Myrex Anatornis Setting Summary

Myrex Anatornis is a custom fantasy world-state created as a setting for D&D and other roleplay opportunities.

Lots has been written about Anatornis, so this page serves as a sort of summary of the important bits that make this setting different from others.

Notable Cosmic Differences
Many fantasy settings have unique and interesting methods of measuring reality, and the gods that preside over it. Myrex Anatornis also was created to have a unique approach to its cosmic powers. The Cosmology closely aligns with the Great Wheel model present in the Forgotten Realms, which is depicted aside.

A notable difference between this model and the model for Myrex Anatornis, is that while the energies depicted on the image are present, Anatornis does not have planes in the typical sense. Instead, the outer four continents in the cardinal directions represent the respective centers of power for the cosmic forces of good, evil, law, and chaos. The gods that align most closely with each of the four alignments reside on the respective continent. The mortal races of the world dwell upon the center continent of Myrex Mundus, which represents the material and elemental planes. The ocean that separates the Mundus and the outer continents represents the Ethereal Plane, and it is a place of great danger because of that.

Another notable difference is that, thanks to the lack of different planes, the souls of the dead march from the location of their bodies to the Ethereal Sea, moving in the direction of the continent that best aligns with their alignment in life. A mostly lawful being would march west, while an evil being would march south. Upon reaching the sea, souls that have failed to dedicate themselves enough to their alignment or god fall into the sea and rest at the bottom forever, while those who have managed to distinguish themselves actually walk across the surface of the ocean until they reach their final dwelling place at their destination continent.

Gods are truly powerful creatures, but because of the state of the world, they do not wield powers as grand as divine beings that you would find in another setting. Mostly, a god in Myrex Anatornis is a powerful creature that is worshipped by other creatures. The stronger the devotion awarded to them, the stronger they typically are, as the faith of the people fuels the god, and the god responds in kind, awarding their followers bits of their power to encourage them to spread the faith.

The Peoples of Anatornis
Besides gods, there are many different races of creatures who call this world home. Almost any creature you could find in a typical D&D 5th edition campaign could be found in Anatornis, in some fashion. The lore and background behind the creatures may be different, but their form is generally the same. Described here are the chief races on the main continent of Mundus.

Humans
Humans are the chief race upon Mundus. Organized largely into a handful of nations known as the Realms of Man, humans have held their superiority over the flatlands of Mundus for centuries.

Dwarves
While the humans have held the flat areas of the world, the dwarves can boast almost complete supremacy over the subterranean and mountainous regions of Mundus, and every mountain chain on the continent contains dwarves, even if some contain less than others. The Dwarven Empire is a united government made of most of the dwarven holds found across the mountains, and while every hold maintains its autonomy, more or less, they answer the call of the Emperor, when he finds need for them.

Orcoids
Orcoids are brutish, twisted, reflections of the other races on Mundus. Tainted by corruption, their intelligence is rather stunted, but their martial prowess is unmatched. Their volatile nature leads to a certain predisposition toward infighting, so they typically organize into numerous small warbands that raid and maraud across Mundus, motivated by whichever soul leads the pack.

Elves
A typical staple of the fantasy genre, the elven race was once the most prosperous group on Mundus, with certain individuals managing to wield enough power to cause even the gods to pause. Despite this, their arrogance was their undoing, and in the bloody event known as the Vengeance Crusade, the elves were slaughtered by the united human tribes. Their homeland was put to the torch, and their people were hunted to near extinction. Now, centuries later, no one has heard of a sighting of one of haughty creatures in lifetimes. Only some of the eldest dwarves can boast to having interacted with the elves, and even they rarely speak of such things.