Page 100 - Critical Role: Tal’Dorei Campaign Setting

tal’dorei campaign guide

Varying in size from small, mile-across reef-toppers to
the large, city-holding islands like Ruukva, this cluster
of broken lands contains two combative societies: the
Ossended Host, an enormous fisherman culture of isola-
tionism and self-empowerment through the worship of
the power of dreams and nightmares, and the Wanderman
Assembly, a centuries-old trade company that, upon being
stranded across the Shattered Teeth after a hurricane,
began a somewhat brutal capitalistic society that poorly
masquerades under the banner of honor and brotherhood.
This tension has led to bloodshed in recent years, and
each group is paranoid the other is bent on the destruc-
tion of their way of life. What brims beneath the surface
of this conflict is the nature and source of the dreams the
Ossended Host have been harnessing for generations, and
what that answer may mean for the struggles of the people
of the Shattered Teeth.
inspirations

From a lifestyle and architecture standpoint, the
Ossended Host bears a 10th century Japanese fishing
village flavor to most townships, with the Wanderman
Assembly taking inspiration from 16th century British
colonies in the Caribbean.

wildemount

Encompassing a varied and geologically diverse environ-
ment, the continent of Wildemount can be reached to the
Northeast of Tal’Dorei, though traversing the Lucidian
Ocean to get there involves treacherous waters, opportu-
nistic pirates, and underwater monsters ever hunting for
prey. Such a journey leads to the massive port down of
Port Damali, a prosperous city where most anything is
legal, largely run and puppeteered by the Myriad.
Further east leads the traveler to the massive Dreemoth
Ravine, where the once-enslaved Ravinite Dragonborn stark control placed upon their lives. Even so, tensions
ever brim beneath the surface, and with the growing
rebuild their civilization from the ruins of the fallen Dra-
conia. These two societies exist on the outskirts of the neglect of the crown towards the creeping curse of
undeath in the east, whispers of dissent continue to grow.
region known as Wynandir, a realm divided between a
bordering pair of civilizations. First stands the mighty and Across the Eastern borders of the Dwendalian Empire
lay the lands of Xhorhas, a smaller empire built on the
far-reaching rule of King Bertrand Dwendal, sovereign
ruler over Western Wynandir as the King of the Dwenda- ruins of Ghor Dranas, the ancient city of the betrayer
gods. A bleak landscape with little resources of value, the
lian Empire.
Dwendalian Empire generally minds its own borders,
The Dwendalian Empire is known far and wide for its
away from the mysterious and misunderstood rule of the
powerful military, disdain for religious practices, bleak
Empress Leylas Kryn and her “wasteland” of the Xhorhas
weather, and totalitarian rule. Religious worship is consid-
Empire. However, recent attacks on outlier townships on
ered taboo, the society publicly casting the divine magics
both sides of Wynandir threaten to brew conflict between
aside as trickery to control the foolish. Dwendalians
the two nations.
have adopted the ideals of the long-past Age of Arca-
num, exalting the powers of mortal magics and ingenuity
inspirations
over claims of miracles and holy influence. Citizens of
the empire pay extensive taxes to the crown while being From a lifestyle and architecture standpoint, much of the
required to maintain absolute loyalty. This has led to a Dwendalian Empire aesthetic pulls from 15th century
social atmosphere that can range from tense to dreary. gothic eastern Europe and Russia, with the outer regions
With such impositions placed upon the populace, few beyond the empire displaying a distinct 14th century
argue that the protections against the dark and hungry Spain flavor. Xhorhas runs with a more 13th century
world beyond the borders of the empire make up for the Romanian flair.
chapter 2: gazetteer of tal’dorei 99