World

Expanded

Worldbuilding

While Pumpkin Hollow itself is isolated, the world beyond the barrier is fully developed and home to a great deal of fantastical species and places. In January of 2024, we hosted a temporary AU event in which characters found themselves as natives of the Pumpkin Hollow of yesteryear. Below there is a current copy of important lore from that event, which is not necessarily relevant to gameplay outside that event but may offer some context as to what is going on in the world beyond Marrow Isle. Characters would be able to find this information in books at the library.

Lore Overview

Location, Location, Location. Marrow Isle is part of the Emerald Isles, which is a nation that is off the coast of but technically belonging to the continent of Leviathan. A chunk of it can be seen here:


Not pictured is the subterranean nation of Hepogaia, which runs underneath much of Leviathan, including under the sea. It is the home of many beastfolk like arachnea, as well as dark elves and bedrock dwarves. The most major Hepogaian city beneath the Emerald Isles is Fardune, whose main entrance can be found near the Emeran capital of Victoria's Crossing.

The Emerald Isles. Originally this archipelago consisted of three nations, but an era of feudalism resulted in the nations being "unified" under the banner of one which remains in primary control today. The ruling region is that of Braxtony, with the other two being Glassighe and Anwyll. The main island is called the Grand Fairisle and it is surrounded with a plethora of smaller islands. Some places of interest in the Emerald Isles are:

• Victoria's Crossing, the capital. A bustling, diverse city full of life and culture, though somewhat more industrial in the current day. Its architecture features a lot of height with skywalks, elevated gardens, waterfalls, and large glass windows.
• Mournstead, a heavily industrial Braxton factory town with smoggy skies, dark architecture, and dingy streets. It is ironically located very close to one of the most beautiful forests on the Grand Fairisle, known as the Sylvan Grave.
• Foxbridge, a modest and rustic Glassig village known for its artisanry. It's a common stop on the way to Victoria's Crossing.
• The Cossack Mountains, a major mountain range that cuts through the northern portion of the Grand Fairisle. While there are some small human-centric towns on and around the mountains, the primary inhabitants are moon and snow elves, ice and green mountain dwarves, valley dwarves, and Hepogaians who make their homes near the entrances to the underground which are often found among the mountains. /li>
• The Iselwood, a large Anwyllic forest in the south.
• Gwybodus, an Anwyllic city best known for harboring the University of Magi. It is full of ornate and extremely colorful architecture.
• Providence, the City of Brass. A beloved hometown of many mages and engineers, this city runs almost entirely on arcane clockwork constructs. It belongs to the Braxton territory and is near the coast, just across from Marrow Isle.
• Lochshire, a well-appointed Glassig town with beautiful lake views and sprawling fruit orchards amid the stunning mansions. It is best known for being home to illustrious mogul and inventor Daphne Applegate.
• Drakeport, a Braxton city so integrated with its river that many of its businesses and residences are floating on it. The nightlife here is vibrant.
• Amethyst, the Gateway City, an enormous amethyst geode sticking up out of the base of the Cossack Mountains in Glassighe. The city is split between two dwarven stenholms (what dwarves call their towns), one belonging to Green Mountain Dwarves and the other belonging to Bedrock Dwarves. As such, the city is half above and half below ground.
• Drakkoven, a major orcish city carved into a cliffside in Anwyll, above the plains of Lethmarga. Homes and businesses are caves cut between the bones of a giant, exposed, fossilized dragon skeleton on the cliffside. There is some interesting folklore about the area.
• Cahoots, a Glassig brewing town on the coast. Famously a fun place to party and a common pilgrimage of beer and liquor fans from all over.
• We can also come up with more in plotting! Hit me with your ideas!

Magic. Both an art and a science, magic is the understanding of the powerful energy existing within all things and the ability to manipulate it. Neil explains it in this thread. No genetic component decides who can or cannot use magic, though it is considered very cerebral and challenging to learn. Magical academies for youngsters and universities for adults exist throughout the world, but they are expensive.

Species. There are many species available for your character, both fantastical and mundane! This section will be long, so bear with me.

Humans. This is the most abundant species in this particular world, and also the most diverse. They will live just about anywhere and have a wide array of unique cultures, languages, ancestral homes, and styles of dress. They are remarkably hardy and well-rounded, but they age quicker than most. They are also willing to try eating nearly anything once.

Elves. Pointy-eared folk with a history deeply rooted in the arcane. The types of elves are so thoroughly divided that they each have highly specialized physical characteristics. For the sake of brevity, each will have a quick overview, but feel free to ask questions.

• Sun Elves: coastal or arid living spaces preferred, resistant to heat, vulnerable to cold. Warm skin tones and hair colors. Pink, red, gold, brown, or ocean-blue eyes most commonly. Typically originate from the coast of the Dawn Sea or in the Waking Desert of Khorsheedan or Ngaba. Cannot live underground as sun exposure is required to live.
• Moon Elves: live in any climate but prefer elevation, resistant to thin air, vulnerable to humidity. Cool skin tones. Hair starts as black or dark blue then gradually turns silver from moonlight exposure, giving the appearance of premature greying. Black, blue, or silver eyes are common. Live at high altitudes in communal fortresses known as Skyholds.
• Dark Elves: originate from Hepogaia and have bodies highly specialized to subterranean living. Excellent dark vision, extremely sensitive to bright light. Complexions come in various shades of greyish-violet, eyes are dark jewel tones with black sclera. Protective eye gear must be worn in daylight. Special dietary restrictions.
• Wood Elves: forest dwellers who live in treehouses or nomadic settlements. Excellent survivalists, cannot become lost in woodland places. Complexions, eye colors, hair colors all tend to be in earth tones. Frequently displaced by industrialism. Often hostile toward non-elves.
• Snow Elves: strongly prefer colder climates, particularly the Cossack Mountains, extremely resistant to cold, vulnerable to heat. Always have starkly pale hair and eyes. Driven from low tundra by Braxton settlements and remain extremely hostile towards them. It is not uncommon for snow elf clans to kill Braxton soldiers on sight. Very neighborly with Moon Elves, though.
• High Elves: class traitors, old money. Originally derived from coastal Sun Elves who became successful merchants and assimilated with well-to-do human society. Look fairly similar to Sun Elves still but have lost much of their inherent strengths and drawbacks due to indoorsy lifestyle. Still get uncomfortable when cold, though.

