History of the World, Part Three

572 A.C.

King Arturias

Even in the midst of this Dark Age a flicker of hope emerged. A boy is born, nurtured by a wizard of considerable power (Merlin). His name is Arturias, and in his veins flows the blood of the once proud line of Emperors of Namoria. Where his father, Uther, failed, Arturias (or Arthur, as his name came to be pronounced in the emerging 'Westron' tongue) succeeded, forging an alliance of petty rulers on the border of Wendar and Bretonnia. By 577, he had won over nearly all of the former Western Imperial provinces of Bretonnia, Wendar, Reynardy and Darokin. Though some of this was through force of arms, much more was achieved through diplomacy and Arthur's personal charisma and vision. Simply put, the people were ready to believe that there was something out there better than the dread they had endured through the fall of the Empire and the darkness that followed. Ultimately, Arthur is crowned king of this 'Holy Empire' and sets about rebuilding and recovering much of what had been lost—starting with the security of the people under his rule. To this end, he establishes an order of Knighthood unlike anything the world had ever seen—dedicated to the defense of the people rather than their own interests. Great knights arose from this order: Lancelot and Roland of Reynardy, Gareth and Gawain of Bretonnia, Oliver of Darokin, The Warrior Maiden Bradamante of Wendar and many more. Arthur forges strong alliances with non-human races as well. The Kings of Daengar and Sylvanor (dwarves and elves) see in him a rare foresight most humans (to them) seem to lack. Indeed, the Elven population of Wendar throw their wholehearted support behind the young king. 

600 A.C.

The Fall of Camelot

Arthur's Holy Empire halts the downward spiral of the West. But alas, this shining time was not to last. Even from the start, the Arthur was plagued by enemies. In 578 he turned back a Ylari invasion through Spaña. Roland fell here, guarding a mountain pass against a vicious Ylari counterattack. In 588, an Ethengarian Horde makes another attempt at an invasion of the West—but they too are shattered by Arthur and his knights. In 590, Nordian barbarians once again begin to raid the coasts. But through it all—and through increasing hardship at home—Arthur and Camelot endured and prospered. It would all come to an end, however, in 600. A massive Denagothian army of humanoids, evil knights and fell beasts under the banner of Arthur's bastard son Mordred and his mother Morgana assail the kingdom. In the final, titanic battle—fought at the gates of Camelot itself, both armies were devastated and Arthur himself was slain. What was left of the Denagothian army was driven back into their lands, but the damage had been done.

643 A.C.

The New West

Though Camelot was not to endure, Arthur had succeeded in bringing Europe out of the dark ages. His Holy Empire fragmented after his death, but even fighting between the various would-be kings did not cause it to slip back too far. In 643, the Kingdom of Reynardy is formed under Charles, a powerful knight and warrior. This would be the first of the large, feudal kingdoms that would spring up in the wake of Camelot—most of which were actually modeled after Arthur's mold (though none would quite achieve its glory). 

700 A.C.

The Shires

More than any other land, Wendar suffered from the fall of Camelot. The entire realm had served as a battleground for the war between Arthur and Denagoth. Only a few small towns survived. The Elves living in the Eastern reaches of Wendar retreated into their forests to try and recover their strength. The men gathered where they could to try and rebuild. And into this vacuum came a people who, until this point, had been without a homeland of their own. Most races called them 'Halflings', but these little people called themselves the 'Hin'. They had long lived in the shadow of other nations, most notably in wendar and bretonnia. A simple, agrarian people by nature, Hin were also notable for their surprising resilience and ingenuity (when pressed). Like many displaced by the war against Denagoth and the subsequent fracturing of the holy empire, the Hin were just looking for a safe place to try and rebuild. They found it among the ruins of a de-populated Wendar. Growing from a single, small settlement, they soon took possession of a large portion of West-Central Wendar—dividing the lands into five different shires. Some brutish local barons (human) tried several times to 'annex' the shires or even drive out the 'invaders', but the Hin proved remarkably adept and stubborn in the defense of their new realm. They were here to stay. Many of the other residents of Wendar welcomed the presence of this staunch ally—seeing the Shires both as a bulwark against villainy and a breadbasket to help supplement their own meagre food supplies.

714 A.C.

The Nordian Empire

In the early 700's, a power-struggle among the Jarls of the Northlands ultimately resulted in one ruthless man coming to power as the first overall 'King' of Nordia—Sven "Forkbeard". He was not simply content to raid the 'weak' southern states of 'civilized' mankind. He wanted to extend his rule. And thus he fell upon the land of Bretonnia, conquering its most powerful ruler Ethelred (hereafter known as 'The Unready'). But even as he took possession of these lands, rebels in his vassal states back home broke away from the Tyrant Sven. Vestland, Kernmark, Soderfjord. Sven quickly found it was more difficult to maintain an Empire than it was to gain one.

723 A.C.

Birth of Kingdoms

Following the lead of Reynardy some eighty years earlier, Darokin is finally unified under a single King, Ansel. Years later, in 742, Nordian rule of Bretonnia was finally broken as well and a single King, Eadmund, ruled the unified realm. In 780, the far off realm of Kranovia was finally unified—modeled after the Namorian empire, complete with a 'czar' (caesar) on the throne. Also during this time, the Ylari possession of Spaña had been challenged, with vatic Knights driving the 'moors' (as they called them) further south down the peninsula. Three minor kingdoms, Leon, Castille and Aragon are formed during this time.

803 A.C.

Changing Times

Even as Kingdoms flourished across the face of Europe, new iterations of old ideas began to creep into some realms. The Dwarves, having lived with the same government and social order for centuries, found an unfamiliar change overtaking them. Contact with the outside world had brought new ideas as well as an unexpected population growth due to trade. But with the uncertainties of human politics, food from outside was not always assured. Thus a new caste of worker had grown up—Farmers in the great lake valleys of Daengar. This was a very 'undwarflike' profession. And despite the practicality of it, Dwarven farmers—and indeed even those traders and craftsmen who spent more time above ground then below—were seen as second class citizens. As such, this growing class found themselves without a voice in the Dwarven council. And so it was that a new clan was formed, the Wyrwarf, to speak for these disenfranchised 'hill dwarves'. Though initially resisted by the other, established clans, the Wyrwarf were just as stubborn as their kindred and were eventually (no matter how grudgingly) accepted onto the council of clans. But Daengar wasn't the only place to see change. On the Minrothad Isles, the feudal government was quickly overtaken by powerful merchant guild families who took over rule through a council of guildmasters. In Darokin, their King Sandthrall II is killed in battle with Mountain Orcs—dying without an heir. Rule of that realm falls to an Oligarchy of powerful nobles and merchant houses.

