World Setting

The world of the Secret Shore is full of history reaching back 24692 years, though some believe there was more before, but the various ages that have come and gone have removed all knowledge and record of then. The world is a collection of landmasses and islands, broken into various kingdoms, principalities and duchies. Kingdoms war with others while noble houses within plot to take over rulership and this is what is called the civilized lands. Elsewhere in the semi-civilized lands, orcs, goblins and other creatures live their lives attacking those civilized folk who venture to far from their cities. Then in the remote areas of the world are the uncivilized monsters that strike fear in the heart of any commoner.
The world is made up mostly of common folk living out their lives doing an occupation with few traveling adventurers because most die in ruins and dungeons. It is understood in the civilized land that to venture forth and to delve in ruins takes a more robust individual then most common farmers could hope to be. Occasionally something pushes a group of townsfolk to venture forth, those who live to tell the tale and return find going back to farming is not what they want to do for there is more fortune in a single dungeon then there is in a lifetime of crops and the seed of a new adventurer is born.

Most adventurers have found that not all the semi-civilized folk are hostile on sight, like the goblins, and many are willing to trade and help adventurers. Just because they have seen somethings as a savage, doesn't mean the being isn't noble within the creature's home community. The difference between civilized and semi-civilized is their ability to interact. The semi-civilized races rarely form advanced organizations that trade far and wide. One key to a race being considered for civilized or semi-civilized rating is its ability to speak and plan. That's not to say the uncivilized are stupid mutes, but rather that they rarely plan beyond their next meal and their languages are very simple. There are exceptions to everything, but for the most part the following is how the various races are seen in the world. Dragons make the Semi-civilized list because most are capable of speach and being reasoned with. Full grown adult dragons are extreamly rare to find, most dragons encountered will be young, but even they are rare to find.
Civilized

• Humans
• Elves
• Dwarves
• Halflings
• Gnomes
• Half-Orcs
• Tieflings

Semi-civilized

• Faeries
• Goblins
• Lizard men
• Hobgoblins
• Orcs
• Dragons
• Gnolls
• Giants
• Kobolds
• Centaurs
• Goliaths
• Kenkus
• Warforged

Uncivilized

• Animals
• Harpies
• Ogres
• Vermin
• Chimera
• Elementals
• Gargoyles
• Undead
• Trolls
• and many more

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The Known World

The world is larger than your characters will ever know. As they explore, remember these facts of medieval life:

• Almost all common folk live and die within a few miles of their birthplace.

• Overland travel is dangerous and expensive. Most peasants can afford only to walk.

• Cultural variation is measured in towns and valleys not nations and continents.

• Most commoners are illiterate.

• Rare is the man who has traveled more than 20 miles from his home.

• There is no reliable form of long-range communication.

Make your world mysterious by making it small—very small. What lies past the next valley? None can be sure. When a five-mile journey becomes an adventure, you’ll have succeeded in bringing life to your world.