Credits

This book is a work of passion and as much spare time could be put towards it, those listed below are mostly those I have shamelessly 'borrowed' art work and ideas from to use in this setting.

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Designer: Tim T.

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Playtesters: None yet

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Editors: YOU! If you notice any typos or have suggestions please just contact me and I'll add you as an editor here

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Fonts: /u/Solbera in /r/UnearthedArcanca! Link

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Cover Illustration: Abandoned Kingdom - Rui Padinha (see below)

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On The Cover

Credit: Rui Padinha

Rui Padinhas artwork Abandonned Kingdom of which he said "As the Princess approached the Kingdom she realized there was no one around, as if someone had forgotten to paint them in.."

However it is standing in here for the Asterban coastal town of Ilma-Kori, a trading port and the home of Asterbans only cable car service. The cable car was set up to facilitate trade between the lands to the West and the nearby city of Hiekkalina to the East. Becuase of its significance in enabling this trade it's one of the busiest ports in Asterban, despite being smaller than most, leading to constant shortages of rooms to rent.

Western Asterban

Central Asterban

Eastern Asterban

Preface

Welcome to Asterban the isolated nation. This homebrew campaign setting is intended to provide background information on the locations and people of this world. While there are some additional rules in this book it is intended to be used with the core Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition rules and (with a few exceptions) all the races and classes available therein are present in Asterban.

This document details the high level cultural and geographic points of Asterban, however because of its size there are a huge number of settlements and peoples not included. Dungeon Masters using this setting should feel free to create new locations as neccesary to tell the story they want to tell.

Asterban is a dangerous world filled with monsters and mystery. There are locations and plots that cater to all types of adventure from political intrigue between the city states, to dungeon delving in the caverns underneath the Boundary Mountains, and exploration in the Pokum desert. Will yours players manipulate nobles against each other to make their own fortunes, or seek the answer to the Isolation and try to free Asterban from its prison?

Seafaring in Asterban

The main exception to rules between the core DnD rules and this campaign setting is the rules on trading and sea travel in Asterban, especially with respect to the sea. Because of the importance of these aspects to the campaign there is a section dedicated for how to deal with these aspects of the game in Asterban. A new class the sailor is also introduced which is ideal for adventures revolving around the coast of Asterban.

The waters around the coast can be as, if not more, dangerous than the land. Dealing with sea monsters is daily task in this world, so while traditional weapons and magic are useful a few new peices of equipment and weapons that the players may find useful for defeating these enemies are introduced in the chapter. Players will also have the ability to buy and run their own ships, hiring crew and taking on trade or escorting other traders through the infested Eastern waters.

A Brief Introduction To Asterban

Asterban is a large land mass that was historically an important trading nation in the world of Yutrore. approximately two thousand years ago Asterban was magically cut off from the rest of the world for reasons that the inhabiants have still not been able to ascertain.

After this catastrophic event the single nation of Asterban dissolved with power eventually falling to individual city states. The Cities are largely peacful between themselves, as there are no standing armies; war has been unknown since the fall. City and rural militias are more geared towards the control of monsters and pirates than warfare. Trade war however is not uncommon, with trade being extremely important between the different regions. Aristocratic families can rise to power or fall from grace with the populace based on their promises or setting of trade tarrifs at ports and markets.

Tilles Light Rebellion

In 1238 AI (After Isolation) the Lord of Tille, Lord Steros raised taxes on oils and fuels by 10% after negotiations of a direct trade of oil for steel broke down. The deal would have been a massive boon to the miners who would have been supplied with the oil they needed for lantern for years had it gone ahead. Councillor Aput of Aazroetwood publically denounced Lord Steros and delclared him a stone-headed mule, stating that if he was unwilling to be resonable that elves were patient and she would happily revive the trade deal after he was dead.

While the increased tax meant that sales of Aazroean oils dropped, prices of metal from Tille increased due to the increased working expenditure. The lead representitive of the Steal Peak Mines Union, a dwarf called Nuvec Graniteheart, called for the miners to strike untill the tax was lowered again. Less than a week later, after being at seige in his family estate by striking miners, Lord Steros announced he would step down from the lordship.

There remains a statue of Graniteheart outside of the City Assembly building, to remind the current Lord of the importance and political power of the Miners.

Island or Continent?

Asterban is approximately 1500 miles horizontally and 500 miles vertically making it a very large island, however most of the residents consider it to be a very small continent. The world map above shows only the most important land marks but the lands have settlements and villages scattered throughout, the exception to this being the Pokol Desert in the center which is mostly considered unliveable. On the maps provided above the hexes represent approximately 4 miles.

Microclimates

The climates thorughout Asterban vary wildly due to the boundary mountains which dominate the landscape. There are warms winds from the south that cause the west of asterban to be arable and moderate, while the south east to be covered in tropical rain forest. Cold winds from the north mean that it is covered in boreal forest and has a very low average temperature and snow is common. The mountains cause most rain to be deposited around the edge of the island while the centre has always been dry, however there is also arcane reasons for the extent of the desert.

The Isolation and the Wasting

The Isolation is the defining event of ASterban and made it into what it is today. The cause is still a mystery to inhabitants and there are organizations that exist solely for the purpose of researching the event. Some which are simply attempting to discover what happened and why, and others that seek to reverse the effects. The Isolation began with the fall of the historical capital of Asterban, Pokol, which also destroyed much of the ancient history of the world which was stored in its libraries. This has left gaps in the peoples knowledge of the history of the world, however many of the inhabitants are unconcerned with this and are more worried about day to dafy life and just making a living.

