diff --git a/worlds/eldar/geography/creating-a-location.md b/worlds/eldar/geography/creating-a-location.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c576dff --- /dev/null +++ b/worlds/eldar/geography/creating-a-location.md @@ -0,0 +1,48 @@ +# Creating a Location in Eldar + +Every location in Eldar must have **a surprise** — something a traveler wouldn't expect. This is the core design principle of the world. + +## Structure for a Location Note + +```markdown +--- +type: location +world: Eldar +--- + +# [Location Name] + +> [!info] At a Glance +> **Type:** Forest / Village / Ruin / Crossroads / River / Hill / Other +> **First impression:** What a traveler sees at first glance +> **Mood:** Cozy / Ominous / Melancholy / Strange / Beautiful / Dangerous + +## What You See +## The Surprise +## The Rule +## The Spirit or Being +## Secrets +## Connections +## DM Notes +## Hooks +``` + +## The Required Elements + +Every location must have these: + +| Element | Purpose | +|---|---| +| **What You See** | Surface-level details. Keep it brief — the surprise is underneath. | +| **The Surprise** | The thing that isn't obvious. This is what makes the location memorable. | +| **The Rule** | An odd custom, warning, or local rule ("don't whistle after dark") | +| **The Spirit** | A being tied to this place, with its own goals | +| **Secrets** | Layered — surface, hidden, buried. Each requires more effort to uncover. | + +## Running It at the Table + +1. Describe **What You See** first — let the place feel ordinary +2. Let player curiosity or investigation reveal **The Surprise** +3. Let **The Rule** emerge naturally (an NPC mentions it, a sign, a consequence) +4. **The Spirit** should have its own agenda — not just waiting for the party +5. Layer the **Secrets** — don't dump them all at once diff --git a/worlds/eldar/geography/creating-a-region.md b/worlds/eldar/geography/creating-a-region.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..65963ef --- /dev/null +++ b/worlds/eldar/geography/creating-a-region.md @@ -0,0 +1,39 @@ +# Creating a Region in Eldar + +Every region in Eldar should feel distinct — different spirits, different rules, different kinds of surprises. + +## Structure for a Region Note + +```markdown +--- +type: region +world: Eldar +--- + +# [Region Name] + +> [!info] At a Glance +> **Type:** Forest / Moor / Valley / Coast / Mountain range / Other +> **Mood:** The overall feeling of this region +> **Known for:** One sentence summary + +## The Lay of the Land +## What Makes This Region Different +## Locations +## Local Spirits & Beings +## Customs & Warnings +## Connections to Other Regions +## Hooks +``` + +## What to Focus On + +The key question: **what flavor of magic, spirits, and surprises does this region have?** + +Every region should have a character. Example: *In this forest, magic is tied to memory. Everything said or done here is remembered by the trees, and the spirits react to what they've heard.* + +## Don't Forget + +- Every location within the region should have a surprise (see `[[creating-a-location]]`) +- Add local spirits tied to the region as a whole +- What do locals know that travelers don't? diff --git a/worlds/eldar/overview.md b/worlds/eldar/overview.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..bec6d77 --- /dev/null +++ b/worlds/eldar/overview.md @@ -0,0 +1,101 @@ +--- +type: world +name: Eldar +tone: wonder, melancholy, discovery +magic: common but localized, tied to place and nature +--- + +# Eldar + +> [!info] At a Glance +> **Tone:** Every place holds a secret. Sometimes dangerous, sometimes delightful, always surprising. +> **Magic:** Tied to places, nature, and ancient pacts. Not academic — alive, wild, and often strange. +> **Themes:** Discovery, belonging, found family, the weight of old things. + +## The World + +Eldar is old in the way that old things get *older*. Hills remember when they were mountains. Rivers remember when they were seas. Nothing here is just what it appears to be. + +Every region, village, forest, and crossroads has something beneath, behind, or within it — a secret, a spirit, a story waiting to be found. The world doesn't hand this out freely. You have to look, listen, or stumble into it. + +That's what makes it dangerous. And wonderful. + +## How Magic Works + +Magic in Eldar is **tied to place**. It's not a resource — it's a presence. + +- **Ley lines and old places** concentrate magical power. Crossroads, ancient trees, standing stones, ruins, and places of strong emotion become magical. +- **Spirits and beings** are local. A forest has *its* guardian. A river has *its* spirit. They don't travel far, and they care about their domain. +- **Pacts and bargains** matter more than spell slots. Magic is often negotiated, not just cast. +- **Everything has a cost or a catch.** Nothing is free. But the cost isn't always mechanical — sometimes it's social, narrative, or moral. + +### Reconciling with D&D 5.5e + +| PHB Assumption | Eldar's Reality | +|---|---| +| Spellcasters are common | They're rare and usually tied to a place, tradition, or pact | +| Villages are mundane | Every village has *something* — a well that grants visions, a baker whose bread heals | +| Magic items are trade goods | They're unique, often with a story or personality | +| Adventurers are common | The party is extraordinary — most people never leave their home region | + +**The game still uses 5.5e rules.** Spell slots, combat, skills all work as written. The flavor is what changes. + +## The Core Principle + +**No location is generic.** Every place the party visits should have at least one of: + +| Element | Description | +|---|---| +| **A surprise** | Something unexpected about the place (the bridge only appears in fog) | +| **A secret** | Hidden lore, a buried truth, a sleeping thing (the church is built on a slumbering giant) | +| **A spirit** | A being tied to this place, with its own goals and personality | +| **A rule** | An oddity of nature or custom (don't whistle after dark, never step on the moss) | +| **A story** | Something that happened here that still echoes (a promise broken centuries ago) | + +When designing a location, ask: *"What's the one thing a traveler wouldn't expect?"* + +## Regions + +> *Each region should feel distinct — different spirits, different rules, different kinds of surprises.* + +### Region Structure + +``` +geography/ +├── the-whispering-woods.md # A forest where the trees remember everything said in them +├── bridge-of-the-drowned.md # A bridge that appears only when someone needs it +├── the-hollow-hill.md # A hill with no top, where something sleeps +└── ... +``` + +## Factions + +> *Groups that operate in Eldar. They should have agendas, secrets, and connections to places.* + +| Faction | Description | +|---|---| +| *[Name]* | *What they want, what they know, what they hide* | + +## Notable Beings + +> *Ancient, powerful, or strange beings tied to places rather than people.* + +| Being | Location | Nature | +|---|---|---| +| *[Name/Title]* | *Where* | *What it is, what it wants* | + +## Tone & Themes + +- **Discovery over domination** — the world rewards curiosity, not conquest +- **Melancholy and wonder** — beautiful things are often sad, sad things are often beautiful +- **Old things matter** — the oldest being in a place is usually the most important +- **Found family** — people and creatures who don't belong anywhere find each other +- **Consequences** — actions ripple. Breaking a promise to a spirit matters decades later + +## Campaign Hooks + +- A player inherits a place (a cottage, a bridge, a boundary) and must learn what it means to tend it +- Something old is waking up, and the party is the only one who noticed +- A spirit offers a bargain — but the price is something they can't anticipate +- Two places are bleeding into each other, and the party must find out why +- A village asks for help with a problem that turns out to be much bigger than expected