User:Paleomancer/Emerald Sun (3.5e Campaign Setting)/About

Setting Background

Emerald Sun was primarily inspired by Neil Gaiman's short story, "A Study in Emerald," a Sherlock Holmes pastiche where Lovecraftian Horrors have succeeded in subjugating humanity. This campaign setting is set on the world of Tellur, which approximately one thousand years ago was invaded by the Fremd, entities of pure insanity from beyond time and space (whom bear an uncanny resemblance to the Great Old Ones of Lovecraftian fiction). Players in this setting will have a choice to serve the mighty empire of R'laeh under the Grand Old Ones (greatest of the Fremd), stake their claim with the diminished spirits of Ancient Tellur, or seek the rebirth of mortal civilization, free of supernatural control.

The Grand Old Ones do not have things all their own way. Many of their servants secretly plot against them, the few non-Fremd Great Old Ones either despise the Fremd or regard them as pests, renegade Fremd seek to establish their own domains, and several powerful alien species seek to obliterate the entire planet or exploit the situation to their advantage. There is even a temporal cold war between two insect species fighting over their future in the past. There is not a clear-cut hero/villain aspect to this setting, since perfectly decent people may see the Great Old Ones as gods, while rebels may be quite vile in their methods.