Help me give give a region some personality! - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 theapokalypseshovel Dec 23, 2011 2:09:29	While it's often easy to use genre cliches, it's always more fun when a setting has a unique character to it. So here is the deal: I'm running a homebrew campaign that has just hit paragon tier and the players are starting to become major players in the world. It is an evil campaign and they have begun to step up their plans for world domination, recently securing a mobile base of operations as well as a significant army. Right now they are heading northward and will be entering new territory soon. Unfortunately, I don't have a good idea of the region. I could easily fall back on a stereotypical feudal society, but I'd like to give them something a little more interesting to deal with, a greater sense of identity for the region. This is where you come in! I'd love to hear ideas about what other people have done to make their worlds more unique and get suggestions for developing my own. Here is what I know about the region: Show The region lies on the northern sea (the Moon sea) and is a loose collection of independent powers (no overarching state, mostly just communities looking out for themselves). I imagine it as being mostly rural until the coastline is reached, where larger city-states exist that rely on seatrade for wealth. There are plenty of fantastic elements in the world, but the setting is overall low magic, particularly amongst human societies, who rely on the sweat of their brow to make their way in the world. As such, magocracies and magic-based economies are rare. Instead, magic sort of suffuses the very essence of the world and it manifests itself naturally, turning weapons into magic weapons after being used in great acts or empowering places depending on their bearing. The region to the south is a large forested region called Beland, which has a kind of Sherwood forestesque vibe to it. Beland is also a loose alliance of towns that are built into the forest, with bridgeways that lead from town to town through the forest. The Belish people farm cultivated acorns and walnuts (of large size) with the help of large domesticated squirrels, but also are engaged in lumber farming. They wear felt caps and are excellent archers (practicing since they were children by shooting down nuts from trees to be collected off the ground). Beland does not have a major druidic tradition, but there are a handful of druids in the wilder parts of the woods and the people pay their respects to forest deities and spirits. Even further south, the region where the party is now, is known as Gharj. It is a mix of high steppe and twisted canyons that opens out into a great plain before eventually reaching the forest of Beland. It is a savage land of orc tribes that are in continual conflict over cattle and territory. They have a complex society that evolved out of the might-makes-right mentality and an esoteric understanding of ownership. The players are really enjoying the culture and history I have developed for the place and I would like to keep it up.
#2 pluisjen Dec 23, 2011 2:39:57	First thing that comes to mind when I read "city states" is THIS IS SPARTA! Hobgoblins lend themselves really well to that kind of society; the somewhat civilised kind anyway.
#3 yellowdingo Dec 23, 2011 6:20:23	Anyone attempting to improve inland trade may be constructing stone paves roads, causeways and bridges to link major market and resource communities...hence the stone quarries being set up at various sites with some local fortress to control the resource. The Trade Road communities Poul Hill is a timber palisade behind which a village and a hill being quarried (as opposed to a stone fortress on the hill) are located. The village is all smokey and loud with labourers. their monoeconomy precludes grain agriculture so they bring grain in by the roadway under construction on mules to supplement their vegetable gardens. The Quarries export 152 tons of stone per month (10 stone cutters and another 20 supporting labourers) which is sufficient stone to pave 50' long/20' wide/1 feet thick road per month. They recently broke through into caves under the hill and there have been a few strange critters down there in need of extermination. The Goll Crossroads is dominated by the feature of a watch tower and an Inn. The Goll Inn serves up to two hundred occupants (with stabling) and is almost a timber fortress in its own right. Current movement of resources means up to ten wagons are passing through the crossroads every half hour meaning that without the watchtower and its guards to break up fights and keep traffic moving - there would be a traffic jam. An attack here by hobgoblins recently caused a day long traffic jam. Destroyed wagons were pulled off the road. River Communities Most trade probably currently happens along rivers so some communities will only be reachable by river. On the River are communities like: Hobsbridge which is a sort of crossroads (river vs. road) with industrial kilns, clay diggings, timber mills, and docks on one side and residential housing on the other - to provide some degree of freedom from the industrial polution. The only bridge is heavy timber (a stone one is planned when the stone road reaches Hobsbridge). There is massive riverboat traffic here. Kolenswash which is a village built on a hill overlooking a gravel bend in the river. The hill itself is an ancient fortress of brickwork beneath which is a forgotten cistern. There is little in the way of interest here and the locals are secretive. Few river travellers stop here. Coastal Trade Ports The Great Stairs is a mile wide staircase rising out of the ocean. At the top is the giant Burial Crypt of the Seven Kings of Ull which was cleared out and turned into a Guild Hall that governs the port and its trade. The Stairs are teeming with small traders, charlatans, hawkers and all manor of thief and villain out for a profit. The only thing that brings out the guardsmen with their pikes is any kind of riot. Ships actually drop anchor in the harbour and offload cargo to small boats which sell their wares right there at the bottom of the Stairs.
#4 Krusk Dec 23, 2011 9:51:43	I notice you say the general setting is low magic. To me low magic is only interesting if there are few random spots of high magic thrown in. There are only so many different ways to seperate a low magic city from the next one, especially if you want to keep a running theme. Stolen from someone else because it was so awesome I was going to put them in my next game (and greatly expanded on). City built on the back of a wild wild west style spider. In your setting, as they are in the north, they can follow the migrations of mammoth, which they hunt. (Using harpoons shot from the underbelly of the city). You can totally have low magic cave people who resent/fear the fortress but what can they do about it. (Howels Moving castle). Occasionally they attempt to go to war with it, but its fairly powerful, and has mages. It easily beats them back, but then wanders off after its new herd. The spider should be metal if you want steampunk style, an actual reanimated giant spider skeleton if you want evil necromancers, and wood if you want crazy druids.

