Primer on Dierde


 
NEED TO FINISH & CLEAN UP!!
07/18/2023

Precis

A world of adventure. A wide variety of different societies spread out all trying to find their way with little known of the far past or of the threat that rests in the Earth.

Conspectus

The societies are not too advanced, but in some centers of a high population, there are those who have become more civilized and are starting to learn more about the world they live in. In most regions species and races get along, but there have been past wars and of course, there are those for which they seek power or they hold nefarious plans. There are countless religions and secret societies that have found their way into all of the more civilized nations, and they all are playing out long-game scenarios for power. As one goes further away from the civilized centers they will surely find all manner of Beasts and monsters as well as long-lost cultures or relics from times long past and forgotten. No one goes too far south for that is where the dragons roam and rule. There are those who seek out adventure and that is the one thing that can always be found on Dierde.

Introduction

Dierde is a world of adventure, meant to be full of possibilities for the players. For those “living” in the world they find it to be a world of survival -- whether in a large city where anyone can be out to get you, or in the wilderness where any number of Beasts can find you. There are many factions and individuals seeking power and history has shown it can be stopped only with those brave enough to stand up to them. Currently the world seems to be in “relative” peace as no major outright wars have been taking place. Sure there are regional conflicts that flare up from time to time, but the factions in the shadow know that war only cuts into their profit margins and risks their loss of power so they tend to try and find their own ways to “keep the peace.” There used to be many wars, based on those seeking power, those wishing to show racial superiority, the wars of jingoism, or just those seeking resources. This is just history for the race of man, but many of the long-living races still have more vivid memories of those days. They ended though as a common problem literally broke through the earth and threatened the survival of all on Dierde. This legend of the Sleeping Dragon and the Great King who brought the nations together have begun to fall away into legend these days. Many are now seeking fame and glory whether in adventures of exploration or by seeking out the growing evils that have been appearing in various lands. The adventures can be across new unexplored lands, in ancient forgotten temples, in the sprawling and dangerous Underdark, or it can go into space. Once in the Wild Space of the Realmspace around Dierde you can explore one of the nearby planets, have any number of encounters or even find a way to navigate the Phlogistan into a whole different world. There are various other planes which are not as hospitable to such adventurers, but that has not stopped them before. Seek your power, your wealth, and whatever your heart may desire -- but hopefully you will get to enjoy it before the Sleeping Dragon once again wakes and no one is able to stop it. This primer will try to explore much of the things that could assist you in playing this game with me and of course it is always possible that errors are made, that things have changed, or these are the things that someone wanted others to believe instead of the truth. In the end, have fun exploring

Dierde Continents

(these names are not officially recognized)

World Map (Layers Active) 21600 MILES: 2.5 YEARS (WORLD)
3600 MILES: 150 DAYS (CONTINENT)
360 MILES: 15 DAYS (KINGDOM)

The Main Continents

Eushia is the center of most civilized trade. It is the hub that connects many of the Western Nations with those across Æwrûn. The lands on the west are the most "civilized" with a large "monster" civilization on the east coast that tends to not be peaceful ot outsiders. Many places away from the western city-state of Neyer tend to deal with these monster-races or the wandering barbarians that mostly hail from Nurdgard. East of Eushia is the Carrune islands that are home to many pirate clans such as the The Free Pirates of Carrune. It can be very dangerous to travel south of the Trade Mar Route. North of these regions is Hyulla-Putyor, the land of the Elves. Most of the inland is forested mountains where any non-elves will be hunted, but there are lots of coastal cities where many races live in peace. Kampos is mostly known for the Anthropomorphic Creatures that reside here in a variety of cultures and nations. The western portions of Æwrûn are full of civilized nations which tend to become more sparse as one travels East. Nurdgard, formerly named Prek, is populated by Giants and hearty barbaric warriors who tend to roam around and invade their neighbors from time to time. Towekind, formerly called Smuzstongz, is a land of wizards and home to many magic schools. Notably the Mage Schools like Grand University of Mysthaven. Old Names

