Lore at a Glance

An Overview of the important parts of Ithungsida.

Created and Written by Dejers.

Deep in one of the Battalion's libraries, new members are collected and sworn to the code of the Battalion. Here they are given reign to seek information about the world they live in, with some knowledge they knew and some to be discovered. Here is a breakdown of the information that most find useful.
— Notes of Jogranel HelShed, Leader of the Battalion.

What is The DraKaise Battalion?

The DraKaise Battalion is an ancient order of adventure seeking wanderers struck by the wanderlust of DraKaise, that will for adventure and wanderlust. This group has existed in dwarven culture since before their landing with the Fourth Fleet of Iwa, and are now maintained as a holdover from the times of Iwa. In a world such as Arydia, many are born in strong accumulations of DraKaise and are tainted by its mere presence. Drawn inexplicably towards danger and adventure, but the majority tend to snap out of that, restraining their primal instincts and finding truth in their own lands and homes. All of those that can not break free from the siren’s call of the DraKaise are welcomed by the Battalion. That curse of wanderlust that drives you in search of exploits and great deeds is welcomed in the depths of the Feng Canyons, atop a solo mountain that has held members of the DraKaise for over a thousand years. The headquarters and the majority of the group still resides there, with a network of tunnels that facilitate foot or rail travel to the rest of SosIwa , but as the population of the Battalion has spread to include many other than the dwarves it started with, many have grown to prefer the overland trails and Airships to make their way to the fabled group. And it is fabled. Countless plays from the last millenium have featured this group heavily as the saviors of Arydia in one fashion or another and for many urban folk it has lead to a belief of the innate superiority of the group. Able to rain fire from the sky for days and capable of going toe-to-toe with fearsome giants and dragons. While many other groups in Ithungsida have more of a prevalence in their local regions, the DraKaise Battalion benefits from good relations with all nations and are capable of maneuvering troops to any point of the continent. With these thoughts, a common saying in reference to the Battalion is that ”Those that go to the Battalion become near god-like in their abilities and capacity.” And they aren’t wrong, many of the greatest warriors of the modern age have certainly found residence in the Battalion at one point or another, but it still takes drive and ambition to take advantage of what is offered.

What/Where is Ithungsida?

Ithungsida “The Land of Sin”. Initially settled by elves, this vast continent has a wide spread of environments and peoples that populate it; from the mysterious Elves to the hardy honor-bound Dwarves to the Humans that spread anywhere and everywhere with no whims of cares. This land takes up a good portion of the northern hemisphere of the planet of Arydia, watched over by The Frost Giant of the North and sealed away from other lands by a indiscernible wall that wraps the lands around itself as if it were a planet of a much smaller scale. However, other lands are known of; such as the land of Iwa that the dwarves sailed from on their fateful journey and others obscured to an even greater degree by the vast expanse of time. The Celestial Giants and their gods have sealed those lands away, linking them even to the planes above and making the mention of any seem to be a fairy tale, this perturbs the wisest of the realm, but the masses make no note of it, indeed, not knowing or caring about the truth of the landscapes. And that is for good reason, for the lands of Ithungsida are vast and mysterious. Civilization having countless years of history, but the latest having been born of the Fourth Fleet of Iwa and sparked the human revolution against their orcish oppressors. A civilizing force unheard of before or since, after the Fourth Fleet was swept away from their lands by an angry mage and whirlwinds of flame that swirled through the many ships and cut them away from their old world. When they landed on the northern shores of this new land, they found the disparate and broken human tribes apt for aid and kickstarted civilization with their experience and wisdom. One thousand, one hundred and eight years later, through cataclysms like the Funeral March and The Orcish Incursion, the histories of this land have grown and changed to become a brilliant area with history and knowledge to be sought. Wars fought, empires built and lost, countless horrors enacted by armies too big to know their own aims.

Welcome to Ithungsida.

Who do we Worship in Ithungsida?

