Medieval Fantasy
Also known as Argosa, the Midlands is a medieval fantasy realm with a mix of cultures and technology similar to the Dark Ages, Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Antiquity. Humans of five cultures contest the region; the Midlanders of Lake Argos (officially Argosans, most akin to medieval westerners), Nydissians of the southern Empire, northern raiders known as Varnori, the albino Karoks holed up in their mountain fortress, and the Thuels, barbarian nomads of the Great Plains and Argos Plateau.
Deadly Outlands
The setting is intended as a “points of light” environment; beyond the fortified walls of civilization, the wilds are dominated by man eating skorn, ferocious beasts and xenophobic barbarians. The vast majority of the land is uncharted; there are no roads to guide explorers and no villages to provide respite. Travel between the isolated cities is via armed watercraft or heavily guarded caravans only. No one travels the borderlands alone, and to venture beyond the ranger patrols is to court disaster, even for the well prepared.
Grim Cities
Whilst it is true that the walled bastions of man are safer than the hinterlands, the cities are fraught with dangers of their own. On the streets, life is cheap, and corruption, brutality and exploitation widespread. So called justice is harsh and unforgiving, for sale to the highest bidder or exacted through vengeful blades in back alleys. In the corridors of power, highborn, priests and the wealthy squabble for control, heedless to the struggle of the common man. From this melting pot of ambition, new contenders rise each day, grasping for opportunity.
Ancient Mysteries
In the Third Age, the prevailing cultures are merely the latest survivors of the region. In past eras, darker societies ruled, including the skorn, cyclopes, serpentmen, urgot and others long forgotten. Elder human civilizations too rose to prominence, including the mummy entombing Ramorans and blood sacrificing Suun. From the fetid bogs of the Trackless Moors to the frozen peaks of the Ironhull Mountains, the ruins of lost kingdoms linger, waiting to be rediscovered.
Silent Gods
The inhabitants of the Midlands are religious folk, worshiping gods and deities, strengthening their spirits with litany and prayer. Sacred customs and ceremonies are well established, and the clergy accorded due respect. If the immortals hear the prayers of their faithful however, they deign no response. The gods of Argosa are ineffably distant and whisper silent; granting no miracles to their followers, nor intervening in the world in any obvious way.
Dangerous Magic
In Argosa, magic is not only rare, it is dark and inherently dangerous. Sorcery was not meant for mortals, and this fundamental mismatch taints every casting with uncertainty. From beyond the Veil, magic draws the attention of dark and inscrutable forces, some of which find ways to impose their will on the material world. In the present day, nine hundred years after Mount Rokan blackened the sky, true sorcerers are almost unknown. At most, the walled cities conceal but a few, and the majority of folk will be glad not to witness spellcasting during their lifetime. Yet all have heard the tales, and accept that magic is real in one form or another. Unnatural monsters exist, but tend to be unique individuals or geographically isolated tribes. Enchanted objects are custom pieces and almost always herald from a past age; once forged they are remarkably difficult to destroy.
History of Argosa
Re: History of Argosa
Map of Argosa: https://lowfantasygaming.com/2017/05/17 ... egion-map/
You will note the three major Argosan cities of Northgate, Port Brax, and Crow's Keep. There is a relatively new Nydissian settlement to the south called Melek. The Karoks, and their dwarven slaves, inhabit Dol-Karok at the base of the Ironhull Mountains. The Varnori rule Vorngard, to the north of the Mistwood.
You will find towns and villages in Argosa but almost all are within a day's ride of a city. Outside of that radius, the city's armed patrols quickly wane and the wilderness becomes more dangerous. There, any point of (relative) safety is bound to be an outpost. There are very few smaller outposts that last for any length of time. Defendable forts might spring up for short periods to exploit a natural resource, but such locations are swiftly abandoned once the resource is exhausted, or overrun by skorn or other dangers.
You will note the three major Argosan cities of Northgate, Port Brax, and Crow's Keep. There is a relatively new Nydissian settlement to the south called Melek. The Karoks, and their dwarven slaves, inhabit Dol-Karok at the base of the Ironhull Mountains. The Varnori rule Vorngard, to the north of the Mistwood.
You will find towns and villages in Argosa but almost all are within a day's ride of a city. Outside of that radius, the city's armed patrols quickly wane and the wilderness becomes more dangerous. There, any point of (relative) safety is bound to be an outpost. There are very few smaller outposts that last for any length of time. Defendable forts might spring up for short periods to exploit a natural resource, but such locations are swiftly abandoned once the resource is exhausted, or overrun by skorn or other dangers.
Re: History of Argosa
Languages
Humans speak one of Argosan, Karok, Nydissian, Thuel, and/or Varnori. For the purposes of the game, we'll treat Argosan like Common, even if your PC is not a Midlander.
Other languages include:
Dragon
Dwarven
Elven
Fey
Giant (including Bugbear, Gnoll, Ogre, Troll)
Goblin (including Hobgoblin)
Halfling
Serpentman
Skorn
There are also a number of dead languages from earlier ages, such as Ramorani and Suun.
Humans speak one of Argosan, Karok, Nydissian, Thuel, and/or Varnori. For the purposes of the game, we'll treat Argosan like Common, even if your PC is not a Midlander.
Other languages include:
Dragon
Dwarven
Elven
Fey
Giant (including Bugbear, Gnoll, Ogre, Troll)
Goblin (including Hobgoblin)
Halfling
Serpentman
Skorn
There are also a number of dead languages from earlier ages, such as Ramorani and Suun.
