#Sauvias

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I don't usually share my maps for worlbuilding projects, but this is the first time I've made a city map without tools like Inkarnate or other similar tools and I'm really happy with how it turned out. That and it's been a while since I talked about my pathfinder homebrew lol.

Torebli is a city in my homebrew pathfinder setting Sauvias, within the kingdom of Heralia. It is surrounded by rainforest and wetlands (across the lake depicted on the west of this map). While a fairly diverse city, it has the largest population of the semi-aquatic Axoli people and as such, has several residential districts partially submerged in the lake.

Every year during the spring time, Torebli is host to The Festival of Flames (working title lol) - a celebration honouring a hero from the ancient draconic wars in Sauvias's history (I'm keeping it vague because some of the players in the campaign I'm planning to run follow me on here and this festival is connected to the story).

[ID: An illustrated, top down map of a medieval city along a lake shore. The city's wall and several of the buildings extends into the water, and around the city on land is dense forest. In the bottom right is the name of the city, Torebli, and in the top right is a compass rose to indicate that north is towards the top of the image. /End ID]

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I've been taking over on my main account about how I've been doing a lot of world building lately but was never quite sure how to share any of it. I'm thinking of using platforms like Obsidian Publish for my bigger ones like my webcomic's setting eventually, but for the smaller ones like the one I'm working on right now, I'm probably going to just talk about them here since I usually make art to go along with most of the notes! I've installed a theme on this page that lets you see posts under a certain tag, so each world building setting will get its own tag!

Anyway, The project I'm currently working on right now is called Sauvias, a pathfinder 2e setting for a homebrew campaign my partner and I are planning to run.

Sauvias is a land of dinosaurs and other, much more ancient beasts. Even the people of Sauvias look quite different from those in other parts of the world. While humanoids do inhabit Sauvias too, you're much more likely to encounter one the insectoid Insavan people, the draconic Drakari people, the axolotl-like Axoli, merfolk who have found ways to traverse the land and sea and many, many more (all of whom are playable).

While the creatures and people may look different, one thing Sauvias shares with the more familiar worlds of pathfinder 2e, is that it's always in need of heroes to deal with the rising threats, magical and otherwise.

I'm eventually going to make a propper map, but I'm using this one while I learn how to actually do that lol

All of the posts I make for this project are going to be under the tags "Sauvias" and "worldbuilding" which (should) both linked on the little sidebar on my page!

[ID 1: A logo on a dark brown background with light tan text and a light tan boarder. On the left is the silhouette of a continent roughly in the shape of a triceratops head, and to it's right is the word "Sauvias". /end ID 1] [ID 2: A map of the same landmass from the logo. This map shows Sauvias's tropical south-west side and arrid north-eastern side, divided by a mountain range running down it's centre. Several of the regions are labelled, and a faint hexagon grid has been overlaied onto the image with a scale in the bottom left corner indicating each hexagon represents about 30km. /end ID]

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Pets in Sauvias: Velociraptors

When you don't have animals like wolves to domesticate into dogs, who becomes man's best friend? Well Velociraptors of course!

In my pathfinder 2e setting, Sauvias, Velociraptors (or "velos" for short) were domesticated a few thousand years ago to serve as both companions and working animals. They have been bread to aid their people with a number of tasks, from hunting in packs and helping farmers direct their hadrosaurus herds, to pulling devices known as basket-sleds, a type of carrage-like device used by the smaller people of Sauvias to navigate through the dense jungles in the centre of the continent.

Wild velos are typically between 30-40cm tall with sandy brown coats, but through domestication, dozens of different breeds have been created that range in both colour and size, with the biggest reaching a little over 60cm tall.

And of course, the people of sauvias have found a number of ways to show that their feathery friends are a part of the family. Some choose a classic leather collar or ankle band. Others choose decorative fabrics adorned with their family crests and patterns to tie around their necks like a bandana or waists.

Others use intricately designed harnesses with the family crest engraved into the clip and decorative beads, and those who live in regions with dangerous aerial threats often put capes with eye-like markings and armour on their pet velos in a hope to deter predators.

Mechanics

Of course, Velociraptors already exsist in the base Pathfinder 2e game, and the velos of Sauvias use the same stat-blocks as them, with smaller breads of velo using the weak variant stats and larger breeds typically using the elite stat variant. Players can also have a Velo as an animal companion using the existing Dromaeosaur stats.

