Introduction to Pereta a Homebrew Realm for Dungeons & Dragons

Introduction to Pereta
A Homebrew Realm for Dungeons & Dragons

There are a number of well documented worlds and realms for Dungeons & Dragons. As a dungeon master and player, I appreciate all of the work that goes into building a world for your games. With the greatest respect to the authors and artists that have worked so hard to create those worlds, none of them are right for me and my game. I won’t go into the details of how and why I came to this decision, but I do encourage you to explore those worlds before you put in all the hard work into building your own world.

I am a big fan of map making and I have been writing fantasy and sci-fi stories for as long as I can remember. If that sounds like you, you might really enjoy the world creation process. I am sure I will write blog posts about the process of world building, but for now, I humbly provide you the following introduction to the realm that I have created for my family- friendly adventuring.

Pereta, A World Divided

You can think of Pereta as a combination of the world of Harry Potter, the sci-fi series Warehouse 13 and Stargate. The setting is medieval and divided into realms of high magic and low magic.

The world of Pereta is divided into three major continents. Five-hundred years ago, the magical races held a summit to decide the fate of the race of men. Men had been waging war on all sides, even amongst themselves, for control of the world’s largest continent. The kings of men long ago outlawed magic in all its’ forms, the one thing they all seemed to agree upon. The other races were hunted and pushed further and further away. It was then that the king of dragons summoned the leaders of the realms to his mountain. There it was decided that the dragons would enter a thousand-year hibernation, and all the magical beasts and races would retreat from the kingdoms of men. The humans would be allowed to rule and lead as they saw fit within their realm until the end of the great slumber.

The king of the Elves was given a sacred duty to watch over the realm of men and safeguard all magic from them. For the last five centuries, human children born with the ability to use and shape magic have been spirited away from their homeland, raised and trained in the great wizarding schools of the north. Children too tainted by hate or fear have their powers bound and they are returned to their homes.

After graduation, some of these humans volunteer to return to the kingdoms of men to act as watchers. They use their magic to find others like themselves as well as keep an eye out for any signs of magical influence. They keep watch over the human world, protecting and often guiding it toward peace and harmony.

When the watchers discover magic in the human kingdoms, they call upon the specially trained group of adventurers that recover magical artifacts, seal the tombs, wrangle magical beasts and clear the most dangerous of dungeons. This is a perilous job and many never return from their adventures.

Now, five-hundred years since the beginning of the great slumber, the kingdoms of men have quelled much of their fighting. Men now consider magic and dragons only fairytales. The elves have carefully kept the peace with men by blocking their ships and cloaking the routes to the few remaining enclaves of magic within their kingdoms.

The kingdoms of men and the realms of magic could not be more different. While men fight over crops and fresh water, their children suffer and die of malnutrition. The realms of magic have enjoyed centuries of peace led by the long lived and wise elves. High magic has developed and is used for everything from growing crops to transporting travelers. Only in the orcish borderlands is magic spurned and children allowed to suffer.

Trouble is Brewing

In the northern lands of the elves, a small group of fanatics has taken control of key parts of Elvish society. They believe that they have found the key to returning to Arvandor, the Elvish heaven. Elvish high mages are working in secret, casting a centuries-long spell that will bring the entire planet of Perata into Arvandor. There many problems with their plan, but they are convinced that they can overcome the obstacles and return to the place of their creation.

Meanwhile, Elvish society has cemented its role as the de facto leader of the world. All races are subject to their laws, or at least they think so. The council of elders, made up of representatives from all the intelligent races still has final authority over world events, but many of the races refuse to attend because they see the council as a tool of the elves to rule over them.