My World

For my very first blog post, I've decided to share the campaign world that I created for the Pathfinder game I've been GM'ing.

PLAYER KNOWLEDGE

World Events

After over twenty years of peace, the Elven nation of Almiranth has resumed hostilities against the northern borders of the empire. As the legions of career soldiers were mobilized, a royal draft was issued, pushing over 60% of civilians into military service. The party has all been assigned to the 7^th cohort of the 8^th imperial legion, one of the imperial tactical expeditionary operations squads, known as a Quiver, with each soldier known as an Arrow. All of you are on the books as standard legionaries, but due to your special skills, you are counted among the “Immunes” and garner a double pay rate of two silver per day (73 gold / year).

Races (Races are the same as listed in the Pathfinder Core Rulebook, except where noted below.) 
Human
Dwarf
Halfling
Half-Orc 
Sun Elf
- Stats: +2 Dex, +2 Int, -2 Str.
- Proficient in scimitar, rapier and shortbow.
- Born in the Saddle:  gain +2 to ride and handle animal. Replaces keen senses.
- Desert Blood: Gain fire resistance 5 and +2 on fort saves against taking non-lethal damage from thirst and from hot environments. Replaces Elven Magic.
Moon Elf (standard)

Nations – The campaign world is focused around a large, Mediterranean-esque  sea, known as the Nostrae Sea. It spills into the open ocean to the east by way of a waterway known as the Hanno Straight. 

Valerian Empire – Most of the lands bordering the Nostrae Sea to the North are part of this Empire. Five hundred years ago, the great leader, Empress Livius Valeriana, united the squabbling city states in the Taldorian Isles, creating a solid base of power from which the newly forged Valerian Empire could spread to the lands bordering the northern shores of the sea.  

• Taldorian Isles (Capital: Valeria) – As above, this is the seat of the Empire’s power, it is a cluster of hilly, subtropical islands dominated mostly by hilly grasslands and is centrally located in the Nostrae Sea. Because most of the Empire’s manufacturing, agriculture and resource production are done in the provinces, the main exports of the Isles are culture and high quality necessities of excess, like jewelry, vessels made of precious metals, and popular clothing. People from this region have olive skin, dark eyes and wavy hair ranging from copper to deep browns, with shades of red being the most common. 
• Tartessia (Capital: Iber) – The Eastern most province of the Empire, Tartessia is a land as hot and mutable as the people who live there. Most of the island is hot chaparral, with a more verdant eastern coast, where it is not shielded by the ocean winds by one of the mountain ranges which ring the province. Tartessians were some of the first people in the region to forge steel, and the tradition carries on to this day. Goods made from Iber steel are the best made in the empire, and fetch accordingly high prices. People from this region are tall, with reddish skin and black hair and dark eyes. 
• Visgallia (Capital: Massal) – Northwest of Tartessia is a temperate land of densely forested hills and valleys nestled between the Rook Mountains to the south and the Eastern Agricola mountains to the north. The major exports of this region are lumber and furs, and many of the empire’s finest ships are built in its ports. People from this region are of average height with fair skin, light hair and eyes of amber or violet. 
•  Leponia (Capital : Sartay) – West of Visgallia and running the length of the central Agricola mountain range, this province's major exports are textiles and precious metals. People from this region are short, with pale skin, red hair and light eyes. 
• Liguria (Capital: Osca) – West of Leponia, this porvince is a massive penninsula jutting into the Nostrae Sea. Due to its temperate climate and fertile grasslands, this province is where most of the empire's food comes from. The people have olive skin, are of average height and possess hair ranging from black to brown, with dark eyes. 
• Illyria (Capital: Fort Vatinius) -  Though claimed by the empire during Valeriana's time of conquest, the borders of the western most province which face the Secchi Mountains to the west and the Kellid Highlands to the north are constantly fluctuating due to conflicts with barbarians and orcs. Precious stones and mercenaries, many of whom are half-orcs or Kellids, are the primary exports of this region. Showing Kellid heritage, the people are tall, dusky skinned people with straight blond or white hair and red or grey eyes. 

The Holy Lands of Keleshite (Capital: ) – The lands bordering the southern coast of the Nostrae Sea are a vast theocracy. People from these lands are made up from a wide range of ethnic groups, have skin ranging from light brown to red, dark hair and a wide range of eye colors. Despite being the largest competitor for expansion with the Valerian Empire, a long standing military deadlock has developed into an amiable trading relationship. Beneath the surface, however, agents on both sides are constantly searching for a weakness through which to conquer the other. 

