Neverworld guidebook page feedback

[RocketLord]

I have been working on a Neverworld guidebook page related to Forever, and as suggested in the chat, I thought I'd ask for any issues before putting it up in the actual guidebook.

 

As far as I know, the only potential issues should be with my use of literary characters, if they have existed as actual people on Earth Prime. Other comments and suggestions are appreciated too. 

A lot is left open ended on purpose, to allow Neverworld to be used as the origin or a connection for other characters.

 

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Neverworld

Neverworld is the home of action and adventure. A world quite unlike our own, it is home to swashbuckling sky pirates, amazing heroes and horrible villains. While the Earth appear to be stuck at a Victorian technology level, much is hidden beneath the surface. Flying ships prowl the skies, cybernetics replace lost body parts with metal and electricity. Technology indistinguishable from magic is almost commonplace. While the majority of Neverworld's surface is covered by a great singular Ocean, its many islands and few continents contain hidden treasures, promising power and fame to those that find them, guarded by the magic of their native populations. Beneath the Ocean, mermaids and -men hold court in their great underwater cities. On land, the cities and towns spread across the world, offering many sights and and wonders to their population and visitors. The forests hides pixies and other fae, watching and working their secret craft from the shadows. It is a world of clear villains and heroes. Shades of grey is rare, if not completely unknown. Conflicts are resolved through acts of swashbuckling and action, or through quick wit and sharp tongues.

Neverworld is a world of legendary figures, seemingly plucked from the litterature of Prime Earth, though not quite as you would expect. The great white whale rampages across the Ocean, threatening all life within, chased by a single, obsessed man. A lone detective and his partner prowls the streets of Neverworld's great cities, looking for crimes to solve. Lost heroes sail across the sky, hunting for the legendary Crocodile, rumored to be the only weakness of the infamous Hooked Man. These legendary figures are simply known as Legends to the general population of the world: They are larger than life, capable of feats that would give any normal person pause.

Neverworld is the home of the Forever Boy, who has reached Earth Prime by so far unknown means.

Visitors beware! Time in Neverworld has been known to behave strangely, more like a sea than a river.

Location and Appearance
Neverworld is covered primarily in ocean, with a great number of islands scattered across its surface. Only three larger landmasses exist: New Avalon, Victori and the Wish Isle. 

The largest, known as New Avalon, is roughly half the size of Australia, roughly 100,000 square miles, being roughly half a broad as it is long. An artificial, man made canal divides New Avalon into North and South Avalon, at roughly the halfway point at the longest length. New Avalon is home to a thriving mercantile civilization, with most cities situated near the the canal or other coastal areas. Much of the mainland is covered by forests, the home of pixies and other fey. The capital of New Avalon, Trader's Haven, is located on a small island in the middle of the canal that divides North and South Avalon.

Victori, while slightly smaller than New Avalon at roughly 800,000 square miles, is by no means lesser than its rival. A more warlike and industrious nation, Victori is home to great factories, mass producing the wonders that are meticulously crafted by hand in New Avalon. Victori is shaped almost like a ring, with but a single, albeit massive, gap that permits entrance. The gap is heavily guarded by multiple fortresses. At the far end of the gap in the ring lies the capital city of Tham, the most densely populated city on Neverworld. A significant amount of pirates were once Victori citizens that have taken to the waves.

The Wish Isle is much smaller. Roughly 50,000 square miles, it is the home of the strange and the wonderful. Fey, mermaids and creatures but strange and mundane make the world their home. There they work wonders and miracles, far from the prying eyes of man.

Neverworld is littered with many smaller islands. Some are small kingdoms, some are entirely covered by cities, some are giant turtles that swim through the seas, carrying smaller tortoises as they go.

The seas and skies of Neverworld is the home of trading vessels, freebooters, buccaneers and pirates. Beware any travel without company to keep you safe!

Significance

Neverworld is the home of Forever Boy. The primary inhabitants of the world appear to mirror the heroes and villains of litterature from Earth Prime, particularly works written during the 19th and early 20th century, though others may be present as well. Though the source and exact nature is unknown, it appears that this is caused by an information bleed, causing events on Neverworld to be projected to the dreams and imagination of receptive minds on Earth Prime.

Neverworld is haunted by a versions of a number of literary characters, including, but not limited to, versions of Moby Dick & Captain Ahab, Moriarty and Captain Hook, all of which threaten the world's peace and are potential problems for heroes to solve.