866 A.C.

Reynardy and Bretonnia

Being two of the earliest organized and most powerful kingdoms in Europe, it was bound to happen that Reynardy (France) and Bretonnia (England) would eventually come to odds. After years of border skirmishes and political maneuvers, it was the Reynardians who took the first decisive step. In 866, Duke William of the Reynardian province of Normandie, led an invasion of Bretonnia and quickly defeated it's king Harold. Thus began Bretonnia's mixed Norman and Breton heritage that would give the culture the unique flavor it has to this very day. This would also mark the first major point in the 'feud' between the two nations. For despite William's status as a Reynardian noble, his loyalty, and that of his heirs, would soon lie with their own Kingdom of Bretonnia, rather than their ancestral homelands in Reynardy.

895 A.C.

The Crusades

Despite the 'settling' of the contentions between Reynardy and Bretonnia, much of Europe was plagued by low-scale conflict on the borders between the various realms. Many saw this as the byproduct of too many young Knights and not enough immediate enemies for them to prove themselves against (this was a debatable theory, however, considering the number of humanoid and monstrous menaces still present in the wilderness regions of Europe). In any case, the Vatic church finally decided to do something about it—to try and focus this energy to a more productive cause. Of course by this time, the Vatic church as an organization was perhaps not as true to its calling as it had been in the past. Some churchmen now took their positions to enhance their own worldly power—and wealth. And so it was that the Crusades began—driven on by Religious fervor and a veiled greed for wealth and dominion. The first Crusade was launched in 895 in response to a call for help from the Emperor Gabronius of Namoria, who was losing ground in his struggle against the Sindians. Thousands of Westron knights answered the call. Marching across the breadth of Europe, they finally reached the borders of Sind. Alongside the Namori, they not only turned back the assault, but drove on further into the desert realm to sack and conquer many of its western cities and towns. Though some Crusaders took these dominions to rule as their own, most eventually reverted back to Sindian control, either through force-of-arms or abandonment by Westron rulers. 

The Second Crusade was launched in 947 against the Ylari remaining in the Spañan peninsula. They were driven back to their southernmost refuges in Corduva and Grenada, and the Kingdom of Castille made great gains in territory. In the wake of this Crusade, a particularly extreme religious movement first organized. Calling itself the 'Inquisition', this group of fanatic priests set about trying to convert or kill any who did not accept the Vatic faith. The rulers of the Spañan kingdoms turned a blind eye to the Inquisitions increasingly brutal tactics, partly because they served their own needs, but also out of fear of this shadowy organization.

In both cases, these crusades began with righteous zeal on the part of many participants. But in both cases, many involved lost their way, and the moral high ground, by falling to greed and material gain.

History of the World, Part Two

Oh, and in case you haven't noticed, this is pretty much the history of 'Western Civilization' in my world. Didn't get a chance to do the whole world yet ;)

113 A.C.

The Pax Namoria

Despite the 'eccentricities' and inconsistencies of the heirs of Octavian, the first century of the Empire sees dramatic growth and development. To the North, the lands of Bretonnia and Wendar are conquered (though the latter is actually 'ceded' to the Empire by Sylvanor to serve as a buffer between that realm and the wild lands to the north and east). Towards the end of the century, Ravenovia and parts of Sind (Mesopotamia) are conquered as well—marking the largest extent of the Empire. There is even an abortive attempt by the Empire (under the mad Nero) to invade Sylvanor and Daengar, but for the most part, much of the continent sees unparalleled growth and prosperity.

275 A.C.

Decline of Empire

The throne of the Emperor continued to attract all manner of woe, even as the Empire persisted. Men rose and fell. Poisonings, betrayals and even civil wars began to fracture the solidarity of the realm—and at one of the worst possible times. In the far northlands, the Giants of Jotunheim united under a series of charismatic leaders. They drove south into the lands of men, accompanied by hordes of lesser humanoids. Nordian barbarians, pressed by this assault, moved south as well—crashing against and through the northern borders of the Empire (Wendar and Bretonnia) and continuing south. 

313 A.C.

Birth of the Vatic Faith

In the midst of all this chaos, a new religion had been taking root in the Empire—the Vatic faith (named after the Talean city in which it was born). In this faith, the division of religion into various sects—each dedicated to an individual patron—is set aside in favor of a more unified and enlightened approach. This is accompanied by many reforms in theological process to encourage the church to serve the people instead of the other way around. Of course this met with a great deal of resistance from the existing religious orders and the nobility—but the power of true spiritual magic that the Vatic priesthood wielded as well as their personal persistence eventually won the day. In 313 A.C. Emperor Constantine adopted the Vatic faith as the state religion of the Namorian Empire. The symbol of this faith was the Sun, often represented by a cross of four points, backed with a smaller, diagonal cross of four points.

365 A.C.

The Sundering of Namoria

Despite the rapidly increasing strength of the Vatic faith, the Namorian Empire continued to decline in the face of barbarian and humanoid invasions, internal corruption and continual squabbling over the throne. In 365 it was decided to divide the Empire in  two—to make each half easier to control. That was the theory in any case. In reality, neither East nor West was prepared for the continuing strife. More and more provinces were simply abandoned: Bretonnia, Wendar, Africa, Nithia (Egypt) were increasingly left to their own devices.

432 A.C.

Birth of the Ylari Faith

Based upon the mediations, philosophy and lifelong quest of a holy man named Al-Kalim, a new faith begins to spread through the Ylari peninsula—and then quickly through Sind, Nithia and Northern Africa. Much like the newly ordained Vatic faith, the Ylari was a re-examination and restructuring of many existing faiths, folding many cultural patrons into an entirely new belief system. And again like the Vatic, the Ylari faith was initially resisted by by the established order—until the true spiritual power of its adherents silenced all doubters. The symbol for this faith was the crescent moon.

