Setting:Crumbling Giantstep
Crumbling Giantstep is the official unofficial name for a setting in an ongoing series of creation threads on /tg/. It is one of the longest-running "/tg/ makes a setting" projects, having started in June of 2022 and continuing to get threads in May 2023.
So what's it about?
As many of the "/tg/ makes a setting" threads in which OP posts and empty map and ask everyone else to fill the void, the setting didn't really have a cohesive throughline. With time, however, it became more and more cohesive, though if you ask in the threads what the setting is about, you won't probably have a clear answer.
As it is, the world of Giantstep is located in a cosmic staircase, used by celestial beings to ascend to a higher plane of existence, thus the name of Gianstep. The actual history of the world mostly revolves around the rise and fall of the great empires of ancient times, especially the Azanese Empire, the Western Elven Empire and the Khenomeric Empire. These three great poweres ruled great chunks of the world at one point or another, but after the legendary Battle of Empires, their powers have crumbled over a long period of time (and in the case of the Khenomeric Empire, completely disappeared) into smaller states.
The Big Powers in the World
These are the biggest powers in the world in current year according to the world's calendary (3.161 ABE) . For a much more developed explanation for each, go check the actual wiki.
* Azan Empire: The biggest power in Western Giantstep during most of history, they were founded by the hero Azan after defeating an "ancient evil". A bit of a byzantine-themed nation, at its height it was the biggest empire in the world, though nowadays, it has lost most of its territories.
* Changrila Empire: Used to be the part of the southern region of the Azan Empire, but they seceded after they tried to rule Azan and got stuck on a civil war. To finish the long conflict, Azan allowed its independence in exchange of never again claiming rule of Azan. A pastiche of chinese-japanese-korean-east Asia, they keep fighting the witchelven and the cult of the Red Lotus.
* Drow City-States: Used to be the Western Elven Empire, but the Drow Uprising took it over and created the Second Elven Empire. However, drow are quarrelsome bastars and kept breaking their empire until it devolved into a thin, very thin, alliance of cities.
* Witchelven Empire: A cult of sadistic elves who revel in pain and torture, and were so kinky that ended opening up several demon breaches around their empire. If they keep going like this, the entire empire is going to literally fall into hell.
* Gökmavi Khaganate: Nomad raiders and stuff. A bit of a meme in the theads since, despite being one of the biggest entities territory-wise, it barely has any impact in the world around it (or near any developed lore altogether).
* Dominion of the Bog Witch: A series of bogs, swamps and marshes ruled by the Bog Witch, which is what happens when the Wicked Witch of the West gets upgraded to an eldritch abomination. The formation of the Dominion indirectly caused the fall of the ancient Khenomeric Empire and the rise of...
* Gnoll Empire: A massive empire created over the remains of the Khenomeric Empire, and ruled by the gnoll (which are sort of the mascot of the setting). Since gnoll are horrifical abominations, nobody expected them to create a functional society, let alone an empire, but under the leadership of their mysterious emperor, they have become the biggest land power in eastern Giantstep. Has notoriously few friends, nearly everyone wants them gone, but nobody can really do anything about them.
* Avangar Empire: An upstart empire in the small continent of Littlestep. They are a very bellicose bunch, which, combined with their rapid expansion, has made them quite a lot of enemies.
* Elanxan Empire: The remnant of a remnant empire. The northern half of the Khenomeric Empire became somewhat independed but fractured over time, and this created the nation of Greater Elanxa. This country also disappeared due to an earthquake, fracturing into the Elanxan Empire.
* Kingdom of Drunigzar: A small kingdom located in barren lands, they decided to fix their shit and became the biggest naval power in eastern Giantstep. They are big traders, and will trade anything and everything that gives them profit. A mix of greek and portuguese aesthetics, they are starting to colonize the lands south of the kingdom. One of the very few "allies" of the Gnoll Empire.
Links
1Skipped 19 and 20 to make up for 15.5 and 17.5
2Skipped 36, 37, and 38 for the same reason as 1 (Redundant)
3 OP mistakes the thread numbers