Dremida

'''A massive overhaul is hitting this page. Things being changed or expanded upon: Lore, the map, races and subraces'''

'''and much more. There is also a side project going on regarding Dremida.'''

Dremida is the main setting for One Shots, Quests, and Campaigns that are run by Jared. It is his world, and he made it. Any Quest, One Shot, or Campaign that happens in Dremida is 100% canon, and dynamically affects the world.

Politics
The world of Dremida is divided up into several major political powers who each have their own agendas, strengths, and weaknesses. Some may be friendlier than others, some may be outright hostile, but they all serve an important part in the grand scheme of the world.

The New Order
The New Order is a governmental power in the West. It is one of the most antagonistic powers on Dremida. None trust it, and the people who have had audience with its leader, Highlord Torum Crowley, have stated that they have never met a man who's manner was more Draconian.

Adventures
 * Future of Fire (D&Dvil Campaign)

The Ulagar Kingdom (Dead Power)
To the north of the New Order land sat the territory of the Ulagar Kingdom. It was a militaristic nation ruled by an aggressive Warlord who calls himself the God King. The God King Ulagar and his family had been the despotic ruler of the orcish kingdom since its creation near the end of the Age of Repair. Hostile to an extreme degree, they undertook a war that went on for decades with the Divine Protectorate before the Ulagar Kingdom was destroyed in a short, lasting at most only two days, but brutal revolution. In the ashes, a new nation has formed, the Orcish Tribal Confederacy.

The Orcish Tribal Confederacy
The lands that were once led by the tyrant God King Ulagar are now known as the Orcish Tribal Confederacy, a loosely held together alliance of the major and minor clans and tribes of what has come to be known as the Orclands. Though they have their Confederate Council, led by the representatives of each clan and tribe, each of the Tribe-Lands have their own laws and customs that differ from each other.

Adventures
 * Demigod OS Part Two, Electric Boogaloo

Council's Republic (Dead Power)
The Council's Republic was one of the more peaceful groups in Dremida. They were ruled over by a council of the major influential towns and cities, as well as the Lord Bale. The Lord Bale, in times of the founding, offered protection and magical assistance in return for law breakers and prisoners. They were allies with all except the Ulagars. The Council had a hatred towards the new Banite Nation due to its aquisition of land that used to belong to the Republic.

Due to the events of the Demigod OS, the Council's Republic is no more. The overwhelming destruction of both the land and population of the Council's Republic has caused the nation to collapse and dissolve.

Adventures
 * Collector Quest
 * Demigod OS

Porthold
The name of the land that was once the Council's Republic. Laws are different in this land, as no Dremidan government has any power there. Porthold is a dangerous land, built around the door that opened up to the Outer Realm. Due to that, there have been many adverse and almost maddening affects on the people and the earth itself. Frightening creatures of hellish origins spawn from it seems nowhere, and there is a constant call of people needing protection. There are only a few types of people crazy enough to live within Porthold: Adventures
 * Researchers doing study on the mysterious flora and fauna that make Porthold their home. They also intend to research the properties of the Gate, which is made of a strange material that none have encountered before.
 * Warriors of all kinds, seeking to prove that they have the strength to survive. Any mercenary that has said that they have done their time in Porthold are paid much more than the average sword for hire.
 * Merchants and treasure hunters wishing to make a profit on the catastrophe caused by the Gate. When the land changed, mountains rose and lakes formed, but there were also fortresses and dungeons that phased into existence. No one knows their true origin, but people who have returned alive tell of great treasures and magics hidden within.
 * Aftermath series

Glorious Kingdom of God
Another major power of the civilized world is the Glorious Kingdom of God, shortened to the "GK of God," given that it is technically illegal to not say the full name. The Glorious Kingdom of God is a theocratic kingdom under the rule of the seemingly immortal Lord King on High Afonos Goldwyn the Tenth. He has been ruling since the beginning of the kingdom over 2000 years ago, and though there are a few who distrust their immortal ruler, he is still quite popular within his borders. It is a good place, as long as you hold true to the Mandate: a group of holy laws given to the Lord King on High by Sol Solus himself.

