Background

## **Rin and the Grand Design**

The progenitor of all existence is a being known as Rin. At the beginning of time, Rin created the Cosmos, which would serve as the foundation for the “Grand Design”, which governed existence. Within the Cosmos, he created eight realms. He then created beings known as cosmoids. The cosmoids were split into two groups:

* Cosmics, who dwelled in the realms
* Void Lords, who dwelled in the void outside of the realms

Rin then tasked the Cosmics with creating realms of their own known as Worlds. He also tasked the Void Lords with destroying dead universes or those that posed a threat to the Grand Design. Rin would determine which Worlds to destroy by chance, using a powerful die that could eat worlds.

Cosmics who took part in a universe’s creation would become gods of that universe and could choose whether or not to remain in the universe and get involved with its affairs.

Moradin, the first Cosmic, oversaw the creation of every universe and was known as “The Maker”.

During the creation of a universe, the Cosmics would dwell in an in-between plane known as the Cosmic Realm. Every universe starts as a cosmic plane, and the material plane is built inside of it. Within the material plane, two other inner planes would be created: the Spirit Realm and the Shadow Realm. The Spirit Realm would serve as the forge for mortal souls and would be ruled by a cosmoid called “Archking” or “Allfather”. The Shadow Realm would serve as the universe’s primary realm of death (not its only afterlife) and would be ruled by a cosmoid called “Raven Queen” or “Mother of Death”. Any cosmoid can be an Archking or Raven Queen.

Once a universe is finished, the pantheon would then choose a cosmoid who was not involved in its creation to become its “Overlord”. An Overlord is the divine ruler of the universe and has full agency over how involved they are in worldly affairs. The Overlord would also be given the aid of a Warden (who watches over the Material Plane) and a Keeper (who watches over the Cosmic Plane).

## **The Divine Realms**

When Rin created the eight realms, he gave the cosmoids free will over how they were run. Naturally, these realms were split up by the behaviors and morals of their denizens.

* Elysium - Ruled by Moradin (Flow)
* Mount Draconia - Ruled by Torm - (Fire)
* Arborea - Ruled by Melora (Water)
* Nirvana - Ruled by Primus (Air)
* Limbo/Ravinna - Ruled by the High Raven (Earth)
* The Waste (Nine Hells/The Abyss) - Ruled by Asmodeus (Ebb)

The realms marked in green are Realms of the Gods. Cosmoids who live in these realms are candidates for pantheons for new universes.

The realms marked in red are Realms of the Fiends. These Cosmoids were deemed as “undesirables” and were cast out to these realms. Because these realms are filled with evil beings, they have never known peace.

The realms marked in black are the border realms. Cosmoids from the border realms are uninterested in the Grand Design, yet do not have any objection to it. The realms of Limbo and Nirvana serve as a barrier that keeps the Fiend Realms separated from the God Realms.

The Fiendish Realms were the site of a war between cosmoids known as demons (from the Abyss ruled by Orcus) and devils (from the Nine Hells ruled by Asmodeus). At some point in history, Asmodeus’ forces gained the upper hand and successfully took over the Abyss. When this happened, Asmodeus was given a new purpose by Rin. Asmodeus would work to invade the Spirit Realms of universes with the intent of turning them into spawn beds for more demons and devils. Rin wants Asmodeus to do this so it becomes clear which worlds are weak and which are strong.

## **The Creation of Funonzi**

The World of Funonzi was created by a newly formed Pantheon of Gods. Like all pantheons, Moradin was the master builder. Torm, God of Law, served as the overseer and architect for the order of the universe. Melora, the Wildmother, served as the creator of the planet and its flora/fauna. Azuth, Hand of Sorcery, served as the creator of the Source, which provided arcane magic to the world. All allfathers are children of the first Allfather, Corellon, so one of his sons was chosen. All raven queens are trained from birth to be Mothers of Death, and are the only cosmoids from the Border Realms to participate in the Grand Design. A nameless raven was chosen. The original Corellon and Raven Queen created the universe’s Spirit Realm and Shadow Realm, respectively. From there, Corellon forged the first souls to dwell on Funonzi.