The Celestial Giants are constellations that hang in the night sky, giving perfect indicators of north and south while they are said to cause the very seasons and hold Arydia in their very hands. Due to previous failures to maintain a world, a snake has been tied around the center of the world to keep the giants from destroying Arydia once more. The various gods were all once mortal, many from the previous ages of Arydia where they were noticed by the Celestial Giants and ascended into godhood, they encompass the mortal realms in a primarily offhanded nature. With only the gravest of issues resulting in their reaction with an avatar or similar. However, they often provide blessings and other benefits through many people they grant powers to heal and benefit the world with. All are worshipped to some extent, but the amount varies widely. With some areas like the Devout Monarchy of Renai worshipping their Halfling patrons Firn, the Chilled Halfling and Garma, the Halfing of the Hearth, and others like Aegis worshipping Plospryn, The Thaw of Spring to a greater amount. However few gods have any great hatred towards other deities or their followers, even the opposition of the The Knotted Snake's gods seem to work for the balance rather than against each other. For more in-depth information on the pantheon, check out this overview article!

The Pantheon

Generic article | Jun 8, 2019

Beneath the Giants are the gods, those beings that have been uplifted and granted powers over the cosmos and the very fabrics of reality.

Who lives in Ithungsida?

Ithungsida has been settled for countless millennia with the Elves having lived in every portion and every landscape before being driven back by the expanse of Man and Orc; the former fleeing the latter. With this, the largest contributions to the cultures in Ithungsida are these three races. With Elven customs warped and changed into simpler and more direct ideals and understandings before being changed entirely into what are now known and seen as primarily Orcish customs, rituals, etc. Even their language is a simplified derivative of sylvan spoken in new strange ways but hauntingly similar. With these facts, even though orcs have been rendered extinct following The Orcish Incursion, their presence and history is still felt in the prominent usage of their language and culture. Ithungsida in the modern sense, has countless species with a huge majority of Humans, separated by a wide gap are dwarves and elves. Even Half-Orcs are still common, with the species continuing on as a firm present on the continent. The rest find their own niche’s in the lands, from Aarakocra in the Feng Mountains to Tritons in the southern seas. Holy Aasimar revered and in temples, and Yuan-Ti seeking the return of their ancient empires.

Species of Ithungsida

Percentages for Species.

Estimated Population of Ithungsida	30-40 Million (Percentages of Pop.)
Human	45%
Dwarves	25%
Elves	14%
Half-Orcs	9%
Halflings	3%
Other	2%

What Countries are in Ithungsida?

Devout Monarchy of Renai

The North-Eastern Kingdom of Renai is ruled by two ancient silver dragons that were powerful before the landing of the Fourth Fleet, having gained the direct favor of their respective gods eons before. Their presence and power are said to keep Renai frozen and left largely an uninhabitable tundra, but this overlooks the countless rural communities that thrive in these colder climates that are as much caused by the Draconic Duo as by the The Frost Giant of the North. While the dragons hold the throne of Renai, their favored group holds the upper class; the country is dominated by a Halfling upper class infamous for a slight disdain to other races. The majority of the nation’s wealth comes from the incredible amount of material exports from the mines and fields of Renai, which is solidly reinvested into the largest food transportation network on the continent, sourcing food from as far as Forkden to feed their largest cities.

Renai

Organization | Apr 18, 2021

The Devout Monarchy of the north, Ruled by dragon emissaries of the gods and pious to a fault.

The Slavers of Forkden

In the time before ForkMaw, the landscape was underpopulated and mainly filled with natives that lived in the ancient stone-walled cities that weathered the annual floods or on villages that were swept along the tides. With the spread of ForkMaw bringing countless people and industry to the region, the natives were largely displaced until the country found itself on the wrong side of the civil war and standing alone. Due to the intense flooding that ravages the majority of the landscapes, Forkden is underpopulated outside of the massive urban centers that are it’s cities. Each and every city rivals the size and complexity of Araetule’s megacities. Only in forkden can a child grow to adulthood without seeing the sun, yet remain at all times “Above Ground. Some contention occurs with the prevalence of debt-based slavery in the nation that fuels the massive amount of industry in the region. Most slavery contracts are government ratified and are carefully applied to prevent abuse, with all retaining their humanity and most senses of decency beyond their promise of work to another.

Forkden

Organization | Apr 21, 2019

The slave powered society of the west, centered around ancient stone cities that weather the floods.

