The Campaign Builder's Guild

(Note: Just because I mention that the world if flat and might be supported on the back of a turtle does not mean it's a Pratchett ripoff.)

â,¬Å"The world is flat.  Any fool knows that: all you need is a reasonably tall building and you can see all the way to the mountains that ring the edge of the world.  But why is it flat, you ask?  Some say so that it can fit on the back of a giant turtle that swims across an endless sea.  Ha! I say.  Where would the sun go that circles around our world?  It would drown in the sea beneath the turtle.  Not to mention the moon.  No, listen to me, the world is an island floating in an endless sky.  The dwarves have seen it!  They tunnel through the mountains to the outside; outside the ring of mountains the air is deathly stale, but we all know that dwarves survive worse underground.  They have secret docks out there for merchants from the other worlds.  Thatâ,¬,,¢s where they get their fabulous treasure.  Yes! there are other islands ringed by mountains as real as ours out there.  Each has a sun like the one that floats overhead: we see them as stars in the night sky.  Their dwarves come here in flying ships to trade with our dwarves.  I hear on some islands the people inside the mountains even have artificers capable of producing devices of physical magic to rival the dwarvesâ,¬,,¢, and they travel the worlds on their own flying ships.  But our dwarves donâ,¬,,¢t want us to know: they want to keep the power for themselves.  Theyâ,¬,,¢re out to get me, make sure I donâ,¬,,¢t tell anyone.  Their stealthy agents sneak in, take you away, wipe your mind clean.  But Iâ,¬,,¢ve told you, and you spread the word.  They canâ,¬,,¢t get all of us.  The truth is out thereâ,¬Â¦.â,¬Â

Midgard is a world of fantasy, but hopefully with an emphasis on the fantastical, and designed to allow for the sort of antics that go on around super-heroes.  You may find yourself facing a megalomaniac with a giant combat golem.  On the opposite end of the scale your powers and skills might be the only thing that can solve a mystery.  The technology level is Romanesque, but your enemies may have learned the secret of gunpowder.  And donâ,¬,,¢t forget that magic can produce unexpected results.  There are lost civilizations to be discovered, and maybe other worlds to visitâ,¬Â¦.

Layout and Physical Details: Midgard is essentially round at the outer edge of the mountains.  At the inner edge it either grades slowly into highlands or drops off steeply into what are known as â,¬Å"twilight valleysâ,¬Â because the sunâ,¬,,¢s light is blocked by the mountains either in the morning or the later afternoon.  The habitable land rings the Sea, the only body of water large enough to deserve a name more than â,¬Å"lakeâ,¬Â.  At the center of the Sea is said to stand the World Tree, Yggdrasil, the source of all life on Midgard, its roots holding the world together (and keeping on the back of the turtle, according to some mythologies), though the mist that surrounds it makes it invisible to the long-distance observer.  The sun circles the world, coming closer to the lands in the East and West, which results in their warmer climate.  The sun wobbles in its circle across the sky, and it sometimes shining more forcefully on the North or South ends, producing the seasons in those regions.  Those who believe that Midgard is a floating island say that the sun touches the rocks of the underside and creates the land of the Fire Demons.

(Note: This is intended for the Mutants & Masterminds system, so I'm looking more for comments on flavor than any mechnicals suggestions or issues.)

Ooooooh.

An interesting idea, I know few worldbuilders (surprisingly enough) who have tried to make a disc-world. Once more is posted, more will be commenteded.

Ok, here are some thoughts.

Good overall. I like the idea of the mountians being the boundry of the world, and extraplanar dwarves trading in them is unique and interesting. Question: What does the space outside the mountians look like? How do the dwarves travel between worlds?

Ditch the world-turtle joke. It was funny when Pratchett did it, but now it is cliche and unoriginal. I love the idea of the world tree being in the center of the world and anchoring it in space, that is fun and interesting.

Questions: How does this affect culutre? How are the other races? What other races are there? What is the technology level? does every single world follow a similar geography, or are other worlds round like ours? If they vary, how do people travel between worlds? What about the planes? Gods? More information, please! :)

Quote from: Xathan, The ReturnedQuestion: What does the space outside the mountians look like? How do the dwarves travel between worlds?