Cosmoids that were appointed to the pantheon that had never been gods before were the following: Pelor, Sehanine, Talos, Rotan, Eadro, and Zehir.

* Pelor and Sehanine were chosen as gods of the sun and moon, respectively. The two of them were married and had already had three children; Solarine, Lunarine, and Elarine.
* Talos was a relatively young cosmoid who was chosen to be the God of Storms.
* Rotan was a powerful dragon cosmoid who had served as a guardian of Mount Draconia for many centuries. She was chosen by Torm to govern the elements. Zehir was another cosmoid from Mount Draconia who was chosen to be God of the Stars. Ro’tan and Zehir soon became lovers during the creation of Funonzi.
* Eadro was Ro’tan’s brother who was also a dragon cosmoid. He was chosen to be God of the Sea.

When the World was finished, the Pantheon appointed a cosmoid named Ihdalia to be its Overlord. Ihdalia was rather young, yet Moradin saw great potential in her from a young age. Ro’tan was chosen as Ihdalia’s Warden, and Sehanine’s daughter Lunarine was chosen as the universe’s Keeper. Moradin, Torm, and Azuth departed to create more Worlds. Melora left as well, not before planting a seed of her that would allow her to dwell in the universe remotely as a great tree. Pelor and Sehanine remained in the Cosmic Plane, leaving their three children to live in the new universe. Talos stayed behind with the intent of gaining worshippers. Ead'ro stayed behind to remain with his sister, who reluctantly accepted the job of Warden. Zehir stayed behind as well, having a child with Rotan named Azir. Zehir would soon go off the grid and no one knew where he went.

The Gods each had their own familiars (wyls) that served them.

* Moradin - the Maker’s Hammer Morthwyl
* Melora - the Queen Tree, Melthwyl
* Corellon - the Soul Forge, Corthwyl (controlled by Corellon, Son of Corellon)
* Eadro - the Trident of the Seas, Ethwyl
* Rotan - Fangs of the Warden, Rothwyl
* Raven Queen - the Ravenquill
* Sehanine - The Moon Ring, Sethwyl (owned by The Immortal Queen Elarine)
* Pelor - The Sun Ring, Pelthwyl (owned by The Sun Queen Solarine)
* Zehir - The Astral Compass, Asthwyl
* Torm - The Mask of Time, Torthwyl (owned by Lunarine)
* Talos - The Stormbringer, Talthwyl
* Azuth - the Source, Eldrith/Azwyl (known now as Vakato)
* Rin - the Talisman, Pyr

## **The Dawn of Man**

Corellon populated the world of Funonzi with several races.

* Humans, the most common race throughout the universes
	+ Half-Elves - children of humans and elves
	+ Halflings - children of humans and dwarves or gnomes
	+ Cosmen - children of humans and cosmics
	+ Voidborn - children of humans and voidlords
* Elves, made in the image of Pelor and Sehanine
	+ Blue Elf - children of elves and cosmics
	+ Dark Elf - children of elves and voidlords
* Dwarves, made in the image of Moradin
	+ Sapphirian - children of dwarves and cosmics
	+ Onyxian - children of dwarves and voidlords
* Titans, made in the image of Torm, ruled by Eadro and Talos
	+ Goliaths - descendants of Titans
* Gnomes, made in the image of Azuth
* Dragonborn, made in the image of Ro’tan and Ead’ro

Melora populated the world of Funonzi with chosen bestial races

* Goblins
* Wolven
* Elken
* Kobolds
* Aarakocra
* Lizardfolk
* Tabaxi
* Furbolgs

The following races appeared in the world later on:

* Tiefling - fiends descended from Asmodeus
* Genasi - descended from elementals

The following highlights the origins of the races' civilizations:

* The human civilizations originated in a massive valley called The Expanse. The first known human city was called Bragon. Its first ruler was Bragos the Brave.
* The elf civilizations originated atop Mount Pelor, which overlooked the Expanse. The first elf city was called Sungate. The elves were ruled by the Immortal Queen Elarine, daughter of Sehanine and Pelor.
* The dwarf civilizations originated in the Gastichyan Highlands, which were to the west of the Expanse. The first dwarven city was called Gastich. The dwarves were ruled by the Dwarven Council: Arlo Glen, Lorevil Gastich, Gwendolyn the Pale, and Viggo the Wolf Slayer.
* The Titans were a nomadic people who typically served as guardians for the other cities. Storm Titans roamed the mainland as protectors, while Sea Titans remained isolated in the underwater city of Cerul.
* The gnome civilizations originated far to the north. The first gnomish city was called Rilark.
* The dragonborn civilizations originated in the Motherlands, away from the other civilizations. Dragonborn lived monastic lifestyles atop high mountains.
* The goblins were a tribal race, spread across the planet. The first goblin civilization was Pelago, which remained the nexus of goblin culture.
* The wolven and elken lived in the Motherlands, yet were at war from the moment of their creation.
* Kobolds, aarakocra, tabaxi, furbolgs, and lizardfolk were all native to the Western Motherlands.

## **The Age of Darkness**

On a day known historically as the Collapse, the dormant god Zehir pulled the entirety of the Expanse down into the Underdark. Zehir then enslaved all of the humans he captured. The Expanse, once a forest teeming with life, was now a barren desert wasteland. Those who remained on the surface believed this event to be the result of an earthquake, storm, or volcano.

For centuries, the humans lived under the enslavement of Zehir, never seeing the sun. The city that housed them was known as Zirus, and the humans’ king Philip remained their de facto leader. During the human’s imprisonment, Philip discovered an ancient magick that allowed him to turn into a tree. Philip, over the course of many centuries, grew as a tree under the nose of Zehir and eventually grew large and powerful enough to erupt from the surface. Many humans were able to use Philip’s tree form as a ladder to escape the Underdark, and the Warden Ro’tan caught wind of what was going on. Ro’tan traveled into the Underdark, where she fought against the shadow god Zehir. The battle was massive, resulting in the splitting of the continent into two pieces, separated by a bottomless ravine called The Divide. Ro’tan ultimately bested Zehir, and built an eternal prison in the planet’s core that would hold Zehir for eternity. Philip remained the king of the Zirians for many more decades. Once they began to fracture and squabble amongst themselves, Philip was disheartened by what his people had become and went into exile in the Wolven West, where he would turn into a tree.

## **The Fall of Gastich and Ro’tan**

The dwarven city of Gastich served as the cradle of dwarf civilization for many years. Named after Council member Lorevil Gastich, the city was nestled in a valley on the coast of the icy Lake Vindicta. A second city was formed south of the Gastichyan Highlands called Glenhold, named after Council member Arlo Glen. Arlo made it his goal to build a strong navy to defend the newly built city. As such, he became the first Admiral of Glenhold.

The dwarves regularly faced attacks from the wolven, who lived to the west. The commander of the Gastichyan army was the famed Viggo the Wolf Slayer. At this time, the Wolven had gained full dominion over the eastern Motherlands, which was aptly named the Wolven West. The wolven built a dynasty and was bolstered by the grace of Melora, the Queen Tree. The first wolven king was Farolian the Enlightened, who first made contact with Melora and received her grace. Farolian was defeated in battle by Viggo. After Farolian, the ruthless Vendyr the Enslaver took over. Under Vendyr’s reign, the wolven began to seek war with the dwarves. Vendyr was the only wolven king to win a battle against the dwarves, and captured a small city west of Glenhold that they renamed Lo’Boras. Viggo launches an attack on Lo’Boras which resulted in Vendyr’s death. However, Viggo died in the process. The next wolven king was Alain the Devourer. Alain was a savage ruler who ate those he killed in battle. The wolven attacked the city of Gastich and were able to successfully invade it. Lorevil Gastich and his men, in hopes of finding power to use against the wolven, traveled to the peak of Mount Gast, which was a sacred place, to commune with the gods. Ihdalia dwelled at the top of Mount Gast, and when the dwarves arrived at her home uninvited, she killed them and wiped out the city of Gastich, killing all the dwarves and wolven. After this occurred, the war between the dwarves and wolven ended. Ro’tan was horrified to learn of what Ihdalia did and traveled to Mount Gast to express her horror. Ihdalia had grown reclusive and fearful of the mortals, and was fed up with Ro’tan treating her “like a child”. Ihdalia, in a fit of rage, imprisoned Ro’tan in the same prison as Zehir, and moved Zehir to a new prison inside of Mount Gast.