The Fall of the Capital

While the cause of the fall of the capital is still unknown the event itself was well documented. It is known that at the time the Pokol Parliment had been in emergency meetings with the Dean of the university and a handful of its arcane researchers for an unknown reason. While the meetings where taking place an major earthquake shook the capital, even the sturdiest buildings began to collapse, tremors from the earthquake were felt from coast to coast on Asterban. The earthquake rose in intensity for an hour before the land for dozens of miles around the capital bulged upwards 100ft and then collapsed in on itself, swallowing the capital and all of its inhabitants.

As the capital was swallowed gale force winds were experienced in the region and dark clouds gathered over the center of the continent. The temperature in the desert dropped to below freezing and for almost a week a storm raged that was so dense that some survivors said that it was permanantly night. Between the earthquake and the Pokol savanna (which at the time was still loosely) was devastated, towns and villages from the entire region that managed to survive evacuated to the north, or through mountain passes.

After the storm had cleared and things seemed settled in the months afterwards, parties were sent with aid and to investigate the capital. They reported that even before reaching the capital hope was long lost, the entire ecology of the region was devastated, flora and fauna alike wiped out by the earthquake and the devastating storm.

Still 20 miles from the capital the bands recounted that the smell turned acrid as though the land itself was rotting, the ground rapidly changed between pockets of bubbling acidic bog to cracked dry mud. When they finally approached where the capital used to be it was clear that nothing would remain. a giant casm had opened in the earth running over two hundred miles long. The casm, now known as The Spine, was so deep that they could not see the bottom and the walls where scattered with remains of ruined buildings.

The rescue parties camped at the edge of The Spine, their aim to travel along the edge for as long as their supplies would allow to see if anyone had survived. Unfortunately for them the ex-residents of the capital found them first. Crawling out of the casm like ants from a nest, undead residents of the capital swarmed the camps, skeletons and zombies of all races among their ranks. The rescue parties fleed into the desert with less than half making it back to unnafected lands.

It was over a year before a militia band was put together to venture into the Pokol region again, and even then mainly to scout if hte undead where likely to attack out from the now desserted land. Luckily they discovered the undead capital residents seemingly remained in the immediate area around The Spine. This region is now known as the waste.

Venturing into the region to loot now ruined cities and towns (many of which were actually very wealthy) has become a profession of sorts, and the brave (or foolhardy) people that do this are known as Pokol Raiders. Many can become very wealthy selling artefacts from before the Fall and the Isolation.

The Isolation

In the immediate aftermath of the fall of the capital trade had fallen to a trickle. The seas around Asterban were treatourous, rough waves and uncertain tides kept ships in port. It was assumed that any ships out at sea at the time had been shipwrecked and lost. It wasn't until a few weeks after that the first trading ship set sail from Loinnir that Asterban realised another effect of the fall.

Having set off from Loinnir the trade ship was suprised to find that having spent only four weeks at sea they were once again in sight of land. It soon turned out that the land was the south eastern coast of Asterban, confused they dropped anchor at Vagoswell and wrote off their impossible journey as having been due to the still slightly rough conditions causing them to navigate incorrectly.

Soon though confused sailors littered the ports of Asterban, whereever they set of from if they sailed directly out to sea they would appear on the opposite side of the island. However not all were so lucky, for a few years after the fall some enteprising merchants tried to use what was now known as 'the loop' to their advantage cutting the time of sailing around the coast by sailing directly out and trading with the other side of the island. After a few of these ships ended up washed up at various apots of the coast, the first few were assumed to have been attacked by monsters and downed, but it soon became clear that doing the loop was not clear.

It has been said that about a third of ships trying to do the loop were wrecked, or simply never showed up back at Asterban (lost at sea.) However this number is loosely based from information gathered from harbour records and rumour. Approimately 300 ships were lost in this way, of those that did wash up on shore none ever had any remains on board. Some had burnt timbers or were coated in oily residues, blood stains were found among some but never a corpse or survivor.

This is what as known as the Isolation of Asterban, the sea-faring nation now had no way to trade with or contact the rest of the world. Magical and Arcane methods were attempted to travel to or contact the other nations of the world, however any spell that attempted to contact the outside world failed, simply fizzling out. It is certain among the magically inclined that the effect is arcane in nature, as the arcane power can be felt during the loop, none so far have managed to work out its exact nature or cause.

Those who have succesfully done the loop have reported spending between three and six weeks at sea before reaching Asterban again. This has lead to estimates of the extent of the Isolation being between five hundred and a thousand miles out to sea. However this is not regarded as being reliable as even ships leaving and arriving at the same ports while doing the loop have taken wildly different times.

Most ships now only travel the coastal routes, which while having their own dangers in the form of sea monsters are considered to be much less dangerous than doing the loop.

The Isolation has meant that the Citie States of Asterban are more reliant on each other, unable to rely on trade with other nations if relationships break down. This has lead to relative stability with any clashes being more political and less militant in nature.

The Wasting

The immediate area around The Spine is known as the Waste. After the fall The Waste quickly became associated with death, not least because the area is infested with the undead ex-inhabitants of the capital. For two hundred years after the fall the Waste slowly spread, its landscape of broken dry mud flats interspered with boiling sulfric lakes becoming more and more expansive.

