by Agrippa » Sun Feb 22, 2015 7:32 am
I'm going to make special folder for my campaign setting and file my setting work there. As for my Burrwood setting the world is more advanced than most, but that doesn't mean there aren't ancient treasures and relics waiting to be found. That's the self styled scavenger lords are for, digging up relics of the past. Now you might say "Aren't some of these ancient artifacts magical? If so why hasn't that ancient culture advanced much farther than it had?" It's very simple, Hero of Alexandria invented the steam engine, wind wheel and other highly advanced mechanical devices. However his steam engine prototype wasn't strong enough be used for practical applications, which no one wanted because they had slaves to do hard labor. The ancients were just too lazy or ill equipped to industrialize magic, which doesn't this age from trying.
While the Burrwood setting is mostly focused on the mortal inhabitants of the world I do feel the need to explain the nature of the gods a little bit. In the setting I'm trying to build gods are basically humans writ large, with all of humanity's virtues and vices. They're fallible and can even die. In fact the mighty rulers of the heavens aren't typical of godhood, the same way mighty heroes are atypical of mankind and other mortal races. Most gods aren't on par with the Olympians or the main pantheons of real world myth. Think more along the lines of nymphs or guardian spirits than heavenly rulers. In addition fairies and demons are the respective earthly and infernal answers to the gods. Gods tend towards light and Law, demons to darkness and Chaos and fairies are of roughly equal mix of light, dark and twilight (both light and dark) as well as Law, Neutrality and Chaos.