Image Descriptions:

[ID 1: An image of a feathered velociraptor with a sandy-brown coat, pale brown underbelly and a darker brown stripe running down it's back. Above it is the Sauvias Logo and in the background is a height chart, showing this velociraptor is about 35cm tall. /End ID 1] [ID 2: 6 images of Velociraptors in the same pose as the original on a brown background. The top left dinosaur is the one from the first image, labelled "wyld", to it's left is a raptor with light brown fur and dark white and brown spots, labelled "Spotted". Below those two are more brightly coloured velociraptors. The one on the left is a rusty red with a yellow stripe starting at it's eyes and running down it's body, all the way to it's tail, labelled "Drakari Red". The one on the right is mossy green in colour with yellow-ish green speckles on it's back labelled "Herali Green". The final row shows two black velociraptors, the one on the left is entirely black, labelled "Night-feather", while the one on the right has white spots on it's snout, around it's eyes and down it's back, labelled "dotted". /end ID 2] [ID 3: An image of two more velociraptors facing one another. The one one the left is black with a leather collar around it's neck and on it's right back leg. On the left is the pale velociraptor with spots, wearing a light-blue bandanna and a large piece of fabric held to the raptor's waist with a leather belt. /end ID 3] [ID 4: two more Velociraptors facing eachother, wearing accessories. The one on the left is the green velociraptor and is wearing a leather harness adorned with gold and turquoise beads. The one on the right is the original brown velociraptor wearing grey, stone-like plated armour over it's neck and a turquoise cape shaped like moth wings with false-eyes on them. /end ID 4]

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The Dragons of Sauvias - Pt 1 Dawn Dragons

Like most Pathfinder settings, Sauvias is home to many dragons, including a few unique to the region. There are 5 Sauvian dragon species who draw their powers from two places; the sky, and their hoards.

I really liked Pointy Hat's idea over on youtube, of more social dragons who hoard people instead of treasure. Like his Warden dragons, the Sauvian dragons seek out people to add to their "collections" which in turn, helps them grow in power. Some of the dragons collect people with specific skills and abilities, but some, like the Dawn Dragons, are less picky.

The dawn dragons draw their elemental power from the morning sun, granting them a fire breath weapon that, while not as strong as a usual fire breath weapon, radiates outwards like a wave, damaging more enemies around them. Their elemental powers are strongest at the break of dawn and in the early morning.

It is the dawn dragons - and specifically their current king, Bexeras, that are credited with making sauvias into the land it is today. they were the ones to discover that living beings - and in particular, sapient beings - gave them more power than the precious gems they previously collected. Since dragons were the only sapient beings living permanently the continent at the time (excluding the merfolk who mostly kept to themselves), King Bexeras invited creatures from other regions of the world to come and live, formally founding the kingdom of Drakar, the first of the Sauvian kingdoms.

Most dawn dragons today serve King Bexeras as lords and other similar nobility, with the citizens of their area becoming their hoard. Those who have sworn themselves to Bexeras also share their hoards with him, functionally making the entire kingdom's population his hoard.

Since the only thing connecting most members of a dawn dragon's hoard is the fact they are all sapient creatures, the powers they gain from them can be a bit random, but most dawn dragons gain a secondary ability in the form of a psychic blast that deals an increasing amount of mental damage depending on the hoard's size.

Despite dawn dragons seeing their citizens as members of the hoard, they value the consent of their hoard members and do not draw power from them without permission. When a citizen of a region controlled by a dawn dragon comes of age, they are offered a formal place in the hoard, giving the dragon permission to use them to grow their power. Should they accept, the dragon will grant the individual an increase in power as thanks. This most often comes in the form of resistance to mental damage and, if the dragon is especially powerful, a +1 to one of their mental ability scores (charisma, wisdom or intelligence). They are however, able to refuse the invitation to join the hoard and remain in their home town or city. The dragon itself doesn't mind a few non-members inhabiting the city, even long-term, though others may not look upon that choice so kindly and "encourage" the individual to leave, since the hoard members see joining as contributing to their collective protection.

[ID: An image of a pale orange dragon with wings that fade from yellow to pink with stars along the edge, resembling the sky at sunrise. The background is a tan coloured height chart showing that the dragon stands at about 6m tall at the head and 16m tall with it's wings raised. There is also a small human silhouette in front of the dragon, coming up to it's elbows for scale. /End ID]

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The people of Sauvias: The Axoli

The Axoli are the axolotl-folk of Heralia, and one of the playable ancestries in Sauvias, my home-brewed pathfinder 2e setting.

