The Awakening

Welcome to The Awakening, a D&D blog for a 5E campaign set in a home brew universe.

The known universe is hundreds of large floating continents called “stars” in a vast expanse of atmosphere composed of mostly nitrogen and oxygen, though pockets of exotic gases also exist.

For every known huge continent there are dozens of smaller ones that are lesser known, and hundreds of tiny islands that are sometimes so small they can only hold one castle or manor. Each land mass is usually dedicated to a single god or powerful being, and it’s a common belief that the gods make their homes somewhere deep inside the land masses dedicated to them.

It’s not common for other continents to be visible during the day, though it does sometimes happen, but at night the many twinkling lights of other continents can be seen. The stars are always in motion going around each other, affecting each other’s paths with their own magical gravity. Educated elite craftsmen known as Astronomers are constantly studying the skies to predict the movements, thereby allowing the leaders of each continent to know when there will be a close approach with another land, or if a collision is impending. Other craftsmen known as Realm Pilots can somehow affect the path of their continent over time. 

The paths of the smaller ones are easier to adjust, but even large ones can be moved at great cost and effort. This allows the many lands to avoid collisions, or to adjust close approaches for optimal trading during times when two lands pass each other.

Most continents are relatively flat disks where everyone lives on just one surface while the other side is an inhospitable barren wasteland of hard jagged rocks. The gods are somehow able to hold the continents together as well as create a uniform gravity across one surface of the disk. Anything going over the edge doesn’t fall. It gets “left behind” instead since each continent is always in motion.

Not every star is a land mass. There are at least two known exceptions. One exception is a massive sphere of flames that never dies out. Its light creates a day-night cycle as continents slowly tumble end over end relative to it. Its heat affects seasons as continents move closer or further from it. A second known exception is a massive globe of water. It leaves a trail of water vapor in the air everywhere it travels, and sometimes this causes precipitation as continents drift through its tail or experience pockets of higher humidity.