THE SUNDERED ISLES
Campaign Setting for Dungeons & Dragons
The campaign starts with the party stranded on the shores of the Moor, with no idea who they are and how they got there, except for one key memory from each's life. They must now get their bearings and figure out a course of action.
As the campaign progresses, they will solve the mystery of the Moor; why nobody in the continent remembers who they were, how the city Achlys came to be and the mysterious power ruling it. They will come across characters and bosses (all of which are optional) that represent who the player characters were beforehand and unlock their memories.
Map border by Grymhorn on Deviantart at:
https://www.deviantart.com/grymhorn/art/Fantasy-Map-Border-346802497
ILUVATAE
Iluvatae, also known as “The Empire” is the largest political entity within the Sundered Isles, It is surrounded by Greucrian Ocean, the Lucian Sea and the Scar, and has borders to the nations of Sarenaith and Justerra. Its size is mostly thanks to the expansion politics the Iluvatae nation followed in the previous century, taking over the lands and four strongholds belonging to the “Lords of the North”. The nation was governed from Celeste, its capital until then, but the northern capital of Seraph and the northern council was founded to keep the Northern Strongholds under control and let them have the semblance of a say in the governance of their own lands.
Iluvatae was an elven ethnostate prior to the events of the Northern Wars, after which it became a mixed nation of many races with an elven majority through the influx of the diverse populations of the northern lands. It is not a well-kept secret, the goals of domination the Iluvatae Empire holds dear to its philosophy. Its army is powerful and its politicians cunning. This expansion could be stopped only thanks to the four nations of the south banding together to form The Southern Coalition.
Settlements of Iluvatae
North:
Seraph is the northern capital, almost equal to Celeste in majesty. It is governed by the Lords’ Council, selected politicians from the northern strongholds. It is the safest city within the empire, which is saying a lot.
Kilhorn Hold lies at the easternmost coast of northern Iluvatae. It is the largest northern stronghold and boasts arguably the strongest warriors. Its culture is almost entirely based on hunting and fighting.
Bearhall is the most isolated and smallest of the northern strongholds, akin to an oversized village rather than a hold in size. However, its people are known to be the hardiest and its weakest are rumoured to be able to fight bears one-on-one. Bearhall festivals are world renowned.
Irongrave Hold houses the massive army catacombs of Iluvatae. It was the first of the four holds to surrender to Iluvataean control and played a major part in the annexation of the other holds. Most politicians of the Lords’ Council come from here.
Staracre Hold is a pacifist within the ranks of the warlike holds. Its people give utmost importance to spirituality and knowledge, and many people come to pilgrimages from across the northern lands to Staracre hold.
South:
Celeste is the “true” political capital of Iluvatae. With its marble and gold structures, it exudes and air of almost godlike elegance. Staying here for even one day can cost as much as a normal villager’s decade worth of income. It is a global trade capital.
Shroudwatch got its name from its origins as a military encampment formed to deter Sarenaith assassins from passing through the dark mountain passes. It was an important military chokepoint at its time. Now, it serves as a military town that houses the official military academy of Iluvatae.
Covemouth is the secondary trade center and touristic capital of the empire. Many nobles from all around the Sundered Isles select this town as an important part of their Grand Tours. It has beaches, rolling hills, mountain views and wine; what more could a noble want?
Riverdenn is a river town, and the most inland large settlement within Iluvatae. It is a farming and logging town, and most of its denizens are working people. It is perhaps the most peaceful place within the Greucria continent.
THE SOUTHERN COALITION
The coalition consists of the nations Justerra, Sarenaith, Diogel and Far'khan. It was formed as a last-ditch effort between the four countries of southern Greucria to stop the steady advances of the Empire. These nations all have distinct identities and cultures, and historical squabbles. These differences were all put aside for the greatest common goal; preserve their sovereignty. Only through this coalition were the four nations able to create the stalemate that exists today.
SARENAITH
Sarenaith is a country of culture and spiritual arts. It has amazing tourist destinations and is a magical superpower. It is a matriarchal society and its rulers are selected from its spiritual masters. The queen candidates take a pilgrimage to the Iron Mountains to the east of the country to earn the blessing of the country’s spiritual goddess. They are against extreme bloodshed and believe that killing must be done secretly and cleanly as to not disrespect the victim’s corporeal form.
Settlements of Sarenaith
Shirenor is the capital of the country and a cultural powerhouse. Libraries that keep the world’s oldest political and magical secrets as well as temples that predate any of the Sundered Isles’ current civilizations can be found here. Queens rule from the Glass Palace here, keeping eyes on every corner of their domain.
Maulrûn is a mining town and a popular tourist destination within the coalition. It houses mines that yield the highest quality metals in the entire world and the smiths to process such valuable metals. Its trade ports always bustle with foreign merchants almost ready to kill for these metals that they can sell for astronomical amounts.
Sil Ath'Vael is the spiritual and military center of Sarenaith. Its temples work both as spiritual centers and military academies specialized in training the most skilled assassins in the Sundered Isles. It lies at the foot of the Iron Mountains and is considered the start of the Queen’s Pilgrimage.
JUSTERRA
Justerra is a haven for arts, crafts, trade, and political intrigue. Nearly everything here is either extremely over-the-top or shrouded in mystery. It is ruled by an oligarchy; people of immense power, wealth, status and influence, who decide what direction to take the country every five or so years. Justerran wines are famous all around the Sundered Isles as possessing magical properties. Money and influence is king here, and everything is up for grabs.