That sort of information will come much later.  I intend for players not to discover the real story behind that until later.

Quote from: Xathan, The ReturnedDitch the world-turtle joke. It was funny when Pratchett did it, but now it is cliche and unoriginal. I love the idea of the world tree being in the center of the world and anchoring it in space, that is fun and interesting.

It's not a joke, it's an actual element of myth that occurs in Native American and South-East Asian cultures.  Anyway, I haven't said whether or not it's true yet. ;) I put in the world tre because I wanted an island in the center of the Sea, and I had the idea that maybe the whole of Midgard was really sustained by a tree that made sure the cycles of nature went around.  No stretch to make that into the World Tree Yggdrasil once I chose the name Midgard.

Quote from: Xathan, The ReturnedQuestions: How does this affect culutre? How are the other races? What other races are there? What is the technology level? does every single world follow a similar geography, or are other worlds round like ours? If they vary, how do people travel between worlds? What about the planes? Gods? More information, please! :)

Whoa, I just started.  My bad for posting before I had a lot.  I coud answer most of these questions, but I think you'll have to wait.  I'll answer one simple one before I go: all the worlds are basically flat, though they may bend into a bowl shape.  And life can generally live both on top and on the bottom of each one.

Huh, I had no idea that was an actual mythical element. I feel rather stupid at the moment. The blending of myths is interested, just understand that the turtleback myth is going to run into a lot of the same reactions I just had, where people initally think "Another Terry Pratchett ripoff" and disregard the setting altogether.

Sorry for the numerous questions, I'm a curious little bugger. I'll wait patiently. :P

It'll be their own fault for disreguarding my idea without reading closely.

