#worldbuildingjune2017

[badassdanddpics]

World Building June: People and Races 1

The Elven Forests In the mystical forests of the north, dozens of bewildering botany has been created by the gods. This once ice cold tundra has been transformed into a moderate forest teeming with magical plant and animal life. their houses constructed over years of growth of warm-wood tree saplings intertwined provides the most shelter and bio-luminescent plants of all sorts and sizes light their breath taking cities. however, their nature expertise does not end on land. broad cliff sides stand against the northern coast past their boarders and the grand mountains limit the number of ports to the south protecting them from most seaward attacks. with shallow boats that glide over the natural coral reefs no ship of non-elven make will ever have a chance of landing on their mystic shores.

The Dwarven Mountains In the northern tundra even the air is charged with magic. the once sturdy fortresses and marches of the militaristic hill dwarves became almost obsolete when the natural rock barricades began to rise above the earth. Rarely, nearly entire settlements rose with the rocks into the sky cutting off several towns and often creating abandoned ruins untouched for centuries. The dwarves attempted to fix the land ravaged by such strong magical properties by several traditional dwarven means such as alchemy or trying to reduce the magical energies in the air that resided there but no option they choose worked. they instead opted to craft amazingly huge metal chains and fix them to the floating islands to at the very least make things more permanent. In the end, they developed airships of all sizes to reach the isolated places.

Dragonborn In the mountains lie the stout dragon-born, mighty warriors, oracles or mystics that rarely allow outsiders to enter. Building their dwellings out of the sides of cliffs their houses are carved of stone, while steep and narrow stairways act as the main mode of transportation in their dotted cities. within the cities, families of dragonborn often stay in close proximity and view their bonds as absolute. Such loyalty however often causes feuds between opposing families can often lead to bloodshed. when the need arises, they make use of the arena, a wide stone pillar where warriors often fight to the death, either from blade or a mortal fall after being pushed off.

lizardfolk Finally, from the swamps resides the cunning lizard-folk, hunters and man eaters they make use of ritual magics and ambush tactics to keep others out of their territory. Homes in the tops of the swamp trees neatly hidden away out of sight from travelers who dare cross their land. Throughout the ground, hidden ambush sites can be found almost everywhere, allowing them to attack from anywhere or evade any pursuit via water or hidden base. Their cities have no housings, rather they travel through the swamp to congregate and trade often. gold and bartering is both favored between the lizardfolk, who are often territorial sometimes allow trusted outsiders to trade in their cities, but often shun outsiders who often face their wrath. The most dangerous quality of the lizardfolk is their use of voodoo, shaman and tribal magics. passed down through family member, no ritual or spell is exactly the same between different families.

[dysonshellworld]

People and Races

There’s 2 kind of, like, General Shapes and Colors of people in the dyson shell.

Along the equator, where gravity is stronger, everyone is a little meatier. The most common color combinations for people who live on the continent is white/blue/yellow, tho there is a lot of variation and the blue/yellow is more prominent than the white is.

Out on the poles, where gravity is a little weaker, the people tend to be more gracile. They’re taller, longer, and thinner on average than their mainland counterparts, and tend to sport more distinct color patterns, bc travel is a little more restricted.  Dark colors, as well as bright ones like Teal, orange, and purple, are more likely on the poles.

There are some areas where there isn’t much cross-traffic, and of course some big cities that are very much melting pots, but in general the most diverse groups of these guys will be migration groups- the ladies will pick up friends along the way and travel to each others hometowns on their migration loops.

[arthopping]

History

Syd made his way around the camp to join Dani on watch. He frowned at the fire. “I hate keeping that lit,” he said.

Dani looked up at him, then the fire, “Makes it hard to see past camp.”

“And it’s a goddamned beacon,” Syd huffed and sunk down onto the log, facing opposite the way Dani was situated.

“Well, Yeah.”

