Nations and Regions of the Realms - East

A Whirlwind Tour of the Realms - part 1, The East and Southeast

Alsberg - The Kingdom of Alsberg is a hereditary monarchy. It is one of the recently established nations, and currently represents the northernmost boundary of exploration and resettlement of the Northlands. It is a realm of law, with a well-liked and benevolent king whose goal is the well being and safety of his kingdom. Power in Alsberg is strongly centralized in the hand of the king.

Rimini - The Grand Duchy of Rimini is a small frontier nation centered on the important trade city of Rimini. Rimini is at the western end of the Stillwater Reach, and is where the Great North Road coming from the west meets the Coast Road coming from the north and south.

The Northlands

Mercia - The Kingdom of Mercia is another hereditary monarchy on the eastern coast. One hundred years ago, it was the northern frontier of civilization, when Rimini and Alsberg were much smaller collections of scattered frontier villages. Mercia expanded northward 18 years ago, and is still assimilating the new territory; thus it is somewhat inwardly focused at this time. Mercia is divided into a number of Dukedoms, each of whom have a significant amount of power and authority in their respective holdings.

Romney - Ruled by King Aldir the Stout, Romney is a small nation based on the capital city of Dambrusk, a coastal fortress that managed to survive the Years of Darkness. The people of Romney are proud to make the claim, however tenuous, that they are one of the nations of the Old North. This isn't really true, as Romney wasn't a kingdom in the olden days, and Dambrusk was just one of many independent cities and towns. Romney used to be a critical link on the Coast Road, but as the borders of civilization have expanded, trade caravans and merchants no longer need to cling so closely to the coast, and inland trade routes have been taking business away from Romney. Romney does have a naval presence, and is working towards a time when more travel can safely pass by sea. It is rumored that some of the merchant captains of Romney are in league with the pirates of the Oranthian Isles, who wreak havoc on shipping up and down the coast.

Tiencin - Tiencin is a small city-state of tradesmen and craftsmen, widely regarded for the quality of their products. Tiencin is not a large or powerful nation, but does sit astride the coast road, and is the only real trading partner for the elves of Liriana. Half-elves in substantial numbers call Tiencin home, as do a large community of gnomes.

Liriana - The peninsula containing the Forest of Liriana has an elven realm of the same name. As are most elven realms in the north these days, Liriana is secretive and standoffish, but they do trade with Tiencin. These high elves are known to be seafarers, as highly decorated and brightly colored elven longships have been known to put into ports around the realms from time to time.

Oranthian Isles - The Oranthian Isles are a large chain of islands off the coast of Romney and Mercia. They are rugged, wild territory, and are home to a number of seafaring warrior tribes collectively known as the Sea Wolves of Oranthia. The Sea Wolves are a barbarian people who do not trade with the Northlands (with the possible exception of Romney).

Saradel - Saradel is a land of contrasts. It has a number of cities along the coast whose inhabitants make their living from trade, crafts and manufacturing, including some of the North's largest cities. The inland half of the country is covered with many thousands of square miles of verdant grasslands and plains. Many of the inland peoples are herders and ranchers, with some groups still pursuing a more tribal and nomadic way of life. The government of the country, based on a Council of Elders from the different cities, towns and regions, is descended from the days long ago when what is now Saradel was nothing more than a collection of loosely related tribes, each ruled by its own chief.

Kalembar Federation - The Kalembar Federation is a loose collection of cities and towns, banded together for defense and mutual benefit under the League of Merchants, a large and unwieldy body of elected officials representing the different factions. These factions can be cities, important towns, large merchant houses, magical colleges, large temples and all manner of other entities. As a result, Kalembar rarely acts as a coherent political entity (as far as the outside world is concerned). The leaders of Kalembar are focused on trade and the pursuit of wealth, and in maximizing their position as one of the lands in the transitional area between north and south. Cities of the Kalembar Federation have an opulence not often found elsewhere in the North.

Longwood Vale - North of the Kalembar Federation lies an independent region known as Longwood Vale. The Vale is located between the Umbral Mountains to the west, the Tellarn Mountains to the east, and the High Plateau to the north. The great Longwood Forest covers the western half of the Vale, and is known to have a substantial wood elf realm. It is a region of fertile land and scattered frontier farmsteads through which the High River runs. The High River forms the upper part of the Kalem River watershed. The High River descends from the High Plateau, is joined by the River Terche at the city of Woodshade, and continues on to meet the Pesh River near the city of Peshtar and the Kalembar border. The Pesh River and the High River combine to form the mighty Kalem River, which runs through the heart of Kalembar. The southern end of the Vale descends to the border of the Kalembar Federation. The northern end of the Vale climbs steeply over many miles, eventually reaching the region called the High Plateau.

