My as yet Unnamed Campaign World

[AslanC]

Hello.

This thread will be where I develop the campaign world I will be using for my C&C game.

Right now all I have is the map, but I will update and expand as I go along.

Please feel free to ask questions and offer feedback.

Note that there are a great many in-references on this map, plucked from FRPGing, tv, movies, books and others. Hope you get them all
EDIT: I have taken the map down or now and will be doing a redraw of it soon. Please stand by.
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[Lord Dynel]

It's looks pretty cool...from a distance!
I don't know of anyplace offhand where you can host it with a better resolution, but I figured there has to be some place to do so (maybe not free though, I truly don't know). Mind if I ask how you made that map (as for what program, etc you used)?

As for "in-references," the map does slightly resemble a particular campaign setting map, albeit in reverse...

[Rigon]

Very cool map. Reminds me of Europe.

R-
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[Breakdaddy]

Try smugmug I think for higher res posting. Nice map btw.

[Tadhg]

AslanC wrote:
EDIT: So it turns out the image is too big for Photobucket to show it at actual resolution. As I don't have webspace of my own, does anyone know where I could host it at full rez?

Check how Photobucket accepted the upload. It defaults to a medium setting as I recall. You can adjust that. If you did and it's still not good enough, try Imageshack.

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[Jyrdan Fairblade]

Hexes!

A very cool map, indeed. As for questions, what's the suspicious red spot by the coast?

[AslanC]

Lord Dynel wrote:
Mind if I ask how you made that map (as for what program, etc you used)?

As for "in-references," the map does slightly resemble a particular campaign setting map, albeit in reverse...

Yes it does look a bit like Greyhawk doesn't it? That was sort of on purpose... it also has elements of the Warhammer Fantasy world to it's geography as well
I used HexMapper and Photoshop to do it

Rigon wrote:
Very cool map. Reminds me of Europe.

Thanks, and yeah it was meant to be Europey in flavour

Breakdaddy wrote:
Try smugmug I think for higher res posting. Nice map btw.

What is smugmug?

Rhuvein wrote:
Check how Photobucket accepted the upload. It defaults to a medium setting as I recall. You can adjust that. If you did and it's still not good enough, try Imageshack.

No, Photobucket doesn't offer a high enough resolution. Nor does Imageshack. I am looking into Picasa from Google now, but it doesn't look good.

Jyrdan Fairblade wrote:
Hexes! A very cool map, indeed. As for questions, what's the suspicious red spot by the coast?

Hexes were a must for me, being a boxed set Greyhawk junkie
As for that red spot, well all I can tell you for now is... it is called the Bloodwood. More than that would require a lot of explanation. Which will be coming soon.
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[AslanC]

Click the image again, it is now linked for higher rez... city names and some smaller text labels are still hard to see for me (1680x1050) but lower rez displays may have more luck.

Bring on the questions please
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[serleran]

Bloodwood, huh? Any relation to Earthdawn?

[AslanC]

serleran wrote:
Bloodwood, huh? Any relation to Earthdawn?

That one you got me on, I have never read Earthdawn. Unlike the other purposeful ones, we can chalk that one up to accident.

What is their Bloodwood like?
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[serleran]

Without going into too much detail about the history of the world:

The Bloodwood is home to the Blood Elfs who are eternally tormented and agonized for a failure to resist the Horrors then they attacked. Their magic, essentially, failed, and the two became somewhat merged, with their bodies pierced with continually growing thorns that keep the elfs in pain. Its not a fun place to visit, either.

[AslanC]

serleran wrote:
Without going into too much detail about the history of the world:

The Bloodwood is home to the Blood Elfs who are eternally tormented and agonized for a failure to resist the Horrors then they attacked. Their magic, essentially, failed, and the two became somewhat merged, with their bodies pierced with continually growing thorns that keep the elfs in pain. Its not a fun place to visit, either.

That's fun
Well mine is similar, after the Sundering, the forest that would become the Bloodwood was changed forever. The trees have red leaves and black bark. The Bloodwood Elves are vicious creatures, who paint themselves with the blood of their enemies ala the blue body paint of the Celts of yore.

The forest itself is littered with monsters, giant spiders, etc... Effectively it isn't the kind of place the players will ever want to go by choice, until they have none and have to visit Sepitlio.

