WIP
COMMON HISTORY
Nestled deep in the realm, in blissfully unspoiled green meadows dotted with grazing sheep and ancient stone cottages with steep pitched roofs lies the lands of Faywind. An intricate network of dirt and gravel roads cut through the rolling green hills that stretch forever, eventually escorting travelers to the thriving city known as Inner Faywind.
Here thirty foot wide, stone-paved streets finish the journey, making their way through a maze-like collection of private homes and small businesses, leading to the front gates of King Yupa’s magnificent Castle of Faywind.
A prosperous, peaceful kingdom of a civilized, compassionate people.
The name of the lands comes from the Faywind, a sporadic dimensional rift that blows forth transporting those caught within its gale to the legendary realm of the Fay and vice-versa. Faywind’s ancient history lies intertwined with its mystical sister-land, in particular, the great capital city in the Fay realm known as Abura.
For many generations, while the Faywinds were active, Faywind and Abura enjoyed bountiful relations.
While Faywind storms have been said to catch travelers offguard, unexpectingly depositing them in the Fay wilds, the lands of Faywind lie strewn with a metallic ore known as Brack Ore. The pitch black ore has a highly magnetic nature known for disrupting magical energies. As such, wherever concentrations of Brack Ore gather, the Faywind is rendered impotent.
However, for over a hundred years claims of the Faywinds blowing have been virtually, non-existant. With each passing generation, the secretive sister-world dwindles to buy a whisper on the lips of rumor… its memory, falling away to legend.
POPULATION CENTERS
INNER FAYWIND
Population: 140,000 Currency: Gold Coin
A thriving, well kept, modern city.
// Inner Faywind is a central hub to the campaign setting and holds many points of interest. It will make up a sizeable portion of this page. //
With Castle Faywind built on a massive deposit of Brack Ore and much of the city scattered with sizeable underground deposits, it is near impossible to summon and manipulate magic within the city limits. Ironically, the inability to use magic has lead to one of the city’s most fundamental laws, that magic itself is outlawed. The reason however is not as outlandish as it might seem to foreigners as the interference of magical energies by Brack Ore, is known not only to absorb or disperse them, but also transmutate them with unexpected, sometimes quite dangerous consequences. When imbalanced by magical energy, Brack Ore also tends to explode.
Spell weavers visiting inner Fayland are required to register with the city and don Brack Ore medallions specifically crafted to absorb magic in a stable fashion. This eliminates any possible harm. The medallions must regularly inspected and swapped out with new medallions.
THE COURT OF SEASONS
In the main center court of the city, just a short distance from the castle’s main entrance lies a large open plaza known as the Court of Seasons. The center of the court contains a large clockwork machine spanning about thirty feet from far end to far end. Constructed of numerous articulated arms and surrounding metal rings, the contraption is used to tell time, with specific attention to the seasons, including the positioning of the sun, moon, and the brightest star in the Fay wild known as Icarus.
Special caretakers from the castle tend to the machine, keeping it in working order and turning it to significant dates throughout the year. Though in truth, the machine rarely finds itself updated more than a handful of times a year. Most common folk have no idea how the complicated contraption works. Beyond the time of day, which reads like a common sundial element, only when the more specific calculations are publicly posted do passerbys recognize the associated dates. However, the machine is quite impressive in its breadth and complexity. Few machines can match its magnificence anywhere throughout the entire realm. Inhabitants of Inner Faywind take pride in the unique construct, enjoying time spent within its shadow and glimmering reflections making the court of seasons a popular gathering place any time of year.
THE OLD CITY
Over the last few decades, the original section of Inner Faywind fell into disrepair. Allocating resources to new city infrastructure, the “Old City,” as it’s affectionately called, was for all intents and purposes abandoned. Though official plans purport to demolish and rebuild the area, the Old City hasn’t been touched for over twenty years when the only bridge crossing Inner Fayland singular river, was deliberately knocked down.
The structures in the old quarter are not under threat of collapse. The feel of the buildings isn’t that of ancient lost ruins, but of a thriving community that lost it prosperous nature and shortly after, its inhabitants. Though the desolate nature of the area can be unnerving, the sounds and energy of the rest of the city is always within earshot.
While entrance into the Old City is forbidden, kids, vandals, and whatever unscrupulous element existing in Faywind, often find a temporary respite in the abandoned homes and shops. The City Guard routinely, abit infrequently, patrol the Old City. With a slightly greater frequency they are called to the area in response to a specific complaint or royal order.
Old times in Faywind spin tales about the vast catacombs beneath Old City. The yarns are as varied as the inhabitants to the lands.
Last to note, is the Old City wall. A twelve foot high stone and mortar wall that surrounds the quarters in their entirety. In a slightly peculiar display, the wall is the one part of Old City that is consistently maintained, even to this day. While one might find an occasional break, missing stone, or small collapsed section, these instances are repaired most regularly, nearly as fast as they are discovered.
THE ROYAL MILITIA
Faywind has a well regulated, well trained, military. Unmatched for a thousand leagues in any direction, despite there not being any hostile militaries within that span.
The military is separated into four distinct branches.
Highlanders. Green banded armored soldiers with brightly colored plumes atop their helmets. These soldiers patrol and regulate Outer Faywind. When required, they form Faywind’s calvary ranks.
The City Guard. Black banded armored soldiers with black capped helmets. These soldiers patrol and regulate all the public affairs of Inner Faywind. Primarily formed to police the inhabitants, historically, the city guard do not muster for greater conflict outside the city walls and only form ranks as a last line of defense to protect to civilians within–though, there is no record of such an event.
Garrison Guards. Silver banded armored soldiers with white spiked helmets. Well trained, hardened soldiers that muster to meet any threat to Faywind, near or far. Though garrison guards have military authority within Faywind, in contrast to the Highlanders and City Guard, they very rarely involve themselves with city affairs or local disputes.