Adventures
 * Forbidden Ceremony (D&Do-gooders)

The Remnant Dominion
To the east sits the civilization known as the Remnant Dominion, usually just shortened to "the Dominion." This is a kingdom led by five metallic dragon descendants. They, like the land which they rule over, are all that is left of the old Elvish Empire, which was called the Elvish Dominion, hence the "Remnant" in the name.

Kingdom of Aaron
In the very center of the western continent stands the Kingdom of Aaron, led by the fair King Aaron. The Kingdom of Aaron is one of the less violent and hostile factions, but that does not make anyone else less uneasy about it. The King's Army is one of the most deadly fighting forces in the civilized world. Their political system is divided in two; the King leads the military side of the Kingdom, as well as having final say in anything political (though he usually keeps to himself), and a "majority rules" democracy does everything political. Because of their geographic situation, they are very suspicious of any activity from their neighbors.

Republic of John
The second smallest of the factions, the Rep. of John is also the most peaceful. They are also the weakest, having a very small army, and rely on the protection from their allied neighbors the Glorious Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Aaron. They have many Arcane Academies, where people wishing to learn more of magic can go and study under the great wizards. The nation is named after its founder, a common man named John Plowman.

Due to the actions of the Banite Nation, namely the presence of Inquisitors within their borders, the Republic has denounced the Banite Nation, which has led to tense relations. It seems to be the calm before the storm of a war.
 * The Divine Protectorate is the name of the alliance between the Glorious Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Aaron, and the Republic of John.

Adventures
 * Mysterious Murders QS

The Independent Order of Wizards
Arguably the most powerful of the factions of Dremida, the IO is situated on an island across the Whispering Waters. It is forbidden to travel there unless one were to have an explicit invitation from one of the High Wizards, and the waters have been known to swallow those who have not been invited with almost no explanation. The fabled Eclipse Castle is located there, and the great tower is said to be where the High Wizards are able to conjure up cataclysmic spells and incantations. Though they are in possession of this great power, they do not care for wars and politics. They have no allies, nor do they have enemies. All they care about is to understand the world around them.

Banite Nation
The newest political power to show its face on Dremida, the Banite Nation is the recent neighbor of the New Order. Their capital city is Grotto, what used to be a small gambling town that had been taken over by the Church of Bane. They might not be the most aggressive, choosing to resort to their small but deadly army only when necessary, but they are the undoubtedly the most ambitious. Though not at war with any faction yet, it is certain that before the decade ends, there will be war. Due to certain political alliances, and a lot of political intrigue including assassination and coercion, they now have land that once belonged to to the Council's Republic.

Due to their actions in the Republic of John, the two nations are at the brink of war. Though others are pressing for them to come to peaceful agreements, the two leaders of the factions do not seem to be willing to compromise.

Adventures
 * Future of Fire (D&Dvil Campaign)

Inhabitants
Dremida is very diverse, and the people share the lands with many different races, each with their own cultures and backgrounds. Though there are an outstanding number of races in the actual world, the short list here is mostly for Player Character races and their significance in the society.

