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Destiny
Winter, 4E 297
Scope
The motivation behind building Destiny
This has been a personal pet project since April 2020, seeking to accurately portray my love for Scottish mythology and the pre-gunpowder medieval period onto a setting which could work for playing Dungeons & Dragons 5e. The purpose is to build a world much more unified than my previous (and unfinished) "Terralba" project, with new ideas following from my old inspirations.
The goal of the project
I want people to enjoy the rich worldbuilding I have put my personal time into creating, as well as my personal friend group whenever I find time to write a one-shot or two in between our main campaign. Additionally, I think the twists I make on classic D&D themes to fit Scottish mythology should hopefully strike an interest in non-Irish or obscure Celtic mythology.
Destiny's Unique Selling point
Instead of a standard medieval fantasy, I have assessed the potential cultural impact of my history in a non-gunpowder scenario. Culturally and technologically, the Mortal Realm went through a renaissance during the time of its "Great Empire", which now it is in a Dark Age of collapse where advanced technology and cultural equality mix with the collapse of the early medieval world.
Not only that, but growing up around folkloric storytellers of my island community have informed me of select pieces of Scottish mythology not found on the internet, which have inspired my worldbuilding to a great degree.
Theme
Genre
- Pre-Gunpowder Medieval World
- Renaissance Cultural Society
- Scottish Folklore and Mythology
- High Magic Dark Fantasy
Reader Tone
The world is dark and full of terrors, but those away from the wilds and borderlands live their lives often without danger. After a destructive Dark Century, the societies and civilisations are coming back onto their feet before instability has once again reared its ugly head with the tensions between the Holy See and Kush Empire, along with the theft of the Crown of Thorns.
Recurring Themes
The themes of the Mortal Realm are those of my native Scottish Highlands. A land filled with mystery and wanderlust, but filled with elements and creatures who could kill once off the beaten path.
A peoples split in half between those scarred by cousin-to-cousin imperialism and clearances, and those who profit immensely from their overlordship of others.
Religion being a powerful force for the right and wrong reasons, fuelling everyday lives of those just trying to make it to the next year.
Character Agency
Character agency is a key aspect of worldbuilding, which I hope to introduce if/when I hold one-shots for my friend group.
Focus
Drama
Rise in Tension Between the Holy See Territories and the Kush Empire
Two separate ideologies are rising on the Mortal Realm and are butting heads. When in previous histories Empires would rise and fall largely independent of one another, these two have arisen together after the Dark Century with two extremely separate aims. Now, their borders have met at a mountain pass. Militarism and populist ideologies are ravaging both sides, as proxy-wars are being fought by paid-off external bodies. While the Kush influence the Khasahmir City-State to assert naval mercantile dominance over the Holy See's Silverlight Sea, the Holy See utilise their faith to unite nations with a common cause over the coming crusade.The Theft of the Crown of Thorns by the Archmage of Mampang
With the Mortal Realm ready to explode into a Great War between two superpowers, the symbol of supremacy for the Holy See has been stolen by a third party, the new Archmage of Mampang. Mampang lies far to the east of the Holy See Territories, with the yet to be conquered wilds of Kakhabad lying between them. While the Kingdom of Analand has already been pushing its territory eastward without much forcing them back, the loss of the Crown has led to the Kingdom to militarise quickly over the fear of what the Archmage could do with the primordial power of the Crown Created Before Time. Some rumour he is a cultist of Throff, the Great Hag of the Underworld, who seeks to bring ruin to the Holy See for their faith. Whatever the truth, the current winter is a time of arming to take back the Crown before the Bishoprics of the Holy See dismantle the great Kingdom of Analand in vengeful hate.The Inter-Realmly Cold War Between the Celestials and Fiends
It has been said the end of the Realms would occur in a furious and bloody battle between the Gods of Magus Realm and Throff of Mortis Realm. The Gods, with support from the Mortal and Elementia Realms, once attempted to invade Mortis Realm. The failure of this event led to the crossing between the Second and Third Eras, and even into the Fourth Era the Goddess Sindla lays siege to the Mortis Realm. Throff has claim to all the souls of the Mortal Realm after death, as per the natural order of existence. The Gods however, takers of all, have started stealing souls to grow an army. Souls reforged into warriors known as the Risen to combat the Fiends and Wights of Mortis Realm. War is destined, and the Mortal Realm destined to be its battleground.The Great Dance Between Umbra and Lumen
The Great Dance has occurred since the beginning of time, with Dark (Umbra) and Light (Lumen) constantly rotating around one another in contention. From the decaying bodies of the first two beings came the Elven race. The Eladrin Archfey arise in Lumen, and the Shadar-Kai in Umbra. The Gods brought the Mortal Realm into the Great Dance with the Towers of Reality, seeking to hold sway of more power over mortal races. The Eladrin and Shadar-Kai knew that the Mortal Realm - or the Primordial Garden to them - is more important than any other Realms could comprehend and battle for the continuation of the Great Dance, of existence itself. Umbra Realm seeks to amass the Garden into itself, slowly dripping dark portals across the Mortal Realm to suck it into darkness. Lumen Realm seeks to undermine the Gods and destroy the Towers of Reality, sacrificing the Garden and mortal lives to prevent the growing power of Darkness to tip the balance of the Great Dance.The Destiny of Nightmare
The Nightmare lies in wait, trapped in their dream-state eternally. Their physical body is gone now, but that action will be the end of the Gods. For what can anyone do when the Gods themselves suffer from nightmares?
Destiny is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.