As we prepare to make a triumphant return to the world of Solken in our upcoming roleplaying season, our GMs have put together this handy primer to the world and its inhabitants.
As we prepare to make a triumphant return to the world of Solken in our upcoming roleplaying season, our GMs have put together this handy primer to the world and its inhabitants.
Solken is a world of high fantasy created by the Treehouse in 2017, and was the setting of our first Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Back then, it was a world recovering from catastrophe; a world whose central culture had been lost in an apocalyptic event and who sought to recover its soul with the guidance of the seven gods.
Now, the gods are dead.
At the conclusion of the original Solken campaign, the pantheon (six “old” gods, and the false god Cserbenyaga) were shattered into thousands of tiny shards, each containing a miniscule portion of the potential of that god. These Shards fell from the sky towards the lands of Solken. Where they struck people, they were transformed into demigods responsible for their own destiny. Where they struck places, they became holy sites of power. Where they struck objects, they became instantly legendary magical artifacts. These Shards are the most powerful forces in Solken.
Solken’s lands are made up of five main continents, briefly outlined below.
Temorel. Once the home of many feuding kingdoms, the old Church united the Temorel Empire into a collection of parishes. While the Church is no longer an active force in Temorel, the political machinations of the parishes never truly went away, and the fields and forests of the continent often trade hands in strategic deals and counter-claims. Those outside of Temorel often take a dim view of its citizens’ intelligence, characterising them as rubes and simpletons.
The Northern Territories. Connected to Temorel by a land bridge at its southern tip, the Northern Territories are thought of as cold and inhospitable by those beyond its borders. In truth, while the settlements of this area are few and far between, their clans are tight-knit and fiercely loyal. Far to the north the dwarf-kings sit alone in their palaces that once belonged to giants, making proclamations that echo through the vast tunnels below the earth.
Aerix. The heat of the Timaron desert has forced the inhabitants living on its borders to find ingenious methods of survival. The multi-hued dragons of Whitewing have evolved against the sun, their super-sized city casting shadows of sanctuary. Further north, in the city of Angley, gnome inventors celebrate ingenuity and creative problem solving for the common good. However, since the coming of the Shards, great strides in technology have made some of the surrounding traditionalists nervous - particularly the rumours of living metal men…
Yagora. Once a continent of thinkers and scientists, Yagora was ravaged by the Year of Catastrophe more than any other (arguably; see below), leaving it cracked and desolate. The fey courts, seeing an opportunity, began to twist the land in strange, surreal ways to suit their own ends. Perhaps if they hadn’t, the fall of the gods might have allowed Yagora to heal again - instead, the land remains as wild and dangerous as ever.
New Elar (not pictured). The home of the Children of the Sun. New Elar is an island cluster that rose from the remnants of Elar, an old continent which sank into the ocean during the Year of Catastrophe. While it was never recovered fully, roughly a third of the continent was struck by a set of Shards and returned to the surface, where a community of idealists from across the world began to craft it in the name of New Elar.
If Solken sounds like your kind of place, why not come and join us on our upcoming adventure, starting on March 3rd? Book your place here.
