The Ruins of Dorgand

[Hexenritter Verlag]

The 'Ruins of Dorgand' is a mini-regional campaign setting that may or may not be fused into either my ‘World of Skârn’ or 'World of Xôðûn' settings, or simply be its own thing will be based in the 'Multiverse of Akar, in the 'World of Jal-Khôr’ that it shares with my 'Adventures in the lands of the City-State of Çôrdaš' and 'Wilds of Yăţeg' settings. It is inspired mainly by the art of the computer game 'Darkest Dungeon', that said I'll try to do my own twist on it - which will include Elves, Dwarfs & Hobbits. Like the premise of 'Darkest Dungeon' the setting is set in a old hill top ruins, that sits above a isolated frontier town and monster haunted woods. Since I've never played 'Darkest Dungeon' that premise & the art are the only influences I can gleam from it. Here is an example of the art that inspires the Ruins of Dorgand:

        

The below is an brief overview on this mini-setting:

The Ruins of Dorgand overlooks the fortified trading town of Last Hope (also called Lost Hope by its residents), that hugs a curve in a river near a fording spot upon which a bridge had been built over. A trade route passes through town & winds through the surrounding forest leading west and east to separate kingdoms that borders the Vale of Dorgand, of which the ruins were named for. The gloomy Raven Wood blankets the gentle hills that fill the Vale, it is home to porcine and goat-like beast men tribes that attack the occasional caravan that passes along the trade-way. Goblins, Trolls and various other monsters haunt the surrounding mountains, which means Dwarfs from the local Dwarf-hold Tol-Dhornen send out patrols in the region, as well as Elves from the Witch Wood to the south of the Raven Wood also patrol the region. The Hobbits of lost Greenshire that once flourished between the Raven wood & the Witch Wood, now make up half of the population of Last Hope Township. 

The men of the Vale are of diverse heritage as the old fallen Empire of Angmor covered much of the known world and brought slaves from the wide expanse of its lands into it's imperial core - where lies the Vale of Dorgand. A number of small City-States & independent kingdoms have risen from its ashes, though much of it's former holdings have devolved back into barbarism or has begun to be swallowed by the wilderness.

The Vale of Dorgand is sandwiched between the Witchhammer and Crooked Spine Mountains with the Dorgand river system winding through the center of the vale to the Grim-Mere Lake south of lost Greenshire and abutting the Witch Wood, it empties via the Lower Dorgand river which in turn flows out of the Vale into the Kingdom of Kurvôs, which has aspirations of including it into its dominion. The elves of the Witch Wood and humanoid tribes of the Vale are the only reason the King of Kurvôs hasn't pushed forward on this goal. The theocratic Merchant Kingdom of Falcarn to the west of the Witchhammer Mountains sends missionaries & caravans to Last Hope in hopes to increase its influence in the Vale, as well as the blessings of Môlvigg to it and beyond. To the east of the vast Crooked spine Mountains, of which the Witchhammer Mountains are a spur, lies the Kingdom of Varôs. 

[Hexenritter Verlag]

I'll update this regional setting as it will be the one I'll use for my PbP.

[Hexenritter Verlag]

Last Hope Township



Last Hope Township is a bastion of civilization in the midst of both the Vale of Dorgand & the great but foreboding Raven Wood that lies at its heart. Outside a few fortified villages scattered in a six mile area around the town, the bulk of the Vale is wilderness claimed by barbaric inhuman tribes and bandits or brigands. Though the elves of the Witch Wood patrol the southern reaches of the Vale they rarely interject themselves in human society outside infrequent trade. The Dwarfs of Tol-Dhornen also patrol the northern reaches of the Vale but like their elfin counterparts in the south, they rarely interact with the humans of the Vale other than when conducting trade or patrols.

Last Hope was built upon the ruins of the old trade town of River’s Edge which had been raised to the ground by marauding beast-men after the Empire of Šamadî fell during the Dragon’s Doom. A exiled son of a noble from the fledgling Kingdom of Kurvôs, who after years of adventuring decided to settle in the Vale of Dorgand with his comrades a sixty years ago. They pushed back the beastmen & cleared land for farming, and then Brenlan Ironheart (the exiled noble’s son) hired workers to begin building a stronghold overlooking the Upper Dorgand River; while his surviving comrades began building businesses to run.

