Crestlyn Isle
By, Frznbullet
Crestlyn Isle is a campaign setting currently being worked upon by a number of people. It is an entire continent to be made from the ground up and by the end, to have a workable campaign setting in which everyone can use for their campaigns. Note: Crestlyn Isle is simply the basis for campaigns and the "world" will not be expanded though references in the lore will talk about the world outside Crestlyn. This project will take quite a while to finish, though the finished product will be a vast fantasy world filled with lore that one can use as fuel for various role play games, i.e. Pathfinder, D&D, D20 Modern, etc...
History
The history of the world, as defined, is centered around the Isle.
Guilds, Organizations and Knightly Orders
Main page: Crestlyn Isle Organizations And Knightly Orders
- The Ironbeards
- The Goldbloods
- The Gearhearts
Creation of the World
The world was created by the three gods; Hentastous, Torrentious and Kirntle. Various other gods exist and have existed during the creation of the world, though they took no part in it for these three were chosen by vote, by the other gods, to create a world in which they could interact with. After the creation, the three gods began to bestow life onto it in four forms. The humans were first; a simple race of simple people who grew to be creative, innovative, industrious. The elves came next; an elegant race of fair skinned peoples who were naturally graceful, nimble, intelligent and enjoyed the beauty of nature. The dwarves came after; a race of small, stocky peoples who enjoyed drinking and construction. Lastly came the shadowspawn; a race of peoples that came to life from the shadows of the earth. They were mysterious, had an inept ability with magic and enjoyed history. Various other races had spawned after the first four, but the four continue to be the most prominent in the world. Magic was introduced, both divine and arcane, by Henstastous, the god of knowledge. Torrentious, the god of the forge and life, taught the four races the skills needed to smith and to grow food. Kirntle, the god of the flame and earth taught the races how to live on any terrain, no matter how harsh or barren. With this, the four races populated the world though some territory is left unexplored. Since creation it's been 4800 years, the world calender's year 0, which is based when Kirntle announced he would live among the mortals to guide them, though he would not reveal himself. This being 900 years after the world was made.
Arrival In Crestlyn
Crestlyn was inhabited in year 870 on the calender by the first four races. The shadowspawn and the dwarves arrived first together, as both races sailed on the same ships. The shadowspawn's knack for cartography and sailing, along with the dwarves' brawn, allowed them to be the first before the other races. At first, only 6 ships landed off on Keeper's Coast, though after discovery two ships were sent back to speak about the discovery. Keeper's Coast has constant fog, protecting the shadownspawn from the sun though annoyed the dwarves. The first houses were built four weeks after discovery and it was agreed by the two races that Keeper's Coast would belong to the shadowspawn in exchange for help in exploring the rest of the land. 10 years after the discovery the shadownspawn and the dwarves had made the nearby mountains inhabitable, including an unfinished map of the island. By the year 840, the humans, along with the elves, arrived on the isle on the west coast. At this time Keeper's Coast was populated by 12 cities and various towns and the dwarves were rumored to have begun construction of a stone city, carved from the mountains, though they really began contruction in year 860. The elves claimed the Southern Forest, leaving the humans to explore more towards the north. In time, year 900 had passed, with the dwarves nearing completion of the great city, Keeper's Coast housing thousands of shadowspawn, half the Southern Forest converted into elven housing and the humans acting as nomads in the Center Plains. Year 1000 passed and half the island had been explored, it was possibly the largest island in the world, already being larger than some countries. 1000 years later and the entire island had been explored with the capital being located in the Center Plains. In year 2600, a great plague had spread throughout the island, brought from mainland when importing meat and iron, killed hundreds every year. By 2900 the plague had ended, though half the island's population had died, only the dwarves living in the mountains and the forest elves being unaffected. They had to rebuild and with so many dead, progress was slowed. Now in year 4800 the island has finally recovered from the plague, emerging in its golden age. The dwarves had invented refined steel, the shadowspawn had mapped the island and constructed schools of magic, the elves created better medicine to prevent such a plague from happening again, and the humans had built many cities and towns now spread throughout the island. There are now a total of 10 major cities, and hundreds of other cities. Though much is still left unexplored and adventure awaits for the bold adventurer.
Wars
The War of The West
In the year 3500 a war was fought between the shadowspawn and the elves. The shadowspawn are masters of magic, every race knowing their great feats involved in magic as when they introduced alchemy to the other races. Now, the elves are well versed in magic, able to use it with little difficulty. The elves from the southern forest wanted the secrets to advanced magic. The magic that could alter the laws of reality, but the shadowspawn refused to give up such powerful secrets as in the wrong hands, it could cause another epidemic. The elves, infuriated, threatened war. Now, the elves of the Abudar forest were against this and the southern elves were known to be problematic before. The southern elves argued that everyone should be able to use advanced magic and that the shadowspawn should step down from their throne and contribute something to the other races. What the elves really wanted was more power to hold a powerful kingdom in the isle. After yet again another refusal from the shadowspawn, war was declared between the elves of the southern forest and the shadowspawn nation in the central plains. So war was waged against these two races for 4 years, the shadowspawn suffering heavy casualties. The elves then raided a shadowspawn capital in Keeper's Coast, finding information about a secret magical ritual of great power. After this event, the shadowspawn and dwarves agreed that extreme measures must be taken to stop the elves. In 5 days, the shadowspawn created a ritual to end the war. With permission from the council of mages, they cursed the entire southern elven kingdom. The elves skin became the color of ash, their hair was purged of all color, their eyes became a pale yellow, and all involved in the war was brandished with the curse mark on their palms. The curse would continue to spread for 1000 years, though the now cursed elves would not stop the attacks, forcing the dwarves to take action. The ironbeard clan threatened to help the shadowspawn in this war if the elves did not stop and the shadowspawn announced they would destroy the forest with their magic if it would stop this madness. The elves then admitted defeat, they didn't want to take on the dwarven nation as well. The war ended with that, with the elves retreating to the forest and the shadowspawn left to rebuild their nation. Strong distrust now exists between the shadowspawn and the southern elves. The shadowspawn are also distrusting of the elves of Abudar for not taking any action during the war. The newer generation of elves continue to bear the curse, but the next will not. After it all ended, the dwarves and the shadowspawn became good allies, now helping each other in national affairs, though the shadowspawn magic still remains hidden except for the ritual stolen by the elves, which continues to remain a mystery as to what it is.
Places in Crestlyn Isle
Races of Crestlyn Isle
Shadowspawn
The shadowspawn are a mysterious race and not much is known by the other races. They try to keep their culture and practices hidden when they can. As stated before, their skin is the color of caramel, their eyes entirely black, their bodies extremely thin. Jet-black hair covers their heads, even the males have long hair, usually covering their faces. They are weak and fragile, though their mastery of magic makes them formidable foes. They are reluctant to use powerful magic, only doing so in dire situations. They have been known to destroy multiple cities with a single spell. One same situation where their existence on mainland was threatened by attacks from a nation of orcs. 13 days was spent preparing a spell, the result from the casting caused a chasm, 100 miles wide, to open in the center of the ork nation, forcing them to surrender in fear of another spell. The shadowspawn despise conflict, caring only to further their understanding of the world. In secret, they wish to discover the power to ascend their race to a higher plane of existence to create their utopia. A healthy shadowspawn lives on average, 350 years before natural death.