For the most part, they can only be found in small numbers in or around lakes and rivers deep within marshlands and jungles of central sauvias, but some occasionally venture out into the wider world. Those who do often find luck working as healers or serving as clerics due to their innate healing abilities, or as either rangers or druids thanks to their connection with the water and marshlands.

Their towns and cities are built along lakes and rivers, and their houses are often partially submerged in the water, usually with a few rooms under the surface, and a few above.

I've made up an ancestry document for anyone interesting in trying them out in their own games (feedback is welcome)! This is a draft version and it might change a bit once I get a chance to actually play-test properly, but I designed them to play as a cross between the Azreketi, gripli and lizardfolk.

[ID: An lustration of an anthropomorphic, yellow axolotl with pink, fluffy gills a green leather vest and shorts. They are holding a wooden staff with a blue orb on top. In the background is a height chart indicating they are just under 120cm tall. Above is the Sauvias Logo. /End ID]

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The Red Velo Tavern

Another Map for Sauvias! This is the Red Velo Tavern, located in the outer western region of the city of Torebli. It get's it's name from the owner's pet Velociraptor, Rusty who can often be seen hanging around the stage on the ground floor, waiting for patrons to drop their snacks.

The red velo is a middle of the road tavern, cost-wise, however, patrons can sometimes win a free night's stay and meals at the nightly talent shows the tavern hosts. They also offer pet-sitting for when your adventures are a little too dangerous for pets.

I made a bunch of brushes and drag-and-drop assets so I can make these kinds of maps quicker, even when I don't have my drawing tablet with me (e.g. when I'm traveling or having a flare up and can't sit at my desk for long periods of time). I'm planning to make them public once I figure out how to actually do that, but Clip Studio was being difficult so that might be a while still lol.

[ID: A map showing a top-down view of the inside of a medieval tavern. There is a bar near the front door and two bedrooms near the entrance. Further along is a wide dining area with a number of square tables. On the left side of the dining area is a stage with several bar stools gathered around it./End ID] [ID2: Another map showing the second floor of the tavern. Along the right and bottom sides of the floor are 4 bedrooms and a washroom. A chunk has been cut out of this floor, creating a balcony-like arrangement allowing guests upstairs to see the stage below. It is shown that a rudimentary wooden lift connects the two floors. /End ID2]

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The dragons of Sauvias - Pt2: Sun Dragons

Sun dragons are the smallest of all of the sauvian dragons, but despite their small (relative) size, they are the most physically powerful.

They draw elemental energy from the sun and daylight, granting them a stream of concentrated, magma-like fire as a breath weapon that is strongest during the day, especially around noon. They may share an elemental affinity with the dawn dragons, but their fire burns much hotter and deals much more damage.

Like all Sauvian dragons, they also draw power from their hoard consisting of sapient creatures, however they are much pickier than dawn dragons. Sun dragons favour warriors and fighters. They care little for what methods their hoards employ or what weapons they choose to use, so long as they are honourable and fight using primarily their body's innate strength and dexterity over magic - something the sun dragons strongly dislike, but will tolerate in smaller doses. It's very common to see fighters, barbarians, monks and occasionally champions or even some rangers among their ranks.

Most sun dragons serve King Bexeras and his kingdom, turning their hoards into the kingdom of Drakar's military. Those who don't answer to the king often form fighter's guilds or mercinary companies. There are even a few instances of large bandit operations being run by sun dragons, however this something both dawn and sun dragons collectively see as taboo and is a pretty sure-fire way to end up with a lot more negative attention than it's worth.

From their hoards, sun dragons gain a second breath weapon that functions similarly to the spell "ray of enfeeblement" - draining the target's strength and causing them to gain the "enfeebled" condition. Most sun dragons will only ever use this secondary ability in times of desperate need, as it's use is seen as cowardly. It is thought that sun dragons also gain physical strength from their hoards.

In return, members of the hoards are given the dragon's protection, resistance to fire and if they are especially powerful, a +1 boost to their strength or dexterity score.

[ID: an illustration of a pudgy orange dragons with fiery yellow and orange feathered wings. The dragon's face is short and beaked, and a line of orange feathers run down it's back. The height chart in the background indicates it's about 4m tall, and the human silhouette standing in front comes up to it's shoulder joint. /End ID]