Disclaimer: The history, features, and place-names of this setting all borrow heavily from the following sources: the Mystara setting of DnD’s early days (80s and 90s), the Forgotten Realms, the “Points of Light” setting from DnD’s 4th edition, settings from Magic: the Gathering; and even League of Legends and WeaponLord, among other influences I’m sure I’ve forgotten. Even though some of these things may be the same down to the exact names and lore, I feel like I’ve combined and revamped them in such a way that it’s still a very original place that contains a lot of my own ideas and my favorite parts from settings and campaigns I’ve played over the years. In other words, don't assume anything if you recognize something.

I should also mention that you, the player, are not expected to know much of this information or commit it to memory. It's nearly certain that your character is unaware of most of this information. This is merely to give you an idea of where your character could be from for purposes of your backstory, motivations, or to help generate ideas. If you have any questions about the setting, just ask. It's a reasonably fleshed out place.

Summary of Recent History: The Old Kingdom and the Last War

• Nentiran is a large continent in the greater world known as Mystara. The other known continents of note are Otawara, Sohei, and Tamut, which may be mentioned in brief.
• Nentiran is split down the middle by an impassable mountain range called Ish Sah, the Spine of the World. Because of this, when discussing its history, Nentiran histories West and East of Ish Sah unfold very differently, as the two sides have had very little contact with one another over time because of the mountains.
• The continent Nentiran is named for Nentir, also known as the “Old Kingdom,” which united the human peoples on the west side of the continent for several centuries in the distant past. Eventually however, around the time of the 10th century CE, Nentir eventually began to dissolve and split into many different kingdoms in the West: the “Old Kingdom” remained in Trendlevale to the north, Darrowkin expanded in the center-east, and Nephalia took control of the Skeleton Coast and Hinterlands in the far west.
• The Last War was a huge conflict in the West caused by a massive unification and uprising of the Grahzkul orc hordes in the northern tundras and the Grey Fells. No part of the West was left untouched by the war, but the dwarves of the Fells and the kingdom of Trendlevale had it the worst, being in such close proximity to the orcs’ homeland. Dwarves, humans, and even some elves entered uncertain alliances to fight back against the horde. The orcs lost and were forced to retreat back to the tundra, fragmenting once again into bickering, warlike tribes, but not without a great cost in lives and land to the rest of the western peoples.
• The Last War was recent enough that the current generation's parents or grandparents, or even the current generation themselves might have lived through or even fought in parts of it, depending on the race. Some orc warbands left over from the war still roam the lower parts of the continent or hold together as mercenary units. All in all, the Last War and its scars still weigh heavily on the land in the present day.
• By contrast, the East suffered little from the event of the Last War, if at all, though the region is complex and has its own politics and conflicts to worry about. The East, especially Glantri, was aware of the Last War mostly in the sense that they were able to communicate with the West even less than before.

This message was last edited by the GM at 05:58, Sat 16 Apr 2022.

Nentiran Atlas

From west to east...

Nephalia — Nephalia began from hunting and trapping settlements on the western frontier of the Old Kingdom. Their most populous settlements started as sites for ghost-lighters, rogues that lured ships to crash at shore and looted the cargo. Their capital city is Gavony, and they have expanded as a maritime trade nation; their borders end in the north at the Grey Fells, in the east with Trendlevale, and in the south along the Skeleton Coast and the Hinterlands. Nephalia faces recurring problems with gothic and supernatural threats such as vampires, werewolves, zombies, and other horrors. As a result, monster hunters and rangers are very common in the cities and on the frontier. Worship of the angel Pelora is common and widespread in Nephalia: they believe she descended from Celestia to protect them and allow them to settle, and that she now takes the form of a heron. As a result, the only real military group besides local militias is the Order of the Heron, an organization of cathars, soldiers, clerics, and paladins resolved to keep watch until Pelora returns. The Nephalian government is a loose oligarchy of consuls and magistrates; most of the governing is left to individual cities.

The Grey Fells — a mountain range housing various forge-cities of the dwarves. The dwarves are in near constant warfare with orc tribes in the mountains and the tundra beyond. Hill Dwarves settle in the foothills and in the Hinterlands, and are generally more amicable and accepting than their jaded Mountain Dwarf cousins.

The Hinterlands — unclaimed wilderness in the south and west of the continent. There are settlements of humans, dwarves, and elves, but none claim allegiance to a larger empire, the wilderness being too thick. Monsters and goblin tribes also abound in these woods. Notably, at the edge of the Hinterlands in the south and east, near to Darrowkin, is Hessen’s Tower, a great library-fortress presided over by a stewardship of mages.

