Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Gellion 10-15-04, 10:24 PM	I know this foundation has a stnage name, but bear with me here. One of the most important things to me when running a game are place, and fantastic ones at that. Be it the island that is floating in the sky, its various flora swaying in the breeze and its faunu moving about. Or the underground cavern that has a lake with strange types of plants tha emit a luminous glow all around the lake. This foundation is deicated to coming up with fantastic places and good descriptions for these types of places. :)
thasis 10-17-04, 07:53 PM	I am so in (as usual). If you like places check out the Adventures boards. Theres a project called "Lets make a Dungeon" or something like that. It's realy cool. Check it out. It should be on the first page. It's relitivly new yet popular.
Gellion 10-18-04, 06:56 PM	One thing I noticed is that when I am making a world. I tend to focus much mor eon place than on politics. So I ahve a tendency to just gloss over political relations, while focusing on how the world itself looks.
Tenzhi 10-20-04, 02:37 AM	One thing I noticed is that when I am making a world. I tend to focus much mor eon place than on politics. So I ahve a tendency to just gloss over political relations, while focusing on how the world itself looks. I do much the same thing most of the time. My most recent venture is getting more detail than I usually put forth in such endeavors, though. I even created a timeline of important events. And this is the first new worldmap I've made in quite awhile (lately I'd just been recycling the same basic world design for various campaigns). My newest world is bereft of humans and elves. The main pupulace is made up of two varieties of halfling - one is short, round, and mogolian-esque; the other is taller and thinner posessing the less-mongoloid asian features. As usual, I've gone with a flat-world scheme, though this one is spherical as a whole - just the surface is flat. The map is loosely based off of a yin-yang symbol. One side is a vast continent with a string of lakes/seas, the other an ocean with a string of apparently floating islands that loosely mirror the seas/lakes of the large landmass. The cities and towns of the continent will be based in design on both imperial China and feudal Japan. There will be two main languages, a high speech based on Chinese and a common tongue based on Japanese (which is generally only important to know when it comes to naming conventions). In place of horses is a strange herbivore that is a kind of cross between a hare/jackrabbit and an armadillo. Indigenous species include the flaybit (a flying rabbit that lays multicoloured eggs), various herbivores of the anteloupe variety, maned wolves, giant terrapin (they serve the same general purpose as elephants), pygmy displacer beasts (sort of like wild cats), and more along those lines. Other races include jade dwarves (small size, natural armor from a stony hide that comes in all the colours of jade), tengu, kitsune, kappa, dragons (oriental variety; come in smaller and larger sizes than traditional dragons), half-dragons, kobolds (furred variety; lives mostly in the northlands; considered barbaric), spirit folk, hengeyokai, half-oni, and a reclusive race of mountain gnomes called "Shao-lin" ( :D ). There may be a race of thri-kreen/mantis warriors somewhere, too. The island chain is ruled by ogre-magi who have a slave race of oni (think red goblins with a penchant for making machines). The world has two suns - one large and one small - which rise in the east (scorching the edges of the continent as they do) and set in the west (causing the ocean to steam and boil). The suns are actually dragons flying across the sky in a race. During the summer months the smaller dragon flies beneath the larger one and they're even; in winter the larger one flies beneath the smaller, completely obscuring it; in spring the smaller flies in front of the larger, and the reverse is true in autumn. After they reach the other side they turn around and slowly come back, weary and less bright, becoming two moons. They travel back in the reverse manner they went across in the first place - smaller dragon above and obscured by the larger in summer, smaller one below in winter, smaller behind in spring and ahead in fall.
