Where to Start

Welcome to Xios, A continent filled with vast history, magic, and technology! This large continent has many various themes to it; From the classic medieval fantasy of the Eldinien Empire to the arabic adventures in the Eyeless Desert; The whimsly magical forest of Ilyaene's Grove to the arcanepunk technology booming from Magic₭-Tech Industries; The pirate themed Yzgrazz Refuge and Westcoast to the horrors that lurk within the Wastelands; From political debates and conspiracies of empires to the vast mysteries, lore and history that surrounds the continent; From making friends, forming a party for the first time and having your first adventure, to challenging deities and uniting empires under your name. Whatever theme you're looking for, it is sure to be found within the continent of Xios.

Before you begin to create your character, here is some general knowledge about the world to help you on your way:

History

Xios was once home to one of the most advanced and prosperous civilizations in Faerûn before the seven calamities occured, causing the land to go into a recession. It is now fifty years after the last war has ended, and artifacts, vast treasure, and powerful spells and knowledge lost during the calamities present a tempting opportunity for adventurers looking to make a name for themselves as the continent attempts to rebuild what it once had.

Æther

During the Fifth Calamity, an element known as Æther was introduced to Xios through an experimental gate spell. The Æther has been in the atmosphere ever since, and has changed the physics of how some spells and equipment work. See here for more details on Æther and how it effects the world.

Renowned Organizations

Xios is host to a plethora of factions, guilds, companies, and organizations. Here are some of the more well known establishments:

National Guild of Xios (NGX): The NGX is a well known organization with their propoganda of recruiting adventurers promising glory and riches. For the most part, adventurers come to Xios from word of mouth from the NGX, and look for the registry in Ammerdon Outpost to persue their dreams of becoming rich and famous.

Xios Guild of Merchants (XGM): A union of merchants that deal with the majority of trade throughout Xios. Merchants with an XGM badge are protected under the union and follow the rules and prodecures laid out by the XGM. An XGM merchant is trusted more than any other merchant in Xios.

National Craftsmen Guild (NCG): With artisans coming in and out of Xios for business, the NCG has become well known throughout the lands. A union that provides benefits, security, and reputation, an artisan aspires to be part of the guild in hopes to expand their business and/or service.

National Xios Post (NXP): One of the unique features of Xios is the National Xios Post, or the NXP. Their reliability on delivering a message or parcel became popular after the Æther made travelling harder for the people of Xios to use outside of arcane circles and runestones.

Choosing a Race

Your race has an impact on how the locals will interact with you. The wars that the calamities have brought on have caused a rift between some races, and the resentment still lingers on.

Dragonborn: Many consider dragonborn to be a superior race being descendants of dragons, and their contribution in the Hundred Year Balance War has only aided in their reputation. A mixture of fear, awe, jealousy, and admiration are felt towards them, and as such most have taken to residing in only a few places. Those who have obtained wealth tend to live luxurious lives in the south of the Royal Fields, as well as populated places in the Eyeless Desert. Those unfortunate enough to be considered poor are forced to dwell in the Yzgrazz Refuge. See more on dragonborn here.

Dwarf: Once a common sight throughout Xios, the dwarven race has mainly migrated to the Eyeless Desert after the Fourth Calamity. The Spine of Xios proved too grand an opportunity for the dwarves to pass up with sich a rich deposit of minerals at their fingertips. Those who now reside in the desert have adapted to their environment, resembling more of an arabic theme than medievel, although there are still some traditional dwarves throughout Xios. Dwarves are considered high status among northern Xios with their skill in craftsmanship and mining. See more on dwarves here.

Elf: The elves consist of two subraces in Xios: High elves, and wood elves. The high elves were involved with the Hundred Year Balance War, and after the loss of many lives they have since retreated to Ilyaene's Grove to avoid the conflict of man. A few of them can be found throughout Xios, whether it's a merchant, noble, entrepreneur, or other business. The wood elves are a neutral race who tend to not involve themselves in the worries of other races. They keep to themselves in the Athos Woodlands, Zylith Marshland, Slitherlands, Oghma Isle, and Westcoast Forest. The elves are revered as a superior race by the commonfolk of northern Xios. See more on elves here.