This lead to widespread fear among the populace that it would eventually encompass the entire Island. However despite an intial burst of expansion in the first few decades the exansion slowed and now seems to have stopped. Despite this some scholars still fear that it is simply a dormant period and that some time in the future it may once again begin to expand.

While the Waste itself is lifeless, it is generally accepted that the Waste and the Spine are the source of the large numbers of monsters who rome the Pokol Dessert. The monsters, themselves finding the conditions of the Waste adverse, wander outwards into the desert.

Known History and Forgotten Knowledge

The original capital of Asterban, was the center of knowledge and learning for the nation. After the fall this meant that large swathes of knowledge were lost, while generally people know that things were not always how they were now very few are aware of the names of the other nations of the world that use to trade with Asterban, fewer still would have seen a map of their entire world.

Ancient History

While much of Asterbans history has been forgotten, there are many scholars who collect information from before the Isolation. People seeking information about events, cultures, or places from before the fall generally head for The University in Hiekkalina (or one of the local branches in a city.)

Recent history however is very well documented, with events being dated since the Isolation (AI or After Isolation.) After the Fall immediate governership fell to local governments, which were based in major cities, and power has stayed with them ever since. These local governments gradually became accepted as individual city states rather than an overarching government, and life was much the same for common citizens. The city states take responsibility for the welfare of citizens in the immediate area, infrastructure (roads etc), courts and law enforcement, and of protection of trade routes.

Information about the movement of people is kept fastidiously by the Cities, some keep records of all travellers entering while others focus only on those arriving and leaving with wears and trading goods. If you are looking for someone a bribe to the right civil servant can get you the information in short order, however asking for too much or about the wrong topics can just as soon see you investigated by the local authorities.

The city states pay for the services they provide through trade taxation, which can be hotly debated between the states. Many people live on the lands between city states and do not become 'citizens' of any of them, they are known as freemen in the legal structures of Asterban. The freemen are important as they make up a vast majority of farmers in the west, while they do not enjoy some of the legal rights of citizens

Those wishing to become citizens to a particular city (including births) must be registered, which normally involves registering with a local court and paying a fee. Once registered that person is granted the legal rights of a citizen of the city. In Ilma-Kori for example once a citizen is registered they do not have to pay an additional visitors tax when paying for accomodation (a practice taken up to try and reduce stress on the limited housing in the city.)

The population of Asterban is relatively low for the size of the land, at approximately 1.2 million people. Generally because organised clerical and arcane healthcare, and high costs of living, families tend to be smaller in cities. Aristocratic and ruling classes have generally also reinforced this through education campaigns to ensure that Asterban does not run out of resources. Whether that would ever happen is still debated in scholarly circles in Asterban, with popular opinion usually swinging widely current events. Among the freemen larger families are relatively more common, especially among farmers where children are quickly integrated into the family business.

Magic in Asterban

Magic is common in Asterban and the wizards and sorceres of the Pokol University were understood to have weilded amazing arcane power between them, allowing them to make incredibly powerful magical objects, but as with the historical records most of that knowledge was lost during the fall. While magical items and weapons are still found throughout Asterban, the reformed University is only able to produce a fraction of what was produced at Pokol. Ancient Pokol magical artefacts are therefore incredibly valuable throughout Asterban, and are highly coveted by aristocratic families who see them as a sign of prestige, and scholars alike.

Wizards and Sorcerers in Asterban also commonly work as healers, with magical potions being as common solution to illness as seeing the local cleric in some cities. Because of this people are generally very accepting of magic users, despite the mild suspicion that the Pokol University may have caused the Isolation in the first place. Minor magical items can be found regularly (but not cheaply) in the cities, either having been imported from the University or produced by local mage colleges. Rings of water walking for example are prized by sailors and will frequently be found in the possesion of merchant captains and more succesful sailors.

Magical travel is used sparingly, as while it is possible to hire a wizard to teleport you anywhere within the Isolation border, the strange and unknown effect of the Isolation can have unintended effects on attempts to do so. any attempt to teleport or to travel magically to any location greater than a mile away should roll on the arcane redirection chart below.

Teleportation Mishap Chart

d100 Roll	Outcome
0 - 79	Your intended location
80-90	Random location in the Pokol desert
91-95	Random location in the Boundary Mountains
96-98	Random location along the Spine
99	The teleported characters never re-materialise

Green Lands of the West

The Green Lands of the West

When the people of Asterban speak of westeners or the land to the west, they generally mean the lands west of the River Xe in the south and Ilma-Kori to the north. The Western lands are both the most inhabited and the most prosperous of all the regions of Asterban. Temperate climates, arable land, generous fishing stocks, and rich mines, make these lands perfect or comfortable and stable life. These lands are split into roughly four areas: the Arue region, the Southern Wetlands, Ciding Island, and the Northern Highlands.

Arue Region

The Arue region bordered by the Tufelm Loch in the south and the Pieni sea in the north, is alone responsible for as much of two thirds of Asterbans cereal and vegetable production. This is possible due to a growing region here that lasts nine out of ten months thanks to the local micro-climate, which also gifts the region with reliable rain fall.

Home to Arueshire, the largest city in Asterban, because of the long growing times there are normally two harvest festivals a year in the city. It houses large warehouses for trade in the market district, some of the oldest ones having arcane enchantments to prevent food spoiling, which continue to work centuries later (though the original method of enchantment is long forgotten.) Many traders begin there career in Arueshire as trading food has a relatively low barrie to entry, and even short journeys such as buying kegs of Arue Ale to sell at Stad can provide a decent profit for the right ale.

