Chapter 2: Gazetteer of tal’Dorei 99Varying 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 town 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
rebuild their civilization from the ruins of the fallen Dra-
conia. These two societies exist on the outskirts of the
region known as Wynandir, a realm divided between a
bordering pair of civilizations. First stands the mighty and
far-reaching rule of King Bertrand Dwendal, sovereign
ruler over Western Wynandir as the King of the Dwenda-
lian Empire.
The Dwendalian Empire is known far and wide for its
powerful military, disdain for religious practices, bleak
weather, and totalitarian rule. Religious worship is consid-
ered taboo, the society publicly casting the divine magics
aside as trickery to control the foolish. Dwendalians have
adopted the ideals of the long-past Age of Arcanum, exalt-
ing the powers of mortal magics and ingenuity over claims
of miracles and holy influence. Citizens of the empire pay
extensive taxes to the crown while being required to main-
tain absolute loyalty. This has led to a social atmosphere
that can range from tense to dreary. With such impositions
placed upon the populace, few argue that the protections
against the dark and hungry world beyond the borders of
the empire make up for the stark control placed upon their
lives. Even so, tensions ever brim beneath the surface,
and with the growing neglect of the crown towards the
creeping curse of undeath in the east, whispers of dissent
continue to grow.
Across the Eastern borders of the Dwendalian Empire
lay the lands of Xhorhas, a smaller empire built on the
ruins of Ghor Dranas, the ancient city of the betrayer
gods. A bleak landscape with little resources of value, the
Dwendalian Empire generally minds its own borders,
away from the mysterious and misunderstood rule of the
Empress Leylas Kryn and her “wasteland” of the Xhorhas
Empire. However, recent attacks on outlier townships on
both sides of Wynandir threaten to brew conflict between
the two nations.inspirations
From a lifestyle and architecture standpoint, much of the
Dwendalian Empire aesthetic pulls from 15th century
gothic eastern Europe and Russia, with the outer regions
beyond the empire displaying a distinct 14th century
Spain flavor. Xhorhas runs with a more 13th century
Romanian flair.