Midgard Campaign Setting is © 2012 Open Design LLC. All rights reserved.Midgard, Open Design, Kobold Press, Free City of Zobeck, and their associated logos are trademarks of Open Design LLC.

Product Identity: The following items are hereby identified as Product Identity, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a, Section 1(e), and are not Open Content: All trademarks, registered trademarks, proper names (characters, place names, new deities, etc.), dialogue, plots, story elements, locations, characters, artwork, and trade dress.

(Elements that have previously been designated as Open Game Content are not included in this declaration.). Open Game Content: The Open content in this book includes the PC race statistics in chapter 2, the weapon statistics in Chapter 3, the Kariv spells in Chapter 4, the spells and

magic items in chapter 5, and the spells in chapter 7. No other portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without permission.

Compatibility with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game requires the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game from Paizo Publishing, LLC. See http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Paizo Publishing, LLC does not guarantee compatibility, and does not endorse this product. Pathfinder is a registered trademark of Paizo Publishing, LLC, and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatibility Logo are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC, and are used

under the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatibility License. See http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/compatibility for more information on the compatibility license.The AGE logo and AGE system are trademarks and copyrights of Green Ronin Publishing, and are used by express permission.

© 2012 Open Design LLC. All Rights Reserved.

First Printing - September 2012

Lead Designer Wolfgang Baur

Cover Art Aaron Miller

Interior Art Darren Calvert, Nicole Cardiff, Richard Clark, Storn Cook, Emile Denis, Rick Hershey, Michael Jaecks, Stephanie Law,

Pat Loboyko, Malcolm McClinton, Aaron Miller, Marc Radle, Blanca Martinez de Rituerto, Mark Smylie, Hugo Solis,

Christophe Swal, Stephen Wood, and Kieran Yanner

Cartography and Heraldry Jonathan Roberts, Sean Macdonald, Lucas Haley

Cover Graphic Design Callie Winters

Layout Callie Winters

Indexer Lori Ann Curley

Chapter Design Jeff Grubb, Brandon Hodge, Christina Stiles, and Dan Voyce

Additional Design Ben Armitage, Michael Franke, Ed Greenwood,Josh Jarman,

Michael Kortes, Chris Lozaga, Michael Matkin, Ben McFarland, Chad Middleton, Carlos Ovalle, Adam Roy, and Henry Wong

Game Material Development Sigfried Trent

AGE Appendix Josh Jarman, with additional design by Simon English,

Emmet Byrne, Daniel Perez, Jesse Butler, and Wolfgang Baur

Editor Michele Carter

Proofreading Chris Harris, Ed Possing, and Joey Smith

Setting Champions Champion of Midgard: Steve Geddes

Despot of the Ruby Sea: Carlos OvalleExarch of the Magocracy: Christopher Lozaga

Druid of the Emerald Order: Shawn “Bran Ravensong” NolanGod-King of Nuria-Natal: Henry Wong

Lord of Thunder Mountain: DJ YohoLord of Midgard: Sebastian Dietz

River King of the Arbonesse: Chad MiddletonSultana of the Empire: Christina Stiles

Campaign SettingCampaign Setting

TM

Dedication: This book is dedicated to my parents, Werner and Renate Baur, who many years ago gave me a little blue box with a dragon on the cover. Thank you for always supporting my love of fantasy, gaming, and legends.