450 A.C.

The Jun Horde

All the strife leading up to the dividing of the Namorian Empire paled, however, in comparison to the onslaught of the Jun. The Ethengarian Steppe had long been home to bands of horse nomads—but until this time, they had always been too disorganized and divided to pose any serious threat to an organized defense.  All that changed under the great Khan Attila. Sheer force of will allowed him to gain control of a huge horde composed of many different tribes—all united in a single purpose: the sack of the Westron realms. But it was not simply numbers that make the horde so fearsome. Their mounted combat tactics, matched with a newfound skill in siege warfare caught everyone by surprise. All peoples, barbarian and 'civilized'  alike, were swept before this tide of destruction. Both Namorian Empires sought to use and manipulate the Jun to their own ends (or at the very least deflect their wrath upon other peoples), but in the end, Attila proved craftier than the most corrupt Namori politician. For a year, the Jun crushed all in their path. In 451, a costly battle in the far fields of Reynardy (against a force of allied Nordian Barbarians and Namori legions) finally forced them to turn back. Even then, they lingered, settling in central Europe to continue their raids into the Eastern and Western empires. In 452, Attila plunged all the way down the Talean Peninsula to threaten Vatica—the capital of the west. As the Jun's breached the city defenses and the Emperor fled aboard his private galley, Patriarch Leo of the Vatic church went forth to confront Attila himself. The sheer force of the holy man's righteous zeal gave he barbarian king pause—as did the display of spiritual magic the Patriarch invoked. Cowed for the first time, the Jun retreated from the city, and indeed out of Talea itself. Attila turned his gaze towards the Eastern empire then, but his campaign there was cut short when the great Khan died at his latest wedding celebration. The Jun fell to infighting, with most tribes eventually retreating (or being driven) back east, onto the Steppe.

476 A.C.

The Fall of the West

With the immediate threat of the Jun horde gone, the alliance of necessity between Nordian barbarians and the Namori empire fell through. A combination of greed and betrayal on both sides led to a new wave of invasions against both East and West. It was in the West that this stroke fell hardest. The Empire collapsed, with Nordian tribes sweeping through Darokin, Talea, Reynardy and Spaña. Even the Patriarch in Vatica could not prevent the sacking of his city this time. The East fared little better, with all its European possessions being overrun and the crown city of Namoria placed under siege. It seemed as if nothing could stand against the wrath of the Northmen. Emperor Bascilicus did little but lament the failures of his underlings—who in turn blamed those beneath them. The rotten core of the Empire was finally getting its comeuppance. But a savior arose from the unlikeliest of places—the slave pits of the great Arena of Namoria. Promised freedom by the Empress, a Nordian gladiator hero named Thrainkell organized a band of fellow slave-warriors who managed to turn the tide of the siege. So feared and respected was this man that he gained the loyalty of the remnants of the Imperial legions—whom he lead in a brilliant campaign to reclaim much of the Eastern Empire's continental territories. General Thrainkel returned to Namoria triumphant, discovering that in his absence the Emperor had died of a mysterious illness. In a shocking turn of events, the Empress took Thrainkel as her husband, making him the first non-Namori Emperor. This signified a huge change in Namoria. Under Thrainkel, many former Nordian 'enemies' were given a home within the Empire, provided that they in turn defend it from other barbarians. This influx of people caused a melding of cultures that formed the basis of Western civilization to come—and indeed gradually spawned the Westron 'common' language, which is a mixture of Nordian and Namorian. (OOC: Westron is essentially English).

525

Ylari "Empire of Faith"

With its core in Ylaruam, Sind and Nithia, the Ylari faith spreads. It's teachings win over the peoples of North Africa and Makistan (in the far East), but it is through the sword that the word of Al-Kalim first spreads into Europe. The former Namori province of Spaña falls under the sway of Ylari Emirs, as do many of the isles of the Mediterranean. As the Ylari press against Talea and Namoria the Vatic and Ylari faith come into direct confrontation—setting the stage for an enduring religious conflict. Despite it's unified front, however, this "Empire of Faith" begins to show cracks, resulting in a major religious schism in 550 when Sind and much of the Eastern most Ylari territories adopt a stricter and more warlike interpretation of the doctrine—urging the destruction of all 'infidels'. The western Ylari struggle to maintain a more moderate outlook. This conflict gives the Westron Vatic countries some breathing room. Indeed, if the schism hadn't happened, it is possible the whole of the West may have fallen again.

540 A.C.

The Dark Ages

Despite the survival of the Eastern Namori Empire, much of Europe (and indeed the Empire itself) was left in a shambles in the wake of decades of warfare, chaos and disease. Europe was divided into the petty kingdoms of Nordian warlords, ruling over mixed populations former Namori citizens and their own people. Vatic priests did what they could to help the lot of the common man—but found it difficult at first to make headway against the fierce Nordian religious traditions. Still, the spiritual power of the Vatic priests was formidable, and to many wearied by the years of strife, the message of peace and brotherhood was an appealing one. Much of the lore and science developed by the Namori had been swept away in the invasions—but here again the Vatic priests did what they could to preserve what remained. Despite all these efforts, the wars and diseases continued—a seemingly endless cycle that would surely drive the West in a downward spiral.

History of the World, Part One

In looking at what I liked about various fantasy settings, there always seemed to be one common thread: a history. This is no surprise considering my love of history. But it isn't just that—I feel that having a background to a world not only adds a lot of depth, it also opens the doors to all kinds of adventure ideas—ancient evils or places that might come back into play. All that.  So without further ado, here is a brief (I hope) version of my fantasy world's history. You will note that it is (like the world itself) a melding of various real-world and fantasy settings.

200 Million B.C. (Before Crowning of the First Emperor of Namoria)

Age of the Saurians

This is the age of dinosaurs. They rule the earth unopposed for millions of years. Some 67 million years BC a sentient saurial species evolves and achieves a highly advanced civilization. These 'lizard men' develop extremely advanced 'magical technology', using it to alter the world as they see fit. Unfortunately, it is this technology (and the influence of malign forces) which brings about a planetary cataclysm. This ends the age of the dinosaurs and destroys Saurian civilization. Those few lizard-men who survive are reduced to savages and continue to evolve into various subspecies (Lizard-Men, Troglodytes, Kuo-Toa, etc.). This blast of magic is also responsible for the birth of many magical species—most notably the Dragons.

