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The Arden Setting was devised for use with 3.5e and Pathfinder 1e roleplay systems as a moderate-dark fantasy setting which offers some unique flair and approaches to the otherwise streamlined and increasingly stale state TTRPG environment.
Arden is a world built upon another; while the machinations of the nations and guilds of the modern age seem to be the most important matters currently ongoing, they are merely the surface of a far reaching iceberg of schemes laid out by forgotten powers, thousands of years in the making. The people engage in their daily toil, from the lowliest commoner to the most lavish imperial court, most of them none the wiser to the roles they play in these actors' grand design.
The world itself is held together by an uneasy, slowly eroding peace brokered by the Axiom, a council of formidable agents formed at the climax of the last great cataclysm nearly 1400 years prior. Forced to further their plans through more underhanded means, the once-protectors of the world have become the administrators of the world's most expansive network of spies, monster hunters, bodyguards, and assassins. The fabric of reality bends and tears at the command of powerful mages. The barrier of the veil allows the manipulation of natural energies, yet threatens to overtake and destroy those who would risk their lives for the allure of untold power.
There are no longer heroes in this world. Merely companies of warriors and professionals constantly shifting allegiances according to the highest bidder. The friends of yesterday are the enemies of today, fighting for no higher cause than the promise of coin and fame. They are known as Ardents.
Ten Things To Know
A worldwide mythology: The themes, places, and creatures of Arden are primarily pulled from the mythos of cultures from around our world. The styles and flavors of adventure can range from the intrigue and yokai of the Odanese shogunate, to hunting rocky coasts for cursed, Celtic artifacts.
Crapsack World: The material plane, known as Arden, is a desperate place governed by the desires of the powerful and deranged alike. Heroics and altruism are well and good, but seldom prioritized over the often underhanded (and highly lucrative) actions of more pragmatic agents. People suffer in droves, and the ability to mete out this suffering is far more valuable than the actions of well-meaning vagrants.
Dangers of the Veil: Magic is powerful, and its schools varied, but the danger it poses gives rise to the vilification of those who use it. Most cultures distrust mages to some degree, with the worst of them shunning or executing those practitioners who would make their studies known. Societies that embrace the use of arcane power face the constant danger of inter-dimensional breaches, possession by alien beings, and for those whose settlements are totally immersed in its energies, utter obliteration at any moment.
Bloody Innovation: The world is on the cusp of a new technological revolution, the invention of black powder beginning to level the playing field between magical and non-magical powers. New weapons are available, but expensive, and often illegal. Those who wish to get their hands on this equipment must often pry it from the hands of the fallen, or steal it from vengeful and powerful rivals, with the former likely hunting the perpetrators relentlessly.
The Axiom Treaty: Open war is discouraged by the Axiom Treaty, a binding pact that ensnares the world's most dangerous powers into an uneasy peace. Because of this factor, most political actions are executed by paid actors, Ardents. Expect no shortage of underhanded dealings, daggers in the dark, poisoned goblets, or fine print, for the powers that be may very well value your silence far more than your continued allegiance.
Imperial Powers: Diplomatic endeavors and sanctions on open warfare has led to a collection of burgeoning, restless empires that span the forests, deserts, and mountains of Arden. Human theocracies, Dwarven shogunates, Elven councils, and more are desperate to cement their futures as the dominant powers in the world, growing stagnant and decadent in their forced peace. Upended by their own prosperity, matters within these borders often prove more pressing and dangerous than those without.
The Guilds: The Axiom itself is not a singular power, but a hierarchy of somewhat independent contracting guilds inhabiting the neutral isle of Antiliath. These guilds have their own allegiances, rivalries, and in many cases, philosophies that guide their work. Though they may answer to the same master, no two guilds owe each other any friendship or loyalty, and bad blood between many guilds has led to an unending string of double-crosses, murders, and worse.
The Sea of Glass: At Arden's core lies the sea of glass, a desolate jade-green wasteland of destructive horrors fabled to contain the mythical golden city of Latra. Innumerable expeditions have sought the riches of the fabled city, and none that have ventured past the outskirts of the desert have ever returned to affirm or refute its existence. Violent storms of razor sharp particles and aberrant magical anomalies envelope the region on any given day, almost as if guided by some unseen hand to deter would-be explorers.
Eyrite: Powering modern cities and new weapons, eyrite is a rare, highly sought resource that supplies almost infinite power from even the smallest of shards. Deposits are rare, and their discovery has led not only to new wealth among guilds and world powers, but also new desire for war. None know where the material comes from, or why it has appeared now, but few seem to care, so long as their families and factions will benefit.
Strange Mutations: The people of Arden vary far more than standard fantasy deviations of Elves, Dwarves, and Orcs. The cannibal Drachmari and magic enthused Aethervolk hold more sway in global politics than these “standard” fantasy races, bringing more threats and intrigue to the table than mere rivalries between the usual suspects. Proceed accordingly.