Welcome! This is the basic world information for the Myths of the Moss-Wren Isles campaign. I will update pages as needed.

Don’t worry about reading everything on this page (and especially not any pages linked off of this page). If you just want the basics, read Key World Concepts and skim Character Creation Information. Everything after those sections is merely providing a little more context and some potential adventure hooks—there are several factions and established locations. Any linked pages are just further worldbuilding I’ve done.

If you have any questions, reach out to me on Discord (@Eleilinn) and I’ll get back to you with answers (and probably another page to link here). This site is a web version of my Obsidian notes, so it’s easy for me to quickly pull something together and publish it to web!

Key World Concepts

The Power of Belief

In the Moss-Wren Isles, belief informs and shapes reality and reality informs and shapes belief. From the order of the seasons to the existence of the gods, things happen because that is the way most people for a long time have thought they happen. Divine magic is the power of belief—things like deities and Myths only have power because they are believed to have that power. Eventually, people believe they have that power because they do. It’s a bit of a cycle.

Myths

The Myths are collections of divine power that have attached themselves to stories (or the people from those stories). In some ways, these figures serve as minor gods, actually governing small “portfolios” called patronages, responding to prayers and problems within their patronages, and causing different events within the world. Anything people tell stories about can be a Myth—the flow of the seasons, a hero that miraculously saved a town, a pair of lovers doomed to separation by the elves’ cycle of reincarnation—and has real divine power.

I have a few examples, but a Myth can be almost anything—think of Myths you can bring to the table! Stories your character grew up with, heroes from where they came from, concepts important to their character that have crystallised into a being people tell stories about and in some ways worship, almost anything. What people believe has power, whether that’s connected to a god or not.

Examples of Myths:

Demiplanes

The main plane of existence in this setting is called the Prime Plane (a correction of the less accurate term “Prime Material Plane”). Humanoids, beasts, and monstrosities are primarily creatures of the Prime Plane. However, eons before the Breaking of the gods, a plane of existence adjacent to the Prime Plane shattered. The plane-stuff that made up that plane formed pocket dimensions of various sizes—the demiplanes. Some are occupied and are the size of small nations; others are as small as a bag of holding. In the Moss-Wren Isles, some demiplanes have wide open portals and easy passage. They can house cities, provide quick passage between otherwise distant parts of the Prime Plane, or act as vaults and storage places. Other demiplanes are hard to reach and require specialised spells to access.

Demiplanes do not always follow the same rules as the Prime Plane. Time, space, magic, and creatures are all affected by the demiplane’s small scope of reality. While this is not noticeable on some demiplanes—those most frequently reached by those from the Prime Plane have little to no change in behaviour—others are almost incomprehensible. Most are somewhere on the middle of the spectrum.

The planar model of the Moss-Wren Isles is termed Disc Cosmology.

Character Creation Information

Come to Session 0 with three character concepts. They don’t need to be fleshed out—just a sentence with archetype, hook, or build should be enough! We’ll discuss character creation in more depth in Session 0 to make sure everyone’s on the same page and to streamline questions and answers. For now: we’ll be starting at level 3 and using point buy/standard array. This campaign will use the D&D 5e (2014) rule system, with homebrew and 3rd party content permitted (once cleared with me). Most WotC material is also ok.

Tone and Feel

The Moss-Wren Isles are an ancient place, where history sends its echoes through every new discovery and where both the land and the people have long memories. Sincere belief shapes the world in tangible ways—belief that can be corrupted, destroyed, and rebuilt. While many stories are solemn and carry the weight of lives, others are beacons of hope, directing listeners to persevere and build a better world together.

The campaign will center around discovering and defeating a corrupting force that is twisting the Myths and threatening to send the whole world into upheaval. Uncovering this corruption will involve travel—travel to the places where different Myths hold sway, travel to demiplanes where the rules will change on you, travel to your own homes. You will need to uncover secrets that have been hidden in the history of the world and set things right in whatever way seems fitting.

I am aiming for a mythic, exploratory tone. There is room for both humour and cynicism, but tempered by sincerity and hope. When considering what kind of character you want to play, keep the following in mind:

Races

For the most part, people in the Moss-Wren Isles live in diverse communities with a mix of different races. Halflings are the cultural backbone of the Isles, with goblins, dragonborn, and kulnhelm often falling on the outskirts of these communities as travellers and relative newcomers respectively. Isolated communities of different races retain their cultures and religions, and even in relatively assimilated areas, these beliefs are alive, if less prominent and viewed as fringe practices.

More information on each race can be found on People of Moss-Wren. If a race you want to play isn’t listed here, it means I haven’t fleshed out how it fits in this setting, but if you want to play something not listed then I’ll work with you to get it situated within the world!

Dragonborn

Perfectionists with close family ties and a strong bond to their clan
Dragonborn are new to the Moss-Wren Isles—they did not walk the lands until after the Breaking. Many dragonborn stick to their clans, though chromatic dragonborn are more likely than others to leave those clans and live among the broader people of the Isles.

Dwarves

Masons and supply line managers known for their fine work and expert bargaining
Though the dwarf kingdom of the Delves thrives, many dwarves found homes in the mountains, hills, and harbours elsewhere. Several notable dwarven families control trade routes between the Isles, and dwarven masons have earned a reputation for reliable, high-quality stonework.

Elves

Memory keepers who record the history of those who do not live as long as them
Much of the old elven culture was lost in the Breaking, leaving many elves without a clear idea of their origins. The elves are meticulous record-keepers and historians, and many communities look to their long memories when questions about history arise.