2.5 Million BC

Rise of the Humanoids

Various mammalian humanoid species begin to evolve: Elves in the forests of what would be Europe; Dwarves in the Mountains of the Himalayas; Humans in the wilderness of Africa, etc..Various Humanoid species begin to evolve as well—most of which begin as humanoids, but are twisted by dark forces into beastial mockeries (these are the Orcs, Goblins, Gnolls, etc.) These (and other) races generally achieve their 'modern' forms around 250,000 B.C.

100,000 B.C.

Elven and Dwarven Empires

Elven culture achieves an advanced  civilization, based largely upon magic. They begin to explore and expand throughout Europe, warring or allying with other tribes as they discover them. Ultimately, they contact the Dwarves. After some initial hostilities and misunderstandings, a partnership is formed. Dwarves provide skilled metalwork in return for various trade goods. This contact allows the Dwarven culture of the himalayas to quickly civilize and begin their own expansion. Around 60,000 B.C. The various Elven realms are united in one great Kingdom of Sylvanor. The Dwarves soon follow suit with their own Mountain Empire. At this point, humankind continued its very primitive existence, though some tribes were 'elevated' by their Elven and Dwarven neighbors (indeed, Elves began to take more and more humans into their culture as a lower 'servant' caste). 

40,000 B.C.

The Dark Age

Though achieving many wonders, the Elven and Dwarven empires eventually began to decay from within (a process helped along by dark, supernatural forces). This would eventually divide the two long-time allies, sparking a series of border wars that kept them distracted from the real threat growing in the wilds of the asian continent. Demonic forces had been gathering a vast horde of humanoid tribes and other fell beasts. Under infernal guidance, this force fell  upon the Elves and Dwarves alike. Both empires were too stubborn to work with the other until it was almost too late. Even then, they could only slow the advance of the horde. Defeat was inevitable. The greatest Elven mages of the day combined to unleash one final, titanic attack against the Horde, but the magic unleashed raged out of control, devastating all sides of the conflict. Even as the surviving elves retreated into the heart of their shattered forest realm (or to dozens of smaller enclaves throughout Europe), the Dwarves sealed themselves beneath the mountains. All others were left to the fury of nature as an ice age descended upon the world.

10,000 B.C.

The Rise and Fall of Atlantis

The Elves survived the ice age through the utilization of magic, preserving spring-like forest oases in the midst of fields of glaciers. The Dwarves delved deeper into the warmth of the earth for their shelter—but eventually delved too deep. Ancient horrors were unleashed upon the Mountain Empire, it's inhabitants fled, settling across Asia and Europe in small enclaves. Humanity, left to fend for itself by the others, survives this crucible. On a series of islands in the midst of the Atlantic ocean, the first wholly human civilization is founded. Built upon the remnants of an Elven colony and the fragments of lore left behind, the Atlaneans begin a meteoric rise to power, developing and expanding faster then Elf or Dwarf could have imagined. Even as the ice sheets began to recede, Atlantis grew—establishing colonies at first, then launching wars of conquest—seeking to bring all human realms under their sway. The Elves watched this growth warily, maintaining an uneasy alliance with Atlantis. Noble elven scholars did their best to help curb Atlantis' rapid development of magical technology—knowing first hand just how dangerous such things can be. But humanity, like all those civilizations before, was not immune to hubris or to supernatural manipulation. And thus, in 8,000 B.C., some 2,000 years after its inception, Mighty Atlantis was destroyed, sunk into the seas by a magical cataclysm of their own doing.

3,500 B.C.

The Heirs of Atlantis

With the death of Atlantis, a new dark age fell upon the world. The Elven nation of Sylvanor continued its slow decline—much of its energy spent battling both the climate and wave after wave of humanoid and monster incursions from the north and east. Dwarves and Humans slowly began to develop more 'secure' realms of their own. In the West, survivors of Atlantis founded the various petty city-states and kingdoms around the Mediterranean sea (Achea/Greece) and in the fertile lands of the Nithia (Egypt) and Sind (Mesopotamia). Further East, the Vendhyan (Indian) and Ch'in (Chinese) civilizations arose on their own, having been somewhat sheltered from the cataclysmic events of Atlantis' fall. 

1,400 B.C.

Dwarven Kingdoms

The great dwarven chieftan, Denwarf, unites disparate mountain clans to form the realm of Daengar (Rockhome)—the largest settlement of Dwarves since the destruction of their Mountain Empire in the East. The only other sizable Dwarven Enclave during this time is the realm of Buhrogar, in the desert mountains on the northwest frontier of Sind. Both realms remain as isolated as possible from surrounding human and Elven civilizations. Indeed, it isn't until around 500 B.C. that Either begins to open trade with the outside world.

500 B.C.

Rise of Namoria

As various kingdoms rose and fell, the heirs of the Acheans (Greeks) and Sindians (Persians) began to war over territory and resources. Though divided into squabbling city states, the Acheans were able to resist the advances of the huge Persian Empire—most notably in the battles of Marathon (492 B.C.) and Thermoppylae and Salamis (480 B.C.). Still, the war raged for centuries until the rise of King Alexander of Namoria in 334 B.C.. This extraordinary young king led a masterful campaign to conquer both Sind (Persia) and Nithia (Egypt). In 332 B.C., the City of Namoria was built where East Meets west (RL Constantinople/Istanbul). It was to serve as the symbolic and political center of Alexander's Empire. But by 323, Alexander was dead. His empire fragmented soon after. Both Sind and Nithia reverted to local control, but Namoria continued as itself in the West—now organized as a Republic.

50 B.C.

Rise of the Empire

Namoria, rival again to it's former vassals of Sind and Nithia, continues to spread further West—conquer the lands of Traladara and Talea. They soon run into rivals in the form of the emerging Tharcagean Empire of Northern Africa. A series of bloody wars settles the matter in the favor of the Namorians and they continue to expand, driving into the lands that would come to be known as Darokin (Central Europe), Reynardy (France) and Spaña (Spain). One of the greatest Generals of this age, Caesar, eventually makes a bid for control of the Republic. He nearly succeeds, but is slain by the senate. The civil war Caesar started continues through his heir Octavius who finally succeeds in reuniting the whole of Namoria and the lands of Nithia.

