Campaign Setting & World

Colossal creatures known as the "Maius" dominate the world. It has been this way for as long as anyone can remember, yet everyone knows there was a time before them. Humanity struggles to survive their predators, while the Maius grow more powerful upon consuming others and weakening when they don’t. There is some sort of social hierarchy, but no one can tell what it is. Over time, people have developed a magic called "Graviturgy" as a method to fend off the Maius. It allows for localized gravity alterations, which assist those brave enough to fight the colossi in ascending their mountainous bodies, defending incoming attacks, and amplifying damage into any cracks in the giants' bodies. Nobody knows how the Maius got here, why they are here, or how to stop them at large. Can the people of this world, living in the ruins of ancient civilizations, fighting over resources, struggling even to live a peaceful life, gather the strength to annihilate the Maius and find out their secrets? Or will they stumble and fall at their own hands and those of mammoth stone till only these beings are left? Or maybe there is something else?

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The larger colonies:

Oraine - Oraine is the largest city in the Mire. The population grew so great because of its position to the West of the Matus Plateau being harder for most Maius to reach. Due to the comparatively calm nature of the environment, the colony has attracted many of the great minds of the Mire, and thus it is the most progressive of the larger towns.

Saile - The ruins of ancient Saile make it seem like it was once a bustling sight of commerce, but now it is a place for the lowlives and impoverished. Nobody moves to Saile willingly. Nevertheless, it is still a central location for trade, and those who live there feel strongly for it, if they can survive the harsh social ladder. The one time gangs unite is in fighting the threats bigger than them.

Alietus - Alietus is the agent of Order. No one gets in or out without papers. It rests half inside a massive cavern of the same name, with general wealth increasing the further one travels from the surface. It is safer down there. With the somewhat militaristic and lawful state, some may call it a dystopia; however, most of its citizens actually feel fairly safe and trust the guards to keep it that way. They are a very supersitious bunch and believe in persistence and submission to the Maius instead of resistance and fight.

There are more colonies/towns than these; but they are the most influential among the Mire and act as the safer locations on the continent.

While they are larger in number, they are still all relatively small, and none would call even Oraine "bustling". The population of the Mire is largely spread out over the landmass. A group is a lot easier to spot than a few individuals.

Major Regions:

Rakeita - Rakeita consists of the Icefields, the Slit, and the Strip. These lands are known for the cold weather, the eastern winds being cut off by the great Mātus Plateau and leaving only the cold ocean breeze of the north. Most folks dare not to venture into the Icefields since the lands are ravaged by desperate cannibalistic tribes who have fallen victim to the addictive salts spawned by the Northern Virivkan Coast's whirling waters where only sentients' blood can come close to the same high as the seasonal salts. The Slit is home to Oraine, where most go seeking refuge from the Maius or addiction from east and west. The closer to Oraine the safer, but stray too far North and one might face the Withdrawn, sentients corrupted by the addiction who attempted to flee its grasp. The Strip is merely a training grounds to face the harsh northwest as more fearful Withdrawn fell sparsely in their fear of the darkness of Mātus' tunnels.

Mātus - There are two primary cultures in Mātus: the Skimmers and Delvers. The Skimmers find safety in the great heights of the Plateau and live atop it in small townships, making use of its many rivers that flow from Rītūs and Solier, many deeming its water pure and holy from its proximity to the heavens. Up there, they have to deal with the largest Maius among the continent, as only some can climb those heights. The Delvers make use of the Plateau's many gargantuan caverns and tunnels, setting up decently sized villages in tucked away nooks, farming the moss and earthen plants to survive. While they have less scary Maius to deal with than the Skimmers, they are not safe from the many smaller ones and snake-like colossi. Additionally, most residents of the Delvers eventually go blind from the darkness of the tunnels, and thus the culture has adapted so.

Audra - Clearly, Audra--consisting of the Corbin Coast, the Plains, and the Minsija Mountains--was

once a prosperous land. Ruins scatter the entire rainy region as remnants of what it once might have been. Clans of all sorts have set up camp in many of these ruins, worshiping the thunderous tornados and tsunamis that render many sections of the plains as swampland. Those whirls of wind and water travel across the Virivkan Gulf during the spring to mix the salts that plague Rakeita. Despite the nomadic nature of the clans in Audra, its denizens remain fiercely loyal to their families and even former homes, leaving a mark for the next clan to recognize and respect as a previous refuge, even if they were the ones to cause the move. The lands being so fertile from the constant motion of nutrients, the land has become known elsewhere for its unique and abundant crops, being traded largely through Saile in Dolina to the rest of the Mire.

Dolina - The Doline lands cover the second largest stretch of land in the Mire, including the Desert, Cliffs, and the Eye. Only partially due the region's sheer size, Dolina includes the largest diversity of biomes in the world, and with it, many cultures. The place is rich with trade as a product of this, Saile being the center of it all. Unfortunately, it is also home to the largest quantity of Maius in the Mire, and of all types. No civilization can become all too comfortable or populous lest the giants catch the scent of flesh. With all of this trade comes crime, and gangs and mercenaries run wild, even outside of Saile. Many folks look down on sentients from Dolina due to its surprisingly impoverished population which allows only for the most conniving to live comfortably.

Fasheland - Covering the entire eastern coast, Fasheland is home to Alietūs, Tytan, Uzky, and the fabled Elyse. The leafland is home to various arboreal villages who try to soar above the threat of the Maius. It works perfect until they are inevitably noticed, and thus the dwellers of Tytan are used to remaining eerily quiet, often communicating with a sort of sign-language. If the Tytans attempt to remain still in the leafland, the Uzky Jungle residents aim for perpetual motion. The wildlife--flora, fauna, sentient, and Maius alike-- live in constant chaos, so that everyone may be too confused to catch prey. There is no one way to describe it, but those who venture to and from the jungle often come with many new stories, and even fewer limbs. Despite its chaotic nature, it is universally agreed that the jungle's residents will defend Elyse from anyone attempting to enter it. This tradition is old the Maius, and not even those who protect it can remember why they defend it with such ferocity. Lastly, the Fashelands (within Fasheland), often simply referred to as "the great field" is a barren zone between Tytan and Alietūs. If anyone lives there permanently, they live as a rotting corpse. Its flat terrain leave living sentients like black sheep to the Maius, who are astonishingly fast compared to their size.

Misc. Notes:

"For those who are from anywhere in the southwest of the Mire, you've heard rumors of what may be hidden in Elyse. While yes, it is widely known that the Uzkians aren't 100% positive what it is they are protecting, they themselves have fostered various tales of what may be there. Some say there is an ancient artifact that answers any question, others say a portal to another world, but most prominently are the rumors of the Emerald Queen, a prophetess said to exist across multiple dimensions at once, barely visible and with knowledge abound. She is told in fairytales to kids, though. Nothing more."

"This planet has two suns. They both orbit each other pretty tightly and as such cause weird eclipses happen about twice a year in which color is depleted from the world for a day. They are called Vela and Yol. There are also three moons. They are called Lithil, Ulkryte, and Halanda."