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PatronsScott Acker, Jason Alexander, Chris Allison, Tom Allman, Anonymous, Anonymous, Benjamin Armitage, Mark Arvidson, Paul Baalham, Andrew Baggott, Michael Baker, Jerry R. Baker, Chris Banks, Stefan Beate, John Beattie, Gregg Bender, Andrew Lee Kian Beng, William Benjamin, Ingo Beyer, Mark Bibler, Iyar Binyamin, Xavier Blaise, Martin Blake, Shane Blake, Alain Bourgeois, Carl Brashear, Raphael Bressel, Sam Brown, Leslie Brown, Daniel Brumme, Benjamin Bullock, John Busby, Douglas Bush, Jesse Butler, Arthur Butterwick, Emmet Byrne, Jarrod Camiré, John Cantrell Jr, Rodrigo Garcia Carmona, Charles Carrier, Nicolas Carrillo, Jorge Cavalheiro, Paul Cavanaugh, Mark Chance, Andrew Christian, Orville Clark, Jim Clunie, Andrew Collett, Andy Collins, Bill Collins, Bradley Colver, Nick Cook, Ashley Cook, Orion Cooper, Thadeous Cooper, Will Cooper, Ronald Corn, Mark Craddock, Steve Cranford, Adam Crossingham, Hans Cummings, Paul Cunningham, Patrick Curtin, Matthew C. Cutter, Tim Czarnecki, Adam Daigle, Sam Daish, Doug Dalton, Brian Dawson, Jason Dawson, Dan Derby, David DeRocha, Marc DeSantis, Sebastian Dietz, Bob Doherty, Will Doyle, Darrin Drader, Andrew C. Durston, Brett Easterbrook, Justin Edwards, Simon English, Edward Engquist, Jeffrey Erwin, Jarrod Farquhar-Nicol, Ben Ferguson, Greg Fornero, Mike Franke, Michael Furlanetto, Curtis Gallagher, Steve Geddes, Scott Geisler, Georg Gerleigner, Greg Gerrand, Thilo Graf, Richard Green, John Green, Glen Grigsby, Norman Gross, Jim Groves, Chris Guerra, James Guthrie, Ben Haase, Lucas Haley, Patrick Halverson, Steven Hammond, Matthew Hanson, Dustin Harbuck, Michael Harmon, Chris Harris, Bryan D Harrison, Alan-Michael Havens, Lyle Hayhurst, Marc Hertogh, Tom “the Monster” Hoefle, Daniel Hoffmann, Lutz Hofmann, John Hofmann, Adam Holmes, Sarah Hood, Ronald Hopkins, William Hopkins, Keil Hubert, Anthony Hunter, Tracy Hurley, Brian Isikoff, Phillip Ives, John Jacobs, Josh Jarman, R Johnson, Anthony Jones, Jay Joyner, Lucas Jung, Alexander Kanous, John Kelbaugh, Chris Kentlea, Samwise Kiebel, David Koerner, Jason Kramer, Mitchell Kramer, Günther Kronenberg, C. Krumins, David Lai, Michael Lane, Claus Larsen, Chris Lauricella, Kevin Lawrence, Adam Leckie, Olivier Lefebvre, Chance Le Meur, Andreas Lenhart, Jerry LeNeave, Dalton Lennon, Brian Liberge, Christian Lindke, Andrew Linstrom, Robert Little, Greg Littlejohn, Eric Lopez, Christopher Lozaga, Sean Macdonald, Michael Machado, Emiliano Marchetti, Tristan Marshall, Charlie Mason, Michael Matkin, Scott Maynard, Kevin Mayz, Jonathan McAnulty, Chris McFann, Ben McFarland, Daniel McFerren, Craig McKinney, Alejandro Melchor, Douglas Meserve, Francois Michel, Chad Middleton, Nicholas Middleton, Nicholas Milasich, Mark Miller, Robert Miller, Ronald Miller, Olivier Miralles, Matt Miranda, Jeff Moller, Sean Molley, Matthew Monteiro, Andrew Morris, Eddy Morrow , Chris Mortika, Paul Munson, Quinn Murphy, Mike Murphy, Frank Myres III, Paul Nasrat, David Neumann, David Nolan, Shawn “Bran Ravensong” Nolan, Christian Nord, Carlos Ovalle, John Overath, Jeffrey Palmer, Prashant Panavalli, Pierre Parent, Bill Parsons, Edward Pease, Edward Penner, Daniel M. Perez, Daniel Petersen, Pascal Pflugfelder, Petri Pihlajamaa, Patrick Plouffe, John Pope, Edward Possing, Vojtech Pribyl, Callum Prior, Kevin Ramsell, Michael Raper, John D. Rateliff, Trent Revis, Kevin Reynolds, Bryan Reynolds, John Reyst, Jesse Riley, Sean P. Riley, Paul Rimmer, Douglas Rist, Joseph Roberti, Paul Roberts, Jonathan Roberts, Casey Roberts, Wade Rockett, Manuel Quick, Jan Rodewald, Karl Rodriguez, Gerald Rose, Franz Georg Roesel, Adam Roy, Tim Rudolph, Raúl Sánchez Ruiz, Paul Ryan, Pascal Saradjian, Eddy Schmidt, JD Schmidt, René Schultze, Adrian Scully, Josh Sears, Benjamin Sennitt, Lucas Servideo, Christian Seubert, John Sharp, Pearce Shea, Nate Shelley, Luciano Silva, Sean Silva-Miramon, Mike Sixel, Eric C Smith, Joey Smith, Jared Smith, Marc Soliz, Trevor Sone, Marzio Spairani, Dalewin Speed, Colin Stahl, Stéphane Stassen, Christina Stiles, Matthew Stinson, Jared Strickland, David Sullivan, Scott Sutherland, Jeffrey Tadlock, R. Patrick Taggesell, John Tanzini, Casey Taylor, Frank Tedeschi, John-Paul Temple, Constantin Terton, James Thomas, Christopher Thompson, Seth Thomson, Keith Unger, Giorgio Vergani, Oliver von Spreckelsen, Dan Voyce, Jani Waara, Michael Waite, Tobias Walbridge, Trey Walker, Chip Warden, Eric Weberg, Stephen Wark, Matthew Widmann, Michael Welham, Charles Wenzler Jr, Tim Werner , Seth White, Matt Widmann, Troy Willcocks, Nick Williams, David Williams, Adam Windsor, Rush Wingate, Bill Woehr, Michael Wolf, Henry Wong, Paul Woods, DJ Yoho, Alex Young, and Hao Zhang

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Table of ContentsChapter 1: Welcome to Midgard 8Seven Secrets of Midgard 9The History of Midgard 10Time, Planes, and Dates 15Planes and Hells 18Ley Lines 19

Classifying Ley Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Ley Line Feats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Using Ley Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Ley Line Burnout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Chapter 2: Heroes of Midgard 22Humans 23

Optional Rule: Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Dragonkin 25Dwarves 26Elves andthe Elfmarked 27Gearforged 28

Making a Gearforged . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Gearforged Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Kobolds 30Minotaurs 31Seven Minor Races 3226 Common and Archaic Languages 33Midgard Feats and Traits 34

The Crossroads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Northlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Racial Traits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Religion Traits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35The Rothenian Plains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36The Seven Cities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Siwal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38The Wastes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Chapter 3: The Crossroads 40Customs of the Crossroads 41

Great Gatherings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41The Free City of Zobeck 42

Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Zobeck’s Districts 44

The Citadel District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44The Gear District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44The Kobold Ghetto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Other Districts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Places of Interest 48The Arcane Collegium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48The Old Stross Public Bathhouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48The Temple of Celestial Dawn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48The Wheatsheaf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Magic of Zobeck 48School of Clockwork Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48School of Illumination Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Illumination School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Trade by Road and River 50Strange Customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Crossroads Trading Houses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Crossroads Mercenary Companies 54Griffon Towers and the Margreve Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

The Cloudwall Mountains 56Empire of the Ghouls 57Perunalia 59The Free Cantons of the Ironcrags 61