More on that later.
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[ChaosImp]

I always wanted to do a campaign based on the Might and Magic 6 world, probably one of the best games. Of course the party might be a bit upset when I say " your ship has beached itself on a place called Hermit Island".

IMP

[Morgrus]

post it in hirez at http://fantasymaps.wordpress.com (good site).
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[Breakdaddy]

I think smugmug is pay site anyhow, so many of these ideas trump that.

[AslanC]

Morgrus wrote:
post it in hirez at http://fantasymaps.wordpress.com (good site).

That appears to be a private blog... am I just thick and missing something really obvious?
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[AslanC]

This is a rough draft typed up at work. I just wanted to get the ideas down on paper as it were. this will change and be modified as time goes forward, but here it is for your perusal.

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A Brief History of the West

A thousand years ago the millennium long rule of the Verendish Empire can to a sudden and dramatic halt. In the span of a year it all ended in a crusade, a rain of and the falling of two stars.

The Verendi Empire was ruled at the time by Emperor Serovin the first. A weak emperor he was a puppet of the Council of a Thousand Churches. This would be what lead the empire to ruin.

In beautiful and verdant Solani a Priest-King named Salazar had ambitions of godhead and devised a way to achieve it. He found his way, using powerful magiks, to the Mountain Hall of the Gods and stole their power as they celebrated. Once the Gods were aware of the trickery they begged him to return their power, and he did so long as they made him one of them. Begrudgingly the Gods relented and elevated Salazar to godhood. Pleased, Salazar returned their power and then reappeared to his people as their living God King.

The Gods were not to be without their revenge. Pushing their High Priests, Hierophants and Acolytes, the Gods demanded revenge on Salazar, but were unable to take direct action against him. The Council concocted a devious plan that would not only punish Salazar, but also the Solani people, his worshippers. It was to be called the Rain of Fire.

The Great Architect, patron God of the Knights of Caralon, refused to enter into this plan. He instead respected Salazars cunning and ingenuity. When he became aware of the plan, he sent it in a vision to the Grand Master of the Knights and expressed his displeasure. The Grand Master in turn contacted the King of Caralon, who in turn contacted his strongest vassal the Baron of Elise.

The Baron of Elise was a covetous man and he decided that this would be a perfect time to make a power play for control. While pretending to be alarmed with the plan in place, he secretly contacted the Emperor and the Council of a Thousand Churches and informed them the King of Caralon and the Caraligian Knights were going to try and prevent the Rain of Fire. Pledging his entire army to the cause, the Baron convinced them to charge the King and the Knights with heresy and declare a crusade.

The vast armies of the west descended on Caralon, who was wholly unprepared for the betrayal. In a matter months the crusade had killed nearly every man, woman and child in Caralon. The King of Caralon was captured and burned at the stake in the Imperial Capital as a herectic and traitor. The people were told that the Knights of Caralon had planned to overthrow the Emperor and usher in an age of Demon and Devil worship. The ignorant masses were fooled.

While the hunt for the Grand Master and his men continued, the Rain of Fire was enacted. For 7 days and night, holy fire poured from the heavens scorching the once lush and verdant lands of Solani to nothing more than a burned waste land. Volcanoes erupted in the mountains surrounding Solani, adding to the devastation. When all was said and done, only Salazar remained, surrounded in his City of Brass by his loyal Priest-Kings. Over wrought with anguish he set a plan of revenge in motion that would bring the Empire and the Council of a Thousand Churches to their knees.

Reaching out with their divine magic, two stars we cut from the heavens (one the left eye of the constellation Astara). Dragged down by hate and malice, the stars plunged into the Empire, one landing square in the Imperial City and the other shattering the land bridge between Sepitlio and Primacio provinces. The waters rushed in and the lands shattered. Untold thousands were killed in an instant and the empire was no more.

For the next thousand years various countries would attempt to claim to be the successor to the Empire, but none had the power to hold onto such claims. With neither the Knights of Caralon or the Imperial Legions to enforce these claims wars were the order of the day, but soon all would be moot.

The Burning Plague descended on the west like the vengeance of the Gods. Entire cities died horrible deaths as the disease ravaged the lands. The priests, who could have used their divine magic to turn this plague were horrified to learn that their prayers were no longer being answered. The Gods were gone.

