The city of Ridgepass is set in a fantasy world based upon many influences, and plays on many of the expected tropes.

We will begin with a bit of ancient history:

Some thousands of years ago, outside the reach of mortal races’ recorded histories, there was a great cataclysm that cracked the world, boiled the seas, and overturned mountains. Legends say it was caused by a war between ancient wizards and the gods of the time. A handful of the gods currently in power claim to know what happened, but none of their stories match.

This particular game will focus on the city of Ridgepass, a city commonly thought to be the center of the civilized world.  The city straddles a great canyon, a remnant of the long-ago cataclysm that split the continent, at the point where the two sides are closest and easiest to bridge – a mere two hundred meters across.

According to the current batch of historians, the city was founded many hundreds of years ago, when the Great Bridge was constructed in a cooperative effort between a wizard king and the Digger clans that lived beneath his kingdom. That kingdom thrived and the city grew, but its neighbors grew covetous and angry about its control over an invaluable trading route and the substantial taxes it levied on goods passing through.

Nearly a hundred years ago, three neighboring kingdoms formed an alliance and waged war against the kingdom that held Ridgepass, ultimately claiming all of its lands and capturing the city but not the Great Bridge. The invading armies could not oust the wizard without destroying the bridge and the very trade route they were fighting for.

An uneasy balance was formed, where non-military goods were allowed to pass over the Great Bridge (upon paying a moderate toll) and trade resumed. The alliance signed a treaty of peace, divided the city into three parts, and rebuilt. Their plan was to wait until the wizard of the bridge faltered or simply died of old age. Of course, some wizards can live for a very long time, and the balance of power has held ever since.

Eisenreich, The Iron Kingdom, arguably the most powerful of the three, holds all of the city to the West of the canyon. It is governed by a council of wizards, currently led by a pair of siblings, fraternal twins of great skill and power. The council oversees a university of magic that admits and trains any citizen with even a modicum of talent. This gives the Iron Kingdom an impressive number of active wizards. Unfortunately, the university’s system of magic is relatively rigid, and ultimately limits its students power — relative to what other systems can achieve with slower, less reliable, and more dangerous methods.

The Gold Kingdom and the Holy Kingdom share the city East of the canyon, divided by a central trade road that was built, arrow straight, from the foot of the bridge to the city’s ever-expanding perimeter.

Ouropa, The Gold Kingdom holds the Southeast quarter of the city, and is ruled in what seems to be a benevolent dictatorship by a seemingly immortal wizard. There is some controversy about his long line of queens (who have lived out only standard mortal lives) and there are numerous rumors and terrible stories about his methods for dealing with insurrection and unrest, but the people of his realm seem to be happy and healthy, overall.

Saintepas, The Holy Kingdom holds the Northeast quarter of the city, and is ruled by a council of priests, each the chosen representative of a prominent god. The practice of magic (the use of mortal will to alter reality) is forbidden in the Holy Kingdom, and punishments can be severe (and in some cases worse than death.)  Without the aid of magic, the bureaucracy required to manage the kingdom’s affairs can be infuriating, but (again) the people of this realm seem to be happy and healthy, overall.

On the continent where Ridgepass sits, there are many nations, kingdoms, and empires. Each have their own cultures and traditions. They also have their own versions of history, their own names for landmarks visible from their realms, and their own names for the creatures that populate their stories.

On the topic of creatures, there are many sentient races in this world. Some may be familiar to fans of fantasy settings, although there are some distinct differences here.

For example, the race of Fe fill the niche often occupied by elves in other fantasy settings, and to be truthful: if it has pointy ears, long life, a blasé attitude, and a general disdain for the other, “lesser” races, it can probably safely be called an elf. In the particular case of the Fe, we can blame a lot of these traits on their feline ancestry.  Like all of the central sentient races, the Fe are humanoid, bipedal, and have hair growth similar to humans, but their eyes and vision are like a cat’s; they are carnivorous, with teeth to match; and they tend to be vain, well groomed, and naturally athletic.

It should be noted that they, like the other central sentient races, are not anthropomorphic animals, so their facial features are humanoid and familiar to what one would typically think of as an elf in any given fantasy setting.

The Fe are considered to be one of the Sylvan races, which also include the Worg, the Ur, and the Hob.

In the niche typically classified as dwarves are the Diggers, a collection of races that, unlike the Sylvan races, work cooperatively and live in shared communities. Some Diggers have badger/mustelid ancestry, while others can trace their genetics to rodents, hedgehogs, or moles. The Diggers generally dwell underground, and their eyes, vision, teeth, and diets match those of their ancestors. As is tradition for races that would fill this fantasy niche, they have great beards. Digger beards, interestingly, work like whiskers, allowing them limited spacial perception in complete darkness. As a whole, the Diggers tend to be industrious, driven, and stubborn — especially the ones with badger ancestry.

Outside of humanity’s definition of civilization, one can find the Onk, the Gob, and the Skrit. Less human in appearance and unwelcome in common civilization, they are commonly thought to be barbaric, violent, stupid, and evil. That’s mostly incorrect. These races have their own cultures, histories, economies, and even universities, although not in a way that humans would find familiar.