Races of ARCANA - part 2

Continuing from this earlier post, lore of the Player Character Races of ARCANA.

D&D, over its various editions, has always had a large cast of anthropomorphic animals: Gnolls, Sahuagin, Bugbears, Lizardfolk, Bullywug. In the past, with my interest firmly fixed on grimdark or sword & sorcery worldbuilding, I rarely found much use for these types of races, even as monstrous foes.

However, since Arcana is meant to be inspired by saturday morning cartoons and animalfolk inhabit the Western Kingdoms alongside Humans, Elves and Dwarves, the various anthropomorphic races in the Monster Manual and other sources can be reskinned as follows:

Aarakocra: These birdfolk can take the shape of various avian species, such as eagles or owls.
Bugbears: The bearfolk of Arcana are strong but can also be stealthy. They are as likely to take up axes and hammers in war, as they are innocent or adventurous.
Bullywugs: The frogfolk inhabit rivers, marshes and wetlands.
Giff: The hippofolk are a culture of distinguished and martial people, inhabiting southern regions.
Gnolls: These hyenafolk are often predatorial and carrion-eaters.
Kenku: The ravenfolk are a disctinct species of birdfolk, drawn to urban locations.
Kuo-Toa: The fishfolk of the seas are drawn to dark arts.
Lizardfolk: These savage reptilefolk live peaceful lives in swampy areas.
Loxodon: The elephantfolk of the distant South and East are rarely seen in the Western Kingdoms.
Minotaur: The bullfolk are strong and have a martial culture.
Neogi: These spiderfolk are feared throughout the Western Kingdoms as merchants of death and slavers.
Sahuagin: The sharkfolk of the seas and oceans, often at war with the fishfolk but possessed of an advanced culture.
Tabaxi: In most urban areas of the Western Kingdoms, these catfolk can be found.
Thri-Kreen: Relatively rare, these insectfolk mostly inhabit the deserts to the East.
Tortle: The turtlefolk lead mostly nomadic and lone lives.
Yuan-Ti: Heirs of an old empire, the snakefolk are oftentimes portrayed as evil.


Missing from this list are a few standard anthropomorphic animals:

• Wolfmen
• Foxfolk
• Lionfolk
• Rabbitfolk
• Tigerfolk
• Boarfolk
• Dogfolk

Expect these races to appear in a future post.

Races of ARCANA - part 1

Lore of the Player Character Races in the World of ARCANA

Elves
The Elves of Arcana are not native to the world. They are Eldar – Starborn in their language – and they came from another world in the Dark Beyond. That world was consumed by the Voidstar, which the Eldar call Tharizdun, an abomination of their own making. Through the misuse of the magic of their Sun, it was warped into the Voidstar. Now, the Elves on Arcana are the only remnant of their once proud starfaring race – and determined to not repeat the mistakes of the past. Mostly.
Half-Elves are prominent in one of the Western Kingdoms, where the Human knights and nobles usurped a High Elven citadel in order to secure its magic. It has given rise to a large number of Half-Elves. The Humans are still searching for the secret magic.

Dwarves
The Dwarves of Arcana were, according to their myths, created by the Lord of Fire and Forge. The Dwarven Kings are celebrated as freedom fighters and just rulers that successfully freed their people from captivity by the Elves after the War in Heaven.


Halflings
No one actually knows where Halflings came from. They have no recognized homeland, no creation myth, no kingdom and no culture. They are universally recognized as roamers and wanderers – appropriating anything yet denying responsibility for everything. Their secretive past is the object of many Halfling adventures.


Gnomes
As the Eldar spread out across Arcana and established their magical empire, they found many fey nature spirits. Determined to never repeat the mistakes of the past and to work in harmony with nature, the Eldar befriended these spirits. Through friendship, through association and magic, these fey took on more stable form and became the Gnomes.