Here is the setting stuff completed so far.  I've included everything so that there are no loose ends(please comment if you feel the descriptions could be better and how):
Lands: (counter-clockwise from North-East)
â,¬'Gardarna: Sea-culture theocracy.  The myth of Gard was developed here from the tales of huge sea turtles in the Sea that carried entire islands on their backs.  The church of Gard is the ruling institution, but religious freedom is allowed so long it does not contradict the teachings of the church.  The land itself is crisscrossed by many rivers, and islands extend far out into the Sea until they reach Shangra.  The vast majority of the inhabitants rely on the sea for their livelihood.  Art is generally religiously motivated.
â,¬'Shangra: Island nation of etiquette-obsessed elves who left Gardarna.  They were persecuted for their belief that it is Yggdrasil that carries the world through an endless sky.  Loyalty to the government and family hierarchies is more important than religion, though the latter is allowed to exist so long as it does not upset the status-quo.  The island is currently united under the Lightening Emperor, but elements of the strong warrior culture survive.  Art holds to the rigid standards of the culture and is heavily influenced by the nature of the landscape.
â,¬'Arcadia: Land of coastal city-states settled by emigrants from both Gardarna and Shangra, stretching from Gardarna to the Throne Woods.  When they arrived they discovered the remains of an even older civilization: buildings constructed of stone, roads, and especially the mosaics.  Wars are common between the followers of the church of Gard and the Shangrans.  Culture varies between city states, containing Gardarnian and/or Shangran elements plus an influence from the ancient ruins.  Known for olive-based products made from the native trees.
â,¬'Throne Woods: A vast, ancient forest, shading from jungle at the edge of Arcadia to boreal forest climbing up the slopes of the mountains at the south.  The Throne Woods are the sovereign territory of the Beast Lords, a sacred place dedicated to â,¬Å"the descendants of Yggdrasilâ,¬Â, and off-limits to those who do not follow the proper code of conduct.  Little else is known.
â,¬'Horun: Grand empire ruled by dragons and dragon-descended creatures.
--History: The story is pretty standard: a princess is kidnapped, and some brave individual had to rescue her.  In this case she was the princess of the tiny mountain kingdom of Vantir, kidnapped by a prince from neighboring Asar when she refused to marry him, and was rescued by the dragon Unnyow, who was later revealed to be her fiancée.  Asar then used this â,¬Å"incursionâ,¬Â to declare war on Vantir, hoping to gain its trading position between the dwarves of Iceclaw Mountain and the rest of the world.  Unnyow called upon his relatives to drive back the armies of Asar, but a few dragons got over-zealous and took the capital.  Declaring their intent to be merely â,¬Å"keeping the peaceâ,¬Â, these dragons held on to the rulership of Asar, eventually annexing it into Vantir.  Later rulers adopted this same position to justify their conquest of the entire southern stretch, halted only the by Throne Woods and the Acama desert.  Current rulership has eased the military presence, but some greedy nobles would still like to â,¬Å"lay the steady hand of Horunâ,¬Â across the world.
--Culture: Horun is very cosmopolitan, made up of the various nations that once occupied the southern region as well as incorporating influences from all around Midgard.  In the east the hill culture works small family farms of sheep, pigs, and chickens, and makes use of forest products so long as they donâ,¬,,¢t cross into the Throne Woods.  In the west the dryer plains are best for ranching cattle and horses.  The largest cities are located along the mid-coast, bustling hubs of trade across Midgard.  Contact with the dwarves influences the culture of the mountain people.  The official language is Uum, a modified form of the dragon language.  Its beauty stimulates the creation of auditory arts, while dragon are the main subject of visual arts.
â,¬'Acama: Scrub-and-cactus desert formed by the tendency of wet winds to veer south into Horun, it is mainly watered by the river Yuun which winds its way through the badland canyons between the mountains before spilling the desert out into a barrier between Horun and Ruba, preventing expansion of the empire westward.  Acama is only inhabited by unwanted members of other regions, sometimes refugees under the foot of more powerful individuals, and of course the obvious dangerous cults and other secret groups.
â,¬'Ruba: Savanna country inhabited by various tribal groups.  Terrain is mostly grass plains or scrub forest, perfect habitat for a wide variety of large grazing animals.  Indigenous people live by hunting-and-gathering or herder/farmer lifestyles.  Other nations have set up trading posts along the coastline to take advantage of the animal and iron resources of the country, and there is fierce competition for the natives' favor.
â,¬'Ikol: A rather unassuming country tucked in between the vast territories of Gardarna and Ruba, Ikol survives because it's smart.  While other countries beat on each other over the crumbs of the world Ikol works with what it has to remain stable and secure.  From the Mord swamp that touches Ruba in the south, to the pine forests of Ipannuk in the north, the country has varied if limited resources at its disposal.  Even with trade among them the people of Ikol have to be creative to ensure that they are not in debt to any other nation, stemming from an ancient legend reguarding their leader: the Fire Queen.
--Legend of the Fire Queen: In the ancient past the land on the west side of Midgard was controlled by fire demons from the underside of the world [Acama is even said to be where they built their capital].  They had been summoned by tribal chiefs who wished to have powerful allies in their struggles over the land, but many of the demons had slowly tricked the chiefs into giving them more and more power, until at the time of the first civilizations none could rule without a fire demon pulling their strings.  A few lands managed to overthrow the demons with powerful magic, but the land that would one day become Ikol did not have such power.  Instead a lone woman, her name and race lost to the ages, challenged the demons to a contest of wits.  The demons were dumbfoundedly defeated by the woman's simple solutions to each and every one of their complex riddles, and vanished back to their underworld, but before they left they bestowed the woman with a sign of her victory: hair as red as fire.  That woman became the first ruler of the united Ikol, and was given the title Fire Queen.
Whether this legend is true or not, the people of Ikol value creativity over useless intelligence.  Their tactic is to keep the nations of Midgard in a balance through diplomacy (and, some say, espionage), while keeping out of any political entanglements.
--Succession of the Fire Queen: An interesting aspect of the rulership of Ikol is that it is passed down by contest: the next Fire Queen is the first woman sent on a quest who's hair turns the same shade of fire red as the Queen's.  [Red hair is very rare on Midgard, usually a sign of ancestry relating to fire, usually some sort of magical fire creature.]  The current Fire Queen is a kellen by the name of Kinar Skyseeker, who claims to have earned her hair color by tricking an evil dwarven artificier (bent on taking over the world) into destroying his own flying fortress.