Silmarien Aldalome 10-20-04, 05:34 AM	Hi there Gellion+Tenzhi+Thasis. Well done Gell. @ Tenzhi: what! No Elves! Seriously - very nice. I was curious, is there a rationale for the particular arrangement of sub-races you've chosen, part of the world's history? Here's some Elven Lore of Famous Places (*winks* to get up the Elf Bane's nose). Mythal Arnandahar and Mythal Skybridge Ancient loretomes place Mythal Skybridge in the southern hemisphere of the Known World. Many aeons ago, the three Princedoms of the Elves were settled in a part of the world where the Elf-Forge was at their centre. This was a place nestled in the arms of a forking mountain range: The Rilla Mountains and these run north-south for many hundreds of Leagues. These white-capped mountains are home to a catacomb of passageways - smooth and cunningly crafted by the benevolent Stone Giants and some of their lands were taken by Orcs and it is said, that a Great White Wyrm lies on the treasures of The Vanished Elf Lords deep in the vaults of the earth. In any case, one mountain, a half days walk from the Elf Forge, is separate from the main mountain range, and one can take a broken switch-back road up very high, into the clouds, where the Elves fashioned a great stone bridge, into an arch, that connects the main range to the mountain. it was here that I discovered my powers - when the resonances of Mythal Skybridge called to me - and when the Elves sang to me from the past. Though I was a half-blood - I found my way into the Mythal - and there - exalted - I discovered the truth. As one crosses the Great Bridge, one may command a view of 100 leagues to the south, west and north. To the east, are the Rilla Mountains, and to the north - on a clear day, one can descry from afar the Great Northern Flame - the Ost-In-Edhel and City of Elves, with its seven-towers that climb to such heights that the clouds meet them. Each spire is radiant with one colour and together, they are like a great prism that bends white light and 'tis said that the magic is a Mythal as well. The city is in the Great Forest which is home to many Elves, some of whom, may yet be Loremasters of Elven High Magic - mayhap they have heard of Angrolachon, I cannot tell.... In any case, in the lone mountain, is the former Council Halls of the Elves, now only ruins within, where scattered Tomes may still be found. But, I digress.....for Arnandaher's splendour is beyond all mortal ken. It is the Weave - fashioned and shaped into natural beauty, where all that is living, is imbued with Dweomerheart and Arvandor. Ah, such beauty I have never seen anywhere in the known world. Where grass blade are long and green and blow in the golden rays of sunshine. Unsullied and hale, where natural rock formations Sing with the memory of The Casting and where great trees and mountains blend into living form....
Tenzhi 10-20-04, 05:56 AM	@ Tenzhi: what! No Elves! Seriously - very nice. I was curious, is there a rationale for the particular arrangement of sub-races you've chosen, part of the world's history? Yes, we have no elves today. :) Actually, I usually DO have elves as an important, nefarious part of my campaign so this is a departure from the norm for me. As for the question on sub-races... are you referring to the division of halflings or just the rest of the races altogether? If the former, then it isn't caused by History as I have written it, but it is an important part of it. The history of this world is a conglomeration of Chinese and Japanese stories, folktales, and history woven together into a world that would probably get most D&D purists into an uproar (which is to say that there are ninjas involved somewhere, possibly pirates, and definitely mechs). The recorded history starts with a mounted bandit named Genji Kan and his gang of unruly thugs (all of the mongol-halfling variety) who terrorize the country amassing wealth and power. This causes various heroes (108 heroes, to be exact, a la Water Margin/Outlaws of the Marsh) to unite under the cause of ridding the world of Genji's ilk. To do this they unite the countryside and form the first empire. The rest of the races are simply part and parcel of the oriental feel I'm going for and manage to fit in in certain places in the world. (*winks* to get up the Elf Bane's nose). When you look up my nose, do you like what you see? (cookie to anyone who catches that relatively obscure reference/quote) As usual, your elvish lore is perfect in its pomposity and grandeur. ;)
Silmarien Aldalome 10-20-04, 06:22 AM	would probably get most D&D purists into an uproar That's what we like to hear! I'm afraid I don't get that cookie, though and s usual, your elvish lore is perfect in its pomposity and grandeur High praise Elf-Bane I see - not the case that the Humans and Elves got exterminated for vanity and thinking they're the centre of the universe! ;) We should make this world a Plane of Existence - or something. There will be a way to integrate it - as you see fit or otherwise. Any good world - as pointed out by Gellion - need a number of features, some are physical, some metaphysical or about mythology. Others are bound to culture, history and purpose. I've seen some worlds, where magic has "fault" lines locked to particular geographical features, where the strength and kind of magic may vary depending on where you are located. stav
Silvanus 10-21-04, 11:28 PM	I don't really have anything to contribute at the moment, but I'm posting to let peole know I'm really interested in the subject matter of this group.