Bundhausen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62Grisal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62Gunnacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63Hammerfell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63Kubourg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63Tijino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63Wintersheim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63The Minor Cantons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64Dwarven Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

The Magdar Kingdom 66Order of the Undying Sun 68

Entering Knighthood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Paladins of Khors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Order of the Storm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Magdar War Wagons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Company Wagons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

The Electoral Kingdom of Krakova 69The Principalities of Morgau and Doresh 71Hengksburg 73

Chapter 4: The Rothenian Plain 74Grandmother Baba Yaga and Her Daughters 75

Magic on the Plains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77Domovogrod 78Khanate of the Khazzaki 79Demon Mountain 81Nine Cities of Neimheim 84

The Great City of Holmgard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85The Metropolis of Volvyagrad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85Lesser Cities of Neimheim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Rothenian Centaur Hordes 86Vidim 88Kariv, the Wandering Realm 89

Great Kariv Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90Curse of the Kariv . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Windrunner Elves 92Kariv Spells 92

The Eight Great Clans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92Flying a Windrunner Kite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Equipment of the Plains 94Rothenian Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94Food, Poison, and Other Gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

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Chapter 5: The Dragon Empire 96Dragoncoil Ley Magic 97Sultana Casmara Azrabahir 99The Mharoti Empire 99

Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100Harkesh, the Provinces, and the Great Dragon Lords 103

Ateshah, the Heart of the Desert, and the Province of Gizmiri . . . . 103Satarah al-Beldestani and the Capital Province of Harkesh . . . . . . 104Figures of the Court . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Mharot the Founder and the Province of Kalpostan . . . . . . . . . . 107Ibbalan the Illustriousand the Province of Mezar . . . . . . . . . . . . 107Lashmaraq Talshah and the Province of Hariz . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108Parsis the Hiddenand the Province of Betik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108Rüzgar, the Dragon of Fog, and the Borders of Zaldiri . . . . . . . . . 109Yiraz Azah and the Province of Marea and the Islands . . . . . . . . . 109

Despotate of the Ruby Sea 110The Free City of Siwal 113Nuria Natal 115

Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115Corremel, the City of Ale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116Per-Bastet, the City of Cats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116Per-Kush, City of Ivory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117Per-Xor, the City of the Sun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Ishadia 117Mardas Adamat, the City at the Gates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118Khazephon, the City of Baubles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118Sequra, the White Haven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Trade Goods of the Bazaars 118Animals and Servants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118Dry Goods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Magic Items and Curiosities 120Mharoti Weapons 123Dragon Magic 123

Chapter 6: The Seven Cities 126A Supremely Short History of the Seven Cities 127Five Reasons for War 128August Republic of Valera 131Grand Duchy of Illyria 134Green Duchy of Verrayne 136Theocracy of Kammae Straboli 138

The Price of Requiem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139Barony of Capleon 141Canton of Melana 143Friula, City of Secrets 145Republic of Trombei 147Maritime Republic of Triolo 150Serene Isle of Kyprion 154

Chapter 7: The Wasted West 156History 157The Western Wastes 158

The Great Old Ones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158Cursed Ley Lines and Arcane Weather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160Magic in the Wastes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160Supernatural Storms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160Landmarks of the Wastes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

The Dust Goblins 164The Duchy of Bourgund 166

Government: The Duke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166The Magocracy of Allain 168

Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169Bemmea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170Tintager, the Iron Metropolis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173Maillon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Haunted Land of Giants 176Cassadega . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176The Great Ruined Cities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

The Barony of Trenorra 179Gardens of Carnessa 179Barsella 180The Isle of Morphoi 182Spells of the Black Spire Codex 183

Chapter 8: Domains of the Princes 186Domains of the Princes 187A Sufficiently Succinct History of Dornig 187Current Conditions in Dornig 188The Imperial Court 188

Notable Personages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189Religion in the Domains 191The Ley Lines and the Feyroads 191

Shadow Road Lore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192Travel Times on the Fey Roads and Shadow Roads . . . . . . . . . . . 192

Hirschberg 194Major Cities of the Grand Duchy 194

Reywald . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195Bad Solitz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197Donnermark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198The Free City of Salzbach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198Other Cities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

Minor Houses of Dornig 199The Barony of Courlandia 199A Season in Court 201Granting a Dornitian Barony to Player Characters 201

How to Gain a Barony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201Losing a Barony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202Complications of a Barony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202Running a Barony in Dornig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203Swearing Fealty in the Grand Duchy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

The Forest of Arbonesse 204The Remains of a Glorious Empire 204The Tomierran Forest 206Lost Arbonesse 207

Chapter 9: The Northlands 208Customs of the North 209

Honor and Reputation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210Holmganga (Dueling) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211Feuds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211Outlawry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212Feasting and Hospitality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212Inescapable Fate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

Kingdoms of the North 213The Bleak Expanse 214

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Jomsborg 215Jotunheim 215Bjeornheim 216Kingdom of the Wolf 217Huldramose 217Skaldholm 218Stannasgard 219Tanserhall 219Thunder Mountain 220Trollheim 221Wolfheim 221Fallen Kingdoms of the North 222

Nordheim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222Issedon and the Fallen Vanguard Kingdoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222Other Locations of Note in the Northlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Chapter 10: The Pantheon 224 Power Granted, Power Stolen 225How Gods Use Masks 226New Domains 227The Great Serpent 230

Veles (Ouroboros or Jörmungandr) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230Northern Gods 231

Thor (Perun) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231Freyr and Freyja . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232Loki, the Trickster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233Sif . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234Wotan, the Rune Father . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

Crossroads Gods 235Khors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235Lada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236Mavros-Perun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237Rava (Ariadne) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238Volund (Svarog) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239Yarila and Porevit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240