Heínyaolrá A land of ancient cultures, neanderthal-type humans. Nomads. Giants and mammoths roam these cold lands. Ulímiprend A land known as death. Not much is known of this continent outside of the fact that very few have ever returned. There are no known accurate maps of this region. Planaílmaínt A chain of islands where all types of tribal cultures reside. There are no substantial resources and so there is not much contact. Krulwá Another land of unknowns. So much is unknown of this continent and it also lacks any accurate map. Krídh A scary land where little is known except for the large lizard Beasts that seem to live everywhere on these islands. Taídz These dangerous Rock islands carry many legends. Tales of dragons in every color, large holes to the center of the Earth, and of course no accurate maps. Shúngaolrá Another land of mystery, named the Deathlands. Myths of Beasts, monsters, and no accurate maps. Fromdaolrá Another land of mystery is named “Endangered Land”. No accurate maps, only myths, and legends of monsters and death. Plethrá Below the Spine Range are hills where Halflings and Gnomes reside. These lands are often haunted by roaming monsters, but the Halflings and Gnomes have found ways with the local Dwarves from the Spine Range to generally keep the monster populations at bay. Wutang These lands are populated with a mostly Human society with samurai and monks. Lungglúts These desert sands hold all types of societies with large pyramids and strange gods. Hwomdyaolrá This continent was home to so many Gold mines and myths. One of the most notable locations is NeyersWinter. A city built from the Gold and smuggling that the Gnome Neyer once accumulated and invested into his winter home. Yulílvz This chain of islands is the home of many a pirate. As trade routes go between Gir, Kyeft, and other lands they must go near here, and every past event to rid the islands has failed. Kyeft The home of the Elves, non-Elf races are only allowed on the SouthEast coast with very few exclusions. Maídzian A land of civilization, deceit, mystery, and adventure. Ag Bafíld A land of various tribes and nomads. Very few reliable maps exist. Pablá The land bridge, no reliable maps. Gir A land of mystery where many animal Humanoids reside. Other societies also live here, and they do trade and interact with other societies. Hweíla The North Pole, a land of ice and glaciers. Very little lives here. No maps. HweílaDot The South pole and similar to the North, no maps.

Major Races & Creatures of Dierde

This is the time of Humans, but many other races have become part of the current society. It is not uncommon for more rural communities to be more homogenized, while the larger seats of civilization will be more mixed. The most common "civilized" races would be Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, and Halflings (as well as those of mixed heritage like Half-Elves). There are also plenty of Aasimar, Dragonborn, Half-Orcs, Orcs, Goblins, and Tieflings. Granted, some areas are very rich in other Goblinoids, Eladrin, Genasi ,Goliaths, Satyr, Faun, Leonin, Tabaxi, Tortle, and other interesting races.

Languages of Dierde

Standard Languages

Language	Typical Speakers	Script
Common	Humans	Common
Dwarvish Language	Dwarves	Dwarvish
Elvish Language	Elves	Elvish
Giant Language	Ogres, Giants	Dwarvish
Gnomish	Gnomes	Dwarvish
Goblin Language	Goblinoids	Dwarvish
Halfling Language (Luiren)	Halfling	Common
Orcish Language	Orcs	Dwarvish

Exotic Languages

Language	Typical Speakers	Script
Abyssal	Demons	Infernal
Celestial	Celestials	Celestial
Draconic	Dragons, Dragonborn	Draconic
Deep Speech	Mind flayers, Beholders	—
Infernal	Devils	Infernal
Primordial	Elementals	Dwarvish
Sylvan	Fey Creatures	Elvish
Undercommon	Underdark traders	Elvish

