The center of my campaign setting is a magical medieval land called Haradror, based upon 10th-century Iraq. The Holy City of Urzat Baz is Mecca, Baghdad, and Jerusalem rolled into one.pic.twitter.com/T0qrEAmyb8
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A defining events that shaped the setting was a conflict called the War of the Wilds, in which the forces of humans, elves, & dragons faced off against wicked humans, demons, fallen elves, & undead. In this war, -elves lost their immortality -Euro-humans lost their homelandpic.twitter.com/H0igM1D34V
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The Golden Path is a 3,000-mile trade route stretching from Urzat Baz in Haradror to Ramapour, City of a Thousand Gods in the land of Taixen.pic.twitter.com/a3cSXW7UrB
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There are several places in my world of Istafar where the walls between realities are thin. One is Ramapour, the City of a Thousand Gods, where household gods mingle with mortals from hundreds of worlds that can be reached along a transitive plane called the Gray Road.pic.twitter.com/B6pXa8cGDO
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Another is the Fractal Spire, which exists in every prime material plane conterminously. The Spire was created by a long-dead people known as the Eliu, who are believed to be the architects of reality. Travelers can - and do -spend lifetimes exploring the Spire.pic.twitter.com/yR1nqkeyYK
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The people of Haradror believe in one goddess, Ishtar, who taught them the Qhímá - the Way. I drew loosely upon Islam for this religion & the cultures who practice it. There are 4 remaining Haradi tribes. Speaking of the fifth tribe, the Faithless, is haram (“forbidden”).pic.twitter.com/Km3YgpYHIb
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Every good setting has a few archmages. The most well-known in my setting form a cabal called the Wardens of Istafar. They are (L to R) Malek the Artificer, Nasirruddeen the Wise, Anaiya the Red, and Belshazzar the Blackenedpic.twitter.com/lVoUbh9Lbu
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Anaiya the Red is a transmuter who immigrated to Istafar from another prime material plane. She claims that her world was destroyed. In my first campaign, she helped the PCs defeat an elemental monstrosity that would have leveled Urzat Baz.pic.twitter.com/WdbVTgV265
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In my setting, elves are descendants of eladrin who entered the mortal plane from the Feywild. Over time, they became less feylike & more like mortals. The people now called high elves are gone - they sacrificed their civilization & their immortality to end a demon invasion.pic.twitter.com/FIjWouj3pC
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Surviving the high elves are their descendants: -wood elves, who walk the Long Twilight and will soon be but a memory upon the shores of Haradror -desert elves, who stride the deep dunes of the Sea of Dust -dark elves, who are pale, corpulent, and serve demonspic.twitter.com/k6yYMRKp7n
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Elves were not the only creatures from the Feywild to suffer losses in the War of the Wilds. The inventive gnomes lost their marvelous City of the Makers, Neregar, where they worked alongside their gods to create Wonders.pic.twitter.com/D8GE8qn3at
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The mighty dragons suffered losses no less tragic than their allies. In the war, the great Council of Wyrms - draconic progenitors Talladawtheron the Sightless, Quernyyop of the Mirrored Scales, & Cerrothrax, She Who Walks Between Worlds - itself fell to demonic assault.pic.twitter.com/S0XfzSC8eK
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Draconic society is matriarchal and matrilineal. Female dragons and dragonborn (also the children of the draconic progenitors) are larger than males. Every descendant of a progenitor carries her root name - ex: all descendants of Cerrothrax have the root -thrax in their name.pic.twitter.com/XihYgDLFiT
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Dragonborn paladins are called Messengers. The PC in my current game is Thraxtarhûn, Messenger of Cerrothrax. Unlike in the PHB, humans in my setting welcome dragonborn as descendants of heroes - in rural villages, a visit by a dragonborn is considered a blessing.pic.twitter.com/XawsFV8MPn
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Once in a dragonborn PC's lifetime, they can call a Dragonmoot. All members of that PC's bloodline - dragon & dragonborn alike - answer the magical summons as best they can. The caller then asks his kin to help with a monumental task. They deliberate & decide what to do.pic.twitter.com/kcIsA3s4K1
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Aasimar in my setting are likewise a little different than in the published material. Every aasimar is born knowing that it has a divine destiny that it is expected to fulfill. Once in the lifetime of an aasimar PC, the player can declare that it is their Moment of Destiny.pic.twitter.com/JeFlA7rZiK
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Maps - from the macro to the micro - are important to my setting. Making maps helps me understand history & culture, inspire me to write adventures, & help me convey campaign details.pic.twitter.com/Df7uSpBpXy
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Often, I have no idea what a name is when I put it on a map, particularly if it's a place the players haven't been yet. But by placing it on the map, I give myself a stub - a kernel of a cool idea - from which I can expand into a living corner of my world.pic.twitter.com/Khnn8dFkN5
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Back to geography: In Haradror, there are three Settler Kingdoms. Arpathia, based upon medieval Spain Olerac, based upon medieval England Ivgorod, based upon medieval Slavic kingdoms These countries are also loosely based upon the crusader states of Outremer.pic.twitter.com/OV6kme4ZNx
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I called them Settler Kingdoms deliberately and consciously to acknowledge, but also subvert, the notion of settler colonialism. -their founders were refugees, not conquerors -the indigenous Haradi keep them largely contained -they do not perceive themselves to be superiorpic.twitter.com/nHg9ItLCCS
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For classical monsters, I think less is more. My setting has ONE sphinx, THE Sphinx, a legendary being. I can't tell you where it is or what it's up to because my players haven't encountered it yet.pic.twitter.com/KQIhf4h9y8
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For D&D monsters, I lean to the other extreme. There are a lot of beholders & beholderkin in my setting. A lot. Frankly, a terrifying amount. But my players have yet to encounter them, so...pic.twitter.com/vac91kpXXG
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I tend to note what my players are interested in and tuck that into my setting somewhere. One player loves wizards, so I sketched out the parameters of magical society - the high & the low, the gathering spots, etc. Another likes Spelljammer. Give your players what they want.pic.twitter.com/cfvmocQMho
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I like to include nods to classical mythology. In my setting, dwarves have two great nations: Akkad and Shulm. The Akkad oil their curly black beards & trade with humans. The Shulm live deep underground & guard the gates to the land of the dead, presided over by their god Ukur.pic.twitter.com/SkPyoZsEZk
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Frank Herbert's Dune - particularly Chapterhouse: Dune - has been hugely influential on the multiverse of my setting. The ancient Architects of the Multiverse built no-ships, no-rooms, and no-swords. This dovetailed nicely with the Spelljammer stuff.pic.twitter.com/zDBlJyz32K
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Need to sleep. Grateful for the unexpected attention this has gotten. Will pick it up in the morning. Welcome new followers. Tomorrow: -angels, gods, & demons -Nyambe-Tembo & the orisha -Gorilla folk (!) and Loxodon -Dzim, City of Thieves -more
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