In the beginning, God Sublime, called 绝伦 Jué Lún, created five caretakers called Wardens and set each one over one of the five worlds. Over time myths and religions have accorded the wardens many powers.
This much is known: they each have lordship over one of the five seasons, elements, life stages, and worlds as well as at least two races of kith, two passions, and some of the saints. The numbers five and ten are considered holy, lucky, or numinous by most kith of Welkin.
Today I am enumerating more details about the Wardens. I am keeping this mostly to things that will be accepted knowledge by averagely-educated people in the setting. Secrets may come later. For now we will be adding to what we made last time which was the following for each warden:
Name:
Morality:
Vice:
Element:
Passions:
World:
Players will want a lot of choices and to make a dynamic setting we will want more than five playable races, so I will start with saying each warden created two types of sentient beings on their world. These will have spread throughout the worlds over time. I have decided that sentients call each other kith and others of the same kind kin. Some other things I will add is information about the warden’s personality, the types of person or activity that they love the most, and the thing the warden is considered a harbinger or bringer of. As far as morality and vices, it will be up to the DM whether the vice is an expression of the warden, in the sense of being the other side of the coin, or if the vice is the thing the warden most hates. Both could lead to interesting results in your game.
Also, if I associate each warden with a season, I will need a fifth season to dole out. This could be monsoon or a new season I invent. I like both of these ideas. Maybe I will have part of the world use monsoon and the other part use the new season….
I’m thinking the season should go between winter and spring. It is a season of doubt over whether the next year will bring plenty or lack. But the farmers will be preparing for spring, even if it is a few months away. I will call the new season “Harrowing” and that will encompass the fear of the unknown and the farming activities taking place at that time.
Also, if people for thousands of years have been worshipping these gods and according them powers, proclivities, and personality, they will need lots of titles and nicknames. This leaves us with this list:
Name:
Title:
World:
Morality:
Vice:
Season:
Harbinger of:
Kith:
Kith:
Lover of:
Element:
Passions:
Skrion is the bringer of transformation. She is the patron of air and the harrowing season, as well as dread and confidence.
Welkin is a world dominated by floating continents, many earth motes, and a layer of thick clouds about 2,000 miles below, beyond which no reports have come.
Onyros is the bringer of harvest. He is the patron of earth and autumn, as well as grief and joy.
Reverie is the world of dreams and nightmares, always shifting and changing but always just below the waking world. You could run Reverie as the Ethereal Plane or a Mirror World in that it is always touching all other places. Halflings can use this connection to speak to each other over long distances and humans use their connection to dreams to facilitate creativity and divinations.
The Raven Queen is the bringer of stasis. She is the patron of water and winter, as well as apathy and zeal.
Ashen is a dark mirror of Welkin full of flowing waters and ice. This is the world where the dead dwell in peace waiting to be reborn into the other worlds.
Ecbol! is the bringer of birth, and is the patron of wood and spring, as well as intensity and euphoria.
The Weald is the primeval forest, vast and untamable. It is dotted with fey, sylvan, and elven courts but many clans have fled to Welkin in the face of encroaching evil.
Tisar is the bringer of growth. He is the patron of fire and summer, as well as anger and love.
Lambent is a harsh anvil laying beneath the hammer of the sun. The sands and glittering cities lie baking beneath the near-constant daylight. Here secrets are the greatest wealth, artisans enjoy the most fame, and magic is at its most potent.
This much is known: they each have lordship over one of the five seasons, elements, life stages, and worlds as well as at least two races of kith, two passions, and some of the saints. The numbers five and ten are considered holy, lucky, or numinous by most kith of Welkin.
Today I am enumerating more details about the Wardens. I am keeping this mostly to things that will be accepted knowledge by averagely-educated people in the setting. Secrets may come later. For now we will be adding to what we made last time which was the following for each warden:
Name:
Morality:
Vice:
Element:
Passions:
World:
Players will want a lot of choices and to make a dynamic setting we will want more than five playable races, so I will start with saying each warden created two types of sentient beings on their world. These will have spread throughout the worlds over time. I have decided that sentients call each other kith and others of the same kind kin. Some other things I will add is information about the warden’s personality, the types of person or activity that they love the most, and the thing the warden is considered a harbinger or bringer of. As far as morality and vices, it will be up to the DM whether the vice is an expression of the warden, in the sense of being the other side of the coin, or if the vice is the thing the warden most hates. Both could lead to interesting results in your game.