Fuzzy Logic Inc. 10-22-04, 12:03 AM	Other races include jade dwarves (small size, natural armor from a stony hide that comes in all the colours of jade), Jade Dwarves? Standard Dwarves with a crazy new name or is there som other twist in there to place them more along the lines of your Eastern feel? Just wondering, being the Dwarf enthusiast I am... ... and in the same vein, I suppose I can add a landmark or two to this thread. Lost Hold and Snowspire Most modern maps do not recrod the location of Snowspire, as the mountain has long since passed from the minds of the younger races. The other reason is that it lies beyond the bounds of most maps that deal with the civilized realms. It is noticeably the tallest peak in the Iron Mountains, standing a good deal higher even when viewed from many leagues away. In the days when the first Dwarves came to Snowspire, it shined like a white beacon in the distance, calling all to the great mount. Today, its peak is wreathed in the continual despair of heavy grey clouds. Legend say that the clouds are actually the smoke from the forges of the Lost Hold. The slopes of Snowspire are sheer and covered in snow. Ice harder than stone forms into crags and crevasses large enough to swallow titans whole. The unforgiving landscape is home to many tribes of Forst Giants and a den of White Wyrms that harry the surrounding lands when food is scare. Hunting around the feet of the mountain, where trees and other vegetation have eeked out an existance for eons, is plentiful. Dire elk and beasts of staggering size provide meat to the Frost Giants and the Dragons. The Iron Mountains stand around the great spire, looking like a crown of jagged stone, creating a vast valley between the roots of the mountains. A couple barbarian tribes of humans live here, though they have not been seen in great numbers for some decades. "Heed my words, Younglings, for I tell the tale of Lost Hold and the dark machinations of the evil that dwells there now. Long ago, before the beards of your grandsires' grandsire were long and grey, the Dwarves lived in the Snowspire. And they prospered. They dug straight into the foot of the mountain and down and down they dug until they reached a giant cavern where molten stone welled up from the bowels of the earth. In those days, the Dwarfhold was known as Stonedeep, you know it now as Lost Hold. Great veins of iron and silver existed beneath the sleeping mountain and there is legend that glittering gemstones lie on the floor like common stone or leaves. A vast city was built in belly of the rocks and of the rock it was created. Black as pitch and gleaming like the ice on the mountain face. Deep into the world they dug, looking for ore and gem. Their stone gates, taller than a dozen men and thick as Moradin's smithing arm, were open to all travelers and their goods were known throughout the region as being of the highest quality. Weeks passed into months and months into years. And, as our kind is wont to do, they existed in that place for many centuries, pulling the precious rocks from their place. But, younglings, there is a limit to what the earth will yield to us. Veins ran dry and deeper they dug until they were a day's or more travel beneath the surface. Day was as night then, and no light could pierce the blackness beneath the earth. When dwarves from the Hall Under the Mountain arrived at behest of the Thane of Lost Hold, they discovered nothing but death and the rank blackness seeping up from the deapths. We sealed the gates to Lost Hold then, our runesmiths carving it with wards of protection in as many languages as we could muster. A fowl magic was worked their, younglings, and only we Dwarves mind what lies in the deep there, waiting to be reborn to the world."
Tenzhi 10-22-04, 12:15 AM	Jade Dwarves? Standard Dwarves with a crazy new name or is there som other twist in there to place them more along the lines of your Eastern feel? As I said: "(small size, natural armor from a stony hide that comes in all the colours of jade)" - from that we can determine that they are different from standard dwarves, being small rather than medium and gaining a natural armor bonus from jade-like flesh. ;)
Silmarien Aldalome 10-22-04, 10:41 PM	Snowspire Losthold Vast underground city, gems on the floors Stonedeep --> Lost Hold Iron and silver Lost Hold and Snowspire Most modern maps do not recrod the location of Snowspire, as the mountain has long since passed from the minds of the younger races. The other reason is that it lies beyond the bounds of most maps that deal with the civilized realms. It is noticeably the tallest peak in the Iron Mountains, standing a good deal higher even when viewed from many leagues away. In the days when the first Dwarves came to Snowspire, it shined like a white beacon in the distance, calling all to the great mount. Today, its peak is wreathed in the continual despair of heavy grey clouds. Legend say that the clouds are actually the smoke from the forges of the Lost Hold. The slopes of Snowspire are sheer and covered in snow. Ice harder than stone forms into crags and crevasses large enough to swallow titans whole. The unforgiving landscape is home to many tribes of Forst Giants and a den of White Wyrms that harry the surrounding lands when food is scare. Hunting around the feet of the mountain, where trees and other vegetation have eeked out an existance for eons, is plentiful. Dire elk and beasts of staggering