Complexity rating: 1

The Pitch

The Two Empires War culminated in an event known as The Sundering. A calamity where wild magic transformed much of the known world. The gods crafted a refuge in the Caledonian Islands, a system of island surfaces capable of supporting life in the depths of the ocean. A century later, the islands have begun surfacing. In a Caledon campaign, you’ll play intrepid adventurers exploring a wild new world, contending with a society trying to rebuild itself, and unraveling the mysteries leftover from this ancient conflict.

Tone & Feel

Adventurous, Fun, Wondrous, Heroic, Absurd

Themes

Exploration, New Beginnings, Shared Burdens, Gods and Men

Touchstones

One Piece, The Odyssey, Fallout, Star Trek, The Princess Bride

Overview

A century ago, The Two Empires War ended in an event known as The Sundering. This apocalypse of magic reshaped the land and destroyed most of civilization. In a desperate attempt to preserve civilization, TODO Nature God reshaped the Caledonia Ostoyae, a massive oceanic mushroom, into a refuge on the bottom of the ocean. Each island existed within a mushroom cap, which simulated daytime and supported life within it. Travel between islands was a difficult process of navigating within the mycelial network, and many islands existed in isolation.

Groups of islands that were able to establish contact developed their own political structures. Some devolved into despotism, others attempted to preserve the order they knew on the surface, still others took this opportunity to explore something new. Some islands did not survive, for a variety of mundane and magical reasons.

Now the islands have begun surfacing, their inhabitants both exploring the changed surface world and attempting to restart civilization. People who have not had contact for a century are suddenly able to reach each other again. For many, this is their first time experiencing true sunlight, stars, severe weather, the ocean, and a variety of other surface experiences.

Each new island that surfaces presents both an opportunity and a threat. Did the people survive? If not, what happened to them? If so, will they be allies or enemies? Regardless, what bits of history and knowledge were preserved there but not on others?

The continent of Dastroa, formerly the home of the The Arcanan Republic, is now a wilderness ripe for exploration. Did anyone else survive? What change did The Sundering cause there? Likewise, the continent of Nezhit, where Empire 2 was located, is also an unknown. The people of Caledon will need to establish settlements on true land, if for no other reason than to provide mineral resources that the islands do not have.

Communities

All communities are available, but each has unique aspects

All Communities

In a Caledon campaign, the characters are residents of some newly risen island. Players should work with the GM, and possibly each other, to establish their island of origin. Think about what made your character’s island special, how it has shaped them, and why they would choose to leave.

Ridgeborne, Underborne, and Wildborne

Characters from these communities are likely residents of less-than-ideal islands. Possibly the island’s mushroom did poorly at generating a hospitable environment, had a limited capacity to produce light, or were so aggressively fertile that nature there could not be tamed.

  • How was your island’s underwater existence different from “normal”, and what aspects of the world are difficult new experiences for you?
  • Why did the people of your island stay despite its unusual nature, and how do they feel about other islands?

Highborne, Loreborne, and Orderborne

Characters from these communities are residents of islands that most successfully weathered their time under the sea. They were able to preserve knowledge, history, and traditions that other islands lost. Many see themselves as stewards of civilization, some believe they are divinely ordained inheritors of the new world.

Because of their special relationship with the mushroom that hosts the Caledon islands, Fungril are especially likely to be Highborne or Loreborne.

  • What knowledge does your community hold that you believe others have lost? Will you protect or share it?
  • What traditions from the past does your community still hold? How are they helping or hindering you in adapting to this new world?
  • You were raised in a community that sees itself as superior to others. What are their reasons for that belief, and do you agree with it?

Seaborne

Many islands harbored internal lakes. Residents who settled on or around these lakes understood that their experience navigating the water would become essential when they returned to the surface.

  • After a century of anticipation, members of your community set out on their first sea voyage. What happened that no one was prepared for, and how has it changed you?
  • You grew up hearing about the wonders and terrors of the surface. What are you eagerly seeking or desperate to avoid, and why?

Slyborne

Players may choose to make a Slyborne character who either lived outside the legal structure of a more traditional island, or is the product of one that fell into anarchy.

  • Members of your community harbor a dangerous ambition. What is it, and do you share it?
  • You grew up as an outsider on your island. What set your community apart, and how did you find solace?

Wanderborne

Wanderborne characters were traveling traders or outcasts, whose home was as much the mycelial network itself as any particular island. On the surface they are often found as merchants or explorers.

  • What island or social group do you see yourself as part of?
  • You uncovered a secret during your travels. What was it, and how could it affect the islands return to the surface?

Ancestries

All ancestries are available, but some have unique aspects.

Clank

Some Clanks walked to the islands across the bottom of the ocean from Dastroa. Many did not make the journey, and those that survived possess only fragments of their memories from before.

Fungril

Out of all the ancestries, Fungril are perhaps the most likely to be Loreborne or Highborne. They have their own mycelial network inside the Caledonia Ostoyae, enabling communication between many islands.

Classes

All classes are available in this campaign.

Player Principles

Make the exploration personal

Consider what reasons or motivations would cause your character to leave possibly the only place they have ever known. Are they excited or reluctant to take up this journey? Both? Think about how your character feels about basic things on the surface that did not happen in the depths.

Make your island yours

Work with your GM to come up with a unique culture, undersea history, set of NPCs, and map for your island. As you play through the campaign, your island will grow and change just as your character does.

Stay exuberant

Although this is a challenging time for the people of Caledon, it also is a joyful one. Try to stay lighthearted and fun. Even characters on the dour side can help set up the occasional joke.

GM Principles

Embrace the island variety

There is ample room for adventure in exploring the islands of Caledon. Feel free to introduce new locations and people that may be wildly different from what the players have already seen. Consider turning over the GM seat for someone else to run a session or two on an island of their creation.

Aim for rollicking adventure

Although there can be plenty of danger in the world of Tethia, allow room to punctuate it with fun. This is a much anticipated era of excitement and adventure for the people of Caledon, showcase that optimism.

Unravel big mysteries slowly

Let the secrets of the two continents, the history of their empires, and both the cause and results of The Sundering come out slowly.

Indulge in a shifting landscape and allegiances

The islands of Caledon are slightly free-floating, tethered to each other by mycelia connecting the mushrooms underneath them. As they adjust to life on the surface, they naturally will form alliances and instigate conflicts. Turn allies into enemies, and enemies into friends.

Distinctions

Use this information to prepare your campaign. You can also share it with your players as needed.

A World of Floating Islands

The islands of Caledon float on the detached caps of an enormous undersea mushroom. Although the mycelial network between islands keeps them roughly in the same spot, nothing is in the exact same place.

The Inciting Incident

Campaign Mechanics

Session Zero Questions

Ask any of these questions to your players, or make your own.