Dwarves. Short-statured folk (not to be confused for humans with dwarfism) who have a reputation for warfaring due to their participation in the War of Ages. Widely renowned for their unique cultural practices surrounding the keeping of their hair, especially their beards. (And yes, dwarven women absolutely have beards.) Dwarves live in a variety of locations, inhabiting fortress-towns called stenholms. Each stenholm belongs to a particular clan with a unique lifestyle, described briefly below:

• Ice Mountain Clan: lives in the highest frosted peaks. Especially hardy with impeccable survival skills. Talented hunters and blacksmiths. Isolationists that do not care to be bothered.
• Green Mountain Clan: live in the lower mountain regions, sometimes inside mountains. Known for brewing and foraging. Have a reputation for being a little bit smug.
• Hill Clan: pastoral folk who are often tenders of livestock and farmers. Well known for their food. Did not participate in the War of Ages and are quite proud of that fact, much to the dismay of their brethren. Very welcoming of outsiders.
• Valley Clan: artisans, traders, and artistic sorts. Have been known to be somewhat self-centered. Have a strange manner of speaking that consists of a unique accent and incomprehensible slang.
• Bedrock Clan: Hepogaian dwarves who live either fully or partially underground. Miners and stoneworkers. Not unfriendly, but tend to keep to themselves.

Halflings. So named because they are half the height of the average human, halflings originate from Glassighe and are believed to have come from fae ancestry. While all-halfling villages aren't unheard of, many halflings do just fine amid humans, though they tend to prefer more rustic homes. Despite their size, they are known to eat double what the average human might on a daily basis and there are many foodies among their ranks. They are also known for their folk music.

Gnomes. Smaller than dwarves or halflings and even more fae-adjacent in origin, gnomes are a rare but generally cheerful species believed to have good luck and for whom magic is second nature. They tend to live in small villages exclusively for gnomes which are overwhelmingly full of whimsy. Gnomes have a habit of "collecting names," which is to say they will nickname their friends and add that nickname to their full name for the rest of their life. More middle names is said to be the sign of a life filled with friends and experiences. If a gnome gives you a nickname, it should be considered a token of profound friendship.

Orcs. Green- and grey-skinned people who were once the opponents of the dwarves in the War of Ages. Propaganda about them gave them a reputation for being violent, bloodthirsty, warmongering dullards, but this reputation has since been disproven and relations with orcs are on the mend. Many still live in ancestral villages on the plains of Lethmarga, but some live in blended towns and cities as well. They are best known for their artisan bonecraft, and many orcish scrimshaw artists are among the finest in the world.

Beastfolk.Humanoid or otherwise sapient beast-people. This includes such individuals as arachnea (subterannean spider-people), centaurs, harpies, lizardfolk, dragonborn, and more.

Tieflings. Tieflings are a strange sort. Despite being technically a species all their own, they are actually a particular kind of mixed-species. When humans fraternize with infernal entities, there is a chance that such a union may yield a tiefling offspring, who then could pass their species on to other children they have with a human partner or other humanoid. The chance for tiefling descendants will remain in the bloodline until it ends and is recessive, even skipping numerous generations only to appear in a family that has only produced human children for the past 200 years. Demonic ancestry, however, does not necessarily imply demonic behavior. There are plenty of perfectly pleasant tieflings just as there are plenty of evil humans.

Faefolk. An umbrella term for members of the fae such as fairies, changelings, pixies, banshees, dullahan, satyrs, nymphs, dryads, merfolk, and more. Typically belong to either the Seelie (benevolent) or Unseelie (malevolent) court.

Miscellaneous Lore. Some other things worth noting is that the current king of the Emerald Isles is Ferdinand Emerick Marchbanks, IV, and the queen is Elaine Millicent Davenger Marchbanks. The king is a polarizing subject, as the Emerald Isles is going through an industrial era which is highly profitable for many people but destructive to the landscape. Another interesting bit of lore is that the goddesses are believed in worldwide but thought to have different appearances and folklore depending upon the culture you ask.

CODED BY TESSISAMESS

Sending Stones

As of 2-12-2024, an unknown boon was issued to Cerrit Agrupnin for an item from his canon (Exandria Unlimited: Calamity, a Critical Role spinoff) to be distributed to all individuals in Pumpkin Hollow. Sending Stones are an arcane item that allows to people to magically connect and communicate by voice, similar to a cell phone.

According to the rules of 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons, Sending Stones only function in matched pairs. However, the stones we will be using in Pumpkin Hollow will have no such requirement. All you will need to do is hold the stone and think of the person you want to contact.

The stone is a little bit bigger than palm-sized and pings quietly and pulses with light when someone is trying to reach you. Both stones will be lit with magical light when a call is active. Unfortunately they are not capable of text or video. Certain elements of the stone, like its carvings, color, ring tone, and the color or patterns of its light can be customized! Feel free to have fun with it.