Azorynia - Fantasy RPG setting

This post is mostly the pantheon and creation story.

I have spent quite a bit of time building out my “forever setting.” While not intended as a silly kitchen sink, it may be seen that way. The idea behind this setting is that I can have every fantasy game I run be set in this world. Games can be set in different eras and regions, allowing a history to be written by myself and my players.

This setting is specifically designed to mesh well with the OSR system I am making, including the rules for magic. I intend to have a zine-sized gazetteer as a stretch goal in the kickstarter. However, it should work well with any fantasy RPG that isn’t insanely high-powered.

While quite a bit of it has been fleshed out, very little of it is actually put down on paper and organized. Here is a good little chunk of what I do have organized, and I would like to share some of it with you. I eventually plan to have this world fleshed out enough to release a setting book detailing most major regions, their history, cultures, and politics.

For now, we have a simple breakdown of the pantheon, the creation of the world, a very zoomed-out timeline of the history of the world of Azorynia. My next post will likely detail some civilizations and kingdoms.

Introduction

The world of Azorynia is a fantastical world, full of magic, mysteries, and thousands of years of history. It has undergone many changes, and many catastrophes. There is much to explore, and much to learn. Magic flows through the veins of the earth, and there are many magical creatures and occurences that happen. However, the at-will command of magic has been detiorated heavily by the goddesses in recent millenia. Magic, in the sense of its manipulation and use, is incredibly difficult and dangerous. And, therefore, it is extremely rare for mortal humans and demi-humans to wield it.

The Origin of the world dates nearly twelve thousand years before the current year. Before Azorynia existed, there was much else in the universe. None of that matters, though, because we are here for Azorynia.

There is one true creator of the universe in which Azorynia exists. You may liken him to the christian God from our world. He did not, however, create Azorynia. This, and this alone, is what distinguishes that world from the mundane world with which the reader is likely familiar. This world is different, because it was not created by God, but by God’s Daughters, of which there are five. The ultimate creator’s daughters were not as wise as him. They made many mistakes, and over time learned from them.

The Goddesses, commonly referred to as "The Mothers" or “The Sisters” (or "The Daughters" depending on who you ask) by the residents of the world, created the world of Azorynia with the permission of their father.

The Five Goddesses

Kivelia, the goddess of life, is the goddess who represents the ethereal essence which all beings wish to hold onto. She is responsible for the manifestation of sentient life on Azorynia, and the methods by which people may be healed.

Phalarys is the goddess of death. Not many wish to meet her, but all trust her to carry their soul faithfully into the Next Stage. Her presence is felt among the fungi, and the memories which thrive among the dead. Undead monsters are a symptom of her existence that she reluctantly accepts as necessary to the balance of the world.

Dryona, matron of nature, is responsible for all of the plants, fungi, and many of the other things that make sustaining life on Azorynia possible. She understands that her role can often be underappreciated, but she protects what is hers fiercely.

Edrena, goddess of mind, can be indirectly credited with nearly every advancement that the people of Azorynia have ever made. She is the spark of imagination, the momentum that turns the cogs in the machine, the wall upon which good ideas stick.

Fomoira… is a different story. While all the other goddesses bring a sense of balance to the world, she represents chaos. Against her best intentions, she has always found a way to make things more extreme, more painful, more chaotic. It is generally understood that her existence is necessary to drive progress and encourage extending balance as things change. But her sisters rarely approve of it.

These 5 goddesses reign supreme over the world of Azorynia.

Goddesses Working Together

• Kivelia, phalarys, and dryona all worked closely to develop the overall cycle of life and biology as it is understood. Edrena spawned genuine consciousness into the sentient beings. Fomoira, with strict moderation from her sisters, injected chaos into the world in order to add an element of unpredictability to the world.

• When it comes to fungi, Dryona was originally the mastermind. But, Phalarys plays a significant role in the ability of fungus to thrive, for many types of fungus thrive on dying things. They had to work closely together to create fungi, and this was one of the last pieces necessary to complete the circle of life. Edrena’s powers were recruited to help create the Myconids - a species of sentient fungal beings who can communicate, ambulate, and think coherent thoughts.