The Moons of Dierde

This is a planet with a long unknown history. What is known is a long history of wars, civilization, monsters, and exploration. This region is a continent rife with opportunities for explorers. North-West is a large continent where the Elves dwell, North-East is the hearty Nordish Vikingr, South-West is the wild and dangerous islands where many pirates reside -- only venturing out from time to time to attack ships for supplies and fame. Further West and South of those island chains live all types of creatures and humanoid-animal types. To the East are the vast nations of Dierde. Past those limits much is unknown, and mostly resides in myth and legend. Krídzjash. This moon goes through its whole cycle in a week. Starting the week as a full moon, meaning it also starts the year as a full moon, it has long been used to track time. For most cultures, the moons have been used more than the Sun to track time. There are stories of a large Dragon or many dragons on or in this moon. It is often given male attributes, especially since many hunter/gathering type societies based their hunts on the week. In some select circles, it is referred to as “D’ermond”, or a similar name. It is the moon of the hunter, the warrior, the fighter, and anyone who must use violence or weapons to attack, defend, or hunt. It is also the moon of neutrality. Yulíjash. This is often given a female attribute, due to reproductive reasons. It is thought of as a moon with healing and rebirth properties. She has long been used to track the months and is the moon for farmers, healers, priests, and those in the forests. She starts as a full moon and as the month goes on there is the middle day of the month where both she and her brother are absent from the sky. Some have seen various disturbances, changes, and other occurrences more frequently on such midpoint days. By those who have heard of D’ermond they call this moon “D’iestern”. She is the moon of Law. Rustulítsaíjash. This moon does not follow the Calendar and is off by a day from the year. In the first year of the King’s Calendar, it was a full moon on the first day, which was year 0. It was this event that helped them choose it as the year of the King’s Calendar. This is the moon of wizards, sorcerers, demons, the dark, for chaos. D’iethloki it is called by some. This moon is notable for many reasons and is carefully studied by many occultic scholars.

Calendar

This is a planet with a long unknown history. What is known is a long history of wars, civilization, monsters, and exploration. This region is a continent rife with opportunities for explorers. North-West is a large continent where the Elves dwell, North-East is the hearty Nordish Vikingr, South-West is the wild and dangerous islands where many pirates reside -- only venturing out from time to time to attack ships for supplies and fame. Further West and South of those island chains live all types of creatures and humanoid-animal types. To the East are the vast nations of Dierde. Past those limits much is unknown, and mostly resides in myth and legend. Kings Calendar. The current Calendar is using the Kings Calendar based on what the Great King put down 2,020 years ago as the final Calendar. Since then many regions have left the “kingdom”, but they have kept the Calendar. Not much is different with the KC Calendar and many other previous calendars that use the day/night cycle. The Moons of Dierde. There are three moons that circle Diedre. One that follows the cycle of the year (almost) and that one is the dimmest. There is then the one that cycles following the months, and finally, the one that cycles the week. Many myths, legends, and religions follow these moons. The Calendar and Magic. Magic is a strange element on Dierde, since it comes from many different sources. A lot of the magic is a natural part of the universe since the original creator’s essence still exists all around, but with the Dragon God in the Sun, a Dragon God in the planet and moons, and of course Gïa in the planet as well that is a lot of powerful magic floating around. Then all of the many gods who have come and gone from this universe, there is a lot of powerful magic that gets affected by the seasons and the placement of the planets and moon.

Time

Many different cultures have used and are currently using various means to tell time -- just as their calendars may differ. The Common method of time is to divide the day into 24 hours, similar to what we do. Simple clocks and other devices are used in most places. Daytime. Many inhabitants tend to divide the day into ten segments. Common names for these divisions of the day are:

Dawn: The time around sunrise.
Morning: The time between sunrise and Highsun.
Highsun: When the sun was directly overhead; also called “noon” or “twelve bells”.
Afternoon: The time after noon.
Dusk: The time before sunset.
Sunset: The time around sunset.
Evening: The time after sunset.
Midnight: The time roughly 12 hours after noon; also called “twelve bells”.
Moondark: The darkest part of night; also called “night’s heart”.
Night’s end: The time before sunrise.

Other divisions in common use include:

Godswake: The time before dawn.
Harbright: From dawn to Highsun.
Elsun: The latter hours of morning.
Thulsun: The early hours of afternoon.
Tharsun: The latter hours of afternoon.
Eventide: Same as evening, twilight, or gloaming.
Nightfall: Same as dusk.
Night: The hours of darkness.
Deepnight: Same as midnight.

