Mhorann: the world

	Mhorann is our rolegaming world, a relatively traditional fantasy realm where monsters roam, magic works, and foolish characters seek adventure. Mhorann is a vast region, with, at the centre, the decaying Mhorannese Empire. Around it are younger, more vibrant states, often ones that have broken away from the Empire.

Over the mountains is the bleak, grim land of Halvay. Across the ocean is the other continent, containing the state of Zassapur, and the island realms of Ath-Kathla and Zassall. Magic works and is common. Many Gods are known and revered, and there is little doubt of their power. Technology is no more than wrought iron and wind and water power; horses are the main means of transport.

		Humanity is ascendant, but other races are common. While the various states seek to impose law and order on their realms, the lands are wide and wild enough that there can be adventures anywhere. Of course, trouble can loom even in supposedly civilised and lawful regions.


		Mhorann is now over 25 years old. It was started by Peter upon leaving school, developed in turn from an earlier campaign. The initial campaigns were set in the East Marches, and involved various adventures, and, in the background, the secession of the Marches from the Mhorannese Empire.

Over three years at University, the campaign grew and developed, with a quest that spanned the continent. Following University, Janet and Peter married, (an unconventional way to influence your GM!), and Janet's fledgling campaign was incorporated into Mhorann, bringing more richness and diversity (and a tricky job of integration!). Between us, we developed the background and mythology of Mhorann.

	We have written ludicruous amounts of material for our world. The myths and legends alone run into over 100,000 words, and we also have a library of over twenty books written by characters within Mhorann about the world around them. Kylara Culmonin, in particular, is a character we created expressly to write a range of travel books about the world, giving more or usually less accurate descriptions of the more distant lands, and the peoples to be found there. The trouble with Kylara is that she always wants to like everyone, and thus has a bad tendency to gloss over faults and omit mentions of strange or unpleasant customs.

Over fifteen campaigns have now taken place in Mhorann, ranging from sequences that lasted a few months to a handful of mammoth campaigns that have lasted up to six years. The write-up of just one of these runs to 40,000 words! The current, Nareen campaign is up to 13,000 words already.

Politics


	The Mhorannese Empire is the largest state in Mhorann, spanning half the continent. The edifice is crumbling, however, and regions have been breaking away. The East Marches broke away just before the first campaign I ran in Mhorann; the secession of the region west of the Marches, now named Naralay, formed a major strand of the Jirel campaign. Trouble in Arflane, to the far west of Mhorann, formed the backdrop to our second Halvay campaign.

The empire is not yet totally decrepit. It has a romanesque flavour, with the Emperor in Aquillon at its heart, but individual nobles rule their own regions with the Emperor’s favour, each controlling their own legions and laws. Intrigues between rival nobles fuel much of the political fire in the Empire.

	The nobles seldom sink into direct warfare (though it is not unknown) – more usually, they use subtlety, sorcery and cunning as their weapons. The last two Emperors have died through assassination (generally considered "natural causes" for their rank!), and their lessers jockey for power and prestige.

The states around the Empire have to guard their borders. More than one Emperor has sought to regain status by launching a war to annex neighbouring lands. The other states have their own troubles. Halvay is a patchwork of small, fiercely independent states that fight and plot against each other, a situation worsened by the presence of a number of powerful sorcerors, both living and undead.

	Elason, a collection of diverse cantons, squabbles internally. The kylesta, the supposed guardians and law enforcers, independent and authoritarian, have grown corrupt. The Eastern Isles, east of Elason, each have their own political views and outlooks, and are all not tolerant of each other. The Weeping Unicorn campaign involved a violent political upheaval on of Vorsse, with the central characters as rebels trying to overthrow the lawful – but very nasty – ruler of the island.
Even the break-away states such as the East Marches and Naralay find conflicting factions developing within their peoples. What is not so certain is whether these conflicts are home-grown, or the actions of agents from the Empire, seeking to shatter the fragile stability of the fledgling states to enable the Empire to march back in. At present, the Marches, under its Prince, is relatively calm, but this will probably change at some stage!

