This page is dedicated to the The Upside Campaign Setting and the events that proceed it.
At the end of the war with New Maztica in the year 1710 DR, Emperor Elaythis was defeated at the hands of a Special Operations unit during the Siege of Xelora. After his death, Xelora fell to Draconian forces, and King Severin Waterstriker brought the city into his empire. With the New Maztican Empire defeated, peace could finally settle in the land of Sapiria. Or so they thought.
Rebel cells of New Maztica still roamed the countryside and jungles, and King Severin spent many a resource to try to thin them out, his neighboring country, Kanari, refusing to help since Draconia seceded before the war. Rebel cells still exist to this day, though they have little chance of bringing back their old empire and have settled for retaining their old ways, to some extent. Xelora has since been demilitarized and set up with its own local government which it retains to this day.
The ways to travel the worlds have opened up a new opportunity to trade with the true Maztican, indifferent and apologetic for what they had done, and Ardonia. Ardonia was ecstatic to learn of the discovery of the 5th Song of War, and were eager to trade, though were soon consumed with their own issues with the return of the Voltaris and the threat of necromancers.
The rest, is history. Now in the year 1910, 200 years after the fall of Elaythis, with technological advances, society is much different from the old days of the empire.
A lot has changed over 200 years. With the invention of the Steam Engine in 1786, industrial manufacturing operations began to expand exponentially in size. Then when the Electromagnetic Generator was invented in 1831, electricity was harnessed for the first time in a truly controlled manner. Expensive, dangerous and inefficient lightning harvesting airships were replaced with cheap, easy to control and highly efficient steam dynamos. What began from these two inventions, almost 50 years apart, was an industrial revolution. Trade goods became mass produced, which made cart travel inefficient, so the Automobile was invented to carry heavy loads over long distances faster and more safely than ever. The increase of trade necessitated quicker communications amongst trade partners, so the telegraph was invented, but even the telegraph was impractical for everyday business, so the telephone was invented.
Then, they discovered petroleum in Zakhara.
Drilling operations became lucrative, enriching the Caliphs and those that ventured to cut deals with them. Petroleum refining was invented shortly after, which allowed the creation of plastics, asphalt, and most importantly, fuel oil. Fuel oil was cleaner burning and longer burning than the coal used to fuel steam engines. Energy production became more efficient. The abundance of electricity made the cost of automobiles plummet, making cars more than a luxury for the rich or a tool for businesses. Travel became cheaper than ever, short distances by car, and long distances by airship. Immigration across the globe spread the industrial revolution from Faerun to the rest of the world in just 60 years from the invention of the steam engine. Today, the Sword Coast has become a melting pot of culture and the epicenter of global finance.
Magic at this age has fallen out of style. People have less and less time and money to dedicate themselves to Wizardry, except for the richer upper class. Nature is less and less prevalent, especially in the urban environment, leaving Druids to abandon cities and towns and stay in seclusion. Warlock Pacts are often discouraged, and with the printing press, the dangers of such a pact are widely known and avoided.
The most common spellcasters of this age are Clerics and Sorcerers, though the former are more technologically based than divine magic-based. Religions and gods still exist, though few these days are willing to dedicate themselves fully to gain little power. While divine power is more reputable than Warlock Pacts, both have tenets and rules that must be followed, and the common folk are not willing to do it for what it's worth.
Sorcerers, on the other hand, are people born with magic. Those who don’t have to learn and are simply lucky enough to be born with power, though it can still run rich in upper-class lineages. The most common are those born with the unpredictable Wild Magic, followed by those who draw on the powers of electricity common in this day and age (Storm Sorcery). The others, the more reclusive bunch, draw on the moons and the shadows during the night.
Paladins are still fueled by their oaths, though more devoted to causes and people these days over entities, deities, and nature.
Ranger magic is more based on their natural and trained intuition to spot the unnatural, track creatures, and discover the unknown.
Bards, though less common than Clerics and Sorcerers, still exist. In fact, odds are that a man on stage performing can perform a little bit of music magic.
Artificers, like always, are still technologically based. Infusions are simply upgrades invented by them, and they don’t necessarily create magic items; they create tech equivalents.