They fell into silence, watching the perimeter. The night pressed in around them, with cold and unsettlingly bare mountains just visible in the east.

Eventually, and against her better judgement, Dani spoke.

“You still think about them, right?”

Syd was pulled out of his thoughts. He looked over at Dani, understandably confused, “What?”

Dani repeated herself, and Syd stared into the darkness beyond camp for a long time before saying, “Yeah. Why?”

Dani shifted uncomfortably. “Dunno. Just. . Been thinking about it a lot lately.”

“Hm,” Syd grunted, and they were quiet again for a few minutes.

“I always…” she hesitated, half a thought caught in her throat and suddenly regretting having brought it up. She took a breath, and pressed through. “I always thought of it as a bonding thing, sort of. That so many of us lost everyone? But…” Dani stumbled over her thoughts, “Nobody ever talks about it. Nobody ever did talk about it. and, I mean. I know why, I understand why, but…” She hesitated again,  kicking the thin layer of snow on the ground and sighing.

“I just think I would want to be remembered.”

****

Final Absolution doesn’t have, like, a ton of its own history- it shares our world up until about 2007. But there’s lots of very personal history being dragged around.

[bunny-world-building]

Talaura day 6 (lady tabletop): Stereotypes

Hi all, Bunny here. So for Worldbuilding June I decided to take a look at some of the challenges or prompts other people have been posting. To that end, I decided to have a quick go at @ladytabletop‘s prompt for today. It’s something I’ve touched upon in a couple of previous posts, but I thought it could do with its own post.

Because of the diversity of peoples and cultures across Talaura, it’s inevitable that prejudices and stereotypes would arise. In general, these are not intended to be cruel or disparaging. Insensitivity is more often the cause of discomfort or anger than malice.

• Jafleaye’s history has lead to the caricature that the business-savvy humans, dwarves and halflings are obsessively bureaucratic and numerate. The cliché is that Jafleaye’s citizens are constantly counting their coins and writing things down, inundated with information and unable to see the important features of the world. From the outside, a more positive picture is painted of the culture in general, and the wealth of Jafleaye is often imagined as a huge treasure hoard, perhaps even an entire city constructed out of gold.

• Tesman’s community-mindedness leads many to joke about their extreme friendliness and politeness (imagine them like the Canadians of this setting, but without the hockey). They are seen as almost universally gregarious and accommodating, sometimes to the point of naïvité. Charity, hospitality and patience are strained to the point of ridiculity in the stereotypes, leading some to believe that many in Tesman will simply roll over when entreated. The dwarves of Talaura, most common in Tesman and Jafleaye, are stereotyped as obsessive and fixated, never moving from one task until it is complete, no matter the distractions around them. 

• The more positive stereotypes of Shabar will simply describe them as “proud” and “proactive”. However, the social structure and history of the country mean that these are often extrapolated to mean “vain” and “violent”. In addition, their status as beast masters leads many to suggest that the orcs are perhaps more at home with animals than other people. This stereotype is inverted by the Shabari people themselves, however, who view the weak as less worthy, historically as not even being people.  Shabari art and crafts are incredibly detailed and intricate, which is seen as perhaps incongruous with their warlike nature but not dismissed in any case, as merchant caravans between Shabar and Tesman or Jafleaye often come back laden with riches.

• At best, the merfolk are seen as scavengers and opportunists. The lionfish in the Aspuan often work as salvagers, but charge a great fee and claim to get the first choice of any loot, retaining the right to refuse to hand over whatever goods catch their interests. This is because of the philosophical belief among merfolk that passing The Veil (the surface of the water, seen as a divine boundary between the sky and the sea) washes clean properties such as ownership.  The sharkfolk bear the least distorted stereotype, and do the least to try and discourage it. They famously prefer solitude to the company of others and are viewed by many as barely more than animals. Again, though, sharkfolk don’t care about the stereotypes put on them by other people, largely keeping to themselves.

