World Notes

The current year is 1263. The campaign starts on the 1st day of Nur.

There are two moons - Indu (Bright Drop, the smaller) and Soma (moon). Together they represent the Hindu moon god Chandra, though some cultures view Indu as Chandra and Soma as a separate entity. Indu has a 19 day cycle, Soma has a 36 day cycle.

The calendar is made up of 5 days per week and 5 months of 66 days, with one extra Holy Day at the end of the year. You can see the calendar by uploading the json file below to https://donjon.bin.sh/fantasy/calendar/

Kuo-toa raiding parties have been seen in the deep lakes. They take slaves, it appears. Investigation may be warranted.

There is a criminal underworld in the area, preying on the merchants that come through the area. They aren't as open as bandits raiding on the roads, though.

The Thornwastes

South of the Wyrmsmoke Mountains lies a vast barren land known as the Thornwaste. A maze of broken hills, briar-choked ravines, and dry, dusty scrubland, these badlands give way to larger and larger stretches of true desert as one goes farther south and west. The Thornwaste has long been the haunt of lions, hieracosphinxes, and other hungry monsters.

The Thornwaste is the least civilized region in Elsir Vale. Even the Wyrmsmoke Mountains are more densely settled, albeit by goblinoids. The Thornwaste is desolate in comparison, populated only by a few roving tribes of feral halfling barbarians. The Thornwaste is home to all manner of nefarious and dangerous creatures, from packs of lions and dire lions to more fantastic creatures such as chimeras and bulettes.

The terrain of the Thornwaste is dangerous as well. A maze of broken hills, briar-choked ravines, and thistle-clogged fissures, this treacherous landscape can most easily be traversed by overland flight. Creatures forced to slog through the Thornwaste on foot find the prospect grueling at best. Overland movement rates are slow. Worse, the countless thistles and thorns have a way of working themselves into armor and clothing, hampering movement.