Campaign Overview

"Soldiers of fortune; defenders of the forest. Sharpen your swords, fasten your armor, and harden your will. The goblins have returned in force, led by the evil dark elves. And they are taking no prisoners."

Overview

The campaign is set in and around the town of Durnford, a human agricultural settlement that was once a remote backwater of the kingdom of Murghom. It has recently grown into a thriving and prosperous trading and manufacturing center.

To the north lies the Bitterwood, a vast and impenetrable forest infused with fey magic. This forest is home to the six great clans of wild elves. However, a sudden attack by an army of goblins and dark elves threatens the clans’ existence and the surrounding human societies. In this moment of upheaval, a small band of underpaid warriors stands between civilization and the merciless onslaught.

Timeline

History is divided into the eras of the Old Gods (OG) and After Lightfall (AL):

Locations, History, & Politics

The Bitterwood

The Bitterwood is a massive forest that is the domain of the wild elves and many other unique beasts and fey creatures. It has a mystical connection to the Feylands, which creates a magical aura that imbues the forest and its inhabitants with power and provides protection from harmful outsiders.

This fey connection also makes it a valuable source of aethirum, a mineral substance of great economic importance that is essential to the creation of many alchemical items. Aetherium exists in unusual concentration in the soils of the forest and in the nearby Chalice Hills. Animals that eat plants from the area accumulate it in their teeth, bones, and exoskeletons, which can then be pulverized into an aetheric “powder” of high purity. The Bitterwood is also rich in fur-bearing animals, which support the wild elves’ traditional trade in pelts.

Semphar

The Bitterwood forms the border between two vassal states of the sprawling Empire of Mulhorand. To the north of the forest is Semphar, a small mountainous kingdom known for its elite warriors and mercenary companies. There is no land route to Semphar, which is bordered by the nearly impassable Thorn Mountains. The only access is by boat across Lake Aliman. The Semphari maintain a small trading post and garrison at their border with the Bitterwood where Lake Aliman empties into the north branch of the Dead River. There, the wild elves trade furs for gold, household goods, and weaponry.

Mulhorand Empire

The Mulhorand Empire is a creaky old regime whose best days are behind it. It persists despite mismanagement due its size, resources, and lax oversight of its vassal states. It is led by the Caliph, who, although descended from mighty warriors, leads a dissolute and debaucherous lifestyle. His viziers are corrupt and his knights are more concerned with balls and fine clothes than defending the empire. When provinces do revolt, they send their large conscript army to conduct brutal suppression of the entire population. Smart kingdoms pay their tribute on time and get left alone.

Murghom and the Dragons

To the south of the Bitterwood lies the Kingdom of Murghom, which is divided into 5 duchies, each ruled by a different draconic duke. Officially, the Bitterwood is part of Murghom (specifically the Murghomi Duchy of Kalkos), but for all practical purposes, it remains the independent domain of the wild elf clans.

Fifty years ago, Murghom was the Mulhorand Empire's poorest and most backward province. It was a violent, broken kingdom ruled by an assortment of warlords whose sole purpose seemed to be the murder or usurpation of other warlords. Constant pillaging scarred the land and left the country so poor that the Empire gave up trying to collect tribute from it. The people lived in fear and privation, and it seemed that Murghom was doomed to an endless cycle of violence, revenge, and destruction. Then came the dragons.

Driven from their native home in the nearby Copper Mountains by a mysterious plague, the dragons were forced to flee into the surrounding lands. However, most countries refused to allow them to settle, whether out of prejudice, fear, or lack of resources to support them. Most fled the continent entirely, but the dragons who arrived in Murghom found opportunity in the chaos. They quickly dispatched the quarrelling warlords and set about rebuilding Murghom under draconic rule. The inhabitants were delighted at the demise of the warlords and the restoration of order and safety, so they quickly pledged fealty to their new dragon lords. The Caliph of the Mulhorand Empire was equally pleased to have a functioning state that was able to pay tribute again.

With peace secured, the dragons turned toward building a nation, establishing a professional military and promoting economic development by opening up trade and stimulating local manufacturing. Taxation of this trade has made the dragons very wealthy in a short period of time.

