The First Ship

One setting element per day for my custom setting, a writing exercise.

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My D&D game described only in memes/pics posted by the group, Session 1

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The Pantheon

Sol Invictus

The God of Civilization, Leadership, Order, Justice, and the Sun, Sol is sometimes known by his titles — the Light Which Casts No Shadows, the Void-Illuminating Beacon, or the Now-Guiding Star. Although the Gods were not ordered during the Age of Wonders, the Imperials worship Sol as most prominent deity on Asharin and the leader of the Pantheon, naming him Sol Invictus. Sol’s descendants are the Scourge Aasimar.

It should be noted that Sun-worship is wildly different in the Highlands than it is anywhere else on Asharin. Most cultures consider Sol to be simply another deity (and the majority do not even accord him ‘first-among-equals’ status), though this is not the case in the Highlands. According to Imperial religion, Sol Invictus approached the former Emperor and his followers just before the Pantheon left Asharin for good. He charged them (and his son, in particular) with the preservation (and, of course, the governance) of humanity, and in exchange for this duty, he granted them the divine authority to rule the world.

Whether this is literally true is… highly debatable. The Imperial Family claims to have the original documents, a literal mandate from Heaven, hidden in a vault deep below the Imperial Palace, though no one living has ever seen it. Its existence (or lack thereof) and the implications that flow from it is the source of a great deal of colorful debate by Imperial philosophers, though outside the Empire it’s seen as little more than a justification for the worst Imperial excesses.

Lunarus

The Goddess of the Wilds, Freedom, Chaos, Change, and the Moon. Lunarus is sometimes known by her titles — the Dancer With One Thousand Faces, the Corruption-Repelling Beacon, or Skinchanger Lunarus. Although it seems odd, Lunarus and Sol are not seen as opposites or enemies to the people of Asharin. Instead, they are considered natural complements to each other, one existing to reign the other in when their own nature gets the better of them, and their relationship is most often depicted along the lines of 'ride together, die together'. Lunarus’ descendants are the Protector Aasimar.

Although mortals typically humanize Lunarus as a woman, the Dancer has no true form, and can take on any shape. Historical artworks have depicted Lunarus as male, female, neither, or both — almost in equal measure, and the Dancer is considered to be the most like herself when in disguise as someone else. She is the protector of children, the elderly, slaves, the homeless, the downtrodden, forbidden lovers, the terminally ill, and the irretrievably insane. Unlike the other members of the Pantheon, Lunarus is still active in the world, occasionally interfering in the lives of mortals.

Notably, Lunarus is never depicted alone in art or statuary, even in her own temples. Her predilections towards capriciousness and mischief are so great that without another member of the Pantheon to reign her in, even pictures of her will escape to cause havoc in the world.

The Once-Guiding Star

While Sol and Lunarus chase each other across the cosmos, the Once-Guiding Star remained set in place. A celestial body that was neither Sun nor Moon, unmoving in the sky as it preceded Asharin’s migration across the Prime Material Plane. He had other names once, such the Sun Too Proud To Set, the Light of Lights, and the Daemon-Annihilating Beacon. When the Once-Guiding Star was slain, shards of his corpse fell to earth, poisoning the land, sea, and sky. This cataclysmic event, called the Godfall, is what allowed monsters and undead to enter the world. The majority of the Fallen One's body remains in very low orbit of Asharin, fractured and broken, visible during both night and day. The Fallen God’s descendants are the Fallen Aasimar.

The Terrestrial Gods

Laentis

The Goddess of Water, Laentis is the eldest member of the Pantheon, often depicted as a stately, handsome matriarch from the islands of the Great Western Ocean. While the people of the West claim they do not revere one deity over another, Laentis is accorded four unique holidays and is featured most prominently in virtually all of the Anoran temples. In personality and in myth, she is measured, temperate, caring, and wise. Her season is Fall, and Water Genasi are her descendants.

Mhar

The God of Fire, Mhar is the second-eldest member of the Pantheon, often depicted as a middle-aged warrior or mercenary from the far South. To the Imperials, Mhar is the second most important deity in the Pantheon, and he is sometimes called the God of Gunpowder, of Cavalry Charges, of Large Armies, or the God of Clinging Fire. In personality and myth, he is fearless, brash, arrogant, and passionate. His season is Summer, and Fire Genasi are his descendants.

Cagado

The God of Earth, Cagado is the second-youngest member of the Pantheon, often depicted as a traveling scholar or an apprentice from the far East. When all Asharin’s people are considered together, Cagado is the most popular and widely-worshiped member of the Pantheon, and he is occasionally depicted as having had an on-again off-again romance with Lunarus. In personality and myth, he is curious, daring, innovative, and intelligent. His season is Spring, and Earth Genasi are his descendants.

Vhanileth

The Goddess of Air, Vhanileth is the youngest member of the Pantheon, often depicted as a wandering, disheveled teenage girl from the far North. Although she originally taught humans the secrets of magic and artificial flight, she is the most distant, cruel, and least human of the Pantheon. It is rumored that some of her old workshops still exist in the glacier-mountains of the North Pole, but no one has ever returned from there. In personality and myth, she is depicted as distant, obsessed, alien, and imperious. Her season is Winter, and Air Genasi are her descendants.