size provide meat to the Frost Giants and the Dragons. The Iron Mountains stand around the great spire, looking like a crown of jagged stone, creating a vast valley between the roots of the mountains. A couple barbarian tribes of humans live here, though they have not been seen in great numbers for some decades. "Heed my words, Younglings, for I tell the tale of Lost Hold and the dark machinations of the evil that dwells there now. Long ago, before the beards of your grandsires' grandsire were long and grey, the Dwarves lived in the Snowspire. And they prospered. They dug straight into the foot of the mountain and down and down they dug until they reached a giant cavern where molten stone welled up from the bowels of the earth. In those days, the Dwarfhold was known as Stonedeep, you know it now as Lost Hold. Great veins of iron and silver existed beneath the sleeping mountain and there is legend that glittering gemstones lie on the floor like common stone or leaves. A vast city was built in belly of the rocks and of the rock it was created. Black as pitch and gleaming like the ice on the mountain face. Deep into the world they dug, looking for ore and gem. Their stone gates, taller than a dozen men and thick as Moradin's smithing arm, were open to all travelers and their goods were known throughout the region as being of the highest quality. Weeks passed into months and months into years. And, as our kind is wont to do, they existed in that place for many centuries, pulling the precious rocks from their place. But, younglings, there is a limit to what the earth will yield to us. Veins ran dry and deeper they dug until they were a day's or more travel beneath the surface. Day was as night then, and no light could pierce the blackness beneath the earth. When dwarves from the Hall Under the Mountain arrived at behest of the Thane of Lost Hold, they discovered nothing but death and the rank blackness seeping up from the deapths. We sealed the gates to Lost Hold then, our runesmiths carving it with wards of protection in as many languages as we could muster. A fowl magic was worked their, younglings, and only we Dwarves mind what lies in the deep there, waiting to be reborn to the world." Snowspire Losthold Vast underground city, gems on the floors Stonedeep --> Lost Hold Iron and silver lodes Giant black underground cities That's fantastic. ...The Pereldar Verse travels through the aether, moving rapidly as the echo of their Song evokes a fleeting vision as the Scryers parse the lands. Searching first this way - and then - seeing the great white peak amidst the crown of mountains. They are awed at the beauty of the place and feel the disquiet from some ancient Lore - where a passing vision of gem-encrusted floors and then an ancient black citadel fills the mind's eye. The words "Lost Hold" suddenly fill your mind - and the Pereldar shudder at some unknown terror in the Darkness. For that Lore is not Known to any amongst the Half-Elves at this time. Silmarien looks to the Pereldar Library, seeing some empty spaces, where once sat the ancient Tomes of the Dwarf Lords......"That journey" she says as her eyes turn to the outside world and find you reading "to Lost Hold - I fear is one we must make, no matter the risk. For its secrets may alter the course of history and its Banes must not be freed upon the lands...."
Von Crown 10-27-04, 09:04 PM	Well, I'll just have to post here... Haumrest Isle It is a tale oft told in port cities to get children to behave, but in truth Haumrest Isle does exist... for what other explanation could there be for the fact that almost none that go to the Island once famed for it's abundant harvest and great wealth ever return, and those that do rarely live much longer. It has a prosperous island, before the terror came. Now it is a lost land of fog and fear, where the blood of even the mightiest warrior runs cold and the dead walk where the living dare not trod. It is a place so suffused with negative energy that it's very prescence takes a toll on the living. But those that do return tell of an island where the fog is so thick, it's a wonder if you ever find your ship again once on the shore. But one traveler in a small town weaves a tale more sinister still... that at the center of the bleak and blasted landscape rises a spire so tall into the red sky that it seems to defy all logic. It seems that this is the one place the fog does not cling to, and it is more horrific by far. the living dead march in massive regiments around the place, and a fell odor of death permeates the air while a distant organ can be heard playing. It is said that a dark lord rules this tower, sending large forces of lacedons and other aquatic horrors to sink ships and bring blood for their master... Whaddya think?
Von Crown 11-09-04, 09:57 PM	There any reason this thread seems completely dead?
Gellion 11-09-04, 10:05 PM	I dont know why either, it seems not a lot of people are interested in Fantasy Geography. The fact that it slipped to the second page does not help much either. :weep:
thasis 11-09-04, 10:57 PM	I like the whole idea. I'm actualy creating a whole continent right now. So far I have 2 cities and a forest. I'm kinnda building on to the continent as the players explore it though so it might be awile. I actualy just sent the players to the Dragonlance world via magical portal so it might be a while before they come back, especialy with them having to find someone down there.