Gnome: The gnomes are spread throughout northern Xios, adapting well to their environment and not having any bias towards other races. Known for their innovation and inventions that helped secure the war, the gnomes are a well respected race, although one can never fully trust a gnome at a bargaining table. See more on gnomes here.

Half-Elf: Half-elves live a comlex life, between being respected by the humans and looked down upon by the elves. Elves are not known for taking humans as partners, so half-elves are rare to be found due to the taboo. Half-elves are typically exiled from Illyaene's Grove, and resort to living in either the Eyeless Desert, Yzgrazz Refuge, or travelling to Eldinien for a place to live. They tend to keep to themselves as hermits or monks, in hopes of avoiding both the unnessecary awe from humans and discrimination from elves. See more on half-elves here.

Halfling: Halflings have always been a race that kept to themselves in their neighbourhoods. Before the calamities the halflings and giants lived together in harmony in the Eldinien Highlands, helping out one another using their sizes as their strengths. Halflings are a dosile and friendly people, kind to most but wary of strangers. See more on halflings here.

Half-Orc: Before the wars began, half-orcs were a common thing to be seen in Xios. Due to the resentment between humans and orcs over the years, half-orcs have become a rarity to see. A half-orc is usually encountered with biterness from a human or orc, an assumption that it must have been forced by the other race. See more on half-orcs here.

Human: One of the most common races in northern Xios, humans span across all of Eldinien and well into the eyeless desert. Some can even be found in various regions like the athos plateau, yzgrazz refuge, and ilyaene's grove. Humans range from a variety of alignments. see more on humans here.

Tiefling: Tieflings were common before the celestial wars began. Now most tieflings can be found in southern Xios by Takhesis's Gaze. Tieflings are typically feared and resented in northern Xios, although a few can be found with high regards. See more on tieflings here.

Warforged: Warforged are for the most part hired hands throughout all of Xios. There is always work for a warforged to find with it's unmatched stamina, and although they have feelings and emotions, they are regarded more as an robot than a person. See more on warforged here.

Aarakocra: Once the proud aviators of the sky, the aarakocra have been restricted on their freedom in the skies due to the Æther in the atmosphere. They have since resigned to working for the National Xios Post for the most part, with a few being heralds, royal messengers, or some other form of media worker. See more on aarakocra here.

Genasi: Genasi have been seen more and more in Xios since Æther was introduced into the world. Due to the Æther rifts forming, travelling to and from the elemental planes has become easier and simpler, allowing for more genasi to migrate to Xios looking for better opporunities, be it business or livelihood. The genasi were once seen as a wonderous race, but the abundance of them as made it a common encounter. Some genasi are even regarded as being annoying for trying to impede on other's businesses in Xios. See more on genasi here.

Goliath: A neighbouring race to the Athos Plateaus, the goliaths now have to share the land with the giants who have migrated here from the wars. The goliaths are seen as a barbaric race from the outside, and one of the strongest melee fighters throughout the land. Their contribution in the hundred year balance war was invaluable as they turned the tide on several scale tipping battles. See more on goliaths here.

Beastwalkers: Whether by magic, taboo, or some other means, beastwalkers are an oddity seen throughout all of Xios. Nobody really knows how they came about, but they have become accepted over time, although it is always an awkward encounter between a beastwalker and another race, as an outside does not know how to interact with a beastwalker (Beastwalkers have been known to have low IQ in some versions). See more on beastwalkers here.

Ætherborn: A rarity created from the extraction or experimentation of Æther, an Ætherborn is considered a valuable being within Xios. an Ætherborn can typically be found around the Spine of Xios near mining industries. See more on Ætherborn here.

Aven: Mostly found throughout the Eyeless Desert, the Aven have a delicate relationship with the dwarves residing in the desert. Their loathe of the Æther outmatches their despise of the dwarves occupying the Eyeless Desert, so they have a truce with the dwarves who mine and extract the Æther in the desert allowing them to fly easier than in other places. See more on aven here.

Kor: Although the majority live south of the spine of Xios near westcoast, handfulls can be found in northern Xios travelling to various mountains and cliffs for exploration. Kors typically keep to themselves, with no desire to interfere with the other races. They seek only the thrill of exploration throughout the world of Xios, and are fascinated with the Spine of Xios. There have been some brave enough to travel across it and are renowned among the Kor. See more on kor here.