Dragon Gods 241Azuran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241Baal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242Khespotan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243Seggotan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244

Southern Gods 245Anu-Akma (Anubis, Hades, Hel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245Aten . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246Bastet (Ailuros) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247Horus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248Ninkash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249Thoth-Hermes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

City Gods 251Ceres the Provider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251Charun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252Hecate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253Mavros the War God, His Saints, and His Order . . . . . . . . . . . . 253Nethus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

Dark Gods 256Addrikah, the Mother of Madness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256Boreas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257Chernovog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257The Goat of the Woods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258

The Hunter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259Mammon, Lord of Greed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260Marena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260Mordiggian (Vardesain) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261Sarastra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262The White Goddess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262

Nurian Cults 263

Appendix 264Using Midgard with AGE System 265New Backgrounds 265

Arbonesse Exile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265Bemmean Arcanist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266Khazzaki Nomad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266Collegium Apprentice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267Dragonkin Edjet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267Dragonkin Elementalist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268Dragon Speaker Kobold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268Dust Goblin Dune Trader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269Elfmarked Noble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269Free Cantons Dwarf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270Free Tribes Centaur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270The Gearforged . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270Kariv Wanderer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271Niemheim Diabolist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271Nurian Godsworn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272Scion of Dornig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272Septime Mercenary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272Septime Scholar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273Tintagerian Hellborn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274Triolan Corsair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274Trollheim Reaver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274Trollkin Outcast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275Vidim Boyar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275Windrunner Elf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276Zobeck Kobold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276

Specializations 277Arcane Adept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277Artificer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277Harem Assassin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277Scrivener  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278Shapeshifting Berserker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278Spymaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278Star Mage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278

Magic 279

Appendix 2: Regional Encounter Tables 287Dragon Empire Random Encounters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287Crossroads Random Encounters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288Northlands Random Encounters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288Rothenian Plains Random Encounters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288Seven Cities Random Encounters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289Wasteland Random Encounters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289Dornig Random Encounters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289Arbonesse Random Encounters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290Tomierran Random Encounters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290Fey Road Random Encounters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290

Appendix 3: Further Reading 291Index 292

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New Realms, New DreamsWhat you’re reading now – this professionally laid out,

beautifully illustrated worldbook called the Midgard Campaign Setting – was never planned. Midgard began

life as stacks of scribbled index cards and hand-drawn maps from my own RPG campaign, some of them going all the way back to when I was 14 years old. Even the name “Midgard” is a recent invention: for years it was just the nameless world that contained the Free City of Zobeck, the Dwarven Cantons, the Empire of the Ghouls and more.

So it is slightly strange to see Midgard taking shape from what I know are its humble beginnings, the shabby notes and offhand references. And I am astonished by how the crumbs and threads that Jeff Grubb and I discussed over many a luncheon slowly alchemized and fused in my mind and in the manuscript, as I and the other writers layered the real with the unreal and made Midgard not just a cohesive whole, but a richer stew than any single ingredient would deliver. 

Worldbuilding is, to my mind, about generating a tapestry of conflict, dangers, and the exotic; of designing characters that shine brighter than mithral and mortal dangers as deep as the soul. I’ve sought to make a world that’s both credibly plausible and saga-level fantastical.

It’s up to you to judge the merit of these efforts. For me, Midgard is intensely personal, and as with any lived-in game world, this one will give you some idea of its creator’s loves, hatreds, and obsessions. But worldbuilding is also about creating tools that gamers can use to make the setting their own, and this volume is loaded with characters, hooks, conflicts, and locations brimming with adventure. They are yours to explore, plunder, burn down, rebuild, and loot as you see fit.

I mentioned that elements of Midgard date back to my junior high school days. It’s a little embarrassing, but yes: an archmage of Bemmea railroaded my very first group of players into every weekly adventure, and in those early days the Court of the River Elves was first established as a place of

whimsy and deadly earnest dueling. Some Norse elements can be seen in adventures I wrote for Dungeon Magazine, as can my obsession with the derro and the ghouls.

Most recently, Open Design has brought on board the visions of a wider group detailing the Free City of Zobeck, plus my own diabolical gnomes, Brandon Hodge’s walkers, and the Imperatrix of the Grand Duchy of Dornig. Though it has taken decades, the Midgard canon has grown big enough and rich enough to merit this volume.

The Midgard setting is much more than Norse or European myths given new life: it is, frankly, everything I want in a game setting, stacked

with wheels spinning, wars brewing, and great danger to the survival of civilization. It is a place of hope and glory, to borrow particularly British turn of phrase. Devils and forces greater than any mortal always lurk at the edge of the world, ready to tear it down into the

abyss. Its heroes shed their blood for a purpose.Midgard is built from the foundations of 25 years of

play, with some shameless cribbing from obscure and familiar myths and legends, and my own nods to the

books and settings that have gone before. In some ways, it is quite traditional fantasy, and then....

suddenly, it is not familiar at all. Call it the planar twist; call it turning fantasy to the left

and the sinister side, but there is much new to discover here. Midgard could sink under a tide of

darkness, with only islands of light remaining. In a world falling into darkness, new heroes must lift the lanterns that keep its people safe. 

Turn these pages and find the secrets of ley line magic and Baba Yaga’s daughters, the Key

of Veles and its deep magic, the peculiar masks that the gods wear, and the way they favor their

children on earth. Meet the semi-divine rulers of a scattered handful of realms that have not

tumbled into ruin, blasphemy and decay. Midgard mixes darkness and light, hope

and despair, demons and the better angels of our nature. This volume describes a very human place,

though the humans might wear brassy skin, horns, or tiny claws

and scales. Its adventures are about striving to do right in the world, and the temptations

on every side to do wrong.Midgard is the best I can bring to gaming, and I hope

you make it yours. Onward!