The people on the land are generally happy and hospitable (if boring to the more adventurous) and food and ale are never in short supply. Though the majority of the freemen in the Arue region would not be considered rich they live comfortably and with many ammenities.

Southern Wetlands

To the south of Tille are the southern wetlands, generally not suited to growing crops (although there are many succesful vegetable growers in certain regions) these lands are more commonly inhabited by livestock and dairy farmers.

The wetlands are also slightly more dangerous than the more northern green lands with an abundance of natural caverns leading out from the boundary mountains into these lands. Tille maintains a good militia that keeps the problem from overwhelming this region, but it can be tense at times, with residents always calling for greater numbers in the militia and for more permanent solutions.

Despite being split between the Wetlands and Arue, Tille natives consider themselves more to be a part of the wetlands. Tille is the home to over twenty functional mines, and because of this richness of resources also homes the most artisinal workshops per square mile of any city (which is proudly and frequently boasted by the Tille assembly and its multitude of civil servants.

While Tille has a good relationship with Xebridge, the only other major settlement in the Wetlands, it is much closer to Ciding on the other side of Tufelm Loch. The trade route between Tille and Ciding on the Loch is the only freshwater trade route in Asterban, and is incredibly important to the export of metals from Tille, and the import of oil and other goods that keep the city running. The Loch itself is named after the first foreman of a mine at Steel Peek (before Tille was even founded) although the story has been handed down as a verbal history and its veracity is unknown.

Ciding Island

Ciding Island is the strip of land contained between the river Yery and the river Tolle. One of the most populous areas of the green lands, it has two major towns (Ciding and Yerymouth) as well as numerous samller villages and the ever popular sailors stop Ganes Keep. The culture is hardworking and creative with artisans common and often more expressive and artistic than Tille (where even the highest quality goods can be more concerned with function over form) due to influx of exotic trade goods and greater mix of cultures.

Ciding itself is the greatest trading location in all of Asterban, the great market on the southern edge is open to all for shopping or selling, for a fixed daily fee anyone can set up a stand to sell their wares, most simply towing a cart into position and setting up signs advertising their wares. Whole shipping and transport companies specialise in taking goods from the ports at Yerymouth to the market at Ciding, and taking traded goods back again. This has also lead to many banks being headquartered in Ciding, allowing traders to keep there growing wealth safe while they move around for new trade opportunities.

Yerymouths existence revolves around its docks, and has the finest shipwrights and sail makers in Asterban. While the merchants move on to Ciding the sailors stay put and enjoy shoreleave. Unique entertainment and inns can be found on any street of Yerymouth, and lodgings range from mangy bunkhouses to exclusive members hotels (some exclusively reserved for ship captains who must prove they own a ship by producing the deeds to their ship for membership.) For the permanent residents this has led to a work hard play hard attitude, and they are eqully likely as visiting sailors to be filling seats in taverns at night.

The Northern Highlands

The Northern Highlands, generally considered to be anything between the Pieni Sea and Ilma-Kori, are generally considered to be something that you travel through rather than travel to. Sparsely populated with only a few real places of interest, the highlanders are generally considerd to be hardy and happy people. Despite the name the Highlands are not actually particularly hilly or mountainous, they are called so simply because they are more northern and slightly colder on average than the more southern parts of Western Asterban.

The largest Highland settlement, Ruawa, is well known for fishing both from the larger ocean and in the inland Pieni Sea. Ruawa Tuna is renowned for its quality and can be found preserved and salted in the furthest reaches of Asterban. Most of the town is built from hardwaring stone to preserve it from the vicious storms that have been known to batter the north coast. Though the people are generally level headed, the city is not drab, buildings are adorned with colourful Bunting and in places with murals of the ocean.

The lighthouse of Loinnir was once simply just that, warning people away from the dangerous rocks. But after a period where the lighthouse was non-functional causing a series of crashes a small floating town has been built up around the wrecks. Mainly considered a rest stop for sailors a settlement is now also prominent on the land as well around the original lighthouse.

Ilma-Kori is known almost everywhere for the Sky-cart, a cable bridge that joins the two halfs of the city and ferreys trading caravans accross a section of ocean that directly meets the boundarys mountains and is not othersiwe passable by land. The people of Ilma-Kori are the most conservative of the Western Asterban, there are strict laws on new building and people who take merryment too far are ostracised and considered to have moral failings.

The Highlands themselves can be relatively dangerous for trading caravans, while orcs and other wild humanoids are uncommon, bandits take advantage of the high volume of traders and sparse population to perform raids and then dissapear back into the vast unoccupied lands. Those who travel cross-country would do well to stear clear of undocumented settlements, as they are as likely to find themselves robbed and murdered as they are a bed for the night.

Northern Forests

The Northern Forests

The vast deciduous forests of the northern edge of Asterban are home to the tribes of the Asterban Forest Elves. The three largest tribes of the forest elves make their homes at Fort Kin, Xeleys' Keep, and the recognized city Aazroetwood. The forest elves live with the natural world as a part of their lives, homes seem to grow out of the surrounding landscape rather than built on top of it. In the capital many live in treehouses nestled among the canopy of thousand year old trees, walkways slung between platforms that ring them like giant mushroom growths. In Xeleys' Keep homes are formed into the nautral rock romations, seemingly weathered into the rock rather than carved.

