The heavy lifting for this campaign setting was done with Donjon, with some tweaks and connections added from that random inspiration. Some neat ideas and through-lines appeared - the bits of lore 'there were once stars in the night sky' and 'the quest of the Star Wizards has failed' are clearly related, and the fact that the town elders are a coven of witches creates a Macbeth-like atmosphere.
Players are welcome to connect, suggest and create NPCs, parts of the world and other setting elements as needed as they relate to their character backgrounds or making the random points below more textured and interesting.
[ +- ] Spoiler
Alpharas
What is this region called: The Dominion of Ithlond.
The Town
What is the starting town called: Quainbluff.
What is the name of the local inn: The Battered Shield.
Who do we meet there: Andis Kyrtsor, male human, who is hunted by ghosts.
Geography
What is the name of the main road: The Tower Road, so named because of the beacon towers that run along its length to guide travellers under the starless night sky. Maintaining the beacons is the purview of the Lamplighters Guild, an order more akin to heroic monster slayers and knights-errant than a simple illuminators' guild, based in Whillpool but with chapter houses in many settlements.
What is the local river: The Trollfen River. The Trollfen wanders fat, sleepy and marshy through the lowlands and rushes white and foaming through the ravines and defiles of the Dusk Hills. Its waters are legendary for their restorative properties, being a key ingredient in medicines and healing elixirs, but gathering them can be more dangerous than the ailment they are intended to cure, as many species of trolls lurk along the shores.
A local forest: The Elling Vale, haunted by elven shadows. The Elling Vale's darkwood roots wind through the foundations of ancient elven ruins, with gnarled trunks replacing once-proud columns and shadowy canopies ruling over overgrown palaces and lonely towers. A few elves remain here, avoiding the ruins and living as hunters or nomads in the safer outskirts, but the heart of the Elling Vale is the domain of the forgotten elven kingdom of Niamah.
The nearby hills: The Dusk Hills, wherein magic is treacherous. It is said the goddess Lieliah of the Wand favours these desolate and unpredictable hills, turning the laws of magic into anarchy. Floating islands of earth and backwards-flowing waterfalls are the least of the high strangeness a traveller might encounter here.
The mountains beyond the woods: The Shadowcap Mountains, known for the black snow that falls on their peaks. The mountains are made especially dangerous by what the dwarves call stengrachs, especially ferocious bulettes that can burrow through solid stone.
Nearby villages: Cerdon; Fallingtree (a settlement of human foresters and elven refugees on the fringes of the Elling Vale); Emall (a halfling village in the foothills of the Shadowcaps, prosperous from sulfur mined from the nearby Devilsbreath caverns).
A distant city: Whillpool, the City of Intrigue.
Government
Who rules this area: Count Brewyn Wythley, male half-elf. Count Brewyn's legitimacy is disputed – he is not the son of the previous ruler, count Hargate, but the changeling bastard of the countess Ymelda and an eladrin prince. He was able to claim the throne due to the misfortunes that befell the count's legitimate children and the support of three powerful witches. He is widely regarded as a generous ruler, if somewhat whimsical.
Who are the town elders: A coven of witches, the ladies Ryessa, Cazimi and Zhetra. Rumours abound in Ithlond as to whether the three are benevolent sorceresses or wicked hags in disguise – any number of good and ill deeds are attributed to their enchantments and machinations. What is certain is that the count heeds their advice closely.
Culture
What do the locals think of the elves: Living legends.
Dwarves: Fair and honest merchants.
Halflings: Natural alchemists.
Humans: Bold explorers.
Religion
Who is the God of Knowledge: Pernem, the Rune Lord (LN). Pernem is said to be a ancient spellcaster who first escaped the bounds of mortality as a lich, then ascended to godhood. He is the lawgiver for the rules of magic and society alike.
God of Life: Rielah, the Silver Lord (NG). Some say that Rielah, the Silver Lord inspired the creation of the Moon and dwells within it – a heretical view is that the Moon is Rielah, a god made by mortal hands and magic.
Of Nature: Allam, the Keeper of Beasts (N).
Of Storms: Hella, the Keeper of Voices (N). Allam and Hella are the wild twin god and goddess of animals and unspoiled places, of the destructive and creative power of nature, sky and sea.
Who is the Trickster God: Lieliah of the Wand (CN). Reputed to be Pernem's apprentice who stole the secrets of divinity from him, Lieliah is a mischievous figure of unbound magic. She is revered as a liberator, inspirer and culture hero, and feared as a force of chaos and destruction.
Who is the God of War: Elwindis, Lady of Victory (N). Also worshiped as the goddess of justice, Elwindis is notoriously even-handed – victory at any cost, by any means is her doctrine, and she teaches that might makes right.
NPCs
Who is the local expert on the arcane: Rancis Keenfoot, male halfling. Ill-tempered, critical and cowardly, Rancis is a master of anatomy, healing, life and undeath.
Who's the local religious expert: Andrel the Astute, male dwarf. Lame from an old wound that seems to resist magical healing, Andrel is a scholar of theology and religious history but is too bitter and cynical to be an adherent.
Who knows the most about the area's history: Ilis Bright, female halfling. Matriarch of the wealthy and extensive Bright clan, Ilis is an older woman with a penchant for collecting exotic creatures in a private menagerie. Her records of Ithlonds's genealogy and history are unmatched.
Who knows the most about the area's geography: Gilliamn Witt, female dwarf. Rarely seen in Quainbluff, Gilliamn spends most of her time exploring the wilderness and making meticulous maps or serving as a guide, returning only for supplies and consultations.
Adventure
Who are the local low-level monster tribe: A horde of zombies.
Who is the local low-level boss: Fervida, the Bloody Countess, vampire.
A slightly farther off mid-level monster tribe: The constructs of a mad wizard.
Who is the mid-level boss: Crigeia, Elemental Queen of the Giants.
What do they want: The Fallen Blade of Niamah.
What happens if they get it: The royal line will end.
Lore
Things everything in my world knows: Something is murdering the town guards. The silver moon was crafted by dwarves.
Very few people know: There were once stars in the night sky. The God of Knowledge is an ancient lich.
No one knows: The quest of the Star Wizards has failed.