The High Plateau - The High Plateau is a sparsely settled region of alpine meadows nestled between the upper reaches of the Umbral Mountains to the west and the Tellarn Mountains to the east. It is a high elevation area of cool summers and very cold snowy winters. The land slopes away substantially both to the south (into Longwood Vale) and north (down into the Greenreach Woods). There is a trade road connecting Kalembar and the Great North Road that passes through Longwood Vale and the High Plateau, but it is a difficult road that cannot be used year round.

To be continued in part 2, the West and Far South...

Design Notes - A Sense of Place

Of Castles and Kings...

As I have worked my way through the tentative stumbling design of my little world, I have tried to keep a few guiding thoughts in my head, thoughts that have shaped where I have chosen to invest those hours that I have been able to dedicate to this project. If I were a player in my own world, what would I think was important? What would I like to see? I think most of the answer boils down to a sense of place.

In an earlier "design notes" post on traditional medieval-fantasy worlds and population statistics, I referenced the idea of creating a sense that players would feel they were small parts of a larger whole. I think that idea summarizes where I have chosen to invest my time. If the players are to feel they are indeed small parts of a larger whole, there first needs to be that "larger whole". By that, I mean a geography that has some reasonableness to it, some sense of history (why things are the way they are), and a framework of that living breathing thing that is "today" (what is going on right now, regardless of what the players are doing).

With this in mind I have sketched out a piece of a world that seems reasonable to me from the perspective of geography, geology, size and scope. To which I have added (in my head) a framework of history that provides at least a very basic backstory. And finally, I have posted a number of entries here describing parts of the Realms that will be important early in our intended (or hoped-for) campaign.

The final piece of the puzzle is those kinds of posts that I would say fall into the category of "legends and lore". These are the very specific detailed bits that begin to breathe life into the framework that has been envisioned.

The human mind is an amazingly creative and adaptive thing. As historical miniatures gamers, model railroaders, artists, the theater, movie makers, and any number of other creative types of people know...begin to create an illusion of reality for an audience and the audience will willingly, unknowingly, create the rest for you. A suspension of disbelief. But also a filling in of gaps and a smoothing of rough edges. You just have to give them a gentle nudge in the right direction.

So the ultimate goal here, I guess, is to create those seeds that opens the door for the minds of the players to do the rest of the heavy lifting. To give that gentle nudge. To that end, posts on this blog will be focused on describing the "now", fitting that "now" into a framework of a "past", and sprinkling in some detailed bits. The very specific detailed bits are the seeds. The history and context are the soil. The audience will do the rest.

As an aside...where do the hours I can dedicate to this project come from? Basically, over the past month or two, they come from the car. More specifically, they come from the 8-10 hours per week I spend in the car commuting to and from my job. This is often dead time, spent listening to sports talk radio, classic rock, jazz on CDs, thinking about work, or whatever else strikes my fancy. Recently, whatever strikes my fancy has been the Myaran Realms. I have spent many of those recent hours in the car thinking and writing, editing, thinking, and re-writing, so that by the time I sit down in front of the computer after the kids have gone to bed, or on the weekend, I just need to type out what is already in my head and hit the "post" button. As for those hours in the car...these days this beats re-hashing an ugly Phillies season...

Smokehole Caverns and the Sunrise Guardian

Smokehole Caverns
One of the most famous dungeon locations in the Realms is Smokehole Caverns, or simply Smokehole. Smokehole is a huge complex of caves and crevasses located at the top of Sunrise Gap, the only pass through the central Tellarn Mountains. Sunrise Gap is traversed by a rugged, seldom used road that connects the High Plateau above Jasla with the kingdom of Mercia. The road would likely be a substantial trade route if it weren't for the presence of Smokehole, which dominates the road at the top of the pass.

One of Smokehole's many entrances

Smokehole gets its name from the wisps and billows of smoke and steam that routinely come venting up out of the many cave entrances and fissures in the ground, some within sight of the road. It gets its reputation from the multitude of monsters and fiends that have called the caverns home over the years. Only the strongest, and perhaps most foolhardy, caravans and travelers attempt to use the road through the pass, and many of those that do regret the decision.

The many entrances to the subterranean caverns are said to lead to hundreds of caves, caverns, chambers and even tombs stretching over miles of maze-like passages. Adventurers (those that are still alive) claim that the denizens of this underground realm include all manner of goblinoid tribes, oozes, slimes, jellies, demons, fire monsters, and a host of evil corruptions that have no name. In addition to the monstrous inhabitants, tales tell of legendary treasures to be found deep in the mountains.

Smokehole - Deep underground

Some say that the smoke and steam come from underground forges of cities of duergar and drow (dark dwarves and dark elves), while others swear that there is a river of lava that flows through the heart of the mountains deep beneath the pass. Some say both are true. Whatever the truth may be, only the bravest tempt fate by seeking to plunder the depths of Smokehole.

Over the years there have been many raids by the monsters of Smokehole, sometimes ranging as far as the borders of Mercia, almost 60 miles to the east. In return, forces from the surrounding lands have periodically been dispatched to the area in hopes of clearing the caverns, but such expeditions have been unable to achieve any lasting success. For now both the road and the surrounding area remain extremely hazardous.