For the forest elves there is nothing more sacred than that which nature provides, with many of them working as hunters and fishermen. And despite a seeming natural aptitude for magic, you are more likely to find clerics to the animal gods, and druids than sorceres or wizards. Those that wish to persue the arcane arts normally leave for the university.

The forests have a cold and snowy climate through half of the year, and are cool and rainy for the rest of the year. In either part of the year, plentiful food can be foraged or hunted for those who know where to look. But travelling the forests is not for the weak and frail, beasts in the forest can be as dangerous as the monsters that crawl from the waste, and veering too close to the mountains can lead to encounters with the lost tribe.

Aazroetwood

Built in among ancient evergreen forests Aazroetwood was an ancient home to a meeting place of tribal councils that originally sparsely inhabited the region. It grew massively as Asterban became an important island for trade in the world, until eventually a permanent council was formed and the tribes were united.

Aazroetwood is rooted in deep tribal tradition, sometimes in opposition to the more contemporary reality of being a city. Buildings hang from the sides of the giant forest trees and the wooden walkways are sometimes dozens of feet above the ground connected by rope bridges where they are too far apart to build together. Homes are normally built of wood and inspired by traditional styles, the round huts resemble strange growths on the trees.

Even though the city is protected from the harshest of the weather by the forest canopy the temperature in Aazroetwood ranges from mild to freezing. This has heavily influenced the fashion of the citizens, with heavy fur being a must, the powerful wear exotic pelts of snow lepoards while the general citezenry are more commonly seen in deer. Becasue of the climate, magical sources of heat are highly coveted by those that can afford them, and can be frequently seen in the homes of the upper classes.

Organised into multiple loose districts, the city encompasses a massive area between a lake (TODO: NAME?) and the ocean. A great meeting hall sits just on the banks of the lake, a five story pagoda of gargantuan proportions that seems to almost have been grown rather than build with each layer semming to be a smaller canopy. Tree branches wrap around and through the walls of the building, with enough living greenery to make it seem as thought he building is a strange giant tree. Folklore of the elves say that the first tribe leader sacrificied himself to unite the clans by planting himself alive, his pure ideals and sense of cause causing him to sprout into the structure. The more modern of the elves now believe that lost magic was used to construct the building, though this fact does not make it any less impressive.

Xeleys' Keep

Fort Kin

The Forest Elf Tribes

The Lost Tribe

Southern Rain Forest

The Southern Rain Forest

Pokum Desert and the Waste

The Pokum Desert and the Waste

The Pokum Desert and the Waste form the largest part of the land mass of Asterban, and also have the lowest population. The desert itself is not technically unhinhabitle, it is extraoardinarily hot in places and vegetation is sparse, but it would probably be more accurately described as inhospitable. Unfortunately since the Isolation the desert is home to a wide variety of very dangerous creatures, from the roaming undead who find their way out of the Waste, to creatures who thrive in the heat and have taken advantage of the lack of humans.

Hiekkalina, at the very edge of the Pokum Desert, is thought of as the gate to the desert. The brave come to venture out into the desert or even into the waste to reclaim artefacts and treasures from before the isolation. Vast fortunes can be made by the right adventurers with the right information. A Guild has even formed the Pokol Raiders guild, which pays well for good information about where retrievable artefacts can be found. The City itself has also formed supporting services around this activity, with temples of healing (and other back alley doctors) found commonly through the city, as well as a large market where the finest weapons and adventuring gear can be found.

Oasis is technically part of the waste though if you were walking down the main boulevard you could be forgiven for thinking that it was actually a completely different island. A miniature paradise on the edge of a large freshwater lake, filled with tropical trees and a laid back populace. The only viable trade route is through the boundary mountains and is an arduous journey that is difficult and dangerous for large caravans. This means everything in Oasis is expensive!

Boundary Mountains

The Boundary Mountains

The City States

Cities and Towns

The city designation in Asterban is really quite arbitrary, there exists towns which are more populous (or even richer) than some of the places that are cities. The main qualification is that it held a head of regional government before the Isolation, with the sole exception of that rule being Hiekkalina. Outside of the cities there are many large towns and settlenemts and inummerous small villages, hamlets and outposts. The world map and this section covers the most interesting of these, however it may be quite probable that players will have come from outside these places.

The Cities Conference

Every fifth year the respective rulers of the city states come together to discuss any matters which may effect all of Asterban. The conference is always accompanied by a grandiose festival in the city it is held in (which rotates between every city.) This means that each city holds the conference once every forty years and because of the accompanying festival the citizens of a city are always happy for their home to be the next site.

Aazroetwood

Arueshire

Farming capital of the green lands, famed for hospitality and frequent harvest festivals.

Aslagate

Entrance to the only maintained mountain pass to Oasis. Also a site of a very productive Iron Mine.

Hiekkalina

Home of the Pokum Raiders and important for gathering historical artefacts from the waste. Was a trading post at a crossroads before the Isolation, now a large castle is there and it homes the reformed University, the center of knowledge of Asterban.

The reformed University dedicates itself to trying to understand what caused the Fall and the Isolation. Located at Hiekkalina, scholars can commonly be seen dealing with Pokol Raiders making deals for being escorted into the dessert or the waste, or purchasing artefacts from raiding parties.

Ilma-Kori

The home of the sky cart, and the only way to pass from the green lands to Hiekkalina and the elven lands by road because of it. Situated at a point where mountains and the sea meet.

Ruawa

Also commonly known as two rivers Ruawa is a decently sized fishing port.