1 A.C.

The Namorian Empire

Octavian crowns himself Emperor of Namoria, and with his crowning, a new age is declared—everything prior referred to as 'Before Crowning', and everything subsequent as 'After Crowning'. 

Dragons!

Like a lot of gamers, I really do like dragons—but I only rarely used them in my games. I think this was partly due to the fact that I didn't want to lessen the impact of such beasts by making them commonly encountered. By the time 2nd Edition D&D came out, I was not really playing anything but Star Wars, so I never had a chance to see the 'souped up' dragons from that edition in action—but it seemed to me that they were pretty damn mega.

I liked the five chromatic and five metallic balance of the first Monster Manual—but it didn't take long before all kinds of variations came out (crystal dragons, steel, yellow, brown, etc. etc.). I liked some of the variations,  but I kind of missed the 'balance' aspect. And then there was the whole Shadowrun take on Dragons, with Western, Oriental, Feathered... how could these all fit together?

As I've been tinkering with a D6 fantasy system, I got to thinking about that very question, and what I came up with is this:

There are three main families of dragons in my fantasy world:

Western Dragons: Your typical fantasy dragons, with four legs, a pair wings, a broad body and long, sinuous tails and necks. These reside mostly in 'Western European' realms.

Eastern Dragons: Long, sinuous, almost snake-like bodies with four small legs and elaborately bearded and horned heads. They fly solely via magic—and without wings at all. These reside mostly in far Eastern asian lands.

Feathered Dragons: Long, sinuous, snake-like bodies with feathered wings and snake-like heads with feathered crests. They reside mostly in central and south america.

Within each of these major families of dragons are several different sub-types, each based around a particular physiology and ecosystem. 

Storm Dragon: These dragons prefer mountain peaks and other such heights for their dwellings—spending a lot of time soaring in the sky. They 'breath' lightning bolts. Evil storm dragons are covered with deep blue scales, while their good bretheren are metallic blue-steel in color.

Sea Dragon: These dragons live in and beneath the waves of mighty oceans and seas (or occasionally large lakes). They can fly, but are more at home beneath the waves (their wings are essentially large fins). They breath clouds of scalding water/steam. Evil sea dragons are a deep blue-green in color, while their good brethren are bronze at birth, but slowly gain a blue-green 'patina' on their metallic scales.

Fire Dragon: These dragons prefer mountainside caves as their lairs. As their name suggests, they breathe fire. Evil fire dragons are deep red in color, while their good counterparts are a bright, golden metallic color.

Frost Dragon: These dragons prefer cold climates—glaciers and snow-capped mountains. They breathe a cone of frost. Evil frost dragons are stark white in color, while good dragons are a glistening ice-like silver.

Forest Dragon: These dragons prefer thick forests or swamps to lair within. They breathe a line of corrosive acid. Evil forest dragons are deep green in color, while their good brethren have copper scales, tinged with bright green patina.

Shadow Dragon: These dragons usually lair deep underground. They breathe a cloud of corrosive gas. Evil Shadow dragons are deep black in color, while good shadow dragons have scales reminiscent of black wrought iron.

Sand Dragon: These dragons dwell in arid wastes or sandy deserts. Their breath weapon is a cone of hot ash. Evil sand dragons are a yellowish orange in color, while good sand dragons are a bright, metallic brass in color.

So between the three families of dragons and the seven major sub-types, you have a heck of a lot of variety—but at the same time some symmetry (which I like). Of course this would mean that Tiamat would now have seven heads instead of five, but...I don't have a problem with that ;)

I would actually consider the good and evil variations of the various sub-types to be the same breed—but with their outward appearance (color of scales) changing to match the character of their soul. Imagine a nest of gold dragons, where one hatchling son slowly turns against the teachings of his parent(s)—his pure, golden scales slowly changing darker and darker, shifting more and more red until his outward appearance represents the tarnishing of his soul. 

Well, I like it, anyway.

My Fantasy World: Overview

This is the rough/working version of my fantasy world. Many of the place names are still in flux—as are the borders of several different realms. As you see, I began with a map of Europe and heavily modified it. I am still in the process of prettying it up and adding details. This is also only a very low resolution shot of the map (which is actually quite huge). All that having been said, I will now go into a bit of explanation as to the various realms of my fantasy world and what I was thinking about each.

NAMORIAN EMPIRE

Yes. It is 'Roman' backwards. And to make matters worse, I didn't even come up with the name—I stole it from the 'Free City of Haven' fantasy setting. All that having been said—I actually like the name a lot more than I ever did 'Thyatis'—which is the Empire (taken from the Known World of Mystara) that Namoria is based upon. Unlike it's Mystaran counterpart, the Empire here is in something of a decline—clinging to its past glories, but teetering on the edge of what could be a catastrophic war with the Sindian and Ylari empires (see below). Likewise, its relationships with the powerful kingdoms growing in the west (most of which were former provinces) have created tensions. Essentially, the Namorian empire is Greece and Rome all rolled into one, but in the Byzantine period of its life cycle. Though it used to rule nearly the whole of western Europe, what remains now is the eastern half that survived the collapse of the old empire. In this way, it is kind of a 'what if' scenario—what if 'Rome' had started in the east instead of the west.

KINGDOM OF REYNARDY

Probably the second most powerful nation in Europe, Reynardy is modeled after medieval France. The name I took from the world of Mystara, where Reynardy was a 'french' kingdom populated by a race of dog-like humanoids. In my world, it is a human realm. Though still relatively 'young' as a nation, I am basing the monarchy on the somewhat decadent and foppish era presented in the Three Musketeers movies and books—only in this time, it would be the Three Cavaliers rather than musketeers. Reynardy is a powerful, but somewhat troubled realm, torn with secular and religious corruption (a scheming Cardinal) and faced with an increasingly antagonistic relationship to its northern neighbor—Bretonnia.