• The archetypal elves are aloof and disinterested. Seated in their ivory towers, Skoia elves are considered to have little awareness of the world around them. A (possibly apocryphal) story exists of an entire city at the base of a tower being destroyed with the elves remaining entirely oblivious to this day. The elves who don’t sequester themselves in archives or universities are generally thought to be cold, critical and scrutinous, with little care for the passion of any of the “younger” races.

[nordic-the-dm]

WBJ 8: Governance, Power, and Hierarchy

YOOOO GET READY FOR A LONG POST UNDER THE CUT

Two long posts in a row? I like these prompts a lot, but seriously, economy and governance are, like, the two subjects that can get really in depth, right? At least for me. Maybe I'm more into building economy and governance than my fellows? Blame it on my obsession with history and we'll get right to it.

The governmental and societal structure in the entirety of Rhuin is absolutely bonkers. Given the vast amounts of territories, huge wildernesses, and constant power struggles between the ruling class and the noble class and the various kingdoms, the system of government is as varied as the geography and despite being relatively stable, it is also a bit chaotic.

Agreste

There is no one king in Agreste. Instead, there sits a counsel of the races, one great leader from each race. These leaders are chosen through elections, rituals, and other such things as chosen by each race long ago when the Counsel was formed. In the interest of keeping the Counsel from becoming too engrossed in its own power, every 10 years, new leaders are chosen and the old leaders go back to their lives before the Counsel. There have not been many Counsel members to resist this form of government and attempt to hold onto their power. Those that have tried have been forcibly removed by either the other Counsel members or their own people, who believe that the Counsel represents the interests of each race better than a single ruler could. The Counsel is in charge of creating and enforcing the laws of Agreste and all guild regulations must go through them first. The army and enforcement agencies are run through them, as well as a vast network of diplomats, trade negotiators, and spies.

The members of the Counsel all live in the palace of Daenedurn, making yearly trips to the cities of power of each race to hear their peoples' thoughts with the idea that they will bring back news that will assist in law writing and rewriting. The more prestigious members of the agencies also reside within the palace walls so that they can conduct their business under the watchful eyes of the Counsel members. There is a separate Counsel of Magics that do not reside in the palace, instead making their residence in the Tower of Latartaruga. There are only three members of this Counsel, representing the three major magic disciplines: Wizard, Warlock, and Sorcerer. The Counsel of Magics is made up of the strongest member of each class. They are in place more to keep the magical users of the world in line with their own laws and codes of conduct and are much less race divided,

which is why they are a separate entity.

Nobility and title other than Counsel members are closely tied to wealth. Those who are wealthy are able to live in luxury and comfort while those who are not can't. There are no formal titles of nobility other than "noble" or the occasional small baron or independent king here and there, but their power stretches very shallowly.

The only exception to this is in the territory of Prah, where there is a ruling warlord and his nobles beneath him. The noble families each have their own forces that make up their armies. This structure is very similar to that of Eurus in that though the warlord claims absolute control, the nobles will fight with each other to expand their territories. They are obligated by their oaths of fealty to the warlord to set their differences aside when faced with a common purpose or enemy and in this, they function as a well oiled machine. The vast majority of the population is peasants, who work the fields of rice, bamboo, and wheat. The peasants of the Prah territory, unlike many other peasants, are not expected to partake in battles. They are tasked with keeping the soldiers in their houses if necessary and keeping them well fed and healthy.

Eurus

The High King resides in Casitur in the Black Castle, a cruel and mysterious place that is enshrouded in rumor. It sits in the near center of the city, looming over everyone and everything with the threat of punishment for any who dare think that he is anything but a good ruler. Any outright rebellions have been crushed by his forces and so now, the common folk simply try to keep their heads down and stay out of the way of the Black Guards and their fearsome ways. The High King traces his rule back to the fall of the Silver Queen at the hand of Ragoth the Red, the last dragon to have been seen on Eurus. To show his loyalty to even a dead dragon lord, the High King's crown depicts a circle of dragon heads and the Obsidian Dragon god Chemosh is heavily worshipped under the High King.