The Legend of the Sunrise Guardian
In the taverns and inns of Mercia and throughout the Northlands, stories of Smokehole often go hand in hand with tales of the Sunrise Guardian. Dating back twenty years or more, there are stories of travelers in or near Sunrise Gap, beset by monsters, who unexpectedly receive the aid of a solitary hooded and cloaked figure wielding fearsome magics. This mysterious person has become known as the Sunrise Guardian, and is described as a tall figure wearing flowing dark clothes and wielding a simple carved wooden staff. Nobody has ever gotten a good look at the Guardian, who vanishes without a word after these encounters. Tavern talk speculates as to whether the Guardian is male or female, wizard or sorcerer or druid, human, elf, or some other kind of creature. Tales of the Guardian's exploits are legendary, and speak of fire and ice raining from the sky, the earth opening and crumbling from beneath the feet of pursuing monsters, and other spells of staggering power. A story currently circulating is of a trader from Jasla, last survivor of his party, who was being pursued by a giant. The trader says that a hooded and cloaked figure appeared in his path as he ran, pointed its staff at the pursuing giant, and in a commanding voice spoke a single word. He claims the giant stumbled and collapsed to the ground, untouched, dead as a stone.

The Ancients

In scattered locations throughout the Northlands, there are traces of a race that existed long before the time of the Elder Nations. These people are referred to simply as "the Ancients." Large sites are rare, but smaller ones are fairly common, and are treated with great reverence (and superstition) by the common people, some of whom regard these ancient people as some sort of mythical ancestor race.

Ancient Standing Stones

What little is left of these sites is very different in character from the remnants of the Elder nations (which is not unlike modern construction), and generally takes the form of megalithic stone structures or ruins. Typical types include standing stone formations, monolithic carved stone figures and traces of construction made of very large stone blocks. Such sites have been found throughout the Northlands, but are more common in the areas between the mountains and the eastern coast (Alsberg down through Romney).

Powerful mages who have studied these sites believe that they radiate faint traces of some sort of primal nature magic. It is said that druids are especially protective of these ancient locations, and some sages even go so far as to speculate that druidic magic as it is known in the Realms today might be related in some way to that ancient magic.

The Elder Nations

A whirlwind tour... [edited 1/7/15]

The Land of Myrveen

Onoria, greatest of the Elder nations, occupied the land roughly bordered by the Iron Spire Mountains in the east, the upper reaches of the Umbral Mountains in the south, and the Craghorn Peaks in the north. It was bordered on the west by Ithilkar. The Great North Road of today runs through the southern portion of old Onoria.

Ithilkar, Onoria's biggest rival, occupied a great swath of land west of Onoria, east of the Dragonbane Mountains, south into the lands between the Umbral Mountains and Blood Peaks, and extending far north into what is now known as the Rivenrock Wastes.

Tirask, a smaller land, was a nation a seafarers, and occupied what is now Mercia, Rimini, Alsberg and territory stretching into the High Plateau area north of the current day Kalembar Federation.

Gorlavar, a nation of savage warriors, occupied the land west of the Dragonbane Mountains and around the northern shores of the Frostreach Sea. Mirraddi now exists in what was the southeastern part of Gorlavar.

Somewhere north of Onoria and Tirask, beyond the Craghorn Peaks, was the land of the elves of Myrveen. Another elven realm, Kyrellia, existed near the Dragonbane Mountains.

The dwarven kingdom of Barak Brannar (commonly known as Aravesk), was deep within the Craghorn Peaks northeast of Onoria.

The lands between the Elder Nations and the southern kingdoms (current day Romney, Saradel, Kalembar, Varlune and Darlish) were a largely unsettled wilderness area between the two great areas of civilization. These lands began to be settled by humans, mainly along the southern coast, when the remnants of the Elder nations were driven south during the Elder Wars.

Design Notes - How Big is Big?

Something that has taken up some stray thought when building this world is the basic question of "how big should this place be?"

I would like to say that I had done most of that thinking before sitting down and scribbling drafts of maps, throwing things together in Hexographer, etc, but that's not true. As is often the case with any creative endeavor like this, I sit and scribble. Revise and scribble some more. I generally start very small and then work my way out from the middle. And things go where they go. That's pretty much what happened here. First there was the little area where I envisioned the characters starting, and a basic storyline. Then this was fit into a regional view of a basic conception of the larger picture. And finally an idea of how this region fit into the much larger world. Ideally perhaps, this creative process would work the other way around - from the outside in. Have a master plan at the highest level and work down into greater levels of detail as needed. I don't seem to think that way; I start with a seed and things grow where they grow, and go where they go.

Designing Inside-out

My "seed" area was no more than about 50 miles on a side (The Shearingvale). Then the "middle" layer was a region that grew to perhaps 750 miles wide and 1,000 miles from north to south (and is now maybe 1,200 miles on a side - The Northlands). Extensions of the outlines of the continent(s) beyond that have been sketched out, and vague ideas of what is "out there" are rattling around in my head - rattling around enough that a pretty good idea of the setting for this campaign has solidified in my mind.