Tille

Home of the largest mines in Asterban, a prosperrous industrial city equally full of artisans as industrialists.

Vagoswell

A religous site, home to the religion of the well gods and their followers. A place of quiet contemplation and healing.

Towns and Other Stops in Asterban

Ciding

A convinient freshwater port, ciding acts as a clearing house for Tille. Because of the large amount of trade that is facilitated through Ciding it is also home to many banks and money traders

Yerymouth

A well conected trading port that does almost as much business as Ciding, home to some of the finest ship makers in Asterban.

Ganes' Keep

Gane was a trader approximately five hundred years after the Isolation - he went bankrupt building his keep and port so that he could avoid paying trade tarrifs at Yerymouth.

Oasis

Situated on the edge of a small lake fed by rainwater from the Boundary Mountains

Restitude

Built after the Isolation Restitude exists for the sole purpose of tending to the wounds of those who fall prey to monsters wondering out of hte desert while trying ot reach the Elven lands. Part hotel, part hospital and thriving trade town.

Stad

Where the wealthy and elite go to escape the city for a while. High class entertainment and expensive artisinal goods from the entire continent.

Port Sephia

Well situated trading port.

Loinnir

Ancient lighthouse that acted as a guide for ships looking to travel into the Pient sea and to Stad before the Isolation. Now a convinient stopping point on the coastal road.

Trakas Retreat

Positioned at the edge of the most dangerous seas where the Boundary Mountains meet the sea Trakas' Retreat is a small harbour town built around a pirate fortress. Trakas was a legendary pirate from before the Isolation, before finishing his fortress he was said to have hid in the coves that are now homes to untold monsters and demons.

After Trakas' death (suprisingly of old age) a series of less that reputable seamen and women have had the dubious honor of being the steward of the fort and running the town. Despite Piracy being more difficult since escape to the sea has become impossible, because there is not a single organised navy it is still suprisingly possible. Trakas' Retreat is where this class of person can sitll ply there trade, but now with at least an modicum of respectability.

The Laws of Trakas' Retreat (as posted at the exit to every jetty)

1. No Murder
2. No Theft
3. No Rape
4. Fights by prior arrangement only
5. No Street Sleeping
6. Port fees will be paid in advance (no exceptions)
7. On all other matters the steward will arbitrate, their decision is final

More common than pirates a the retreat these days is merchant sailors looking for a stiff drink and some more exciting entertainment. There is said to be more bars and brothels in the retreat than homes, and bareknucle boxing is the number one spectator sport. Crime is less common than the past-times would suggest due to the current stewards use of mercenaries to enforce heavy penalties on those who dare break the law of the town.

Onoln

Onoln is a settlement isolated by choice, a place of quiet. Surrounded by mountains marsh land and rain forest, Onoln is situated on a small peice of Arrable land that just about allows it to be self-sufficient. Trade ships will very rarely take the long arduous journey up the river Oln on barges to trade supplies that the settlers can not produce themselves. Traders who make the effort usually find it is worth doing so, as the settlers pan gold from the mountain rivers that flow though Onoln and are willing to pay a premium for the right goods.

Onoln was established approximate 1000AI by a group of halfing, gnome, and human families who tired of cramped city living. As such the majority of buildings in Onoln are spread out from their neighbours and usually only two stories high at most. They are largely wooden built, and the layout of the encamptment slowly changes over time as buildings degrade and are replaced. They see this as a natural event that all ends with time and must be replaced.

While the top-side of Onoln is open to all (though many there remain suspicous of outsiders) at the base of the mountains the gnome have built a parallel town in the tunneled out caves. The gnome mine is closed to all but gnomes, and even then only o those that can prove connection to any that live there. The gnomes trade peacfully for food with the outside world and frequent parties of gnomes come out from the cave to enjoy the sunlight and drink at the taverns or peruse the markets (such that they are) in the main part of Onoln. Most frequently when asked the Gnomes claim that they just feel safer in the caves, and that should another calamity happen like the isolation they'll be laughing in the caves while the rest of the world is panicking. Others have simply said that it's where their families, are and its where they grew up, where else they would go?

Zheims Citadel

The most famous person in Asterban, widely known as a scholar famed for maps he has produced among seafarers and land based traders alike. A northern elf, Zheim was born into a whaling family and lived in the town of Xeleys' Keep, until at least his seventh decade, before moving to Aazroetwood to persue arcane studies. Zheim quickly became known as being very powerful with arcane power, leading some to suspect that he was abusing artefacts from before the fall.

Zheim became obsessed with The Spine, letters between Zheim and the (at the time) Dean of the reformed University, Ulrick Anttila, detailed Zheim's belief that the isolation could be reversed. The University publicly published the letters along with refutals from notable and popular academics, hurting Zheim's reputation and leading to a lasting grudge. Zheim was undettered by the dismissal of the university, and his response initially published in a Tille broadsheet but later republished in papers around Asterban described the Dean as "A tea-cosy over a crystal ball", a knickname that stuck with Ulrick until his retirement.

Undettered by the lack of faith from the university, Zheim managed to put together an initial expedition into the Pokol Desert. The expedition returned after 4 months succesfully recovering several powerful pre-isolation artefacts from a location that Zheim later claimed he had just come accross in history books in his studies that had been previously overlooked. The sale of the less dangerous or interesting artefacts recovered allowed for further expeditions each time pushing further into the waste towards the spine. Each time he returned with more artefacts, though not always all of his associates. Those that made it back safely were sworn to secrecy of exactly where they had gone (and none are recorded as ever having broken that secrecy) though all of them told ofthe gorwing horrors that they faced as they travelled further into the waste.

