weapons, and you gain the Awe-Inspiring feature (from Blackstone Soldier; ask your DM for this) or the Military Rank feature (from Soldier). Additionally, you have a random form of indefinite madness or similar condition resulting from your trauma.
11. You were kidnapped by a group of ill-intentioned sorts (bandits, most likely), spending a significant amount of time as their captive. While in captivity, you developed a friendship with one of more experienced members who helped you escape and taught you what they could to aid in this effort. You have proficiency with thieves' tools and proficiency in the Stealth skill, and you own one such set of thieves' tools as well as a trinket to remember your friend by.
12. You were visited by a deity or other powerful being. Their visit left you with a gift: the knowledge of the find familiar spell and the ability to cast it as a ritual. Your familiar always takes the form of a quasit (demon), sprite (fey), pseudodragon (dragon), or a small or smaller awakened beast, depending on the sort of being who visited you.
13. Curse of some sort
14. You were caught in the midst of a wildfire. After the heat overwhelmed you and you passed out, you awakened unharmed. As a bonus action, you can ignite your fists or a weapon you’re holding in flames for 1 minute, causing those attacks to deal fire damage instead of their usual damage. Starting at 5th level, the attacks deal an additional 1d6 fire damage. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you complete a short or long rest. Alternatively, discuss with the DM other elemental possibilities; a snowstorm may grant the ability to do cold damage, an electrical storm the ability to do thunder or lightning damage, etc.
15. You saved an exceptionally unusual creature from predators or otherwise developed a close bond with them. You have a pet or companion that is a Small or Tiny non-Beast, non-humanoid creature of a CR 1/4 rating or lower such as a sprite or a pseudodragon.
17. You were accused of a crime and were exiled or imprisoned, regardless of whether or not you were guilty. Having spent time among criminals, you have proficiency in the Intimidation skill and you know thieves' cant. In addition, you gain the Criminal Contact feature from the Criminal background.
18. You saved an animal from predators that now serves as your mount. Choose a Medium or Large-sized Beast of CR 1/4 or lower. This creature serves you loyally as a devoted steed, and you have a saddle and the other accoutrements necessary to ride it.
19. You were apprentice or assistant to a scholar who demonstrated exceptional knowledge of the world beyond that shown by most. In your work, you learned secrets beyond most mortals' knowledge. You gain the Skilled feat from the Player's Handbook, and can work with your Dungeon Master to create a secret that could change the fate of the world.

Backgrounds

Criminal (Shell Company)

Info

Godkeeper

Info

Guild Artisan (Wanderman Assembly)

Info