Low fantasy
Jordaheim is a fantasy setting that is primarily based on the High medieval ages (around 900 to the 1300's). Gunpowder exists, but its applications and production are only known among the most ardent of scholars. And when found and used, it's seen as magic, a force of reality that has diminished grievously to the point of impotence.
World of Man
This is a world that belonged to others once. The elder races built their empires and marvels across whole continents. Send their vast armies to war. Building monuments to their glory. So grand and so beautiful. That old world dragged them down in flames, with mankind inheriting the ashes. Their spires rubble, their songs forgotten, borders reclaimed by nature, with only legends and myths to remind them of the world that once was. All the while, mankind saw fit to claim what remained, making Jordaheim theirs to the point where they inhabit two-thirds of the known world's population and governance.
Other Races
Humans aren't the only inhabitants of Jordaheim. There is a wide variety of races that can walk, crawl, think, feel, and talk with and alongside humankind. While the many kingdoms, empires, city-states, and tribes of the world are governed by mankind, some non-human races can be seen within their settlements. But there are still places where the other races can be seen in enough abundance to stake a claim of their own. Their rarity lends to their mystique, making them appear more magical than they truly are. But, at times, reality is more strange than what is believable.
Most of the non-human races live on the fringes of civilized lands, where they can trade and interact with humans while still having their own culture separate enough from human influence.
Those who are more amicable to the human way of living will often establish conclaves within human settlements. But unless they are sufficiently established, they often melt into the local cultures.
The Magic of the World
The world is drained of magic. Now, it's more myth than reality, both in its sparsity and power. But it is still there, and those who know how to call upon it, to wield it, to have gained it, are both revered and feared. It takes three forms.
Arcane, the flow of raw cosmic power that is beyond comprehension.
Divine, the mandate of the gods given to the faithful.
Primal, the very force of life and all that surrounds it.
Mystique of the old world
There are things in the world that are old, their purposes forgotten, and their existence a mystery. But they still have an impact on the world after millennia of being myths.
The Dangers of the world
It's not only the selfish machinations of men and the conflicts they bring that make the world a dangerous place. Monsters, both with and without minds, stalk the borders of the civilized lands. From within twisted barons, crused toms, and places that should stay lost, things crawl out. And in many cases, steel won't be enough to send it all back.
Music
Something to help set the tone.