Durnford

Durnford is a small but growing town at the edge of the Bitterwood on the far north border of the Duchy of Kalkos in Murghom. Historically an unimportant agricultural settlement, the town’s growth has been massively stimulated by the draconic development program. After the dragons pacified Murghom, they chartered the Gnomish Alchemical Company to establish a manufactory at Durnford in order to exploit the Bitterwood’s rich reserves of aetherium. They also expanded an existing forge near Durnford to create weapons and armor for their growing military. With powder hunters, traders, and craftspeople flocking to the area, Durnford has quickly become the most important trading and manufacturing hub in Murghom.

The dragons also dredged the River Durn to allow cargo ships to reach the town directly from the Bright Sea. Durnford now exports large quantities of alchemical supplies, agricultural products, gnomish contraptions, and weapons. A paved highway (the first in Murghom) was also constructed to facilitate trade to and from the interior of Murghom.

The rapid changes in society and accumulation of wealth in Durnford has created some friction, particularly between the old and new residents, farmers and merchants, and humans and other species.

Goblin-Drow Invasion

Goblins had always conducted nuisance raids into the Bitterwood from their lairs in the northern foothills of the Copper Mountains, but beginning last year (1488 AL) the number and intensity of raids increased dramatically. The goblins seemed well-organized for a change and, more worryingly, appeared to be abducting wild elf children - behavior that had never been seen before. Then, a month ago (on the 9th day of the first month of spring), the goblins launched an all-out invasion. This time they were led by drow officers, who provided them weapons and armor, and wove enchantments to protect them from the magical defenses of the forest.

This was the first time the drow had been confirmed in any significant numbers above ground in the Bitterwood, and they seemed to move freely even in the sunlight. Recognizing the severity of the situation, the wild elves called an athrabeth (gathering of the clans) to coordinate the defense of the Bitterwood. They pooled their newfound wealth from aetherium harvesting and put out a call for mercenaries to assist them while they devised a counter-strategy.

Religion

The Church of Siaska-Haya

The Church of Siaska-Haya is the dominant and official religion. Siaska and Haya are sister goddesses represented by the twin moons - Siaska is the larger moon and Haya the smaller. The Church is not particularly prescriptive about behavior, but teaches self=sacrifice, disdain of violence, and balance in all things. The Church is typically monetarily supported by the state but is apolitical. In addition to worship, it functions to handle weddings, funerals, medical care, and various social services. The liturgical calendar consists of feast days for Siaska and Haya on the days of their respective full moons and a few other holidays scattered through the year.

Attendance at worship services is not considered compulsory, but something to be done when one has a need for solace, reflection, support, inspiration, community, etc. The primary "negative" belief of the Church is extreme suspicion of cults devoted to other gods that might seek to accumulate power - it presumes that, besides Siaska, Haya, and a few minor deities loyal to them, most gods cannot be trusted to act in mortals' best interests. When such cults are discovered, they are typically ruthlessly exterminated.

Lightfall: History of the Pantheon

The old world was a place of bright days and utterly black nights. The old gods were fractious and competitive, each creating their own favored mortal races to compete with the creations of the other gods. Eventually, the rivalry turned from friendly and competitive to bitter and violent. The gods separated into those whose power lay in the dark and those whose power derived from the light, and they fell to fighting amongst themselves. They enlisted their mortal worshippers to battle on their behalf, killing millions. Siaska and her sister Haya were daughters of the old gods of the light, Nannaya, goddess of love, and Ninsianna, the "Red Queen of Heaven."

Siaska and Haya were bred to be powerful warriors and were given even more power after their birth for the purpose of battling the dark gods. However, they instead used their power to create the twin moons and, hiding on the far side, waited until the old gods had spent their energy in a pitched battle, then unleashed the moons' holy light on the world, killing most of the old gods but also laying waste to the land (an event known as the "Lightfall"). Afterwards, they worked tirelessly for hundreds of years to rebuild and repopulate the world, spreading the old gods' power widely among the mortals to avoid another cataclysm and to encourage mortals to flourish on their own.

Besides Siaska and Haya, only minor deities remain, usually hidden away where they have preserved or regathered some of their former power. One of Siaska and Haya's charges to mortals is to prevent other deities from amassing too much power, thereby unbalancing the world.