Which brings me back to the question of how big this place should be. Or given the above, the more specific question I have been asking myself is "is this place big enough?"

I think the answer is "yes".  The initial anchor of this campaign is the Alsberg/Rimini/Mercia area and the Great North Road heading west through the Elder land of Onoria. Water is east, land is in the other three directions. [Odd, having been born and raised in the Philadelphia area, that the maps started at an east coast city...]. Anyway, if we take as an example a Philadelphia central point, and compare to the real world to see what those kind of distances mean, you get the following: A span of 1,200 miles from north to south goes from approximately Toronto Canada to Miami, Florida. Heading west, 500 miles gets you to Cincinnati, 800 miles gets you to St Louis, and 1350 miles gets you to Denver. So is a moderately well thought-out region that stretches from here to Toronto, to Miami, to Maine, and to St Louis enough space to play with? I think so.

And if not, there is always all that white space on the map beyond that.

Languages - The Tempest Coast

Shearingvale and the Silver Hills

There are a number of languages spoken by the human peoples of the Tempest Coast. These languages fall into three main groupings, each based on one of the older tongues spoken in centuries past. Or so say the sages.

Old Onorian was the language of the Elder nations of Onoria and Ithilkar. Salric, or Northern Common, the most widely used language in the Tempest Coast lands, is descended from Old Onorian. It is the primary language of the lands from Saradel to Alsberg and up the Greve River valley to the Shearingvale and Turil. It is a secondary language throughout the rest of the North.

Old Onorian is also the ancestor of Kalemite, the language of the Kalembar Federation, Rulia, the Longwood Vale and the High Plateau.  Kalemite is also a widely spoken second language in Saradel and Burgaresh.

Old Tirian is the ancestor of Oranthian, the primary language of the Oranthian Isles, and a secondary language in Romney and Tiencin.

The other lost Elder tongue is Old Gorlavan, the language of Gorlavar. Westreth, the language of Mirraddi and nations even further to the west, is derived from Old Gorlavan. Darlishite is also dervied from Old Gorlavan, and the sages say that there are influences of Infernal (the language of demon-kin) to be found in Darlishite. Westreth and Darlishite are close enough to allow very basic communication.

Florian, one of the ancient Inland Sea languages still in use, is the primary language of the Florian Empire (and primary and secondary in other lands), and is the ancestor of Varlan. Varlan, spoken only in the small nation of Varlune, is a dialect of Florian with Old Gorlavan influences, and is readily understandable to Florian speakers.

Sages and learned men speculate that the older tongues were already dissolving into different dialects at the time of the Elder Wars, and that the fragmentation and isolation of the survivors of the Elder nations hastened this process.

[edited 2/9/18]

The Kingdom of Mercia

The Kingdom of Mercia is located on the eastern coast of the Northlands, south of Alsberg and Rimini, and north of Romney and Tiencin. It is ruled by a hereditary king, Roderick II, of house Santon. King Roderick has sat on the throne for 27 years, and is in his mid-50's.

Mercia is bordered on the north by the waters of Stillwater Reach, on the west by the Tellarn Mountains, and on the east by Oran Bay. The southern border skirts Pelican Lake and the far northern extent of the Nightshade Forest. It is a land of cool temperate climate and fertile farmland and fishing grounds.

A key time in the recent history of Mercia is the expansion, 18 years ago, of its northern borders. Prior to the expansion, Mercia's northern border was the Meredin River and the city of Belhaven. As Mercia has grown and prospered in recent generations, the independent cities and towns on the south shore of Stillwater Reach have become more and more accepting of the idea of becoming part of Mercia, and this came to pass officially 18 years ago when all independent towns and cities from the Meredin River north to Stillwater Reach consented to be annexed into the kingdom. Five years ago, construction of Harlon Castle on the northern border near Rimini was completed, firmly establishing the new northern boundary (and causing no small amount of agitation in Rimini). This expansion and castle construction has been a serious cause for concern for the fiercely independent Grand Duke of Rimini, and has caused tensions in the relations between the two states.

Northern Mercia (Hexographer, 6 mile scale)

The capital of Mercia is Medina, population 17,500. The cities of Atherwell, Belhaven, Rentana, Kardin and Severn range in population from 5,000-10,000. A dozen named towns of 1,000-3,000 each, along with Harlon Castle on the northern border, bring the urban population total to 76,000. Rural population of 380,000 (5 rural to 1 urban) brings the total population of the realm up to 456,000. Given that half the realm could be considered even somewhat settled, this bring the population density to 27 people per square mile (total) and 54 people per square mile (settled). This qualifies as moderately sparse.

Southern Mercia (Hexographer, 6 mile scale)

In addition to the usual farming and fishing industries, Mercia is blessed with large iron ore deposits in the Red Rock Hills and the precious metals and gemstones mined in the western mountains by prospectors and small mining communities which are brought into the country for sale, and processing.