The rest of society falls to strictly feudal one of tiered hierarchy from Duke to Count to Marchioness to Baron to Merchant to Knight to Peasant to Slave in order of importance and land holdings. There is little social movement up or down the tiers. One is fixed at birth, unless by some miracle they are able to venture out and become a member of the army or the adventurers guild, which will raise one's status to some degree. Title can be taken by force as well.

Manaroa

There is no king of Manaroa, since there is little true unity under a single government, but there is a guru and wise man whose word is considered law should it come to it. He will travel from village to village and city to city, hearing the people's problems and advising their chiefs.

It is said that he is so in tune with the island that he can pass unharmed through the jungles and the swamps and even the mysterious volcano does not aim to do him harm, but no one can say with any certainty if that is true. Every Kahun'Aro takes an aprentice at the middle of his time to train in the ways of becoming the next Kahuna'Aro. There is no knowing who he will pick at his time, nor from what city or village, but it is a great honor for a family for a child to be chosen to follow in the Kahun'Aro's footsteps.

There is no true noble class on Manaroa. The plantation owners have some degree more of influence in local politics and money talks, but society as a whole is far less structured than that of the other Shards. Though there are rumors that she is dead, the dragon Vuduuth could be considered the highest member of society outside the Kahun'Aro

Selkhet

Selkhet has by far the most stable system in that is rests most of the power, both magically and governmental, in the Sun King. Other than the dragon they worship as a god, he is the ultimate power in the land. His word is law and those that do not obey are enslaved, imprisoned, or executed.

There is one king, followed by many nobles in Selkhet. The Sun King is the ultimate ruler of the entire land and is seen as divinely granted to the people. His palace is grand, sparkling white in the harsh sun and graced with decadence. The mantle of the Sun King is passed from generation to generation in a symbolic show of life and death of the great ruler and how his power flows from one king to the next in the natural order. Though he himself will move to the glorious afterlife in death, his power will be reborn in the next king. Expansive, long-lived dynasties stem from this practice, with each dynasty creating their own way of life for their people that the people must accept and move with. This change can be an emphasis on different gods, a relocation of the capital city, or even having to suddenly accept an entirely new view on magic. The current dynasty has been ruling for five centuries.

The Underdark

The Underdark thrives on power. The Drow have mastered power and dominance over the other races and creatures of the Underdark, blessed by Lolth and guided by her hand. Their society is very hierarchal, dominated by a household matriarch or two depending on the size of the city, and all other tiers under her. Households are made up of the matriarch, her immediate kin and children, their children, other weaker houses that submit to the dominance and protection of the powerful house, and slaves. This structure is true across the Shards, though slightly less so on Agreste, where the Drow do not have their own, exclusive, empire anymore.  

Their societies emphasize magical power and blood connections. The better one's blood, which is judged by wealth, magic, family, and accomplishments, the more power one holds in Drow society. Blood is also tied closely to the strength of the matriarch of the family. The powerful houses will do almost anything to continue to hold that title and dominance, dispatching lard forces of Elite Warriors, Mages, and Assassins to keep their rivals from rising too far. Each ruling household has at least one Priestess to Lolth, if not more, often the closest daughter of the matriarch or the matriarch herself.

[dreaming-starclimber]

World Building June - 1 - Introduction

Okay so a few years ago I participated in World Building June and it was a lot of fun! So here I am again to flesh out more details about my world!!  My world’s name is Dreamia and I have been working on it for the past ten years!! I’m very proud of it and how it’s shaping into a really cool story! There have been times where I wanted to shelf it but I just didn’t have it in me to let it die.  So I’ll be fleshing it out one day at a time with the provided prompts!  It’s a world created of dreams, and it has a lot of interesting history and characters and races! so I hope you’ll read about it as I fill out these prompts!! 