Common Races

 * Humans - The most dominant and widespread race, they are by far one of the most ambitious and political of the bunch, and so have great significance in Dremida. Almost every major nation is headed by a human. They are a young race, only having been around, documented at least, for the past several thousand or so years.
 * Elves - The elves hail from the lands to the east, mostly the Dominion. They are one of the first races to have sprung up on Dremida, and used to be the second most dominant race, with a very large empire that encompassed the entire eastern continent, up until the War of Dominance which completely destroyed the Elvish and Dwarven civilizations and drove the Dwarves to migrate back to their subterranean mines.
 * Half-Elves - What happens when an Elf and a Human make a child, which is actually more common than one would think. There are several places in the world that openly discriminate against Half-Elves, and even more that do so in private.
 * Half-Orcs - When an orc, for one reason or another, decides to have a child with another race, it produces a very strong and dangerous offspring. How the new child acts is usually relative to what clan the orc that sired it belonged to. The most prominent of the clans are the Axe-Scorn, the Brand-Heart, the Shatter-Skull, and the Brittle-Spine. Each of these clans have their own cultures and ways of doing things that the offspring will inherit. Each of these clans originate from the land that is now the Ulagar Kingdom. Like with Half-Elves, they are openly discriminated against.
 * Dwarves - The Dwarves of Dremida used to dominate nearly the entire globe, as well as everything beneath it. They carved out huge kingdoms that eventually came to become the Platinum Empire. They were nearly unmatched as the global superpower, were it not for the existence of the Elves and their empire to the east. Their constant clashing would eventually lead to the War of Dominance, the rapid decline of both of the races, the advancement of the humans, and their migration underground, known as the "Exodus". Because of this Exodus, Dwarves are normally a rare sight. People normally hear of Dwarves through stories, only seeing them in ancient arts and possibly the occasional adventurer. Currently they reside underground, living in the mining shafts that they had once dug up, and creating a large subterranean kingdom. They still harbor a resentment towards Elves to this day, even having several guerrilla warfare type groups who terrorize the Elves of the Domain and the Council's Republic, though their actions are condemned by the Dwarf Lords.
 * Gnomes - Gnomes were once slaves to the Dwarves, and seized their freedom when the Platinum Empire fell. They assisted in building up human society, and have since had close relations with them. Because of their background, the Gnomish people have great disdain for the Dwarves and great respect for the Elves.
 * Halflings - Halflings have always been in the background of history, never making any large empires, but never waging any large wars. They have existed for as long as the Dwarves and Elves, but did not have the same kind of ambition. They did what they could to survive when competing with their more powerful neighbors, learning tricks that would contribute to their well-being. This earned them the stereotype of being thieves and vagabonds, though this is more often than not correct.

Other Races

 * The Ancients - The Ancients were a powerful group of people that lived alongside the dwarves and the elves, though they were older than the both of them. None really know what they looked like, because the Divine Compact worked towards the destruction of the Ancient Race as well as their gods. Their physical description has been lost to time, though it is rumored that their once great imperial capital lay under the sands of the Motsham Desert. Whatever the truth may be, history tells that their power was so great that it made even the gods worry.

The Orcish Clans (more need to be added, and these need to be changed)
As was said earlier, there are several major clans of orcs in the land of Dremida. Each one is quite different. Though they now have been placed under the banner of the Ulagar Kingdom, they once held separate territories. The name of the Ulagar tribe, before they were known as such, has been lost to history.
 * Axe-Scorn - If there were a list of the most dangerous clans, the Axe-Scorn would rank as the first. They are vicious and violent, love to fight, and are battle-mongering monsters. Before the founding of the Ulagar Kingdom, the Axe-Scorn were ruled by a warlord and were constantly at battle with the other clans as well as the other races. Now that the Kingdom has been formed, the Axe-Scorn are forced to live alongside the other clans in relative peace, although there are still cases of violence in the Axe-Scorn territory.
 * Brand-Heart - Going back to the list of most dangerous clans, this one would probably fall at the bottom. They lack the love of war and slaughter that the Axe-Scorn have and do not despise and wish for the genocide of all non-orcs like the Shatter-Skull. The Brand-Heart clan wish to create the strongest orc possible. They wish for power, but go about doing it in a different manner than the other clans. Brand-Hearts are educated, reading and studying books from other cultures in order to take the stronger parts of other cultures and incorporating it into their own. Though the Brand-Hearts are looked down upon by the other clans for a lack of orcish superiority, in reality, they dream of a world where the ultimate orc race that they created reigns supreme.
 * Shatter-Skull - If the Shatter-Skull had as much self control and restraint that the Axe-Scorn did, they would certainly rank as the most dangerous clan. The Shatter-Skull wishes for orcish domination, as well as for the genocide of every other non-orcish race. If the Shatter-Skull had their way, the entire world would be as it was for the orcs before the Ulagar Kingdom: orcs fighting other orcs for eternity.
 * Brittle-Spine - The most neutral of the clans, the Brittle-Spine do not care for domination or genocide. In fact, they do not want any part in that. They love the other races, because to the Brittle-Spine, if the other races were gone, they would be unable to prove how much stronger they are. The Brittle-Spine often sells out their services as bodyguards, mercenaries, and other jobs involving muscle for hire. They are quite good at it, and they are often searched after by important nobles willing to put up with orcs.

