A Hex A Day

To challenge myself and to keep myself consistently doing design work I started “A Hey A Day” at the start of this year. Its a project to design one hex of a hex map each day. As life and work have their ups and down the “A Day” part has slipped a little but I usually try to post at least three times a week. I’m also fleshing out the lore of the strange science fantasy world where this hex map is set and you can find all of those posts below.

The Jungle of Fallen Stars

Just what is the jungle of fallen stars and why would you want to adventure there

Factions

Learn about the factions present in the jungle of fallen stars

The Jungle Of Fallen Stars

What is the Jungle of Fallen Stars?

Long ago the ancestors came to the world of Aeio in great vessels that travelled across the stars. The ancestors changed Aeio, made it their home and brought forth many children, as varied in form as the ancestors were themselves. For years beyond counting the ancestors watched over their children. Under their guidance great civilizations rose up in partnership with nature, working in tandem to create a paradise for all. This might have remained for eternity if not for the arrival of the ancestor’s oldest enemy, the gods. 

To both the lords of law and the princes of chaos this world of balance was heresy. With power and corruption they brought about a great calamity, causing Aeio’s smallest moon to fall from the sky. The vessels of the ancestors were shattered, their debris raining down upon the land, the places where those vessels fell were forever changed. This jungle is one such place, the fallen stars being the ship debris that rained down as though fiery stars were falling out of the sky. The world has never recovered, but these broken fragments each contain powerful magic and technology, drawing the bravest or most foolhardy to search these locales for scraps of the power the ancestors once wielded.

The Gods on Aeio

“All gods are mad gods, no matter their placations and promises they seek nothing but the insanity of a truly uncompromising belief”

Ancient ancestor saying

The people of Aeio have a complex relationship with religion. Most of Aeio's people are fearful or hostile to those who speak of god's. The moonfall and the subsequent age of war have ensured most beings fear and despise the gods. Instead most of Aeio's people follow an animism inspired by the ancestors. Believing that animals, plants and even places have an essential spirit that must be honoured in order to live in harmony with them. This belief is looser than a formalised religion and is only lightly guided by druidic practitioners into anything more ritualistic. Worshipers of the gods of chaos and law are viewed with fear and disgust by most.

Recent History

After the calamity of the moonfall an age of war swept all of Aeio, the powers of chaos reigned supreme for a time but as is their nature, their dominion soon fell to infighting. Those who kept true to the path of the ancestors finally began to emerge as true civilizations using a blend of ancient traditions and salvaged ancestor technology to connect with the world of Aeio and bend it to their needs. This rise of civilization had an unintended consequence, a strengthening of the lords of law. Deios, also called “The Authority” or “The Golden Law” used this power to incarnate in a mortal vessel, the so called Golden Lord. By pairing his divine might and understanding with the technology of an intact ancestor vessel he created the four armed warrior species known as the Barssu and set out with them on a path of conquest that he calls unification.

For a time the Golden Lords victories seemed unstoppable and many of the new civilizations fell beneath his golden fist. His first true resistance came from the northlands where the destruction caused by the moonfall had so scarred the land that the laws of reality became malleable and turning to the princes of chaos often became the only route to survival. These surviving peoples, twisted by chaos could match the golden lords strength and divine magic and soon the northlands became a meatgrinder of constant back and forth territory swapping with little gain on either side.

In the South the golden lord’s forces made their way through several of the young kingdoms yet at last here too he found an obstacle he could not break with military might alone. Three young civilizations put aside their differences and united in a pact to defeat him. The industrialised kingdom of Molg, the magocracy of Aetherum and, most importantly for the jungle of fallen stars, the tribal confederation of Sarune. In a series of battles they cut off the supply lines of the golden lords main force and in their greatest victory broke the curse of authority that bound the Barssu giving them free will for the first time since their creation and causing a wave of desertions, defections and chaos within the golden lords forces. In the aftermath the Golden Lord retreated to his more secure lands determining more subtle methods would be required to defeat these foes. Even now cults of order secret themselves on vessels travelling to the more isolated parts of the Sarune confederation seeking to sow the seeds that will eventually bring them victory.

Factions of the Jungle

THE Hippoli Tribe

The Hippoli Tribe nominally control the jungle of fallen stars although in truth they control only the city of Hippoli, the surrounding human towns and the port of knives. The Hippoli Tribe itself was born from two previous tribes, the Hiplytes and the Atziaz. The union came about through marriage and convenience between the wealthy but small Hiplytes and the poorer but more numerous Atziaz, however this has led to a social divide with the majority of the nobility being of Hiplyte ancestry while the Atziaz descendents make up the working people. This is also seen in the make-up of their settlements with the towns and villages gaining names from the Atziaz language while in the city of Hippoli the Hiplyte language prevails.

Leadership

The Hippoli tribe is matriarchal, with the royalty and status passing along the female line, by the ancient compact that united the tribes the queen's first husband must be of Atziaz descent however the queen is free to take other husbands or wives as they wish after the first. The current leadership of Hippoli consists of Queen Sarbe and her royal household alongside the council of elders. By the traditions of the old Hippoli tribe the royal household is responsible for the protection and growth of the tribe while the elders are to deal with the mundanities of bureaucracy and economics. The relative peacetime since Hippoli joined the Sarune Confederation has led to Queen Sarbe looking towards the great expanse of jungle for further threats and conquests. She would see Hippoli’s reach spread south to dominate and secure the wild reaches of the jungle as solely part of her domain.

Culture

At the heart of the Hippoli tribe there exists a tension, a push and pull between their traditions of animism and working beside nature and the colonial desire for territory expansion and resource exploitation. Most people of the Hippoli tribe still venerate the spirits of the jungle and respect their power but some, particularly the leaders and merchants of the tribe, also push the boundaries of this respect in their search for means of profit. This being said the tribe still strongly holds to the religious practices championed by the ancestors. The worship of gods is outlawed with all ceremonies and festivals being strictly secular in nature. The power of spirits is respected but not worshipped.

Membership of the Sarune Confederation

The Sarune Confederation is a union of fourteen tribes who came together to oppose the invasion of the golden lord around 30 years ago. It is named after the city of Sarune where the confederation was agreed. Since the ending of the war the members of the confederation have continued to work together and for the Hippoli this has meant a vast increase in trade and cultural exchange particularly in the city known as the port of knives.

Lizardfolk Tribes

The Lizardfolk tribes are the native inhabitants of the Jungle and whilst they each have different characteristics and traditions they all share one duty above all others, To rid the jungle of any and all draconic presence.

The Cults of Law & Chaos

The world of Aeio is plagued by the actions of gods. The Lords of Law and the Princes of Chaos fight over the lands seeking to create a world entirely free of the other. While many curse the gods and seek to forge their own path the rewards for serving the gods are great and many are lured by the temptation of power though in reality most end up as slaves.