Eres

[Marigu.goke00]

Okay. I am building a fairly large campaign setting (fairly being 5 North American sized continents, and island collection, four super continents, a floating continent, a hollow core with inhabitants, two underdarks, 3 moons, a couple other planets and an insane amount of planes). I need help. Personally, I don't just want this setting to be "me" flavored. I *could* do it all alone (and take forever) and have everything be my way. But I want other people to have considerable input. Right now, I am just looking to complete the main continents. Below, I will list them, their close analogues to the real world, and a short summary of what I've got. If you wanna help, post below with what you want

Avar (Europe) *Claimed by ME!*: The war torn Avar is the mythological center of creation, and has seen more war on a scale not seen on the other continents.

The Imperium (Asia) *Claimed by ME!*: A land ruled by xenophobic Khans, Shoguns and Emperors. This land is known for its warriors, knights carrying katanas.

Dynastic Isles (Egypt) *Claimed by Sktarq*: Immortal Pharaohs and God-kings rule this land, seeking to rise to their pantheons.

Manakat (North America) *Up for grabs*: The lust forests of Manakat are mostly untouched. Tribes of Half-Giants, Goblinoids and Minotaurs roam the forests, living side by side its native inhabitants. Newly awakened beings, plantlike in nature, wander about, seeking their place in the world. However, powerful forces sleep in Manakat, powerful beings of death, life, fire, earth, ice and water.

Everfall (Scandinavia) *Claimed by Vonwalt*: A land locked in near perpetual winter, the people hunt to survive. Some decide to leave, and pillage the other continents for sustenance. During the one month of the year the continent isn't blanketed in snow, the people come together to celebrate the spirits of nature

Broken Moon Islands (N/A) *Up for grabs*: The edge of reality, the tattoo elves keep the bulwark sealed. Preventing... something, from entering Eres has taken its toll on them. Sometimes, these "somethings" slip through and the elves hunt it down. Whatever these things are, no planar scholar can identify them.

[Vonwalt]

How much are you looking for people to create? Societal details, maps, adventure seeds, ancient ruins, civilisations, etc

[Marigu.goke00]

Basically, a country breakdown in the following format

Country
Quote
Government
Races/Descriptions
Mannerisms
Speech
Environment
Resources/Trade
Weapons/Warfare
Customs/Superstitions/Rituals
Religion
Festivals
History

Cities in Country
Capital City
City
City
City

Sites in Country
Site
Specific
Site
Specific
Site
Specific

[Vonwalt]

Right. I'll get on Everfall, I guess.

[Marigu.goke00]

Yay! I love you! How many countries are you putting up? Also, I have a map for it... the right side is North
http://i.imgur.com/irDEzyN.jpg

[Marigu.goke00]

Also, the whole world, the surface at least, looks like this: The middle is Avar, North of that is Everfall, East is Manakat, West is The Imperium, and between the two are the Broken Moon Isles. The large continents are primal things that I haven't got into yet.
http://i.imgur.com/RRs9FtM.jpg

[whisperwind1]

Also, the whole world, the surface at least, looks like this: The middle is Avar, North of that is Everfall, East is Manakat, West is The Imperium, and between the two are the Broken Moon Isles. The large continents are primal things that I haven't got into yet.

So my question is why do you have so many continents and supercontinents? I think perhaps you're underestimating the relative size of North America, because 5 North America sized landmasses would already account for around three fourths of Earth's total land. Adding the supercontinents into it and your setting would effectively occur on a planet the size of Jupiter, which is an XBOXHUGE amount of space.

Now I get that you want to go for big, and that's fine, but keep in mind that most D&D style settings are set on planets about the size of the Earth, with comparable landmasses. Relatability of topography and distance aside (after all Dark Sun has like, one ocean), the fact is the amount of space your setting has means little in the context of an RPG setting. To explain, most players will not care about size and scope, they'll care about interesting fluff they can use to make characters or raid tombs in. The fact is writing reams and reams of setting materiel is pointless if most of it is never going to be touched by the players.