Magic


Magic in Mhorann is common. Mages can be found in most towns, selling spells commercially; all major towns contain a Mages' Guild where apprentices can be hired, new spells traded and copied, and materials purchased. The Guild, and usually the State, lays down rules and laws that govern the use of sorcery.

	Sorcery is an art, not a science, but it is an art that is respected and well-understood within the profession. However, the general population do not always understand, and mages can become feared and demonised. Wholesale "witchburning" is very rare, but has occurred in small areas occasionally. Most Mages' Guilds regard maintaining public acceptance of magic as their most important role, and impose rules to discourage magical practices that can be expected to be unpopular.

Magic is used for communications, transport, repair, security and even construction. A few mages go adventuring; they are considered mavericks or fools by their colleagues. As well as mage and priestly magic, there also exists wild magic, a rare and dangerous form of power that can only be harnessed by a few. Even the Gods dislike wild magic, because it draws on the same forces of nature as do their own powers.

Gods and Religions
The Mhorannese world is watched over by a plethora of deities, demons and demigods. The greatest Gods are Maloth, the creator God and God of death; and Llyr, the God of Life and of the Sun. There is a cold antipathy between the two, and thus between their priests. Maloth, as the elder God of creation, is the prime God of the Mhorannese Empire.

	Llyr, the God who rebelled against Maloth, is considered by many to be a dangerous figure – only rebellious lands like the Marches consider the Llyrian temple to be superior to the Malothian Snakelorder religion.

There are a number of lesser Gods, including Bragi, god of travellers, song and joy for all (considered subversive in most places!); Zoletla, goddess of thieves, lust and shadows (normally illegal and popular); Ominor, god of trade, merchants and money (and thus with the most corrupt priests in the land); and Nartheyn, Goddess of the sea and sailors. Each God has His or Her own priests, who, if they are true to their faith, can receive magical aid from their God. Some religions are strongly organised with clear lines of authority spanning the continent; others are far less prescriptive.

	The major religions are significant political bodies, with great power and influence. The Snakelorder temple in Aquillon has toppled emperors in the past. Conflicts in theology or simple desires for power have brought about a significant number of events in the history of Mhorann, both general and as plots within campaigns. The background mythology of Mhorann include two concords between the Gods, preventing Them from intervening directly in mortal affairs – the Manpact allows the Gods to use humans to further Their aims. Such intentions often drive the plots forward.

Worship of certain Gods, such as the Gyarral, God of pain, is forbidden by most secular authorities. Such prohibitions can drive worship underground; the cults that develop can be very nasty

The Peoples of Mhorann

		Human peoples are ascendant in Mhorann. The Gods view humanity as the primary figures in their machinations, and thus the majority of people within the world are human. However, other intelligent races have their places in the world. These include (by no means exclusively).....

Elves are amongst the oldest races; most are ancient, distant and fey. A few youngsters are less alien, but in the main the elves are an eerie, unknown quantity dwelling in their isolated fastnesses.

	Dwarves are a dying race, fading from their halls in mountains and under hills, their numbers dropping.

Orcs are prolific, and there are constant wars and lesser conflicts between orcs and humans. Unfortunately, orcs are intelligent enough not to lose all the time.

	Lizardfolk range from the wise, ancient saurians of the Catharlach to the savage lizardmen of the swamps.

The Drow are as ancient as the elves. From their dark cavernlands they plot and scheme against all other races. They are perhaps the single most dangerous enemy that PCs can face.

	Both the elves and the drow would deny that there are any similarities between their respective races. Both would be lying.


There are less dangerous and troublesome races, too.

	Goblins are small, troublesome, and ubiquitous throughout the Mhorannese world. They are imitative and vary in intelligence; the illustration is of a primitive one, but some goblins can become quite sophisticated.... in a brutish sort of way.

Gnolls are, in some regions, treated as ordinary citizens alongside humans. In other areas, they are viewed as no better than orcs.

Creatures


	The wilds and byways of Mhoran are the haunts of a range of creatures and beings. This gallery gives only a small hint of the creatures that can be encountered. Some are friendly, some less so.














		But the worst monsters are usually human...

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Politics

Magic

Gods and Religions

The Peoples of Mhorann

Creatures