Settlements of Justerra
Maiveil is the capital of Justerra. Nearly all its elite dwell here. Every night, banquets of utmost opulence are held, operas are constantly full, and money never stops flowing. A constant stream of foreign nobles bring riches to Justerra through the glitz and glamour of Maiveil.
Entredeux and Valenmur are twin towns, formed on the opposite coasts of the Red Lake. These towns are famous for their wines, which are the lifeblood of Justerra. These towns are always in a state of competition as to who will produce the best batch of wine each year. These towns also possess the highest ratio of poverty within Justerra. They constantly take in refugees that are put to work in the wineries with living conditions that can barely be called humane.
Findeterre is the newest town in the continent. It was first just a collection of summer mansions for the country’s rich and powerful, who then noticed that they still needed services during the winter as well, and in turn, Findeterre the town was born.
FAR'KHAN
Far'khan is the military heart of the coalition. It houses the greatest generals and the most decorated military academies. Each year, the four military academies of the four cities send their best squads to the capital on a tournament to determine the top academy of the kingdom. The winning squad members get an almost free ticket to becoming generals. The brightest scientists of the coalition also come from Far'khan, thanks to the Great University at the capital.
Settlements of Far'Khan
Val'saad is the capital of Far'khan. It is a massive city, the biggest in the coalition and the most populated in the Sundered Isles. It houses the greatest scientific and military minds of the coalition. Such a large population comes with sizeable drawbacks however, as Val'saad has one of the largest criminal underbellies of the Sundered Isles as well.
The Four Cities can hardly be called individual cities, as all of them were built with the same plan with the same goals in mind: create an environment of rivalry between each other to foster exponential growth within their populaces, and it seems to have worked so far. Each of the four cities is ruled by a general, and the capital doesn’t interfere in incidents between cities.
DIOGEL
Diogel was almost forced to become part of the coalition. The country is the only republic in the coalition, as well as the only place that seems sensible at first glance. Once one steps into the country however, they can see they outside the capital, nearly all its resources are being siphoned by the other three of the coalition. The only force keeping the country from collapsing is the sheer tenacity of its mostly dwarven people.
Settlements of Diogel
Cartref is the capital of Diogel. It is famous for its brews and a deceptively large underground spy and information network. If one needs to find someone, their best bet would be to check around Cartref; someone there is sure to know something.
Mylentir is a fishing town, but not an ordinary one. The sea creatures in the waters of Mylentir are just short of monsters parents tell their kids stories about to make them behave. Except here, children are trained at a young age to catch these maritime beasts.
Platur is home to the finest blacksmiths in the entire Sundered Isles. Weapons and armor made by smiths of Platur are lauded as legendary artifacts, and these people can churn out such masterpieces at an astonishing speed. They just prefer not to, as the people of Platur are also keen on their comfort and relaxation time.
Amddiff is basically a massive global bank. Every nation including the empire store something here. The governing force of Amddiff is given special permission from the rest of the Sundered Islands to work independently from any and all political occurrences around the town.
THE HORDES
The continent of Praea is a land torn apart, yet at the same time pulled together by war. There are almost no permanent settlements here as most the residents are part of one of hundreds of the nomadic barbarian tribes. The Western continent has aptly called this jagged piece of land the Hordes. The hordes have no hunger for more land, and they usually don’t travel overseas. Trade with the west is done only in The Cradle, a massive makeshift city which was established for the sole reason of trading.
The hordes of Praea are in a constant state of war with each other, and it is rare to find two tribes with no animosity toward one another. One would think this land would immediately fall apart under even the weakest invasion, but they would be wrong. All the feuds and animosity between tribes is skin deep and battle is a cherished tradition. When an external force attempts to disturb the order of things here, the whole island becomes an army.
Settlements of the Hordes
Settlements of the Hordes
The Cradle takes its name from the common belief that the coast where it was founded on was the place the “Great Ancestor” came to be and proceed to give life to all of the Sundered Islands. The city’s foundation is much more recent, however, and its location merely symbolic. It was made with the combined efforts of all of the tribes after the last Iluvataean invasion, to stand as a bastion of impenetrable defense and the common willpower of the island’s people.
Arohaea is a camp town used by the tribes of the Not-South for trading and partying. It serves as a rare place of respite and is one of the scarce spiritual sites within Praea, each of which having its own guardian deity and its keepers.
Artumch, or as it was called originally by its founders (the Empire), Galad-Siniath, was the first point of entry of the Iluvataean army, and coincidentally where they were trapped in for three decades afterwards. The tribes had allowed these curious strangers to build their sprawling outpost, but when the visitors turned to be invaders, the tribes made it their mission to let them see the land they wanted so much with all its glory. The invaders were forced to fight day and night, yet they were never outright wiped out as they were to suffer. After 30 years, a small group was allowed to go back as a warning. Now the town stands as a dire reminder to the empire, and a supply stock to many tribes.
THE MOOR
The Moor is nothing. There is no information regarding it but legends, as there exists no information to collect. It is nothing but endless steppe, only pierced by the sight of strange towers from the shore.
Settlement of the Moor
Orm is the only surviving attempt to settle on the inhospitable steppe. It is a modest village; its only importance is being the only known settlement on the Moor. Otherwise, it is not much different from any other fishing village.
As far as anybody who lives outside knows, Achlys doesn't exist. The strange towers rising from the horizon when looked upon from the shores of the Moor are right here, on this strange city where nobody remembers anything from before they arrived here.
