The Idrisian Sphere
by JTRa Region of GazF Mystara
Overview
The Nations, Regions, and Alliances of the Idrisian Sphere
Inspirations and Setting Styles
Features
Products
Other Links and NotesOverview
The Idrisian Sphere concerns the affairs of five large territories, nations, and alliances that exist due north of the Known World. The distances between them are great, and communication is rare or non-existent, yet these regions have all been affected by the Dark Lady Idris. Active knowledge and records of her mortal deeds have long since disappeared, but their legacy remains to the present and can be felt in temple halls and upon trampled fields.Today the Temple of Idris and other powerful factions hold sway over a Denagothian society that stands beside the ruins of a once good empire. Their agents infilitrate Wendar and spark conflict among the tribes of the Northern Wildlands. Meanwhile Ghyr and its allies quest to root out the Idrisian social influence, while the Western Alliance increasingly ignores the conflict in favor of its more immediate squabbles.
And as each region handles its own problems and affairs, an anonymous figure seeks to retrace the path that Idris once walked.
THE NATIONS, REGIONS and ALLIANCES of the IDRISIAN SPHERE
The Realm of Wendar: The Realm of Wendar is a federation of small estates and homesteaders pledged to the Wizard-King Gylharen. It is a nation whose survival is dependent on the fellowship of individual heroes and the power of the Elvenstar. Wendar is evenly divided between humans and the Genalleth elves, and the latter display a very "human" outlook on the world. They are city and town builders, and many lords dream of conquest and rekindled glory. Over the centuries, periods of elven - and occasionally human - expansion alternated with humanoid and Denagothian aggression. Together they produced a series of leagues and kingdoms that ultimately led to the modern Realm of Wendar. Now, far below the Mengul Mountains, Wendar's heroes look to the dangers of Denagoth with steely determination.The Denizens of Denagoth: Lurking beyond the ring of mountains known as the Menguls is the Denagothian Plateau. It was once the home of the glorious nation of Essuria, but under the reign of Landryn Teriak, that nation succumbed to the lures of Idris, and it grew so debased that northern barbarians sacked it. Years later a new power arose along the western plateau: the Kingdom of Denagoth under the mysterious Shadow Lord. Today, the Church of Idris holds the land's social fabric together, yet its priests fight amongst themselves for control. Still there is more. Thouls grow more organized in the east, a terrible brutish horde lays waste to the independent villages of Avien, and the Denagothians and humanoids under the Shadow Lord prepares for war. One elven nation has fallen, another is hard pressed, and the eyes of the Shadow Lord are drawn to Wendar.
The Northern Wildlands: To Wendar's High Lords of Genelleth, the Northern Wildlands is a lost birthright. They yearn to reclaim the lost elvish dominions that once filled the land. But history records that the Wildlands were built and torn asunder by pride and hate, emotions so strong that they left a permanent mark upon the landscape. Nor were the Wendarians the first to arrive. Today the few humans and elves that live in the Wildlands are openly hostile to one another, the region slowly succumbs to desertification, and humanoids and frogmen have claimed the lost cities from when elven power was in full bloom.
The Hidden Treasure of Ghyr: Ghyr has known many flags - Essurian, Thyatian, and now Ghyran - in its life, but it has always knelt solemnly before He Who Watches. Its paladins and cleric root out the Idrisian infestation, and its knights undertake quests of faith and quests of glory. Ghyr's authority has diminished in recent times - it once held sway across the entire north country known as the Hill and Dale - but it remains a shining beacon of goodness. And the time approaches to begin Ghyr's greatest quest - the recovery of the fabled Heartstone, a magical ruby which could read a man's heart, or change it.
The Western Alliance: The nations of the Western Alliance once swore fealty to the Kingdom of Ghyr, but when the current King Ganto ascended to the throne, they did not renew their pledge. The lands are a peculiar place, whose peoples are forged from regional natives, Known World colonists, humanoids and hill giants. Mirth and fairy tales mix with troubled successions, border conflicts and druidic resentments over foreign influences. Truly, tragedy and comedy all play their part on this particular stage.
Inspirations and Setting Styles
(To Do)Features
(To Do)PRODUCTS
Idrisian Sphere 24-mph regional map (To Do)GAZ F1 Realm of Wendar (February 2006):
- Official Release Thread
- Gazetteer (zipped word) edited by JTR
- Map, 8 miles per hex by Thorfinn Tait
- Alternate cover art by Jeffrey Kosh
- Alternate back cover by Jeffrey Kosh
- Supplement: Elvish Linguistics and Names Used in the Idrisian Sphere (To Do)
- Supplement: Clarifying the Confusion over Text and the Updated Map Names (To Do)
GAZ F2 Denizens of Denagoth (April 2006):
- Official Release Thread
- Gazetteer (zipped Word) edited by JTR
- Map, 8 miles per hex (image plus comments) by JTR
- Alternate cover art by Jeffrey Kosh
- Supplement: Weapon Mastery for the Corded Flanged Mace (To Do)
GAZ F3 The Northern Wildlands (June 2006)
- Official Release Thread
- Gazetteer (zipped Word) edited by JTR
- Map, 8 miles per hex by JTR
- Alternate cover art by Jeffrey Kosh
GAZ F4 The Hidden Treasure of Ghyr (September 15)
- Official Release Thread
- Gazetteer (zipped Word) edited by JTR
- Map, 8 miles per hex by JTR
- Alternate cover art by Jeffrey Kosh
GAZ F5 The Western Alliance (December 4)
- Gazetteer (pdf) edited by JTR
- Map, 8 miles per hex by JTR
- Alternate cover art by Jeffrey Kosh
- Supplement: 10th Century Royal Timeline Chart for Ghyr and the Western Alliance (To Do)
Other Links and Notes
(To Do)