First Stab at World Building [Archive] - Wizards Community

First Stab at World Building [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Roscoe_Greenbottle
03-17-07, 12:03 AM I working on my first world, and I need some help finishing it up.
The basics I have so far:

The land of ____ is a mixed land with almost anything being able to be found somewhere. Elves are the main race with humans being stockier, tougher men of the edges of the earth. Gnomes and Halflings are native to floating skylands and have led the way in the development of the zeppelin. dwarves deal with most races when they can, trading goods and services

NATIONS:
The major force of the world is recently new compared to the rest. A little over a thousand years ago a new religion was founded. The leader of a small elven city-state had a vision of a strange map in a dream. The map was of the world, but had no borders anywhere, and accompaning it was apparently god himself He told the king that this would be the world of his faith, that the king would start. The only laws were that the creators creation must not be distorted in any way, including magic, and that god was first in the minds and hearts of the kingdom. The pulled all the surrounding city-states together for this goal, and now the empire has become the largest force in the world. It is headed by a split theocracy, emperor, and senate. Because magic is a capitol crime, technology is the way the mid class and up live. Zeppelins are the most common form of long-distance over-earth travel, but commoners still walk. Races are mixed in the center and near racial homelands, but elves are the founding race. People are under strict control of the clerics and religious officials.

The last stronghold of magic is a small republic located on the edges of the empire, and is the most advanced nation, due to its use of magic. It only gives citizenship to mages,but race doesn't matter. Most cities tower into the sky hundreds of feet. The Empire has recently sworn to destroy it.

Two bordering nations that are almost always warring, but almost identicle are the human nation of the North East mountains and the elven forest to the south. The humans live on a high, cold plateau surrounded by mountains. Their nation is millitaristic and tough. The elves live in the forest with nature, preserving the old ways before the creator started his campaign.
The war between them is over the river that leads to a sea in the middle of the Empire. It is the only main route to the riches it holds, because zeppelins are still rare outside the Empire.

Gnomes and Halflings live in peace togehter, but have seperate philosophys on flight. Gnomes build flying crafts and technoloy, while halfings use mounts and creatures. They are in great favor with the Empire, due the the Zeppelins that they produce.

Dwarves never united and live in a mountainous region in seperate city-states, surrounded by the Empire, and trade with everyone the meet.

North of the Empire is a great frozen plain, home to a fierce human warrior nation on its coasts. They have great longships that raid the Empires coastal cities. Inland they breed the worlds strongest horses that they use for the raids.

This is about as much as I have so far, and I'm working on a map at the moment. Please comment and feel free to critize my first try.
imake13
03-17-07, 12:58 AM Cool man. I really like the idea of a mage only nation... that's really cool. Good work so far.
taradusis
03-17-07, 08:43 AM Consider adding a non-human nation like centaurs or minotaurs?Consider buying D20 past for some low tech items to add?Consider adding an archipellago of unexplored islands in the ocean for a pirate or age of exploration type campaign.Consider whether or not to add a megalith like stonehange,standing stones with magical powers if you make the proper sacrifice?Is there a ranger organisation like the texas rangers or the gunslingers from king?Devise a group of elven paratroopers who parachute or use glider cloaks and are based on zepplins( in real life paratroopers never dropped from zepplins,why?)RANDOM THOUGHTS
Roscoe_Greenbottle
03-17-07, 08:37 PM Thanks for the comments so far, I'm working on fleshing out the rest of the world.

There is a new land discoverd in the far NE. A large peninsula cut off from the rest of the new land by large mountains and forest is the farthest people seem to have gotten.

Guns are slightly better than muskets, but only the churhes SS and the emperors guard are allowed to use them. Large cannons are mounted aiming down from the largest zeppelins, allowing for a pseudo-carpet bombing of an area. Zeppelin to zeppelin is uncommon, but when it occurs heavy crossbows are used because of the risk of lighting the troops zeppelin on fire.

Orcs live in the rolling hills just south of the norther plain, and are anmatched and constant enemy for the horse breeders. They aren't evil, more like the way the Empire views the northmen, to the northmen they fight.

The new land is home to fierce goblinoid and minotaurs, who are often at odds with one another, but both hate the elven explorers.
KeshFerrar
03-17-07, 09:05 PM Cool ideas.

Zeppelins will make amazing targets for fireball and lightning bolt wielding wizards.

Concerning paratroopers from zeppelins:
With an air drop you either do stealth or you go in with massive numbers. The zeppelin couldn't pull off stealth because it was too slow. And they couldn't pull of numbers because nations didn't have the money or experience to build zeppelins big enough to drop a sizable amount of troops. By the time nations had the engineering and manufacturing expertise the zeppelin was outdated by the aircraft.