Wolfgang BaurKirkland, WA

June, 2012

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Chapter 1

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The age of heroes is dead, and the bridge to glory is broken—Bifrost fell long ago. The world is lost in an age of war, of dark wilderness and lost empires sunk beneath the waves. Only

magic and the warmth of hope keeps lights aglow when dread things prowl and the priestly wardings shake, bent by hideous demonic rage.

In this dark time, new heroes must arise to claim the crowns of Midgard, and restore the jewels to her scattered thrones. New heroes must lead a return to glory!

Seven Secrets of Midgard

At first glance the Midgard campaign setting might seem familiar, flavored with a strong dose of European and Middle Eastern mythos, a medieval level of technology, and fantasy races taken directly from the greatest fantasy traditions.

Dig a little deeper, and you’ll find some surprising twists that take Midgard from standard fantasy to exceptional. Here’s a quick summary for the game master who wants to plan out a short campaign or a long arc.

A Flat WorldThe world of Midgard is flat and floats in a vast space of living stars. The heavens are accessible to great heroes who dare to visit them. A great serpent surrounds the world, or so claim those few travelers who have been to the edge of the world. What lives underneath? No one knows for sure. Midgard is not a modern world dressed up in a few medieval bits of armor and weaponry. Midgard makes the mythic real, with a world to explore from edge to edge.

Elves, Ley Lines, and Shadow RoadsThe histories of Midgard are laden with secrets you can use to shape adventures. The elves used the magic of ley lines (see “Ley Lines” later in this chapter) to create and sustain the shadow roads, making it possible to connect a far-flung empire. When the elves retreated from the world, their roads remained, and humans and dragons have learned to tap into the ley lines that sustain this magic. Player characters and villains alike can use these wellsprings of power, though the game master (GM) determines exactly where they are to be found. In Midgard, you can increase the level of magical power to levels unheard-of in other settings—without destroying the reality of the setting outside those particular areas.

Elemental Dragons That RuleThe dragons of Midgard are linked to the elements rather than to colors and metals (though all the traditional dragons and linnorms are present). They have an urge to power, to rulership, and they exercise that rule through an entire empire that carries their name. All dragons throughout the land seek to rule their smaller kingdoms, to carve out power, the better to amass treasures. The dragons of Midgard have no interest in sitting in a lonely cave somewhere, counting coins. Their greed makes them ambitious, and that ambition is dangerous.

Mysteries and Hidden RacesThe Midgard campaign features humans, elves, and dwarves and also new races and new mysteries, including the huginn raven-folk, the minotaurs, and the clockwork gearforged, as well as dragonkin and tieflings. These races had a place in the world from the start, their own kingdoms and ambitions and leaders. There are still hidden races in the corners of the world, races found nowhere else that can surprise players, such as the intelligent, ghoulish darakhul and the mysterious morphoi. Humans are the most numerous people and their kingdoms are grand, but Midgard offers many flavors and a wide range of heroes and villains.

Time Flies, and Status MattersTwo optional rules make Midgard special. The Status rule (see “Optional Rule: Status” in Chapter 2) gives player characters (PCs) a type of advancement not linked to level, but rather to their prestige and renown. The social status of PCs makes a difference in who they can visit and how they are treated—not that important in most dungeons, but possibly vital in the Court of the Imperatrix of Dornig, or when trying to counter a Dragon Empire ambassador’s plots.

In a similar way, the Time Flies optional rule advances campaigns quickly, so that months and years can fly by, and events of a campaign roll out at a less hurried pace. Generations can rise and fall, and adventurers can see their careers as a long arc rather than a brief set of fireworks.

Gods That Dabble and PlotThe Midgard pantheon has needs, and the urge to meddle. The gods dispense spells and miracles to their faithful, but they make clear demands of their worshipers and priesthoods. The gods also argue, sire children to rule kingdoms, and foment wars and feuds. Divine murder and enslavement are options, and this is part of the reason why the gods of Midgard wear masks (see Chapter 10). Their hatreds and rivalries spill out from the heavens and into the mortal streets and kingdoms. Each deity in the pantheon has distinct goals and desires, and sets down what is expected of his or her followers.

Shifting Borders and Falling KingdomsMidgard is a world of cultures designed to change, collapse, and grow over time. Borders are not fixed and immutable, kingdoms rise and fall, rulers die and are replaced, and entire cities can be leveled or rebuilt by magic. Midgard is a setting meant to change after every adventure; the work of the heroes in Midgard is meant to challenge the existing order, give rise to great new lords and ladies, or to see the failure of hope and the death of kings.

There’s no point to playing a game where nothing changes but the statistics on a player’s sheet. As GM, you can and should take advantage of the inherently unbalanced politics or dangerous triggers built into the setting. Those ancient curses and festering revolts are there for your campaign. Find out whether your players have what it takes to change things—for better or worse! Some of these changes will be incorporated in future adventures and sourcebooks.

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Welcome to MidgardWelcome to Midgard

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So with those points in mind, let us draw back the curtain on the world and its people. It is a place of great danger and a few flickering lights, holding out against a tide of darkness that threatens to engulf all lands in a new age of horrors and barbarism. Midgard is a place in need of help, where a few stout hearts can turn the tide, or a few bad decisions can plunge a kingdom or an empire into bloody ruin.

The CreationThe world is flat, with a single sun, one major moon, and six planets. Beyond these facts, the details of Midgard’s origins are shrouded in mystery. Almost all the gods and giants and other powers claim to have created the world. Some of them must be lying, and likely all of them are. The most common tale is that of the Northlanders who say that in the beginning, before Midgard was created, there was only the endless void called Ginnungagap. At one extremity of this vast abyss was biting cold; at the other, raging fire.