KINGDOM OF BRETONNIA

This represents England during the reign of Richard Lionheart. There are still strong divisions in the country between the indigenous 'Bretons' and the ruling 'Normans' (from the Reynardian province of Normandie). I see this as the era of Robin Hood and Prince John...but perhaps with some touches of Henry V thrown in (i.e. the possibility of war with Reynardy). 

KELTLUND AND AYRELUND

Scotland and Ireland respectively—both are emerging as feudal kingdoms, but both live in the shadow of the more powerful Bretonnia. The northernmost part of the isle of Ayrelund is actually an Elven realm (Valinor)- one of the many remnants of the once mighty elven Empire.

REPUBLIC OF DAROKIN

This is modeled directly after the nation presented in the Gazetteer series—a progressive realm fueled by its trade expertise and forward-thinking ideology. It is a melting pot of various cultures from Southern, Western, Eastern and Northern Europe (much as the original country was known as a 'land of the leftovers). It is a land of Merchant princes, diplomats and explorers that (because of its central location) spends a great deal of time making sure it maintains friendly relations with its neighbors.

TALEA

Modeled (obviously) after Italy, Talea does not represent a single, unified realm, but rather a collection of city-states—including Vatica (my version of Rome), the religious center of the dominant faith of western Europe (based on the Roman Catholic church). Talea is also home to a great many artists, philosophers and other great 'thinkers'—as well as a very powerful criminal underworld based out of the city state of Sicilia. 

LEON, CASTILLE AND ARAGON (aka SPANIA)

These three kingdoms have been 'reconquered' from the Ylari (arabic) powers that had formerly possessed them (after the fall of the western Namori Empire). Though highly religious and unified in their hatred of the Emir of Cordova, the monarchs of these three states secretly plot against eachother—each seeking to become the undisputed ruler of the peninsula (once the Ylari have been driven out, of course). The Spanian Inquisition is also active here—ostensibly to assist with the reconquest, but the movement has rapidly turned into a corrupt 'witch hunt' for anyone who the church wants to see removed. 

GLANTRI, EREWAN, BELCADIZ AND CAURENZE

Though I noticed that the latter realm (Caurenze) is somehow not listed on the map, it is there (to the southwest of Glantri). These realms are obviously based off of the Principalities of Glantri from the Mystara setting. Only in this case, the various Principalities are actually independent (or semi-independent) realms—most of which are scattered across the face of Europe. They are unified, however, in that each prince is one of the most powerful Mages in Europe and they form a council (something like the Circle of Eight in the Greyhawk setting) to handle major magical concerns. Not shown in this map are other Principalities—Boldavia is located in the realm of Ravanovia. Klantyre is located in the highlands of Keltlund). I haven't placed yet or decided which of the other houses I am going to include.

MINROTHAD

This is essentially the same realm as presented in the Gazetteer books—at least geographically. I see it as being a bit more 'shady' and more 'sicilian' like. I also see it as the nautical counterpart to Darokin—ruling trade by sea where Darokin commands the caravan routes. Minrothad also includes the semi-autonomous elven Isle of Aquanor (one of several remnants of the ancient, fallen Elven Realm). 

IRENDI

Rather than the rather goofy setting presented in the Gazetteers (where they went as far as to have 'Dungeon theme parks' and 'Magnus, P.I.'), I see Irendi as more of an extension of the Greek Isles—complete with various fierce mythological beasts (Gorgons, Chimaera, etc.) I still like the idea of rulership being determined by competition—but see this as more of a life-time title. I.e. A champion wins the royal tournament and then serves as Monarch for as long as they wish, either dying or stepping down before the next monarch is chosen. This is a realm where great adventurers and explorers come from—as well as a haven for pirates and even a battleground in the sporadic fighting between Westron and Ylari forces.

TRALADAVA (aka KARAMEIKOS)

I am still trying to decide whether or not I like the name Traladara or Traladava or Karameikos best. But in any case, this is essentially the same realm detailed in the Gazetteers—right down to its physical appearance (I essentially just 'tilted' the map of Karameikos to the side and dropped it on the coast of Southeast Europe). Though officially a 'Grand Duchy' and vassal of the Namorian Empire, this realm is actually quite independent. It represents a mix of slavic (Traladaran) and Roman/Greek (Namorian) cultures—just as the original Karameikos did.

RAVENOVIA

Again, this is not a single, unified realm, but rather a collection of baronies, counties, principalities, etc. You can guess from the name that it is based upon the Ravenloft setting—and indeed, one of the counties is Barovia. Many other Ravenloft realms are included—as well as the Glantrian principality of Boldavia, etc. This is a dark and forboding land, filled with corrupt nobles, vampires, werewolves, ghosts and other supernatural horrors. It also has a small realm of 'Dark Elves' (not Drow)—outcasts from the bordering Elven realm of Sylvanor.

KRANOVIA

This sprawling realm is modeled after medieval Russia—complete with a Czar (and likely a corrupt advisor Monk...). Though huge, it is a divided and somewhat backwards land—and one constantly under threat of invasion from the Namorians, Denegoth or the steppe-barbarian Ethengarians.

WENDAR AND THE SHIRES

This realm is my little homage to Middle Earth—made to very closely resemble the fallen realm of Arnor. Wendar was once the northernmost province of the Namori empire—but was lost when the west fell to barbarian invasions. In the dark ages thereafter, a good king managed to unite many of the former Namori provinces (Wendar, Bretonnia, Reynardy and Darokin) into a single realm. Essentially, this King is an amalgam of the legends of King Arthur and the historical figure Charlemagne. Alas, his kingdom was not to last. And so Wendar broke into numerous smaller baronies and the like—including one large Elven enclave (very much like Rivendel) and one large halfling settlement known as the shires. Wendar is much more 'wild' and sparsely populated than more civilized realms—a land of thick forests. It is also home to an order of Rangers who are essentially waiting for the return of 'Arthur' (not literally, but rather, they're waiting for a leader with similar spirit and vision). In the meanwhile, the Rangers of Wendar spend a good deal of time dealing with incursions of evil men and humanoids from the realm of Denagoth. The Shires are peaceful and pastoral—kept that way partly by the Rangers watchful patrols, but also by bands of tough halfing 'bounders' who watch the frontiers. All in all, though, it is a rather sleepy backwater place (which I think is appropriate as a homeland for the halflings.

