cross-posted from: https://yiffit.net/post/337017
Not just to share the characters and the stories with a wider audience, but also to get worldbuilding tips from likeminded people, and more ideas on how I can be creative. Let’s see if I can get your attention with this opener…
Welcome to the world of the Two Collided, also known as Castoria.
This planet was of a bizzare shape maintained by a cosmic reaction; as it was not one sphere of rock hurtling through the void, it was two. They were their own distinct landmasses, however their extremely close proximity along with some magical intervention allowed the oceans of the two planets to link, creating a stream known as the River of Deaths.
The two planets that now make up Castoria are Pherica, the world of Skin, and Geodeus, the world of Hide.
Recently, humankind and its’ relative races had fallen on hard times. Elvenkind’s individualism was used against them by a creeping curse that required collective action. Dwarvenkind’s life below the rocks was shattered by an earthquake the likes never seen before, further disasters growing only more intense. Humanity’s livable territory was all but wiped out by a huge internal war. The Tieflings have been afflicted by a dire famine, all the lands they own turning to barren dust. The list is endless, with one great calamity after another striking each race- None on Pherica seemed to be safe.
It was though the planet itself was determined to kill everyone who lived there.
As a result, many nations of Pherica launched exodus ships along the River of Deaths. These settlers had two purposes… Firstly, to scour the lands of Geodeus to see if there is a root cause of Pherica’s affliction, and secondly, in the event that Pherica really is doomed, to ensure that the races will live on.
Many ships were lost along the violent tides, astral winds, and extreme magics of the River of Deaths, but some have reached shores on Geodeus to establish settlements, where their adventures would unfurl…
Of the initial adventures, one of them was of particular note. In the chaos of the exodus, Chromatic Dragons attacked, and they destroyed a ship that wasn’t meant to carry refugees, but to transport something never meant to see the world again. A Deck of Many Things. Obtaining the deck, an actor who only the surviving gods know undid the cosmic reaction that held Geodeus and Pherica apart, sending them crashing into each other. Through the intervention of the god of Metallic Dragons, Castoria avoided total extinction… But with almost all of Pherica having aggregated around the River of Deaths, then the impact all but wiped out Phericans entirely.
Now, the survivors of Geodeus need to weather the storm and rebuild. Whether they come from the old and mighty nations that were founded by the first of their kind, or the newer and more far-sighted offspring nations- all will be tested, in the World of Two Collided.
[Current common Races]
Official DnD
-Dragonborn (Metallic, Chromatic, Gem)
-Aarakocra (Birdfolk, normally eagle-coded)
-Tabaxi (Catfolk)
-Leonin (Lionfolk)
-Minotaur
-Giff (Hippofolk)
-Kobold
-Owlin (Birdfolk, normally owl-coded)
-Centaur
-Kenku (Corvidfolk)
-Harengon (Rabbitfolk)
-Tortle (Turtlefolk)
-Yuan ti (Serpentfolk)
-Lizardfolk
-Warforged (Constructs with their own intelligence and will)
Homebrewed
-Kitsune
-Wolfkind
-Gnoll
-Avali
-Felkin
Fun fact, in my original plans for campaigns on this world, then the campaigns as a whole were meant to be about saving humanity and the other refugees by ultimately preventing Pherica’s impact and destruction, and a general lesson on compassion. However, I gave the players one chance to get one card from the Deck of Many Things, the wizard promptly obtained The Fates and undid the cosmic reaction that was keeping Geodeus and Pherica held apart, not realizing what they were doing until Impact, resulting in The Derailment Of All Time.
That’s a pretty neat setting. And I especially love how you were basically able to turn what could be considered a “Henderson moment” caused by the deck of many things into a worldbuilding opportunity.
If you get immersed in your world hard enough, then it becomes virtually impossible to be truly derailed: You know how much stuff is out there and how everything will react to everything else. And then with that information, you can construct your new quests.
This is a super cool world, I can’t wait to hear about how it changes and is built up over more time!