Welcome back adventurers, readers, and villains alike to Kobold Stew. It's been awhile. Admittedly, I have been very busy getting Chromatic Chimera off the ground running. Turns out, running a streaming channel takes a lot of work, especially when your in charge of designing layout stuff! But my cohost is great and we have a host of great players.
Speaking of this stream, if you have been reading or took a few minutes to explore the site here, you will notice a few posts about my lore for Evaryn under the name SteamSpell. It's all coming together! SteamSpell is also now the name of the DnD game I DM for on Chromatic Chimera, and it takes place in my lovingly crafted world of Evaryn. There is a lot of lore to the world, and let's face it. To keep my players and viewers from getting bored, I can't just ramble on and on about the world... but here... hehehehe I can.
Anyway, I figured here I could give a brief introduction to the setting including what inspired me while making the setting, some of the goals and themes I hoped to touch on, and give just a brief overview of the world of Evaryn.
Inspiration
Sometimes you want to be original It's hard when a lot of ideas have already been done. You yoink something from here and then something else from there. Add your twist to it, blend it up, and WALLAH! You have something that is your own. Good DMs borrow. Great DMs steal.
I wish I could say all of the ideas for Evaryn were spawned from the dark recesses of my gaming addled brain, but that would be a lie. Like Gygax and Tolkien before me, my creation was inspired by the works of others, and I feel that discussing these inspirations may help to give a good look at the setting itself. First and foremost, one of the largest inspirations, if not the one that sort of kicked off the creation of the setting, was the Troika's computer RPG Arcanum: Of Steamworks & Magick Obscura.
I often mention Arcanum in a lot of RPG discussion, especially about lore, because I feel it took a very fresh take on the fantasy genre. It asks the question of "What if a typical fantasy setting underwent an industrial revolution?" So take a fantasy setting and take it out of the Medieval Era and put it in the Industrial Era of the mid to late 1800s. It was different, and I'm a sucker for steampunk. Giving my dwarf an elephant gun was a bit hard to pass up!
Arcanum was sort of the boot that kicked me in the direction to begin creating Evaryn. It is probably why there is technology in Evaryn. Episode I of SteamSpell featured a steam train. Biomancy aka mad science, plays a major role in the setting and seems to be something that interests a lot of people who have read about the lore so far.
If Arcanum is sort of the bread of the Evaryn sandwich, the other stuff that inspired it is the meat, cheese, and lettuce. Weird as it is, and it is a bit 'read all about it,' Warhammer and 40k played a role in inspiring certain aspects of the setting. Wizardry 6-8 inspired other elements such as a number of the crazy monsters and the addition of some sci fi elements. The Witcher added that sort of 'folk-lore' meets a more gritty fantasy world approach. Classics like Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale added into my classic fantasy elements along with other classics. And my love and knowledge of history and mythology will always play a role in my DnD settings.
Theme
If you think DnD settings and stories can't have themes like any other story, you'd be sorely mistaken.
One of my primary goals when I was creating Evaryn was to make it different. My other major setting I was running DnD games in is great and all, but it was sort of just a fantasy kitchen sink. What set it apart was my flare and pantheon, but... it didn't have an umph to it. There wasn't something that set it apart from all the other settings. That was to change with Evaryn. I was going to try and make it different.
Some elements have remained familiar, but some of the things I made sure to do away with the typical 'all orcs are evil' or 'dark elves aka drow are sadist slavekeepers who hate all surface dwellers." You can see more about races in my post about the player races of Evaryn. So, yes, Evaryn is a fantasy world, but there are elements that I like to think set it apart from other settings.
I kept some elements familiar as when I originally crafted the setting, some parts were just too different. I was trying to make new races at this point and undoing parts that make the game easy to play, and things were *too* different. Hence, you might be seeing an introduction post maybe for the second time. (I took the first one down because this fits more with what I have now.)
A major theme within the setting is the dichotomy between magic and technology. The differences between these societies and the people that either have come to adopt the new technology or wish to keep things the way they have been and rely on the magic of old. Other themes that are explored in the setting are ones I often explore such as the true meaning of good and evil, the role of gods in settings such as these, and whatever else the players may find themselves seeking out.
A Brief Overview of Evaryn
"When the Elves arrived long ago, they looked at this land and knew their exodus was over... The named it Evaryn... Home."
Well with all that junk out of the way... let's actually talk about the damn place! Evaryn sits in a system with one yellow sun like Earth, but it has three satellites with the three moons Aedun, Sellae, and Lycus. Sellae is named for the goddess Selenae of the Thirteen Realms pantheon. Aedun is named after an old scholar who studied the stars, and Lycus is named for its red color often making it associated with the Dreadlord of the same name.
The continents are pictured in the map above and are detailed a bit here:
Maywikt: The continent in which the SteamSpell streamed game takes place. A once unified land was fractured by the Dreadlords in the Sunless Era. Today, it is filled with many unique nations while the western half of the continent is home to the industrial boom while the eastern part of the continent tends to remain with less technology and rely more on traditional ways of living. Maywikt is home to the first steam train. It is generally a temperate land, although the barrens to the southeastern end of the continent are close to being a desert. The Neutral Frontier keeps the ever growing Empire of Kovith from sweeping through the entire continent.