Aasimar: Before the celestial war, the aasimar were a common and well respected race throughout all of Xios. Now with the threat of Eldath's Tear ever present, the aasimar live as refugees in constant fear of civilization exiling them from Xios due to their jealousy. A now endangered race, aasimars are a rare site to see in Xios, and even rarer to see in Eldinien. See more on aasimar here.

Firbolg: Once a common race throughout the Cradle of Eldath, the Firbolgs have been confined to the few forests that remain within Xios. With the majority fleeing Xios after the forests burning from the wars, the minority have resided within Fortune's Forest, the Athos Woodlands, Zylith Marshlands, Ilyaene's Grove, and the Yuan-ti Wetlands. Firbolgs are regarded in a friendly matter north of the Spine of Xios, and more of a nuissance south. See more on firbolg here.

Goblinoid: Due to the hundred year balance war, goblinoids have become resented in northern xios for the most part. A few who are alligned to good remain on good terms (ex. Kinsly McScrute), although suspicion always remains. See more on goblinoids here.

Kenku: The kenku migrated to Xios from Faerûn and moved into the prosperous cities hoping to collect a fortune of their own. Kenku are viewed as sly creatures, most of them which are into some type of business or industry to make money. Kenku's are a greedy race always looking to make a coin. See more on kenku here.

Kobold: One of the races involved in the Brotherhood of the Crucible, kobolds are resented throughout northern Xios, although the least resented of all the races within the brotherhood. See more on kobolds here.

Lizardfolk: The lizardfolk are considered travellers, as their homeland is remote in the Slitherlands. Most seek enlightenment on their journey throughout Xios, while others seek purpose in their lives. See more on lizardfolk here.

Orc: The orcs are a pride race that once thrived throughout all of Xios before the hundred year balance war. Now with their reputation tarnished from joining the brotherhood, the orcs are confined to southern Xios, with very few having enough respect earned to have a place to stay in northern Xios. See more on orcs here.

Tabaxi: Another race that came into Xios at a later time, the tabaxi are always looking for the curiousities of Xios. They are perticularly interested in the calamities that caused all the curious things to happen, and have collected the information in a renowned tabaxi library. A tabaxi can commonly be seen throughout all of Xios where there are unknowns. See more on Tabaxi here.

Triton: Most dwelling along the eastern coast of Xios, the tritons have a good relation with the dragonborn in yzgrazz refuge. They have a fued with the yuan-ti south of the coast however, with territorial battles constantly going on. See more on tritons here.

Yuan-ti Pureblood The yuan-ti are a neutral race when it comes to the calamities and wars, siding with neither the alliance nor the brotherhood. They keep mostly to themselves and their gods, and consider other races to be inferior. A yuan-ti in the general public either means business with the black market or some other shady business, either which the common citizen wants nothing to do with. Dealing with a yuan-ti typically never results in you having the upper hand. See more on yuan-ti here.

Gith: Seeing a Gith in Xios typically meant a refugee fleeing from the ongoing battle in their realm. Some tend to feel sympathy for them, while others exploit them for their usage before discarding them. You can see gith scattered throughout northern Xios. See more on gith here.

Tortle: The tortles are a rare race seen only around the infamous Turtle Lake. Their beliefs in the ancient one living within the lake tend to keep them centered in and around the area, although some tribes can be found near the Eldinien Highlands and Athos Plateau. See more on tortles here.

Verdan: Fascinated with the Æther, Xios has become a tourist attraction for the Verdan. Travellers can be found all over of those persuing the wonders of Æther. See more on verdans here.

*Multi-Classing

Xios has been created with the concept that different classes can be obtained through practical means in Xios. For example, one wishing to become a paladin might be searching for a virtuous cause and went to a temple of the coresponding deity they wish to abide by; A potential warlock might be approached by a higher being wishing to recruit their service in exchange for their own power; One striving to be a wizard would seek another wizard, library, or school to learn about the arcane magic. Talk with your DM to determine which class you wish to multi-class in, and they can guide you on how to achieve that.

Background

Creating a background for your character could prove to be vital, as the National Xios Post is able to obtain information, objects, and reinforcements from your background. The more information you have, the more your DM has to use to their discretion and create a more interactive gameplay!


*Multi-classing is an optional feature that can be used in the campaigns. The DM can choose to rule this out and allow multi-classing to happen at anytime.