What's the rest of the tech like in this techno-kingdom? Do they trains or steamboats? The technology is from the same era to the zeppelin -- actually that tech came about prior to the zeppelin.

Is the techno-empire the evil industrialists whose dirty and sprawling cities belch black clouds? While the arcane nation is the glittering bastion of hope? Or isn't everything so black and white?
Roscoe_Greenbottle
03-17-07, 09:44 PM Good, someone noticed that not everything is balck and white, and that I never said magic was good and empire was bad. Personally I don't put one above the other... yet.

The rich have nice lives with running water and a victorian style about them, but swords and bows are common due to the ban on guns. I wouldn't go a far as cars, but cycles are a novel thing used by some. They dont use coal or other burning things for industry, because common people haven't had huge changes in their lives from the technology. The people for the most part are faithful in their religion, and beleive what they are told.

There aren't paratroopers, just the bobmbing zeppelins and passenger/cargo zeppelins. The zeppelins and sailing up and down rivers are the only real ways of going to the edges of the empire. The mage nation has flying carts and mounts that are used to travel in the 3D cities, and of course fly and items.
taradusis
03-18-07, 12:10 PM If the technology-based society created a printing press and the magocrats acquired one the magocrats could add to their research libraries at a faster rate?If one side begins adopting the methodology of the other then what?The mages use magic to create a race of guard beasts,The technologists set up breeding farms to produce masses of them?Suppose the mages bred a biological blimp like the ones from Varleys titan series?Suppose the mages bred fire-breathing drakes and trained them to attack zepplins in hordes?RANDOM THOUGHTS
KeshFerrar
03-18-07, 07:16 PM What about the skylands you mentioned? Are they natural or artificial? If they're magical, does the Empire have a problem with their zeppelin builders living on magical islands?

Is there anything that is the focus of the world, a war, or a change in regime? Or is it an open setting with a bunch of possible plot lines for campaign options?
Roscoe_Greenbottle
03-18-07, 08:29 PM The sky lands are natural. They are technically their own kingdom, but the king is just a pupet of the Empire. As for major plot points the only big one is teh Empire starting a crusade against the mage nation. Smaler ones are the Mountain Human/Forest Elf Conflict, and the Northmen raids, and occasional dwarven cities warring.

Oh, and of course tensions between the church, Emperor, and senate for power.
The church is in charge of thir own affairs, and the religious court system. The Emperor declares wars and sets general polocies. The senate smakes laws and similar things.

The mage nation is a republic with all the prominent mages participating in the government, and all citizens voting on major issues. They don't use any Zeppelins to fly, because they are a self contained nation, due to the fact that they are isolated from the world by the Empire. If anyone allies with them, then they have to be able to take on the Empire. They are generally peacful.
KeshFerrar
03-19-07, 08:48 PM I think you need more on the mage nation:

How big are they compared to the Empire? Do they mainly live in the City or are they spread throughout the nation? How do they interact with the Skylands? Do they have covert dealings with the other nations (for the other nations' benefit so the Empire doesn't come down on them)? What are the races that comprise the nation? How dot hey plan to handle the threat of the Empire since it has just recently sworn to wipe them out?

Just a "few" questions.
Roscoe_Greenbottle
03-19-07, 10:12 PM The mage nation I have detailed out more.

For starters it is a small nation, due to it's elite prerequisits(sp?) for citizenship. With only 3 major cities, it is located at the end of a large forested valley, about a hundred miles long, surrounded by the Empire. The Republic its self is about 10 miles by 20. The main city is at the very end of the valley and its buildings stretch up at the highest 800 feet. The other 2 cities are located in some clearings in the valley. The capitol city is a large metropolis, with the 2 smaller ones being small metropolisis. It is surrounded by the edges of the Empire, in isolation. It does deal with the skylands for resources that it lacks due to its size, but mor with merchants than the actual leaders. They are working out plans at the moment to deal with possible extinction. Some say that they should flee to the ocean in the south and go into the unknown, others say fight and die with glory. Still more say that they should ally themselves with the border kingdoms and attempt to take on the Empire.
Any one who is any race and interested or has ability in magic lives there, because it is the place to be for magic, because it is the only "legal" place.
taradusis
03-31-07, 06:56 AM I think preistesses of magical goddesses would be an interesting addition.Isis,hathor or hecate would would combine arcane and divine magic into strengthening the mage republic.Perhaps they could create an "amazon" city within the republic?RANDOM THOUGHTS