Major Religions
Dremida has many gods and many pantheons. However, over time, the worship of local gods has become less popular as many people flock to the masses of more organized religion, and in some cases has actually been banned. Religion plays a large role in the goings on of Dremida; nations have banned certain worship and enforces others, while some have a statute of religious tolerance and freedom. There are four major pantheons in the world of Dremida.

The Prime Gods
The Prime Gods are the Overgods of the world of Dremida. There are only two, Zoris and Destun. The two are gods of Life and Death respectively, though they are different than the other gods who hold the titles of "Gods of Life / Death." Zoris is the ultimate goddess of life and all that is good, while Destun is the ultimate god of death and all that is evil. Destun is also known as the Deceiver, the Dread Lord, and the Corrupter. During the Primal Age, they created the other gods in their ongoing battle with one another. They are ultimately uncaring about anything that happens on the planes of existence. Zoris cares only that people live, and Destun only wants to interfere and ruin Zoris' plans. Existence is only a game to these two powerful beings, and they have no worshipers, except for the occasional puppet of Destun. Though they officially do not have any churches, and do not give spells to clerics (if they did choose to worship them), scholars have found that there have been times in history wherever individuals of great good or great evil gain immense power. Though they always end up disappearing.

There are some who argue the existence of a third Overgod, a deity named Keidwal. He is the god of ultimate end, and does not care about the battles of Zoris and Destun.

Human Pantheon
The Human gods were the last ones created by Zoris. The ruler god of this pantheon is known as Sol Solus, known colloquially as "God." In their pantheon, there is only one God, but "Patrons" that one prays to for specific things. Clerics always revere God, but usually have devoted their lives to serving a particular Patron. The Patrons have godlike abilities, and should always be respected as such. As was the pattern of the ages, one of the deities were corrupted by Destun. Corux became the enemy god of the humans.

Dwarven Pantheon
The dwarven gods were the third group of gods created by Zoris, along with the elven gods. They, after tipping the scale in Zoris' favor by creating the dwarves, were corrupted by the influence of Destun into hating the elves, which in turn started the Wars of Dominance. The Dwarven Gods function similarly to the politics of a Kingdom, with the other gods giving their advice to the king, in this case Emperor Malkus.

Elven Pantheon
The elvish gods were the third group of gods created by Zoris, along with the dwarven gods. They, after tipping the scale in Zoris' favor by creating the elves, were corrupted by the influence of Destun into hating the dwarves, which in turn started the Wars of Dominance. The Elven Gods belong to a celestial "High Court," where they convene to speak to one another about the politics of the godly world. Destun corrupted the Court favorite, Aifelya, by making her create the drow.

Ancient Pantheon
The second group of gods created by Zoris, they were made to combat and take the place of the corrupted group of gods that formed the Monstrous Pantheon. The Ancients were the most powerful gods Zoris created, and when they were inevitably corrupted by Destun, they began to cause more trouble than the ones that the monsters worshiped. This caused Zoris to create the Dwarven, Elven, and lastly Human pantheons, and eventually led them to form the Divine Compact, and limit the power of the Ancients. Regardless of their corruption, there were still large groups of mortals who flocked to them.
 * Beschil - Once the greatest god of the pantheon, Beschil was the god of nature and civilization. His image was a mixture of all races and animals, and all ancient people gave homage to him when they ventured into the woods, as well as when they arrived home.
 * Sacrus - The powerful god of all secrets and all truth. His cult was once a very powerful group of followers devoted to finding the truth in all things, then hoarding them as secrets. Now, his cult is a dangerous group of people devoted to the same thing, but also the destruction of the people that helped destroy their faith.
 * Lo - Goddess of the sun and moon, as well as day and night. The ancient people believed that the sun and moon were the different faces of Lo, and that her personality changed with them. They revered her for most things, and she was very popular. She changed the night into day and day into night. Unlike most of the other Ancient Gods, she did not have a powerful, dangerous cult. Her cult was a mostly peaceful one, and peacefully stopped (publicly) worshiping her.
 * Selene
 * Neris - She was known as the "Bloody Goddess" during the time of the Ancients. Before they went to war, they would sacrifice a good many people, either prisoners of war or volunteers, to Neris so that they would gain her strength. She is the goddess of war, blood, violence, honor, and peace.
 * Barrick - Barrick was the god of life and death. When one was born, there would be praises to Barrick for bringing life. When one died, there would also be praises to Barrick for taking it. He was shown with a divided figure, half was a normal looking man, while the other half was a skeletal figure.
 * Lyria - Goddess of both music and silence, she was a popular patron goddess to both bards and assassins.
 * Furon - God of retribution, vengeance, strength, forgiveness, and compassion. He was among the most powerful of his companions, with his cult comprised of legions of ruthless warriors. His figure was a hulking Ancient with a lion's head. He wore no armor, and actually battled with no clothing on at all, as did his cult.