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

theapokalypseshovel

Dec 23, 2011 2:09:29

While it's often easy to use genre cliches, it's always more fun when a setting has a unique character to it. So here is the deal:

I'm running a homebrew campaign that has just hit paragon tier and the players are starting to become major players in the world. It is an evil campaign and they have begun to step up their plans for world domination, recently securing a mobile base of operations as well as a significant army. Right now they are heading northward and will be entering new territory soon. Unfortunately, I don't have a good idea of the region. I could easily fall back on a stereotypical feudal society, but I'd like to give them something a little more interesting to deal with, a greater sense of identity for the region.

This is where you come in! I'd love to hear ideas about what other people have done to make their worlds more unique and get suggestions for developing my own.

Here is what I know about the region:

Show

The region lies on the northern sea (the Moon sea) and is a loose collection of independent powers (no overarching state, mostly just communities looking out for themselves). I imagine it as being mostly rural until the coastline is reached, where larger city-states exist that rely on seatrade for wealth.

There are plenty of fantastic elements in the world, but the setting is overall low magic, particularly amongst human societies, who rely on the sweat of their brow to make their way in the world. As such, magocracies and magic-based economies are rare. Instead, magic sort of suffuses the very essence of the world and it manifests itself naturally, turning weapons into magic weapons after being used in great acts or empowering places depending on their bearing.

The region to the south is a large forested region called Beland, which has a kind of Sherwood forestesque vibe to it. Beland is also a loose alliance of towns that are built into the forest, with bridgeways that lead from town to town through the forest. The Belish people farm cultivated acorns and walnuts (of large size) with the help of large domesticated squirrels, but also are engaged in lumber farming. They wear felt caps and are excellent archers (practicing since they were children by shooting down nuts from trees to be collected off the ground). Beland does not have a major druidic tradition, but there are a handful of druids in the wilder parts of the woods and the people pay their respects to forest deities and spirits.

Even further south, the region where the party is now, is known as Gharj. It is a mix of high steppe and twisted canyons that opens out into a great plain before eventually reaching the forest of Beland. It is a savage land of orc tribes that are in continual conflict over cattle and territory. They have a complex society that evolved out of the might-makes-right mentality and an esoteric understanding of ownership. The players are really enjoying the culture and history I have developed for the place and I would like to keep it up.

pluisjen

Dec 23, 2011 2:39:57

First thing that comes to mind when I read "city states" is THIS IS SPARTA!

Hobgoblins lend themselves really well to that kind of society; the somewhat civilised kind anyway.

yellowdingo

Dec 23, 2011 6:20:23

Anyone attempting to improve inland trade may be constructing stone paves roads, causeways and bridges to link major market and resource communities...hence the stone quarries being set up at various sites with some local fortress to control the resource.

The Trade Road communities

Poul Hill is a timber palisade behind which a village and a hill being quarried (as opposed to a stone fortress on the hill) are located. The village is all smokey and loud with labourers. their monoeconomy precludes grain agriculture so they bring grain in by the roadway under construction on mules to supplement their vegetable gardens. The Quarries export 152 tons of stone per month (10 stone cutters and another 20 supporting labourers) which is sufficient stone to pave 50' long/20' wide/1 feet thick road per month. They recently broke through into caves under the hill and there have been a few strange critters down there in need of extermination.

The Goll Crossroads is dominated by the feature of a watch tower and an Inn. The Goll Inn serves up to two hundred occupants (with stabling) and is almost a timber fortress in its own right. Current movement of resources means up to ten wagons are passing through the crossroads every half hour meaning that without the watchtower and its guards to break up fights and keep traffic moving - there would be a traffic jam. An attack here by hobgoblins recently caused a day long traffic jam. Destroyed wagons were pulled off the road.

River Communities
Most trade probably currently happens along rivers so some communities will only be reachable by river. On the River are communities like:

Hobsbridge which is a sort of crossroads (river vs. road) with industrial kilns, clay diggings, timber mills, and docks on one side and residential housing on the other - to provide some degree of freedom from the industrial polution. The only bridge is heavy timber (a stone one is planned when the stone road reaches Hobsbridge). There is massive riverboat traffic here.

Kolenswash which is a village built on a hill overlooking a gravel bend in the river. The hill itself is an ancient fortress of brickwork beneath which is a forgotten cistern. There is little in the way of interest here and the locals are secretive. Few river travellers stop here.

Coastal Trade Ports

The Great Stairs is a mile wide staircase rising out of the ocean. At the top is the giant Burial Crypt of the Seven Kings of Ull which was cleared out and turned into a Guild Hall that governs the port and its trade. The Stairs are teeming with small traders, charlatans, hawkers and all manor of thief and villain out for a profit. The only thing that brings out the guardsmen with their pikes is any kind of riot. Ships actually drop anchor in the harbour and offload cargo to small boats which sell their wares right there at the bottom of the Stairs.

Krusk

Dec 23, 2011 9:51:43

I notice you say the general setting is low magic. To me low magic is only interesting if there are few random spots of high magic thrown in. There are only so many different ways to seperate a low magic city from the next one, especially if you want to keep a running theme.

Stolen from someone else because it was so awesome I was going to put them in my next game (and greatly expanded on). City built on the back of a wild wild west style spider. In your setting, as they are in the north, they can follow the migrations of mammoth, which they hunt. (Using harpoons shot from the underbelly of the city). You can totally have low magic cave people who resent/fear the fortress but what can they do about it. (Howels Moving castle). Occasionally they attempt to go to war with it, but its fairly powerful, and has mages. It easily beats them back, but then wanders off after its new herd. The spider should be metal if you want steampunk style, an actual reanimated giant spider skeleton if you want evil necromancers, and wood if you want crazy druids.