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Roscoe_Greenbottle 03-17-07, 12:03 AM	I working on my first world, and I need some help finishing it up. The basics I have so far: The land of ____ is a mixed land with almost anything being able to be found somewhere. Elves are the main race with humans being stockier, tougher men of the edges of the earth. Gnomes and Halflings are native to floating skylands and have led the way in the development of the zeppelin. dwarves deal with most races when they can, trading goods and services NATIONS: The major force of the world is recently new compared to the rest. A little over a thousand years ago a new religion was founded. The leader of a small elven city-state had a vision of a strange map in a dream. The map was of the world, but had no borders anywhere, and accompaning it was apparently god himself He told the king that this would be the world of his faith, that the king would start. The only laws were that the creators creation must not be distorted in any way, including magic, and that god was first in the minds and hearts of the kingdom. The pulled all the surrounding city-states together for this goal, and now the empire has become the largest force in the world. It is headed by a split theocracy, emperor, and senate. Because magic is a capitol crime, technology is the way the mid class and up live. Zeppelins are the most common form of long-distance over-earth travel, but commoners still walk. Races are mixed in the center and near racial homelands, but elves are the founding race. People are under strict control of the clerics and religious officials. The last stronghold of magic is a small republic located on the edges of the empire, and is the most advanced nation, due to its use of magic. It only gives citizenship to mages,but race doesn't matter. Most cities tower into the sky hundreds of feet. The Empire has recently sworn to destroy it. Two bordering nations that are almost always warring, but almost identicle are the human nation of the North East mountains and the elven forest to the south. The humans live on a high, cold plateau surrounded by mountains. Their nation is millitaristic and tough. The elves live in the forest with nature, preserving the old ways before the creator started his campaign. The war between them is over the river that leads to a sea in the middle of the Empire. It is the only main route to the riches it holds, because zeppelins are still rare outside the Empire. Gnomes and Halflings live in peace togehter, but have seperate philosophys on flight. Gnomes build flying crafts and technoloy, while halfings use mounts and creatures. They are in great favor with the Empire, due the the Zeppelins that they produce. Dwarves never united and live in a mountainous region in seperate city-states, surrounded by the Empire, and trade with everyone the meet. North of the Empire is a great frozen plain, home to a fierce human warrior nation on its coasts. They have great longships that raid the Empires coastal cities. Inland they breed the worlds strongest horses that they use for the raids. This is about as much as I have so far, and I'm working on a map at the moment. Please comment and feel free to critize my first try.
imake13 03-17-07, 12:58 AM	Cool man. I really like the idea of a mage only nation... that's really cool. Good work so far.
taradusis 03-17-07, 08:43 AM	Consider adding a non-human nation like centaurs or minotaurs?Consider buying D20 past for some low tech items to add?Consider adding an archipellago of unexplored islands in the ocean for a pirate or age of exploration type campaign.Consider whether or not to add a megalith like stonehange,standing stones with magical powers if you make the proper sacrifice?Is there a ranger organisation like the texas rangers or the gunslingers from king?Devise a group of elven paratroopers who parachute or use glider cloaks and are based on zepplins( in real life paratroopers never dropped from zepplins,why?)RANDOM THOUGHTS
Roscoe_Greenbottle 03-17-07, 08:37 PM	Thanks for the comments so far, I'm working on fleshing out the rest of the world. There is a new land discoverd in the far NE. A large peninsula cut off from the rest of the new land by large mountains and forest is the farthest people seem to have gotten. Guns are slightly better than muskets, but only the churhes SS and the emperors guard are allowed to use them. Large cannons are mounted aiming down from the largest zeppelins, allowing for a pseudo-carpet bombing of an area. Zeppelin to zeppelin is uncommon, but when it occurs heavy crossbows are used because of the risk of lighting the troops zeppelin on fire. Orcs live in the rolling hills just south of the norther plain, and are anmatched and constant enemy for the horse breeders. They aren't evil, more like the way the Empire views the northmen, to the northmen they fight. The new land is home to fierce goblinoid and minotaurs, who are often at odds with one another, but both hate the elven explorers.