Feudal States of KravMaw

Along the Dytikan Coast, there are countless small towns and areas that were constructed in the years after the Landing of the Fourth Fleet of Iwa. With the collected force of the Iwan fleet flooding into Ithungsida as an unintended colonization effort, the humans of the region were quickly civilized from their tribal existence into something worthy of being called a race. From these seeds, Forkmaw rose into being, a human based civilization that went on a cleansing purge of the rest of the continent to force the mass of Orcs from their ancestral homes. After the civil war, the lands of Kravmaw recessed and began consolidating power in various structures under their monarchy, the lands were segregated into the power of lords and duchies that spread to cover the land and have bickered since. The majority of the land is covered in massive fields of farms, with the megalopolises of the nation being primarily of Dwarven construction. Many of the larger cities look from afar like pyramids rising into the sky due to the construction of the various buildings within and the thought of keeping the center of the cities as the best vantage points to see the Celestial Giants in the night sky.

KravMaw

Organization | Apr 29, 2019

The Six-Fingered Monarchy of the Dytikan Coast.

Remniscent Monarchy of SosIwa

SosIwa, remembering Iwa. With the Landing of the Fourth Fleet of Iwa, Dwarves found their way to the land of Ithungsida. They settled on the Dytikan coast and got their bearings, but hearing tell of a range of endless mountains that reach into the very heavens, many set out to find them. Just eight years after their arrival, the dwarves had found their new home, and they christened it; SosIwa. SosIwa is the oldest non-elven nation on the continent. While some may argue the age of Renai to be greater, the fact that it wasn't populated or active when SosIwa was gives the dwarves the prize. In the ensuing thousand years, SosIwa has fully colonized the Feng Mountains, digging room for cities beneath it, and bringing the native Aarakocra and Goliath populations into the fold of the Kingdom. SosIwa has also built cities in a number of the foothills of the mountains, such as parts of the Southern Desert and a portion of the Frost Shield. Much of the population of SosIwa considers their familial chain to maintain their honor, and as such, it isn't uncommon for a dwarf to introduce themselves with their name and a significant relative or fore bearer. This maintains as a heavy part of the culture within SosIwa.

SosIwa

Organization | Apr 30, 2019

Those descended from Iwa, found in the grand mountains they call their homes.

The Technologically Gifted of Araetule

Araetule, the modern remnants of a historical technological powerhouse, now long destroyed. While the technologically advanced democratic nation has recovered greatly, it still bears the deepest scars of tragedy. Over 450 years ago, mortal armies and divine will joined together to utterly destroy Araetule, it's works, it's culture and its people. Yet, Araetule stands against the sands of time. The Megacities of Broken Dams and Burnt Walls built over the devastated corpses of Bitegia and Togasei... Originally, Araetule was founded after Forkmaw's massive civil war. Each side of the conflict donating the cities of Bitegia and Togasei as well as their associated territories to the foundation of a land under the careful ministrations of their sister, Hongden's only daughter, Araelia. ForkMaw's massive civil war was the catalyst for the quick growth of the new cities. The examples of her solid leadership lasting through the eons even as it was refounded and rebuilt after the destruction.

The Technologically Gifted of Araetule

Organization | Oct 22, 2018

Elven Collective of Uuku.

The Elven Forest predates everything else on Ithungsida. Even the elves only have a vague knowledge of how long the forest has been settled. Some say that the forest once covered the entirety of Ithungsida, but the orcs tore the Southern Desert to pieces and the gods sunk the Southern Floodlands pushing them back. Now, the Elven Forest of Uuku maintains it’s borders and continues to maintain it’s lands.

Elven Collective of Uuku

Organization | Jun 8, 2019

Cover image: by HelHeim

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Comments

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Journeyman Zinoger

Nov 14, 2018 12:56

Great stuff man, however for me it is difficult to know where each of these kingdoms are. The prescribed landmarks currently aren't on the map. Futhermore I really like the slavers of forkden part it sounds really interesting!

Sage Dejers

Nov 14, 2018 22:19 by Dejers Garth

Well, if you look at the map, you'll notice a sheath of papers as an icon. If you click that, you can see layers that depict the political boundaries of Ithungsida as well as the landmarks mentioned above!