[badassdanddpics]

World Building June Introduction

The Creation of an Unnamed World

          As the first elements formed they combined to create the world forms the first life. The first dragons, beasts of primal nature and imbued by the different aspects that were used to create this world towered above their modern ancestors. These terrifying beings composed of pure elements bore many things; teeth of lightning, claws of acid, scales of stone or wings of fire. However powerful, there was one, the dragon-mother Tiamat who's power remained unmatched even by the best of these ferocious beings. In the beginning, the world was truly hers. Brutality and savagery became the rule of the land, leaving only those who were worthy were fit to live.

          Born after the world cooled and the oceans flooded from the plane of water, creatures of epic proportions began to claim the sea as their own. Known as the leviathans, they conquered the dragons for domain of the sea. The first beasts born of all elements, their shear durability was enough to overcome the dragons of pure primal energy. Their massive bodies too big to be supported on land, they settled the the ocean, ready to discover its depths where some remain sleeping even today.

          In the chaos of the battles, the first humanoid race emerged; the Highlords, a race well versed in magic and physical capability, began to fight the inhabitants of the primal world for a foothold of their own. In time, their numbers and innate strength overcame the dragons, some even gaining the first sparks of divinity. With this spark, they began to gain significant power as they became worshiped by others of their kind. Eventually, those who had gained their spark were able to create the first lesser beings which they kept as physical laborers. These lesser beings resembled men made of clay, brought to life through the use of powerful magics. Though not strong, their creation set the groundwork for the construction of golems and the use of false souls.

[badassdanddpics]

World Building June: Geography

The continent furthest to the north proves to be one of the hardest to travel to. Shut off from the world due to leviathans crashing ships, and even being as bold to snatch airships out of the air. Luckily due to a shallow coast the inner ocean is able to be fished and enjoyed. Several fishing villages dot the southern part of the continent as merchants profit from fishing and trade. In the southwest, the knightly order of the royalist army battles the nomad barbarians in the plains. Boundaries forever changing in the constant skirmishes, between knights, barbarians, and the hordes of orcs and goblins, leading to either massive military support in its citizens and a hatred of those who live freely outside the walls. Cultivating wondrous plants in the north lays the elven motherland. Once a cold tundra, transformed by the amazing warm-wood tree, the heat produces chased away the snow and allowed cultivation of an entirely change of ecosystem then the snow and ice allowed. The northern tundra is an unforgiving place where the weave of magic has been disrupted to such a degree that many mountains have begun to float into the air. To solve the problem of their fortresses floating away the dwarves who resided in their ancient homes chained the mountains to whatever earth remained. In the mountains lie the stout dragon-born, mighty warriors, oracles or mystics that rarely allow outsiders to enter. Finally, from the swamps resides the cunning lizard-folk, hunters and man eaters they make use of ritual magics and ambush tactics to keep others out of their territory.

[badassdanddpics]

World Building June: History

For the previous History, check out this link           Where there is light, there is always darkness waiting to consume it. Sensing fresh souls born into a new multiverse, the fiends embarked from their world across the astral plane to enter the material world. The attacks began suddenly, taking many of the lives they worked so hard to forge in this once cruel world. Demons large and small swarmed through the portals, yet the strongest have had yet to show themselves. of those who had cut a path to the portals in hopes of closing them, only immeasurable power and darkness awaited them. these demons, who;s power was so grand could not occupy a body small enough to enter through the gateway, assured the realization that this first wave was only meant to open the gate ever further. As allowing these monsters surely meant the death of all who inhabited the world, the Highborn devoted themselves to finding a way to seal the portals to nothingness. Many of the Highborn fought back against the demons with both sword and magic, yet still, many of their kind fell in battle. Their sacrifices were not in vain however, as from the carnage emerged the harbingers of light. Those who had discovered how to harness the power derived from their own spark from the divinities before them, granting power never before seen in mortals. Using that power, the newly awoken Highborn deities drove the demons back to the shadows of their own multiverse. sealing the gates before even greater evils came forth, they chronicled their deeds in case the evil ever would dare to show itself again.

