The world of Lorthia is a homebrewed Second Edition AD&D setting, however it didn't begin as such. No, Lorthia's beginnings stretch all the way back to 1987 and BECMI and then the setting wound its way through 1e AD&D, 2e AD&D, tested the waters of D&D 3, and GURPS, before I finally settled on giving it the what for with the Pathfinder RPG. However, I've recently decided to take the Lorthia setting back to where it has had the most life, into 2e AD&D. As might be expected, with 26 years worth of games being run in it, almost as many gaming groups, and several RPG Systems being used, some cruft is appearing around the edges. So the hope with this wiki is to get it all sorted out, from a meta-angle, as well as from an ongoing history of the setting. The hope is that other GMs will be inspired to use Lorthia as their setting of choice and to share the stories from their own campaigns here for others to read as well. Due to that hope, there will also be a forum or other place for people, myself included, to share their Lorthian escapades.
The core gaming area tends toward the North Fabellian Sea region, Corsail, Elyste, Cardoss, Greymoore, and everything in between. However, it isn't unusual for the PCs to travel further, sometimes much further, afield in the setting. The original vision for Lorthia was one where Rock & Roll was seen as the music of the gods, one where powerful knights rode on giant birds, such as eagles and vultures, and fought high above Lorthia while the armies of good and evil did battle. Lorthia is a land of ancient ruins, of fell prophecy, and one where great things can happen if you are brave and resourceful enough.
All Things Begin
At the start of all, There was naught but the maelstrom. At the center of the maelstrom, a massive wyrm appeared, its scaly coils wrapped around the cosmos. Slowly the wyrm lifted its head and turned its gaze to the maelstrom that raged all around it. With an explosion of fury and movement, the massive wyrm stretched its full length and began lashing its head and tail back and forth, driving the maelstrom away until all that remained was calm, like an ocean after the storm and the wyrm was pleased and it slumbered.
When the wyrm awoke again, it realized that it was lonely, it emerged from the mountain that had grown up around it and set off in search of a companion. And thus, time moved. For an aeon, the great wyrm searched traveled to the ends of creation, sweeping away the maelstrom as it found the storm, until it saw a light twinkling in the distance, in a flash of scale and tooth, the wyrm hurtled toward the light, which grew steadily, until a mighty forest spread before the wyrm, water splashed and danced down mountains and the wyrm knew it was home. The mighty wyrm descended and wound its way through the massive trees and boulders, until it came upon a lake of crystal that reflected all light that fell upon it. On the far side, was a palace that seemed to be built of glass. Curious, the mighty wyrm flew across the lake to have a closer look.
Darkness Descends
Fabos, the eternal empire has fallen. Darkness has fallen across the land, war and plague sweep the land, the elves and dwarves have retreated to their own lands, locking out those who fled their crumbling empire, leaving them to die at the gates of their realms. It has been three generations since the Fabosan Empire fell, war and plague are still a way of life, bandits ride out from crumbling ruins to prey upon village and town, education and magic has been lost to the ages. The majority of people are busy just trying to survive, however there are a few people who seek out the lost ruins of the mighty civilization where their great-grandparents once played in the streets, even the elves and dwarves have sent some of their kin out into the world, to learn of what has come to pass in the past 45 years.
A World Struggling
Lorthia is a Second Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game setting, it has been in existence in one form or another since the winter of 1986/'87. Lorthia is a world in darkness, one where it seems as if the forces of evil and darkness have triumphed over those of good and light. However, all is not lost, for there are heroes who dare to struggle against the forces of evil and dream of restoring a lost and crumbled empire.
A Beacon of Light
As the Fabosan Empire plunges into darkness and the elves and dwarves retreat from the realms of man, there is a beacon of hope and that is the ancient city of Cardoss and, ironically enough, the capital of the Fabosan Empire. The Wizards' Council has seized control of the city and they are attempting to keep the city intact as social order begins to break down within the city and the council's operatives work behind the scenes in an attempt to enforce order within the city and the surrounding lands.