Common races (in no particular order):
â,¬'Dwarves: A race of great mystery and power, dwarves live inside the mountains at the edges of the world and deep under the surface of Midgard.  Because they spend most of their time in corridors with little refreshing of the air, dwarves have the ability to survive in environments with lower oxygen content than other races.  They can see in darkness, and have excellent directional senses.  Controlling a large amount of the worldâ,¬,,¢s metallic resources, dwarves seem content to remain relatively neutral and often uninvolved in the affairs of greater Midgard.  However, rumors have it that the greater dwarf race has taken a protective attitude over Midgard.  They have access to magic and technology that they rarely share with other races, let alone show.
â,¬'Elves: Furless bipeds with very long, pointed ears.  Elves are lithe, graceful creatures with hardy bodies and quick minds.  Their pointed ears serve more of a communication function than sensory: the angle of the ears change depending on mood, as with a canine.  This process is only as voluntary and expressive as facial movement: elves cannot send messages with ears alone, nor can they convey more than moods.  Elves live in a variety of environments and cultures.  They are, in fact, the most varied common race on Midgard.
â,¬'Humans: Sometimes known as â,¬Å"thinking ratsâ,¬Â, humans are the most unvalued common race on Midgard, not so much abhorred as ignored and mistrusted.  Possibly related to elves, though taller and not as hardy.  Humans usually serve the positions in society other races arenâ,¬,,¢t willing to take.
â,¬'â,¬'Kellen: Human/elves, they have ears about the size of humans but are pointed like elvesâ,¬,,¢, and are on average shorter than both races.  Humans often have a hatred of kellen, likely brought about because other races are more recognizing of the half-breeds more than pure humans.
â,¬'Sprite: Elf-like creatures that generally stand no higher than a crow and may have various insect features including wings.  Sprites can often be found living a simple life in the unused corners of larger racesâ,¬,,¢ settlements and civilization.
â,¬'Graa: People who claim descent from animals, having many of their features though they are all bipeds with opposable thumbs.  Graa are rarely ashamed of their animal features, viewing them instead a gifts to be used wisely.  Their cultural legends hold that they were created by the Beast Lords as intermediaries between nature and the common races of Midgard.  Other races donâ,¬,,¢t find graa all that odd among the myriad other things that inhabit their world, and the beast-people are actually the most common â,¬Å"raceâ,¬Â after elves, though each animal type has a differing amount of representation.  All graa are interfertile, though the child will always resemble only one parent type.
â,¬'Montun: Large bipeds with no fur but rough, nearly scaly hide, long arms, tiny eyes, and no external ears.  They are stereotyped a dumb brutes, but this due to a cultural tendency to emphasize simplicity and expression in non-vocal ways.  They are known by many names, often ogre or troll.
â,¬'Drasil: Occasionally a member of another race can be found with plant-like characteristics such as petals for hair or bark-like skin.  Generally they imitate creatures found in the world; a few are wholly unique forms.  They are not born, but instead grow underground until they reach adult size.  Sometimes a member of another race digs one up early and takes it home to raise, and the drasil adopts elements of the parentâ,¬,,¢s form.  They are common enough that the average person would understand what they are looking at, but still a rare sight.  Said to be the â,¬Å"weakâ,¬Â seedlings of Yggdrasil, unable to grow into proper trees.  Thus other races view them with a mixture of pity and detached wonderment, though this varies depending on whether the individual believes this rumor.  Drasil can generally breed with the race or creature they imitate.

Updated various stuff.  I'd be willing to take questions and/or comments on what I've written so far.

Hmm, the Drasil concept is interesting. How are they thought of amongst the other races? Holy, or unholy? Something akin to the old idea of changelings?

Now here's an interesting idea: a flat world whose geography and arrangement actually seems like a very relevant issue for the day to day lives, rather than a sort of incedental thing. It's almost enough to make me wonder how much of the setting's draw lies locked in the mysteries of the world's underside and the dwarves' related dealings, and how much is really going to be left to do and discover once that mystery has been explored. I'll wait to hear more on the setting before I let that really start worrying me.