While it is not publicly known why, just under a decade after he started his adventures into the waste, Zheim discontinued his expeditions. Using the wealth he had gathered from selling artefacts he set up a cartography business, starting by buying out the "Goulde & Sons Cartographers" in Ciding, and hiring the top Cartographers of the age as well as any and all historical maps he could find. The next two decades saw his company "Ciding Cartography" produce the most detailed maps of Asterban. This era also saw it's fair share of adventure, notably Zheim commisioned an airship with which he 'completed the loop' three times to map the crossing points. Airship met an unfortunate demise over the Pokol desert as Zheim, a colleague and three apprentices were attempting to map the edge of the waste. A risky teleportation spell saved there lives and Zheim later commented that they had taken the risk as "It was the only chance of life in the face of certain death." It is now known that the strange arcane fields and wildly fluctuating thermals over the desert make it futile to attempt to pilot and airship over them, which has led to there unpopularity. Though The Ciding Cartography Company still exists (and is stil known as having the most detailed maps of all the lands of Asterban), Zheim has left it to be run in his absence.

What is now known as Zheim's Citadel was a military fort before the isolation, though shortly after the isolation it was refuge to many of the capitals citizens that had escaped through the mountains. It was eventually turned into a center of learning, as the lord and his army moved back through the mountains to Oasis to defend against the evils coming from the waste and eventually formed the basis of the Reformed University. When the University was officially moved to Hiekkalina the enterprising elf Zheim Couf (cartographer and scholar) used his connections and fame to take over the building, moving many of his previsouly collected artefacts warehoused in various properties around Asterban into one location. The Citadel now represents a center of learning that is seen as a rival and counter balance to the Reformed University, having built a solid reputation over it's 50 years of operation. While Zheim is frequently seen as reclusive in the current era, he is still a household name in Asterban and there is fequent speculation about what his past adventure were building towards if any and if he was right about being able to reverse the isolation.

The Citadel itself houses almost 400 scholars at various levels, with Zheim continuing to act as the 'Dean' (though mostly as a figurehead with others taking on the actual day to day operations.) as well as a population of almost 2000 in the town that has grown up around the Citadel who have found livelihoods supporting the citadels operation.

The Peoples and Races of Asterban

Culture less racial based and more regional, all races can be found in all regions.

The Northern Foresters

Largely based on First Nations plains tribes, economy

The Southern Foresters

People of the Western Planes

Insitutions

The University (Reformed)

The Salors Guild

The Steel Peak Minors Union

The Delvers Guild

Temple of The Well

The Tuffelm Trading Union

Setting Sail

The Coasts of Asterban are busy with trade and travellers alike, one of the cheapest and quickest ways to travel from place ot place in Asterban. The following section provides rules for ineracting with sailing ships and all that comes with it (including combat) in the most unintrusive way possible to the playing of the game. The ship stats are essentially the same as presented in the Dungeon Masters guide with a few alterations, and while they only provide a few ship 'classes' it should be assumed that these stats reprerent a plethora of varying designs between the different shipwrights of Asterban.

As there is no gunpowder in the world of Asterban, there are no Canons, this means the majority of combat is performed either by boarding, or by magic. Although there are also ship mounted ballistas and harpoons (essentially ballistas with a strong rope/chain attached to the projectile) which are introduced later in this section. If you would like to extend these rules by adding in more ship types, or more detailed combat, then inspiration should be from pre-canon naval warfare.

Magic is very common on the seas, and even sailors occasionally pick up a spell or two during their careers. Having a sorcere or wizard as part of the crew compliment is almost essential if the ship is to be traveling in dangerous waters. The majority of the time though the danger is not from other boats but from sea monsters, since the Isolation sea monsters have become a much more ubiquitous experience for sea-farers. Merrow and Pleiosaurs have wrecked ships from below, while stories of ships being attacked by Rocs from above are too common for most sailors comfort. One harrowed survivor who barely managed ot make it ashore near Port Sephia even claimed his ship was pulled apart at the seams by a dragon turtle, though no other ships have reported site of it since.

Whatever the players find on the coasts of Asterban it is sure to be exciting! See the descriptions of the differnt lands to find the types of life on the coasts and for random encounter charts. Where there is not an rule here, use hte rules from the Dungeons Master Guide and Players Handbook.

Negotiating Passage

The Most common way to travel on the seas is to acquire passage on a merchant or passenger ship. In the port cities it is easily possible to book passage almost anywhere, however players will probably end up spending time waiting around as merchants stop at local ports along the coast, especially if they are trying to go a long distance. Passenger ships are much more likely to be available that will take the players to the next city along, there they will have to boook to the next city up the coast and so on.

Merchant Ships

Passenger Ships

Milita Ships

Owning a Ship

Ship classes in Asterban

Hiring Crew

Ship equipment and gear

Half Hull Plating

Full Hull Plating

Half Mast Plating

Full Mast Plating

Ballista

Harpoon

Rigging

Mast

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Ship Combat

Approach

Ramming

Boarding

Martial combat is difficult for those not accustomed to the gorund moving beneath them, any attack roll (including spells which must be targeted) face a penalty for those who are not accustomed as in the table below.