My recommendation is that you can keep the five North Americas, its a great number of continents, and then give them general writeups, nothing too deep (crowdsourcing is a great idea for this btw). Then simply decide which of the five is going to be your default game area, and flesh that one out more (get as detailed as you like). That way the players will appreciate the immediate setting, and for future adventures, when you visit other continents, you can simply repeat the process. In this way your setting grows organically without you having to write a 450-page monster that no one would want to read in its entirety. As for the underdarks and outer planes, well one sentence should suffice for now, and if they ever become the focus of the adventure, then feel free to develop as much as you'd like.

[Marigu.goke00]

The supercontinents are essentially "the wilds," and I have specifically mentioned the wonky gravity. Avar is already *my* main area. I use it for everything, really. But I want an obscenely large setting. Obscenely. But that is why I am parting it out, and crowd sourcing. Essentially, the North is a desolate icecake. East is a verdant wooded area, West is a grass sea (complete with dothrakiesqe plainsriders) and the South is a great dust ocean. The planet itself has wonky poles, which, again, is noted as odd. Magic, yo.


.
without you having to write a 450-page monster that no one would want to read in its entirety.
I want a 450 page monstrosity. Actually, I want MORE!

[Marigu.goke00]

Actually, Whisper, do you want one?

[GorinichSerpant]

I'm interested in the Broken Moon Islands, and could come up with a variety of things beyond the world. I am kind of confused by the map, why is the area at the edge of reality in the middle of an ocean? Also are there any special cosmological or magical rules in this setting?

[Marigu.goke00]

The edge of reality is a place where the boundaries between this cosmology and another cosmology wear thin. Basically, cosmologies can be titanic, relatively speaking. The cosmology of Eretz, for example, contains what would normally be considered six cosmologies in one. The alien world on the other side of The Broken Moon is essentially the far realm. Do you wanna sign up for it?

Also, arcane magic is gained from the demimental plane of magic and psionics are gleaned from from the planet's rings.

[kopout]

I think I might like to try Manakat. Do you have any specific ideas about how it got that weird shape?

[sktarq]

Well a couple of questions then:

You've asked for a build but what system are you planning (brings up issues of classes available, technology level, magic level, what magic IS etc)

How are you scattering the various races (everyone everywhere? the main book races everywhere and the others in a per continent basis?)

If these lands are continents (even at the size of greater India or Australia) could and probably should have a bunch of different nations no? if so then the 4 cities 3 sties may well not work well when it is repeated 20 times....

Also what kind of themes and stories are you trying to promote?


I find this an interesting idea at least-both in terms of approach and possible outcomes. . .

also as hopping between the 4 super, 5 continents, etc seems as it needs some sort of starting agreement. . . how easy/hard is it? Does it need some sort of greater teleport spell (with say broken Isles blocking it)
those would also be HUGE oceans by the way with very long boat trips. . . It matters for the subdevelopers in terms of how many connections they have-how much trade, how do tech or magical traditions in one continent effect the others etc. Just if one region says it produces a major export the others have to be careful about overlapping. . . if one goes for a region that says magic is strictly controlled and few people ever see it and another talks of how their airships regularly trade with the other powers would be a logical conflict...

[Marigu.goke00]

Kopout, Manakat was formed through primordial, almost elemental forces.

Sktarq, Avar has the highest progress level, and it lacks airships. It has some portals, but those are all short distance at best. The next closest, techwise, is The Imperium, but their xenophobia basically precludes them from trade. The southern reaches of Everfall mostly interact with raids, and both the Dynastic Isles and Manakat are mostly savage. Technology has basically made it to crude firearms on Avar, which have made their way to The Imperium and Manakat via arms dealers and colonists, repectively. The supercontinents are trackless and savage. Civilized folk want little to do with them.

[sktarq]

and your system of choice?

[Marigu.goke00]

It is designed with 3.5 in mind, but i am trying to avoid system specific language.

[sktarq]

Fair enough of wanting to avoid system specific language but it does matter in how gods, magic etc works.