Life sprang up in the center where rime met flame, melting and boiling. This was Aurgelmir, the first and greatest giant, from whose body both the earth and sky were crafted. Creatures sprang from Aurgelmir like branches on an oak, among them the first giants and the eldest of the gods. The two groups warred, and when Aurgelmir sided with his giant kin, the gods slew him.

The giants have never forgotten this murder. Since that day they’ve nursed a grudge and hope one day to see the gods’ dominion ended and their forefather avenged.

The gods, meanwhile, fashioned the world from Aurgelmir’s corpse. His bones became the earth and his blood flowed out to fill the rivers and seas. From his teeth they fashioned mountains and his hollow skull became the sky. With giants cowed by the cleaving of Aurgelmir, the gods explored their new-forged world and soon they fell to strife among themselves.

The gods of nature and the gods of passion and glory formed factions and fought for dominion over their new realm of Midgard, and Creation trembled from the blows they struck. Eventually canny Wotan, always wise and victorious, brokered a truce. The gods exchanged hostages and peace descended once more.

Smaller races took their place in the world, and the gods watched.

The Rise of the DwarvesDuring the conflict between gods called the Vanir War, the smith-god Volund and the thunder-god Thor created the dwarves. Warriors forged on an adamantine anvil, the dwarves were created to counter the wild elves of Thorn in battle, who sided against Wotan’s forces. Fearless warriors and giant slayers, the dwarves did great deeds in the name of their patrons. Legions fell beneath their glittering axes and the dwarves became proud, believing themselves the greatest of all mortal races. Perhaps this was their undoing.

No mortal knows for certain what caused the Reaving, as dwarves call the fall of their mighty Northern civilization. Many believe they began to favor Volund over Thor, delighting in craftsmanship rather than warfare, and the Thunderer was filled with wrath and smashed their mountain kingdoms into the sea. Others claim that it was treachery from beneath the earth, an alliance of dead souls slain by dwarven axes and the defeated yet vengeful fey, who infiltrated their halls and brought them low from within. Early reaver dwarves claimed that elves were responsible, and they immediately went to war with their old enemies.

Grove by grove, mile by bloody mile, the elves and their allies were

driven out the North. Most fled to the West, across the sea. Some dwarves continued the push further southward, among them Volund’s most devout followers, where they made a new home in the Ironcrag Mountains and the smith god became their preeminent deity. Those in the North stayed faithful to their dual heritage, however. They remained fierce warriors, slayers of elves, giants, and trolls, the proud and vengeful clans forever dreaming of a time when their fallen empire could be reclaimed.

The Rise and Fall of AnkeshelIn those ancient days, humans mastered magic and alchemy, engineering, navigation, and many other useful arts. They were citizens of Ankesh, an island in the western ocean blessed with rich deposits of copper, iron, and orichalcum. These humans built great cities, slew aboleths with vril rifles and lightning spears, traveled in flying carriages, and built orichalcum temples of shining gold. It was a golden age that lasted long centuries, perhaps a thousand years. Some believe the aboleths destroyed the island nation in the end. Others believe it was different horrors—perhaps krakespawn, the shining children of Caelmarath, the titanic servants of the sea god Nethus, or the arrival of the sea-devil sahuagin—that overran the walls of Ankesh and drove its people into the sea.

When Ankesh fell 3,000 years ago, all contact with the island was lost. The world sank into barbarism for centuries; the coasts were places of terror and avoided by the wise. The dwarves ruled in the North, humans and others struggled on the mainland, and goblins, gnolls, ghouls, ogres, centaurs, and other brutal races thrived. Nuria Natal was the only human kingdom of any size and power, its dynasties threatened but unbroken.

Elsewhere, chieftains and petty kings held power for a generation, then fell back into chaos and struggle against the darkness. The light and knowledge of the world glimmered and went out.

Arrival of the ElvesRoughly 2,200 years ago, the elves arrived from the far West and landed their ships on the outskirts of the Arbonesse forest. They slowly built their empire from the Western Ocean all the way to the Ruby Sea, ruling the humans, gnomes, halflings, and others who saw in the elves a restored hope for civilization. Their cities were tall, their magic powerful, and their mastery of living things, art, magic, and swift travel gave them a powerful advantage. They swept all other nations before them, and built cities in the high places and the forests.

The elves ruled over at least five centers of culture and imperial power over the span of their 1,300 year rule, each corresponding to a different king or queen: first in the planeshifted and hidden River Court of the Arbonesse under the Emperor Xindrical the Explorer, then the eastern hub of Sephaya on the Ruby Sea under Queen Shillesh Greensun Sephaya, the Daughter of Yarila. The empire was briefly thought to linger at the High Court of Liadmura in the Ironcrags where the Eagle Emperor ruled. The empire was centered for the longest time in the great capital of Thorn under the High Queen Lelliana Thorntree Endiamon, and her daughter the Shadow Princess Sarastra—mother of the shadow fey bloodlines, driven into exile in the Shadow Realm. Finally (when Thorn fell), the capital was held in the southern metropolis of Valera.

The elves’ influence among humans was considerable in the magocracies of Caelmarath, especially Allain, Bourgund, and Vael Turog, who all learned the arcane arts in the elven style before they

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created their own. Some believe Parszan and the Margreve forest also held large elven enclaves, but if so the details are lost. The more distant regions were all connected to the elven centers of civilization by the fey roads, magical routes that compressed journeys of weeks or months into mere days or hours.

