We've posted up a fairly extensive list of changes we are making to the traditional Forgotten Realms setting. I'll post them here, in case any are interested.
The Border Kingdoms is based in Faerun, and uses the “Forgotten Realms†campaign setting. However, in this module, we have modified the setting to better fit our vision. While we understand that some may be initially off-put by this, we are confident that our stylistic changes will be highly immersive and enjoyable. There are a number of key points that should be understood.
RELIGION & THE GODS
In the Border Kingdoms campaign setting, religion plays an extremely important role. Almost everyone believes in one of the many faiths, and being faithless is considered outlandish and strange. In our setting, the gods are NOT UNDERSTOOD. They are extremely mysterious, and their hand in the shaping of the world is usually subtle.
Because of the subtle nature of gods in this setting, the cults and organized faiths surrounding each deity are extremely varied. Just like religion in the real world, there are many schisms and off-shoots of each religion, every church believing they have the right of it. For example: the Derluskan Church of Waukeen enjoys almost complete dominance in the city. The Derluskan priests preach that she is all-powerful, capable of both granting glorious wealth to those faithful, as well as bringing ruination upon enemies of the faith. From here, various understandings are pulled from this dogma: one might pray that Waukeen bring poverty to an enemy city – and with it, starvation, disease, and death. Because of this, she is considered the goddess of Derlusk, and the citizens believe she both protects the city from harm and brings it wondrous affluence – a justifiable belief, as the Merchant Republic of Derlusk is one of the most successful realms in the Border Kingdoms.
Though there are many priests and clergy in the realm, only the most pious and faithful are ever granted the power of divine magic and miracles. These ‘clerics,’ as they are called in legend, have miraculous powers granted by their deity, and are viewed as bastions of their faith.
MAGIC & THE ARCANE
Unlike in the standard Forgotten Realms setting, magic in the Border Kingdoms campaign is a rare and wondrous sight. Though it is talked about in legends and stories, true ‘magic’ is a rarity, and most believe it to be gone from the world. ‘Magical’ weapons (weapons with enhancement bonuses, et cetera) are more often simply of extremely fine craft, or made of fine material. Truly magical weapons are rare artefacts from an age long past, and are almost never created by contemporary smiths.
Sorcerors and Wizards, therefore, are an uncommon sight indeed. While many would be awed by their powers, fear of the unknown would also come into play, and some unfortunate spell-casters have been burned at the stake by terrified peasants; those few with arcane knowledge or power must be careful when they choose to display it!
MORALITY, ALIGNMENT, & GOOD VS EVIL
Alignment in the Border Kingdoms setting is treated as a general disposition rather than a core aspect of a character. ALL people have the capability of terrible ‘evil’ or generous ‘good.’ In this setting, PURE GOOD and PURE EVIL do not exist in the mortal races. Rather, everyone is generally somewhere upon a vast spectrum, and never permanently. ‘Good’ men can fall to temptation, just as ‘evil’ can be redeemed.
SPECIES, ANIMALS, AND MONSTERS
Many races inhabit the Border Kingdoms. A variety of humanoid species exist and are generally acknowledged, and viewed as a natural part of the world.
By far, the most common species to inhabit the Border Kingdoms are Humans. Over 70% of the population is human, and most kingdoms are run, ruled, and populated by humans. Of these, the most common racial groups are Chondathans, Cali****es, and Damarans. Some dwarves live in the human cities, but are generally not organized into any towns. They claim they once had a vast mountain city in the region, but it was lost centuries ago.
Elves are relatively uncommon, and not well-understood by the local humans. In our setting, the Drow still hold their vast underground empire, broken up into various houses. However, humans in the Border Kingdoms would mistake them for Moon Elves and would think nothing of their appearance. In this setting, the nature of the Drow is unknown to surfacers.
Satyrs, centaurs, wemics, orcs, lizardfolk, and many other humanoid ‘intelligent’ species exist, and are quite common in the more wild areas of the Border Kingdoms. While humans tend to view them warily, they are generally tolerated in small numbers. For example, the Lizardfolk of the Qurth Forest occasionally emerge to trade their furs and spices to the human settlements in exchange for metal tools. The orcish tribes once spread across the region, but have slowly been pushed into the fringes of the realm, making their homes in the hills.
There are a variety of beasts that inhabit the Border Kingdoms, but most are considered ‘animals.’ These span from simple birds and deer, to very dangerous creatures like Owlbears or Manticores.
‘Unnatural’ creatures exist as well, but are considered myth and legend by the vast majority of the population. Tales of the undead, for example, are considered myths and tales to scare small children. Encounters with these monsters are very, very rare. Telling tale of an encounter with a creature of undeath would likely earn the storyteller looks of disbelief, scoffs, or claims of insanity.
CULTURAL PREJUDICE AND SEXISM
Extremely inflammatory and controversial in our 21st century, these social vices exist everywhere, are not often even acknowledged as being vices in the Border Kingdoms setting. People are as backwards or forward-thinking as their culture generally allows. Ideologies on these topics vary wildly from society to society.
Sexism
Some cultures are similar to medieval Europe, where women were largely given the role of motherhood and housekeeper. For example, the Cali****es that inhabit the Border Kingdoms keep their women largely locked at home, and they have few rights in their society. In Derlusk, women are essentially equal, owning their own business and serving on the coin council – though seeing them on the battlefield is extremely rare, as Derluskans do not believe in placing their women in harm’s way. Female merchants are given a sort of veneration, due to the city’s connection to Waukeen. In general, views on gender vary heavily from culture to culture – do not be surprised to see this.
Cultural Prejudice
Intercultural prejudices are very common. While this does not generally result in ‘hatred,’ it does lead to tensions between different kingdoms and cities. In some cases, a prejudice exists that is so strong that it paints an entire species – the Satyrs, (known as goat-men to humans) for example, are generally regarded as malicious and cruel, and are almost never trusted by other races. Humans are broken up into a number of various ethnic groups, and while they often trade with one another, some tensions do exist. For example: the princes of Calimshan have invaded the Border Kingdoms many times, and sometimes successfully. For this reason, Cali****es are often viewed as aggressive and dangerous. As well, their tendency to enslave those they conquer has given them a poor reputation indeed. Similarly, Splondar’s long history of conflict with the Derluskans has brewed a significant cultural anger. While Derluskans view Splondarans with disdain, the Splondarans generally despise and distrust Derluskans.