• Edrena and Kivelia worked closely together to develop the primary races of the world, both civilized and uncivilized.

• Although fomoira isn’t often cited as a main collaborator, she played a massive role with all of her sisters in creating demons. She was also very clearly involved when Phalarys and Dryona created the undead together. Her influence is also spread throughout all of creation, driving the general uncertainty within which the world and its inhabitants reside.

• Phalarys and Dryona worked together to create ghosts and undead, though sometimes the workings of Fomoira have become apparent in some truly chaotic monstrous spirits.

Creation

The existence of the Goddesses has been proven indisputably, through the mere existence of magic, and a handful of legendary appearances that have been passed down through the ages.

Their father, however, has never been observed by those who inhabit Azorynia, and some even question his very existence. The only referencs to him in ancient times were from rumors that the Sisters mentioned a “father” during one of their legendary appearances. Those who choose to include him in their religion refer to him as "The Great Father." The choice of whether or not to include him has often been a point of contention throughout history.

In the greater scheme of things, The Sisters Kivelia, Phalrys, Dryona, and Edrena represent Law, or the natural order. Fomoira, however, represents pure, unbridled chaos. But Fomoira is not evil. She is simply the opposite of order. Fomoira does not often get along with her sisters.

The first creatures created were the humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, and gnomes. Of these, the humans made up the majority, spawning over much of the world. The elves originated in the great forest, the dwarves deep in the mountains of the Azorynian Ridge, the halflings along peaceful, grassy, rolling hills, and the gnomes in the cave complexes on the fringes of mountain ranges, near bountiful forests. Next came many of the other common creatures; orcs, goblins, ogres, kobolds, giants, bears, deer, lions, dogs, and cats.

In the beginning, The Sisters were not the most interventionist of deities. Eventually, they decided they should care for the world they created. Nobody knows what caused this, but some speculate that their father punished them for their lack of caring, others say that they simply came to terms with the fact that mortals could not always solve their own problems, and the challenges placed in their world were insurmountable. Their intervention started with small ethereal nudges in one direction or another, but they had little effect on the world as a whole. This eventually led to the creation of the "Ascended", godlike mortals-turned-demigod who do the goddesses bidding and help maintain order throughout Azorynia.

Geography

The geography of Azorynia is diverse, but likely unfamiliar to those who aren’t from there. The world is flat. Not completely flat, more of a slightly curved disc. You see, the Sisters understood that they were new at this “worldbuilding” thing. They didn’t want to bite off more than they could chew. So, they made a world using fundamentals from that of one of their father’s creations.

They hadn’t quite thought the entire ordeal through, and ended up with about one-tenth of a respectably sized planet. That’s fine, they decided. They could use their godly abilities to make it work. And so they did.

In Azorynia, the north is cold, and the south is hot. In the East, at least. And in the west, it is mostly hot, except in furthest parts of the north, where it can get very cold.

The Ascended

The ascended are individuals of great character, willpower, or skill, who The Sisters determined were worthy of immortality. They usually leave their mortal body behind, and their soul is carried to The Sisters, where they gain immortality. These extraordinary individuals have commonly been given a task which they dutifully undertake for the rest of time. Others roam the world looking for those who need them for their particular patronage.

The Legend of the First Ascended

Two of the most iconic Ascended are the low-born brother and sister, Armanius and Patronia, known as the "Great Liberators." They were unfortunate enough to be born in the infancy of the world of Azorynia, and are the first example of the ascended. Before the common sun and moon, day and night cycle, the sun and moon existed in a chaotic state of unpredictability. The sun would sometimes shine for days, or disappear for days. It would sometimes only come up partially, leaving the world in a prolonged twilight that could take weeks to end. The moon had similarly unpredictable habits. Crops could not be grown reliably, and creatures of the night would sometimes be able to run amuck for days on end, terrorizing peaceful villages.