The remaining gods in Funonzi were fearful of Ihdalia and became reclusive… that is, except for one.

## **The Wind Watchers**

After the Collapse, the Expanse became a barren desert. Here, the Stormlord Talos decided to make it his “domain”. The Storm Titans claimed dominion over the Expanse and founded the first desert city, Tal’vir. Meanwhile, the elves of Sungate grew fearful of the Storm Titans, believing that it was them that caused the Collapse. The Titans that once defended Sungate were exiled from the city, so they joined their brethren in the desert.  More people began to move to the desert after Talos promised blessings to those who worshiped. The growing number of his followers became known as the Wind Watchers. The elves declared the Wind Watchers an existential threat and declared war on them. Those who opposed the war left the city of Sungate and went on to build a new city, Moongate, in the jungle to the southwest, which held the eponymous Moon Gate.

During what was known as the War of Storms, Queen Elarine oversaw the war effort that resulted in the extinction of the Titans. The war would die down for a time, yet several skirmishes would occur over many centuries.

## **The Lance of Ihdalia**

Ihdalia began to have strange dreams that she couldn’t interpret. Without a Warden to receive counsel from, Ihdalia assumed these to be visions of some sort. In truth, Ihdalia was mentally traveling to the Spirit Realm in her sleep. During these dreams, she saw visions of twelve fierce warriors fighting against hordes of monsters, and the twelve were led by one much stronger and more powerful than the rest. Ihdalia believed this was a vision of the future, where twelve heroes led by one powerful warrior would defeat a great evil that would soon come to the world. Ihdalia wrote these visions down and declared them prophecy. She gave these prophecies to Queen Elarine.

In another dream, the twelve warriors noticed Ihdalia and attacked her. Ihdalia fought back, resulting in all of them being killed. Upon waking up, Ihdalia feared that this meant she would be the threat that would befall the world. To ensure that this never happened, Ihdalia traveled to the Death Gate and requested that her soul be separated from her body and placed inside an artifact of some kind. The Raven Queen transposed Ihdalia’s soul into a lance, which transformed into gold. Ihdalia’s body was buried above the Death Gate, while the Lance was placed inside of Mount Gast.

## **The Rise of Jones**

In a distant universe, on a planet called Earth, a man named Walt Disney discovered the existence of magic. Walt was driven to use this power to fuel his creative aspirations, and put together a team he called “Imagineers”. Tapping into the Source that Walt had discovered, the Imagineers developed a method of bringing two-dimensional drawings to life. This revolutionized the medium of animation, and none could compete with Disney. One of the Imagineers involved with this project was a man named Henry Jones. Henry was an ambitious man who Walt saw a lot of potential in. He was young, but had a knack for using magic. Henry began work on a revolutionary device which would allow one to physically travel into the world of a drawing or written work. Walt saw this as a potential idea for attractions at Disneyland, but Henry saw its true potential. Henry eventually completed the machine and ran its first tests. Henry drew a map of a world he had created and entered the machine for himself. Indeed, Henry was transported to another world, but not the one that he had drawn. Henry had inadvertently created a device that allowed for transuniversal travel, something that had never been accomplished by a mortal.

Henry arrived in this new universe, appearing in the ruins of Gastich. When Henry arrived, Ihdalia sensed the arrival of an otherworldly being and wholly believed it to be her prophesied champion. Ihdalia called out to Henry, telling him to venture to the peak of Mount Gast. Henry made the hike and discovered the Lance of Ihdalia. Ihdalia told Henry that she had been awaiting his arrival and was happy to finally meet her champion. Henry, believing none of this to be real, decided to play along and accept his role as Ihdalia’s Champion. Ihdalia bestowed the Lance to Henry, bestowing upon him the title “Funonzi”. She also granted him divine power, transforming him into a cosmoid. Ihdalia told Henry that he must travel the world and find the twelve prophesied heroes. Ihdalia then split her soul into twelve new pieces, forming them into new weapons. These weapons were meant to be wielded by these twelve heroes. Thus, Henry Jones’ quest began.

