Svelk-Rozgum: World-Birth

     Orkil bowed with a flourish as the tavern erupted into applause. Thaleod ul Anlyn¹ was always a popular tale in elven cities such as this one. Even better, he was now skilled enough in the main elven language that he was able to sing the entire tale without any laughter from his audience.

     With a pleased smile, Orkil descended the stairs to the side of the stage as a young elven lady headed up. Taking a seat at the bar, Orkil ordered a glass of middling quality wine and listened to the soft voice of the elven lady as she sang Alarhad Gyer Gharia², an old song of bittersweet love. A little gloomy after his tale of valor, but a good song none the less.

Chor Kolav, the Crater City

This post covers one of the largest political powers in the Green Coast: the city-state of Chor Kolav. For a description of what the various modifiers and numbers represent, please see this page.

Chor Kolav

LG large city

Corruption +2; Crime +2; Economy +3; Law +4; Lore +3; Society +3

Qualities academic, pious (Kereskizac), prosperous, strategic location

Danger 10

Demographics

Government autocracy (monarch)

Population 19,849 (15,680 dwarves; 1,786 humans; 992 gnomes; 595 halflings; 796 other)

Notable NPCs

Glaive-General Jarki Runesword (LG dwarf fighter 4)

King Haukur Steelbrow (LG dwarf aristocrat 5)

Lorekeeper Kaeso Atius Colias (TN gnome bard [archaeologist] 4)

Marketplace

Base Value 10,400 gp; Purchase Limit 75,000 gp; Spellcasting 5th (Divine) or 4th (Arcane)

Minor Items 4d4; Medium Items 3d4; Major Items 2d4

Why Pathfinder?

     This setting is built with the assumption that the group playing it will be using the Pathfinder RPG.
     Our reasons for doing so go beyond the fact that it is the system that we use. After the world's oldest fantasy roleplaying game made the move to 4th edition, Paizo decided to try their own spin on the 3rd edition. The result was Pathfinder, which many have said that it is what 3.5 should have been.
     Pathfinder corrected many imbalances in the game that we enjoyed, and introduced several things that we didn't know we wanted. We didn't have to sell or throw out our old books, and there was more to come.
     The best part was something that we only discovered relatively recently. Paizo generously places all the material in the core Pathfinder line on their website in a handy reference document and an app roughly six months after it is initially published. While we encourage you to buy a hardcopy of the books if you haven't already, in order to play you only need an internet connection or an android/tablet.
     If you do not like Pathfinder, or have another system that you prefer, and still want to use material from our setting then by all means do so. Just know that any mechanics that comes up in a post will be intended for Pathfinder.

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If you like my work and want to support me, check out my homebrew race book here.

Setting Theme

Think of the stories published during or set in the 1890s to the 1950s. Think of The Mummy, of Pellucidar, Lovecraft, Tarzan, Buck Rogers, Conan the Barbarian, and Zorro. This was the era of Pulp. This is where the theme of Ruins of the Forbidden Elder can be found.

The theme of the setting is Mystery. Not the mystery of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with his famous Sherlock Holmes, but the mystery of lost ruins and ancient secrets. Ruins from dozens of different civilizations can be found throughout the world, and treasures both mundane and magical can be discovered within. The greatest treasure however, is the recovery of knowledge that has been lost.

Every major civilization in the world has lost their history. No matter where you go, the historical record only goes back so far. In the Green Coast, the earliest records are around one thousand years old. In Sylvanor, records were only kept when Green Coast settlers arrived in the region, seeking to farm the vast forests for their lumber.

Any piece of history recovered is a priceless treasure, one that archaeology guilds spend exorbitant amounts to try to recover. In the Green Coast, these guilds are typically headed by gnomes and they send agents to follow up on any whispered rumor of ancient ruins or sites.

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If you like my work and want to support me, check out my homebrew race book here.

The Green Coast

Made using Fractal Mapper 8

     The stretch of land known as the Green Coast, called such for its fertile and thick layer of topsoil, is under siege. The lands to the east of the dwarven city-state of Glastig have been steadily conquered over the last forty years by a hobgoblin empire, no longer a horde but disciplined and directed. 

Our Goal

     The primary goal for this setting is to create a world to share with gamers beyond our circle. We have played fantasy RPGs for many years, drawing inspiration from all kinds of genres. This setting is our attempt to give back, and inspire other gamers all around the world.
     Our inspirations includes the varied lexicon of fantasy such as Tolkein, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert E Howard, Sir Henry Rider Haggard, Alan Moore, Timothy Zahn, and many others.
     This world is one of Pulp adventure and exploration. Heroes and villains alike scour lost ruins in search of ancient secrets, not only for powerful artifacts and magic but simply to rediscover a lost history. While hero and villain delve into ancient cities, prince and pauper both may receive horrifying, confusing visions.
     Our exploration into the setting begins on the Green Coast, a stretch of land on the continent of Atnor. From here we will spread out to explore the rest of the world of Yoreth.

Dengina, the Iconic Rogue

Here is the iconic rogue: Dengina.

Playing as Dengina:

     Dengina is a good man at heart, and filled with guilt for killing a child. He has dedicated himself to atoning for everything that he did for the Brotherhood, and does all that he can to help people. That having been said, his childhood in the Brotherhood still heavily influenced his outlook on life. He doesn't trust nobility or government officials, and only trusts clergy that are out and about with the common folk.

Jadra, the Iconic Fighter

Here is the Iconic Fighter: Jadra Nelymyn

Playing as Jadra:
     Jadra believes strongly in justice. Those that hurt others will receive a fitting and just punishment. While some confuse justice for vengeance, Jadra has thus far managed to avoid that trap. However she has a tendency to not think things through, and rush in to solve problems before analyzing the situation.

Dolmar, the Iconic Cleric

Here is our iconic cleric: Dolmar Redhammer.

Playing Dolmar:
     Dolmar is a surly, jaded dwarf who loudly declares no interest in the adventuring lifestyle. When pressed on why he is traveling as part of an adventuring party, he defends himself by saying that he's seen enough fools rush into battle and get themselves killed.

Hanabek, the Iconic Sorcerer

Here, we present the iconic sorcerer: Hanabek.

Playing as Hanabek:
   Hanabek has a youthful exuberance and a deep loyalty to his friends. If said friends are big grouches, he will try to lighten the mood with a joke or two.

Legal Information

Legal Information

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System Reference Document, © 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson

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