Ashandri
Recovering from the end of the world
While the history of Braythe is ancient, our story begins in a young world. It has been four years since the destruction of the world of Virthys, and the birth (or rebirth) of the world-island of Ashandri in the Braythian Void. A religious war on Virthys culminated in a war between deities, and ended with the ancient dragon god Zathruax tearing the world into pieces.
Eleven fragments of the old world have been saved from utter destruction, and merged into a new home for the survivors. Each region offers vastly different opportunities for adventure. It’s up to you whether you focus on one region, or your adventures span the entire world-island. Every region has its own dominant races and creatures, as well as its own culture and history. Ashandri also has a subterranean world called the Hollows, with several levels depending on how deep they are. The first level or layer is called The Dim Hollows, the lowest one the Netherhollows. Few people from the surface world have ever been in the Netherhollows.
And that's not even all: The chains binding Ashandri to its neighboring worlds, and even the purple void itself, are places that can and will be explored. Not to forget the two neighboring world-islands themselves, each with a completely different theme and background. So, effectively, there are sixteen different major areas for you to choose from. And each area offers a vast amount of locations, characters, creatures and adventures!
Aside from everything a gamemaster needs to know to create a roleplaying campaign in Ashandri, you will also find information on how to create and play a character in this world: From new races, subclasses and backgrounds to advice on building the narrative of a person that survived the end of the world.
Life in Ashandri is different
In certain areas of Ashandri, like the luscious forests and fertile fields of Delvaroth, you could almost forget you’re not in a regular, medieval fantasy world. But even there, far away from the mind-bending weirdness of the Mesmerizing Mountains or the darkness of the Ocean of Ash, certain things are different. Here are nine things to keep in mind when preparing your campaign in Ashandri. 1. Almost everyone has a scarring background story. Sometimes, being a survivor doesn't really feel like you had the better fate. Not only have the inhabitants of Ashandri literally observed how their original home world blew up in a giant ball of flames - an event that can certainly change your perspective on things. Many people suffered horrible injuries, like losing a limb or an eye. And with so many of them, only a part of these people had the privilege of being restored with regenerative magic. Physical health aside, most survivors have lost a lot in the apocalypse and its aftermath. From friends and family to beloved places or even revered gods that died as their world ended, grief, loss and unprocessed trauma are ever-present. But so is the strong desire among many survivors to build a new, possibly even better life in their new home. 2. We’re not in Virthys anymore. Even though the world-isle of Ashandri is made up from the remnants of the world of Virthys, it is a vastly different place in many aspects. The sky isn’t blue - when you look up, you see the purple-colored Braythian Void. At day, the difference may appear as just a slight color change. But instead of a sun, you see the sky emerald, a giant crystal floating above Ashandri. At night, its bright light fades, and it takes on the role of the moon. The stars in the night sky are actually other world-islands and whatever they have for a sun. And if you walk long enough, you can literally reach the edge of the world, and watch as waterfalls disappear in the void. 3. There is someone at the absolute top of the food chain. Ashandri only exists because of Marisha Veilbreaker, the Halfling bard that the powers of Braythe have chosen as a champion to save at least parts of her world. Accepting this role gave her tremendous power, turning her into the most powerful entity in the entire world. And while she does believe in free will, she will fiercely defend Ashandri against anyone disrupting it too much. On the other hand, adventurers that make a name for themselves might catch her attention, or that of her close friends and allies. This alone can become a constant source of new quests, if the characters are willing. 4. Not all the dead have made it to the afterlife. As Ashandri was transported into the Braythian Void, the connections to the realms of the afterlife were severed for a couple of days. But the new world was not yet stable, and people were still dying. Their souls are now lost in Ashandri - people call them the Unbound. Many have become ghosts. Others learned to possess inanimate objects, plants and animals or even people. And among the Unbound, there are some supernatural creatures, from summoned celestials to invading demons and devils, that never made it back to their home planes when their physical bodies died. In Ashandri, it is very well possible that your local baker or smith is actually possessed by a desparate fiend or an angel. 5. A new power structure is still evolving. While most of Virthys had clear political structures and territorial boundaries, the end of the world messed that up pretty much. Most of the eleven Regions of Ashandri don’t yet have official capitals or rulers. Some are still trying to adapt to the new world, while others see ruthless battles for power and dominance. Marisha Veilbreaker has made it clear that she is not interested in ruling Ashandri, only in protecting it. Many have seen that as an invitation to seize power for themselves. 6. The rebirth of Ashandri created entirely new species. The powerful magic that merged the fragments of Virthys into a new world had some unintended side effects on many living beings. Strange and fascinating hybrid races - plants, animals and sentient species - emerged in Ashandri, and now fight for their place in the world. In some areas, living beings were literally flooded with magical energies, turning natural species into supernatural ones. 7. The apocalypse left many people with an ambivalent feeling towards gods. The destruction of Virthys was the result of a war of dragon gods. While there were entire divine pantheons completely uninvolved in the conflict, at the very least, the gods failed to protect the world - and their followers. The fact that, in the immediate aftermath, the connection to the gods was severed for several days didn’t exactly improve the situation. Also, some gods actually died along with most of their followers. Those Ashandrians who do still follow the gods, on the other hand, are often particularly devoted. 8. Lost treasures are a pretty common thing. As the fragments of Virthys merged together, many hoards and treasure vaults collapsed or were buried in the ground, especially in the border regions. Rumours about great and unguarded treasures spread everywhere. Some of these places have already been heavily robbed, or found a new guardian. Others are actually nothing but rumours, or traps by bandits hoping to lure in incautious adventurers. 9. The Perishing are everyone's secret nightmares. The mysterious, frightening creatures commonly called The Perishing are not just a rumour. The horrifying stories of their appearances are common knowledge, and it is clear that they seek the utter destruction of Ashandri. Their mortal allies from the neighboring world-island of Va’Laeth have tried to invade Ashandri two times now, resulting in many more deaths, and some of their vile agents still roam the lands. When planning your adventures in Ashandri as a GM, always try to include at least a few of the elements that make Ashandri unique. It can be just a visual detail or a feeling of tension to bring the world alive. But it's also possible to create small sidequests or even the foundation for a whole campaign from these aspects of Ashandri. Here are some ideas to spark your inspiration:- A settlement where everyone knows about a possessed building. The ghost is friendly, but suffers from depression. People regularly visit the haunted house to cheer up the poor spirit.
- A local commoner suddenly got rich after finding an abandoned treasure hoard. She's meddling with the various magical items, and some of them create a lot of chaos and confusion.
- A sage is building an arcane apparatus at the border between two regions. He wants to understand the forces that keep the two regions apart, yet connected. To continue his project, he needs a special gem found in the local caverns, and the heroes might be the ones to help him.
- In a village the group visits, a political power struggle goes on. Several nobles and merchants fight for the role of mayor. The settlement lacks any established processes of how to decide for a mayor. The guards and militia serving the different nobles are close to going into a bloody fight if the player characters don't intervene.
- On their journey through the wilderness, the group meets cute animal-plant hybrids, for example Flowercats. If they pet them, they find themselves pollinated - and short after hunted by Spiderbees.
- A local cleric has defended his temple against aggressors since the birth of Ashandri. But recently, a group of fanatics is organizing a purge, intent on clearing the city of all signs of the gods.
- A ravager Elf is found and captured in a settlement. He has been stealing food and other items for years. The locals want to burn him on a stake, but he could be a refugee, trying to get away from the evil forces of Va'Laeth. The group has to decide whether they intervene.
Ashandri World Map
Type
Island, Floating
Included Locations
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