## **The Valkyrie (0 A.L.)**

For years, Henry traveled the world searching for the Twelve Legends. He was able to tell if someone was a Legend if Ihdalia recognized the person’s soul from her vision. In truth, the “Legends” Henry was finding were actually reincarnations of the twelve beings that Ihdalia killed in the Spirit Realm. Henry located the following:

* Bellamin Ikaron (Gnome wizard, ring)
* Olomorn Naddick (Wolven rogue, Daggers)
* Oloward Naddick (Wolven warlock, Glove)
* Norros Wynric (Moon elf druid, Staff)
* Zinastina Ilius (Elken cleric, Pendant)
* Alunda Varen (Sun elf ranger, Bow)
* Venka Wolfsbane (Dwarf barbarian, Axe)
* Gerard Dhoros (Human fighter, Sword)
* Gawne Dhoros (Human paladin, Shield)
* Almon Zaaris (Halfling sorcerer, Wand)
* Okimi (Elken monk, Fist)
* Estella Monos (Half-elf Bard, Lute)

With the twelve united under the banner of Ihdalia, all that was left to do was wait. The twelve regularly worked together on defeating various foes and evils across the land, but none would match the challenge of what was to come. It would be another ten years before this threat would arrive.

Deep in the Void, a voidlord named Renaldo received word of suspicious Overlord activity in a universe known as Funonzi. Because Ihdalia’s power was now wielded by an individual from an unknown universe, the Bureau tasked Renaldo with removing Jones. Renaldo traveled to Funonzi once more, intent on completing his mission. There, he was met with the might of the Twelve Legends. A great battle transpired in the volcanic lands of Northern Pelago, where the Legends lured Renaldo into a trap. The battle was arduous and destructive, and Jones was disarmed and lost the Lance of Ihdalia. But the Legends ultimately came out the victors. Renaldo was severely weakened and locked in a wizard tower in Eastmouth, where he would be guarded by the Academy wizards who lived there. The Legends became renowned heroes in the lands of Funonzi, and several monuments were built in their honor for defeating the beast they called “Valkyrie”. The Legends eventually disbanded, and all of them returned to their normal lives.

## **The Red Claw**

Over the past thousand years, Ro’tan had been locked inside a prison in the planet’s Core. Part of her curse is to never be able to truly die; every time she dies, her mind is transported back in time to when she was first imprisoned. The mark of the curse: “*You will never win, you will lose again and again*.” Through countless trials and failures, Ro’tan slowly devised a plan to escape. However, Ro’tan began to lose her mind from the thousands of years of captivity. During this time, she crystallized the interior of her prison and used her power to expand the crystals outward. She was inspired by the story of King Philip and the way he saved his people from the Underdark, and she devised a similar plan to escape from her prison. She slowly expanded her crystalline tendrils and sprouted them beyond the Core. She then used these crystal growths to monitor the happenings of the world. When she learned about the battle with Renaldo and the loss of the Lance of Ihdalia, Ro’tan devised a plan. One day, Jones traveled to the volcano where Renaldo was defeated, hoping to find the Lance. Ro’tan spoke to Jones through the volcano, impersonating Ihdalia. Ro’tan told Jones that he had done well and fulfilled the prophecy, but now he must reconstruct the shattered pieces of Ihdalia’s power. In order to do so, he must kill the Twelve Legends. Jones was surprised by this mission, but because he was loyal and had started to fall in love with Ihdalia, he agreed. In the year 15 A.L., a young elf orphan (born 10 A.L.) discovered a sliver of Ro’tan’s crystal that had sprouted from the ground. When she picked it up, Ro’tan possessed her body and was able to control her remotely. Now with her new body, Ro’tan sought to gain access to a powerful group of people. The most powerful group that she knew about was the Dyke Syndicate, a criminal organization based out of the underground city of Shadowgate. Ro’tan traveled to Shadowgate and posed as an orphan. Ro’tan gained the attention of the Dykes through a few incidents where she showed her powerful sorceries. The matriarch of the Dykes, Avia, saw great potential in the young girl and decided to adopt her as a daughter. Ro’tan’s new body was given the name Clavia Dyke. Over the next several years, Clavia sought more of Ro’tan’s red crystals and fashioned them into pieces of jewelry. With these, she would slowly start gaining more bodies to control.