I like the promotion of the dwarves to the status of preeminent mystical/mysterious race. I love it when writers actually do something with dwarves, rather than falling back on the dull cliche of "bearded craftsmen who live underground" and never do anything else with the concept.

Your dwarves give off an aura of malevolent mystery. I like the idea that they might suppress science, even kidnap people and wipe their memories, all to protect their business interests. Even if that whole story is just the ranting of a lunatic, the mere existence of the suspicion, the possibility of secret conspiracies and whatnot... that gets my mind going.

In terms of odds and ends:

I like the elf ears. A lot. Is this communication as sophisticated as a pseudo language, or is it just a very basic and general mood indicator? Is it possible for elves to consciously control their ear movements, for example, to silently give a message to an ally via ear movement alone, or is all the movement involuntary?

The Drasil have me very curious. I am eager to hear more about them: specifically, where they come from, how they are received by others, whether they have any true culture to call their own. How frequently do they appear? How rare are they?

As for the world-encircling mountain range being the spine of a world-encircling dragon, consider the mythical Ouroboros (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouroboros) (which, incidentally, was the inspiration for the legendary world-encircling mountain range in my own Jade Stage, which appears in boru religion as the rock dragon Cho.)

Gah!  I hadn't thought of that.  To start, they don't replace other people, they just live alongside them and are occasionally adopted by them.  Something that I haven't written down is that most people believe that all trees in the world are children of Yggdrasil, the "strong" ones that can take root.  In this sense drasil are seen as something to be pitied, or perhaps even mocked, because they "couldn't cut it".  There isn't anything holy or antiholy (unholy could refer to anything not holy) about them, they are more of a cosmic joke.

I've only really gotten through the first post, but...
DWARVES
IN
SPAAAAAAAAAACE
For the win!

Quote from: Luminous CrayonNow here's an interesting idea: a flat world whose geography and arrangement actually seems like a very relevant issue for the day to day lives, rather than a sort of incedental thing. It's almost enough to make me wonder how much of the setting's draw lies locked in the mysteries of the world's underside and the dwarves' related dealings, and how much is really going to be left to do and discover once that mystery has been explored. I'll wait to hear more on the setting before I let that really start worrying me.

Excuse me a moment: :demon: MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Seriously, I did say this is designed with the Mutants & Masterminds system and super-heroics (thought not quite über-powerful) in mind.  Mysterious places and a whole race that's got dealings with other worlds are part of that sort of atmosphere.

Quote from: Luminous CrayonI like the promotion of the dwarves to the status of preeminent mystical/mysterious race. I love it when writers actually do something with dwarves, rather than falling back on the dull cliche of "bearded craftsmen who live underground" and never do anything else with the concept.

I actually never liked dwarves when I first started D&D, but after thinking about their flavor for a while it occurred to me that they are the perfect race for keeping all your magical dodads and whatnot safe.  In this setting their tunneling means they can find out what's on the other side of the mountains, and their craftmanship means they might be responsible for many of the super-hero devices that appear in the world.  In Norse myth dwarves make all the cool weapons and stuff for the gods, so I'm embracing that idea here.  Their merchantile nature is something I get from their love of stuff: if they like gold and jewelry and whatnot, they aren't just going to sit around and mine it, they're actually going to go out and get it.

Quote from: Luminous CrayonI like the elf ears. A lot. Is this communication as sophisticated as a pseudo language, or is it just a very basic and general mood indicator? Is it possible for elves to consciously control their ear movements, for example, to silently give a message to an ally via ear movement alone, or is all the movement involuntary?

I figure the movement is about as voluntary as facial expressions, so it would be possible to Bluff someone, but elves can't use their ears like semaphore.  It's only general emotions.  I got the idea from an anime-like comic, the kind where elves have ears like 2 inches long and they seem to move based on mood.  I began to equate that with what animals such as wolves do with their ears to communicate, and after a while it made more sense to me than having pointed ears for better hearing.

