Introduction

The Dungeon World Compendium strives to assemble all information about Chris Brackett's Dungeon World. People who are interested in keeping this compendium up to date or in playing a Dungeon World RP are welcome to join the Dungeon World User Group.

Maps

There are currently two maps available of Dungeon World: a small and a large one. A short description of each region can be found in the A Closer Look article.

History

Before time began the universe was vast and empty. Then the Master used the four-part Everstone to create the World, the Stars, the Sun and the Moons, and all of the creatures that traverse upon and between them. He and his three children, the Dead Gods, settled at the four corners of the World.

In those early days, the Dead Gods walked the lands of the World, interacting with its denizens, exploring its deepest caverns, battling its fiercest beasts and amassing knowledge, wealth and power beyond the ken of any mortal. For many an age, the Dead Gods adventured across and below the World, and during that time raised up great kingdoms. But in time, the Dead Gods grew tired of their adventures and fell to fighting amongst themselves. Their petty squabbles became blood feuds, which grew into all-out wars between their kingdoms. Even the Master could not put an end to their disputes.

On the Day of Tears the Master's children turned against each other. It is believed that Califrax initiated the tragic events, for reasons still unknown. Using the power of the Everstone Califrax destroyed Rolgar and his once-fertile hills and valleys. They are now blanketed in snow and ice, forming the Kingdom of Ice. Califrax and Lissa turned their magicks against one another upon which much of Lissa's kingdom was destroyed or sunken, forming the Sunken Kingdom. This was not before Lissa sundered Califrax, his namesake city and the surrounding lands. These regions now form The Blighted Lands.

Since that day, many ages ago, no one has seen the Master. There are rumors that he wanders the World, searching for the missing pieces of the Everstone so that he can return to the lands from whence he and the Dead Gods came.

Gods

• The Master, settled in the South. The Master divided the Everstone into its four parts, giving one each to his children and keeping the last for himself.
• Lissa, the Caregiver, settled in the East. Followers of Lissa believe in law and order. Lissa is the "Mother of the Small Folk," as she took an active part in nurturing and protecting Halfling society.
• Califrax, He Who Knows, settled in the West. Followers of Califrax believe in personal gain over all else. Califrax is the "Patron of the Elves," whose inherent magical affinity makes them naturally inclined to follow the path of He Who Knows. Temples dedicated to Califrax are often decorated in an abundance of red, with walls and pillars covered in red paint and with heavy red velvet drapes.
• Rolgar, Lord of War and Keeper of Justice settled in the cold North. Followers of Rolgar believe that life is a balance of fairness and individual freedom. Rolgar is known as "God of the Dwarves," presumably for their shared love of combat.

The Dead Gods are not the only recognized cosmic forces in the World. A small pantheon of deities, demi-gods and legendary heroes continues to grow. Most of these are real historical figures, often adventurers, that have achieved mythical status. Adding their name to this list of the worthy is the driving motivation of more than a few adventurers.

There are those, however rare, who believe not only in aligning themselves with the Dead Gods, but in following their path. These people (be they human or demi-human) believe, for one reason or another, that their purpose for living is to seek adventure. Regardless of their alignment (or lack thereof) to any god, these people choose to embrace the philosophy and life of the adventurer.

Races

• Halflings, small and jolly folk, tend the fields of the plains.
• Elves, as otherworldly in nature as in beauty, live in quiet seclusion in the wooded lands.
• Dwarves, hardy, war-loving folks, carve deep tunnels and erected massive stone halls within the mountains of the World.
• Humans, said to have been made in the very image of the Master and the Dead Gods, thrived most of all, settling far and wide across the land.

Languages

• Common is the standard human language.
• Eggian is the language of the Master and the Dead Gods. It is the forebear of modern Common, the standard human language, but the two are so different now as to make Eggian almost unreadable to a Common speaker.
• High Eggian is an even more archaic form of the tongue, and can be hard for even a native Eggian speaker to digest - a speaker of Common has no chance of understanding more than a few words of the language.

Clans

• The Clan of the White Bear adopted Rolgar as their patron. They live in the cold North, near a rocky clearing deep in the woods called the Blood Basin. Known members of the White Bear clan are Ulfgar and his 7-year old son Alfric. Alfric has at least one younger brother.

Cult of The One-Hundred-and-Thirty-Seven

No discussion of the religious and philosophical aspects of Dungeon World would be complete without at least a mention of The One-Hundred-and-Thirty-Seven Adherents to the Way of the Cryptic Egg. Be it scholar, artist, layman or some other walk of life, members of the philosophical cult of The One-Hundred-and-Thirty-Seven come from diverse backgrounds and social strata. They are firm proponents of adventuring (whether or not they are themselves adventurers), but they believe that it must be accomplished according to "The Old Ways," as outlined in the Adventurer's Codex, one of the Tomes of Legend brought to the World by the Dead Gods.

Unfortunately, although they are, for the most part, a highly creative lot, The One-Hundred-and-Thirty-Seven are also notoriously cantankerous and quarrelsome; so what The Old Ways are, exactly, is far from defined. To make matters worse, the Adventurer's Codex is penned in High Eggian, of which none of The One-Hundred-and-Thirty-Seven know more than a few words, so each has his own interpretation of The Old Ways as set forth by the Cryptic Egg in the Tomes.

The One-Hundred-and-Thirty-Seven meet irregularly, if at all, but are forever in contact through any and all means at their disposal. They spend much of their time making public decrees, or endorsing or railing against the public decrees of other members. The end result of all of this is a chaotic but usually entertaining deluge of opinion and information, amongst which the discerning may glean a few gems of knowledge.

The Tomes of Legend

The Tomes of Legend are a trio of books brought to Dungeon World by the Master and the Dead Gods:

• The Adventurer's Codex
• ?
• ?

These three books were, according to legend, written by the Cryptic Egg, an enigmatic entity who passed them down to the Master and the Dead Gods. Of the three books, four copies exist of the Adventurer's Codex. One of these is in the hands of The One-Hundred-and-Thirty-Seven Adherents to the Way of the Cryptic Egg. One is believed to be in the possession of the Master. The remaining two copies are missing. Each of the Tomes is written in High Eggian, and is said to be inscribed with the true names of the Dead Gods in their own tongue. The copy belonging to The One-Hundred-and-Thirty-Seven is purported to be the one that once belonged to Lissa - it was allegedly given as a gift to one of the founding members of the cult.

The Master owns a copy of each of the Tomes of Legends, as well as the Lesser Tomes of Legend, a set of older books covering similar ground.