Eredane

Eredane is the setting for the Midnight rules. In theory as with Arcana Unearthed you could adapt the rules to some other setting; Eredane is the Beleriand to AU's Land. In practice the aforementioned rules are tied closely to the setting and there's no easy way to move your campaign back to the setting's origins that won't piss off The Lawyers.

Also, although the world Aryth (it's like Earth but not!) extends beyond this continent, we're not told much about the rest of the planet. So "Eredane" it is.

The Map

Pretty blocky; a peninsula off an arctic continent. West half is Doriath Erethor, the alfheim. As to the rest, the Kaladrun Mountains block the east, with a thin Chile-like "white desert" and the Island of Asmadar beyond that, neither of which anyone cares about.

Carving north from south, inadequately for the south, is the Sea of Pelluria. Southern Erenland is more fertile and populous; Northern Erenland is the Dorn homeland, now downtrodden and swarming with orcs. Northern Erenland blends in with the Marches, and then Izrador's base up in the Vale of Tears.

Races

• Humans can be one of three different ethnic groups. Dorn were here first, Sarcosans later; Erenlanders are a hybrid of these two.
• Two kinds of Dwarves: underground & civilized, or surface-dwelling & barbaric.
• There are four kinds of Elves: Jungle, Sea, Snow, Wood - each of which is adapted to different kinds of forest.
• Gnomes are riverboat people, and can hybridize with Dwarves to create Dwarrow.
• Halflings can be agrarian or nomadic, and can hybridize with Elves to create Elflings.
• Orcs are *big surprise* mostly soldiers of the Dark God, but are playable (and can hybridize with Dwarves to create Dworgs).

Tragic Backstory

Izrador is the morgoth of the continent and, by extension, of the planet. The other gods threw him down here and turned the key, as C.S. Lewis had them do in Out Of The Silent Planet. Izrador wants out and believes he can do that if he channels all Aryth's magic to fuel a brute force attempt. Over three iterations, Izrador has moved to conquer Eredane.

These events track closely with various sorties Morgoth did against the Noldor in The Silmarillion. Eredane's first war, in FA 5133, ended in the Battle of Three Kingdoms with a resounding victory for the Elves and the (Dorn) Men. After that, SA 230, more men came from the south: the Carcosans. The second age ended in the Battle For The Wall, the Sudden Flame in this setting: it dragged out into a stalemate, giving the Scots the Orcs the advantage as time goes on.

In this game you get to roleplay what it was like after the Unnumbered Tears. The best hope for recovery has turned traitor.

The Night Kings

Over the harsh embattled Third Age, four great heroes took charge of the war effort. Ardherin served as Queen Aradil's right hand. Jahzir Kamael, cousin to King Kali of Erenland, led the armies of Men in the north. Further south Sunalael advised the Sarcosans in the Divine ways of the Sorshef. And there's a dragon, Zardrix.

These four broke bad. Real bad. Now they're all Nazgul, to various degrees; Ardherin and Zardrix struggle against their bonds, and they all jockey amongst each other. Izrador finds it all amusing.

In TA 893, King Hedgreg fell to Izrador's horde, earning the name "The Last".

Have fun!