Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition Setting by RiotMinds
Welcome to the World of Kensei
Welcome to the World of Kensei, an Asian-inspired world-setting for Dungeons and Dragons 5E players.
The World of Kensei is a place of great heroes and utter evil, encompassing lands of ancient myths and high peril. Courageous warriors brave the ancient shrines of the old gods, now home to evil creatures. These are the lands of Tatsu, a new continent of beauty and age-old evil. Tatsu is yours to adventure in, yours to defend, and yours to shape and rule. From the highlands of Rakun to the deep jungles of Kawashi, Tatsu is the land of high adventure. It is a continent that spans more than 30,000 miles from east to west and 25,000 miles from north to south.
The history of Tatsu is dominated by the cyclical rise and cataclysmic destruction of provinces and kingdoms once founded by the gods. Magic and holy powers slumber in the wreckage of ancient ruins and deep jungles that once belonged to them. Every year some new wonder is rediscovered in an old temple ruin: a scroll with an ancient spell, a statue with holy powers, or a staff endowed with great magic.
Before the birth of the human race, the gods waged war on each other and the dragons for many years. The cause of the war was not linked to any religious belief about who held the right to the world—instead, it was fought over immortality, or the sacred essence of life called Cha Juin, believed to be the source of all life. After a seemingly endless war, the gods won, and the dragons were defeated. The gods were forever blessed with the gift of immortality, and the dragons were cursed with mortality and bound to the physical plane of this world—the world known today as Tatsu. Thus, the dragons remained a divine power but now one with a dark and evil agenda to overthrow all creations of the high gods—to ensure that the inhabitants of Tatsu would never live in peace.
Once humans came to be, they built cities on the land, changed the direction of the rivers, and cultivated the soil of plains and mountains. They did not fear death, as the power of unity allowed them to overcome nature. They did, however, fear the dragons more than anything else, so in the beginning, they formed alliances with elves and dwarves to protect themselves from the evil serpents.
For the last thousand years, the ancient lands of Tatsu have been shrouded in darkness, war, and age-old evil. This old land of the dragons has risen from the wild and stormy sea, its shorelines draped in a constant thick magical fog. The war between the clans has torn the lands apart for more than a millennium. And just like the waves that ceaselessly throw themselves at hard rocks, the men and women of Tatsu also fight these endless wars. Toughened by sword and spear, the warriors roam the lands hunting for prey, hoping to gain glory and honor by fighting wild creatures and evil dragons. Between the great castles lies a harsh and unforgiving wilderness but also endless possibilities for adventures for those brave of heart. In the deep jungles, one can find the ruins of temples of the old gods, and travelers can unearth treasures from the ancient dragons in the highest mountains. It is a land of high adventure and certain death for those who enter it unprepared.
The World of Kensei is available through DriveThruRPG in PDF.
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Voices From The Pulpit 