Master Endrise

Nov 15, 2018 19:39

Nicely written, lots of meaty text that's detailed enough to be interesting but not so huge it's blocking out the sun. I do love the usage of the table to show the population of the land. Nice addition to the entire thing! Though I feel like there the The Ithunsidan Pantheon subtitle underneath "who is worshipped" is a bit too much, mainly because there isn't another subtitle under the same header so the additional title is unneeded. Also, how "old" is your world technically in terms of timeline sake? What is their current year on the calendar? By the sounds of it it must be a very old area.

Check out The Fabulae Anthology!

Sage Dejers

Nov 15, 2018 21:06 by Dejers Garth

Hey! Thanks for reading over it! I was really careful, trying not to add too much yet trying to add enough. It is a difficult balance... This article, like many others, is an adventure in trying to use more of WA's features to a good degree, the table worked a lot better than I thought it would! Plus it supports bbcode in there, so it's sprinkled with tooltips and links! I do get that, I have removed it. This was a massive rewrite and rework of a much older(and smaller) work that tried to do the same. I had had a separate pantheon below it that is now extremely defunct. (And it was already considered fairly defunct.) So, I fixed that up, and think it looks a lot better, good catch! The world has a variable age that doesn't super matter, but the calendar marks it as 1108 years after the Landing of the Fourth Fleet of Iwa. This was a place I realized I hadn't touched on in my lore article, so I rewrote the section of Ithungsida and added a bunch more information, hopefully that helps resolve the question! Again, thanks for reading!

R3negade X

Nov 15, 2018 23:41 by R3negade X

Very well thought-out! It's clear you've put a lot of thought into this. However, I do have one little issue: you say in there that the years are counted in a specific manner, but it's not really clear what that manner is in that paragraph. What is that manner?

Venerable Grandmaster Qurilion

Nov 16, 2018 11:13

Impressive and in-depth crash-course into the setting; I enjoyed the format or the read. :)

WHAT IS THE DRAKAISE BATTALION?

The one piece of information missing here was: what do they actually do? I assume they work a bit like dwarven adventuring guild of sorts, but it wasn't entirely spelled out in the blurb. (though I imagine they make the trek just to reach them a bit of a difficult adventure, as a first initiation type of thing :D ) "Ancient Order" - unless it's a name, lowercase. Same for Honor, Duty, etc. "The DraKaise Battalion welcomes all who are beset by this curse, the curse of seeking out adventure at every corner." It feels like there's a line missing before this one. Right after the dwarves have matured, there feels like there should be something more that leads into this. Something like "But for those who cannot deny the call for adventure, the Battalion offers an outlet" or something. :) "mbedded as it is deep within the Feng Canyons, the Headquarters of the organization is set on a massive mountain that sprouts from the center of the Canyon. " - you could cut "as it is" and it'd read more smoothly. We know it's in the canyons from the description, those three words do nothing to enhance that. "Members of this fabled group are said to outclass any normal person in strength and skill, with the abilities to call down the fire from the sky or fight a hill giant one on one." - You repeat "fabled group" in one line after another. Consider changing it in this line to "of the Battalion" or something :) "Compared to a number of other groups in Ithungsida, this may not be the most amazing feat, but it still holds a common thought in the mind of the common man. " - This line is a little weird; I understand what you are trying to say, but at the same time, you're kind of giving them a downgrade. I'd give it a thought, what do you want to tell us here and what's the best way to say it? Is it the draw this rumor has on common dwarfs? If so, what other groups can and cannot do isn't really relevant ("and no dwarf will be bested by an elf, hrumph!") "Those that go to the Battalion become near god-like in their abilities and capacity. And they aren't wrong, many of those that come to the battalion become exceptional warriors, but it still takes drive and ambition to take advantage of what the Battalion offers." This feels like a whole new thought from the line that precedes it and even directly contradicts it. I'm not sure what the intent was here, but it feels like a jarring transition from "They're cool but it's not spectacular in the whole" to "they are gods of battle!" I'd have a ponder about what it is you are trying to tell the reader here. :) I realize I've been going over them line by line and that might not be the kind of feedback you are looking for, so I'll avoid doing that for the others. But if that is what you are after, I can have a second go at them, as long as it is something you find useful and helpful and such. :) Onwards!

WHAT/WHERE IS ITHUNGSIDA?

I like how, perhaps unintentionally, the dwarves of this setting are basically fulfilling the "ancient aliens" theory. :D How did the giants seal the continent off? What form does this border take?