SYLVANOR

This is the largest remnant of a once great Elven empire that once spanned the breadth of Europe—and even lands far across the sea. It is one of the largest and oldest 'Faerie' woods left on the planet and is populated by a variety of elven clans. This is essentially my stand in for Mystara's 'Alfheim'. That name never really sat well with me, as it seemed to give the Elves a more 'germanic' slant than I liked. In any case, the Elves have good relations with their Darokinian and Wendarian neighbors, but face constant threats both from the monsters and humanoids of the 'Broken lands' and from 'dark elven' (not Drow) outcasts living in Ravenovia. Much as in the mystaran source material, this elven realm maintains a rather cantankerous relationship with the nearby Dwarven realm of Daengar. 

DAENGAR (AND THE BROKEN LANDS)

This is my version of Rockhome (a name I also didn't like). It is the largest Dwarven enclave in the world, with several major cities centered around two massive mountain lakes. But despite its stalwart inhabitants, much of the outlying mountainous terrain is fraught with peril—monsters and humanoids abound—especially within a particularly nasty stretch of the mountain range known as the 'Broken Lands'. This area of volcanic wastes, treacherous valleys and corrupted forests is infested with humanoid tribes—many of whom continue to bubble up from the numerous deep cave systems running through and beneath the entire mountain range.

THE NORTHLANDS

This Sprawling region includes several different realms: The Kingdoms of Nordland, Vestland and Kernmark (all 'early medieval' kingdoms), the Soderfjord Jarldoms (a collection of petty, barbaric states), Nordgar (a Dwarven Kingdom), Jotunheim (a realm ruled by various types of Giants and Ogres), Ritterstein and Heldann (collections of petty feudal baronies). Of course all of these are modeled after viking an germanic cultures—with several pulled directly from the Mystara setting and others of my own making. These realms are struggling to emerge from their barbaric roots—some with more success than others. Heldann is modeled after the teutonic order of knights—but in my game, they aren't as 'evil' as portrayed in official Mystara source material. In fact, they bear a lot of the brunt of holding out against the evil realm of Denegoth.

DENEGOTH

This is the primary 'evil' realm of Europe. It's population is a mix of corrupt humanity and humanoid hordes—backed up by all manner of foul creatures. It is a land of stony wastes, twisted forests and mist-shrouded moors. Again, this country was taken from the Mystara setting. I loved the name. I loved the concept. So I stole it for use here! The evil lords of this land constantly plot and scheme to conquer the rest of Europe, but seem always to be constantly thwarted by both the Rangers of Wendar and the Knights of the Heldannic Order. But it is only a matter of time before Denegoth finds a way...

ETHENGAR

Another Mystaran realm—based upon the Mongol steppe hordes. The portion shown on this map is only the western extreme of the land currently claimed by them. They launch raids into Kranovia, Sind and occasionally the Westron Empire, but have always stopped short of actual conquest of any lands. Only squabbling between tribes keeps them from becoming a threat to the whole of the Westron world. All they need is one powerful Khan to unite them...

SIND

This is the 'bad guy' Arabic nation, representing a conglomeration of Turks and Persians that cover modern day Iran and Iraq. Sind is very much the realm described in the Mystaran sourcebooks—complete with its 'Master', who desires to conquer all the infidel lands to the West. They were once united with the Emirates of Ylaruam, under the Ylari (Islamic) faith, but took a more militaristic and fundamentalist outlook that eventually caused a schism.

YLARUAM

This is not a single realm, but rather a collection of Emirates united by a common faith. The individual realms are: Cordova, Ummayad, Sulaym, Abbashan, Nithia and Ylaruam itself. Obviously this area is based on the Mystaran Emirates of Ylaruam and upon the Arabic/Islamic cultures of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. In my setting, they represent the more moderate aspects of that type of faith and culture. Even so, they are at odds with the Westron powers—clashing over land and religion. Though sharing a similar faith to the Sindi, there is tension also between their realms.

THE WILDERLANDS

Though not labeled on this map, this sprawling region is located where Russia is on our world. As it's name suggests, it is a largely unsettled area, filled with primitive human and humanoid tribes as well as some minor feudal 'colonies' of Kranovia. It may seem strange to have such a large unsettled area on the map, but in a Fantasy setting, you have to remember just how barbaric and hostile the world can be when you have hordes of orcs and goblins and rampaging dragons and giants around. 

Anyway, this is just a brief sketch of my world. I know nobody is probably reading this yet, but if anyone does, I wouldn't mind hearing your comments, suggestions or criticisms!

Fantasy World Building

I have always been interested in fantasy type settings—probably stemming from my mother reading the Chronicles of Narnia to my sister and I when we were kids. In fact, this was probably the first fantasy world I was ever exposed to—and man did it get my imagination going. 

1977's animated Hobbit movie was probably my next big introduction to the lands of make-believe. This charming tale began my life long love of the works of J.R.R. Tolkein and Middle Earth.

Growing up, I always enjoyed fairy-tales and stories of ancient mythology and King Arthur. Disney films fed this love—with the very awesome Sleeping Beauty standing out most in my memory.

In the early 80's, right around the time I got my D&D basic set, I saw Ralph Bakshi's movie 'Wizards' for the first time. And wow, did it blow me away. Oh sure, some of it was just plain hippy/druggy weird (and even stupid), but the concepts of magic and technology—fantasy and sci-fi thrown together—opened up all new possibilities in my mind.

Through all of the above influences, I was developing conceptions of what a Fantasy gaming world should be like—or rather, what I would like out of one. And then I got the D&D Expert set—and with it the Isle of Dread module that contained a map and very brief descriptions of the 'Known World'. Both the map and the types of countries represented on it became ingrained into my consciousness. The Grand Duchy of Karameikos. The Republic of Darokin. Alfheim. Rockhome. I loved them all—even if at the time I had no idea what a 'Duchy' was.