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Anora

Anora is the largest nation in the The West Wind Archipelago, a prosperous trading port of call that is an important of the Highland Empire. A tributary of House Ranath, the Imperials married themselves into the royal family four centuries ago and have maintained a significant presence on the island ever since. Until recently, this arrangement was mutually beneficial. Anora was wealthy enough that the tribute demanded did not overly tax its inhabitants, and the presence of the Imperial Navy meant the island was safe from raiders and pirates. Even far-flung villages in West Wind were questionable targets, as no pirate captain wanted to risk the wrath of the Imperial fleets. Like most native populations in the far West, Anora's people are the product of God-Blooded tampering. Native Anorans typically have bronze skin, blue (sky or ocean-colored), black, or brown hair, and green or blue eyes, though it's not unusual to see Anorans of mixed or Imperial blood, as travelers arrive on the capital island from all over the world. Many of the Imperial families living on Anora have been there for centuries and have effectively been naturalized, most of them never having seen the Highlands. Anora's chief exports are pearls, mangoes, and coconuts. However, their most important tribute to the Empire is a luxury product called palmeru oil. The palmeru, a type of tropical fish, are abundant in the The West Wind Archipelago, and all attempts to cultivate a native population elsewhere in the world have thus far failed. Palmeru are not inedible, though they have tough flesh and their taste is bland and flat. Their true value lies in the oil that can be pressed from their bodies, which softens the hair and gives it incredible luster and shine. It is considered an essential part of the Imperial beauty regimen for both men and women, and past shortages have created an uproar in the Highlands. The catching, sorting, and pressing of palmeru fish, as well as the manufacture of palmeru oil, is Anora's main industry and the source of the island's great wealth. However, citizens of Anora also farm, fish, hunt, cut stone, and weave. In addition to the Imperial Navy, there is a small standing army of native Anorans, personally loyal to the Queen. However, their main function of this force is disaster relief and peacekeeping between native Anorans who do not wish for Imperial involvement in their business. Anora (and the surrounding islands) are very poor in metal, and there are no significant mining efforts anywhere in West Wind. Most of the metal in use in Anora was imported from Valdinor. About fifteen years ago, new techniques made pearl diving profitable, and now three pearl companies have their headquarters in the Anoran capital. Fish, squid, rice, mangoes, and coconuts are staple foods on Anora. Imperials introduced chickens and ducks to the The West Wind Archipelago two centuries ago, and several modern recipes are considered 'native' despite incorporating eggs or poultry. Most Anorans consider eating whole palmeru to be garbage food, though the paste that is a by-product of the oil extraction process has a savory taste that makes it useful in some dishes. Traditional Anoran families eat communal meals, though important or wealthy Anorans often have two tables or eating areas in their home, to accommodate the sensibilities of Imperial guests. Human slavery is illegal on Anora, though the island has no shortage of Alchemical servants and laborers, most of them in the service of one Imperial family or another. Taku Iti The West Wind island closest to Anora, Taku Iti is one of the few truly non-Imperial nations in the world, having seceded from Anora seventy years prior to AR 999. They attribute their independance to a steadfast resistance to Imperial expansion, but in reality, their island is difficult to approach in Imperial ships and they have nothing worth taking. There is some tension and jealousy between Taku Iti and Anora, with the people of Taku Iti seeing the Anorans as pampered Imperial lapdogs and the Anorans seeing the people of Taku Iti as dangerous, unpredictable rebels who want what they have. The Bluegill Holdout A pirate enclave, Bluegill is home to a dangerous clan of God-Blooded. Distressed by their thinning blood, the Bluegill Clan took to mixing with monsters from the bottom of the sea in order to maintain their divine and sorcerous might. The results were enormously successful but... disquieting. Thoroughly evil and deeply insane, the Bluegill Pirates were the scourge of the West Wind Archipelago, Rael, and even Thalis (carrying out a number of bold raids on the mainland’s coastal cities) before the Imperial Navy broke the back of their fleet and forced them back into their hidden enclaves. The Ocean Shrine Supposedly the location where a member of the Pantheon departed Asharin, the Ocean Shrine is an immensely holy site and most adults go on pilgrimages there at least once in their lives. It is the furthest corner of the world to which civilization extends, and according to legend, beyond the Shrine, the Great Western Ocean extends forever. While Imperial and Anoran scholars both claim the planet is round, no ships that have sailed beyond the Western horizon have ever returned. Thalis Directly across the sea from Anora is Thalis, an Imperial state that most Anorans are referring to when they say 'the mainland'. A coastal nation, Thalis and Anora have been on good terms for centuries, and there is no history of conflict or violence between the two countries. Even 'well-traveled' Anorans have seldom gone further inland than Thalis, a narrow nation whose landmass stretches along the coastline like a ribbon, about three thousand kilometers from north to south. Visitors and merchants from Thalis are common in Anora, and Thalis' primary industry is energy. The nation is home to hundreds of energy and mana-generating constructs from the Age of Wonders. Most of these no longer function without human intervention, and the majority of the population is employed in monitoring and maintaining them to serve Imperial interests. The second largest industry is, of course, farming. Rael Far north of Anora is Rael, a heavily militarized nation perched atop the Godscar Tertius and under the command of the First Imperial Princess (after whom the island is named). Rael's primary industry is the manufacture and distribution of Alchemical servants, and the process is a secret so valuable to the Empire that the island is heavily guarded. Even the Imperial Navy can't approach without special permission, and the Princess is quick to deal with any security threat with a heavy hand.