Orcs and Half-Orcs
Arcana’s Orcs were created by Phaeton from Elves. Their hatred of Elvenkind is in the blood and they represent everything the Elves fight against: brutality, aggression, barbarism. Even so, two generations ago, the Western Kingdoms recruited Orcs massively as labor for their great public works and tilling the fields. As a consequence, there are Orc ghettoes in large cities. Half-Orcs are looked upon as second- or third-generation immigrants. The salvation of Orc-kind and their Half-Orc descendants from the bonds of Phaeton, however, does lie in the cities of the humans. Only through redemption can they wrest themselves free from the bonds of savagery.


Tieflings
Phaeton's corruption did not stop with the Orcs and Goblins. A Human tribe was seduced to the side of Fire by the Lightbringer's schemes. Before the days of the Dragon Empire, this tribe, infused with Infernal blood, dominated an ancient kingdom. Nowadays, the Tieflings are scattered across Arcana.


Dragonborn
Created from Dragon eggs in the time of the Dragon Empire, the Dragonborn are the favored sons and daughters of Dragonkind. Together with humanity, they dominated the world in the time of the last great empire. Now their kind can be found anywhere in the Western Kingdoms.

Necro Elves

Reskinned Drow. Because who needs another Drizzt?

All sages and Wizards and all high-up Priests in the Ecclesiarchy know that the Elves came from the stars. In sleek silver ships they fled the destruction of their Homeworld, which was destroyed by the dark cosmic entity called the Voidstar.

A closely guarded secret by the Elves is that the Voidstar - which in their language is called Tharizdun - was actually created by the Elven forebears themselves. Their misuse of arcane magic backfired and mutated the sun of their homeworld into an eldritch abomination, sucking up billions of Elven souls.

As the Elves created their magical empire in what are now the Western Kingdoms, their leaders swore off the old ways of their Homeworld that gave rise to Tharizdun and agreed to work in harmony with the magical energies of Arcana. A few of them, appalled at the casting aside of millennia of Eldar tradition, grew resentful and searched for ways to bring back the souls of the brilliant artists, mages, architects and leaders of their Homeworld.

Turning to magic forbidden by the Eldar leaders, these Elves found ways of reincarnating the souls devoured by Tharizdun in new bodies, birthed on Arcana. However, the bodies in which these souls reincarnated were markedly different from their parents or their past lives. They became jet black, a permanent reminder of the time spent by their soul in oblivion.

At first, these dark children were frowned upon but allowed to grow up in Eldar lands. As their numbers increased however, tensions brewed until it blossomed into a full civil war between the High Elves and the Dark Elves.

The day was won by the High Elves.  Enclaves of Dark Elves survive, developing a culture of their own. A culture devoted to death, art, architecture and poetry.

Unknown to almost everyone, the Dark Elven birthing process - drawing souls away from the Voidstar - is drawing that very abomination closer to Arcana every day.

Mythology of Arcana

Here are recounted the various creation myths and divine legends of Arcana. Of course they are all wrong, as sure as they are all right.

Creation of the World – as proclaimed by Dragonborn

Before time began, there were two Dragons. One was called the Chromatic Dragon, the other was called the Platinum Dragon. The Chromatic Dragon was a being of frightening arcane power. The Platinum Dragon was a serene and divine celestial being.

They were siblings, mates and enemies, exemplifying all life that ever would be. In her greed, the Chromatic Dragon sought to steal all knowledge from the Platinum Dragon. In his arrogance, the Platinum Dragon sought to dominate the Chromatic Dragon.

Their fight lasted for eons and sparks that flew and burned the Platinum Dragon became the stars. The claw marks in the hide of the Chromatic Dragon became the clefts and gorges and rivers.

In time, the two Primordial Dragons fought to a stalemate. The Platinum Dragon bound the Chromatic Dragon underneath him. The Platinum color became the light of the daytime sky, the fiery sparks from their battle became the stars. The Chromatic Dragon was bound to the earth. That is why arcane energy courses through the planet and the nature of mortal existence is Evil. All good and guidance comes from above, from the daylit sky and from the ten thousand stars.

The Dragons are the true children of these Primordial beings and the rightful masters of the World.