Soon after Baron Brenlan married his former companion Ærissa the Witch and had a son the next year. Last Hope grew over the years to come, bringing new citizens from the three neighboring realms to create their own place in the world. Last Hope became a home to trappers, hunters, fishermen and brewers and for a time things became peaceful in the Vale.

But it could not last as the beast-men began to raid isolated settlements around the time the Baron’s son Rigar came of age. Baron Brenlan was getting old and his injures that he sustained during his adventures meant Prince Rigar had to take up more responsibility in running the Barony.

Five years later Prince Rigar married a young woman from Falcarn, Nûlka of House Galmad, a devotee of Môlvigg, the Wanderer. To please his bride Prince Rigar had a shrine constructed in the city for Môlvigg and recruited a young Vicar, named Sanrow to care for the shrine and Môlvigg’s adherents that live in the town or that pass through it. A year later Princess Nûlka gave birth to twins Falgar & Evska. After Prince Falgar came of age Baron Brenlan succumbed to his increasingly weak constitution and his mother soon followed the next year as a plague struck the community. Though his mother died and Prince Falgar barely survived himself, he chose to follow his grandfather’s footsteps and go adventuring.

The new baron, Rigar tried his best to help his people and drained much of his family’s coffers doing so; which helped engender loyalty in the citizens of Last Hope. Another five years passed and devastating news arrived in Last Hope Prince Falgar had died while on adventuring and his remains where brought back home to be interred beneath the keep. Also the Beast-men started raiding again thus forcing Baron Rigar to send out heralds seeking adventurers to help purge the Vale of Beast-Men, offering his daughter’s hand to one who brought the head of the Chieftain of the local Porcine Beast-man tribe, the Cloven Snout.

Numerous adventurers came & died over the next five years, but finally one took the head of the chieftain thus scattered the large tribe. He was named Halborn of Kurvôs, a young son of a baron of that kingdom. The wedding was a fine event but sunk Last Hope into dire financial straits. This led to the new Prince Halborn to go on adventures to help refill the coffers. Two years later Princess Evska gave birth to twins herself, Brenlan II & Nûlka. Prince Halborn returned several times over the four years filling the coffers with treasure and taking time with his family.

During this period Prince Halborn and his companions came to the aide of the Hobbits of Greenshire, escorting them to Last Hope, as goblins had burrowed up into the Hobbit community's tunnel system. Twenty five percent of the population died in the battle and from lingering wounds once they had settled into Last Hope. The Hobbits have reluctantly taken to dwelling in Last Hope and started cultivating land for farming outside the city thus making Last Hope less reliant on outside trade for food as it was before. A group of Half-Goblin families and Half-Orcs have also moved into Last hope during this period.

Baron Rigar tried to convince Prince Halborn to stay in Last Hope, but rumors of the Beast-men stirring this time up in the old Ruins of Dorgand, he allowed the prince to scout it out; but he never returned. A year later Beast-Men have begun raiding again this time they attacked Last Hope western gate. Baron Rigar and a young Cleric of Môlvigg fought a valiant last stand against the horde but ultimately fell taking the head of the war chief of the Porcine Beast-men tribe, thus allowing them to be scattered before the defenders and a fighting force sent south to seek out where the incursion of beast-men where coming north from.

Outside the west gate is a plinth marking the place where both the baron & cleric fell. Young frail Brenlann II is named heir and his mother becomes regent. Regent Evska cares for her children and does her best to keep Last Hope going, she then sends out a call for adventurers to plumb the depths of the Ruins to find her lost husband or his remains, and purge whatever remains of the Beast-men that dwell within.

[mao]

Nice!

[True Black Raven]

This is really good Hexenritter Verlag, really good!

[Hexenritter Verlag]

Thanks True Black Raven & mao.

[mormonyoyoman]

I'm withholding comment because I suddenly realized that I would soon have two alter-egos aborning in this world and didn't want to "peek behind the curtain" and lose their subjectivity and my (difficult to maintain) objectivity. To mix metaphors disgustingly, I should never watch sausage being made in which I is going to play.