Ebreon
1-1-1113
Scope
The motivation behind building Ebreon
To create a world in which to host my D&D games with a history and lore invented by myself and my players.
The goal of the project
I want to create a setting that I am the expert on and that my players find interesting and wish to explore. I hope to create some fun campaigns and games within the world.
Ebreon's Unique Selling point
The world is a high fantasy, sword and sorcery type setting, though kingdoms and politics play a heavy role, as they typically would in a lower magic setting. I want the world to feel larger than the players.
Theme
Genre
High magic sword and sorcery with political kingdoms and empires.
Reader Experience
I want the world to feel familiar, especially depending on where in the world they are. I want it to feel real, with various cultures and ideas. The further the players get from "home", the more wonderful and confusing and potentially terrifying the world should seem.
Reader Tone
I'd put the tone in the middle. In most places, it's pleasant enough to live there and most ordinary people have the occasional run-in with the arcane or divine, but generally live simple lives. In large cities, the bizarre is far more common, and life is much busier, be that good or bad. There are areas that are incredibly bright, where the unexpected rarely happens, life is good, and the presence of arcane or divine magic serves only to heighten this. In other places, the tone is rather dark, where life is a daily struggle, and any introduction of arcane or divine magic brings in another element of control or suffering.
Recurring Themes
Persistent World
The world should feel lived in and real. It should feel as if the world itself doesn't care about the players. The world goes on with or without them. Player Impact - Despite the persistent world, the players should be able to impact the world in some major ways. If in an early campaign, the players stop the apocalypse, this should certainly be referenced in later campaigns that take place further into the world's history. If early in a campaign the players are cast out from a kingdom for attempting to steal from a noble, this consequence should continue throughout the campaign, etc.Political Intrigue
People are messy, always vying for more power and control over one another. In Ebreon, things should be no different. While the kingdoms of dwarves, elves, and other races may be more mild by comparison, human kingdoms should be full of dangerous political games. All races are capable of backstabbing and political intrigue etc., but humans most of all are fueled by ambition and a need to get ahead, leading to an ever changing landscape.High Magic
While in small towns and villages a person could go their whole life having experienced magic only a handful of times, in larger cities or certain sanctuaries throughout the world magic is incredibly common. Even some smaller towns may have a seer or shaman among them, despite the fact that most common folk may be confused or even scared by their abilities. For this reason magic items should be plentiful, and magic is accounted for in the laws and inner workings of kingdoms and societies.Diverse
The world holds an immense amount of diversity. While certain areas lean more heavily toward a particular race or subrace or ethnicity, the world is made of a vast number of races, many of which have subraces. Humans are the most diverse, having splintered into roughly two dozen ethnicities.Character Agency
While I have an idea of who the villains are, their motivations, and the overall story surrounding them, I want the players to have a large amount of agency. I want the players to be allowed to make massive changes to the landscape of the world and to explore the world as they see fit. The world should still, however, remain larger than the players. Without good reason, a player should not overthrow an entire kingdom for instance, though they may be able to impact the economy of a city, bringing it into or out of ruin.
Focus
Drama
Kingdoms at war or on the brink of war.
An evil necromancer attempts to raise a dead god.
A dracolich seeks rebirth.
A ruined city contains treasure and buried secrets.
Areas of the world are still unexplored.
A great dragon destroyed a once great city. It's knowledge and riches now make up the dragon's treasure.
A continent sparsely populated is home to all sorts of monstrous creatures.
Archdevils, Demon Lords, and other horrors from other planes and worlds are constantly attempting to break through and invade the material plane.