It is a time of dragons and magic, where the Gods and their progeny have not long since been slain or repelled, and the shape of the land - like iron from the forge - has newly cooled. Beneath the golden strokes of the Iasong, the Realms Within stretch without bounds. Dozens of nations, citystates, and settlements dot its expanse, struggling for survival in the harsh wilderness, and the struggle begets conflict. Viziers plot against their lords, cities rise and fall like the tide, and armies meet in war at the whims of their Demigod masters. Monsters roam the untamed wilds, where the corners of civilisation do not touch, and the profane dead rise in the absence of divine authority.
The Realms Within is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Created by Jack Mackay (also known as the host of Cloud Five), the Realms began in mid-2022 as a setting for his private campaigns with his friends. Following the first session within the Realms, he began writing a series of supplementary lorebooks on a blog
designed to flesh out the storylines and world of the setting, alongside being a public forum for interaction with his D&D group.
The land of Iademesne is commonly known as 'The Realms Within' due to its position at the centre of two encompassing divine powers: the Iasong - a.k.a the melody of creation, sung into being by creator Goddess Ia - and the snakelike all-seeing Haan Ifel who physically guards against invasion by the pantheon of Outer Horrors. The setting is characterised by the physical absence of its wounded Gods, its long history of Demigods and dragonriders, and its emphasis on political intrigue and other Dark Fantasy trappings.
Not to be confused with the Forgotten Realms, the most popular D&D setting.
The Realms Within contains examples of:
- Aerith and Bob: A given in a D&D setting. The Realms has names such as Salumax and Kharmir co-existing with Hans and Walter.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: If the noble families of Gorgarten are anything to go by. The Zeitrichs and the Kahlers are engaged in a constant game of interfamilial skulduggery.
- Crapsack World: After the Sundering, in which the landscape was ravaged by divine war and the arrival of the Outer Horrors, the remaining, injured Gods retreated from the Realms. Historical objects of wonder, such as the giant greatwyrms and the Demigod dynasties, went extinct during the Age of Cinders. Now, countless mortal nations war over the godless lands, with war and bloodshed commonplace.
- Dark Is Not Evil: The Sunless Lands, a land covering a vast swathe of the unnamed western continent, is a land of eternal night and is home to the drow (dark elves). However, Sabian and Visimar remember it fondly as a land of dark beauty.
- Sabian himself is an example. Despite being grey of skin, dressed all in black and skulking in the shadows, Sabian is the only member of the Rattlesnakes to have a Good alignment.
- Divine Conflict: A staple of the setting's mythology. The Sundering - possibly the most important event in the Realms' history - was a divine war of titanic proportions that the Gods are still recovering from. Not to mention when the Outer Horrors got involved.
- Eldritch Abomination: The Outer Horrors. Incomprehensible, unnamed beings from 'The Void'.
- Fantastic Drug:
- Capilla is a particularly nasty drug that causes bloodshot eyes, heightened heart-rate, and feelings of intense paranoia that can turn to bloodlust upon an overdose.
- Jittercoal, harvested from the Sunless Lands, is a powerful narcotic that instils feelings of euphoria and camaraderie.
- Fantastic Racism: Humans are bad for it, but the elves are even worse. Confining themselves to consecrated enclaves, they refuse contact with the outside world for fear of 'intellectual contamination.'
- Fantasy Counterpart Culture: Seen in many of the nations.
- Alagost is heavily inspired by a fusion of Anglo-Saxon and Celtic cultures. Conversely, the swamp town of Correnwald resembles an Old Western frontier, with guns swapped out for crossbows.
- By naming conventions alone, Kastalav can be seen as a fusion of German and Slavic cultures, though with a far greater emphasis on witchcraft and Blood Magic.
- God-Emperor: Many of the Demigods can be seen as these:
- The self-styled 'God-Emperor Hazeran' is the most famous demigod in history, ruling a powerful empire that spanned two continents.
- High King Ceonred, who united the Swamp Kings and Storm Kings of Alagost and led a bloody war against Armathain.
- Holy City: Kallantium, home of the powerful Church of Haelion and formerly the capital of the Hazeran Empire.
- Horns of Villainy: The ruthless High King Ceonred wore a spiked crown.
- The Magocracy: The Vigil, an ancient cabal of chronomancers, appear to have been this.
- Medieval European Fantasy: The central continent, Merydia, mirrors many aspects of medieval Europe, although with typically more hostile wilderness and Grimdark elements than usual.
- Precursors: The Great Hazeran Empire. The Vigil may also count, depending on their true nature.
- Religion of Evil: Worship of Outer Horrors involve spades of torture, ritual sacrifice and Blood Magic. Ilsa, a maid to the Zeitrich family, was a victim of such practises.
- The Syndicate: The Konsortium, Kastalav's largest crime network.
- Wretched Hive:
- The Time Heist arc portrays Kastalav - Gorgarten in particular - as a nest of crime, with corrupt and sadistic nobles mixed in for good measure.
- Correnwald is an oppressive and grimy swamp town where the corrupt lord allows moonshine gangs to run riot.