None of these divisions were precise. Different folk’s usages might overlap with others. In general, however, these slots of time ranged between one and four hours. Bells. In larger cities, bells were sometimes used to mark the hours. The churches of Gond and Lathander were also particularly interested in accurate timekeeping. In such cases, hours were numbered 1 through 12 twice, with 12 being both Highsun and midnight. Bells were commonly used on spelljammers as well. Magically Auspicious Times. When practicing the art of magic, the position of the sun could have noticeable effects on the efficacy of certain spell components. These times of day and the item affected: Foredawn: The quarter-hour before 5 am to the quarter-hour after 5 am. Magical immersions using Turquoise were best used at this time. Mornbright: The quarter-hour before 8 am to the quarter-hour after 8 am. Any spells or magical writings using amethysts were more likely to succeed during this interval. Midmorn: The quarter-hour before 10 am to the quarter-hour after 10 am. Magical workings using sapphires were best done during this period. High morn: The quarter-hour before 11 am to the quarter-hour after 11 am. When enchanting a weapon adorned with garnets, starting the procedure during this interval generally produced the most favorable results. Highsun: “Noon”, as above. Magical workings involving Diamond dust produced an increase in effectiveness when the sun was directly overhead. Waterclock: The quarter-hour before 2 pm to the quarter-hour after 2 pm. Casting spells or other magical processes using emeralds as a component had an increased chance of success if performed at this time. Time of summer sunset: About 5 o’clock in the afternoon. Enchantments involving powdered Ruby were most effective when performed at this time of day. Twilight: Around 6 o’clock in the evening. Steps of an Enchantment process using opals had the greatest chance for success at this time. Candleglass time: The quarter-hour before 9 pm to the quarter-hour after 9 pm. Powdered Jade was best added to magical immersions during this interval.

Months

Using Yulîjash one can track the 12 months that make up most calendars, and like most things they go by many names. Using Common though we can see the traditional monikers. It is believed that each month favors a caste, an adventurer’s profession, or an element -- this is also part of the horoscopes. Frostmonth. Frostyulí | Krístoptyulí, Water Snowmonth. Snowyulí | Prilúftyulí, Healer Winterswane. Winterswaneyulí | Plablispúntyulí, Royalty Rainmonth. Rainyulí | Waftyulí, Earth Palesun. Palesunyulí | Thaíftyulí, Fighter Highsun. Highsunyulí | Smundúlfyulí, Common Firemonth. Fireyulí | Nyaoplamyulí, Fire Fireswane. Fireswaneyulí | Nyhweíiyulí , Mage Lowsun. Lowsunyulí | ag Nyaoplamyulí, Poor Redfall. Redfallyulí | Meíldraíscheín Frúlpyulí, Air Leafall. Leafallyulí | Plamsúj Frúlpyulí, Rogue Fellnight. Fellnightyulí | Frúlpkav yulí, Dragon

Constellations

Like everything else, there are different interpretations of signs and of the stars. The Common interpretation has four distinct sectors and each is divided into 3 main sections --Element, Class, and Caste. The main constellations fall in the following pattern though. 01 | Water - Teardrop. The first star sign has one major star. It resembled a teardrop to the early societies and many see it as an anchor. It ties to water and is an element constellation. 02 | Healer - The Cross. The second month has two major stars and makes an “X”, a cross that is considered holy among many religions. It ties to the adventurers and society. 03 | Royalty - Crown. The third month has three major stars and is a crown in the sky. It is a caste system constellation. --- 04 | Earth - The Orb. The Orb has four major stars and is an element constellation. 05 | Fighter - The Sword. This sword in the sky has five major stars and is a class constellation. 06 | Commoner - The Tool. To the common man, we have the tool and it has six major stars. --- 07 | Fire - The Torch. As the climate turns warm we have a torch to further Lead our way. The pattern of major stars starts again and we see only 1, this goes up one each month. 08 | Mage - The Skull. Those who practice magic bend the rules of death and so they see a skull in the sky. 09 | Poor - The Fruit. The poor so need fruit that it is the symbol to help represent their place. --- 10 | Air - The Fan. The fan. 11 | Rogue - The Key. The Key 12 | The Dragon --- the first and fifteenth of every month hold a lot of sway.