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Arkus: A 5e Campaign Setting

Published: July 12th 2020, 9:08:55 pm

 

Welcome to Arkus, a world filled with colossal trees that tower over a barren earth beset by unending earthquakes. Atop these trees, gnomes build massive mechanical cities, orcs and tabaxi forge an uneasy alliance, and elves take to the skies atop massive palm fronds. Governments, religious order, and extraplanar forces vie for control, all while parallel dimensions offer glimpses into alternate realities.

This 23-page campaign setting primer by Will Savino gives you everything you need to start planning adventures in this strange and intricate world. You’ll learn everything you need to know about The Short Table, Leafgates, The Cleave, Arkbloods, and The Silverleaf War. In addition to details about history, magic, and society, explore a deepdive into the great Gnomish city of Trunktop as well as a treasure trove of plot hooks that will help you jump right into your first few sessions!

Arkus is brought to life with incredible VTT-ready assets to help you play right now. Featuring:

• An atlas-style map of the continent of Enark by Mik & Wewa, a duo that produces clean and elegant battlemaps and tokens.
• Gorgeous minis and token depicting the new homebrew Threndl race by Paper Forge, creators of countless beautiful character assets perfect for VTTs or home campaigns. Additional variants of this character are available to Paper Forge’s patrons.
• A colorfully realized battlemap of an Elzandra Flowmill by veteran map-makers Cze and Peku. You can pick up 17 (!) additional variants of this map via their Patreon.
• An elegant hand-drawn city-map of Trunktop by Jog Brogzin. Jog creates patron-requested city, world, and dungeon maps every week. The high quality version of this map is only available to his patrons.
• A devilishly alien Illithid lair by Venatus Maps. A few variants of this dungeon map are provided in the .zip file below, and you can grab a huge array of additional maps and assets from his Patreon.
• A secret hideout map by Fantasy Atlas, perfect for human freedom fighters in Arkus, or illicit gangs in other settings. Fantasy Atlas produces 3 maps a month with day and night variants, available only to his patrons. 
• Three musical tracks by Arkus writer and designer Will Savino. Start scoring your Arkus adventures with these tailor-made tunes today. You can grab alternate versions of these tracks at my Artist tier and up.
• One track by RPG composer Adventure Music. Amplify your political thriller campaign with this exciting hybrid score inspired by Enark’s “Short Table.” You can grab an additional Arkus track “Farms and Flowmills” at Adventure Music’s Patreon.

Additionally, the cover to the Arkus PDF was created by virtuoso painter Zhillustrator. Grab a stunning high quality version of this image at his Patreon!

While this document provides a detailed narrative introduction to the Arkus setting, it also provides some 5e compatible homebrew that will be immediately usable in your other D&D settings. Play as the plant-based Threndl race, the Orc / Tabaxi hybrid Orxi, and the acoustically-themed sorcerer subclass The Resonant. Additionally, explore three new backgrounds that will help you flesh out Arkus characters and tie them to the world mechanically as well as narratively. 

Patrons can get all the files from this awesome collaboration here.

Arkus is a world of intrigue, mystery, and danger. You’ll explore alternate timelines, thwart political coups, and adventure deep into the trunks and high into the skies. You’ll smoke psychedelic sap, sweep away torrential mudrains, and confront corrupt peacekeeping authorities. While this document gives you everything you need to start exploring Arkus, additional updates and supplements await. If you enjoy this setting, please consider reaching out to its various creators, and let us know what you want to see in the future.

Finally, please consider becoming patrons of Arkus’s wonderful creators: Music d20, Cze and Peku, Venatus Maps, Jog Brogzin, Paper Forge, Mik & Wewa, Fantasy Atlas, Adventure Music, and Zhillustrator. In addition to gaining access to oodles and oodles of additional RPG content, you’ll be directly supporting these creators and joining a community of enthusiastic players and artists. Cheers! (also another thank you to Tavern of Trinkets for helping create the banner image in this post!)