Category:Setting History

The land of Slagveld is one scarred by magic and war, in quite the literal sense. There exist areas of the world so torn and fundamentally changed by an ancient arms race of mana, that the gods united and intervened more directly than they had since the creation of the world itself. The Three Great Mana Scars, as they are called by the inhabitants of Slagveld, were areas of conflict that the past generations destroyed with spells of terrifying power. Such was the destruction that mankind was rendered unable to wield magic by the gods, who feared for their safety in two parts. On one hand, it was thought that mankind would become so powerful as to overcome their makers. The prouder gods simply believed that they would wipe themselves out completely with magic far beyond their control, and who would be around to worship them then? So on this premise, the gods came to an agreement and stripped humanity of its right to wield magic. In order to keep a balance in the world so that men would not be destroyed by nature's various predators, weather, and myriad disasters, the gods mete out magical power in a pittance. Individuals may be granted divine blessing to utilize healing magic to aid their fellow man, and in many places around the world, people are able to interact with mana once again due to Attunement Crystals. These formations sprung out of the ground after the gods had a few years of peace and quiet out of the inhabitants of Slagveld, and they allow some use of magic within their very limited radius of influence. The practical use of these crystals is to enchant weapons and armor, because although the gods could strip humans of their ability to touch magic innately, no force in the universe can remove their penchant for war.

So what are the Three Great Mana Scars? The Cleft Desert is one. Slagveld has always been a temperate land, with lush forests, open plains, and high mountains. There was never an area one would call hot, unless one were prone to complaining about nothing, until the war of the ancients. It is said that two armies came to an area to fight, over what, has been lost to the ages, as what was there in no way resembles what is there now. The wizards, on one side or another, it makes little difference now, summoned a massive sword to combat the opposing army. They say the sword was so colossal in size and grand in scope that those standing under the hilt could not see where the blade ended, but they say a lot of things about those times. The sword was only swung once, a downward arc that ravaged the army it hit, and cleaved the land under them, piercing all the way through the crust of the planet to the mantle. If one could fly over this gigantic wound in the world, one might see what appears to be lava at the bottom. As it stands, the immediate area is cast in a reddish glow, and for hundreds of miles in every direction is wasteland where the usual things one might find in the rest of Slagveld no longer grow. The heat from the core of the planet radiates from the World Cleave, and over time has dried the once life giving soil to harsh sand, and banished any flora and fauna that require more than a thimble of water to survive.

The Impact Swamp is another ancient battleground that tells a tale of mana and man gone out of control. Whether it was the same two nations in conflict, or two others, or three or even four, is not known anymore. All we have left is the results to paint a picture muddied by time. A meteor was called into existence to destroy someone's enemies. The intent is not known, but whether it was by design or from too much power being used accidentally, the meteor was miles wide. It slammed into the earth, creating a crater and a shockwave historians believe should have wiped out both armies in the conflict. The ground in the bottom of the crater was heated and pressurized to the point of resembling glass or obsidian. Over the centuries, water collected in the crater. The lake that formed was beautiful for a time, but was not fed by a river, and was completely stagnant. The water sullied, attracting disease, vermin, and unnatural plant growth. The ambient mana left behind by the meteor has also contributed, causing odd mutations in both plant and animal life. All in all, the area is quite inhospitable.

The Tidal Delta was not quite as catastrophic as the other two Scars, but has left its mark on Slagveld in its own way. The eastern coast hosted a battle in which one side attempted to wash their enemies into the sea with a massive amount of water in a tidal wave. The exact method is no longer known, but this wave lasted almost an entire day. The army on the receiving end of this attack had mages who were canny enough to realize that attempting to push this water back would require far too much power to sustain for long, and so they merely deflected the water to each side of their charges. One has only to look at the Delta to see the results of this: for hours the water flowed at great speed in huge quantities, digging into the earth and eroding it minute by minute. In the end, a small newborn landmass was formed, connected to the mainland by an umbilical cord of earth that has since been snipped off by more natural erosion. Today, the Tidal Delta is separated from the mainland by only a few miles, but the water between is riddled with sandbars and jagged places of rock still poking up just below the surface. The area was declared mostly unusable by those with authority, but has been claimed in recent years by those who like to thumb their noses at authority. A large pirate base has cropped up, infuirating local government, for although the shanty town is clearly visible for miles around, it would take a full navy to oust the city full of practiced sailors and outlaws.

There are several kingdoms and factions within Slagveld as it exists today. Frelia is a country in the northeastern mountain range. They are a matriarchal society that favors justice and law with as strong a bias towards fairness for all parties as possible. Pegasus Knights patrol their skies, a necessary function for rapid response, and many of the Frelian fortresses are built atop various mountains. In fact, the capital, Titania, is a trio of towers on three very close together mountains. Unicorn Riders also make up a portion of their ground forces. Gameplay Elements: Frelians gain a +2 bonus to Sense Motive, as they tend to use their intuition to solve problems and arbitrate disputes. Members of the army also get the Mounted Combat feat for free, or a +2 training bonus to attack and damage rolls made with spears (if they don't intend to be a part of the Pegasus Knights or Unicorps)

Rausten is the other northern country, more centrally located. Male dominated and ruthless, they are nearly the polar opposite of Frelia. This has led to many skirmishes, disputes, and outright wars over the years, as Frelians disapprove of nearly everything Rausten does from, from its use of slaves as army fodder, to their ill treatment of anyone not from their slice of the world, to the fearsome Wyvern Riders that rule the air. Rausten has a love of war and conquest, and the only reasons they haven't been successful at sweeping every other nation of the continent is that they are penned in by the Impact Swamp to the south and the steadfast defense of Frelia to its east. Kheshatta is the name of both the glacier chained to the side of the land, and the capital citadel built into it. Gameplay Elements: Raustenians gain a +2 bonus to Intimidate checks based on their reputation as a brutal and uncompromising nation. Members of the army gain a +2 bonus to damage and attack rolls with axes.

