A Guide to Famous People in My Homebrew Setting

One of the best ways to develop your world and to get new possibilities for stories is to just write about your world. Taking the time to think about each detail in turn can be incredibly rewarding. In that effort, I have discovered things about my world that I never would have conceived of without making myself sit down and think about it. So I've been doing so for most of my career as a GM. I spent days establishing this world's foundation and have spent years detailing it. I have spent a lot of time on this site doing this work--this is my eighteenth article dedicated to the ways that this world is unique. My focus this time is a detail we think about all the time but rarely use in tabletop games: famous people. 

Think about it: even if you live under a rock culturally speaking, you're likely to have at least heard certain names. The people we know in our world are often entertainers, politicians, and people who have risen to prominence through great deeds. And so it shall be in my world, Evanoch--I have compiled a list of people in these categories as well as what they are famous for. Read on for a full list of famous people in my homebrew setting. 

Politics

• Plia Yallo - This elven woman was the chief architect and leader of the Pro-Magic forces throughout the Magic War, which ended only 27 years ago. Yallo is respected by magic users as the figurehead of the movement for their agency, but she is regarded by those on the losing sides of the war as a reviled leader. The name "Plia Yallo" is as associated with the Magic War as we today associate the name "Adolf Hitler" with World War II, though not every regards her as the cause of the war. 
• Gareth Hannibal - This Daltoner man is the head of the Dalton Church of Pelor, a cultish splinter group from the sun god Pelor. Though Hannibal is not technically the leader of New Dalton, he is in effect because the Tsar of the government unofficially answers to him. Hannibal is regraded as the most holy of religious leaders by his followers, who praise him for his iron fist, but he is reviled by essentially everyone else. 
• Tessedor Wink - This gnomish man has been elected to be Lord of the gnomish capital of Vestry four times. He was initially known as a rising star when he got the highest ever score on the Gnomish Overall Literacy Demonstration (or GOLD), and has become something of the face of the gnomish style of governance, which supports the public through vigorous social support programs. Those who support Wink's progressive agenda tend to celebrate him as the future of Evanoch, while his opponents call him naïve and weak.
• Penelope Jasmine - This halfling woman was raised in Curagon and trained in the same diplomatic program that was designed there by Caspian Ardor nearly 500 years ago. (Ardor brokered the treaty that established the end of all the kingdoms' rules and, for a time, peace.) Jasmine is famous in some circles for helping to foster a deal between Ringsdale's labor unions and the industrial companies after bloody conflict over wages. To those who know her, Jasmine is universally beloved. 

Entertainment

• Rachel Disiel - This half-elven woman wrote the best-loved novel of the current age, The Poison Throne. A number of common sayings refer to specific scenes and ideas from the novel, and Disiel is credited with capturing the spirit and voice of the time. She is an intensely private woman, but mention of her name can cause people to swarm. She is more or less love by all, including her contemporaries.
• Rikt Krang - This orcish man is one of the most well-known actors of his time. Krang is credited with almost singlehandedly bringing the play Candleball at Dusk from the dwarven tradition to the public. His portrayal of Coach Ironeye became the most consistently discussed feature of the sold-out run of the show. Playwrights now seek Krang's favor when preparing a new play. Krang is beloved by most, though some, especially elves, believe that his acting is too overstated.
• Xavier Whitestone - This dwarven man is the frontman for the musical group Xavier Whitestone and the Kings of Old. Whitestone is especially beloved for his soulful singing and his adoption of other cultures' musical styles, particularly those of half-elves. Whitestone's fame began several years ago after he began touring following a long period of performing only in dwarven settlements. He is beloved by many, though some dwarves think him a sellout, and some half-elves resent his use of their cultural style.
• Delia Violet - This halfling woman is one of the first reporters of news to become known by the public. She was the first to break the story about the fall of Talon Gorge and was able to publish an oral history of the months leading to its fall before most other reporters made it to the scene. Violet has since investigated several cities with a focus on checking living conditions for the public. She is something of a folk hero amongst many communities, but those in government tend to be wary or suspicious of her.

Great Deeds

• Albrecht Zorn - This Faninite man was an adventurer; he retired after escaping from the dreaded Dungeon of Uncertainty with the Gleaming Broadsword of Justice, a weapon which can inflict pain on evil creatures from a distance. Zorn bestowed the weapon on the council of Finiel, where it is held for safekeeping. Zorn himself has become a folk hero among many, and for others, he is respected as one of the most capable adventurers to live. 
• Muriel Redstone - This dwarven woman is a cleric of St. Cuthbert who actually managed to summon him to a religious gathering. Redstone leapt on the opportunity to speak directly with her god in public and conducted a conversational sermon that has been changing modern doctrine, and not just in the Church of St. Cuthbert. Redstone is considered by many to be a firebrand and a danger to religious tradition, but a good number, especially among the young, love her changes. 
• Xinit Gillar - This elven man is a botanist whose experiments led to the development of a plant whose essences can be used to create healing potions. Gillar seems to resent being cast into the public eye, but he is strategic about using his newfound fame to advance his cause, which is getting affordable medical potions into the hands of everyone who needs them. Almost everyone regards Gillar as a genius and folk hero, though there are some who suspect him of something sinister. 
• Prug Dawni - This orcish woman is a smith in the classical orcish style who was contracted by the current Ragnar of the orcs to create a new legendary weapon. Dawni created a weapon she calls the "bloodrend," with an axehead with a hammer on one end and a spear on the other. Dawni has since been contacted to create more bloodrends and other custom weaponry, and is largely considered the greatest smith of her time. Most combatants regard Dawni as an intimidating master, but many dwarves resent that so much praise be heaped on non-dwarven smithing. 
• Benson Lilara - This half-elven man is celebrated as the man who singlehandedly stopped the assassination of current Cestalion Findlan Tristaa. Lilara was, at the time, a guard in Mishara, and he spotted and neutralized an assassin who was approaching Tristaa from a crowd. Lilara's name quickly spread, and he became a folk hero; many elves in Mishara ask for his autograph as he continues his rounds dutifully. He is regarded as a hero to most, especially to elves. 
• Jeffrey Bose - This Daltoner man is the current head of the largest company in Evanoch, the New Dalton Trading Company. The Company is responsible for almost a fifth of the entire trading economy despite being only one company among thousands. Bose is known as a shrewd businessman. While many admire his success, there are also many who regard Bose as a greedy and selfish man who has made the world a worse place. 
• Gilbert Steelynib - This gnomish man is the inventor of the portable printing press. While the invention of the printing press made books and newspapers possible, the portable printing press put it in the hands of the people, leading to reporters' new ability to independently work on stories. Steelynib is said to be considering other inventions to give new twists to. Gnomes regard Steelynib as a great example of what their people can do, and most everyone else thinks of him as a clever and significant mind of today.

So there you have it--15 different famous people who you might drop into any campaign. Knowing who these people are can allow us to drop these significant people, or mention of them, into a scene to complicate it. It also characterizes what kinds of things make someone famous or not in this world. I look forward to having these people in my back pocket for my next games.

That's all for now. Coming soon: a list of more campaign ideas, how to create an interesting villain, and a guide to the epochs of history in my homebrew setting. Until next time, happy gaming!

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