The Young KingdomsSheltering under elven wings, various human magocracies and kingdoms arose starting around 1,800 years ago. Each pursued its own path outside the elven lands. The most important of these Young Kingdoms were the secret wizard societies of Caelmarath and Vael Turog, the Great Kingdom of Illyria, the Electoral Kingdom of Krakova, the Sultanate of Cassilon, the Mountain Kingdom of Morgau, the Magdar Kingdom, and the Moon Kingdom of Roshgazi, led by the minotaurs of the South.

As the human kingdoms grew to prominence on the outskirts of the elven lands, in mountains and plains where the elves elected not to rule, their strength, pride, and daring grew likewise. The secret societies of Caelmarath and Vael Turog began as human guilds within the Elven Empire that considered themselves apart and above elven rule. Although they resented elven authority, they profited from its arcane knowledge and experimented with magic the elves considered dangerous. The societies created their own lords, titles, tithes, and loyalties. The elves attempted to subvert them, but they proved difficult to dissuade with either reason or force.

The kingdoms of Morgau, Krakova, Illyria, and Cassilon were founded early on, as were certain small city-states such as Achillon and Zobeck. The Sun Kingdom of Cassilon crowned its first human king in

the south 1,739 years ago. Illyrian bloodlines go back to around 1,600 years ago, the Krakovan nobility built their first castle and throne about 900 years ago, and Morgau was settled 800 years ago, all on the edges of wilderness never explored or settled by the elves. These were traditional kingdoms, working to create cities, castles, and great monuments in their own corners of the world. The elves seemed to consider these realms interesting but not threatening. Morgau and Krakova fought over their borders, but for the most part the human kingdoms were occupied in securing their own territories. Cassilon befriended the desert giants and storm giants, and together humans and giants built great cyclopean fortresses in the Pytonne Mountains, fearing elven encroachments that never came.

The Moon Kingdom of Roshgazi thrived and sent forth colonies throughout the middle sea to Kyprion and Corremel and Capleon, settlements that are still influenced the Moon Kingdom’s faith and people. Roshgazi’s Labyrinth was famous throughout the world, said to rival some of the works of the elves.

The last of the Young Kingdoms was the Magdar Kingdom, settled 722 years ago from the East by a Rothenian tribe of human horsemen. The humans saw the elven spires of Sephaya, and their king decided that this was a good place to trade. The Magdar quickly made war on both Illyria and Morgau—and the elves paid little attention. The Magdar Kingdom built cities throughout the plain east of the Ironcrags, and their kings paid more attention to piling up castles than wooing the elves. Though the noble families of the Magdar did learn magic from the elves, they gave it their own cast.

In time, the Young Kingdoms profited greatly from trade and knowledge brought from the West, and they also brought great wealth

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to the Elven Empire through the sheer number and fecundity of humankind. As they grew stronger, some humans resented the elder race, and this led over time to “elf hunts” and laws proscribing what and where the elves might live and trade within human lands. The two races grew prickly and difficult with one another, while the dwarves stood by and laughed.

Black Sorceress’ RevoltRoughly 800 years ago, the tieflings and humans of Caelmarath society revolted against elven rule in the First Great Revolt, often referred to as the Black Sorceress’ Revolt after Melathea Stross, the sorceress who led the uprising. The revolt was brutally suppressed, so the wizards carried on in secret, summoning helpers and corrupting the fey roads. They carved out their lands in opposition to the elves by using dark powers. The revolt burned out within 20 years, in arcane cataclysm and great walkers and madness, but not before humans seized control of Maillon and Bourgund and built arcane strongholds at Vael Turog and at Bemmea. A strange wise woman named Baba Yaga—long known in the East—offered her services to the rebellion, calling up fortress walls overnight, unbinding elven wards, and releasing demons by the score.

The elves sought to limit the damage, but the human willingness to call on dark powers to fuel their cause combined with the tremendous human advantage in numbers was difficult to withstand across an empire spread thinly from the Western Ocean to the Ruby Sea. The elves were soon entangled in a hopeless struggle that threatened to corrupt their own hidden lands. The elves feared human contamination of the elven homeland, and for good reason. Demons, devils, and horrors could easily walk the fey roads if elven vigilance slipped, or if an elf gave in to darkness.

The records of the period say the fey roads and the Elflands themselves became magically corrupted. The elves who became the shadow fey threw in their lot with the dark powers that the mages of Caelmarath summoned and sent against each other. The shadow elves taught even more foul magic to certain human and tiefling families, such as House Stross, House Neckart, and House Galbrion, among others. Their hideous servitor-demons were the shining children of Caelmarath, as well as the elder walkers whose strength grew and grew as the portals between worlds were disrupted and expanded. But though the shadow elves were corrupt, most elves remained on the side of light, and they found the growing fusion of magical and mortal realms abhorrent and vile.

The Great RetreatAt last the elves decided not to join the mages of Caelmarath in their infernal descent into ever-greater madness. The elven roads shut down; the fey method of transport suddenly disappeared, and the legions marched out from Thorn and Valera for the last time, banners flying, to distant lands far from the reach of men. Those who believe the elves marched to war say they fought a great battle in the Realms Beyond to undo the evils of the wizards of Vael Turog, House Galbrion, and the other diabolists. Others believe that the elves merely prevented further summoning, and re-established the borders of the Elflands on the far side of Midgard.

During the Great Retreat 472 years ago, the elves withdrew from the mortal world and went back to the Elflands. The elves have never explained their decision to leave the world, and those who question them get no answers. Their empire was abandoned within a week,

and houses and roads alike stood empty. The elven songs stilled, their towers gathered spider webs, and their courts and halls were stripped bare of all readily portable goods.

The dwarves and humans stepped in as masters of the empty realms, but the high civilization of Thorn, Valera, Liadmura, and Sephaya was gone. Only the River Court of Arbonesse remained as an elven stronghold, and that land was closed to all outside contact. The elfmarked were abandoned by their parents, forced to make their way in a newly hostile world. Servitor races such as the gnomes and halflings were suddenly free of the obligations and protections of their elven overlords. The gnomes fled the elven halls, while the halflings found new masters, or at least new friends, in the small human realms.

