Dragon Isles of Ambar

  Geography    Races    History    Life in Ambar    Magic    Mythos    Bestiary    - Ambar World Map - 

The Dragon Isles of Ambar is a fantasy campaign setting and the basis of the Dragonhawk Campaigns.

The Dragon Isles float under a sky filled with nine fragments of the shattered moon. This is a dangerous land of unfolding mystery, adventure, and wonder.

For ten-thousand years the Draconian Empire held the known world in an adamant grasp, with invincible city-states and temples to their exacting Dragon Gods along every shore. The immortal Baal dominated every nation who stood against them, save for the crafty Southmarens and barbaric Kith of the icy wastes. When the Draconian Empire suddenly collapsed, Southmarens were quick to fill the void, for their white-sailed Southmaren ships were already a frequent sight on every shore. In the north, new cities arose upon the ruins of the old as the vibrant Young Kingdoms of the Alorns were born.

In resettling the Baal ruins, the young nations have discovered a secret--the ancient cities were themselves founded upon even older ruins hewn from fragments of the moons, eerie green stone invested with necromantic power, or gigantic coral beds dredged from the bottom of the sea. The invincible cities and temples of the Baal had not existed as edifices of a tyrannical empire, but to guard the world from ancient horrors locked within these places eldritch power. With their ancient guardians gone, the young nations have stumbled into a timeless mystery. Few understand the signs and fewer still choose to act on them, and only a brave few have taken up the mantle of guardianship themselves.

Geography (updated 2005/07/10)

  - Ambar World Map -    Alornea    Belerion (Old Alornea, Land of Cairns)    Forandol (The Wintercrown Mountains)    Haradjiaa (the Red Waste, the Great ...    Harnendor (The Southmaren Empire)    Hrivlyggdor (Northern Wilderness)    Kitania (The Young Kingdom)    Lyonesse (Lothian)    Nan-Avathar (The Cradle of Vampires)    Rochir Plains    Saurgoth (Westmarsh)    The Dragon Sea    The Great Goblyn Empire    Urulokidor (the Draconian Empire)    Vokrazum (The Toxic Jungle) 

The nucleus of civilization on Ambar is the Dragon Sea, a vast inland ocean that is roughly circular in shape and a thousand miles in diameter. Anyone attempting to travel away from the lands ringing the Dragon Sea soon finds other great seas, tall mountain ranges, desolate wastelands, and other barriers that defy easy exploration. Even the Dragon Sea itself is inscrutable, with pirates, violent storms, uncharted isles, and (if rumors are to be believed) ghost ships crewed by soulless "dark elves". One thing is certain--vessels that brave the deeps and are quickly swallowed up and join the graveyard of lost ships.

Once, the entire region was ruled by the Draconian Empire of the Baal. Ruins of this ancient theocracy can be found all around the Dragon Sea, particularly the distinctive dragon temples and shrines hewn from black basalt and obsidian. To the east are volcanic lands and the holiest dragon temples of the Baal, to which the Baal gathered when their empire fell. The world anxiously dreads the eventu [ more... ]

Races (updated 2008/10/22)

  Alorns (Northmen)    Alu    Avathars    Baal (Dragon Lords)    Baalist (servants of the Baal, ...    Dwur (Gnomes)    Eldar (Ithilrhi, Ithil'Rhi)    Karrocks    Kith (Kyth, Baersarks, Northmen)    Southmarens    Vozen 

Ambar is an ancient world with many unique cultures, but some have become more dominant than others. Depending on the campaign story nearly any race could make a suitable character, but the following racial combinations are the most consistent with their cultural history. Consider them when creating your party of characters, or when adding a character to an existing group of adventurers. However, this is a game, and characters do not need to limit themselves by their racial stereotypes. [ more... ]

History

  The Age of Dreams (80,000 years before ...    The Age of Nightmares (60,000 years ...    The Age of Naming (40,000 years before ...    The Age of Shattered Lands (20,000 ...    The Age of the Urumaiar (10,000 before ...    The Age of Light (1 - 300 HC)    The Vampire Wars (300 - 750 HC)     The Age of Rebirth (800 - 870 HC) 

Life in Ambar

  Calendar of Ambar    Coin and Commerce    Craft and Engineering    Languages    Running Ambar 

Most of Ambar's people merely try to survive in their hostile environment. Eldar dwell in ancient cities hidden away from the dangers of the world and the humans who constantly explore it. Northmen wander the icy barrens and forests, subduing the wilds and building cities of stone. Southmarens ply their skills in trade and brave the seas to travel between the scattered cities, hoping to evade the ever watchful Goblyns of the south. Dangerous creatures roam the wilds, and occasionally venture into civilized lands. Adventurers boldly stave off these foes or explore the world and its ancient ruins. Life in Ambar is a challenge.

Magic (updated 2008/09/15)

  Arcanym (True Names)    Ley Lines (Dragon Lines, Shining Paths, ...    Mthus Ryga (the Astral Sea)    Nodes (Astral Pools, Dragon Wells, ...    Regios (Nabzu, Realms, Domains, Warrens)    The Aether    The Magic Arts 

The world of Ambar has been shaped, shattered, and reforged by magic. In a time before time, the Ithilrhi and the Deep Ones warred for control over the Astral Seas. When the Kha'din resurfaced the Ithilrhi fled to the lands of Ambar, and constructed the Great Weirs to guard their sacred mountain subcontinent--the Undying Land. In the next age the moon was shattered after the second great war against the Kha'din. These ancient magical wars have left their mark. The bones of fallen strongholds littering the land, and many treasure troves contain mighty songblades and other relics too powerful to be safely wielded by mortals. Even now the undead still issue forth from the Wintercrown Mountains--once the Undying Land and now a land of horrid undeath. The north is locked in a struggle between the Alorns and Avathars, and the south between the Southmarens and Gobbah.

Ambar has always been defined by magic and the struggle to control it. Ley Lines are the source of magic within Ambar, extendng in a vast, interconne [ more... ]

Mythos (updated 2004/03/24)

  Religions    Gods of Ambar    The Avatara    Dragons (Guardian Dragons)    The Old Ones, Gods of the Astral Seas 

Every culture on Ambar has a mythos, or set of stories, that describes the world and helps them to make sense of it. In most cultures, this takes the form of religion. The people of Ambar believe in a variety of different religions, which range from philosophies to pantheons of gods. Often a god is worshiped by more than one religion, perhaps under a different name or guise, with different prayer rites and customs.

In addition, the Avatara, Dragons, Deep Ones, and the Kha'din are ancient beings of god-like power who existed before the creation of Ambar. Various cultures consider them to be vassals of the gods, powerful immortals, or gods in their own right.

Bestiary

  Avaggdu (Ever-Hungry, Bloody Tongues, ...    Goblyns    Jotuns (Giants)    Kreen    Oni    Ungolath (Great Spiders) 

Between the safeholds of mortal men and Old Ones dwell creatures of every description, both fair and foul. Beware the wilderness, uncivilized and untamed, for there roam beasts of monstrous intent and creatures who despise or hunt mankind--giant insects, man-eating beasts, enormous worms, and hideous serpents. These are not always creatures of magic or intelligence, good nor evil, but they are powerful and vicious, and any traveler of Ambar should be wary of their presence.

- Ambar World Map - (updated 2007/07/20)