Pillar Arisen is set in the fantasy world of Almora. 800 years ago, Almora was changed forever after the Divine Culling, a massive catastrophe that drove a majority of the gods away and changed the face of it's cultures forever. Now, the planet has healed, but the remains of the disaster has left a plethora of ruins and dungeons to explore, for those who are willing.
The world of Pillar Arisen is a homebrew setting written and developed by Riley, in an attempt to pay homage to all the things that make D&D great while still putting unique twists on D&D staples. A map of the main continent play takes place on, Torieus, is provided below.
The Braid
The main story of Pillar Arisen follows a new adventuring guild, the Braid. Formed by the elvish rogue Jeruselem in his pursuit of old, treasure, and recognition, Jeruselem has hired Kaia, a powerful Centaur Paladin, and Loys, a charismatic human Bard. Together, they take increasingly dangerous jobs that take them across the scarred country of Greyscale.
Follow the Braid on their quest for more gold, treasure, and recognition in a world full of the scars of an ancient apocalypse.
System: Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition (Including Homebrew)
Gamemaster: Riley
The Players
Rowan: Jeruselem Estieril
Moon Elf Rogue, Assassin
Age: 120~
Pronouns: he/him
Bio: The Estierils’ fortune is whispered to be akin to a king’s. Publicly, they are very successful in their family businesses, but privately their fortune is built upon, assassination, blackmail, and shady dealings. They are extremely loyal to their name, with each representing the entire family, a fault against one of them is a fault against them all. This fortune is passed to the family member that can add the most assets and wealth to it.
Jeruselem is the youngest in the family, not to mention the most selfish, immature, and narcissistic. Not a single member of the Estieril name wants the fortune to pass to him, and they don't expect it to anyways. But with the establishing of his guild, the Braid, and a small allowance from his family to pay for its upkeep, he is determined to amass wealth greater than the Estieril’s have ever seen and prove himself the rightful inheritor of the family fortune.
Megan: Lavinia
Protector Aasimar Druid, Circle of the Star
Age: Young Adult
Pronouns: she/her
Bio: Lavinia is a student researcher of celestial navigation for The White Messengers. She has always had a special connection with the night sky and is excited to gain some practical experience with charting after so many years of more intuitive/religious meditation. Lavinia desperately wants to help everyone she cares about and sees the best in others. She believes in doing the right thing but is mostly just doing her best. She can get caught up in the moment and forget to think about consequences. Lavinia is currently traveling with Sir Bradley, putting her research to practice and learning more about the world and her place in it.
Jamie: Kaia
Centaur Paladin, Oath of the Watchers
Age: 28
Pronouns: she/her
Bio: Kaia was born and raised in the Diaspora, but she wasn't content to be forced to walk circles her entire life. She left her family to become a soldier in hopes that protecting and fighting would scratch that itch, but it didn't. And so, she instead joined a school to learn magic. Her school, along with all of the knowledge it contained, was burned by a demon named Macchavos. She now travels with the Braid in hopes to gather as much knowledge as she can to make up for everything her school lost, as well as take revenge on Macchavos.
Ris: Loys
Human Bard, School of Glamour
Age: ~23
Pronouns: he/him, doesn’t care
Bio: A con artist with a talent for music and charm, this human was taken off the streets in his teens by the god Sylph, teaching them the ways of fey magic. Deciding that the best way to live a life of luxury was to get famous, he set himself out to become the celebrity “Lucky Starlight”, and soon enough joined in the Braid, hoping to make the most money off of Jeruselem’s own goal of obtaining wealth.
Justin: Sir William Bradley
Cayten Fighter, Battle Master
Age: late 30s
Pronouns: he/him
Bio: The bestest pupper! He graduated from the royal academy in battle studies with an emphasis in navigation. He found he had a passion for humanitarian work and anthropology so he left the army and to start leading missions for The White Messengers. He can't stand bloodshed but he can more than hold his own in a fight should the need arise.
Oops All Paladins follows the Knights of the Inner Circle, the highest order of knights in Libitina. On the eve of Libitina's unification ceremony, they are summoned to the capital by their High Prince. The knights find themselves wrapped up in a conspiracy to drag Libitina into a drawn out war, and must race to stop the conflict before it spreads.
System: Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition (Including Homebrew)
Gamemaster: Riley
Oops All
Paladins
The Players
Rowan: Lady Duula
Half Cyclops Paladin, Oath of Redemption
Age: Elderly.
Pronouns: she/her
Bio: Lady Duula joined the young Crown Prince on his pilgrimage, watching him grow from a young boy into the Crown Prince he is now. In her eye, everyone is a child for her to extend her boundless love and kindness to. In times of war, peace, innocence, patience, and wisdom are the hardest to hold on to, and therefore must be protected the most carefully.
Ris: Ser Phoenix Mac Renna
Cinder Genasi Paladin, Oath of Crown, and Hexblade Warlock
Age: 25~
Pronouns: they/them
Bio: Born of the Noble Mac Renna household, Phoenix Mac Renna was originally a Warlock of Mariella, desperate to prove that her worship should not be shunned, participating in jousting and dueling competitions constantly. When they heard about the prince and his efforts to prove his royal lineage, they took the opportunity and joined in the campaign. They became a Paladin of Godric under the Crown Prince’s guidance and rule, viewing him as someone worthy of their loyalty.
Jamie: Dame Gale Heart
Half-Cyclops Paladin, Oath of the Ancients
Age: 24
Pronouns: she/her
Bio: Gale left her home town at a young age to join the war after saving her home from a terrible beast. Her friends and neighbors encouraged her to become a hero and so she did, but she regrets that her childhood soulmate did not join the journey with her. She joined the prince in his endeavors to become king and never looked back.