Threats within the borders of the state have been minimized in recent years, but the pirates of the Oranthian Isles are an ongoing nuisance to the coastal communities, and there are periodic incursions of monsters and humanoid tribes from the Tellarn Mountains. There are also tales of many strange things occurring in the northern and southern reaches of the WitchWood, as well as unusual events around Pelican Lake.

Lastly, one of the great known dungeon complexes of the Northlands, the Smokehole Caverns, or simply Smokehole as it is generally known, sits astride the Sunrise Gap in the Tellarn Mountains, rendering an otherwise potentially important trade route virtually unusable.

The Grand Duchy of Rimini

The Grand Duchy of Rimini is located in the far northeastern part of the Tempest Coast. Until 30 years ago, Rimini was simply an influential independent city in the region, ruled by a City Council made up primarily of merchants. The Mir family, heads of the most important merchant house in the city, effectively ruled that council. Saltin Mir, perhaps in response to the growth of other nearby nations, declared that Rimini would become a Grand Duchy, and that he would be the Grand Duke. None had the wealth or power to oppose him, and he was a good leader, so the Grand Duchy was born. A few nearby towns were persuaded to join the duchy, and it took the shape it has today.

The heart of the duchy is the city of Rimini itself, and the fertile lands of the valley of the River Greve. The marshy Alavan River forms the eastern boundary, and the northern edge of the WitchWood defines the southwestern boundary. It stretches to the foothills of the Iron Spire Mountains beyond Beren Combe in the north. In all, the Grand Duchy covers roughly 2,000 square miles.

Grand Duchy of Rimini
(in Hexographer - 6 mile hex scale)

Rimini is important, and has prospered in recent years, because of its location. The city of Rimini is where the Great North Road (east-west) meets the Coast Road (north-south) coming up from Mercia to the south and continuing into Alsberg to the northeast. This road junction occurs at the western end of Stillwater Reach, where the River Greve empties into the sea, and where there is a good harbor. This confluence of trade arteries has made Rimini a very advantageous location.

Rimini is the only city in the realm, with a population of 12,500. Caledon is a prosperous fishing town of 2,500. Greva sits in the middle of prime farmland in the fertile river valley, and has 2,000 inhabitants. Beren Combe is a mining town located in the hills in the northern part of the Duchy, and has a population of 1,000. Talengard (described below), has a population of 750. The total urban population is 18,750, with another 75,000 living in the rural areas, for a total population of 93,750. Most of these people live along the road and river corridor from Caledon to Talengard. Rimini is one of the more cosmopolitan cities in the Northlands, and is one of the places containing artisans and master craftsmen in large concentration. Metalworking is a big business, using both iron and precious metals mined from the hills near Beren Combe as well as raw materials coming out of scattered mining settlements and the Dwarf hold of Torhaven north of Nandra.

The current Grand Duke is Zefran Mir, son of Saltin. Zefran has been in power since his father's death ten years ago. As his years of rule have gone by, Zefran has become less interested in the daily running of the duchy, which is largely handled by his advisors and the City Council (which does still exist), and spends most of his time working to achieve his dream (some might say obsession) of making Rimini the center of knowledge in the Northlands. To this end, he has rebuilt the ruins of Talengard, a castle site from the Elder days that sits high on a rocky bluff overlooking the River Greve. This complex contains a library, a number of sages, and several temples, including ones dedicated to Tomin (Knowledge), Crastor (Magic) and Valerin (Music and Poetry). Zefran is spending some of his own family fortune (which is quite immense) on this project, and it is having some success at attracting the types of learned people that he desires, such as sages, bards, research-oriented spellcasters and the like.

Kingdom of Alsberg - Population

Using the previously detailed design considerations, the population of the Kingdom of Alsberg, a sparsely settled frontier land, can be estimated as follows.

Alten, the capital, is a bustling port city in the heart of the more settled part of the kingdom (the southern end). It has a population of 10,000. Olora has 7,000 people, and the cities of Carrack and Engildar each have 5,000. The established coastal towns of Weir, Longridge and Reston have between 2,000 and 2,500 each. The other towns in the settled areas (Mowbrey and Granville) have 1,500 each. The remaining "frontier" towns that are large enough to be on the map (Rask, Hamlin, Fairfax, Leven, Starke and Dyer) range from 1,000-1,200. The four border castles and keeps, along with their supporting villages, range from 500-1,000 people. This brings the total urban population to 46,200. Given that Alsberg is a frontier kingdom, and has a shorter history than most other lands, there are only 4 rural people for each urban person, totaling another 184,800 people, for a grand total population of 231,000.

Kingdom of Alsberg
(in Hexographer - 6 mile hex scale)

Historical medieval precedent establishes a range of people per square mile from 30 (not the most fertile land and/or sparsely populated) to 100 or so (fertile land, fully settled). With approximately 15,000 square miles of territory, and only approximately half of that able to be considered even somewhat settled, this gives 15 people per square mile overall and 31 people per square mile considering only the settled areas. This fits comfortably at the very low end of the range (or below it).