The more malicious of the dragons saw this chaos and decided they could take advantage of the situation. It is important to note that dragons are not inherently evil. They are simply compulsively lawful. They crave order, and cannot stand chaos. While most are not interested in hurting others when not necessary, some will do whatever it takes to establish order. They came together to form a cabal, enslaving much of humanity, (and humanoid creatures) relishing the power and the order which they established among people who they saw as inferior.

This was actually one of the few instances where all five of the Sisters agreed on something. While Kivelia, Phalrys, Dryona, and Edrena saw the establishment of order as a good thing, Fomoira also saw the chaos lying underneath as a good thing. The lack of any law beyond that which was enforced by the dragons, resulted in a highly chaotic underbelly to humanoid society, with very little peace to be found.

Armanius and Patronia brought down the cabal of oppressive dragons by rising through the ranks of their servants and gaining their trust, often committing horrible acts in the dragons' names, just to maintain the facade of fealty. Their perseverance eventually led to the opportunity to steal a magical artifact which enabled them to bend two of the lead dragons to their will, and liberate millions of people condemned to slavery under the dragon cabal. Rich tapestries have been created depicting Armanius, on the back of a Gold Dragon, and Patronia, on a Silver dragon, raining fire on the many evil dragons that ruined the lives of generations.

This resulted in the first Ascension. In the aftermath, The Sisters came down and offered Armanius and Patronia immortality for their deeds. They proudly accepted a position of service to their world and their people, and chose to ascend. If one looks at the moon or sun through the telescope of a Wizard or Astronomer, they may be able to vaguely make out the shape of a human riding a dragon, pulling the sun or moon steadily across the sky, right on schedule.

Fomoira was the only one of the Sisters who lost in this story. Her bitterness led her to create a handful of Ascended who thrive on chaos. This spawned the opposite of dragons, demons. Fomoira is no longer on good terms with her sisters, and actively attempts to undermine them.

Timeline

0

Azorynia is created by the daughters. The first beings were dragons, inspired by the fictions of the world which their father created. Many wild animals were inserted along the way.

500

The goddesses got bored and created halflings and fairies. The vast majority of halflings dwelt in the fields and hills, while others dwelt in the mountains. The mountain dwellers eventually differentiated and became what are known as gnomes. The fairies spread throughout the world, some becoming corrupted by Fomoira and becoming creatures such as goblins, orcs, and hobgoblins.

1,200

The goddesses eventually became bored with the peaceful nature of the world, and Fomoira was allowed to make a creation. She created demons, who spread absolute havoc over the world for two millennia. The dragons were often able to keep them at bay, but this age was one of fear and chaos.

1,800

The goddesses create a world below Azorynia, to contain the demons. They are successful at subtly encouraging heroes to herd most of them in.

2,400

Again, bored and dissatisfied with the state of the world, the sisters added Elves and Dwarves to the world. Fomoira was allowed a small amount of influence, giving the races a bit of chaos, and also allowing the creation of a variety of less sophisticated creatures, including orcs and goblins.

4,500

Phalrys was eventually able to convince her sisters that giving elves eternal life may have been a mistake, as they have been breeding and filling up much of the world, and could not die except from violence. Phalrys and Fomoira worked together to create a famine, which significantly decreased the population of elves. Phalrys also was allowed to give elves Elves aging and death of disease and old age, with the exception that the change be gradual. Elf lifespans slowly dwindled to about 600 years.

To this day there are sects of elves who fervently worship Phalrys out of fear of her wrath, and those who have completely written her off as someone unworthy of worship.

6,200

This begins, in record, the experimentation of the goddesses of their perfectly balanced being. Humans began to show up in extremely small numbers, rarely more than one at a time, and with many years between occurrences. It is unknown if any of these early examples had any offspring, but many suspect it may be possible.

7,000

The goddesses, having figured their formula out, began populating the world with humans. This began slowly at first, and over the course of a thousand years, they planted seeds of the human race throughout the world.

7,800

The first Calamity. The first Ascended, Armanius and Patronia, are born shortly after.

9,200

The second Calamity

11,000 (Year Zero)

The third Calamity. The goddesses are sure they got it right this time.

832 (11,832 years after the beginning of Azorynia)

The current year.