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What is Melestra? For
whom is it Intended? What
is Melestra? | How to use the player's handbook? | Common
terms and concepts Melestra is an imaginary high fantasy world and setting, designed primarily for tabletop
role-playing games. The world of Melestra is a dark and dangerous place, two generations after "the
great shattering": a catastrophic disaster that devastated
large portions of it, almost obliterating a once glorious (or oppressive and cruel,
depending on who you ask) En'mirian empire. The empire was ruled by
the 'Four eternal reflections': powerful priestesses who lived for centuries and
presented themselves as manifestations of the celestial En'mairy - sentient gemstones and beings of immense
power from another dimension. Today, remnants of the
empire struggle for existence in a completely changed world, facing new forces
as well as old rivals or former subordinates who remember the old rule - and
not for the better. Danger lurks everywhere; many areas in the world are
still reeling from the destruction and horrors unleashed during the Great
Shattering, as rival nations and races fight each other for the remaining habitable lands. The first part of the Malistra setting,
"The
Kiern Vale" was released
in April 2020 as a more than 200-page downloadable booklet available for free
on the internet. Additional parts of the world are gradually updated on the Melestra website, with future expansions planned. In the booklet and on the Melestra website, you will find explanations,
details, and stories about the world and its various regions, history,
timeline, peoples and races, customs, and even their favorite food, all the way to religions and theology. The other free downloadable booklet is the beginner
player handbook, which contains an introduction to Melestra's
gaming system, and everything a player needs to create his or her own
Melestra character, and to play from level 1 to level 5. A more in-depth (but not entirely edited) rules for players from level
1 to 12 (and now gradually updated up to the maximal level of 20), can be
found in the player handbook section of the website. Although it is possible
to adapt Melestra to other,
more familiar gaming systems (like D&D and such), the unique Melestra's gaming system is more suitable
than all others for the logic of the world, as well as its races, professions and unique
crafting system. Additional Melestra products will hopefully be
released in the futures – such as premade adventure models, monster manuals,
new expansion and much more. For whom is the world of Melestra intended? The world of Melstra can suit anyone who wishes to experience
role-playing games, but it is especially suitable for players and game
masters seeking a complex, "lifelike" campaign world, rich in
background, where player characters are part of the world - not
"superheroes" or "chosen ones" around whom the world
revolves. Melestra is not intended to echo modern politics; it is intended
for those who wish to adventure in a foreign, dangerous and internally
consistent world, which does not revolve around the player characters or try
to represent their real-life identities. In Melestra, characters may gain power gradually, but
challenges will always be complex and often involve real danger to player
characters. Even as characters level up, there will always be ancient and
powerful creatures in the world that can easily defeat the characters in
direct encounters. Failure and even death of player characters - are
ever-present risks, although playing smart and cautiously can greatly reduce
the chances of such a disaster. The various cultures and races of Melstra - humans, humanoid
races, and intelligent monsters - form a complex mosaic, each part of it
having a different history, culture, a different understanding of reality,
and different moral values: from justice, through good and evil, to love and
family: From the highly developed and authoritarian culture of the En'mirians, ruled by priestesses and matriarchs with
powers meant to represent a higher existence; through the rural culture
closely tied to the nature of the people of the Far'lil
race, ruled by family patriarchs whose will is law; to the ancient and brutal
culture of the Ogres, which reveres strength and brutality, and above all,
the power of magic. Cultures, nations, and races war against each other -
sometimes ruthlessly - and it's not always possible to draw a clear line
between good and evil. The characters in Melestra - both player characters and
non-player characters - are not intended to be 'masks' worn by modern people
who dressed up and took swords or robes. The world is not meant to reflect
the 21st century and its values. It is intended for game masters and players
alike, who wish to explore a foreign and fantastical world, where one can't
pull out the card "I am a player character!" to gain benefits and
power. To the player handbook section of the
website – click here |
Back to Melestra's
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Created and edited by Gideon Orbach (2017) ©
All rights reserved. Commercial use and/or any profit-making purpose is
strictly prohibited without explicit permission from the creator, in writing
and in advance. Noncommercial/personal use with no profit aim is allowed (and
even recommended!)