The races that paid obeisance to elves were suddenly free to run their own affairs, but the first years after the Retreat were confused ones. The reaver dwarves marched south through Krakova to seize the rich mines around Liadmura, creating the first of the Ironcrag cantons. A new human kingdom was founded during this time of confusion, when 400 years ago the god Perun founded a matriarchal kingdom near the ruins of Sephaya.

The victory of Caelmarath was complete, having won human independence and total freedom from elven interference. But Caelmarath could not control the powers it had unleashed, and its last gasp followed soon after. The warring mages could not agree on who led them, whose summonings were greatest, and they started to clash among themselves once the common enemy was gone. This conflict led to the period called the Great Mage Wars.

The Great Mage Wars and the WastesThe Great Mage Wars brought ruin and devastation to the western heart of the land. The battles brought rains of acid, vast shambling beasts tearing through the walls of reality, and the wholesale sacrifice of men, women, and children to dark gods from the Realms Beyond. The arrival of the walkers was simply the latest in a long line of darker and darker summonings. The western regions fell to corruption and foulness as a result of the Caelmarath mages’ campaign. Over time, the magocracies slowly destroyed each other with eldritch power.

The last gasp of Caelmarath was heralded 414 years ago, by the summoning of the titanic ocean-behemoth called the Isonade. The beast sank the western part of elven Arbonesse, and nearly sank Allain as well. The last of magocracies fell under the tread of elder walkers and hordes of demons, goblins, and things from Realms Beyond, leaving only Allain and Bourgund standing. The forces of evil unleashed had turned the once-rich lands of Caelmarath into a wasteland. The human kingdoms of Cassilon, Balinor, Vael Turog, and Carnessa were destroyed, their people slain or transformed into aberrations and horrors.

The Goblin Wastes earned their name from the survivors, some of whom are surely the humans who once lived in these lands, transformed into goblins, ogres, and worse. Since then, the Wasted West has remained a howling wilderness with small and struggling kingdoms, primarily Bourgund and Allain. In time, the lands of the giants fell to the corruption and summoned horrors, their ghosts now wandering free across the lands. Few visit here beyond the Seat of Mavros, though the road from Verrayne to Salzbach is still passable (if plagued by constant goblin raids).

In the wake of the Mage Wars, many of the survivors crawled away to rebuild their strength, or to hide from the unleashed horrors. Since that time, Allain has ruled supreme in this area and the champions of

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other nations have vanished. At least one mage of Vael Turog, a sworn foe of Allain, made his way to the east and established himself as the Master of Demon Mountain.

All know of the fall of the flying cities during the cataclysm. Several are believed to have fallen into the sea, others into the Southern deserts, and others still sent spinning out into the void. Meteors and comets fell too, leaving their elements strewn across the land.

Rise of the DragonsOver 300 years ago, the dragons of the Dragoncoil Mountains decided that raiding villages was a pleasant pastime, but the subsequent incidence of human and elven incursions into their territory was growing alarming. It was time, they decided, to found a kingdom of their own. Six dragons established themselves as founders of a new empire, not one of them trusting the other five. After years of discussion and negotiation among their children, the kobolds and the dragonkin, the dragon swore a compact that they would allow a human of draconic blood to rule and administer the land, as long as a tithe and tribute was paid to the dragons every 10 years. In return, the dragons swore to fight together to destroy any army arrayed against them, or to send the “children of draconic blood” in their place—meaning, legions of kobolds and dragonkin.

This was the founding of the Mharoti (Mah-ROW-tee) Sultanate, in which humans, kobolds, and dragonkin successfully seized all the lands of the eastern elves from Sephaya to Nuria Natal. They plundered far afield, demanding tribute from the Ruby Despot and the Daughters of Perun as well as the Southern realms of gold and salt. They took much of the land that was once the Kingdom of Illyria and the far eastern realms of Khandiria and Beldestan. They seized land near the Dragoncoil Mountains,

and even reached beyond Nuria Natal to destroy two coastal cities of the minotaurs, Roshgazi and Cindass. The minotaurs of Cindass resettled in Capleon and Kyprion, but in Roshgazi the devastation was so great that the people sought more distant sanctuary. The minotaurs of Roshgazi boarded a great fleet of ships and were never seen again. The Lost Fleet of Roshgazi remains one of the mysteries of the early Mharoti Empire. The Nurian counterattack against the Mharoti coastal invaders drove the dragonfolk back in one of relatively few major defeats.

The dragons have learned from those mistakes, yet still they lust for gold. To that end, each year the sultan or sultana leads the armies into the field in search of gold and silver to make up the next tribute to the dragons of the realm. These dragons have grown to more than 20 in number, and each considers itself a master of earth and sky. The Mharoti Sultanate grows as they do, and its people are certain their destiny is to rule the earth as the elves once did. Their greed is great, and their ability to make war and conquer lands seems unstoppable.

The Prince of MorgauAbout 300 years ago, the vampire Prince Lucan arrived in Morgau and ingratiated himself with the king of Morgau, then seized the throne. He infected the children of his bloodline, and adopted the faith of the Red Goddess. After his ascendance he was nearly driven from the throne by the combined armies of Krakova, Doresh, and Magdar. However, his undead strength and persistence gave Prince Lucan an edge, the ability to return again and again and convert his enemies to his side. Furthermore, he made a second alliance, this one with intelligent and organized ghouls. The next attempt to drive him from his throne was a complete rout, with Morgau’s army killing (and devouring) the cream of Krakovan

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