Looking for Input: Homebrew Campaign Setting - The Shunt

Since around April of last year, I have slowly been putting together a homebrew campaign for my party. We are wrapping up our final session of our current campaign very soon, and I am currently a player - I will be taking over for the DM from here on out so he can be a player again, something that we are both excited about. I have DM'd in the past for about two years and been a player for two, and I have a love for world building.

I am going to share my campaign setting here, as well as the major factions that my party may encounter in the future, in the hopes that you all can give me your feedback and ideas. Though I do have many details of my world planned out, I do not know how my party will interact with my world, so in preparation for my Session Zero I am just seeking to flesh out the main core of my world. This post may be a bit lengthy, so I will trim what I can. If you are pooping right now, congrats on finding 10+ mins of reading material.

GENERAL SETTING: Basically Forgotten Realms, with a twist

In my world, everyone used to inhabit a world much like you'd find in Forgotten Realms, but this one is named Mori. What's important about Mori is that everyone comes from a world in which magic is commonplace, and was usually employed by everyone in some way during their work when possible. This may not apply to every single creature universally, but most civilized people shared this experience. At some point, approximately 6 years before my campaign begins, the BBEG succeeds in his final plot to corrupt the Weave of the world. Sensing the inevitable chaos that would ensue from this, Pholtus, the God of Order, channeled his energy through his most faithful champion, diverting catastrophe but consuming the life energy of his servant. All sentient life across the entire world, Good or Evil, was instantly teleported to a pocket realm of Order controlled by Pholtus. In this realm, time does not pass, and those in the realm do not experience anything nor do they age. Slowly and over time, all life is trickled back into existence onto a sister-realm named Vita. Vita is where the actual campaign takes place. This teleportation event would come to be known as "the Shunt," though it will take many, many years for all of life to be ejected from the pocket realm and transported to Vita. This includes the BBEG, who is deposited in the Underdark of Vita and begins to plot anew.

This event is the core of the "twist" in my campaign. On Mori, the BBEG was largely able to complete their plot in secret. Only a handful of organizations were actively trying to thwart the BBEG; most of the world remained in the dark completely even up to the moment of The Shunt. The BBEG's plan, while successful, did not transpire to the point that everyone on the planet witnessed the corruption of the Weave. In fact, only those in the area localized near the BBEG at the completion of his ritual - including Pholtus' champion - were even aware of its success. As a result, the vast majority of people released by the Shunt are (from their perspective) walking down a village path in one moment, and teleported out of the Realm of Order the next and onto the cold ground of Vita.

Given enough time, all sentient life from Mori will be transported to Vita. Mori, on the other hand, is forever corrupted, the Weave's destruction and corruption ushering in a magic-less age of darkness for the simple creatures left behind. This information is important because of the nature of Vita: those who lived their lives on Mori are not magically attuned to the Weave of Vita. As a result, nearly all magical abilities cease to exist in those released from the Shunt. The draconic bloodlines of sorcerers have no power here, communications with Warlock patrons ceases, Wizard knowledge does not apply to Vita, Clerics cannot reach their Gods, Druidic connections to the Fey are severed, etc. With a few exceptions that I have created to add some magic to the world, the only people on Vita that can cast spells are those that have been extremely blessed with luck and have either A) encountered a magical creature of sufficient power on Vita to grant them an affinity to the Weave of Vita, or B) are naturally attuned to the Weave of Vita by chance. There are plot-related reasons for this that I will not get into here, but the result is that a previously magical society is suddenly transported to Vita with no civilization progress and no magic to accelerate their return to greatness. Mundane craftsmen become worth their weight in gold, archers and warriors are the most powerful soldiers, and anyone who used to strictly rely on their magic is basically a public burden or unskilled laborer. Everyone who is teleported was also teleported with their belongings on their person, minus any magical items; only mundane objects were transferred with their creatures. Many an embarrassed Wizard found themselves suddenly nude, stripped of their magical fabrics and unable to Conjure more. On the other hand, Dwarven craftsmen were in extremely high demand, often suddenly appearing at The Beacon with masterwork tools and toolbelts. Schoolchildren are released from the Shunt (without their family), wearing backpacks filled with textbooks that are now worth their weight in gold, etc. There is no end to the amount of plot I can generate because of the nature of the Shunt! How would a Noble respond to suddenly being dropped into a world that has never heard of them and won't obey their commands? How would a prisoner, locked away for 30 years but desperately seeking freedom and swearing to never sin again, react to actually being freed, and into a world that knows nothing of their crimes?