[edited 2/9/18]

Design Notes - Numbers and Things

As I have been working, here and there, on creating this new fantasy world, I have found myself thinking about many of the same things I remember thinking about all those years ago (the last time I did this sort of thing). Many of these things revolve around numbers and measures. How many people live in these towns and cities? If "x" number of people live in the major towns and cities of a kingdom, what is the total population of the kingdom once you add in all the scattered farms, hamlets and villages? What is a reasonable ground scale for the hex-based maps we make? How far can our characters reasonably travel in a day (when on foot, wagon, horse; encumbered or not)? How many years should the history of these lands be? What is a short time, and what is a long time?

Building a World

The main reason that I even care about these things is that if I am going to bother to create something like this, I want it to at least have a veneer of reasonableness. Done well, it should feel real. I want to be able to create for the players the sense that they are a small part of something larger, and that some thought has been given to how things fit together and why they are the way they are; that the world existed before they arrived in it. I could simply scribble a small map with a village on one end and a dungeon on the other, and say "dungeon's that way...off you go". But that doesn't interest me. I like to create. I'm sure I will create far more than we will ever need or use, but it's been a fun journey thus far.

I suppose there are two main schools of thought on creating fantasy worlds. Those that create something truly unique and, well, fantastic. And those (probably the majority) that opt for the traditional-fantasy world of "medieval with magic and monsters". I am solidly in the latter camp. I tend to envision the framework of a D&D world as a high medieval place (only cleaner and less squalid). So in constructing such a world, I go back to high medieval western Europe as a sanity check.

My issue with the questions I began with is that as I reread published materials from back in the day, some of the numbers they use seem jarringly off to me. (I know, I think too much). As an example, a couple of nights ago I was flipping through a particular early 1990's Forgotten Realms supplement that was referencing city populations in the hundreds of thousands, and in some cases a million or two. This struck me as ludicrously higher than I would ever want in my world. I have looked at medieval European populations at other times as part of historical miniatures gaming, but I revisited the topic and did some quick research.

Using rough but generally accepted numbers for various locations in western Europe in the mid-1300's (a population high point before plagues set the population counts back a couple of centuries), you have the following. The largest cities were Venice (100,000), Florence (95,000) and Paris (80,000). There were other large northern Italian cities, but nothing in excess of 100,000. Some estimates have Moscow at 200,000, but that is outside of the sphere I am using. Estimates for England in 1377 have London at a whopping 23,000. The next largest English cities are estimated to be York (7,000) and Bristol (6,000), with the rest of the top 10 in the 3,000-5,000 range. Numbers 11-20 on the list are at 2,000-3,000. London's population was estimated at 350,000 in 1662, and had still not reached a million by 1801. While I am not recreating Europe, these figures at least provide a frame of reference.

The end result of all this is that my cities and towns will follow these general rules: The very largest cities in the long-settled south will be in the 30-50,000 range with perhaps just a few larger. The largest cities in the Northlands will not exceed 12,000 in the newer areas and 20,000 in the older areas, and even this size will be rare. Most cities in the Northlands will be in the 5-8,000 range. Towns significant enough to be on the map will be in the 1,000-3,000 range. Independent cities and towns on the trade ways and in the frontier areas will be smaller. Historical statistics estimate that as much as 95% of more of the population was rural. My numbers in the less-settled areas will probably be more on the lines of 4-6 rural people per urban person (80-85% rural population). Numbers of people per square mile, per square mile of farmed land, etc, are readily available on the internet, and will be used to rationalize overall kingdom populations. In general terms. I find this sort of academic-ish research interesting, but I am not looking for a grotesque level of detail. Just something that seems reasonable at the macro level.

One of the last things I stumbled on before writing this was a terrific article here, on populations of medieval-fantasy worlds. Good stuff, and worth a read (if this sort of thing interests you...). The author obviously uses some of the well-known figures from the same academic works that I found easily on the internet...

I will post ramblings on movement rates and the span of history at some other point.

The Kingdom of Alsberg

The northernmost, and youngest, of the nations of the Northlands, is the Kingdom of Alsberg. Lying north of the Bay of Oran on the coast, it stretches for almost 200 miles along the coast, and over 100 miles inland. It is bordered by the Grand Duchy of Rimini in the southwest, and the trackless Northern Wilderlands to the west and north. Alsberg is the northern terminus of the Coast Road, and lies just to the east of the end of the Great North Road in Rimini. It is truly the frontier of civilization.

The southern half of the kingdom, anchored on the shores of sheltered Stillwater Reach, is where the majority of the population lives. The capital of Alten is an important frontier port, and the inland cities of Carrack and Olora are prospering. The coastal city of Engildar is the northernmost city in the land, and even receives the occasional visit from barbarian ships from across the northern sea. Beyond Engildar to the north is a scattering of towns and villages.

