Arcanis

Arcanis was originally a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons game, created by Henry Lopez and supported by Paradigm Concepts.

The setting was launched in 2001 and is known for its odd twists on the fantasy genre, as well as its wide member approval and community-based design and construction.

While originally launched as a d20srd title, Arcanis was relaunched in 2011 with a unique rules set as detailed in Paradigm Concepts.

There are seven primary races: Dark-kin (infernally tainted), Dwarves (cursed Giants), Elorii (Elves, but with some significant differences), Gnomes (offspring of a human and a dwarf), Humans (including the elementally attuned Kio and Undir), Ss'ressen (Lizard-folk), and Val (touched by the gods with different bloodlines depending on which God was their progenitor).

Dark-kin are the results of a period of Onara's history called the Time of Terror, when Demons, Devils, and other Infernals were released from the Hells by the powerful magics of the Myrantian Empire.

Later, Sarish, the grandson of Illiir and the god of Contracts came to the Dwarves and told them that should they craft the perfect item, their curse would be lifted.

Most of humanity are latecomers to the continent of Onara (where most of the current story takes place), but at least one group, the Pengik, predate the Ss'regorean Empire, who have the oldest recorded history.

These subraces of Human have been attuned to the elements of air and water, respectively, and display several differences including longer life (Kio) and more elven traits (Undir).

This empire consists of many races, many of them serpentine such as Naga and Ssanu snake-men (who replaced the Yuan-ti after the latter were removed from the Open Gaming License content).

(Originally, they worshiped slaadi, but with the removal of these beings from the Open Gaming License content, Paradigm Concepts was forced to change this.

In their stead, every god sent his servants, the Valinor, to mingle with the populace, and create a semi-divine family capable of aiding mankind.

The nations of Arcanis are mostly human affairs, all related to the First Imperium that fell thousands of years ago; most of these are ruled by the Val.

The primary human lands are: The three Elorii Nations are: The major Dwarven Enclaves are: There are three major clutches of Ss'ressen (outside of the Ssethregoran Empire), the second two being offshoots of the first: The other races are mostly outcasts and wanderers, though occasionally small racial enclaves arise in larger cities, rather than maintaining organized civilizations.

There is reference to Althares, God of Knowledge, Invention, and Artifice, as being the "Grand Uncle of Sarish," but exactly where he fits into the divine family tree is unclear.

The remaining Elemental Lord, the life spirit Belisarda, was believed to have been destroyed by The Other (or Umor, as the Elorii knew him), until the arrival of a Prophet who claimed this was not true.

Many secret societies exist in the world, though a good number of them are restricted to non-player characters in the living campaigns.

Also, Living Arcanis was played at smaller regional conventions throughout the world, many of which host special events, as well as by players at home.

There are also several groups of quasi-independent writers whose adventures are sub-plots to the main story and are centered around a specific city, region, or secret society.

This new campaign, originally called the Chronicles of the Shattered Empires and renamed Legends of Arcanis,[2] is set about 50 years after the first one.