Let’s learn all about the Wildlands of DireLands. Join Adam as he explores his DireLands fantasy campaign setting. You can learn more about DireLands here: https://reverendcampbell.com/direlands/
About DireLands Fantasy Campaign Setting
DireLands is a system agnostic, dark fantasy tabletop roleplaying campaign setting. It was created by Adam P. Campbell in 2024. DireLands is set in a land that is in the final century of an ice age that saw the rise of the Witch-Queen who subjugated the three realms’ populations and cast out the demi-human races. The Triumvirate rose in the last century and liberated two of the three nations, but after their victory, they have become corrupt themselves.
Transcript
Cold Open
There is more to the Wildlands than anyone on Ciar-mhonadh (kierd-vonnig) is aware of. It is inextricably linked to the Gods of creation and the health of the planet itself.
Intro
Welcome to this continuation of my DireLands system agnostic, dark fantasy campaign setting! My name is Adam and in this episode I will be discussing the Wildlands in DireLands. If you appreciate the development of this campaign setting, or the features of other games on this channel, I would like to invite you to consider becoming a patron on Patreon. You can even purchase tabletop roleplaying games using my affiliate link in the description below.
Details
The Wildlands are spread throughout the continent of Faulest (faw-lest). But before the mortals of the world were created by the gods, the Wildlands were everywhere and everything. They were known as Tìr nan Òg (TEER-nahn-OGG) and within its realm were the immortals and beings of spiritual essence. As alignment is a mortal construct in DireLands, you would find realms within the Wildlands where fey, aberrant & natural creatures and monstrosities that do not comprehend mortals’ desire to craft boundaries dwelt, and even the progenitors of the ancient dragons live there. The Wildlands are also the original home to the Dubh-chreideamh (Du kar-etch-ev) before they left after creation, believing the gods forsook them in their creation of mortals.
It is beyond mortal comprehension to fully contextualize the wildlands, and since the creation of them by the gods, the wildlands have begun to shrink, drawing out of the structured reality the mortals crafted. A reality that was an unforeseen consequence of the gods in their creation. This mortal reality stood in stark opposition to the Wildlands, forcing its borders to close and shrink upon itself. There is a constant push and pull between the celestial and corporeal realms which manifests in this ebb and flow of the wildlands’ borders. This constant struggle manifests itself within mortals and immortals in their subconsciousness, creating the ethereal realm of dreams and imagination.
In the early history of Faulest, the wildlands were spread much wider. The free peoples of Faulest named the regions where the wildlands existed as entrypoints to commune with their gods and creators, or to travel therein for spiritual guidance. All of the races of Ciar-mhonadh have rituals and practices; but as society, cultural development, and industry grew, the wildlands became more and more closed off. There is a version of reality, in fact it was the original intent of the gods, where mortals and immortals shared the realms of the wildlands with the realms of men, but the minds of men were simply too analytical, too closed off to the abstract nature of the wildlands, so the dream can only remain in their imaginations.
Traveling in the wildlands is prohibited in Bressus (bress-sus) after the signing of the Kendra Accord in 1,013 A.M. or ‘After Men Arrived from the West’. This accord was mandated by the Emperor himself after some local religious leaders in the Lumin province entered their wildlands and drew out a host of beings which laid waste to the western Tantarus region. This fallout left the local first nations people decimated, and thousands of citizens of Bressus destroyed in the five month event. The towns of Lis and Haws were wiped off the map, and the earth remains scorched and lifeless. Since this event, it is forbidden to enter the wildlands lest you be prosecuted by the state, and the Emperor even set up outposts around the Lumin, Northern Vitro, eastern Prestus and Chriun province wildlands. Each outpost holds twenty Triumvirate men at arms who rotate out on a semi-annual basis with soldiers from across Bressus.
Reports in recent months have all concluded that the Wildlands are indeed growing, and their borders are not able to be stopped, though the Jion Order is investigating and experimenting with methods to stem their growth. There is a small underground contingent of faithful who believe the growth of the wildlands is a cyclical event, and there are even spiritual traditions which believe it is a result of the destruction of the Witch-Queen. They believe she is somehow connected with the Wildlands, and is even being reborn within them, though this is seen as ridiculous to most mortals of Faulest.
The people of Caelia (kay-lee-uh) believe that the wildlands are regions to be honored and protected. There are tribes that require young men and women to enter the wildlands to commune with the spirits therein before becoming adults and finding their place in their tribe. In recent months communication with the Moonrhu tribe has been cut off, with many of the Biel Gos fearing the entire tribe has disappeared. They are sending scouting parties into the region to investigate. The Kahutehe tribe has reported issues with their Fuevarem wildlands which exist between the borders of Caelia and the Prestus region of Bressus. They have sent many exploration parties within and none have returned. They have recently made appeals to the Biel Gos for aid and a call for adventurers to help them stop the spread.
The various tribes of Locaston see the wildlands as a nuisance more than anything. It’s easier to avoid them and focus on their own borders and positions in the hierarchy in their regions than to bother with the spiritual realms of the gods. However there are some areas like the Baalie peninsula in north eastern Locaston (low-cast-on) who venerate the Wildlands and mourn their isolation from them due to the glacial growth in the Ice Age. Their traditions speak of their ancestors living in harmony with the immortals in both realms, as the gods had intended, but this myth has long since been seen as children’s stories in modern generations.
Regardless of what any one individual, organization or nation believes, the wildlands are growing and their borders are a direct reflection of the mortals’ connection to the gods, and the persistent threat posed by the Dubh-chreideamh. Will your adventurers be able to stop the spread of the wildlands borders? What secrets will they uncover as to the nature of the wildlands and the gods by exploring them? And are the mortals of Ciar-mhonadh doomed simply because of the manner of their creation by the gods? Only your home campaign can answer those questions, as the future of these DireLands are in your hands.
Outro
Thank you for watching today’s DireLands Fantasy Campaign Setting episode. Please consider subscribing to this YouTube channel, liking and commenting on this video. And if you enjoyed this episode, consider becoming a patron on Patreon. Always remember that evil spelled backwards is live, so get out there and be evil!