Also, if I associate each warden with a season, I will need a fifth season to dole out. This could be monsoon or a new season I invent. I like both of these ideas. Maybe I will have part of the world use monsoon and the other part use the new season….
I’m thinking the season should go between winter and spring. It is a season of doubt over whether the next year will bring plenty or lack. But the farmers will be preparing for spring, even if it is a few months away. I will call the new season “Harrowing” and that will encompass the fear of the unknown and the farming activities taking place at that time.
Also, if people for thousands of years have been worshipping these gods and according them powers, proclivities, and personality, they will need lots of titles and nicknames. This leaves us with this list:
Name:
Title:
World:
Morality:
Vice:
Season:
Harbinger of:
Kith:
Kith:
Lover of:
Element:
Passions:
The Wardens
Skrion
Skrion, Lord of Winds is the Warden of Welkin. She is the authority over all the worlds and the special master of Welkin itself. She considers subversion or disrespect to be the greatest vice. She is warm and giving in the summer, but cold and spiteful in the winter. She loves the tengu (aarakocra), predators, and all who take for themselves and exercise their legal authority. She is the creator of the murine (a mousefolk and ratfolk player option), but they no longer worship her.Skrion is the bringer of transformation. She is the patron of air and the harrowing season, as well as dread and confidence.
Welkin is a world dominated by floating continents, many earth motes, and a layer of thick clouds about 2,000 miles below, beyond which no reports have come.
Onyros
Onyros, Shaper of Minds is Warden of Reverie, the Dream Roads which lie beneath all creation. He is mysterious and lord of a place that connects all places. He values fairness and proportionality and considers cheating and nepotism to be the greatest vices. He loves humans, halflings, and all who tell stories, sing songs, and or create.Onyros is the bringer of harvest. He is the patron of earth and autumn, as well as grief and joy.
Reverie is the world of dreams and nightmares, always shifting and changing but always just below the waking world. You could run Reverie as the Ethereal Plane or a Mirror World in that it is always touching all other places. Halflings can use this connection to speak to each other over long distances and humans use their connection to dreams to facilitate creativity and divinations.
Raven Queen
The name of the Warden of Ashen, or the Pale, is long forgotten, but she is called the Raven Queen. She is the Spinner of Fates. She marks the end of each mortal life with a promise of peace; mourners call upon her at funeral rites in the hope that she will keep the departed from the curse of undeath. She values above all purity and sanctity and fights above all else degradation and pollution. This is why she fights evil undead and protects the faithful from undeath. She has a special love for changelings, driven (an undead player option), and all who persevere. The Raven Queen seeks to free the changelings from slavery to the dragons who brought them from Ashen to Welkin.The Raven Queen is the bringer of stasis. She is the patron of water and winter, as well as apathy and zeal.
Ashen is a dark mirror of Welkin full of flowing waters and ice. This is the world where the dead dwell in peace waiting to be reborn into the other worlds.
Ecbol!
Eladrin say the Warden of the Weald is a vengeful, deadly female named Ecbola, Moon-Maiden. Crag Maya say the Warden of the Weald is a sanguine, helpful male named Ecbole, Life-Giver. All the untamed places, but especially the forests, are under their eye. Ecbole has a special love for crag maya elves, sylva ( a plant-like player option) and all who nurture life. Ecbola watches over eladrin elves and all who take vengeance. She holds a grudge against the sylva.Ecbol! is the bringer of birth, and is the patron of wood and spring, as well as intensity and euphoria.
The Weald is the primeval forest, vast and untamable. It is dotted with fey, sylvan, and elven courts but many clans have fled to Welkin in the face of encroaching evil.
Tisar
Tisar, Fire Wielder, the Warden of Lambent, is a passionate and intemperate master. He is prideful to a fault and his curiosity has no known bounds. He is also called the Watcher in the Desert and his eyes pierce all mirages to see truth. He has a love for goblins, shardminds, and all who work magic or craft with metals, gems, and eldritch ceramics or eldritch glass.Tisar is the bringer of growth. He is the patron of fire and summer, as well as anger and love.
Lambent is a harsh anvil laying beneath the hammer of the sun. The sands and glittering cities lie baking beneath the near-constant daylight. Here secrets are the greatest wealth, artisans enjoy the most fame, and magic is at its most potent.
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