Begnion is the dwarven kingdom mostly dug under the western mountains north of the Cleft Desert. Gnomes are frequently seen there as well, though they have no real power aside from a few token seats on the Dwarven Senate. This nation has been the source of most of the technological advancement that has occurred in the wake of the Severing, with their easy access to vast reserves of many types and qualities of metal. They tend to stay out of the politics of Slagveld at large, but become fiercer than mother bears when it comes to defending their lands and mines from intruders. Gameplay Elements: Dwarves of Begnion get a +2 racial bonus to either Mining or a Craft skill of their choice as long as it has to do with metal or stone working. Gnomes from Begnion gain +2 to Appraise checks due to their close proximity to the best dwarven technology around. Members of the army have access to guns, gain Exotic Weapon Proficiency with guns and may use the Archer, Ranger, or Scout classes in conjunction with gun usage as if they were using bows. (available guns are those listed in table 5-4: Renaissance Weapons in the DMG)

The Personas Del Surcar are a group of nomadic tribes that prefer the arid desert created by the World Cleave. As they move around the wastes, they have very little structure to their government, meeting once per year to discuss pertinent issues such as roaming rights, people who are about to be banished from a tribe, and general topics that would seem to amount to gossip to anyone remotely politically minded. They, like the Begnion dwarves, try not to get involved in continent wide affairs, though they have been dragged into conflict before. Gameplay Elements: Personas Del Surcar are always assumed to have a waterskin with at least a few swallows of water in it barring extraordinary circumstances. and have a +2 bonus to Survival checks. While it has no standing army to speak of, the nomads train militia-stlye groups, and anyone with that background may take the Mounted Archery feat for free as soon as they aqcuire the Mounted Combat feat.

Daein is a unique nation to Slagveld, as it is a single, massive city in the central Windswept Plains. They hold no claim to territory outside the city, though it is patrolled regularly by the Daein Cavalry, and dozens of garrisons and outposts offer protection to travellers, and thwart to those who would seek to conquer the plains dwellers. They favor the council approach to government, with elected officials serving to make decisions and worry over resources and people management. Daein will often interest itself in international incidents, seemingly intending to seek justice, but more often than not they simply escalate conflicts or exacerbate ill will, although they are far too proud to admit it. The order of Judge-Knights are an arm of Daein enforcement that seeks to eradicate injustice and uphold the law at any cost. Sometimes this is seen by outsiders as being nearly as brutal as the methods employed by Rausten, although they will always claim to be on the side of the innocent and virtuous if asked about it. Gameplay Elements: Daeins travel by horse nearly 100% of the time when outside the city, as the plains are vast, and as such gain +2 bonuses to Ride checks and Handle Animal checks (only when dealing with a horse in both cases). Members of the army gain the Mounted Combat feat for free, and the Ride and Handle Animal bonuses increase to 3 (again, only with horses) Note: Daein has an incredibly massive supply of horses and horse's accessories, and as such, prices will fluctuate greatly depending on literally hundreds of factors, the most common being whether the government is embroiled in war, what diseases may or may not be ravaging the local horse population, and trade prices for the materials to make equipment. As such, when buying a horse or horse accessories, it will usually be beneficial to attempt to ascertain the economy of Daein before deciding whether to purchase within or without the city-state.

The Sacaen nation is a group of halflings and some elves who share the plains with Daein. They are somewhat nomadic like the Personas Del Surcar, but settlements and town exist, and dot the flatlands wherever it would be advantageous for a large number of people to gather. Government is generally autonomous by township or tribal grouping, but for extreme situations, a general meeting will be called to warn of impending danger, or sort out a response to events. This meeting may be hosted in Daein, although if the incident involves Daein, as has been the case, the meeting will be held elsewhere. The Sacaen tribes try to get along with Daein as well as possible, although the city state tends to dominate the horse trade, leaving the halflings with the scraps of wild horses. As such, they tend to ride an eclectic mix of mounts, wolves and riding mastiffs are common for the halflings, while the elves may use anything from the more common elk, to the rarer stuff such as great cats they can manage to tame and train for riding. Gameplay Elements: Sacaens live outside the city-state of Daein, and gain +2 bonus to Track to reflect their nomadic hunter nature. The Sacaen Guard is a more traditional army than the militias that the Personas Del Surcar field, but still nothing as impressive as what Frelia, Daein, or Rausten can muster. Because of this, guerilla warfare tactics are more common, with hit-and-fade attacks and defensive ambushes being favored methods. Members of the Guard gain the Ride-By-Attack feat for free when they take the Mounted Combat feat.

Finally, a group of pirates have created a port town, known as Tortuga, on the Tidal Delta. True to pirate nature, there is a loose form of government led by everyone and no one at the same time. A man named Jack Sparrow claims to be the current Pirate King, although there are many who would slather on shiny jewelry and call themselves by whatever title sounds most impressive at the time. Also true to pirate nature, the town itself is a rundown collection of shacks and ramshackle buildings, but the port proper is as fine as anything you'll find in a legitimate port of call. A woman who claims to be the the daughter of the Dread Pirate Roberts himself has made the nearly as outlandish claim that she was personally responsible for stealing the entire harbor operated by Frelia on the northern coast and transplanting it to Tortuga. Gameplay Elements: Anyone crazy enough to be a pirate gains +2 to Bluff, Profession: Sailing, and Use Rope checks. If anyone finds out you are a pirate and is able to report it to proper authorities (or you get really drunk and brag about your latest haul, equally as likely) you get a minimum bounty of one thousand gold pieces on your head. Yes, multiple countries can and will put bounties on you.