Introduction to Farren

Farren is a campaign setting for 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons.

Basic background

The year is 2855, as measured from the founding of the Presidium. It has been a century since any nation known to the civilized races held sway over an empire larger than what can be crossed on horseback in a day or two.

The following locations can be kept in mind for characters in this setting.

• Batu Islands - located to the west of the main continent, the islands have a tight connection to the plane of Feywild. The game will start in this island chain, but you can have characters from anywhere.
• City-States of the Inner Sea - Inspired by the Mediterranean Sea, this is the most "civilized" part of the world. Lots of humans and halflings live in these city-states and most commerce takes place between them. Some of these cities are quite ancient, built over older ruins. Elves can often be found in the woods to the north of the Inner Sea, as can more foul creatures. The Inner Sea is located to the southeast of the Batu Islands.
  
• Thousand Emirates of Demia - Once the Demian Empire was the largest in the world (admittedly most of its territory was desert). However a thousand years ago doctrinal and successional disputes fractured this once great empire into dozens, if not hundreds, of smaller nations and tribes. Most Demians still worship their "one true god" Tarok but this is not universal. The Demian Desert is located on the southern side of the Inner Sea.
• Presidium Badlands - North of the City States of the Inner Sea, some two thousand years ago the First Presidium Empire tried to save itself from an alliance of dragons invaders from the Batu Islands. Its Tiefling overlords made pacts with various devils for aid in wiping out the invaders. This help succeeded in stopping the invaders but it also ended the empire. At the site of the last battle is a giant rift in the ground, an easy path to the underdark and to infernal planes. The surrounding area is rocky and volcanic. In addition to the goblins, devils, orcs, and other foul creatures one would expect, dwarves often try to set up mining colonies in the Badlands.
• The Crescent Plains of Khur - North of the Badlands, due east of the Batu Islands. The plains of Khur are inhabited by nomadic horse (and pony for the halflings) riders who descended from the barbarians who helped to destroy the First Presidium Empire.
• Feywood of Nytel - North of the Crescent Plains, this is the location of the fallen Kingdom (later Empire) of Nytel. Nytel became an empire after defeating the rather grandly named Second Presidium Empire. However a century later the Unseelie Wild Hunt ended the Nytellan Empire. Where it once stood is the Feywood. Many Eldarin, close cousins of the elves, make their home in the Feywood.

The game itself will start off in the Batu Islands in a valley named Loch Arach. In the map above it can be found in the northern mountain chain of the main island. It is a fairly wild area with one main town, some smaller villages, lots of ruins, untamed wilderness, nasty goblins, and no doubt a dragon or two getting ready to pay a visit. All the main player's handbook races can be found here. The Batu Islands are just to the west of the mainland. (i.e. the two maps adjoin).





Characters -
When making your characters, all the main classes and races from the Player's Handbook (Fourth Edition) are available. Farren uses the standard D&D cosmology and deities (with the Demians worshiping their own god Tarok).

Feel free to make your character from one of the realms I listed above or create your own realm - the main continent is left deliberately vague to make it easy to add new stuff.

(btw, note that all of the maps are clickable for more details. If anyone has Campaign Cartographer 3 I can provide .FCW files).