Trendlevale — Trendlevale is the last vestige of the “Old Kingdom,” the last place where the old Nentir monarchy still holds sway. It is a very traditional place, where knights, lords, and serfs still follow the old feudalist ways. Trendlevale lies in the north, encompassing the part of the tundra surrounding the Grey Fells, and the forest and moors continuing south. There is a very strong military tradition there, and the army is never at rest, constantly having to battle orcs in the north. Faith in the Nentiran pantheon is strongest in Trendlevale, though minor deities and spirits are sometimes worshiped among the more isolated people of the forests. Magic is largely feared and not widely practiced in Trendlevale, a holdover from older times. The power of the Nentir monarchy and lordships has waned considerably since the Last War, since they had the worst of it fighting the Orcs.

Darrowkin — The Republic of Darrowkin is named for its largest and most important city, though the government is based in Athenos to the north. Darrowkin started as a merchant kingdom, with powerful merchant houses opting to separate themselves from the archaic Nentir monarchy that still resides in Trendlevale. To this day, the representative government of Darrowkin is still largely a plutocracy of the leaders of powerful merchant houses. Their territory borders with Trendlevale in the north and west, with Ish Sah and the Deepwoods in the east, and with the Hinterlands and the Rainlands in the south. In the southern forests Darrowkin claims small villages that lie along the trade roads that lead to the more important northern cities. They also move trade with steamships along the River Streel. North of Darrowkin (the city), along the Streel, forest gives way to marshlands called the Witch Fens which surround the capital Athenos. Darrowkin employs a strong military force to protect its caravans and steamships from abundant monsters, pirates, and bandits. Worship of the Nentiran pantheon is standard, and magic is uncommon but largely tolerated.

The Rainlands — tropical rainforests that were settled by Nentir pilgrims. Indigenous tribes of humans and lizardfolk live in the jungles and swamp, while pilgrims have cleared the path for frontier towns such as Elcross (arguably the most important city), Fallcrest, Gateridge, and Mistdown. These villages are missions that have to continually deal with aggression from indigenous peoples, dinosaurs, and other monsters. Hidden cities of Yuan-Ti and other dark races lay hidden deep in the jungles. There is no unifying government for the mission-towns, but there is a general sense of goodwill between them, as they were all largely founded on common purpose.

The Deepwoods — both High Elves and Wood Elves settle these woods in large communities, one of the last places in Nentiran where elves still hold power. Very few humans venture deep enough into the thick forests, which in addition to elves are stalked by monsters and goblin tribes.

Ish Sah — a huge, largely impassable mountain range running down the center of the continent, often called the Spine of the World. Mountain Dwarves make their homes in parts of it, but some parts are too dangerous and monster infested even for them. Where the mountain range ends in the north, is a place of deserts, canyons, and spikes called The Broken Lands. Descending on the east side of The Broken Lands is a large northern steppe, the most prominent homeland of organized goblin tribes and warbands.

Glantri — Glantri, the City of Twilight, gives its name to other territories and principalities it claims east of Ish Sah and along the Azra desert. It is a sprawling city-state presided over by a magocracy of feuding wizard circles. Although magic is resultantly more common and accepted in Glantri, its use is vigilantly policed by the Cowled Wizards. The bureaucracy is such that expensive permits and licenses are needed to practice magic in the city, so corruption is rampant. Arcane ability is also seen as a symbol of status: fewer of the poorer classes show this ability or are given an opportunity to develop or study it. The prevalence of magic has made Glantri more advanced in the ways of science, so they use airships and juggernaut trains to advance their commerce and influence. Glantri’s territory is defined in the west by Ish Sah (isolating them from most of the western kingdoms), in the north by the Northern Steppe and the Broken Lands, in the south by the Greenfields, and in the east by the expanse of the Azra. Juggernaut trains are used to move materials, for trade, sustenance, or arcane purposes, across the Azra desert, and in and around Glantri proper and the forests and villages surrounding it. These trains are commonly guarded by mercenary soldiers and mages against goblin bandits and Azra tribes. Divine worship is not unheard of, but mostly uncommon in Glantri, especially of the Nentiran pantheon.

