Ideas for the Island Campaign (4e, Co-dm's Tod and Gillian)

A large island (about 50 miles in diameter) in a warm-temperate region, surrounded by barrier reefs and horrifically storm-laden seas, which no one has ever entered and returned to to speak of. Once in a while (once or twice in each generation), Outsiders arrive on the island, in the form of a shipwreck from "nowhere" driven up on the reef and sunk. Survivors are forced to settle down and remain on the island, as no known method of escape exists. This is how the first PCs will find themselves beginning their adventures.

OTOKU

The island is "ruled" by a dragon.  This ancient, evil beast lives high in the mountains, in a large cavern, served by a host of dragonborn who are reputed to be the descendants of her own half-breed offspring. Most of the dragonborn on the island are also evil, corrupt bullies, enforcers, tax collectors and even priests of the dragoness herself.

Also living on the island are three or four other groups; humans who live along the coast, who fish and farm and trade; halflings who dwell on rafts and boats in the swamps, also fishing, diving, basketweaving, collecting rare plants and such; dwarves or gnomes who live in the mountains who mine and forge and do metalworking; elves who live in the forest and are the woodworkers, charcoal-makers, hunters and weavers; maybe eladrin who live in the feywild of this island - they rarely appear, but they are known to exist, and every once in a while one or a small group come to trade rare elements, unusual items and magic for metals and leather goods and other things.

I see the humans as the only race who are "animus-free" and associate pretty much with all the groups; the elves and dwarves dislike each other because the dwarves chop down the forests for wood for their forges, while the elves refuse to allow the dwarves to mine under their land; the halflings feud with the elves over certain land regions (cypress swamps?), and the dragonborn are disliked by everyone.

Religion

The locals follow a religion of spirits and ancestor worship. They believe that each individual feature of the world, whether a stream, a hill, a mountain peak, or a small glen, can have its own spirit. Not DOES, but CAN. And each person who exists has one or more ancestors who are particularly devoted to that person and his or her life. The more important the person is (or is to be), the more prestigious and the more numerous the ancestors who follow him  or her.

The Island's inhabitants live in a number of small villages, each  centered around one or two larger villages or small towns of around 1,000 inhabitants. Mostly, each village is occupied by a single race,  sometimes two races together. An occasional isolated few members of some other race may choose to dwell outside their own kind's villages, but it is rare. More common is the occasional changeling or "foundling" child; each village has an unacknowledged but known spot - often under a tree or in a discreet, sheltered corner, where, once or twice in a year, a child has been known to be found. Usually the child is of the common local race (and it is understood that the child's parents were simply unable to care for it - frequently they are from a nearby village) but at least once each decade, the child thus found is of a race unknown to the islanders, or is a dragonborn child. In this case, the child is given to a family who are considered especially able to care for it,  for whatever reason; often they are the wealthiest family. It is considered a blessing to raise such a child; for often good fortune will fall upon the foster-parents.

The island itself is unusual; besides having a dragon dwelling upon one peak, the island boasts several long, narrow mountain ridges, and much rugged terrain. But it also boasts many ancient signs of inhabitation by some peoples who were very different from the villagers who live upon it now. The ruins to be found there include a mighty stone fortress; several stone towers (at least one of which is surrounded by an unbreakable, invisible barrier wall); a smooth cobblestone expanse known as "the giant's dance floor", and a circle of carved stone menhirs on a high, outthrust ridge above the sea. Rumor says that there are more ruins hidden in the forests and hillsides above, but few go there to see them. Sea caves are also known to exist, a few of which, accessible from both land and sea, are used to house fishing boats. But others are harder to enter, accessible  only at low tide, or through dangerous tide-pools.

The Races:

Halflings in this world are known to themselves as Bitwen, but humans and dwarves often call them Halfmen or Halflings. Mudfeet is an insulting term only used when a derogatory remark is intended. Bitwen are swamp-dwellers in the large degree; they claim this is because the elves forced them out of their forests. Bitwen are very skilled at using small coracles, rafts and boats, and are also naturally good at swimming and climbing. They are very interested in such things as genealogy, music, food, and anything small, bright and colorful. Bitwen are not particularly magical and rarely study the written word. They tend to prefer to worship a local nature spirit; they have few ancestor spirits. They dispose of their dead by wrapping them and hanging them in the trees to decay and be plundered by the local animals. Bitwen are an essentially simple people; they're acquisitive and curious, but friendly and home-loving. Most are peaceful, uninclined to adventuring; only a few rare members are inspired to leave their swampy homes and seek out danger in return for rich treasures and other rewards. The Bitwen swamps are located on the southern coast of the island, but some few do live intermingled with humans.

Humans are most commonly known simply as "men" although the bitwen sometimes refer to them as "big folk", often with considerable scorn. They are the most populous members of the island, and live on the shores, in the hills, and in the fringes of the forests. They farm, raising goats, small cattle, and pigs. They have no horses, and ponies are rare. Small oxen are not uncommon, used much for farm labor. Many humans are fishermen, either spearfishing from small boats close to shore, or venturing out as much as half a mile to net fish in deeper waters. However, they do not venture past the surrounding reefs, fearing they will be wrecked or stranded and lost. Some humans act as merchants and traders, taking goods to the gnomes in the hills, trading for the elves fine craftsmanship, and for the rare herbs the bitwen hunt. Humans worship their own ancestors and nature spirits of places near their homes in equal measure. They hate and fear the dragon and her offspring. Humans are not particularly magical, but some become wizards or warlocks, and clerics are common. Humans make sturdy warriors, and are often drawn to adventure, as much for the thrill of danger as the possible wealth. Humans live mostly in small towns or villages on the eastern side of the island. Humans claim that in "the first times", as they call them, humans were appointed to be the rulers of Otoku, but this is disputed by both the elves and the dwarves. Eldarin don't speak of "the first days" and Bitwen have no stories that date back that far.

Dwarves: these sturdy folk live a spartan lifestyle, very ordered and structured, almost militaristic. Each and every dwarf knows his place, his role, and his purpose, and would not think  of questioning it. The few who do generally get "invited" to go live among the humans where less orderly behavior is more easily accepted. Dwarves are metalworkers, miners, stonemasons and builders. They're  well known for their artistic eye, and their thoroughness. Dwarf-built means well-built, but it also means that only the best materials, and the most time will be spent. There is some speculation among those outside the upper ranks of dwarvish society that the dwarves have secrets that they keep from the other races; whether those secrets are merely where to find the best metal ores, and how to use them, or whether they know something about "the early times", is unclear. Dwarves, on the other hand, all know that they were the original guardians and protectors of Otoku, and they still hold to that role. Many train to be warriors, despite having few foes to actually battle.

Elves: The elves see themselves as the ultimate protectors of the actual land of Otoku. They maintain the balance of populations, warning the humans when they have too many children, keeping the dwarves and the Bitwen from ravaging the natural resources of the island, and carefully monitoring the natural creatures of the forests. However, they also have another role, which they rarely speak of; they believe that at the correct time, it will be their decision that will release Otoku from its current protected state of existence, and restore the peoples who dwell there to the "full world of the first times". Unfortunately, this belief makes many elves feel that they are superior to the other races, being their guides and protectors. This leads to a degree of arrogance that some non-elves find nearly intolerable.

Adventures on Otoku