Re: History of Argosa
The Ages of Argosa
The First Age
Almost nothing is known of the First Age, also known as the Age of Immortals, which predates the current era by at least 10,000 years. With no written records known to exist, legend and myth abound, offering precious little insight into primordial antiquity.
Theologically speaking, the Midland cultures believe the gods fashioned the world during this time, imbued men with free will, and fought over their souls. Second Age scriptures suggest the wars that followed were cataclysmic, and that the gods agreed to withdraw and observe from beyond the Veil, rather than risk the complete destruction of their creation.
The Second Age
The Second Age, also known as the Age of Mortals, spans approximately 9,100 years, ruled by humans and non-humans in turn. Records are patchy at best; only the tip of the iceberg has been rediscovered and most centuries remain a mystery. Nevertheless, those few who study the remaining evidence have gleaned some insight into the distant past.
At least two ancient human societies are known to have persisted for several hundred years; Ramoran slavers who buried their mummified dead in ornate underground tombs, and the Suun, a jungle kingdom abundant in gold, blood
rituals and stepped pyramids.
In other periods, monstrous dynasties prevailed. Cruel serpentmen enslaved the warmbloods until the world suddenly cooled, forcing a southern retreat to more humid climates. Warring cyclopes almost wiped men out entirely before a virulent plague drove them to the highest peaks to escape illness. Even the dwarves once ruled, using tempered iron against more primitive human societies, until men too unlocked the secret of steel.
In the last centuries of the Second Age, skorn dominated, mercilessly razing rival settlements and feasting on nomads. At their peak, the skorn numbered more than all the other humanoids combined. Then Mount Rokan exploded.
The Third Age
Some 900 years ago, Mount Rokan erupted in earth shattering fashion; searing the earth with fire and fume, blackening the sky with thick ash, and blasting the Midlands into the Third Age. Rokan was an unparalleled natural disaster, wiping out most life in the region.
Weeks later, when the skies finally cleared, desperate skorn and thuels fought for survival across the scorched plains, forests and mountains. Humans clinging to the inland sea took the opportunity to fortify and consolidate their defences, founding what would eventually become the enduring bastions of Northgate, Port Brax and Crow’s Keep.
Approximately sixty years ago, the first Nydissian forces invaded from the south, establishing Melek as their northernmost city. Thirty years later, their second settlement of Kadimos, deep in the Trackless Moors, ended in ruin; sacked by waves of skorn, barbarian and Midlander forces. For the last twenty years, an informal truce with the Midlanders has prevailed, permitting trade and limited migration.
The last score of years also consolidated the first Varnori city of the region; Vorngard, a wooden settlement expanding with more northerners every year. Heralding from Varnor, across the Boreal Sea, the raiders navigate the treacherous Siltwater to reach Lake Argos and the interior proper.
The First Age
Almost nothing is known of the First Age, also known as the Age of Immortals, which predates the current era by at least 10,000 years. With no written records known to exist, legend and myth abound, offering precious little insight into primordial antiquity.
Theologically speaking, the Midland cultures believe the gods fashioned the world during this time, imbued men with free will, and fought over their souls. Second Age scriptures suggest the wars that followed were cataclysmic, and that the gods agreed to withdraw and observe from beyond the Veil, rather than risk the complete destruction of their creation.
The Second Age
The Second Age, also known as the Age of Mortals, spans approximately 9,100 years, ruled by humans and non-humans in turn. Records are patchy at best; only the tip of the iceberg has been rediscovered and most centuries remain a mystery. Nevertheless, those few who study the remaining evidence have gleaned some insight into the distant past.
At least two ancient human societies are known to have persisted for several hundred years; Ramoran slavers who buried their mummified dead in ornate underground tombs, and the Suun, a jungle kingdom abundant in gold, blood
rituals and stepped pyramids.
In other periods, monstrous dynasties prevailed. Cruel serpentmen enslaved the warmbloods until the world suddenly cooled, forcing a southern retreat to more humid climates. Warring cyclopes almost wiped men out entirely before a virulent plague drove them to the highest peaks to escape illness. Even the dwarves once ruled, using tempered iron against more primitive human societies, until men too unlocked the secret of steel.
In the last centuries of the Second Age, skorn dominated, mercilessly razing rival settlements and feasting on nomads. At their peak, the skorn numbered more than all the other humanoids combined. Then Mount Rokan exploded.
The Third Age
Some 900 years ago, Mount Rokan erupted in earth shattering fashion; searing the earth with fire and fume, blackening the sky with thick ash, and blasting the Midlands into the Third Age. Rokan was an unparalleled natural disaster, wiping out most life in the region.
Weeks later, when the skies finally cleared, desperate skorn and thuels fought for survival across the scorched plains, forests and mountains. Humans clinging to the inland sea took the opportunity to fortify and consolidate their defences, founding what would eventually become the enduring bastions of Northgate, Port Brax and Crow’s Keep.
Approximately sixty years ago, the first Nydissian forces invaded from the south, establishing Melek as their northernmost city. Thirty years later, their second settlement of Kadimos, deep in the Trackless Moors, ended in ruin; sacked by waves of skorn, barbarian and Midlander forces. For the last twenty years, an informal truce with the Midlanders has prevailed, permitting trade and limited migration.
The last score of years also consolidated the first Varnori city of the region; Vorngard, a wooden settlement expanding with more northerners every year. Heralding from Varnor, across the Boreal Sea, the raiders navigate the treacherous Siltwater to reach Lake Argos and the interior proper.