Alsberg - Southern coastal farmlands

Alsberg is a hereditary monarchy, and is ruled by King Osric I. Osric is tall and slender, stooped, and seeming younger than his years (mid-40s). It is a poorly kept secret that Osric is some sort of spellcaster. Given its location in the world, it is not surprising that Alsberg's focus seems to be on defense of the kingdom and expansion of the economy.

Four main fortresses guard the borders of the realm; Brandal Castle in the south, "Northwatch" in the far north, and Iron Keep and Eagleview Keep in between. The greatest threats to the kingdom are incursions of goblinoid tribes coming down from the Iron Spire Mountains to the west, coastal raids from the northern barbarians and the pirates from the Oranthian Isles.

The Gravelflow coming down from the Haunted Moors

The economy of Alsberg is largely agricultural. The southern part of the kingdom as well as the lands along the Broadwater River are very fertile, and have lucrative crops, orchards and vineyards. "Blood oak" trees harvested from the Grimboar Forest and the Oloran Woods have wood of a deep red color which is prized in the south for the making of furniture and other products. Much fruit and wine is shipped south from Alsberg. Some trade makes its way to and from Alsberg by ship, but due to the dangers of sea travel, especially around the Liriana Peninsula and across the Sea of Tempests, most still goes by land. The majority of the ship traffic is from the nations of the east coast (Tiencin, Romney, Mercia and Rimini), north of the Sea of Tempests.

Due to its location, Alsberg is the home of a fair number of adventurers, and such types are well tolerated as long as they behave themselves. Some of these adventurers use Alsberg as a base for exploring distant destinations, but many find things of interest within the borders of the kingdom. The Elder nation of Tirask claimed these lands in the olden days, and there are ruins to be found and explored. Some of the cities and towns are built on the sites of these ancient settlements.

Castle ruins of old Tirask, near Fairfax

The defense of the kingdom falls on the shoulders of a small but effective military, as well as a solid militia. Militia service is a requirement of all able bodied men and women of appropriate age. The most visible sign of the Alsberg military is the border patrols of "White Cloaks", or as they are often jokingly referred to, the "Muddy Cloaks". The White Cloaks are tasked with patrolling the kingdom, concentrating especially on the borders, and consist of varying sized groups of mounted lancers and archers, often accompanied by spellcasters when on duty in the wilder parts of the realm.

The Great North Road

The Great North Road, or the "Long Road" as it is often called, runs east to west across the Northlands, and often serves as the boundary dividing the extent of civilized expansion and the untamed and unsettled Wilderlands beyond. In the far reaches of the Northlands, it is simply known as "The Road". For much of its length, what passes for civilization can best be described as a series of frontier towns clinging to the road for their livelihood and protection.

The Northlands (60 mile squares)

The Road's eastern end is in the city of Rimini, in the Grand Duchy of the same name. Its western terminus is generally accepted as the city of Amilkar on the shores of the Frostwater Reach in the land of Mirraddi, although there are those in Darlish who would argue that it ends within their borders. There is about 660 miles of rugged and dangerous frontier in between. The 250+ mile stretch from Turil to Busana is especially wild.

In Rimini, the Road departs from the Coast Road, which begins in the Kingdom of Alsberg and winds through the coastal lands for over a thousand miles, all the way to the Florian Empire and the gateway to the old kingdoms of the South. Leaving Rimini and heading west, the Road follows the valley of the River Greve, passing below the edge of the Iron Spire Mountains to the north. At the 90 mile mark, the Trollclaw Hills encroach near the south side of the Road, which passes through a gap and then climbs into a wide fertile valley. The western end of this valley is closed in by the Shadowveil Forest to the north and the Greenreach Woods to the south. At the 175 mile mark, the Road enters the Shearingvale, home to many farmers and herders, and reaches the town of Linden. The Road now follows the line of the Silver Hills to its north, arriving in the crossroads town of Turil 60 miles west of Linden.

Skirting the Dragonbane Mountains

At Turil, the Road continues west, while another road heads due south to the city of Crygar. At Crygar, that road splits. The Varlune Road heads southwest, between the Kalber Marshes to the north and the massive Umbral Mountains to the south, eventually making its way to Varlune. The Kalembar Road heads south-southeast to Kister's Gap, over the north end of the Umbrals, and on to Jasla and eventually south to the Kalembar Federation, the Coast Road, and points beyond.

Leaving Turil and heading west, the Road continues to traverse the Elder lands of Onoria, passing north of the desolate Hills of Horeb and the Kalber Marshes. This is an especially dangerous stretch of road, and is one of the least populated areas, with many miles between towns and other signs of civilization. North of the road is the legendary Forest of Kyrell, a remnant of a much larger ancient forest, said to be an Elven stronghold in ancient times. The Road then passes through the towns of Trillen and Gravon, and past the foothills of the Dragonbane Mountains, then bending southwest to the town of Busana (at the 500 mile mark). At Busana, a road splits off to the south/southeast that skirts the Kalber Marshes to the south and joins with the Varlune Road. The Road itself continues west from Busana and comes to Colorna on the northern shores of Lake Sarma at the 560 mile mark. Ithilkar was to the north of here in the Elder days.

