11 May 2024

More lore for my D&D world! This isn’t necessarily super relevant to my campaign, but the region described was the focus of my previous campaign, and played into the dynamics there. And who knows? Maybe it will matter more than I think. That’s the nice thing with having information handy; it’s easier to come up with ideas if you already have options available.

The Kadrashan War

A little over three hundred years ago, the region around Kadrashal used to be a verdant jungle, with a number of great cities. Unfortunately, perhaps because of their great wealth, many of the ruling class started making deals with all manner of devils, allowing the fiends more an more free reign within the country.

This did not go unnoticed, and under the banner of the Radiant Queen, two great armies formed. One hit Kadrashal from the north, including forces from the barbarian tribes of the north, Solstrana, Duladel, Marruecos, Piege, and even a small contingent of Serni elves. The other, coming up from the south, centered around the great army of the Tailong empire and their dragonborn allies, though the hobgoblins also sent a large force of their cavalry. One of Essayna’s heralds, the lioness Sekhmet, even came down to joining the battle.

Trapped as they were, the witch-king of Kadrashal hosted a massive ritual, sacrificing hundreds of his citizens to open a hole straight to the Nine Hells, which in turn corrupted the region. Even Sekhmet herself was tainted by the infernal energy, though the significance of that would not be discovered until the war was over.

However, the portal gave Essayna enough leeway to intervene directly, and the Radiant Queen herself led the charge to purge the region of both the devils and their allies. The clash of her divine flame and the infernal corruption scoured the region until the land itself burned, and the once-lush jungle was transformed into the sandy desert it is at the present day.

The lingering effects in the population turned many into tieflings, regardless of their dealings or lack with the devils, and the majority of the following generation were born as such. Over the course of the war, combined with her corruption, Sekhmet developed a monstrous thirst for blood, and had to be sealed by Essayna to prevent the herald from turning on her allies. Many of the armies returned home, though many, including several orcish tribes, opted to settle nearby instead.

22 April 2024

And here are the next three; the dad and the two oldest siblings of the lot. I quite like the idea of all the different facets of the Storm King, too.

Karthos, Father Death

Also know as the Grim Father, the Judge in Darkness, Lord of the Grave, and He Who Reaps, Karthos is generally depicted within human nations as an old, tired man in a billowing black cloak with a long beard, wielding a scythe with skeletal hands.

He rules over death and its role in the circle of life; he also guides souls to their resting places after death. His clerics generally follow the Blood, Death, and Grave domains, though it is not unheard of for them to ascribe to the Life, Nature, and Order domains. He bears a strong hatred for those who proactively try to “cheat” death, especially as most known methods to do so require harming those around them, but unbeknownst to many, he bears no ill will who unwillingly stumbled into undeath.

Known Heralds:

1) Some kind of skeletal knight

2) His steed, the Nightmare

3) 

Essayna, the Radiant Queen

Also known as the Burning Child, General Inferno, and She Who Smiths, Essayna is the goddess of the flame and the sun. She is often portrayed as a glowing, armored woman with flaming yellow hair, astride a warhorse, though depictions of her in a leather apron at a forge are also relatively common.

Through her rule over fire, she came to represent civilization as a whole, and has a strong association with law and order. As such, she is regarded as the patron goddess of the Skybreaker order, and her worship is especially strong in Solstrana; her ties to the forge also lead to a high concentration of worship amis=dst the Dwarf Holds in the mountains.

Clerics of the Radiant Queen typically ascribe to the domains of Order, Light, or the Forge, though Knowledge and Peace are not unheard of. A very few ascribe to the Twilight domain, but such are often considered borderline heretical by the rest of the clergy.

Known Heralds:

1) Sekhmet (Fell into bloodlust during the Kadrashan War 300 years ago; currently sealed)

2) Her war horse, a stallion; either mate or son to Death’s Nightmare

3) Dwarven god of the forge

4) 

Zatir, the Storm King

Also known as the Raging Tempest, Brother Fortune, and He Who Trades, Zatir is the chaos to his older sister’s order. Perhaps because of that, his characterization fluctuates the most greatly depending on where and how he is worshiped. Among the barbarian tribes of the Unclaimed Lands to the north, be they human, orc, or goliath, he is hailed as a great blue-skinned warrior wielding the storms against his enemies. In the mercantile regions of Oileanda or Duladel, he is worshiped as a gallant seaman opening the path for merchant ships.

He rules over storms, wind, and rain. As a result, he also gradually became associated with the winds of fortune, and “storm bless us” has become a common phrase for invoking luck. His clerics tend to be associated with the domains of Tempest, Nature, and Twilight.

Known Heralds: 

1) His wife, a storm giantess [Lady luck? If not, a separate herald for that idea]

2) A rare, non-malevolent kraken of great power; Neptune as a name?

3) Grizzly bear of some kind. Reference Elden Ring Rune bears

4) Famous pirate/merchant type with his ship; Davy Jones type idea?

5)

18 September 2022

This is the creation story for my homebrewed D&D story. Or, well, the first part of it. I may add more later. It’s been ages since I’ve played, but I do enjoy it, and I enjoy the worldbuilding aspect it inspires. My setting does differ from mainstream D&D settings in a few ways here and there, but that’s part of the fun for me. I’m not the first person to think of Life and Death being a couple who gave birth to everything else, but it’s an idea I find fascinating.

If I were ever to make this serious, there are definitely some things in this I’d expand upon. Also, this is 100% fiction, and doesn’t represent my actually religious beliefs. I probably didn’t need to say that, but you never know.

Before the beginning, there were only two, Mother Life and Father Death. Some say they were exiled from other realms, others that they wandered from their home to grow beyond the limits of what they were. And they stepped into the dark, and it was empty, and cold.

To stave off the cold, they embraced each other, and Mother Life conceived. To comfort her in her pregnancy, Father Death formed earth for her to lie on, and soon a baby girl was born to them, with flaming gold hair, and brought light to the darkness. In joy, the two gods wept and held their baby close. The Mother’s bed became the earth and the spirit Genbu, and their tears became the oceans and the spirit Aruna.

The baby grew, and as she grew she laughed loud and often. When she did, her hair would flare flames so furious it would boil the new oceans. The first flames fell deep in the earth, and became the spirit Pele. Mother Life wished for her daughter to know beauty, and so with her power grew a garden bed for her little girl. And even as her flames burned it, so too did her light sustain its life.

In time, Mother Life and Father Death again conceived and bare a son, who could shatter mountains with his cries. His first wail became the winds and the spirit Zephyr. With his winds, the boy learned to bring water to the garden the children now shared and let it rain, softening his sister’s flames and creating the first storm.

The two children would often fight and grieve Mother Life and Father Death. When they saw this, the four great spirits gathered and said, “We must do something.” So each shared of their essences to create a being in the image of their makers, and thus the first giant was born. They made many more, and brought them to the children, who stopped fighting to admire them in wonder, and play with them.

Mother Life and father Death were also impressed, and praised the spirits. “However,” Mother Life said, “they do not yet truly live. They are still little more than puppets.”

The spirits sorrowed, and Father Death cautioned, “If we grant them life, we must also grant them death. They will not be eternal, as the gods or the spirits. Do you still wish them to live?”

With one voice, the spirits pleaded for them to make it so. And the Mother and the Father granted life to the giants.