 * Ghanishan - God of discord, trickery, chaos, mockery, etc.; the only ancient god free of a dualistic nature; usually chooses to appear to mortals as a gnomish man with a large silly hat with a huge purple feather
 * Vi
 * Kehldo - God of fog and mist. Kehldo makes people lose their way, but always helps them where they need to go, and is often called the Shepherd of the Lost.
 * Zhantol - God of plague, vermin, and sickness. Due to the dualistic nature of the Ancients, Zhantol is also the god of healing. However, the way the Zhantolites believe they should heal in the name of their god is by letting the sickness take its course, also believing that to be taken by sickness is a great honor.

Monstrous Gods (also needs to be changed)
The monsters and deviants of the world of Dremida have their own gods and goddesses to call upon in their time of need, and who they believe guide them and give them purpose. All of these gods are as monstrous and evil as the creatures that worship them, and perhaps even more so. Though some monstrous beings choose to worship those of the Ancient pantheon, there are still some very notable beings that they call deities. As a pantheon, they were the first created by Zoris.
 * Ygsra the Bloody - a monstrous god of blood and war. He is mostly revered by orcs, giants, and goblinoid creatures. He is depicted as a large, orcish man in full, wicked looking battle armor, with a third arm protruding from the middle of his chest.
 * Lorgak
 * Mounesh - The monstrous god of the afterlife. Perhaps one of the most tame gods on the list, Mounesh is the shepherd of souls, and takes them to their respected afterlife. The worship of Mounesh is not that prevalent, given that peaceful death is not something that the monsters of Dremida care for all that much.
 * Beldah - monstrous god of maternity. Revered by, mostly, orcs, Beldah is the one whom they prayed to and sacrificed to in order for mothers and fathers to make sure their sons and daughters would be strong and capable warriors.
 * Malygygg - monstrous god of domination, subjugation, and hidden tyranny. He is mostly portrayed as a robed figure with a horrible bladed whip under the folds of his cloak, and his face is obscured by his hood. The goblinoid races of Dremida hold him as their overgod, and prior to the founding of the Ulagar Kingdom, and thus prior to the God-King, the orcs held him as second in command of their religious hierarchy.

Independent Gods
The following gods do not have any affiliation with any one race, and are completely independent of any pantheons. Their agendas do not comply with any of those stated above, and because of this they are not fully trusted by the other deities. Dremida shares the mythos and pantheon of the Forgotten Realms series. The ones most prevalent in the world, as of now, are Bane, Myrkul, Pelor, Torm, Bahamut, and Tiamat.

Calendar
The Dremidan Calendar, also known as the "Common Calendar," is the most widespread and accepted calendar. While some cultures may use different calendars (for example, the Dwarves still use their Imperial Calendar, with thirteen months corresponding to a significant metal), but the Common Calendar is named so for a reason.

There are 351 days in the Common Calendar, split into seven different months. Each month has five weeks with ten days in each week. The Dwarven Imperial Calendar has thirteen months, each corresponding to a significant metal. Each of these months has three weeks of nine days, with a total of 27 days per month. The last day of the Common Calendar is known as the Day of Two Moons, and is held across all cultures as a day of some sort of festival.
 * The Current Year is: 1482 AH in the CC; 2512 E in the DIC

