Setting

In Shattered Wilds, the world is ever-shifting. Not fast enough that you could see - but within a few months, routes between settlements could be lost; rivers could change course, mountains could start to emerge or dwindle back into the ground; forests could wander, and trails could lead to new places and ruins that hadn't been seen for decades. The only constants are settlements, villages, towns, cities or any sufficient congregation of people - those are stable and do not move. But the routes between them are always changing, compasses are useless (always spinning seemingly at random), and maps become outdated quickly after they are drawn.

Travel, therefore, is a risky proposition. The Wilds, when uncharted, are perilous, presenting harsh conditions for the unprepared, and filled with dangerous creatures - both beasts and people - and of course the Hollow. Adventurers double as cartographers, and venture forth into the wild to establish new temporary routes, to allow for bursts of commerce and passage for the common folk, at least for a brief period of time. Some strong enough to withstand the Wilds choose to live by themselves; others form parties to explore and learn more about the world.

On smaller settlements, such as the villages the players are from, or the one they shall gather on, knowledge is not lacking but limited. People know of stories of the world and the past, but many have never left their birthplaces. Well-known in all villages is the elusive city known as the The Citadel, a huge and prosperous settlement where members of all races live in harmony, and where magic and technology flourish. It is possible to find some that have been there, and while they are rare in each village, the knowledge of its existence is not disputed. Getting there, however, as with any traveling, is a different matter entirely.

Smaller villages often house a majority of one or two races, but the others are common enough occurrences to be known. As even the smallest village can be a pivotal point in the paths of many travelers and adventurers, the commoners are not stranger to seeing adventurers, other people, heroes or magic, though very powerful champions are exceedingly rare.

The Aether

The Aether can be thought of as a mix between the spiritual realm and the astral plane of Shattered Wilds. Every living creature has a spark in the Aether, that is attached to their physical body. Sentient sparks attached to physical bodies are called Souls. The gods (called Proteans) are essentially pure souls, that have fully unbound from the material plane and therefore have complete reign on the Aether. While they have no physical body, they can manifest as a physical avatar, but unlike a creature body and spark that are bound together, the Protean can simply abandon any avatar at will. Divine magic involves channeling forces through the Aether, and while it does not have unlimited range, it has a much greater reach than Arcane magic, which is but the truer understanding and manipulation of the physical world.

The Hollow

A Hollow is a hulking, bestial predator that stalks the Shifting Wilds. Their bodies completely covered in thick, bristling spines and spikes that stand on end like an unnatural mane, and their head broad and low, featuring a singular hollow cavity where an eye might once have been, radiating an eerie sense of hunger from the complete darkness within. They have two powerful front limbs, doubling as either arms for striking or front legs for bearing weight, each ending in three thick, clawed fingers - a larger central one surrounded by two smaller ones; forming a grip strong enough to crush or to crudely wield scavenged weapons. Their stance is that of a primal, four-limbed hunter, moving with a loping gait when on all fours; the hind legs are thick and muscular, bent for sudden bursts of speed. A long, whip-like tail trails behind it, balancing its large frame as it moves.

The Hollow seem to emerge from cracks and rifts leftover of recent shifts in the Wilds. Creatures of darkness, they are physical manifestations of voids on the Aether, the opposite of a spark - which is why they feed on unsuspecting creatures and consume their essence when they fall prey - though they would much rather seek the much larger Soul of a sentient being.

Known Tropes

Some known tropes from other high-fantasy TTRPG settings that are not present or are different in Shattered Wilds:

• there is no teleportation of matter or energy
• action-at-a-distance is limited to the Aether, and even then, it is not infinite
• gods (the Protean) are not all-powerful and definitely not omnipresent, though they can be very powerful
• there is no known way to resurrect the dead; once a mortal spark is severed from its body, while it can linger in the Aether for a few minutes, it will eventually fade away