Setting Brainstorming

 This is just me throwing ideas onto a page regarding the campaign setting.

Overall setting feeling: tech level a bit lower than Pathfinder—late dark age/early medieval instead of late medieval/early renaissance. Strictly limit number of intelligent humanoids. Instead emphasize human cultural differences.

Elves: hyper-sensitive to environment. Can become ‘grey’ if they wander too much. Could be highly xenophobic due to need to remain in local environment. ‘Color’ change could be painful or dangerous? Or simply undesirable. Brought into world as a side-effect of spirit or faerie plot? Sudden arrival could make for interesting situations.

Mountain-dwelling pegasus-riders. Skilled engineers who use a complex system of terraces and aqueducts to feed their nation. Pegasus used for messengers, defense. Favor skirmish style combat.

Primary human culture—rulers consolidate power primarily by establishing walled towns—similar to Japanese castle towns or Chinese towns. Inner walls encompass a core government district, while outer walls encompass rest of town, even some farmland or forest in a newer town. Note walls ineffective against pegasus riders…could this be an issue? Numerous distinct nations. Lower nobility might be scholars, bureaucrats instead of warriors. Capitals are fairly fluid, leading to a lot of political fluidity.

Religion: main culture is a spirit-oriented religion, where spirits may resemble Pathfinder creatures like dragons, elementals, etc. Spirits may or may not be the same thing as fey creatures. Spirits are a source of magic—but probably not directly; instead, they could act as teachers. As such, most mages would worship the spirit that teaches their school of magic, but there is also room for rogue mages that have greater versatility but strained relations with the religious community. Secondary religion could be more oriented towards ‘fairy magic’—druidic or enchantment spells.

How do spirit world, fey world, real world interact? Spirits and fey should probably be two different types of creatures that originate in the same realm. Spirits can only be killed in their natural form—normally manifest a form in the material plane. So killing one typically requires a journey to the spirit plane, or the spirit to enter the material world directly (probably bad news).

Need some folklore regarding spirits and fey (may not all be true).

Wise and benevolent ruler backed by an order of ruthless spies and assassins?

Desert elf raiders…ride scorpion-like creatures? ‘Dark elves’ in black volcanic desert/wasteland?