Monday, September 6, 2010

Weirdworld: An Overview

Things are pretty normal, in Weirdworld.  People know who they are, and where they stand, and what their neighbors think.  Every so often, there are small wars between the small countries, but that's pretty normal- and after the wars are over, everything goes back to normal pretty quick too.

Generally, the races all tend to keep to themselves.  After all, temperaments are very different between the various races and their kingdoms; it's just easier to keep apart.  But if, during your stay in a human village, you run across a few elves, or dwarves, or half-giants, or minotaurs- well that's pretty normal too.

Weirdworld is an old world.  Races and kingdoms long gone have built, and mined, and carved, and risen, and fallen- but that's all in the past, and the distant past too.  Most folks usually don't think about what their town is built over top of, or nearby to, or underneath- it just doesn't matter to them too much.  Most people are content to live out their lives in their village, take care of the family business, and stay safe and settled.

Magic isn't exactly normal in Weirdworld, but it's definitely not uncommon.  In general, humans and half-giants tend to be less trusting of it, elves rest somewhere in the middle, and the fey, of the faerie realm, breathe it like air.  Ancient artifacts tend to be few and far between, and usually in the hands of someone either very wealthy or very powerful- but lesser magical items are more common.  A family might make an heirloom of a chunk of magically imbued stone that they use to heat water, or an orb that glows brightly once the sun goes down, but the families that do are the exception, and it's even rarer to find a family with two.  Tales are told of mighty warriors who deck themselves fully in ancient magical artifacts, and well-performing soldiers might receive the gift of a named sword or enchanted suit of armor, but most people make do with mundane equipment.

The developed races of Weirdworld are many.  Though they have their differences, they get along well enough and intermingle freely.  Humans, dwarves, half-giants, and elves make the common races of Weirdworld.  Somewhat more reclusive are the shamanistic minotaurs, territorial dragonborn, tribal shifters, and half-fey tieflings.  Faerie creatures are much more rare: the mischevious spriggan gnomes, inquisitive halflings, aloof arch-fey, and watchful wilden.  Rarer still, and cause for amazement in a town of any size, are the half-breeds- half-orcs and half-elves- and otherworlders- the celestial deva, the planar githzerai, and the crystalline shardmind.

The monsters and threats lurking in Weirdworld are decidedly not normal.  From the smallest pixie to the largest giant, the monstrous creatures of Weirdworld appear as if from thin air, pursue ends inscrutable to their victims, and then vanish as quickly as they came.  Some come wildly, with thunder and fire; others are not even seen until after they've already left.  Creatures from the faerie realm often slip through to cause grief and mischief, to steal either valuables or people, or to create turmoil where there is peace.  Emissaries from the shadow world slip through to leave death in their wake.  Though gods and demons are both distant, it is not uncommon for them to exert their influence on Weirdworld through their minions.  The endless caverns, catacombs, halls, and fortresses below the earth have become a wild area of their own variety, talked about now with nearly the same tense reverence as the faerie realm.  Pockets of the world seem to twist and bend, drawing curious onlookers near, before suddenly popping to normal, having devoured whatever they snared.



The average townsman keeps his head down, his tasks productive, and ignores the stranger occurrences of Weirdworld.  For the adventurous mind, however, the thin veneer of normalcy easily gives way to the fathomless depths of the weird.  Such individuals should take care; the weird screams to be unknown and inscrutable.  If one could succeed in knowing it, it's entirely possible that one has unwittingly become it.

Introduction

I always have campaign world ideas tossing around in my mind, so this blog will serve as a handy place for me to keep them.  I figure I can work on it whenever I have the inspiration, and just keep an ever growing collection of information about various campaign worlds of mine.

Right off the bat, let's start with a campaign world I'll call "Weirdworld."  Intended to be a "weird tale," Weirdworld is about a world where, on the surface, everything is fairly normal.  There are, however, a lot of weird things happening- and these weird things are what drive adventure.  It could be that the inhabitants of a sleepy little town start hearing voices in the night, or that a priest in a local church starts having nightmares.  Suddenly, that weird seed blossoms into a vibrant plant filling the cracks of normal life, until it's practically overflowing.  That's the idea behind Weirdworld.

I might even start using the campaign world(s) here for a game I run- in which case, I'll probably start updating the blog with our adventures as well.  I think that'd be pretty neat.

So let's get started!