Thursday 6 February 2014

The Edge Landers

Having won an e-bay auction to grab a copy of the Moldvay Basic D&D set (crayon and dice included!), I've been brainstorming a setting that justifies near continuous dungeon crawling, a lust for gold for it's own sake, and a reason to have constant travel in order to not get bogged down in a single location.

 


They live in glittering island cities, perched on the Edge of the world. Beneath them, the waters run fast, dragging their homelands inexorably towards the Abyss. They angered the Hungry Gods centuries ago, and this has been their punishment, a slow slide towards doom. Whole islands have slid off the Edge already, and the rest will soon follow unless they can appease the Gods with the only things that can satisfy their greed - sacrifice and gold.

Approaching the Edge



The Edge Landers turned their backs on the anarchy of the world a long time ago, sickened by the insatiable appetites of the Hungry Gods and their spawn. The earth is cursed with a sickness of dungeons, pits of evil created by the Gods in order to give the Free Peoples a means with which to offer up the struggles they desire. Knowing the lust of humanity towards gold, the Hungry Gods like nothing more than to watch mortals struggle for the precious metals that grow in abundance in the dungeons - to struggle for it, and then cast it into the Abyss as an act of worthless supplication.



So the Edge Landers must strike out from their strongholds once more and return to the hostile world they wished to leave behind, in a desperate attempt to appease the very Gods they sought to escape. Brave souls - adventurers - must delve deep for the gold that their shining homes require if they do not want to tumble over the precipice of existence.

Edge Lands Gold Hound

The City Fleet and Town Ships

The bickering cities of the Edge Landers traditionally spent their time and energies in a state of cold war, espionage and social one-upmanship against their neighbours. However, with the impending threat of cataclysm and annihilation, they have had to begrudgingly work together for once. The result has been the City Fleet, a floating microcosm of Edge culture that has struck out into the Unknown World in search of gold.

The City Fleet is an armada of vessels bound together with arcane technology and desperate ingenuity. It is a self contained society, capable of supporting itself at sea for long periods of time, with food production, manufacturing and entertainment all available. Each of the Glittering Cities is represented upon the Fleet, although the entire thing must return to the Edge intermittently in order to elect a new Admiral.

Town Ship


The City Fleet is a monstrous beast, miles across, a veritable man made island. As such it must live upon the high seas, and cannot reach into the waterways and coastlines of the Unknown World. To this end, whole Town Ships will split away from the Fleet when necessary, striking out on missions of greed and adventure into the many strange lands and cultures that the Edge Landers left behind when they abandoned the world.

The Glittering Cities

Crestbourn: Most stable of the Glittering Cities, the waters of Crestbourn are not as treacherous as those that are pushing the others towards their doom. Of course, nobody now trusts the Crest Born, convinced that they have struck their own bargains with the Hungry Gods and are stockpiling gold and treasure for themselves and their salvation alone.

Crestbourn has been coerced into building the largest temples to Portly, God of Feast and Famine, and Rasping, God of Greed and Gold.

The Crest Born are the richest of the Edge Landers. They are renowned for decadence and opulence, bloody minded business tactics and sharp politicking.

Crest Born


Riminal: Furthest from the Edge, the Riminals have a reputation for open-mindedness and a curiosity about the Unknown World. Of course, nobody now trusts the Riminals, convinced that they hoard knowledge of the Unknown World and strike bargains with the monsters and dungeon denizens for their own benefit.

Riminal has been coerced into building the largest temples to Tumble Down, God of Fate and Gambling, and Easel, God of Artists and Corruption.

The Riminals are the avant-garde of the Edge Landers. They are renowned for creativity and criminality, wild adventures and vicious gang wars.

Riminal artists


Unfall: Unfall came close to going over the Edge along with it's twin city of Abyssire, but the waters shifted and pushed them into relative safety at the last minute. Of course, nobody now trusts the Unfallen, convinced that they must have sacrificed Abyssire to save their own sorry skins.

Unfall has been coerced into building the largest temples to Horn, God of Lust and War, and Lisp, God of Lies and Public Speaking.

The Unfallen are the militants of the Edge Landers. They are renowned for warfare and treachery, unbridled aggression and deceitful romance .

Unfallen warband


Overpeak: Overpeak has always been dangerously close to the Edge, and is the home of the Ledge Wizards, alchemists and arcanists who stare into the Abyss and draw power from it. Of course, nobody now trusts the Peakers, convinced that it is their infernal magicking that has drawn the ire of the Hungry Gods.

Overpeak has been coerced into building the largest temples to Stutter Eye, God of Voyeurs and the Deranged, and Shut Lung, God of Drowning and Visions.

The Peakers are the intellectuals of the Edge peoples. They are renowned for magic and madness, genius creations and insane experiments.

Overpeak

2 comments:

  1. Jay, this is a great world hook, and the development above sets a great stage for several campaigns. My only criticism is that I didn't think of it myself!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Erin, hope you've been enjoying the continued updates!

      Delete