Sea Combat Modifier

Attack Modifier	Sea Roughness
0	Dead calm (swell <0.5m)
-1	Mild Choppiness (Swell <1m)
-2	Choppy (Swell <2m)
-3	Rough (swell <3m)
Disadvantage	Stormy (swell <4.5m)
Disadvantage, -2	Maelstrom (swell >4.5m)

The Loop

Dangerous Seas

Trade

Tables of Tariffs

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Classes and Character Options

The Sailor

Disciplined and Dangerous

A way of life

Creating a Sailor

Class Features

As a sailor, you have the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d10 per Sailor Level Hit Points At First Level: 10+ your Constitution Modifier Hit Points At Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constituion Modifier per Ranger level after 1st

Proficiencies

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• Armor: Light Armor
• Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
• Tools: Navigators tools, Carpenters tools

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• Saving Throws: Dexterity, Charisma
• Skills: Choose four from Athletics, Acrobatics, History, Nature, Perception, Survival, Deception, Intimidation, Performance, Persuation

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• leather Armor
• (a) a Scimitar or (b) a Trident
• A dagger
• (a) a Longbow and a quiver of 20 arrows or (b) A Heavy Crossbow and a case of 20 bolts
• A Sailor's pack (includes a backpack, waterskin, a mirror, a hooded lantern, 10 days of rations, a blanket, 5 candles, a tinderbox, and a small knife)

Seaman

You are particularly familiar with coastal environments, and are adept at surviving on the coast. While traveling for an hour or more in coastal terrain, you gain the following benefits:

• Difficult terrain doesn't slow your groups travel.
• Your group can't become lost except by magical means.
• Even when you are engaged in another activity while travelling (such as foraging, navigating, or tracking), you remain alert to danger.
• If you are traveling alone, you can move stealthily at a normal pace.
• When you forage, you find twice as much food as you normally would.

Well Connected

Sailors tend to get to know all the ports they set in at very well. Over the years you have built up a huge range of connections with traders, inn keepers, and important people in ports. If you are attempting to find something rare or a place to stay in a port town, you will most likely know someone who can find it. If you are required to roll to see if something is avialable to you while in a port or coastal location, do so at advantage.

Fish Out of Water

At first level you have become so confident in water that you gain a natural swim speed equal your normal movement speed. You only suffer exhaustion at normal rates of travel (e.g. as though travelling over land) while at depths of 100ft or less, and at only double (rather 4 times) at 200ft or more. Attacks made while swimming or underwater are still at disadvantage despite this.

Disciplined Action

Starting at 2nd level, your ability to quickly and descisivley act onboard a vessel has become a talent. You may take a bonus action on each of your turns in combat, this action may be used to take the Use an Object Action, or dash.

Matelow

Matelow was a slang name for a sailor derived from the french mattenoot, bed companion, as sailors often had to share bunks. Starting at third level you choose what type of sailor you shared your bunk with. The choice determines the types of abilities you will pick up, you can choose from Pirate, Captain, and Delver. Your Matelow will grant you abilities at 3rd level, and then again at 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th levels.

Sea-legs

While the roughness of the sea is at stormy or below, you no longer take a penalty on your attack rolls while fighting on a ship. Beginning with 3rd level if the roughness of a sea is at maelstrom level you only take the -2 penalty rather than rolling at disadvantage.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or oyu can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score beyond 20 using this feature.

Fish out of Water

Starting at 5th Level You are so practiced at moving and performing tasks in the water that you no longer make attack rolls at disadvantage while in the water, ranged attacks outside of normal range no longer miss automatically. You may act as though you are a creature with a natural swim speed.

Tavern Brawler

You are accustomed to having to dodge out the way of a thrown mug of ale, or an enraged sailors fist. Starting at 6th Level you may take the dodge action as a bonus aciton on your turn. Once you use this feature you can't use it again until you finish a short rest.

Extra Attack

Begining at 7th Level you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. The number of attacks increases to three when you reach 15th Level.

Healing Water

Starting at 9th level being at sea or in water invigorates you, once per long rest if you are immersed in water or on a ship at sea you can regain hit points equal to 1d10 + your sailor level.

Water Walker

At 11th level as an action you may cast water walk (as per the spell description in the players handbook) once per long rest.

Fisherman

Starting at 15th level you are so experienced to fighting water based creatures that you gain +2 on attack rolls to anything with a natural swim speed.

Summon Sea Creatures

At 13th level as an action you may summon sea creatures to your aid. This acts as though casting the spell Conjure Animals, but the summoned animals must predominantly live in water (if in doubt the creature must have a natural swim speed.) Once used you must complete a long rest before using it again.

Summon Minor Water Elementals

At 17th level as an action you may summon minor water elementals to your aid. This acts as though casting the spell Conjure Minor Elementals, but the summoned elementals must be water elementals. Once used you must complete a long rest before using it again.

Summon Water Elemental

At 17th level as an action you may summon a water elemental to your aid. This acts as though casting the spell Conjure Minor Elementals, but the summoned elemental must be a water elemental. Once used you must complete a long rest before using it again.

Sailoring Archetypes

The Pirate

3rd level: 1st level spell - fog cloud 6th Level: sailing ability (attack) 10th Level - Combat? 14th Level - Spell? 18th Level - ?

The Captain

3rd Level - Cantrip - Message 6th Level - Sailing ability (defend) 10th Level - Combat? 14th Level - Spell? 18th Level - Inspiration?

The Delver

3rd Level - Water combat bonus 6th Level - Gills 10th Level - Weapon focus? 14th Level - Spell? 18th Level - Spell?

The Pokol Raider