WHO LIVES IN ITHUNGSIDA?

Who practices the orcish customs? I imagine half-orcs, but who else? :) I've never seen another setting where halflings form the upperclass.. Fascinating! It was a very enjoyable read and I hope you find the feedback helpful

Creator of Araea, Megacorpolis, and man y o the rs.

Sage Dejers

Dec 29, 2018 19:45 by Dejers Garth

See, I realize that you probably thought I ignored or dismissed your solid critique here... But I didn't! I've had it staring me in the face for the last month and a half as I slowly worked my way back around to rewriting and working on this article again! I basically rewrote -everything-, taking into mind new things I've written and your comment to help provide a more consistent view of the world as a whole and how each of your questions are answered. I think it is much more coherent and understandable at this point, so thank you for the comment! Dwarves are sort of ancient aliens if the ancient aliens stuck around, and halflings are only the upper class in Renai. :D XD

Tarkol

Dec 29, 2018 21:39 by Seth Dietrich

Oh my, what an amazing read! I did notice, some of your articles that were meant to be linked via the @ did not go through, I am unsure if this is because the article was not made or it did not completely go through.

Sage Dejers

Dec 29, 2018 21:47 by Dejers Garth

Thanks for the comment and for catching that! I write most of my stuff outside of WA then paste it in, so some things get missed. They should all be good now though! Was there any points you liked about the article or disliked or had questions on? This is supposed to be a decent look at my world, so I'd love to have thoughts on what works and what doesn't. :)

Tarkol

Dec 29, 2018 21:50 by Seth Dietrich

This may be in the Pantheon article, I have not checked, but does your world have any sort of "anti" deities? Devils, demons, some sort of hell perhaps? I did not see any mention of it when I read through

Sage Dejers

Dec 29, 2018 21:54 by Dejers Garth

Well, there are the gods under the Knotted Snake which is partially touched on under the "Worship" portion, those gods are somewhat anti-gods that work against the interests of the Giants and their gods. :)

Tarkol

Dec 29, 2018 21:56 by Seth Dietrich

I did miss that, very nice! Thanks for the great article :)

Venerable Grandmaster AmazingChi

Dec 29, 2018 22:25 by AmazingChi

A very useful overview! I am curious, though, the article mentions why there are no Orcs, but as this seems to be a D&D world, what happened to the Gnomes? As one of 'big four', how come they don't exist, or at least only exist in small enough numbers to fall under 'other'? I'm new to the world, so it may be explained elsewhere. Also maybe related, and I'm not sure if anyone else has mentioned it, but I swear the percentages in that table add up to 98%?

Sage Dejers

Dec 29, 2018 22:51 by Dejers Garth

Never known gnomes to be a big amount. Just means they aren't as populous. I have stuff written with gnomes in other articles, so, they do exist, just not in a manner to be listed there. The %98 means I need to adjust a few numbers. XD Was there anything specific about the article that you liked?

Venerable Grandmaster AmazingChi

Dec 29, 2018 23:17 by AmazingChi

To be honest, I like how each country's summary manages to convey a distinct personality in such a brief space. Well done on that, by the way! Perhaps it's just my viewpoint, but I consider Humans, Dwarves, Elves and Gnomes to be the aforementioned 'Big Four' so was just curious why one seemed to be at least below my personal expectation for their prevalence!

Evi105

Dec 30, 2018 17:24 by Evi

Very thorough, lots and lots of information. It is quite a text well though, some images and maybe quotes would help a lot. Like a map showing the different territories and a representive image from each would be great. Also one thing i didn't understand was, what was relevance of the drakaise battalion? how was it related, and why was it the very most important part, so that it wuld have to be first? Also, a tiiiny summary/introduction at the top would be nice, just to give an idea of what ithungsida is and what's special about it. Nice work, have a like.

Sage Dejers

Dec 30, 2018 19:31 by Dejers Garth

I currently don't really have images for the world and quotes would bump the word count ever higher to no real benefit. I've been really careful about trying to keep this article under 3k words. XD The DraKaise Battalion is the centerpiece of the world. The lens through which games are played and the majority of the world is experienced. Reading this assumes you are coming from the Battalion to learn more about the world, so this sets everything up for you. :D I did write a small quote at the beginning to help make that clear! Thanks for the feedback. :D