Lore-24 Week 4
Writing a new campaign setting every day.
The following is a transcript of my fourth week of the writing challenge #Lore24. One of many posts covering my fantasy fiction writing. The images are a little hard to read and I’m self-editing as I transcribe so they’re tighter in terms of grammar and diction.
The world I’m building is centered around a continent filled with people who look like dragons, who live in a semi tribal system, and who take on a great pilgrimage as part of their religion. In tabletop role-playing game terms, I’m constructing a campaign setting. Essentially, a land in which players can drop their characters. My aim is to make this “system agnostic” so it could be played with any game systems such as D&D, Pathfinder, Old School Essentials, Forbidden Lands, etc. This idea came about around 2019 and stewed on the edges of my imagination for a long time. Some things always kept me inspired like, Studio Ghibli’s “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind”, Middle Easter culture, Final Fantasy 12, and the nature I’ve been blessed to witness.
Welcome to my campaign setting I’ve dubbed…
The Khodo Pilgrimage
Days 22-28 (1/22/24 - 1/28/24)
The Boroh'jim; The Tenets of the Khodo
Borothin was said to have given sermons on his wishes for all Khodo to live harmoniously.
1. Live with and for each other.
2. Visitors require dignity.
3. Strike only in defense.
4. All are welcome to join the tribe.
5. Honor your ilkhodaji.
6. Grow more than what you need.
7. Celebrate in the ancestral City with all.
The Isle of Yoss. Named after the first Khodo living to tell the tale of traversing the dangerous seas and mapping the island. The southern island serves as a bulwark against the stormy seas. It is a Haven for growing citrus style fruit and it's black sand shores. A small volcano lives on the island and erupts every couple centuries. It's rumored of the elemental dragons roosts deep in its bowels. The Khodo here are quick and knowledgeable of the seas as most are fishers and craftsmen. A warrior of light named Fayne hailed from the island once. Her weapon was a trident that moved as water to strike her opponent. Her piece of scale was fashioned into boots which propelled Fame through water like a fish. The main settlement of Yoss is Hileii. Fayne was 31 when Borothin ascended.
Banu of the forest. The most enigmatic of the five Warriors Pangom is a man of few words. He is large and imposing. his weapon from Borothin's claw and scale are a broad ax and gauntlets. The axe never dulls and his strength never wains. He hails from Banu, a large community of Khodo who steward and harvest the forest. The woods produced in this region are colloquially known as Ironwood for its incredible toughness. The important places in Falezir are made from ironwood and the Khodo from Banu, who provide the lumber, are almost the only ones who can build with it. Honed in the cold of the North, the Banui train their bodies to resist cold by harvesting with less and less clothing as they become accustomed to the cold. Banu is a little difficult to find, but one only needs to find a Khodo from this region and earn their trust to be shown the way. Pangom was 45 when Borothin ascended.
The Holy City of Yorseth in the Roanji region. Now the seat of power for Falezir, it was once a simple farming village. The region is nestled between two ranges that produce a wetlands and fjords rich in grasslands. Cattle and some crops like rice are staples here. As time went on the village Roan became a Crossroads for travelers merchants and mercenaries. The Village grew quickly and became the default hub for power in the region. During the dark Century the city became a center for the Borothinians to gather strength. Yorseth a humble herder slowly put together a group of people who wished to help end the tyranny of the nocturnal tribes. A Century of dusk had taken its toll on the people and the land. Yorseth was the most pious of the group and it was her prayers Borothin answered. She led the group through the dangerous Schism on faith and the group skills. When Borothin landed from his last flight it was to visit her Homeland. Her leadership and wisdom helped and the war and the city Roan was renamed in her honor. Her bow never ran out of arrows and a scale cloak helped conceal her from Evil. Yorseth was 23 when Borothin ascended.
The Grand Citadel and the Cassis region. Situated at the South of the region of cassus is an enormous structure carved and built upon the stony cliff. the two rivers Igris and Epheltem flow from the Ankhin mountains and meet inland to create a large delta of cliffs and Hills that give way to plains. The bay it creates flows out to sea and serves as a safe port for trade. It was carved after the Dark Century by the powerful magi Khodo Gaiuss. As a warrior of light he crafted a large staff and a diadem from the claw scale provided by Borothin. The staff draws upon raw energy of light to produce great beams of power that can even melt Stone. The diadem affords the wearer mind expanding Powers. Gaiuss became a master of all he set his mind to as the diadem sped up his mind to such an extent that he would experience several years of thought in several months. Before his passing he developed many important technologies the Khodo people use to make their lives easier. These include wind powered water pumps, solar tiles that retain the light of day through the night, and levitation runes to help the Caravans of goods travel faster than on wheels. Gaiuss was 60 when Borothin ascended.
The high plains of Druir. South of Banu and East of Cassis lies a great grassy plains that delve into beaches and coves. Druir is home to Khodo who use the high plains as their nomadic home. Wild animal trapping, fishing and survival craftwork are the main skills here. Given the tenants of the Boroh'jim, those living here have taken to producing highly trained horses livestock and the growing of seasonal crops for the entire continent. The Khodo here are very knowledgeable on topics like weather, animal husbandry and trapping. Yamil was an incredibly talented leader from the Druir region who traveled all the way to Roan to seek aid from other Borothinians. His horse Sanji was tireless and served him well. Sanji's speed is legendary to this day. Yamil fashioned his pieces from Borothin's claw into a scimitar that always flew gracefully and returned if thrown. His piece of scale was fashioned into parts of a masterwork saddle for Sanji which allowed the Steed to run freely as if unencumbered. Yamil was 26 when Borothin ascended.
The nocturnal tribes. When the relative peace between the dragons was broken, there were some Khodo who thrived in the dark and twilight. These were mostly Marothinian Khodo who thrived in the nocturnal hours and a unique ancestry of Beast folk. When Mother Khodo hatched the first ilkhodaji there were some who awakened in the night these would serve as hunters, miners, watchers and foragers of the darkness. Their unique ties to the dangerous animals of the night led them to domesticate many of these animals who gained a base level and of intelligence. These nocturnal tribes would grow and live roaming the countryside and sometimes pillaging farms or villages. While their nature is not evil, their predatory actions, unchecked by the marathonians, led to the nocturnal tribes being seen as evil by the majority of Borothinians. All manner of nocturnal animals such as tigers bears wolves and bats were labeled with the name "Waru" to denote their domestication. A great Waru- bear named Fang was a ruthless hunter in the Dark Century and only met his match when the Warriors of light confronted him directly.
I’ll continue updating these and sharing more about The Khodo Pilgrimage with you all. I’m working on putting these together into a single book or ‘zine for publication as a system-agnostic setting. Please look forward to reading more as I transcribe them and do not forget to be on the lookout for the free monthly posts as well.