KeshFerrar 03-17-07, 09:05 PM	Cool ideas. Zeppelins will make amazing targets for fireball and lightning bolt wielding wizards. Concerning paratroopers from zeppelins: With an air drop you either do stealth or you go in with massive numbers. The zeppelin couldn't pull off stealth because it was too slow. And they couldn't pull of numbers because nations didn't have the money or experience to build zeppelins big enough to drop a sizable amount of troops. By the time nations had the engineering and manufacturing expertise the zeppelin was outdated by the aircraft. What's the rest of the tech like in this techno-kingdom? Do they trains or steamboats? The technology is from the same era to the zeppelin -- actually that tech came about prior to the zeppelin. Is the techno-empire the evil industrialists whose dirty and sprawling cities belch black clouds? While the arcane nation is the glittering bastion of hope? Or isn't everything so black and white?
Roscoe_Greenbottle 03-17-07, 09:44 PM	Good, someone noticed that not everything is balck and white, and that I never said magic was good and empire was bad. Personally I don't put one above the other... yet. The rich have nice lives with running water and a victorian style about them, but swords and bows are common due to the ban on guns. I wouldn't go a far as cars, but cycles are a novel thing used by some. They dont use coal or other burning things for industry, because common people haven't had huge changes in their lives from the technology. The people for the most part are faithful in their religion, and beleive what they are told. There aren't paratroopers, just the bobmbing zeppelins and passenger/cargo zeppelins. The zeppelins and sailing up and down rivers are the only real ways of going to the edges of the empire. The mage nation has flying carts and mounts that are used to travel in the 3D cities, and of course fly and items.
taradusis 03-18-07, 12:10 PM	If the technology-based society created a printing press and the magocrats acquired one the magocrats could add to their research libraries at a faster rate?If one side begins adopting the methodology of the other then what?The mages use magic to create a race of guard beasts,The technologists set up breeding farms to produce masses of them?Suppose the mages bred a biological blimp like the ones from Varleys titan series?Suppose the mages bred fire-breathing drakes and trained them to attack zepplins in hordes?RANDOM THOUGHTS
KeshFerrar 03-18-07, 07:16 PM	What about the skylands you mentioned? Are they natural or artificial? If they're magical, does the Empire have a problem with their zeppelin builders living on magical islands? Is there anything that is the focus of the world, a war, or a change in regime? Or is it an open setting with a bunch of possible plot lines for campaign options?
Roscoe_Greenbottle 03-18-07, 08:29 PM	The sky lands are natural. They are technically their own kingdom, but the king is just a pupet of the Empire. As for major plot points the only big one is teh Empire starting a crusade against the mage nation. Smaler ones are the Mountain Human/Forest Elf Conflict, and the Northmen raids, and occasional dwarven cities warring. Oh, and of course tensions between the church, Emperor, and senate for power. The church is in charge of thir own affairs, and the religious court system. The Emperor declares wars and sets general polocies. The senate smakes laws and similar things. The mage nation is a republic with all the prominent mages participating in the government, and all citizens voting on major issues. They don't use any Zeppelins to fly, because they are a self contained nation, due to the fact that they are isolated from the world by the Empire. If anyone allies with them, then they have to be able to take on the Empire. They are generally peacful.
KeshFerrar 03-19-07, 08:48 PM	I think you need more on the mage nation: How big are they compared to the Empire? Do they mainly live in the City or are they spread throughout the nation? How do they interact with the Skylands? Do they have covert dealings with the other nations (for the other nations' benefit so the Empire doesn't come down on them)? What are the races that comprise the nation? How dot hey plan to handle the threat of the Empire since it has just recently sworn to wipe them out? Just a "few" questions.
Roscoe_Greenbottle 03-19-07, 10:12 PM	The mage nation I have detailed out more. For starters it is a small nation, due to it's elite prerequisits(sp?) for citizenship. With only 3 major cities, it is located at the end of a large forested valley, about a hundred miles long, surrounded by the Empire. The Republic its self is about 10 miles by 20. The main city is at the very end of the valley and its buildings stretch up at the highest 800 feet. The other 2 cities are located in some clearings in the valley. The capitol city is a large metropolis, with the 2 smaller ones being small metropolisis. It is surrounded by the edges of the Empire, in isolation. It does deal with the skylands for resources that it lacks due to its size, but mor with merchants than the actual leaders. They are working out plans at the moment to deal with possible extinction. Some say that they should flee to the ocean in the south and go into the unknown, others say fight and die with glory. Still more say that they should ally themselves with the border kingdoms and attempt to take on the Empire. Any one who is any race and interested or has ability in magic lives there, because it is the place to be for magic, because it is the only "legal" place.
taradusis 03-31-07, 06:56 AM	I think preistesses of magical goddesses would be an interesting addition.Isis,hathor or hecate would would combine arcane and divine magic into strengthening the mage republic.Perhaps they could create an "amazon" city within the republic?RANDOM THOUGHTS