The final major plot point of my campaign is that Vita was, long ago, previously inhabited by a high-magic society that achieved levels of magic never seen on Mori. Their extinction was hundreds if not thousands of years ago, but evidence of their existence is everywhere. Artifacts, magic items, ruins, lore, books, libraries, caves, vaults, and old ancient cities still exist and are just waiting to be explored. This society was comprised of dozens of countries and destroyed themselves with ever-increasing magical warfare. I have a lot of lore around this society, but that is a matter for another thread, as it's quite extensive. Not only does this give me a great amount of freedom in what I can present to my players when they explore my world, it also justifies why there would be magical loot everywhere in a world that has effectively been rebooted by Pholtus. Right around the time that the Party is released from the Shunt, the first seafaring vessels are being designed and prepared for construction, so there is ample exploration on the horizon!

Note, for plot: should the party choose to, there is a segment of my campaign that will allow them to amplify the Weave of Vita, effectively returning magical abilities to everyone on Vita over time. They will have the choice of whether or not to do this, and if they decline, it may be discovered by another entity in the future who decides to do it.

The Shunt

Those released from the Shunt are mostly released randomly. All "civilized" life (basically any race found in the PHB plus some additions), good or bad, lawful or chaotic, are released in the same location on Vita that is named The Beacon. The first settlement was built around this portal, and depending on the day, anywhere from 20 to 50 people might be released from it. The first dozen or so released from the portal were chosen by Pholtus themselves, so that Life would have a chance in the new world. Those released include skilled survivalists, leaders, and moral champions of Law or Neutrality. These dozen were given a brief explanation as to what happened to them by Pholtus, but Pholtus is the god of Order, not Good, so Pholtus does not give any more information than is strictly necessary. They were given a small window of time to prepare a small settlement, and then new people would begin to be released. These twelve people would go on to start The Beacon.

Naturally, protecting The Beacon becomes everyone's top priority. After all, if nothing changes, the family of everyone who has already been released will one day exit from this portal, and if this entire area fell into the hands of an Evil-aligned villain, it would effectively sentence everyone still in the Shunt to slavery or death the moment they are released. Earlier I mentioned that all civilized life exits from The Beacon, so where does all other life go? Well, creatures like Tortles, Kenku, Tabaxi, Orcs, Goblins, Centaurs, Kuo-Toa, etc. (known in my campaign as "horde creatures," basically any tribal creature that theoretically could exist in a city but would more likely be found in a "natural habitat") are all independently released in clusters or colonies in their normal habitats. Goblins are released in caves or dark forests, Orcs are released across the many plains and mountains and hills across Vita, and other creatures are given similar treatment. Generally, every creature is released into an area that the God of Order saw fit, so they are at least able to survive immediately - no one is Shunted into the ocean or anything, but no one is given any extreme advantages, either. And, if a "horde" creature such as a Goblin is particularly civilized and accustomed to normal society, it may be released at The Beacon instead of with its more aggressive and tribal brothers.

Because all Gods derive their power from their worshippers, trapping every single sentient being in the Pocket Realm of Order pissed off a lot of Gods. Over time, they pressure Pholtus in one way or another to release specific people from the Shunt in order to further their own specific causes. For example, Gruumsh might lobby for the release of a significant number of Orcs because he feels Orcs are being cheated by Pholtus, or a God of Lawful Good might lobby for a paladin to be released from timelock so that he can return to worshipping the Path of Light. In addition, the Party's release from the Shunt was caused by a god of Chaos persuading Pholtus to release them early. This also explains why any member of the Party is blessed with magic after being released from the Shunt: they were chosen by this God to significantly alter the future of civilization.

