The Sunset Realm: my current 5E game

My current campaign takes place in a setting called the Sunset Realm. That name is meant to evoke feelings of dreaminess, nostalgia, fading empires and cultural decadence. It is also meant as a reminder that the land is covered in perpetual red sunshine, in a nod to the old Hollow World campaign setting.

I developed the campaign world as a kitchen sink of various fantasy worlds. For example: the wizard Tenser is active, as well as the evil demigod Iuz, from the World of Greyhawk setting. But the heroes have also faced the Lord of Blades, from Eberron, in combat. Twice. Furthermore, much of the world is a desert wasteland, due to the reckless use of arcane magic as in the Dark Sun setting. (For more information about the Sunset Realm, consult the campaign wiki.)

Since the start of the campaign in may 2010, the group has played mostly on a biweekly schedule save for the latter half of 2012 and the whole of 2014. At first, the campaign used 4th Edition rules. In 2016, we started a new campaign using 5th Edition rules. The campaign that ran from 2010-2016 featured a quest to free elemental spirits, confront the chaotic Tarrasque and save the world from the influence of the Dark God Tharizdun and the Far Realm. In the process:

- An invasion of koblods was stopped;
- The remaining population of a dwarven town was saved from genocide by hobgoblins;
- The Temple of Elemental Evil was sacked once again;
- A Copper Dragon preying on the heroes' hometown was killed;
- The crown prince of the kingdom was rescued;
- The capital was saved from a siege by unrelenting warforged and their leader, the Lord of Blades;
- An alliance of freedom-loving towns was forged against the industrial tyranny of a fallen emperor;
- A Forbidden Valley full of ancient myths and secrets was explored;
- The dark elf city of Erelhei-Cinlu was destroyed;
- The planes were explored and demons were fought;
- The gods were revealed to be survivors from an Antediluvian age.

The Fifth Edition-campaign takes place five years after the end of the 4E-era. The ruined kingdoms have come back from the brink of extinction, the gods have reasserted their guidance over mortals and nature thrives once again with new magical energies. In the current campaign, the players explore the world and its new mysteries, seek to uncover the Tarrasque's secret and are researching the agenda of the Dragon Hunter's Guild (called the Tartaros Draekonys). The players recently entered mid-level range (most are now level 7) and are only just beginning to glimpse the mysteries behind the many events that occur in the world. It remains to be seen whether they can unravel all the plots in time.