Primer - The Fate of The Shifting Isles

Preface

Welcome to my little homebrew setting, to keep it fun and intersting, there are a few rules of conduct we keep to. Nothing major, just the basics, to keep it a pleasent time for everyone.
In order, you will find in this document the following: said basic rules, general information about the way we play, a small overview of the lore - something every PC and NPC knows and lastly changes from the regular dnd rules and expectations.
This document, the short religion primer and the character creation guide are the only things you should read, anything else is a "feel free to, but I do not expect you to".

Rules of Conduct

we all put a lot of effort into preparing the sessions and our characters, please show respect for that

please keep track of what you are doing and the information you aquire, notes are allowed and encouraged

if there are topics, depictions or references, that make you uncomfortable etc. please let me know and we will work to exclude them, no questions asked

if anything comes up, just say, we are all somewhat capable adults

if we agree on a time for a session, please only cancel for emergencies - respect the time everybody puts into this

everything in this wiki is open player information, if you notice anything you should not have access to, please let me know

at the end of each session, please text me one thing you enjoyed and would like to see more of and one thing you either did not enjoy, or think needs improvement

How we Play

this is not a joke setting, humour is a great thing, but please do not derail this entirely

if you have a plan for your character's development etc. please talk to me and we will figure something out

death is always on the table, but will be unlikely, unless you go against multiple warning or are severely and incredibly unlucky

death does not have to be the end, appropriate spells for resurrection are available - if there is something left to resurrect

your actions have consequences, even in a pre-planned campaign or session, it is you who decides what will happen - I know the what happens when nobody does anything - everything else is up to you

we generally stick to the rules, but the rule of cool will always apply, so if you get creative, expect to be rewarded

Lore Primer

A very long time ago the gods of the ancestral races, being humans, elves, dwarves and orcs, ascended and destroyed an ancient enemy only known as the Darkness. Since this day the mortals have been free to live their lives without fear for their very souls. Millenia have passed since that time and now something stirrs again.

Hyperborea

The ancient home of all races. From the cold north, to the warm south, many different populations have made their home there. Generally the the four ancestral races dominate in most settlements, with all other non beast races being their descendents, pair a human with a dwarf and the result will be very likely a halfling.
Beast races are virtually unknown, beyond a few individuals that received their form as a result of a blessing or curse from a god, or even magical mishaps. Dragonborn are generally born in the close vicinity of dragons, their innate magic seeping into the people.
Aside from that, birdfolk of all shapes and sizes are the only common and known beast race, while tieflings are generally shunned, as are the families that produce them.

Shifting Isles

The Shifting Isles are a tropical archipelago in the middle of the ocean. It is often a place where the rejects and the outsiders end up, as such they are much brighter and more welcoming to strnagers than the people of Hyperborea. They are also a haven for all kinds of pirates, scoundrels and those that have been driven out with a good reason.

Gondwana

Unless specified otherwise by me and only me, your character has never been to the recently discovered new continent. I cannot wait to play a campaign here, but it is gonna take some time until then. Nobody really knows anything about it and the strange impossible ruins that have apparently been found there.

Important Changes from Mainline DnD

The livespan of elves is capped at a round 200-300 years, no mortal race will gain immortality that easy

Cats have Darkvision - just because I want them to

all kinds of Birdfolk work like Kenku: they can only repeat phrases and sounds they have heard before, they are unable to form word with their own voice