The Lance of Ihdalia, which was lost in the battle against Renaldo, was recovered by a fishing boat in the Funonzian Sea. The crew started using the Lance as a harpoon and saw a massive increase in catches. Word of this magic harpoon reached Sungate, and Queen Elarine immediately knew what this harpoon was. Elarine sent assassins to retrieve the Lance and kill the fishermen who wielded it. Once she retrieved the Lance, she attempted to commune with Ihdalia’s dormant weakened soul. Ihdalia remained silent and in hibernation. Elarine used the power of the Lance to form a massive forcefield around Sungate, which provided protection against Wind Watcher attacks. When Elarine eventually learned of Jones killing off the Legends and gaining their power, she made a point to keep the location of the Lance a secret and make sure Jones could never pass through the forcefield.

Starting in the year 20 A.L., Jones began killing off the Legends one by one, trying hard to make them look like accidents. However, the Legends eventually caught wind of what was going on. When only three remained (Bellamin, Olomorn, and Norros), they hatched a plan to hide their power inside of their weapons and hide them in a place that only they could access. They traveled to the Legends Museum in Eastmouth and hid their weapons and power inside of their respective statues. They placed a protective spell that could only be dispelled by themselves. The three were eventually found and killed, but the slivers of Ihdalia’s soul were not retrieved from them. Jones had now absorbed three quarters of Ihdalia’s soul and began a desperate hunt to find the remaining three weapons. This would prove unfruitful.

**In the year 130 A.L.**, Clavia eventually came of age (aged 120). Avia passed away and her oldest son Javio (aged 150, born 20 B.L.) became the new Godfather of the Syndicate. Javio appointed Clavia to be the capo of Baragoon and their youngest sister, Navia (aged 10, born 120 AL) was appointed capo of Vlas. Clavia would build her base of operations deep underneath the city above the Death Gate, where Ihdalia’s corpse was laid. It was during this time that Clavia established a secret organization called the Red Claw. Clavia also came to Jones and claimed to be a physical form of Ihdalia. She reciprocated Jones’ love and the two became lovers. For Jones’ years of service, Clavia gifted Jones with the citadel of Rilark, which Clavia had taken over using the crystals. In the year 170 A.L., Jones and Clavia had five half-dragon children: Yddron the Red, Matan the Golden, Esus the Blue, Mirig the White, and Azerth the Black.

## **The Rift (197 A.L.)**

The search for the Lance continues over many many years. Clavia (aged 187) continues running the Syndicate in Baragoon as well as the Red Claw, growing in numbers while working in the shadows. Jones knows that if he finds the Lance, he’ll be able to locate the remaining three Legend weapons. Clavia learns that she is unable to pass through the barrier surrounding Sungate, regardless of what form she’s in. She senses that the forcefield is similar to the magic used to contain her in the Core, leading her to deduce that the Lance is somewhere inside of Sungate. Jones also learns he can’t pass through the barrier. The two attempt to send spies inside of Sungate to locate the Lance, and learn it is inside Elarine’s castle. However, it is heavily guarded and protected by its own magic. Clavia has to come up with a reason why she can’t remotely dispel the forcefield (Jones still believes Clavia is Ihdalia) and she explains that because the pieces of her soul are separated, they behave as separate beings. The two devise a plan that would involve dispelling the forcefield by using the Source. The Red Claw recruits a downtrodden secretary named Pinckner at Marigold Academy to locate any documentation on the inner workings of the Source. She provides the material to them and the Red Claw travels to Vakato, the Cradle of the Source. Several wizards and sorcerers were stationed at Vakato studying the Source’s properties, and when the Red Claw arrived, a battle ensued. The Red Claw was able to meddle with the Source, but inadvertently corrupted it, causing all usage of arcane magic to be deadly. The resulting tragedy was known as the Rift, where all users of Source magic (that were directly exposed to the light of the Source) died. Although the event was catastrophic, the force field surrounding Sungate was not dispelled and none of the sun elves who lived inside died from the Rift.