A brief history/description of the Enchanted World

This probably should have been my first post but I am still new to blogging and planning in advance is not really something I have applying to my blog writing.  If you have read any of my past posts, you know that Enchanted Kingdoms is going to be a tabletop rpg. It is intended to be a light hearted rpg that blends concepts from our world’s folklore and fairytales. It will be a manual that includes the rules to play the game, as well as detailed information about the world in which the game is set, or the campaign setting.

The Enchanted Kingdoms, also called the Enchanted World, is the “prime” or “mortal” realm. As I have previously mentioned there are the fae and shadow realms; which are reflections of the Enchanted World.

The Enchanted World and its Reflections each have a “resonant element” or material they are connected to.  The Enchanted World’s is metal, the Duskfalls’ is crystal, and the Brightwylds’ is wood.  This is important to the history of the world as it facilitated the return of magic roughly 200 years ago.

History states that roughly 500 years ago at the height of what scholars call the “Golden Age” there came a point where magic began to inexplicably ebb from the world. There are many theories, and heated discussions, recorded over the ages but no one is sure what caused this condition. Regardless of the cause, its effects were widespread and catastrophic. Over time the connections with the reflections weakened, eventually causing each realm to become almost completely separate.  These dark times saw humanity begin to doubt the wonder and splendor of magic. Their joyous stories, songs, and games all but disappeared from memory as they adjusted to this harsh new era. It is said that even color began to bleed from the world.  Leading to the years spent without magic to be known as the "Colorless Age." Over the course of many years the magic faded from the Enchanted Kingdoms to the point that it was only found in very old and very powerful locations.  One such location was the “Traveler’s Well.” This unassuming well was actually the original wishing well and is a location that fully exists in all three worlds at once. As a result it had been collecting and storing the unspent wish magic for over two centuries.

When three young orphans found the well, they unknowingly responded to its magic and were drawn to it. Their innocence and faith filled the well near to the brim as they thought and dreamed about what wishes they would make if only they had the coins.  Then one day the only one of the caretakers at the orphanage who truly loved them fell ill.  They scrounged and worked in an attempt to gather coins to make wishes on her behalf. In the end they were only able to earn one coin, but chose to instead to include two of their prized possessions, a small wooden horse and a crystal pendant. The three children shared one pure wish and the elements of the 3 worlds reignited the connection to magic. Their request was granted, and what’s more, magic slowly magic began to return. Whatever damage had been bleeding the magic from the land healed. In the 200 years following this resurgence people have rediscovered lost kingdoms and civilizations.  They have found the power inherent to their lineages and have worked to rebuild the world.

Dangerous monsters returned with the magic as well, clawing their way out of the reforming portals to the reflections and awakening from hibernation. This would prove to be a double edged sword. It has helped unite the peoples of the world against a common foe, or rather a common danger.  Humanity currently no longer fights and harms itself on the scale that it had. The monsters more than make up for it, however, and there is no guarantee war will not return someday.

Luckily this also meant the return of more beneficial mystical creatures. Griffons, pegasi, pixies, and many others returned to the land.  For better and worse many varieties of dragons have returned. There are the large and intelligent wyrms, as well as numerous more bestial breeds.  The Dagur-Spine mountains contain a people who have rekindled their history of living and working with the smaller animalistic dragons. Meanwhile the great Wyrms have returned to their ways of hoarding treasure and shaping the world around them in whatever way currently holds their interest.

While a lot of the underlying inspiration for the world will come from our own, I am intending for this world to have its own geography, separate from ours. Some the places I will mention will be staples of the setting. However others can be included or removed at the player’s and GM’s discretion. As a result I am still trying to decide how much of the world(s) I want to cement by creating maps, and how much to leave vague for others to define.

There are a number of kingdoms, ruins, landmarks, and dangerous locations.

• Sevrin the clockwork kingdom
• The frigid lands of Elura
• The Azma Haidar the lionhearted Kingdom which stretches across arid plains
• Nudara: the kingdom at the heart of the Sagrahn Desert
• Oceantis the aquatic kingdom of the Merfolk
• The Fractured lands crowned by the crystal cities of the Geodite people
• The Spectrolite Mountains, an area brimming with ore, gems, and an ancient secret
• Ha'e óma'é, the uncharted lands Wind painters
• The Faergwynne Ruins found at the heart of the expanding threat known as the Dark Forest
• Hidden villages chiseled from the rock of the Dagurspine archipelago
• The Aurelian ruins, all remains of the capital city of Rosalia
• Solianthess the sunflower kingdom
• The Hawk’s Inn trade complex.
• Ardall the Kingdom on the cliffs
• The storm soaked Keipérahu islands
• Ezmyer a rainforest which plays home to a new kingdom of fairies
• Travelers Well, The fabled Wishing Well
• The pits of Verre Tesson, all that remains of  a forgotten kingdom
• Countless miles of farmlands
• Doradahsz the fabled City of gold
• Zartanian jungle
• Sheng dian shan, commonly referred to as the Kingdom of the Lotus
• The isles of Toyama Araiso
• Locrous, The “land of creatures of unusual size"
• And more waiting to be discovered

So that should give a better glimpse into some of the geography and lore of the Enchanted Lands. On a related note, I am still not 100% happy with the name Duskfall(s.) I am thinking of updating it to Duskshire or Duskvald.  If you have a better idea for a name that would fit the shadowlands I would love to hear it.