Almora Pantheon
Godric
The god of war, heroes, and strength. They appear as a massive, towering figure dressed in full armor, and is recognized by their sword Heaven’s Spine, and their shield, Dominion. The patron god and founder of Libitina. Originally believed to a lesser god of the giants.
Sylph
The god of nature, music, beauty, and passion. They appear as a winged Archfey, and a myth widely circulated by their followers attest to them as having been an Archfey once, before joining the elvish pantheon. Their ambition and trickery is lauded amongst the Sylph faith as important and divine traits to culture in yourself.
Ozmaldis
The god of the sky, travel, and knowledge. They appear and a gigantic snow white bird, covered in three pairs of wings and shining blue eyes. According to Cumulus, who claim Ozmaldis as their patron, Ozmaldis was originally a Primordial Air Elemental that escaped to the Material world with the city.
The Couple
The gods of Love, Marriage, Civilization, and Fertility. A dual pair of gods, so inseparable they have become one. Their origin is unknown, and it is believed that they may have been two divine star crossed lovers from separate pantheons, now united. The patrons of the Diaspora.
Carrinda
The god of Magic and Order. Appears as a cloaked figure in purple robes, with a hood that covers their eyes. They are always accompanied by their familiar, a Dire Bear made of stars. Stated to be the sibling of Mariella, the god of chaos.
Mariella
The god of Destruction and Chaos. Has innumerable forms, though all of them are to be feared. A tarrasque, an iron hag, a wild fire, a storm. They represent the natural cycle of destruction and chaos. The mother/father of Enoch.
Enoch
The god of death. Appears as a small child or pitch black animal with shining eyes. The only new god, born from Mariella after the previous god of death finally perished from the wounds they received during the war. They act as the benevolent guide and protector of all deceased souls, and is rarely ever invoked as a punisher or judge.
Halo
The god of the sun, fire, and dragons. Often appears as a flaming draconic figure. Patron of Xandria and widely worshipped in Greyscale. The sibling of Arrwel.
Arwel
The god of the moon and the sea. Often appears as a giant Whale mermaid or sea monster. Patron of Coral and widely worshipped amongst mermaids, and other sea creatures. The sibling of Halo.
The World of Almora
Libitina
A Kingdom founded by the god Godric. Ruled through the generations by a divine bloodline descended from a demigod child of Godric, this kingdom has developed into a bustling civilization full of silver and blue banners, and massive castles. It’s people are strong, chivalrous, and united. Unfortunately, that strong unity often leads to the exclusion of others.
Diaspora
Since the destruction of the Halfling’s ancestral home, it seemed the Halflings luck had run out. Shortly after, the displaced halfling race was met by the orphaned Gnolls, and the two joined to support each other. Over the years, the nomadic herds have been joined by others, but the self proclaimed Children of the Couple still seek to find a new home for their families.
Feyborn City States
The war only confirmed and encouraged the worst of the elves' isolationist policies. The Elves retreated into a series of massive, walled off city states, each one acting individually, but joined loosely. Each of the Elven subraces were given their own fortress city, and over time, invited in other war weary sibling races. Their cities, reportedly, spread even between the planes of the tower, and their greatest dream is to unite them all once more in their ancestral home of the feywild.
Refuge
The Underdark and its surrounding subterranean areas were already dangerous, but the war made them completely inhospitable. The Dwarves and Gnomes were forced from their underground homes higher and higher, up to the very peaks of the mountains they had once inhabited, and eventually, to the skies. It wasn’t long before they joined with another displaced sky faring group, and eventually the fleet of Refuge was born over the Divide Mountains. Now, Refuge is a massive nation dedicated to invention and knowledge, powered by their profitable lightning mining ships.
Greyscale
According to their life long enemy Libitina, Greyscale was an empire founded by a tyrannical group of young dragons, long since slain by a group of Libitina’s heroes. Now, it is a mercantile haven for the reptilian and those that would worship the power of their draconic forebearers. And, if you choose to listen to the kingdom’s dedicated, those young dragons were never slain at all.
The Red Isles
A cluster of tropical islands off the south east coast. The Red Isles are uniquely blessed and afflicted, as they sit on a wounded spot in the world, where the space between worlds is weak. The ocean around the red isles becomes dyed a bloody crimson as an extra planar river seeps into it, leading horrors from the lowest planes up to the prime material. Leading the islands’ cursed inhabitants to be locked in an endless war against the fiends that emerge from their oceans. As such, many of demonic heritage are drawn there, either to help or hinder their fiendish ancestors.
Calendar
The Torieus Calendar has a 365 day calendar much like Earth, however that is where the similarities end. The Torieus year is split into 13 months, each 28 days long. The 365th day is special, and is considered to not be a part of any month, as it is a sacred time where the year turns over to the next, a liminal space and time known as Nullsday.
Planes of Almora
The People of Almora believe that the universe is made of multiple worlds or planes that are all stacked upon each other, making a sort of pillar or tower, with the higher planes embodying high concepts and ideals, while the lower planes represent death, the void, and absence. It is only in the center of the tower, in the perfect middle between these two extremes, where the Prime Material can exist. For each high plane, there is a corresponding low plane beneath it at the same, but negative value, with the Prime Material representing zero. The Astral Plane or sea is the space outside of the ‘Pillar of Worlds’, and can act as a shortcut between them. The Ethereal Plane is a subspace or additional plane that intersects with all of the layers of the Pillar. However, other ways between the planes exist, such as portals or thin layers of reality, where you can climb or descend the layers of the Pillar.
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