Enventually the plague ran its course but civilization now stood at the brink of annihilation. Modern estimates put the death toll amongst just the human lands at nearly 75% of the Western population. No one could wage war, no one had the resources or the manpower to even rebuild effectively. The Dark Age had begun and would last another 500 years.

Now, a thousand years since the Rain of Fire, the Caraligian Crusade and the Devastation, the Dark Age may becoming to an end. Slowly the light of civilization has grown and strengthened. Trade between many nations is constant, populations are again growing (no more than 30-40% of their pre-plague numbers) and a new religion is sweeping the land, the worship of the High Father.

Though with this regrowth has come the dream of Empire and many nations now eye each others resources with ever increasing armies behind them. If the West is to avoid falling back into abyss and slide fully into an age of barbarism, it will take heroes to unite the lands and fight the darkness. An age of reason may be established or snuffed out before it has a chance to ignite. And in the dark places of the world ancient evils also stir and gaze greedily upon the West.

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Comments? Questions?
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[Morgrus]

AslanC wrote:
That appears to be a private blog... am I just thick and missing something really obvious?

aww craap. my bad thougt was open post site still good site.
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[AslanC]

It appears the link for the map alternates between being campaign_map and campaign map. If it says it won' open try either the underscore or the space. I will try and find a better host for it, sorry folks as I really want you to see this map
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[Dragondaddy]

AslanC wrote:
It appears the link for the map alternates between being campaign_map and campaign map. If it says it won' open try either the underscore or the space. I will try and find a better host for it, sorry folks as I really want you to see this map

Split it into four segments and post each segment separately. Lower overall file size = higher resolution map.

[AslanC]

I may split it, or jsut get some webhosting and be done with it
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[AslanC]

So a thousand years have past since the Sundering (or would Devastation sound better? I like Sundering for the idea that it evokes the breaking of the empire, as well as the land). In that time as the populations of some areas have returned others haven't and new powers have risen.

As it stands Aquilar is the most pwoerful nation in the west at this time. They are also the most advanced. Think of them as a sort of German Empire, full of knights, nobles and courts. Their primary knights are the Eagles of Aquilar, named for their primary god, Ator the Fighting Eagle (yes I couldn't resist that reference )

Next to them is the Duchy of Adaire. The Duke of Adaire is a hawkish man who rules his people fairly but justly. think the Atredies from Dune and you are not far off. While Adaire and Aquilar have frosty relations at best, the Adaire Heavy Calvary has lept Aquilar worried enough not to push any issues too far. Recently Adaire annexed Ambria from the Kingdom of Pendria, who is in no position to wage a war.

The Kingdom of Pendria is essentially middle ages England, with a number of satellite nations attached, specifically Wallas (think Wales), the Duchy of Shale (lead by Duke Henry the Red), Colwyn and formerly Ambria.

Tthe people of Pendria are proud of their Queen, but life is hard for all in Pendria. Resources are scarce, money is tight and the threat of war with either Adaire or Elise is always on everyone's mind.

Within the nation itself, the Duchy of Shale and the Lord of Colwyn are bitter enemies to say the least existing in a state of detente. All it will take is a spark to set these two at each other's throats. A fact that the Duke of Adaire knows all to well.

As such the Duke of Adaire has opened negotiations with the Lord of Colwyn, promising him Ambria should he marry the Princess of Ambria and seal the two lands together. Colwyn is no fool, he knows such an marriage would make him more powerful than the Queen of Pendria and is debating if he could survive the war that would be inevitable.

The northern lands are ruled by the Vikings, who raid seasonaly into Pendria, Colwyn and Shale. Zealand, home of the Kels, has been under Viking rule for well over 400 years. the Osterlnders are not raiders and trade across Bashki Bay with the Flarn.

The Flarn is a wet and cold area of marshes, timber, peat bogs and gnolls. Onyl one permanent settlement exists, Ig, a small town of wooden pallisades and buildings. There lumber, peat and whale fur are shipped to Colwyn for trade to the south. The Flarnsmen themselves are a mix people, mostly consisting of Viking and Shale blood, with occaisional mixing of others who have come up Blackfish Bay and across the sea to make their fortunes or get away from their worries.

To the south of Pendria sits the Freehold, hard land but free to be settled and exploited. There men can build their futures, though under the constant threat that one day either Adaire or Elise will decide they want the land for themselves. At the mouth of the mighty Greyhawk River sits the city of Kestle, a freeport that receieves both sea traffic and river barges.