My first few abortive attempts at creating my own world were all 'strangely reminiscent' of the Known World (though I would almost always throw in the four Kingdoms from the Dark Tower boardgame—Arislon, Brynthia, Durnin and Zenon). None of these worlds ever really took off, however—probably because I was only 12 or 13 years old at the time and had no idea of what I was doing. These projects also got sidelined because of my exposure to other gaming worlds—most notably the World of Greyhawk—which I loved then and still love now. In fact, during high-school, Greyhawk was the world of choice for my campaign—rather than the emerging 'Forgotten Realms' (which I have never been able to get into). 

In 1987, the first of the Gazeteer books came out for the Basic RPG—the Grand Duchy of Karameikos. And once again, I was in love with the Known World (which later became known as Mystara). In fact, 'GAZ1' still stands as one of my favorite gaming sourcebooks of all time. To me, it is a perfect mixture of exposition and vagueness. It presents a highly detailed setting, filled with both interesting locales and personages. But it also provides dozens of adventure hooks and sketches of places and things for you to develop for yourself. It also began to offer an actual history for a setting—something I had greatly enjoyed about the Greyhawk setting and something I had always been lacking in my own attempts at world building.

Still, the Known/World Mystara setting was by no means perfect. First of all, it was too compact. Cramped even. It didn't have the kind of expanse I wanted to see in a world. But more importantly to me and my growing knowledge of history, cultures and geography, a lot of it just plain didn't make sense. An Arabic-Culture desert realm... sandwiched between a Byzantine Empire to the South and Viking kingdoms to the North? Native American style tribes living in the borderlands between an Italic-style Republic and a Persian/Iranian style theocracy? Gah.

What I really DID like were the cultural nods to real world medieval and primitive cultures—much as Robert E. Howard used stand-ins for various real-world cultures in his Conan stories. I find these to be both interesting and useful in instantly establishing a mood for a particular place or people. Players can more quickly identify with a 'Slavic' setting like Karameikos—with its names and cultural stereotypes lending themselves handily to tales of thick forests, vampires and werewolves. Or at least /I/ respond more quickly to them.

Evidently, I wasn't the only one to do so—as I found out while perusing the Warhammer RPG and its 'Old World' that was very much reminiscent of Western Europe. The Ravenloft setting was likewise very identifiable with its slavic, french and british style realms. While I realize this may not appeal to everyone, it really does to me. And, intriguingly, the 'Dangerous Journeys' game by Gygax (which I dabbled with in the early 90's) was very solidly based in a Fantasy version of Earth—aptly named Aerth.

I continued to tinker with my own fantasy gaming world, even as the focus of my gaming switched solidly to Star Wars (where it remains today). My computer has literally hundreds of sketches and files of my various attempts at making a gaming world. I kept bouncing back and forth between altering Mystara to a more European mold (and moving the 'out of place' countries into more realistic places) and altering Europe to a more mystara-ish mold. But things never felt right to me either way—especially with the Demi-Human realms for Elves, Dwarves and Halflings. 

It wasn't until about a year and a half ago that I finally hit upon something that seemed to balance all my concerns—to finally feel 'right'. It began with a map, but expanded into fictional histories of the planet and its various peoples and realms. I had reached this stage with other worlds prior to this, but usually found some stumbling block that finally made me abandon the project. Not so with this one. So... fingers crossed, it seems I may actually have a winner. 

I will go into this fantasy world in more detail in future posts. But in short, I settled upon a world almost identical to Earth in its land masses. In fact, the only major changes thus far have been in Europe—which I had to expand in order to accomodate my mish-mash of realms taken from various sources. What I have now includes elements of real-world nations, heavily influenced by Mystara and with bits of Warhammer's Old World and Tolkein's Middle earth thrown in. Sounds like a mess, doesn't it? But for me, it works—and I hope to show that in future posts. Stay tuned!

My Experience

The first roleplaying game I ever got was the Tom Moldvay edition of the Basic Dungeons & Dragons game. I don't recall the exact date, but it was around 1981, when I was ten or eleven years old. At the time, I had no idea that there was an 'Advanced' game out there—afterall, where I lived in South Dakota there weren't a lot of gaming stores, or book stores for that matter. In any case, I was hooked right off the bat and very quickly picked up the Expert rulebook as well. 

To me, these two books formed the core of what I thought D&D was and what a campaign would look like: from the early dungeon crawls, to exploration of the wilderness, to settling and defending your own stronghold. That progression made sense to me, even if I wasn't quite sure what I was doing in those wonderful first years of gaming discovery.

Unfortunately for me, it wasn't until high-school that I ever really had the chance to run a game, and even then, it was just my buddy Mark and I. Earlier, I had played with my sister(s), but nothing ever really came of it. This first campaign (begun in the fall of 1987) followed a group of adventurers (all run by Mark) through the Temple of Elemental Evil, the Scourge of the Slave Lords and Queen of the Spiders—and even a bit beyond. We used 1st Edition AD&D through it all—introducing Unearthed Arcana a few months in.

It was fun and memorable, but far from what I'd consider an 'old school' campaign. Afterall, it was just one player, not a real 'party'—and even then, I had then penchant for not killing off PCs. That campaign broke up when I went off to college and throughout most of my years there, I only dabbled a bit in D&D—concentrating most of my efforts on Star Wars. 

When (in 1996) I finally moved to Florida, I sat in on several games with a friend of a friend, and even ran one short-lived campaign myself, but still, D&D or AD&D were not my 'go to' systems or settings. And yet strangely, a lot of my spare time was—and is—spent either tinkering with the system or creating fantasy gaming worlds. The latter has turned into somewhat of an obsession, in fact—a quest to combine the elements I most enjoy from a lot of different settings into a 'near earth' type milieu (this is likely to become a big part of this blog, in fact). 

Lately, in reading all the other old-school D&D blogs, I have been yearning to stretch my legs in a 'real' D&D game. To that end, I have been streamlining my own rules system. Only when this is done do I intend to approach my friends and their friends with the possibility of running a campaign. My only real concern about doing this is managing the expectations of my players—who are probably used to my 'story based' and less deadly campaigns. What I want to try in this one is classic sand-box style play. Have some adventure locations and strings worked out, but let the players choose which to follow. I also want to 'let the dice fall where they may' as far as the combat system goes—meaning that character death (especially early on) will be a more credible threat.

Will this campaign ever get off the ground? I don't know. But like a lot of projects of mine, it is a fun mental exercise.