Gnomes

Inventors who channel elemental energy into feats of mechanical engineering
Gnomes are known for their incredible inventions and indomitable optimism. They thrive in the larger cities of the Isles—though many have set up shop in towns or rural labs where they are less likely to get interrupted by pesky questions about property damage or late-night noise complaints.

Goblins

Travellers who rarely settle in one place—tinkers, traders, and nomads
It is rare for any large group of goblins to settle down in one place for long. While individuals and small families may settle into the established towns and cities that dot the Isles, most stay on the move.

Halflings

The backbone of society, whose gods have become the stable foundation for greater Moss-Wren civilisation
The halfling gods and culture have become ubiquitous through the Moss-Wren Isles, and halflings themselves are the backbone of many of the cities and towns. Many trust their leadership, born of a reputation for practical peacekeeping.

Humans

Craftsmen and monument-makers who leave marks that long outlast their short lives
Few woodcarvers and carpenters can rival the skill of the oldest human guilds. Humans have a strong oral storytelling tradition and pass the knowledge used to carve the monuments they are best known for through epics, legends, and songs.

Kulnhelm

Extraplanar exiles who search for a home in a world without their gods
Kulnhelm came to the Moss-Wren Isles after the Breaking destroyed their home plane—though some are scattered across demiplane remnants of that home. Many wander in search of these demiplanes, while others seek to build a new home in the Isles.

Orcs

Farmers and weavers whose wisdom will outlast even the most famous of academic theories
Most orc communities are rural farming towns, though with the recent push for textile creation in cities, this is changing. Many academics dismiss the longstanding wisdom of orcish stories as “old wives tales,” much to their own detriment.

Tieflings

Fiendish outcasts, locked out of religion and forced to gain the respect of their communities through hard labour or exquisite craftsmanship
The fiendish mark left on tieflings has led to unfounded distrust from the general populace. Many tieflings are barred from the religiously-tied fields of medicine, education, and government, and thus tiefling families turn to the more profitable resource-gathering or crafting.

Class Notes

There are designations of magic in the Moss-Wren Isles: arcane, the power of knowledge; divine, the power of belief; and primal, the power of connection. They are seen as distinct disciplines from one another. Spellcasting classes have different designations:

Clerics are most often dedicated to the Divine Cycle pantheon, though they may be followers of a Myth that has empowered them or may practice another religion. A broad overview of this is available in the Religion Primer.

Mythic Boons

Many adventurers in the Moss-Wren Isles have personal connections to the Myths. Some worship a particular figure from the stories they grew up hearing. Others seek to emulate a local hero from times gone by. Whatever the connection, these Myths grant these adventurers with a boon that aids them in their adventures. If your character has a specific tie to a Myth, consider what they may have gained from this, be it an item or an ability.

Once we have the party together, I’ll work with people to get a magic item or feat together, pretty much.

The Breaking

The end of the old era and the beginning of this, the new, has been termed the Breaking by historians. In the Breaking, a drastic cosmic shift altered the balance of divine power, reshaping the gods themselves. While no one remembers the world before, there is an academic and cultural awareness of a before—the stories tell of the way the gods changed, and how they came to be who and what they are now.

The most notable change, and the one for which the event was named, was the breaking of the Way God of the Divine Cycle. The halfling pantheon was composed of three gods with three faces each—the creation god Rhialis, the death god Thynmur, and the Way God, the god of everything in between. The Way God buckled under the weight of too many divine responsibilities and broke into their three faces, now known as the three Way Gods in memory of their predecessor. Fragments of divine power were suddenly more common, and the Myths became more easily formed. Other religions saw similar disruption, from the world tapestry of the orc gods being shredded

In the Breaking, two races also came to the Prime Plane for the first time: dragonborn and kulnhelm. Through the new era, they have struggled to integrate into the broader Moss-Wren Isles for different reasons. Dragonborn prefer to stick to their tight-knit clans. Kulnhelm are compulsive wanderers, often haring after demiplanes in search of remnants of the plane that was once their home.

Factions

I don’t currently have many established factions in the world.

Geography

I need to get me a fucking map

Locations

Caernmyth

Caernmyth, the City of Myths, was founded by adeific Myth worshippers to give them a place they could practice their religion without scrutiny. Now, it is the academic center of Myth research and documentation, housing the grand Caernic Library. Many of the greatest casters of divine magic are educated here and have set up a home for themselves. With the recent disruption of the Myths, both the Caernic Library and the Academies are concerned and have called for adventurers to help them investigate.

Eden

The city of Eden is in a constant state of destruction and rebuilding. It is a city battered by storms and flooded by waves—called the City of the Cyclone by some. Despite the harsh weather and impermanence of all but the most sturdy of its buildings, it houses some of the most prestigious academies in the Moss-Wren Isles, and keeps a library of rare books sealed in a demiplane that is only open when the eye of the storm centers on its entrance.

Korvanuth

The upper underdark cavern of Korvanuth houses the eponymous city, a hub of trade with the overbright peoples. Goods and ideas trade minds and hands—though genuine authenticity from either the underdark denizens or the overbright visitors is hard to come by. Korvanuth is known as the Masked City. It only shows the best side of the underdark, masking the parts that surface people find strange. Similarly, those visiting seek to represent the overbright as ambassadors, avoiding offence at every turn.

Wheelhaven

When the wandering caravan of Saint Sarah finally ceased to travel, they built houses around the grave of their now-dead leader. The wagons were converted to shelters and eventually the caravan became the bustling town of Wheelhaven. While it is a small place, it is a haven for any travellers and outcasts passing through.

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