Last of the military branches, are the Royal Guard. Gold banded armored soldiers with white and gold decorative horsehair helmets. Officers of all other branches must serve as Royal Guard before taking command of their station. The remaining Royal Guard are selected from the most skillful and dedicated soldiers. Tasked with securing Castle Faywind and all nobility of the land when such time calls.
Strict yet just laws govern Faywind as well as the military that protects it. Since its conception, Faywind’s military has a tradition steeped in the respect and admiration of the people. All branches of the military are loved and appreciated and perhaps most tell of all, relied on completely for protection and enforcement of the law.
TAKADIAN TEA ROOM
Throw a broken paver anywhere in Inner Faywind’s dining district and the odds are in your favor to hit a tavern door. While a number of upper-end drinking establishments exist, both private and public, perhaps none other enjoys the popularity and prestige as the Takadian Tea Room.
An exquisitely decorated dining hall, home to some of the finest and most expensive spirits in the realm. Of course, the tea, imported from far-away lands also has its draw.
The owner, Mr. Takadian, himself originally from a far-away land, prides himself on one other element… the entertainment… bringing in bards, acting troups, and magicians (highly regulated magicians) with such high demand, the shows are often sold out months in advance.
RUMORS
BEWARE OF WOEJOJO
It appears scribbled throughout the Faywind carved in the bark of a willow by a stream, or the topmost stones of a city arch, sometimes in pieces, sometimes in the full sentence, if it can be called a sentence;
“Woejojo Woejojo burble flames and claw claw blood.”
The city guard blame the nonsensical writings on mischievous street children. But since the words started appearing, so have the rumors of a shadow man. A tall gangly wisp of a silhouette that slips from the corner of the eye. It wasn’t long before someone combined the two rumors, whispering that a dangerous creature from Shadowfell has been sent to Faywind to collect unpure souls. The creature they say, goes by the name, Woejojo.
THE GREAT CAPITAL FAY CITY ABURA
Those few who claim to have been caught in the Faywind and whisked away to the Feywild, speak of the great Fay capital city, Abura.
While, rumors conflict with each other to the exact makeup of the city, the common facts are that Abura is absolutely massive in its size, putting Inner Faywind to shame. They speak to a city of endless variety home to the most unusual creatures and beings.
THE NEVERBRIGHT
Dark tales of the Faywild often incorporate tellings of a place referred to as, Neverbright. A land of eternal night, where the sun does not pierce. The Neverbright always seemed framed around warning tales… mostly told to children as an imposing means to encourage proper behavior.
REGIONS
THE HIGHWOOD
Forest with extremely tall trees and high canopies.
POINTS OF INTEREST
ANCESTRAL GARDENS
A vast garden of 250 hectares makes up the Ancestral Gardens. Perhaps the most serene place in all of Faywind, visitors often spend an entire say roaming the gently rolling hills speckled with ancient oaks and apple trees and bubbling brooks. Tended by a staff of over one hundred, the gardens arrange impressive botanical displays drawing forth flowers and visually spectacular plants from across the entire realm.
Even more impressive than the plants are the hundreds of statues throughout the gardens. Each masterfully crafted stonework depicting a historic ancestor of Faywind. With a lineage dating back hundreds of years, the collection of honored ancestors seems endless.
The gardens are reknowned as a place of great peace and tranquility by visitors and a place to get away from the busy pace of city life, for Inner Faywind inhabitants.
SILVERWEDGE MINE
The massive open pit mine on the outskirts of Outer Faywind is known as Silverwedge Mine. Though closed for some years, the mine once produced the largest quarry of silver in a thousand leagues.
The mine’s history is quite uneventful. On occasion, someone gets lost in the mine complex, usually a foreigner seeking undiscovered silver or a dwarf testing their spelunking skills. Everyone ever reported missing at Silverwedge has been found.
PEOPLE OF FAYWIND
THE RAPPI
Even the benevolent, civilized Faywind is not without its historic blemishes. Among the various races that live in Faywind are the Rappi, a blue-skinned people that are blessed with great vitality, physical strength, and endurance. Though the historical record is lost on this topic, it is suspected that the Rappi are not native to the region, but have their origins in some unknown distant land of the realm. They were originally brought to Faywind at the birth of the city as paid laborers. At some point early on in the city’s construction, some sort of unclear event took place, after which all Rappi were forcibly indentured to specific founding families of the Faywind.
The Rappi have been freed of servivtude for many generations. Today they enjoy the same status as all other citizens of the land, though it would be a lie to state all citizens of the Faywind see them as equals. There are some to this day that harbor a distrust and dislike for the people. An unfounded and unfortunate reality for a hardworking, kind and trustworthy people.
Rappi as a Playable Race
Rappi look human. They have varying shades of blue skin. *Full description to come.
They get +2 strength and +2 to constitution.
FATHER BLACKHERTE
The Faywinds are a bit of a melting pot when it comes to religion and faiths. Quite a few are represented throughout the land. None are at odds without one another.
Father Blackherte is a priest of an ancient, somewhat obscure religion known as Suna. While sunian worshipers make up an incredibly small number of people of faith, Father Blackherte take a very public position in the city’s holy affairs. While he has no official connection to King Yupa, he is considered a friend of the court and nearly a religious ceremony goes by that Father Blackherte doesn’t attend, of course, even those of other larger religions.
Considered a man of faith, willing and able to impart his wisdom on anyone in need, Father Blackherte is admired in all social circles of Inner Faywind. A kind, compassionate man, with a near relentless drive to help those in need, the round, often cheerful priest’s name has become synonymous with the benevolent, generous nature of Faywind.