From Colorna roads go in two directions; the Long Road continues another 100 miles northwest to Amilkar and its end, and the Darlish Road heads west/southwest, looping around the northern edge of the Blood Peaks and then south into the mysterious and dangerous realm of Darlish.

The settlements along the road exist as outposts in the effort to reclaim the Northlands. Merchant companies, ever anxious to open up new trade routes, pay good money to have their own warriors as well as mercenary companies patrol the roads and keep the settlers safe. For the most part they do a pretty good job, although raids and monstrous incursions against the towns and villages are fairly commonplace.

These frontier towns also serve to support those bravest of adventurers who seek to explore the lost realms of the Elder nations.

[P.S. - I'll work on scanning better images of the maps...]

A World of Fantasy

The Craghorn Peaks of Onoria

Somewhere, somewhen, there is a wondrous realm. A realm of magic. A realm of dragons. And dungeons. And heroic adventurers overcoming tremendous obstacles in search of glory, treasure, or perhaps simply a good time. This world is made up of sprawling continents and trackless oceans. The portion we will concern ourselves with, for the moment, is the northeastern part of one of these continents; an area known simply as the Northlands.

The Northlands spans perhaps 1,200 miles from north to south and again as wide from east to west. Other civilized lands stretch thousands more miles to the south and west. Many hundreds of years ago there were great kingdoms in this region. Kingdoms of men such as Onoria, Ithilkar, Gorlavar and Tirask. The elven kingdom of Myrveen. And the dwarven realm of Barak Brannar, greatest of all the dwarf-holds, known to elves and men as the great Under-City of Aravesk. These were realms of great might and magic, rivaling the ancient southern realms in glory and accomplishment. Then began what the histories call the Elder Wars.

Here of old was the Kingdom of Ithilkar...

For reasons that are no longer clear, Onoria and Ithilkar went to war. Great battles were fought and devastating magics were cast in support of the respective armies. Men died in droves. The wars escalated. The leaders of these nations, determined to emerge victorious, became more and more desperate, unleashing ever rarer and more dangerous magics. First Tirask and then Gorlavar were pulled into the maelstrom of battle. Elves and dwarves, more inclined toward peace, were drawn inexorably into the conflict. The wars raged for more than a hundred years. Civilization in the Northlands began to break down while the southern realms looked on in horror and mobilized their own might for protection.

In pursuit of ultimate victory, all caution and reason were discarded. Celestial gates, abyssal vortexes and temporal rifts were opened, and all manner of supernatural and monstrous allies were brought into the world in the hopes that they could be bound to fight for one side or the other. Humanoid hordes were recruited, undead were created and enslaved, and every conceivable type of creature was bound to the will of the warring powers.

And then the power of the Elder nations began to crumble, and their ability control that which they had unleashed on the world began to fail.

Ruins of Tirask

In one final generation now known as the Cataclysm, that which would pass for civilization in the North ceased to exist. Monstrous hordes overran the land, sweeping the battered remnants of men, elves and dwarves before them. The Years of Darkness, lasting for centuries, began.

In the south, the might of the Florian Empire and the Kingdom of Burgaresh stood firm, forming a bulwark against the evil and chaos rampant in the Northlands. The few surviving enclaves of elves and dwarves retreated deep into their forests and mountains, and the once-glorious heirs of men either fled south and west to seek refuge in other lands or survived in small scattered groups, wandering the far northern wilderness as little more than barbarians.

During the Years of Darkness, civilization in the Northlands is reduced to scattered fortified cities and towns along the southern coasts, relying on the Florian Empire, Burgaresh and Larenthy for protection. Throughout these years, bands of warriors fight to stem the tide of chaos, but evil reigns in the Northlands for hundreds of years.

Eventually, the strength of the monstrous hordes began to wane, and when the southern kingdoms entered a period of famine, coupled with a prolonged civil war within the Florian Empire, men began to look to reclaim the lands and lost wealth of the Northlands in earnest. People began to move north, first adventurers and treasure seekers, but then farmers and settlers of all kinds. Immigration of men to the coastal towns and cities grew and slowly expanded the frontiers of civilization. Towns and cities were founded, some on the ruins of the Elder nations. Trade routes were re-established; new realms were founded and began to prosper.

The last 200 years have been an era of slow but steady progress in trying to reclaim the North. The surviving realms on the southern coast stabilized and expanded, and civilized lands have spread up the eastern coast. New kingdoms of Romney, Mercia and then Alsberg were founded, and independent towns and cities began to take root and prosper in other areas. Trade began to move through the region again, first primarily along the coastal roads, but then beginning to move further inland. As trade routes spread, settlements grew along with them.

While men have moved into the Northlands once again, much remains to be explored and conquered...