Festivals

 * 47, Month of Sun : This is the day of the Door Catastrophe. An incredible number of people died in that moment, and half of the day is devoted to mourning their passing. The other half of the day is a day of celebration, giving thanks to the gods that protected them (the party of the Demigod OS).
 * Festival of Two Moons : This is a universal holiday, celebrated by all races and religions. Each culture interprets it in a different way, and it is held the day after 50, Month of Passing. Once the Festival of Two Moons is over, the new year begins, making it 1, Month of Birth.
 * Festival of Peace : Within the Divine Protectorate (the lands of the Glorious Kingdom, Kingdom of Aaron, and Republic of John), the Festival of Peace celebrates the victory over the Ulagar Horde in the Ulagar-Protectorate War and the signing of the OTC-Protectorate Peace Treaty. This treaty both ended the war and officially recognized the dissolution of the Ulagar Kingdom into the Orcish Tribal Confederation. In the larger cities, parades are held for all to attend, and places big and small have festivals where games, food, and good nature are found.

The Ages of Dremida
The timeline of this world is divided into "Ages," each age having defining moments that impacted history in a grand way.

Age of Darkness (AD)
Nothing is known of this age, but scholars speculate that the world came from the Void by the Overgods at the end of the Age of Darkness. It is theorized that creatures of horrible, chaos (named the "Unknowable") ruled during this age. But it is all speculation.

Primal Age (PA)
The Primal Age is the name given to the theorized length of time in which the Overgods fought with one another, creating the cosmos and the planes, bringing order from the Unknowable.

Age of the Ancients (AA)
This is the time in which the Ancients ruled. Because of interference of religious fanatics (as well as a good amount of moderates), almost all mention of Ancient culture, especially their gods and politics, has been erased from history. It is assumed by the few scholars who dare to research the Age of the Ancients that the people of this age made huge strives in mastering the arcane, as well as the mundane realms of mathematics and architecture.

Age of Contention (AC) / Age of Two Thrones (ATT)
During this age, the dwarves and the elves ruled the land. The gnomish people were enslaved by the dwarves. Humans existed, but had very little power. At worst, they were slaves. And at best, they were servants for either dwarves or elves. However, there are records of a few communities that were scattered around. The Orcish clans in the Highlands become prominent, and there is constant war between the major clans.

The Great War
Around 844 AC/ATT, the Dwarvish and Elvish Empires had a series of devastating wars. It ravages most of the known world, and ends with the destruction of both empires. During the Great War, the gnomes start a slave rebellion in the Platinum Empire and gain their independence. Humans by now have their own established communities and towns. Larger communities fight in the war, as well as assisting the gnomes in their rebellion. This saw the end of both empires.

The Exodus
At the end of the war in 859 AC/ATT (or 1 E, according to the Dwarven Calendar), the dwarves travel underground, retreating from the destruction of the war that they caused. They cut off all communication with the rest of the world. They create the Underkingdom, with their capital of Kurzul-Dul.

Age of Repair (AR) / Age of Unification (AU)
Humans, gnomes, and the remnants of the Elvish Dominion attempt to fix the world that was ravaged by the Great War. The Orcish clans begin to be taken over by the Ulagar clan, led by the extremely powerful Warchief Ulagar. Humanity begins to become the dominant power, with the communities that were either more or less not damaged or not debilitating coming together (mostly through warfare) to form kingdoms.

Age of Humanity (AH)
Humans are, without any shadow of a doubt, the dominant power of Dremida, having kingdoms and states scattered all over the map. The Underkingdom has become well established underground and open up relations, though very limited, with the surface races. Elves have a small kingdom to the east at the seat of their old empire. Gnomes coexist peacefully within human kingdoms. The Ulagar clan has dominated all other Orcish clans, unifying them and creating the Ulagar Kingdom, a feat that has never been accomplished before.

The Ascension of Bane (AB)
Some time in the future of this setting, the God of Tyranny himself becomes the dominant spiritual power, defeating his divine enemies by way of destruction, subjugation, or imprisonment. Following this "Ascension" of Bane to the status of dominant god of the Material, his followers then conquered most of the known world.
 * This setting is only reality in one timeline, and that divergence has already occurred in-game. Therefore, it is understood that this setting is not canonical in any situation except when dealing with the 2000 AB game setting. 

2000 AB
2000 years after these blood filled conflicts and wars, Bane reigns supreme, with none to challenge him. In this dystopic future, meant for use in the Cyberpunk Adventures, the world is full of mega-corporations, neon lights, cybernetic augmentations, oppression, and fighting against the powers that be.