[badassdanddpics]

World Building June: History 2

         As the spark of divinity grows within them, the highborn deities learn to fabricate real souls and set out to create something that doesn't just mimic life. They create beings that resemble themselves, but incorporate aspects that they believe to be the most beneficial. In doing so, they create a diverse number of individuals each with their own advantages eventually becoming the modern races we know today; Dwarfs, elves, halflings, humans, and gnomes. though not true highborn, they show considerable power. As individual empires rose, so did the need for labor to construct and support them. Though there were still many who choose to create workers through the use of golems, others choose to create followers with less limitations on problem solving skills leading to great populations of each race becoming native to certain parts of the world. Alas, as the power of the emperors grew, so did their desire for greater power over even other Highborn. Using their new workforce as soldiers, empires waged war on others, mainly others who choose different characteristics as them. 

          The great war between the god-like emperors began with a tale of betrayal. One elven highborn fell to the temptation of greed; he wished to be the only ruler of the plane he and his brother created together, the Feywild. He had plotted to allow the dwarven armies to march upon the heart of the elven homeland using the Feywild as an unguarded march. sensing a strong presence in the forest, His brother mobilized his armies and counterattacked. Using trickery to separate the advancing armies by removing their sense of direction and creating magical fog to limit their sight, his soldiers decimated the oncoming forces with almost no casualties. Feeling betrayed by the elven Highborn, the animosity of the dwarves toward elves never subsided turning into an almost ending feud between the two races. The Elven Highlord responsible did not escape the consequences of his actions however. after finding about the betrayal, each elven highborn sacrificed a part of their divine spark to throw the brother into what is now known as the elemental plane of shadow, or the Shadowfell.

[dysonshellworld]

Geography

Right after I sort of figured out that the only real way to make gravity happen in the dyson shell that wouldn't require More Suspension of Disbelief than I Was Comfortable With was centripetal force.... it also occurred to me that that system opened up the potential for floating islands, which is My Shit.

I hadn't really done like, a lot of development on them, though, other than just like "idk they're out there on the poles" but as i kept thinking about it it seemed more and more apparent that probably there would be some water out there, too? and I had this thought that water would probably clump around the bases of the islands- and then the water also connects to the actual oceans, bc there needs to be a way that people living on the poles can make it to the equator, so... some kind of boat or submarine is probably how they do it.

This is also the first time i've really had to think about what the interior of the shell looks like at the poles- I didn;t really want it to just be bare metal, so i put in moss. i imagine that it's a mix of mosses and some kind of cell to collect the energy from the 'sun', but i dont know for sure yet.

Anyway, you can kind of see how the poles are a kind of archipelago, and the islands float with a clear view above them of one of the tethers.

[arthopping]

WBJ 2017 - Geography

This one is the beginnings of a map for Cthonic- sort of like just kind of finally putting the thoughts onto, uh, paper?

Anyway so, I named the town that the story takes place in “Storia” just sort of as a placeholder- it was the street we lived on at the time- but it eventually became, like, part of the lore? So anyway the country the story takes place in is basically a Scaled Up Sacramento County, and towns and land features are based on street names in the area.

Shown are the 5 towns that are definitely in this world, Storia, Calvine, Big Horn, Wilhaggin, and Jackson. There's definitely More Cities but they wont be explored much, anyway, since the whole thing takes place in the one town.

I feel like if there’s a capitol, it’s probably Jackson? Anyway the story doesn’t leave Storia much/at all so this is all sort of fluff for my benefit.

[dysonshellworld]

Introduction

It’s time for World Building June!