Up the river are the three shires. Wexshire is a mix of humans and hobbits and trades heavily with anyone. Engleshire is a quieter place, consiting almost exclusively on hobbits and is at best a sleepy land. Sothshire, a hilly and rich land, is empty having been hit harder than most areas by the Burning Plague. Two trade cities sit on Deepdown Lake, Hobblehoy and Brill. Both recieve the flat bottomed river barges from Kestle and provide the major stops before Innsmouth and trade to the Sea of Attlias.

Part of the Dragonmarques (think Austria), Innsmouth is a bustling port city and a centre of culture and knowledge. Easily rivaling Kestle in it's cosmopolitan nature, it is the most open of the Dargonmarques.

The Baron of Elise is a strong leader (think pre-revolution France) but the excesses of his nobles and the lack of strength in his heir has made him cautious and paranoid. Assassins lurk in every corner. Oleta, Thess, Velnya and Pelar are firmly under his control and help keep his nation rich, but the peasentry live in abject poverty. Along with this the Boraquels (think Gallic Celts) constantly raid down from their hills, all due to the fact that the Baron refuses to acknowledge their independance. Marie, Queen of the Boraquels, has sworn that there will be no peace until Elise recognizes them as a free peoples.

Benaccio, the last of the old Verendish provinces stays mostly out of all politics and maintains a healthy population and economy based on trade with Aquilar and Elise. To the south of them sits Sepitlio, an empty province also containing the feared and mysterious Blood Wood. Though rumours have begun of a hidden cult with Sepitlio no one has any proof.
(More to come later, this is all rough draft. Comments? Questions?)
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[fantasycartographer]

AslanC wrote:
That appears to be a private blog... am I just thick and missing something really obvious?

Hello,

I run the Fantasy Cartography blog referenced above.

Email the map to me, in the highest resolution you have, and I will gladly post it for you.

Please include your name and/or board name so I can give you credit, and any other information you would like included with the post (game info, history, link to this forum, etc.)

[AslanC]

fantasycartographer wrote:
I run the Fantasy Cartography blog referenced above.

Email the map to me, in the highest resolution you have, and I will gladly post it for you.

Please include your name and/or board name so I can give you credit, and any other information you would like included with the post (game info, history, link to this forum, etc.)

Super big thanks man! Let me get something really well done first as I find myself having different ideas about how to present my world now that I am reading more of C&C.

It is damn inspirational!
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[AslanC]

So while I am waiting to send my big map to the fantasy cartography page, I wanted to post a thought to all of you.

I want to name this world, but hoenstly nothing is jumping out at me.

I want to open the floor to you all and see if anyone has any good ideas that might spark and catch fire.

So what have you got? What names might you suggest for this campaign world?

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[gideon_thorne]

AslanC wrote:
So while I am waiting to send my big map to the fantasy cartography page, I wanted to post a thought to all of you.

I want to name this world, but hoenstly nothing is jumping out at me.

I want to open the floor to you all and see if anyone has any good ideas that might spark and catch fire.

So what have you got? What names might you suggest for this campaign world?

Howabout Aslance .^_~`
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[Zudrak]

AslanC wrote:
So while I am waiting to send my big map to the fantasy cartography page, I wanted to post a thought to all of you.

I want to name this world, but hoenstly nothing is jumping out at me.

I want to open the floor to you all and see if anyone has any good ideas that might spark and catch fire.

So what have you got? What names might you suggest for this campaign world?

Aslance in Sunderland?
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[Breakdaddy]

Do you have some sort of naming theme for the towns and cities on the map? If so, the name of the world should likely be something similar. So if you use nordic style names for the towns, then you could name the world a nordic sounding name.

[AslanC]

Overall I would say the naming is mostly european, for examples;

Capital of Pendria - Mercia

Capital of Elise - Toulyon

Capital of Aquilar - Getsurgard

So naming wise, I imagine the world wou,ld be known mostly by the name applied by the old Verendi Empire, and their names are pseudo Latin/Italian

Province names of Verendi - Septilio, Primacio, Bennacio, etc...

Does this help?
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[Breakdaddy]

Sure it does. So you could name the world something like:

Primaris

Seculus

Hadrianus

Maxilla

You get the idea. Do a search for roman names or an italian->english dictionary and mix it up a bit.