A Profile on the Island of Dalton

For over a decade, I have been running games in my homebrew setting. The main seat of my games takes place in Evanoch, a large island continent which is home to the standard D&D races. One twist of my world is that humans are not native to Evanoch--rather, there are two direct lines of humans with distinct cultures who come from different island nations. One, the home of peaceful nature-loving humans, is called Fanin; the other, the home of militant imperialistic humans, is called Dalton. 

I've played games in this setting for more than ten years now, as I said, and it struck me recently that as important as Fanin and Dalton are to the world I've created, I've still never worked closely to develop these homes to humans. That's why this article is a guide to the general information about the island of Dalton, which will help me to better understand both the world at large and what my Daltoners are really like. 

Geography: Dalton is a small island continent of mostly scrubland and desert. Two minor scrub forests exist on the west coast of the island; these have been tended to create more sustainable timber industries. On the east coast is the Forbidden Lands, a mixture of desert and swampland which sustains no humanoid life. The island is surrounded by the Prockinor Ocean, which separates it from Evanoch. 

A map I made of Dalton years ago with the name changed so that my players wouldn't realize they were the imperialist Daltoners. 

Political History: Dalton has had a theocratic government for thousands of years, and its religious leadership has been the guiding principle of its expansion over that period. During this time, Dalton rose from a tribal nation to an organized empire which spread across the island of Dalton. This government had solidified by about 2200, and the next several hundred years saw a massive amount of in-fighting which kept the empire from expanding. In the early 3400s, Dalton ran out of the resources it needed to expand and even sustain itself. As a result, they began to send out exploratory ships in various directions, hoping to find a more plentiful land to settle. In 4067, Daltoners arrived on the shores of Evanoch, and would go on to establish New Dalton. By the current day, there are more Daltoners in New Dalton than on the entire island of Dalton combined.

Current Politics: Dalton is currently governed by Dalton Church of Pelor Bishop Hannibal Gareth, who sends his orders back across the sea to Dalton proper. Because leadership no longer resides on the homeland, many residents of Dalton have begun to become dissatisfied with their role as second best. Others still feel that the constant shipments of tools, food, and other necessities more than make up for the disconnection from leadership. A small dissident group called the Bloody Sun has started to undermine government efforts, but they continue to be met with opposition from Dalton guards. 

Demographics: Dalton is more or less a closed society; non-Daltoners are not welcome on the island unless they are part of a special trade envoy, and even then, Daltoners are preferred. The most common deity is Daltoner Pelor, a bloody version of the sun god who requires living sacrifice to keep the world alive. Nearly all Daltoners live in the major cities of the island, particularly the capital city of Dalton. The most common professions on Dalton are trader, manufacturer, miner, and forester.  Over one million people live on the tiny island of Dalton, roughly the same number as on the entire continent of Evanoch. 

Religion: In the Dalton Church of Pelor, which is different from other churches of Pelor, the deity is worshipped as the creator of everything, rather than simply the god of the sun. The Dalton Church teaches its followers that all other gods are subservient to Pelor. Despite Pelor's preference for good, charity, and healing, the Dalton Church teaches that violence in Pelor's name is always acceptable. The Dalton Church is led by a man named to the post of Bishop. The Bishop is chosen by a small group of Chancellors in the Church of Pelor, and he serves for life. Chancellors are brought up from other positions in the clergy as decreed by the Bishop. Chancellors also serve for life. Chancellors can only be excommunicated by the Bishop, and the Bishop cannot be excommunicated by anyone. The Bishop is believed to be a direct descendent of Pelor himself, and is destined to become Bishop and serve the Church for its benefit. Little dissension about the Church's seeming lavishness has been raised by Daltoners over the years, and all opposition has been quickly quieted soon after emerging. It is rumored that the Church hires assassins to deal with such threats, but all rumors are denied by Bishops, Chancellors, and followers of Pelor alike. 

Education: Education is seen as optional, and is not common except for with those who have wealth. An education typically consists of basics of Dalton history and literature and rudimentary schooling in religious faith, usually the faith of a child's parents. Art in Daltoner culture is rare, as most of one's time and effort goes towards ensuring survival. From encounters with the citizens of Evanoch, some Daltoners who have gained riches have taken to admiring art, though this is somewhat rare. 

Recreation: The chief recreation amongst Daltoners is hunting; the few remaining wildlife species on Dalton have been hunted nearly to extinction, and most have been domesticated for livestock use. The playing of Candleball, a pastime in Evanoch, has spread to Dalton, where a new variant has arisen. In Daltoner Candleball, the ball is a smaller, harder ball with a smaller hoop for scoring. Gambling is also popular in Dalton, particularly simple variants of poker. 

Food and Drinks: Daltoner cooking tends to use meats very heavily, which has led to the heavy development of livestock in Daltoner industry. Daltoner cooking has been enriched by trade with Evanine cultures, and New Dalton cuisine has become the new fashionable way of eating in Dalton. Daltoners' favorite drinks tend to be strong-brewed ales, which are generally brewed so strong to keep them from spoiling during the long passage to Evanoch (or the imperialized island nation of Ramsey). The most prized is Imperial Daltoner Ale, a mixture of hopped and malted ales.

There you have it--a guide to Dalton, an island which has had a huge effect on my gameworld. With this information, I can begin to plan for a campaign in Dalton, have a better idea of who Daltoners really are, and see the ways that Evanoch has shaped and been shaped by Dalton. I'm excited to have this in my back pocket the next time it comes up. 

That's all for now. Coming soon: a one-shot based on Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, a guide to recreating other genres in D&D, and how to handle in-game shopping trips. Until next time, happy gaming!

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