The plane of Phandalor used to be a single continent. But, (something happened). Now, 10 000 years later, the world is Shattered into isolated continents and smaller locations.
Drezgor, the Great Fog, is named such, because the entire land is shrouded in an obscuring fog. Small villages exist on the continent, but not major civilizations have managed to form in the last 10 000 years. Drezgor's history goes far back, even before Phandalor was Shattered...
The Ancients of Phandalor, now known as the Drezgorian Ancients were a race of Elder Demons that were sealed deep within this continent, tens of thousands of years ago by an unknown group. Their influence on the land has steadily grown since then, and spiked since the Shattering. In modern day, cults work tirelessly in the shadows to rebirth their dark gods
Shortly after the Shattering, a circle of druids, whose name has been forgotten, vanished into a deeply-concealed marshland where they suspected a race of aberrant beings were dwelling. Today, a race of Horrors (with a significantly larger-than-usual Druid population, oddly) live there in a hidden society, only appearing before outsiders to kill and/or capture them... These beings are known as the Marsh Men, and are told to children as warning stories, across the continent's villages. Their origin is fully unknown, but few suspect that it must have something to do with whatever happened to those druids so long ago...
The Machine (aka The Engine of Fumes) is a ultra-sapient immobile construct that has been under development by certain citizens of Drezgor for an unknown number of years. The machine grows both in size and intelligence by having it's workers - known as Steamworkers - continue to build upon it's original design. The Machine has enslaved the minds of thousands of people, forcing them to reproduce, thus ensuring their offspring will continue to develop the Machine. The Steamworkers believe that this project is not something they will ever see to completion, nor will their children be able to. They feel utter serenity and devotion in the fact that the Engine of Fumes is greater than they are, and thus whatever it demands of them is both serving a higher purpose, and cannot be refused.
Also on Drezgor...
- An underground group of wizards, known as the School of Somnomancers have begun practice in the last hundred years. Their magic originally was True Somnomancy, a magic based around the manipulation of sleep, and sometimes dreams. However, it has evolved to encompass any magic that has the do with the mind or the metabolism of a creature, such as: Memory Manipulation, Inducing Confusion, Hypnosis, Physical Weakening, Emotion Manipulation, and even lesser acts of Chronomancy. Some individuals in the school even have necrotic powers or have devoted themselves to dark entities to become warlocks.
- Recently, a new circle of druids and shamans called Roilmages have begun awakening the land, hoping to bring back the spirit of Dreza, an entity that only perhaps exists, but is considered by Roilmages to be the worldsoul of Drezgor or even all of Phandalor. The Roilmages have managed to awaken much of the reluctant land, though they are not aware that by doing so, they are weakening the prison of the Ancients.
The vast oceans of Phandalor are home to many Homarids. For generations, they have been the servants of the so-called Sea Gods. These ancient and powerful creatures have lain dormant since the Shattering, but their stirring has become louder and louder in recent years... Who could stand against their primordial wrath?
In the furthest reaches of Phandalor there exists a land of enchanting beauty known as Ogasha. It is known to few, partially due to its remoteness - but more so because of it's gargantuan protectors. The land is ruled by titanic dinosaur sovereigns, and is also home to many other dangerous and sturdy beasts. The creatures of Ogasha are largely native species. This is because after the Shattering, the survivors of multiple mass extinctions had to rebuild the ecosystem from the ground up. This led to a complex chain of hierarchy among the beasts. Some of the creatures here have reached incredible ages, such as the Elder-Shells who have survived since the Shattering itself. Any attempt to map or explore Ogasha has not ended well for those involved. It's greatest secrets are yet to be found, but the mystery may not last forever...
The seas of Phandalor also house fleets of pirates. These seafaring fellows search far and wide for treasure and adventure! However they will have to overcome deadly storms, enemy fleets and sea monsters.
The Legend of Tur
Centuries ago, there lived an aged and cynical wizard. He grew tired of adventuring. As he looked back on his travels, he remembered his fascination for powerful and mysterious artifacts. This fascination soon turned into obsession, and eventually it devoured him. Enslaving an army of Homarids, he ordered siege after siege on coastal villages. Each battle reaping more soldiers and riches to buy loyalty. The wizard became known as The Mad Sea-King. After making a deal with the resident kraken, he established a kingdom resting on the waters. His reign lasted nearly half a century. He hoarded countless expensive and powerful artifacts. His few truly loyal subjects warned him of his descent into madness. He did not listen, and ordered them to leave him be unless there were a insurmountable threat. In his absence, the ocean kingdom was attacked and liberated by a ragtag army of folk from the lands he had pillaged. In his solitude, the king did not realize the battle outside of his vault. Though he had sustained his people, they were not loyal. His human slaves were freed and returned home, the foolish merfolk who had chose to serve him in hopes of a sliver of his riches perished in the battle. His homarid swarm were pitied and sent to the depths, where they would split off and join the many cults of The Sea-Gods. When his last few loyal men came to him in his vault and told him of their defeat, Tur knew his doom. As his last command, he ordered his magic-users to channel their magic to him. With this power, he cast a final spell to scatter his riches across all of Phandalor. His men died in this spell, as he tricked them and drained every inch of their essence. Even with all that power, he was spent. The once mighty wizard was now teetering on the brink of withering into a fallen. He knew the invaders could not penetrate his vault doors, but he would not give them mercy. Using his last breath, he called upon one of his lesser serpents. This creature was one of the spawn of the slumbering kraken he built his kingdom above. He had fed the beast homarids in exchange for a part of it's territory. He was even given the weakest of the kraken's brood as a servant. In his final desperate breath, he summoned the creature to slaughter his enemies. The serpent unleashed its fury upon the remaining men. Most their men had already escaped, but those who were waiting aboard were slain. When Tur passed, the serpent and its siblings were freed from their trances. The monster returned to its sire. Later that night, when the battle ended and the moon rose over the thousand corpses, the great kraken reclaimed its land. With one mighty tentacle extending from the unfathomable depths, the Sea God sunk the great city. Afterwards, the tale of Tur and his treasure was passed only by word of mouth for centuries. And that brings us to today.
In recent times, the Legend of Tur had resurfaced when explorers encountered but a few of his many treasures. The rumor of boundless riches in unknown lands allured many a folk. This was the promise that brought about piracy as we know it today. Years later, in the present day, pirates tread the vast seas of Phandalor. Though they may do so for various reasons, some sinister and some not, t'was The Mad Sea-King Tur who set the foundation for their wanderlust. This long-dead legend of old lives on in a way. In life, he would never share his great wealth. However his exploits have sparked a planewide quest far after his death.