Instead of focusing ONLY on the Dyson Shell World like I did last year, I'm just gonna follow the muse and work with whatever world i feel like I can come up with something for for any given prompt- the ones for this world will go here first of course, but if you wanna keep an eye out for the rest of them, please also check out @arthopping

So:

Here's a doodle for the Shell World. I don't want any of the stories I tell to be explicitly ABOUT the fact that this is a constructed planet, but it definitely informs a lot of the politics of the world, so it's worth exploring at least for my own benefit.  

I imagine that this is a really striking, singular experience: being outside of the shell, with nothing above you but void- maybe even for the first time there's not even the other side of the planet above you, i imagine it's a trip.

Anyway, she's doing some research, probably.  There are a lot of records about the shell in the archives and whoever built it did their best to outline as much about how it works as possible, but the general feeling is "maybe we should do a bunch of our own poking around bc we don’t want to be taken by surprise"

[arthopping]

raise ur hand if you, too, are yelling and preparing for World Building June

[nordic-the-dm]

WBJ Day 2: Geography

Geography is important to consider when planning your adventure. Novice adventurers must rely on their own two feet or maybe the occasional horse - if they’re lucky - to get around without having to hire transport. Maps are rare in this world, even for adventurers, but there are roads everywhere: official government highways, smaller roads between villages, merchant routes, game trails, and secret routes to hideaways. 

Even without maps, there are many things commonly known about the world and its geography. The mountain ranges are all at least visible, the seas are named, the ports to the Infinity Rivers are all relatively accessible by the great highways. 

The Greater Geography of Rhuin

Rhuin is a flat world. It was created when the great Dragon gods emerged from their primordial egg, the shards coming to rest in the moving crystals of the Cosmos, life bursting forth from them to hold and sustain the peoples of Rhuin.

Each major Shard was given a name: Agreste, Eurus, Manaroa, and Selkhet, with many smaller shards drifting around them. Continents and islands dot the landscape of each Shard, creating the cradles of civilization. 

Because the Shards are flat, ships can sail off the edge into the void, so charts of the currents are necessary for any voyage across the vast seas. Additionally, the gods have granted the world ways to get from Shard to Shard: the Infinity Rivers. These rivers flow up from the great continents. Ships can sail up and down them without fear of crashing into each other. Crystals from the Moving Crystal system have embedded themselves in these Rivers over the millennia, leading them to shimmer and glow slightly with a cosmic light, acting as beacons of civilization. Each Shard has built great port cities around these rivers and all trade flowed from them until the advent of airships allowed trade to move more easily across continents.

Each Shard has a unique geography and climate. Agreste is the most varied, with vast seasonal forests, tropical shores, great mountain ranges, and scorching deserts. However, it is also the least populated, with most of the peoples centered in the three large cities or towns that aren’t located far from them and the occasional island village. 

Eurus is full of harsh conditions, biting cold, ragged mountains, and evergreen forests. It is home to most of the frozen landmasses and mostly bisected by the Dyatlov Mountain Range that runs down the continent. 

Manaroa consists entirely of tropical islands, big and small. These islands vary slightly in climate, some having small deserts, some producing great seafaring nations with small agricultural societies, some made of swamps, and some adapting agriculture to produce specialty goods such as sugars, fruits, stimulants, and potion materials. 

Finally, Selkhet is a great desert shard made up almost entirely of one continent. Its societies have sprung up around the largest rivers running through the continent or around a nomadic lifestyle of trade and oasis camps. 

The Underdark runs through each Shard, but the societies of the Underdark vary just as much as their above ground counterparts, influenced in climate as much as the continents above them. 

There is still much to explore in the world, ruins of ancient civilizations and not so ancient kingdoms, vast, dangerous forests, islands of the seas, and the expansive valleys and caverns of the mountains and the Underdark. This is where the adventurers of my game come into play. Go forth, wanderers, and explore!