People

NPCs

The Hooked Man: Once a sailor in the Victori armada, something hooked the man that would become known as the Hooked Man. Something beyond even the understanding of the Fae of the Wish Isle, something strange and monstrous. Driven mad, he rebelled, stealing a mighty flying ship and the dreaded group known as the Sky Pirates. The Hooked Man is seemingly invincible in combat, and his connection to his otherworldly sponsor makes him one of the greatest threats to safety and freedom on Neverworld. Despite this, the Hooked Man fancies himself a gentleman, and he is obsessed with acting in good form, even if his base nature and more violent side often causes him to betray such values. He lost his right hand to the Forever Boy, having since acquired a protestic that can shift between multiple forms, seemingly based on his mood and thoughts, most commonly a hook.

The Sky Pirates: An assembly of beings from all across Neverworld, the Sky Pirates sail across the skies, striking from behind clouds to pillage and plunder. Originally assembled by the Hooked Man on what later became their flagship, the Sky Pirates grew in size as ordinary pirates were absorbed. They are now almost a nation in themselves, striking without mercy from their great armada in the sky. Notable individual pirates includes Smee, an oddly friendly pirate. He is the boatswain of the Hooked Man's flagship, maintaining the vessel to perfection. There are rumors that some of the Sky Pirates were lost in the same incident as the Forever Boy, and might have found their way to Earth Prime and the surrounding universe.

The Great White Whale, Destroyer of the Seas: A monster that prowls the seas of Neverworld. A giant whale, easily the size of island, the Great White is the last of its kind, a once numerous species hunted into extinction. Though it rarely comes near coasts, any vessel on the sea can come under attack. Being eaten by the Great White Whale is not as final a fate as one would believe at first, however. An entire city of survivors has sprung to life inside the beast.

The Professor of Crime: A mysterious figure that seems to control most of the criminal underworld in the landlocked cities of Victori and New Avalon. None knows his true identity.

The Great Detectives: A pair of Victori detectives that journey across the world, solving mysteries and rescuing. One is an eccentric, possessing remarkable intuition and guile, the other a doctor of medicine, though no less proficient than the first. They are Holmes and Watson, the great detectives.

The Lost Heroes: A loose assembly of heroic figures, all mirroring figures from Earth Prime litterature. They are united in their opposition to the Hooked Man, searching for the fabled Crocodile that can defeat the Hooked Man.

Ahab, Whale Hunter: More machine than man, Ahab the Whale Hunter travels the seas, constantly on the trail of Great White. Once a hero, he is now little better than the monster he hunts, willing to sacrifice anything and anyone to finally kill the whale.

The Crocodile: A legend even among legends. Once thought nothing but a myth, the Crocodile was finally summoned into Neverworld when the Hooked Man's hand fell into the sea. A giant beast, said to tower over even mountains, no one quite knows the limits of its power.

PCs

The Forever Boy: An almost legendary figure on Neverworld, a trickster, prankster and hero, and forever a boy. One of the few friends to the Fey, he knows the secrets of their Pixie Dust. As one of the Lost Heroes, he sought the Crocodile to slay the Hooked Man. Currently stuck at Earth Prime after a clash with the Hooked Man, where he disarmed the Hooked Man of sword and hand, summoning the Crocodile in the process. 

History 

On Neverworld, time is more like a sea than a river. The past can change as readily as the future. Time can run faster in some places than others, especially compared to Earth Prime. This is a rough breakdown of some major events that have occured on Neverworld, in roughly chronological order.

• More than 200 years ago
  • The third war between New Avalon and Victori ends in stable peace. A multitude of soldiers and sailors in the New Avalonian and Victori armadas turn to piracy.
• More than 100 years ago
  • Tales of the Forever Boy spreads across New Avalon and Victori. No one is quite sure when he first appeared.
  • The Hooked Man is hooked (on a bad feeling), quickly turning to piracy.
  • The giant whales are hunted to near extinction, driving the Great White Whale mad with grief, starting its path of destruction
• 50 years or less ago
  • 50 years after the Great White Whale begins its first rampage, Ahab begins his hunt for the whale.
  • The Hooked Man begins raids against the people of the world
  • The Lost Heroes gather to fight the Hooked Man. They are defeated. 
  • The Lost Heroes start their search for the Crocodile.
  • The Lost Heroes find the Forever Boy, and he joins their crew
  • The Lost Heroes fight the Hooked Man. The Forever Boy severs his hand, which falls into the sea, summoning the Crocodile. Through unknown means, the Forever Boy ends up on Earth Prime.