Kellid Highlands – A savage land of barren hills and cold mountains to the north of the imperial province of Illyria. Pressure from the empire has united the tribes into pushing back against colonization. 

Almiranth –The endless forests north of the empire are home to the moon elves. Little is known about the lands within the forest’s borders, as the moon elves are fiercely territorial and xenophobic. Elves from this region have pale skin with hair and eyes which reflect the forest realm they live in, with green and brown being the most common, but rare individuals have hair the color of flowers. 

Solmiranth – The vast desert bordering Keleshite is spotted with oasis centered cities which are the trade centers of the nomadic Sun Elves. These elves are much more amiable than their northern kin, and have a happy trading relationship with Keleshite. Sun Elves have rich brown skin with hair and eyes mimicking the colors of the desert, most often ranging from golden brown to white. 

Lands of the Sea Wolves – Human lands far to the north, unaffiliated with either large human nation. This is a land of fierce warriors and raiders who plague the coasts of both Almiranth and Valeria. Humans from this land are tall, with pale skin and fair hair and eyes.

Religions 

The primary religion of the Valerian Empire is the deification of the Empire’s founder, Livius Valeriana, and is known as Unificationism, or the Church of the Glorious Unifier. Deities who existed in the region prior to Valeriana’s ascent were either canonized as saints or devil. 
Priest appearance

• Ceremonial outfit consists of grey robes with yellow trim, ceremonial breastplate & longsword.
• Daily wear must be simple and functional, but with a grey and yellow mantle
• Holy Symbol – Circular disc with a smaller concentric circle within it. Inner circle divided into five equal parts.
•  

Tenants

• At all times, do what is best for the church and for the empire. You are part of something bigger than yourself, and selfish actions are the greatest sin.
• Show mercy to enemies of the empire. So that they may see the error of their ways and join the empire. Willing converts are more useful than conquered ones.
• Give aid to your fellow citizens when it is requested of you, for only by sharing our talents and resources can the empire reach its true potential
• Stay vigilant at all times against the demons and devils which seek to weaken the empire. They can take many forms and their methods are infinite.
• Release undead from their tortured existence, for only by freeing the sinner’s soul from its corporeal form can it be reunified in the glory of Valeriana’s light.
• Vows of chastity don’t exist, as the empire can only continue through children. Vows of poverty and silence are rare, as they can often cripple a priest’s usefulness. Vows of loyalty and piety are mandatory. 

Domains

*Priests of Valeriana may pick Good, Law, Nobility, Protection or Strength.
  Favored Weapon: Longsword

  + Priests from Saintly orders may pick as follows:

     - Order of Saint Gaius (patron saint of leaders and judges (LG))

         Domains - Glory, Good, Law, Sun, War

         Favored weapon – Greataxe

     - Order of Saint Sarina (patron saint of providers and parents (NG))

         Domains - Animal, Community, Good, Law, Plant

         Favored weapon – Sickle
     - Order of Saint Pedanius (patron saint of healers and hunters of the undead(NG)) 
         Domains - Glory, Good, Healing, Knowledge, Fire
         Favored weapon – Scimitar

     - Order of Saint Cassia (patron saint of artists and lovers (NG))

         Domains - Air, Charm, Good, Luck, Protection

         Favored weapon – Longbow

     - Order of Saint Octavian (patron of dreamers and travelers (CG))

         Domains - Chaos, Good, Liberation, Luck, Travel

         Favored weapon – Starknife

     - Order of Saint Cailean (patron of brewers and brawlers (CG))

         Domains - Chaos, Charm, Good, Strength, Travel

         Favored weapon – Rapier

     - Order of Saint Lucretia (patron of merchants and nobility (LN))

         Domains - Charm, Law, Nobility, Protection, Travel

         Favored weapon – Light Crossbow

     - Order of Saint Vulcan (patron of craftsmen and alchemists (LN))

         Domains - Artifice, Plant, Law, Protection, earth 

         Favored weapon – Warhammer

     - Order of Saint Spurius (patron of scholars and mages (LN))

         Domains - Healing, Knowledge, Law, Magic, Rune

         Favored weapon – Quarterstaff

 
The people of Keleshite worship four deities: Hassat, the father, Mirri, the mother, Farnoush, the grandmother and Gren, the grandfather. These four form the core of the massive family to which all faithful belong.

Dwarves worship the earth and their ancestors.

Elves worship an infinite number of nature spirits, organized by scope. (I.E. Spirit of All, Spirit of Animals, Spirit of Bears, Spirit of Black Bears, Spirit of Regional Black Bears, Spirit of Individual Black Bear)

Gnomes worship one of three Faerie Queens, Titania, Queen of Fire and Earth, Mab, Queen of Water and Air or Tupelo, Queen of Science and Progress.