Current Deities

There are many gods who survived the Lightfall. They or their descendants continue to exist in a greatly weakened state, usually as minor local deities (e.g. a local god of a particular mountain, etc.). A few have tried to regain their former power, usually through recruiting mortals to worship and aid them. However, the process is arduous, and they are usually discovered and destroyed before they achieve true potency. Here are a few of the deities relevant to this campaign - but there may be others. You may wish to create a local god that your character has an affinity for.

Cultures

Wild Elves

The wild elves (also known as wood elves) are the remnant of an ancient high elf civilization that was at its peak about 1000 years ago. As a more aggressive human society encroached on the high elf lands, most of the high elves left for other realms, preferring to escape rather than engage in bloody warfare. Those who remained were the most militant and although they battled the humans for centuries, they were gradually pushed back into the Bitterwood, where they were able to preserve an independent society protected by the forest’s fey magic.

Hostilities ceased about 200 years ago and the wild elves have coexisted with human society mostly peacefully ever since. Some wild elves have settled and bred among humans. However, they remain marginalized and low-status laborers in human society.

In the Bitterwood, they are mostly self-sufficient, being primarily subsistence hunter-gatherers. They have a long-standing trade in furs with Murghom and to a lesser degree Semphar. However, the opening of trade in Murghom has presented new opportunities to trade animals parts that contain aetheric powder to the Gnomish alchemists. With the money they have earned, they have slowly began to raise their clans out of the subsistence life they had lived for a thousand years.

Many wild elves worship the forest goddess Mielikki, but they also pay homage to many local deities and fey spirits. Their magic is primarily Druidic, derived from the connections of the Bitterwood to the Feylands.

The wild elves form 6 clans, which are from largest to smallest:

Bear Clan

Most prestigious, wealthy, and powerful clan; often trade with Semphar and Murghom.

Boar Clan

Live in the heart of the wood; know the most about fey magic; known for producing druids.

Humans

Humans are the predominant species in Murghom. Traditionally poor under the old warlords, they are generally pleased with the restoration of order under the dragons. However, the opening of trade and the influx of gnomes, dwarves, and other minorities who have seen rapid economic success has caused some grumbling about fairness. Humans are as you know them, curious, vain, competitive, selfish, social, and consumptive.

Gnomes

Most gnomes in Murghom live in Durnford, where they established a branch of the Gnomish Alchemical Company at the invitation of the dragon dukes. They are mainly Rock Gnomes who originally hail from the Thunderstone Mountains, where they were accomplished alchemists and tinkerers. Their industriousness coupled with the flood of inexpensive aetheric powder has resulted in massive production of alchemical supplies for export and made them quite wealthy and influential in Murghom over the last few decades. Gnomes tend to keep their own company and self-segregate, however they are relentlessly curious and will talk to anyone. They are always ready to talk business.

Dwarves

The Dwarves of Murghom have traditionally been weapon smiths. They were a small community with a low profile for most of the kingdom’s history, but recently have made substantial wealth due to the dragon dukes’ demand for arms to build up the Murghomi military. They operate a significant forge near Durnford. They live modestly and do not pay much attention to the politics of the moment.

Dragons

After conquering Murghom, the dragons divided it into five duchies, each ruled by a separate draconic family, with the head of the family bearing the title of Duke. The dragons rule the kingdom collaboratively, with a focus on building and protecting wealth. There are very few dragons relative to the other species, but they wield tremendous power.

Goblins

Mindless, covetous little creatures that live in caves at the foot of the Copper Mountains. Before the current invasion, they conducted nuisance raids against the wild elves, usually led by bugbears or hobgoblins

Drow

The drow are a sub-species of evil dark elves who dwell deep underground in the Underdark. Followers of the goddess Lolth, Queen of Spiders, they engage in endless internal palace intrigues to gain the favor of Lolth and win supremacy over other drow. They are possible descendants of the ancient high elves, but no one knows for certain. Because sunlight is deadly to them, they are rarely seen on the surface and exist mostly in legend. They are said to hold an eternal hatred of surface elves, resenting them for their freedom, while they are trapped in the Underdark. The wild elves tell stories of drow emerging on pitch dark nights to steal wild elf children and enslave them underground.

Calendar

The year has 210 days, divided into:

Special days:

Map

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