I'd like to have a go of the Dynastic Isles. With Egyptian inspiration. Do you have any ideas on what you'd like to see incorporated somewhere.

[Marigu.goke00]

Gods grant their clerics and paladins spells. Arcane magic cones from the demimental plane of magic. Psionics cone from the rings of the planet. Druidic magic is gleaned from the land itself.

[kopout]

A biome map of Manakat.


http://i57.tinypic.com/bhcfbk.png
Key
Grey: tall mountain (rockies)
Brown grey: low mountain ( Appalachian)
Green: forest
Blue green: swamp/marsh
Light green: grass land
Tanish orange: masa land/ high desert
yellow : scrub-land/ semi desrt

This is mostly for my own purposes, so I know what goes were, but I'd appreciate questions or input.

[Marigu.goke00]

Works for me.

[sktarq]

Kopout:
Oh something I'd like to bring up. In chatting with Marigu I proposed that with Monsoon like winds Fleets can leave from the Dynastic Isles with a strong tail wind and cross to Manakat, they would have to stay for a few months and wait for the winds to reverse direction to get home. On both ends there is only a week-two week window that a ship can set off and hope to get to their target. It is only be catching the winds and currents together that the ships can move fat enough to get to their destinations and still have food and water.

Most of what the ship would bring and would want to buy would be non perishable, high value items.
High points for arrival goods- Incense, Gold, Medicine/Drugs, Honey, Glass, and Dyes (Tyre Purple, Sky Blue)
Exports to other continents
Salt Fish
Salt (Sea Salt, Natron)
Glass (famed for swirly multi coloured (unique due to use of natron as color fix)
Gold
Gems (Emerald, Turquoise, Amethyst, Pearls)
Precious Stone - Alabaster, Imperial Porphyry (unique)
Incense-Frankincense, Myrrh
Sky Blue Dye (sand based)
Ultramarine Dye
Deep Blue Dye (Whelk)
Reddish Violet Dye (Different Whelk)
Imperial Purple Dye (Tyran Purple-mix of two Whelk Blood)
Honey
Medicine
Drugs (Esp Opium, Qhat)
Exotic Woods-Ebony, Cedar
Shell: Shell, Capiz Shell, Coral (Red, Black, White)
Oil: Lamp Oil, Bitumen
Lacquerware Products
Cloth Goods
Transhipped Goods
Copper/Bronze Goods
Dyed Cloth Goods

My questions for you are
A: Does this arrangement sound good for you?-you can have the winds/currents deliver them where ever you want on your continent
B: What would the cities of Manakat offer in trade? I know the Islanders are especially after Spices, Steel Goods (only have one region with good supplies), exotic metals, and luxury goods but am really open to suggestions here

also am creating a google doc for the Dynastic isles if you want to view I can put people involved on the list if you all wish

[Mx.Silver]

If you still need some more input, and don't mind it coming from someone who doesn't play D&D, I'd be willing to take a shot at the Broken Moon islands.

[Marigu.goke00]

Sktarq, that is fine. The only potential issue I have with it is that Manakat is pretty uncivilized, Methinks. Also, clear your inbox.

Silver, that'd be great

[Mx.Silver]

Silver, that'd be great

Okay then. Do you have a larger map of the islands? I'm probably going to need to scribble things on them, and they're a bit too small on the world map for that.

[Marigu.goke00]

http://i.imgur.com/PazUAS0.jpg

[Thunderfist12]

I would like to take charge of Manakat. Sounds like a cool setting base (good races to work with, interesting and under-represented culture, etc.).

Whoever has Everfall, I would like to request a kind of connection between our continents in very rough parallel to history - perhaps explorers from Everfall make occasional excursions onto Manakati shores, similar to the temporary Viking exploration of North America in our own history (although probably much more permanent). If I attain permission for this, I will allow you (if you wish) to design a number of towns on Manakat, since they would be under Everfall culture anyways.

I'll be back to this when I can; until then, I shall be coming up with the similarities, differences, and slightly different parallels to actual Native cultures and how they fit with the various peoples of the continent.

Thunderfist12