The Result: the Party is released into Vita at the end of Year 6, during the melt of a brutal and lengthy winter. At the time of their release, The Beacon is housing a population of about 2,500 residents. They will have some time to explore the world around The Beacon, begin to make a name for themselves, and fight in all kinds of cool encounters. But, eventually, around level 4, they will begin to have serious encounters with the other factions on Vita. There are dozens of subfactions on Vita that are more loose organizations of ideals and ideologies (for example, a group of people who are dedicated to creating and maintaining social programs for the disadvantaged who are released from the Shunt, such as children, the disabled, and the elderly, none of which would be released with their families or caretakers), but there are only Three main factions (other than The Beacon, which not a faction in itself because it is more of a collective effort of Humanity to protect the portal and is not an area run by one entity).

Each Faction donated a significant asset to The Beacon. The donation is meant to pay The Beacon back for the hospitality shown to everyone who emigrates from there, and to pay for all of the skilled labor that is required to leave The Beacon in order to build up a new settlement. Without these donations, The Beacon would be weakened by a constantly outflux of talent and people.

Faction 1: Elysia

Elysia is a faction dedicated to understanding the Shunt in its entirety: why it happened, who is responsible, what it means for the future, etc. Its leader, Ezalor, was one of the dozen present for Pholtus' vision regarding the Shunt, and his experience was slightly more vivid than the others'. As a result, he developed a stronger fascination with Pholtus and his actions than anyone else, and was quick to gather under his wing anyone else released from the Shunt who also sought answers. After a few years of living in The Beacon and slowly gaining notoriety, he amassed a following of people and set off to settle the lands south of The Beacon. Those who did not join him were happy to see them leave - not out of animosity, but because feeding the mouths of not only the town but also every additional mouth released from the Shunt was not easy. Expansion was generally always supported by the residents of The Beacon so that they do not overwhelm their own population and run out of resources. If a qualified leader could unite a large enough band of people, they could become a ruler. Ezalor collected everyone with a thirst for knowledge about the Shunt. Their people are occupied mainly with studying the Divine and searching for ruined holy sites that may have once been utilized by worshippers of Pholtus during the olden days.

Only those close to Ezalor know that he has a second motivation for studying the Shunt. Before the Shunt on Mori, he lost most of his family to a violent inquisition. He was able to escape with only his daughter and their belongings in a bag of holding. For months, he traveled with his daughter seeking refuge and a possible second chance at life. When he was Shunted, all of his possessions remained behind in his bag of holding, and his daughter was lost. He has no clue when she will be released from timelock, but he is anxiously seeking to do whatever he can to release her from the Shunt early, before he has aged too much.

Elysia's ideals are order, knowledge, truth, law, and light.

Elysia's donation to The Beacon is a magical messaging system that connects 5 different magical hubs. The hubs can cast Message once per day each. Each major Town received a Hub, leaving one extra Hub in storage at The Beacon for the next major settlement. This is pretty much the only form of instant long-distance communication in the world, as there are little to no magic users who can cast Message.

Faction 2: Spine of Moradin

The Spine of Moradin refers to a chain of Dwarven settlements controlled by Tresdin Stonehill, a female dwarf of high renown. Tresdin was released from the Shunt in Year 3, and her origin story is my favorite of the three. Before the Shunt, Tresdin was a respected commander of a small Dwarven city named Dagh Darim. She heroically lead a final defense of their hold from an Orcish invasion. Though she and her squad were unsuccessful, her delays created enough time for the members of Dagh Darim to escape. Her squad was wiped out, and she was taken prisoner. Roughly 3 months of captivity later, the Shunt happened. Freed from captivity, she vowed to make her second chance count. Her name was well known, and it wasn't hard for her to rouse the dwarves at the Beacon to move to the Shattered Mountain. After her identity was established - easily proven between her own stories and the manacle scars on her wrists - she roused a convoy of Dwarves and headed towards the Spine of Moradin, a mountain chain found far north of The Beacon. One starry night, as she approached the mountains themselves, a meteor crashed down from the heavens and cleaved the mountain into two pieces before her eyes. The meteor was sent by Moradin, the Chief Diety of Dwarves. Angry at Pholtus over his lack of followers, Moradin cast a meteor of Adamantium and Mithril down before Tresdin, choosing her as his champion for the coming age of rebirth on Vita.

