Welcome to my fantasy setting, developed by my friends and I across at least three countries. It started off as a game we played while deployed in Afghanistan, and was intended to be a play and forget world, but something about the setting just stuck with me. Unfortunately the game was put on hiatus when one of my good friends, a player and codeveloper of the setting, Sgt. Scott Stream, was killed in an ied blast. It is in his memory that I continue the development of the world we created together now.
I am trying to make my contributions to this site as rules free as I can, because I want it to be usable as a setting regardless of what set of rules you decide to play with it. If someone else wants to contribute to this site by adding in a 3.5 ed stat block for an NPC, while someone else wants to contribute a 4ed representation of a homebrew monster, I am perfectly fine with that. Any contribution to the setting is valid, regardless of rule system used to describe the concept being created.
Possible name for the planet the game takes place on; Aterra
Also good names; Grenova, Ndertula, Kaulo, Kavartu, Dotular
Themes: There are two main themes which this setting revolves around. First, the one which the wiki takes it's name from, is that of Ascension to Godhood and the new gods which accompany that journey. Secondly is the theme of High Magic, which is treated more like varying disciplines of magical sciences, rather than mystical and mysterious forces.
Summary
The world is in a state of turmoil and a massive world war that rages across the main continent of Caanas. It began as a conflict between the nations of Ossia and Grandia, with several border skirmishes occuring, and proxy wars taking place across the continent over valuable resources. It has over the last 20 years escalated into a full-blown world war, with Ossia and Grandia both dragging allies into the fray. Not all countries are directly involved in the war, but all are affected greatly by it. Borders change rapidly, and strategic points change hands often.
Inspiration: The world is meant to be similar to our own during World War 2, with the attitude at home being heavily geared to supporting the war effort. Proxy wars are still being fought, similar to Afghanistan in the cold war, and covert actions occur frequently.
Tone: This is a great campaign to play in 3.5 ed D&D using the Heroes of Battle supplement if wishing to participate in the main conflict, or players can take the part of adventurer's designated to perform some great task to help the war effort in traditional D&D dungeon crawling form. Alternatively the heroes need not be involved with the war at all, remaining neutral, and only using the war as a backdrop to their activities. Overall however, the world is in a large scale war, and that tension should always be felt by the players.
Magic: This is neither the high magic of Faerun, or the common magic-as-technology of eberron. Most higher level casters who got involved in the war became targets to assassins and enemy casters. So lower-level magic is generally practiced on the battlefield, if at all, with more practiced and educated wizards staying away from enemy crosshairs. Higher level practicioners are rare because of the mortality associated with the study now, and those who do exist generally tend to keep to themselves, or occupy higher governmental or academic posts.
High Magic in this world requires a focus of some sort. That is, in order to perform acts of great magic like levitating mountains or enchanting cities, the magician must work his magics through a near-scientific discipline. This takes many forms based on the desired effects. The gnomes pioneered Gem Magic, which makes employing personal abjurations, transmutations and divinations easier and more powerful; they might imbue a crown's center ruby with a number of abjurations which make assassination near-impossible. The dwarves invented rune magic, primarily used for powerful weapon and armor enchanting. The halflings have their own form of shamanism, and have recently come to use menhirs to use as focal points for areas of magical effects. The methods by which these effects are achieved are as varied as the effects themselves, but the fact remains that they can not exist without some sort of mathematical application and their focus, which are usually very closely guarded secrets. As such, epic magic should only be achieved by a wizard or sorcerer who takes levels in a prestige class devoted to that discipline, I will develop a 3.5ed example of one as time goes on.
Sorcery must have a source as well, though the sorcerer need not know the source of his powers himself. Fiendish or draconic blood, or even being born in an area with an affinity for a plane, or lingering arcane or divine magic, can all cause it. The sources of sorcerous power are numerous, but there must be a source for it, it does not just happen spontaneously. Pathfinder has some excellent rules for sorcerers which I based this on.
Gods: There are a few distant major gods, who generally only dabble in the affairs of mortals in indirect methods relating to their areas of influence. Most races have distinct patron deities, although some actually share patrons who they worship under differing names. As of the last couple centuries, demigods and ascended mortals have become more common, and more active divine intervention occurs because of them. During the war some demigods have even taken up the sword to fight alongside their followers, and one mortal soldier ascended to godhood on the battlefield.
Lore: This setting evolved out of the fiction that my players and I wrote about the setting, and out of the games we played in it. As such I am excited to read any fiction or games that others may place in the setting, and wish to develop the world accordingly. Feel free to submit your stories to me, or if you have membership on the site, post them yourself.
Life in the World of Conflict
Keeping Time
Each day in the WoC is 24 hours long, each hour generally referred to as a "bell". Certain nations may divide the day up differently, like Grandia which breaks the day into 6 4hour watches.
Each week has 7 days, for simplicity's sake they will be named the same as ours, Monday to Sunday, with Monday being the first day of the month. Each month, also named the same as ours, January to December, has 4 weeks in it for a standard 28 days each.
The lunar cycle is just as uniform as the months, with one full cycle each month, the moon being full on the 28th of each month.
Most nations have their own ways of noting the passage of years, like the Ossian calendar, which has year 0 as being the year of their nations founding, 1425 years ago. Thus the campaign starting year would be 1425 OB (Ossia's Birth), in Ossia. Other nations, such as the pirate islands of Tropicantis, mark the years starting from the last time the moon, sun and great stars aligned, making the year 3863 SA (Second Age). The calendar that will be commonly used to refer to all historical effects for ease of purpose will be that which starts with the destruction of the Ancient ancestor race of the gnomes, and the splitting of the main continents. This event is known as the Grand Cataclysm to the sages, and very very little is known about it. It happened 12850 years ago, making the campaign start in the year 12850 AC (After the Cataclysm).
History
Most nations have their own ways of noting the passage of years, like the Ossian calendar, which has year 0 as being the year of their nations founding, 1446 years ago. Thus the campaign starting year would be 1446 OB (Ossia's Birth), in Ossia. Other nations, such as the pirate islands of Tropicantis, mark the years starting from the last time the moon, sun and great stars aligned, making the year 3884 SA (Second Age). The calendar that will be commonly used to refer to all historical effects for ease of purpose will be that which starts with the destruction of the Ancient ancestor race of the gnomes, and the splitting of the main continents. This event is known as the Grand Cataclysm to the sages, and very very little is known about it. It happened 12871 years ago, making the campaign start in the year 12871 AC (After the Cataclysm).
- 1426 OB - In the new year, the war between Ossia and Grandia is declared. Angwar Keep is sacked.
- 1428 OB - The Year that the Tarrasque was released from it's prison underneath Infernia. Several nations begin marking time from this point, dates from this point on are writted like T+1
- 1432 OB (T+4) - Ostivakia Revolts, declares itself a communist nation after a violent civil war.
- 1436 OB (T+8) - Lamplight is destroyed in a bizarre arcane explosion, the Ghostlands are created.
- 1438 OB (T+10) - "New Beginnings" Campaign Begins in Towering Oaks
- 1440 OB (T+12) - The signing of the official cease fire between Ossia and Grandia. Uneasy truce results.
- 1443 OB (T+15) - "Sundered Souls" Campaign Begins in Flameberth when the Thriceborn are resurrected in the Desert.
History of the War - An elaboration of the recent Ossia/Grandia war.