Halflings worship the sun and moon.

Orcs worship a triumvirate of deities: Nug'Okra, the wise woman, Gormaash, the destroyer and Wrask, the hunter.

Goblins worship whatever elemental forces scare the tribe the most.

Kobolds worship dragons.

No one has ever had a long enough conversation with an Ogre or Troll to discover if they worship anything. 

Imperial customs 
Clothing

• Women wear knee length shorts or skirt, sandals, backless, sleeveless shirts which tie at the neck and just below the breasts, which is usually tucked into their lower garment and a light shawl, which is often optional.
• Men wear loose fitting pants, sandals, long, unbuttoned vests and sleeveless shirts. Wealthy or fashionable men wear knee length capes.
• Colder weather is dealt with by high cut boots, heavier leg garments, layered sweaters and cloaks.

Gestures

• It is a sign of respect to place the back of your left thumb to your lips in greeting to a noble. 
• Military salute is done by raising the right arm perpendicular to the body, bending at the elbow 45 degrees and making a fist.
  

Magic 
Magic is a property possessed by all things, like mass and gravity. In the broadest of definitions, magic is the ability to change. The least magical objects things are inert, nonmagnetic, inorganic substances. As an entity’s level of magic increases, more and more is available to that thing. Magic is what allows a creature to turn desire into movement, and some refer to it as the mechanical part of the soul. If a creature possesses sufficient magic to maintain all bodily mechanics and functions and still has more left over, this excess magic can be channeled into skills and talents which shape the world around them. (Most living things have this level, to varying degrees. It allows a craftsman to build a house, and a plant to push its roots through dirt) Furthermore, rare individuals are born with magic so potent that it needs no physical mechanic to effect change, especially in drastic, “unnatural” ways, which is what most people refer to when they speak of magic.
At this level, different types of magic become observable. Currently, three types of magic are known:

• Arcane – This is the magic possessed by wizards and sorcerers, it is fast and dramatic, enabling the mage to evoke large change, but tends to be imprecise.
• Commune – This is a subtle magic which allows the mage to evoke specific changes, and is particularly potent for healing and protection. 
• Corrupt - This is a magic forbidden by all of the civilized world. It twists physical forms as well as the energy of the other two magics. The source of this magic is not known, but it is through this magic that all undead get their life.

For sentient creatures, the allotment of magic bestowed at birth is not the full scope of power they can hope to achieve. Like many attributes, it can be honed, broadened and exercised through use.

• Wizards use study and experimentation, forging their capacity into efficient formulae and repeatable processes.
• Sorcerers and Bards explore their talents, much like an artist, using constant trial and error until they discover the abilities which work for them.
• Paladins, Druids and Clerics expand in a combination of the two previously mentioned, studying religious scriptures and delving into their own relationship with their chosen deity/ies, the proportion of each based on religious following and personal taste. (The Valerian church stresses a close attachment to scripture)

All magic which creates or controls undead is banned

All wizards must take necromancy as an opposed school

Wizards 

• Wizards wear gilded manacles on their right wrist. This signifies that they are bound to the empire.
• A wizard may never hide his or her nature from others unless it is in sanctioned service for the empire.
• Wizards are expected to swear fealty to the empire. While there is no law which says this is mandatory, but wizards that do not are strongly ostracized from society and often persecuted for any action they take
• The capital city of each province has an arcane library where students come to learn and older wizards to debate, study and experiment. (Capital: Evocation, Tartessia: Conjuration, Visgallia: Abjuration, Leponia: Illusion, Liguria: Alteration, Illyria: Divination)

Sorcerers 

• Since most don’t understand the source of their powers, sorcerers are considered a dangerously random variable to the empire. Those who wish to use their powers openly must often swear fealty to the empire as wizards do, as well as undergo rigorous testing by a library council to assess their power.
• Many sorcerers, particularly those who do not wish to use their power, do not register.

Common Monster Lore 

• Dragons – Rare, with extremely limited interaction with people. Common knowledge holds them as little more than a combination of dumb animals and forces of nature.
•  Aberrations – Tall tales
• Monstrous Humanoids – Besides the common races and Orcs, the only other humanoid races are the pest races of goblins and kobolds, as well as scattered ogre and troll clans. Giants are legends. Rumors of aquatic races are common, but actual evidence is not.
• Outsiders – Commonly believed in, but never actually encountered.
• Fae – Widely held superstitious belief. 
• Undead – Uncommon, but corpses rising as zombies and skeletons is common enough that every culture takes steps to prevent the dead from rising