Tresdin's settlement is built into the mountainside surrounding the meteor impact site, sort of like if a football stadium kept angling downwards like a bowl instead of flattening out on the field. The Spine of Moradin is able to prosper due to the vast resources found in the mountains and the consistent food that is cultivated and harvested within the caves of the mountainside. The Dwarves that live there take great pride in their work, and constantly strive to make the age's first Dwarven Citadel. These dwarves see themselves as poised to control great segments of the new world, considering their prosperous settlement and lack of reliance on the arcane.

The Spine of Moradin's donation was an enormous, multi-purpose water wheel constructed at The Beacon. This giant wheel is what powers a significant amount of industry at The Beacon; anything from metalworking to flour milling to lumber splitting is done using energy generated by this wheel. This was a massive undertaking from dozens of dwarves over many months, and is poised to create energy for The Beacon for decades to come.

Faction 3: Rhodenia

Rhodenia was founded by a man named Mathias. Mathias is a pragmatic and hands-on ruler who found early success at The Beacon by bravely exploring the wilderness. His efforts were crucial to designating and collecting natural resources from the area, and he was widely seen as a capable explorer and adventurer. During a particularly tough famine brought on by a sudden and enormous release of people from the Shunt, he plead with leadership at The Beacon to change their operations to accommodate for so much uncertainty. Feelings his requests were falling on deaf ears and harboring paranoia of what may occur if another influx of releases coincides with a blizzard, Mathias collected a convoy of settlers that he felt were personally skilled and could benefit his expedition. His convoy consisted strictly of soldiers, craftsmen, laborers, and a handful of people he personally trusted that would be members of his own government. Mathias' departure stirred the long-term residents of The Beacon quite a bit, and the production of The Beacon certainly dipped after suddenly losing so many workers. As soon as word began to arrive from Rhodenia that a capital had been successfully established and was prospering, plenty of denizens of The Beacon voluntarily created convoys and moved their families to live under the guidance of Mathias. Those that prove themselves to be capable leaders and critical thinkers are granted leadership positions in a hamlet or amongst Mathias' own Court.

Unfortunately, roughly two years before the Party is released from the Shunt, a gang of doppelgangers lead by a Greater Doppelganger infiltrate Rhodenia and subvert the leadership of Mathias. Before long, Mathias is completely replaced by the Greater Doppelganger, and Mathias is locked away in his own dungeon. Mathias is permanently guarded, 24/7, by two soldiers who are secretly doppelgangers. Residents of the town know a "notorious criminal" is locked away with a permanent iron mask on his face, but only the doppelgangers know that it is the real Mathias. The Greater Doppelganger has successfully usurped his role by the time the Party arrives, and merely keeps Mathias alive so he can further capture his memories and roleplay as him more effectively.

Rhodenia's ideals are pragmaticism, intelligence, robustness, nationalism, and feudality (as in, the feudal system but not inherently corrupt).

Rhodenia's donation is a powerful automaton that performs unskilled labor for free at The Beacon. This construct is able to perform feats of strengths that no normal creature could perform, allowing for the creation of unique and strong buildings in The Beacon. Though this was a painful magical item to depart with, Rhodenia's reputation is boosted amongst those in The Beacon every time Supremium the Automaton helps them out.

Conclusion

In general, these factions work together to protect The Beacon, but each of them is aggressively expanding and trying to vie for power. The Party will be able to choose which of these nations they support and which they do not, and if they feel that none of these nations deserve their support, they will be encouraged to create their own faction. Regardless of their choice, I want future campaigns to exist in the same world with whatever effects the current Party makes. If they choose to prop up Elysia, I want Elysia to have a significant presence in a future campaign. This line of thought is why it is important to me that I have strong factions with solid ideas. So, I want to hear your ideas!

Thanks for reading