Niorath
Scope
The motivation behind building Niorath
Niorath is the world I origanlly created for my dnd campaign, the Heretic's Sword. Now that I am worldbuilding for a bit longer this view has changed as I found it too constrained. I therefore use this world to create my own version of magic and rules and will eventually create a rule set based on it.
The goal of the project
I want my world to focus on the following things:
- Expanding the countries, societies and religions of my world
- Creating a rich history which is tied to the story
- Getting the cosmology of the world fully worked out
- Create a nice overview for any important characters of Niorath
- Devolop unique systems of magic
Niorath's Unique Selling point
At the start of a new industrial age the nations of magic and technology clash. On one side there are the Elves. Due their superior affinity to magic, they had always been the dominant group, even after their ancient empire collapsed. Their mastery of magic is unrivalled which becomes clear to anyone walking through their astounding cities. In opposition to them are the Humans and Dwarves. With much less magic available to them, they took another turn. Thanks to a rapid industrialisation and arms race they even surpassed the Elves in some ways. Among the other species the Gnomes took a bit of both worlds. By merging magic and technology they became a dominant power in their own right. The world is filled with ruins left behind by the gods and other advanced empires. Now several factions try to get an edge by delving ever deeper in them. But all of these empires ended because of cataclysmic events. Blame is often put on the Primal Chaos from the Nervonia nebula. Can the nations of today avoid that same fate?
Theme
Genre
The genre of Niorath is Science-Fantasy. There is a mix of ancient but advanced technology and fantasy aspects which often blurs into Magipunk. Magic in Niorath is common but people not born with any magical talent are however limited to Falls, magic infused crystals, which were introduced to the world during Magicfall.
Reader Experience
The world is intended to feel both dark and hopeful. Many countries are starting an industrial era which caused a new elite to rise but also increased poverty in the cities. Some countries introduced partially democratic systems but many of the lower classes are often still excluded from participating. Under it all the danger in the world remains. Racism and religious conflicts are on the rise, many areas have at least one big war every century and technology is more often used for harming than for good. The vast amount of ancient weapons from previous civilizations makes the world a timebomb waiting to explode into an all out conflict. It is not certain if the current civilizations can avoid the mistakes of those from the past.
Reader Tone
Niorath is Knightdim Fantasy, as defined by the Tone and Settings Alignment Chart: Corruption, racism, war and poverty are all to common in the world. Some of the influential people want to make the world better but most only look out for themselves. Luckily for the world heroes arise from time to time who bring a spark of hope.
Recurring Themes
- The world is filled with ancient but advanced civilizations that all ended abruptly
- The 'good' gods are mostly silent and have unknown motivations. The 'evil' gods do whatever they want, and cause havoc when they can.
- Every nation or organization is competing for power, ancient knowledge or technological supriority
Character Agency
Even though the world is filled with strife heroes do arise. Many extraordinary people have managed to influence the world in the long history of Niorath. Among the most famous of these are Mackevor and Archon who both created their very own religions and are the protagonists of many myths.
Focus
Drama
Recent War
Many Human and Elven countries in Farlis have recently been at war. The Elven nations, led by the dictator Verakon Elervir, devastated Eprus and commited several atrocities. Among them a genocide in the bordertown of Savi. Several years later the wounds of the war are still fresh and the tension between Humans and Elves is at an all time high. On top off that it seems like certain events are being influenced from the shadows. Is a new war brewing or is something else going on?Ancient Technology
Many organizations have picked up rumors about gigantic war golems hidden deep in ancient ruins. Some believe that even the Divine Golem from mythology could be real. Factions and countries are competing to find these creations from ancient eras. The Lower Realms, once seen as to dangerous to investigate, are becoming the new frontier for those brave enough to venture deep beneath the earth. With the discovery of new Asmer ruins the interest has only increased. But the Daski Elves are not keen to cooperate.Chaos Tempests
During most of recent history Chaos Tempests were only a very rare occurrence, limited mostly to areas like the Silent Forest. But now they seem to be popping up more often and sometimes even in new places. The ruins of Bagor are once again becoming a center of one such Tempest after being gone for more than a 1000 years. With each new Tempest the amount of monstrosities of the Primal Chaos increases. For now the people manage to fend them off but what would happen if the Tempests became even more frequent.The Expansionist Raitin
After a technological boom the Raitin, an Oneragan country, have conquered new lands at a steady pace. Their airships have become a common sight and their armors that allow non casters to use limited magic gave them an edge in recent wars. Only the Pavan Empire has been able to stop their advance to a degree after the use of firearms was introduced there. But how long will it be until they have a new breakthrough.Anger against Industry
As many skilled artisan are slowly getting replaced by the rise of industry the resentment among them grows. Many guilds have already started to band together to demand restrictions. Some sources say that they are even sponsering extremist groups.Lesser Drama points
Kobolds acting strange
After living peacefully with the other inhabitants of the area the Kobolds of northern Terios have started attacking other people. The reason is still unknown.Criminal Activity
The Dwarven city of Ironpeak is plagued by an increase in criminal activity and seems to be on the brink of an all out gang war.Dopplegangers
After a sudden death it was discovered that some of the inhabitants of Ostend were dopplegangers. It is still unknown if it is only limited to this city. The Archonic Order has taken it upon itself to hunt them down after an Archonic priest turned out to be a doppleganger.Savi
Only a few people had returned to Savi after it was sacked during the war. Now it seems to have fallen once again. Rumors have reached the nearby city that it has been overrun by undead.Elections
Both Mervidel and Terios are set to have new elections soon. The outcome could be important to determine if the two countries will attempt to bury the hatched or renew their rivalry.
Use of content: Do not copy any work displayed here! You are allowed to use my world's content while playing with your group.
However, you are not allowed to copy it and include it in your own products except when explicitely allowed by written permission from me.