Creation of the World – as told by the Giants

The World was a dark and chaotic rock until the Star Titans, who each blazed with the light of a sun, came out of the Dark Beyond and created Order.  The Titans tamed the wild monsters and established civilization. The Titans eventually left their children, the First Giants, in charge of the Ordered World. Over time however, the First Giants, without the guidance from the Star Titans, fell into decline and internecine strife. In the end, the mighty magical civilization of the Giants broke down into barbarism and different clans and their Order was broken.

Creation of the World – as told by the Elves

According to the Elves, the Gods or Dragons or Titans had nothing to do with the shaping of the World. Natural, rational laws govern the universe and the forming of the world from cosmic dust over a process of billions of years can be rationally explained. The World was not created, it was discovered. The forebears of the Elves came from the stars to Arcana in silver vessels. There, they established an enormous magical empire in the region that now holds the Western Kingdoms. In time, they uplifted the Nine Human Tribes to civilization. As the human realms grew, the civilization of the Elves declined, their magical empire collapsed. Some of the Elven High Mages that taught humans magic are still remembered as Gods by them – Osiris, Zeus, Mannus.

Creation of the World – as recounted by the Dwarves

The World was created as an Anvil by the great Lord of Fire and Forging. His first few attempts at forging life were flawed – misshapen Goblins, foul Orcs and hideous Trolls - but the Dwarves are the Lord of Fire’s  greatest creation. His celestial servants however, were jealous of his skill and favored the other, lesser races – Elves, Humans. These celestials imprisoned the Lord of Fire in a vault constructed from the cold of the Void. Fiery Dwarven kings took up their fireforged swords and armor and spears but were stymied by the arrogant Elves and stunted Humans. The great Dwarven kings of old were conquered and enslaved. But the Dwarven people, blazing with the fire of the forge and the light of their Lord, were not so easily cowed. They learned to use the tools given to them by their oppressors – hammers, axes – and wrested their freedom from the chains.

Creation of the World – the Halflings

“The shaping of the World? Who cares!? There’s a shiny object there, let’s go study it and … Oooh! What’s this?”

Creation of the World  as written in the Doctrine of the Ecclesiarchical Church of the Radiant Spirit

IN THE BEGINNING – the world was dark and formless, until the Radiant Spirit brought light to the realm and tamed the seas and shaped the land. The Spirit placed the sun in the daylit sky and the stars in the nightsky. The darkness was bound beneath the earth and order was brought to the land.

The Radiant Spirit created life on Arcana, plant life, beasts. Finally, the Spirit created the pinnacle of Creation: Humans.

But one of his angels grew jealous of his master. His most skilled servant, Phaeton, strove to create life in his own image. The rebellious angel forged humanoid life but could not match the perfection of the Radiant Spirit. For his sin, the Spirit cast Phaeton out of the Heavens.

The evil Phaeton, cast out of his home, gathered fiendish allies and created other forms of life. Dragons, monstrosities and evil races such as Orcs and Goblins. A terrible war raged in Heaven and on Arcana – as above so below.

In the end, the forces of Good triumphed over Evil. The victorious Humans established the Empire as the temporal authority of Arcana and the Church as its spiritual guide.

Locations of Note in the Western Kingdoms

Being a guide to places both frightful and wondrous in the lands of Good.

Blackskull Castle, eldritch place of power dating back to before the time of Aurora. The Totems of Blackskull are fabulous items of power held in its halls. Legends tell that if the Arcana Crystals are ever united in the depths of Blackskull Castle, their owner will be elevated to godhood.

Enchanted Forest, woodland home to the Elves, one gets easily lost.

Forge Mountain, volcano and home of Dwarves.

Great-Grandfather Oak, the oldest tree in the Enchanted Forest

Great Lake, largest body of water in the vicinity of Palladium.

Mushroom Forest, a stretch of giant fungi.

Palladium, mightiest of the Western Kingdoms espousing freedom and democracy.