Azra — The Azra is the name of both the vast desert to the east of Ish Sah and the blanket term for the various indigenous human tribes that live there. The desert is huge and expansive, and large parts of it are virtually uninhabited, the conditions inhospitable to many forms of life. Where there is life, you can find the culturally and linguistically diverse Azra tribes, who are generally nomadic and warlike. Oases in the desert are generally thought of as neutral ground and “safe zones,” so small, peaceful communities flourish there. Hidden in the sands are a variety of desert monsters and wildlife, as well as hidden ruins of long lost civilizations that some intrepid Nentir take it upon themselves to explore and plunder. In the West, where Glantri’s juggernaut trains run, there is a consistent power struggle between the Azra tribes, the goblins of the Northern Steppe, and the Glantrians. Some Azra are more cooperative with Glantri than others, and will trade using the juggernauts or use them to move from place to place.

Tymanther — Tymanther is the prosperous homeland of the Dragonborn, a militaristic kingdom that lies to the south of the Greenfields. Though it is populated and governed primarily by Dragonborn, they are one of the more tolerant kingdoms on Nentiran, and as such, are also home to tieflings, dwarves, and some humans. Tieflings in particular are safest and most prosperous living in Tymanther, though they are not native to the place. A strong military tradition combined with a hatred of dragons and proximity to the nesting grounds in the Greenfields promotes a tradition of dragon-hunting and dragon slaying in Tymanther. The most noble and respected clans are known for their brazen raids on dragon lairs. Tymanther’s relations with other nations is limited: Glantri does not send trains through the Greenfields for fear of dragon attacks, and therefore has limited trade with them; and Ish Sah prevents extended contact with any of the western kingdoms. Religion is also less prevalent in Tymanther, especially amongst the Dragonborn, but some worship Bahamut and Tiamat in addition to the rest of the Nentiran pantheon.

The Greenfields — The Halflings do not have a homeland such as it is, but the greatest concentration of Halfling clans is found wandering the Greenfields, a land of grassy plains south of the Azra desert. In ancient times, the Greenfields were a primary nesting ground of dragons, and remains so to this day, though less prevalently. Certain areas of the larger Greenfields area are very dangerous to travel through because of their ties and claims to dragonkind.

The Frozen Wastes — North of the Azra and to the east of the Broken Lands lies a colder desert of snow and ice simply referred to as the Wastes. Small tribes of humans impossibly make their homes in the inhospitable cold, but there are few permanent settlements. Sometimes Glantri or even the Azra will exile disgraced or dangerous members of their societies to the Wastes: it’s viewed similarly to execution. Most normal people would have no cause to go there.

Miscellaneous World Information

Knowledge of Geography

• For common folk living in human kingdoms in the West, it’s rare to know much of the surrounding geography other than nearby local landmarks, and perhaps roads and important cities or towns. It’s likely they’ve heard of other domains, at least by name, but they’d be unlikely to think of them as anything but some far-off place. Knowledge of the East would be exceedingly rare, and knowing of the existence of other continents like Otawara and Sohei would be virtually unheard of.
• Detailed maps in the West are few and far between. The most common are local maps designed to guide travelers to roads, and are rarely larger than a few days' travel in scope, and even those are rare in rural or wilder areas. Large, detailed maps of the continent are exceedingly rare — only a few have ever been commissioned, and their existence is generally a closely guarded secret by whoever possesses them (usually someone of wealth and power). Having a detailed map could also be seen as a sign of status, that the owner has the time and inclination for intellectual pursuits as well as the resources to commission the map.
• Things in the East are slightly different. Glantri, with its abundance of wizards, scholars, and scribes, has many accurate maps pertaining to their domain, but these are still generally reserved for the upper class or for intellectuals. Otherwise, it’s mostly the same story.
• Dwarven and elven domains rarely have concern for lands beyond their borders, and since they are longer lived, the borders of human nations seem to change too often to be worth keeping track of. More intellectual communities of the high elves in particular are generally more inclined to keep accurate and up-to-date maps.

Knowledge of History

• For humans in the West, the average person knows of the Last War. It likely directly affected their parents or grandparents, and still affects the conditions of their daily lives in some ways. Some might have heard “legends” or “fairy tales” of the old Nentir kingdom that united the West, but beyond this, the history of Nentiran is not common knowledge.
• Wealthier and more powerful individuals may be learned enough to know about the old Nentir kingdom and its gradual dissolution into Nepahlia, Trendlevale, Darrowkin, and other smaller jurisdictions. The time of the collapse of the Old Kingdom is generally regarded as the Dark Ages, which generally ended as Darrowkin consolidated its power as a merchant kingdom.

The Nentiran Pantheon

• The Nentiran Pantheon and the gods of Mystara are the same as that of the Forgotten Realms. The only difference is that the history and deeds of those gods in the Realms obviously doesn’t apply to their presence on Mystara, although they have the same names and stand for the same things.