Woedica: Home to Bael's Twins, a set of massive volcanoes, Woedica was not able to develop the way Maywikt has. These volcanoes have changed the landscape causing it to be a strange place to strange creatures as they perhaps release magic into the land. Near the volcanoes, forests of burnwillows grow and the outer lands are deserts of ash. Woedica was once joined to Maywikt long ago, but during the Battle of Aryndight, the Demanaresh and Banderoth clashed and destroyed the land and the sea filled it in. The Tribes of Woed live in the lands having to fend of the expanding Imperial Kovith to the east.
The Unending Tundra: A massive frozen expanse, the Unending Tundra is aptly named in that it seems to never end when approaching it from the south. It is perhaps one of the least charted lands in Evaryn, second maybe to Dragonfrost. The Unending Tundra expands over the northern boarders of Woedica, Maywikt, and even the Archipelago of Toratag. It is well known for being the abode of Boreala, Fey Queen of the Winter as well as the snow elves. Only the most hardy peoples dare call the frozen expanse home.
Kyan: A small, tropical land, it is full of lush rain forests. It became a sort of haven for many biomancers, and their experiments gave birth to strange, mutant creatures called Kyanites. These humanoid insects prowl the jungles of Kyan having taken over most of the land from its previous owners. It is most certainly a dangerous place as it is also home to the Perilous Corals Of Ryn.
Dragonsand: Named for its large population of Dragons as well as having been the seat of Azor Bael during his time on Evaryn, it is home to great deserts, river valleys, and to its south, some rain forest environments. Dragonsand is the home of the orcish people and goblins, and serves as the seat of their glorious empire. It features some of the premier trading hubs in the 'Known World.' The Dracokain people call it home along with the Golden Elves. Many dragonborn and kobolds call Dragonsand home as well in one of the many cities that dot its landscape.
Archipelago of Toratag: Toratag is many things. Being smack dab between Maywikt and Shivar, it is a prime place for merchants, trade vessels, and anyone traveling between the two lands. What travelers need to be careful of though is that it can prove to be a lawless land. The only form of government are the Council of Eight that offer protection only to those they deem align with their interests. Toratag is also home to one of the largest lending operations in the 'Known World,' the Hydra Bank.
Shivar: Referred to as "Shivar of the East" by many in Maywikt, Shivar is a mystic land shrouded in mystery and magic. It is here where the Dark Elves traveled to upon cutting their ties with the Seladrin. The Hobgoblins sought out respite here from the orcs and elves who rejected them. Shivar is also home to a host of unique and strange creatures; The shapeshifting Inari. The powerful and proud Raiju. The sinister Oni. Magic components, spices, silk, and fine craftsmanship make items from Shivar highly sought after by those from other lands.
Wyveria: The land that connects Dragonsand to Dragonfrost, Wyervia features the tropical landscape of Southern Dragonsand, but slowly turns more temperate and cold as it gets closer to Dragonfrost. Wyveria is well known for being home to the Kingdom of Tuk, one of the only major countries to be ruled by Kobolds. Wyveria is also home to many Bugbear tribes. Many races that would be considered uncommon in other areas of Evaryn are abundant in Wyveria, though one must be careful to avoid many areas in it as they are vast expanses of dangerous wilderness.
Gloranth: It's only land connection is Dragonfrost, thus developing a civilization like the ones found elsewhere in Evaryn was difficult for Gloranth. Home to all sorts of giant beasts, Gloranth is a dangerous land, and many of its peoples have taken to building cities atop the backs of some of these great beasts. It is thought that using these secrets, the legendary City of Droon was built atop the back of a great Sky Whale. Gloranth may start seeing many problems from nations embracing technology as it is known to sit atop great aether wells.
Dragonfrost: Much like the Unending Tundra to the north, Dragonfrost is a frozen expanse in the far south of Evaryn. The major difference is where the Unending Tundra has some vegetation, Dragonfrost is mainly a polar desert. It is aptly named as it is thought Dragonfrost is where the Dragon god of protection and ice came to settle during his life, and here, he had many children. Many white dragonborn came to live in the land of Dragonfrost, as their tribes are the main civilization within these lands.
Enra: Not much is known about Enra. It is thought to expand to the west, but many explorers have been unable to as it is largely uninhabited. Many theorize that great Aedellion ruins could be in the land of Enra, or perhaps some other civilizations forgotten to time.
In Conclusion
Well there ya have it! An introduction to Evaryn and some of the bits and pieces of things behind the setting. I hope it shed some light on the setting.
It's good to be back! If you enjoy reading about Evaryn, the setting of SteamSpell, and you want to see it live in action, be sure to come check out SteamSpell, a streamed game Dm'd by yours truly. It streams the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month at Chromatic Chimera.
I'm the co-host there, so feel free to drop in and say hello! If you need to catch up, we have all our streams, except the first session of SteamSpell (Curse you Twitch!) up on our YouTube channel. Session 2 does a good job of summarizing the first session, and it is when we really get into the game.
Anyway, I put a pull out for what the next lore post will be on. Looks like it will probably be the Fey and the Fey Court in Evaryn!
Until next time,
Happy Gaming,
Puddins