Map of Eldoria
The setting for my current campaign. This continent is massive, requiring months to travel from kingdom to kingdom. The size of the continent and its many undefined regions allows my players to insert lore specific to their characters. Map by PixelPerfectPNGz.
History
YEARS OF ASH. Once a land of majesty and splendor, Eldoria now bears the scars of a cataclysmic past. Ages ago, an ancient red dragon known as The Wyrm unleashed its fury on the nine kingdoms of Eldoria in an event called the Inferno. The dragon’s fire not only ruined kingdoms but also burned out Eldoria’s arcane ley lines, plunging the continent into a magical dark age known as the Years of Ash.
REBUILDING AND RELIGIOUS FERVOR. Over generations, kingdoms were rebuilt through hard work and the divine magics of churches. The largest kingdom, Solara’s Reach, is now dominated by The Luminar Order, a radical sect of the Church of Solara that blames arcane magic and arcanists for awakening The Wyrm.
POWER STRUGGLES. Amidst the rebuilding and magical upheaval, Eldoria’s political and economic fabric is fraying. The Guild, a movement to unite laborers, artisans, and less-savory “experts,” is gaining support. It is unclear what their motives are beyond overturning the current ruling powers. Meanwhile, the Grand Houses of elites are in disarray due to the collapse of several dynastic commercial monopolies and increase in assassinations, attempted and successful.
REAWAKENED MAGIC. In the outlying kingdoms, natural magics were restored by druids of the Verdant Circle. Over the last two hundred years, the Verdant Circle has worked tirelessly to revive the lands and reawakened Eldoria’s arcane ley lines. Many arcanist academies have reopened as a result.
RAIDERS FROM ACROSS THE SEA. Adding to this sense of instability, in the last year, all along the eastern coastline of Eldoria there have been reports of massive ships, crewed by men and women of towering height. Beyond raiding fleets, it is unclear what these giant folk may want. Rumors are spreading that some of those giant ships may have landed in Highstone.
Main Factions
THE LUMINAR ORDER. A group dedicated to preserving light and order, worshiping the god of light, Solara. Luminars claim to protect the realm from The Wyrm and the corruption of magic. The Luminar Order is based in Solara’s Reach.
THE VERDANT CIRCLE. Druids and nature worshippers who cultivate the natural balance. The Circle has spent centuries revitalizing the land and the long dormant magic ley lines.
THE GUILD. A patchwork of alliances, unions, and less savory “artisan” associations. This new political and economic force is rumored to have outsized influence in the kingdoms. Every leader goes by the title “Chief,” confounding understanding of the Guild’s hierarchy (if one even exists).
THE GRAND HOUSES. The reborn houses of great families. Once a sedate, landed gentry, nobility have grown increasingly savage since The Wyrm’s devastation. Political intrigue, betrayals and assassinations abound!
THE NINE KINGDOMS
SOLARA’S REACH. The kingdom of the humans. Solara’s Reach is a bustling land of commerce. Since the Inferno, religious devotion to Solara has been the trademark of Reachers. The Luminar Order has established a power center as the faith of the current monarch King Solomon the Shield who sits atop the obsidian throne in the Ivory Keep.
VAILARIS. Home of the elves. Vailaris is a kingdom of ancient forests and mystic rivers. Although their diplomats travel regularly from Vailaris to other kingdoms, the cities and ruling structures of Vailaris remain mysterious to outsiders.
THE TEETH. The rugged and harsh kingdom of the orcs. The Teeth is a kingdom known for its training of fierce warriors and their long running feud with the wildlings of Highstone. Home to several famous clans as well as the largest armies of Eldoria, loyalty, honor, and duty are core values of citizens of The Teeth.
THUNDER PEAKS. The mountainous kingdom of the dwarves. The Peaks a renowned for their mines, metalwork, and trading companies. Rumors have run rampant that some of these trading companies have found a way to cross the Iron Sea and are engaged with trade from the lands beyond.
GREENMEADOW. A peaceful land of rolling hills and quiet streams, home to the halflings. Greenmeadow is a kingdom welcome to all. Famous philosophers, singers, and writers have called Greenmeadow home. There is a streak of radical, experimental politics amid the Greens. Most suspect that it is birthplace and likely the headquarters of The Guild.
HIGHSTONE. Mountain wild folk reside in this kingdom, a place of towering peaks and deep valleys. Although diverse, Highstone folk are united by an unwillingness to bend the knee and a deep mistrust of outsiders. Their fleets of ferocious raiders are rivaled only by Scalespire’s navy with whom Highstone raiders regularly do battle.
SANDSEA. The vast desert kingdom of the sand people, known for its nomadic tribes and ancient secrets. Sandsea was the only realm spared the Dragon’s fire though no one knows why. Some speculate it has to do with the Sand Wyrms. Few mainlanders travel to the Sandsea and even fewer sandfolk travel to the mainland.
GLIMMERDEEP. Home of the gnomes, Glimmerdeep is a network of underground tunnels and glittering crystal caves. More explorations launch from Glimmerdeep than anywhere else in Eldoria. However, because they dig too deep and travel too far, the denizens of Glimmerdeep are strange by the norms of every other kingdom.
SCALESPIRE. The kingdom of the dragonborn. This humid land of swamps and jungles is where many dragonborn fled to escape the hatred that was directed towards their kind following the Inferno. Much of this kingdom’s interior remains unexplored owing to the flora and fauna of the jungle. Whether to prove their worth or defend themselves from mainlanders, Spirefolk have assembled the finest navy of any kingdom.