Shadow Veil, the curtain of black smoke that forms the border between the Western Kingdoms and the Undying Empire.

The Western Kingdoms of ARCANA

Risen from the ashes of the fall of the old empire, the Western Kingdoms are bastions of good in the World of ARCANA. It is a land reminiscent of Grundo or the Land of Ooo.

The folk of the Western Kingdoms are mostly pleasant, hardworking people. The kings and queens are wise and just (even if occasionally assisted by scheming ministers and plotting priests). The weather (magically controlled) is fair and monsters and threats are contained by patrols and knights.

The mightiest of these are the Knights of Palladium, the strongest of the Western Kingdoms.

The land is home to magical creatures and contains many wondrous locations. Adventurers operating out of Palladium regularly scout out these locations and unearth secrets and treasures of the ancients.

The Western Kingdoms are home to a diverse mix of human ancestries. Wandering the streets of Palladium you can meet Volcae, Qahtani, Valar, Aurorans and Teutons, in addition to the other races such as Elves, Dwarves and Animalfolk.

Tone and Style in RPGs

Over at Monsters and Manuals, this post continues to spark discussion. It is a post about the setting of the D&D game as "Straight Man". In other words: players bring more than enough antics to the table, there is no need to interject levity and humor in the setting.

Trey over at the Sorcerer's Skull disagrees. And I have found that I don't enjoy seriousness and grimdark as I once did. In order to provide a fun game for my friends and family, I've decided to turn a page on a new chapter and let new inspiration guide my creation.

When I was young, my Saturday mornings were filled with action packed animated adventures. The adventures of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, The Transformers, Legend of Zelda and Thundercats are all near and dear memories of my childhood. So when I was looking for inspiration to make my game more kid-friendly (and direct it away from brain-eating zombies) I naturally struck on these memories.

The World of Arcana is the theatre of a classic struggle of noble heroes versus tyrannical villains. The Knights of Palladium struggle against the mindless hordes of the Undying Emperor. Dividing the Western Kingdoms, bastions of light, and the evil Eastern Empire, is the Shadow Veil, a dark curtain of smoke. But other threats lurk. Beneath the earth in Sub-Arcana, Queen Chroma, Mother of Monsters, spawns vile monstrosities. To the south, in the jungles of Savagar, the Elven sect called Oberon's Children plots revenge against the humans that drove them from their ancient glades. And to the far east, the mysterious Enlightened make plans for world domination. All the while, an ancient force of evil, frozen in the far north, plots and schemes to collect the powerful Arcana Crystals that promise power and divinity.

I seek to make this world not another Tolkienesque, Realmsian high fantasy setting. I try to hew close to the saturday morning cartoons that inspired Arcana.

ARCANA Adventures

Stuff I am working on for my new setting, potentially available for my family game. The setting includes elements that I have developed in stories over the last twenty years. 

"The World of ARCANA was once a realm of magic, peace and progress. Great artifacts were fashioned from the magical substance of Arcanite. Guarded by the Dragon Knights, the Emperor reigned just and wise. Until, one fateful day, the Emperor was betrayed. The Dragons vanished, and all magical progress was lost to history. Now, the Western Kingdoms remain free while the Eastern Empire toils under the weight of the evil Undying Emperor. The Knights of Palladium now wage a continuing battle to contain the mindless hordes of the Undying Emperor."

The Western Kingdoms are bastions of Good, protected by faithful knights and shielded by divine power. Palladium is its mightiest city, a center of commerce and diplomacy. The Eastern Empire is a realm of Evil. The old Imperial capital of Aurora now lies perpetually shrouded beneath dark clouds and thunderstorms. Separating the east and west is the Shadow Veil, a dark curtain of smoke and death.

The Western Kingdoms are bounded to the west by the great Sea of Storms. To the south lies the secretive continent of Savagar, with its stark deserts and primal jungles. Beyond the Eastern Empire lie the lands of Yang, where the Enlightened hold sway. Far to the north lies the Hidden City, where an ancient force of Evil is imprisoned in ice.