[nordic-the-dm]

WBJ 9: Religion & Cosmology

The gods are very real and very active in the affairs on Rhuin. There are many gods, both major and minor. They draw power from the cosmos and from the peoples that worship them. They are far reaching and all powerful and some are more active than others within their creations. They are to be feared by mortals in all they do, for their whims could crush the peoples of Rhuin without second thought. Yet many enjoy what they consider the banal trivialities faced by mortal existence and will do what they can to make their lives more interesting. The gods enjoy the tributes left to them by the peoples of the world, whether given through fear or reverence or both. They will also nurture the minor gods that they feel fall under their domains to care for and keep them from falling into the clutches of the Devil Lords and Demons of the Abyss and the Nine Hells.

 The Major Gods came forth from the Moving Crystals of the great Primordial Sea. Some simply emerged, some came from light, and some came from primordial eggs. They built the worlds and the peoples from nothing, spreading their power and their legacy through the Primordial Sea. They dwell within the Heavenly Sphere, beyond the Primordial Sea, apart from the demons, devils, and mortal peoples. There are 16 Major Gods in total, which I will not list here because that is a lot of names to type and I'm unhealthily lazy sometimes. I also want to get some more posts up here before the end of the week and the last two were very long. These Major Gods cannot die and none can ascend to the status of Major God, though minor gods (in theory) can gain enough worshippers to almost match them in power. Pandolina is the only minor god to come close to this, but she is very regional.

 The first to emerge were the great dragon twins, Bahamut and Chemosh, who burst from their primordial egg and brought about the creation of the world. Their flight and battles through the cosmos ended with the formation of the goddesses or darkness and light, who each then sided with one of the dragons and continued to do battle by their sides, becoming the consorts from time to time.

 The Major Gods do not often grace the world with their physical presence, instad choosing to speak through Oracles, Acolytes, and dreams. They send angels and minor gods to do their direct bidding if they cannot find a suitable champion within their worshippers for a specific task, but it would have to be a task of grave importance for a Major God himself to order it completed. For the most part, they are content with merely passively accepting and encouraging worship.

 Worshipping the Gods

It is rare for a person in Rhuin to worship more than one god. He may respect and pray to other gods when in need of their help, but there is usually a primary god that owns his favor. The gods appreciate sole devotion, but will grant boons to those who give them tribute, even if they are not that person's chosen god. It is also rare for a person to not worship any god at all. The gods are very much present on Rhuin. There is little doubt to their power and their existence. Even if a person chooses not to devote his time to a major god, there are countless minor gods that can answer his spiritual questions.

 Those followers that are singular in their mission to serve their chosen god will become clerics, priests, or paladins, depending on the god and the region. Some will then spend their entire lives in shrines and temples, which others wander the land to spread the word and encourage following the will of their chosen god.

 Champions of the Gods

Most of the gods do not venture to the surface of the worlds very often, but they encourage worship through their clergy, their paladins, and their Champions. Champions are those few that are chosen personally by the gods to do their will through them. Champions alone will receive dreams directly from the gods themselves that tell them what they wish them to do in the world. Other dreams given to the clergy and the paladins come from the angelic messengers of the gods.

 Should a god be on the world, a Champion may have the opportunity to be in the presence of his god and to speak with them directly without turning to dust, but there will always be a physical change to the appearance of the Champion after such an encounter.

 Cosmetology

The world, as mentioned before, is flat, but it drifts gently through the moving crystals. The goddesses Oetni and Tahkisis's Champions raise the moon and the sun for the world every day in a cycle of shifting day and night length to keep one or the other from feeling more powerful. The world becomes warmer when the days are longer from the adoration of Oetni and her joy in giving the people life. The world grows colder when the nights are longer from the scrutiny of Takhisis and her indifference to human suffering.

 Nights are always tinged with a slight pink or purple glow from the moving crystals, which can be seen in the sky at night beyond the atmosphere and emit a slight glow themselves.  This light is not strong enough to negate the need for torches if one does not have the ability to see in the dark, and will sometimes help a monster or bandit mask his presence in the shadows cast by the trees that are just deep enough to be difficult to make out.