Quote from: Luminous CrayonThe Drasil have me very curious. I am eager to hear more about them: specifically, where they come from, how they are received by others, whether they have any true culture to call their own. How frequently do they appear? How rare are they?

Where they come from is one of the mysteries that players can try to uncover.  As for how rare, I listed them under Common Races, but I consider this to mean that they appear frequently enough to be an important part of the setting, not necessarily that they have "numbers".

Quote from: Luminous CrayonAs for the world-encircling mountain range being the spine of a world-encircling dragon, consider the mythical Ouroboros (which, incidentally, was the inspiration for the legendary world-encircling mountain range in my own Jade Stage, which appears in boru religion as the rock dragon Cho.)

Oroboros is a start, but I'll probably change to name to reflect my draconic language, which tries to avoid any sound that stops a word (so it might go Oro-oros).

Quote from: beejazzI've only really gotten through the first post, but...
DWARVES
IN
SPAAAAAAAAAACE
For the win!

Dear Yggdrasil, that's so funny I've got to make sure I do something with that.

Quote from: SilvercatMoonpawGah!  I hadn't thought of that.  To start, they don't replace other people, they just live alongside them and are occasionally adopted by them.  Something that I haven't written down is that most people believe that all trees in the world are children of Yggdrasil, the "strong" ones that can take root.  In this sense drasil are seen as something to be pitied, or perhaps even mocked, because they "couldn't cut it".  There isn't anything holy or antiholy (unholy could refer to anything not holy) about them, they are more of a cosmic joke.

Well, I was just thinking of the poor woman who wants a family and digs up or adopts a drasil for her child. What will others think or her? Of her child? I could have seen them as holy (as children of the world tree) or abominations (things that should not have been), but just a cosmic joke makes some sense too. Honestly, if I were playing a character in that world, I think that I'd gravitate to something like that - a little different, but not necessarily in a bad or good way.

Quote from: snakefing

Quote from: SilvercatMoonpawGah!  I hadn't thought of that.  To start, they don't replace other people, they just live alongside them and are occasionally adopted by them.  Something that I haven't written down is that most people believe that all trees in the world are children of Yggdrasil, the "strong" ones that can take root.  In this sense drasil are seen as something to be pitied, or perhaps even mocked, because they "couldn't cut it".  There isn't anything holy or antiholy (unholy could refer to anything not holy) about them, they are more of a cosmic joke.

Well, I was just thinking of the poor woman who wants a family and digs up or adopts a drasil for her child. What will others think or her? Of her child? I could have seen them as holy (as children of the world tree) or abominations (things that should not have been), but just a cosmic joke makes some sense too. Honestly, if I were playing a character in that world, I think that I'd gravitate to something like that - a little different, but not necessarily in a bad or good way.

If the Drasil are seen as creatures who have somehow failed at being trees, someone who "adopts" a Drasil may well be considered a charity worker, not unlike, say, the operator of an orphanage, or an adoptive parent.

I think it's an interesting statement that, at least insofar as that Drasil are concerned, that it's better to be a tree than a walking, talking, sentient creature.

:whoa: Common Races section is done!

As to the treatment and view of drasil, I started out the concept simply as something that would allow for players to explain odd-looking characters in an already established context.  The "weak seedlings of Yggdrasil" was an afterthought to explain where they might come from.  Now that it's developed into the "cosmic joke that they can't become trees" thing, I like it.  The "cosmic joke" might seem like a copout, but if you think about it not ever fantasy detail is about holy or unholy.  Fey in old Europe might help out with the housheork after people had gone to sleep, or might play pranks or even hurt people, sometimes even the same kind of fey.  Teh view of drasil occupies this middle ground.

And being a tree might not seem (or even be) such a bad thing in a world where nature is seen as a powerful force, and ancient trees are the mightiest of sages.

Silver, not often am I honestly impressed. I was able to read through the entire thread without it feeling like work. I know it's still a work in progress, but I think the direction you've started out in is great.

What sort of adventures do you intend for your players to go on? I'm slowly piecing your theme together, but I'd like to hear your intensions.

I too, am very interested in the Drasil. It's getting me thinking about possible ways of redoing my elves in a mini-setting I've been thinking about.

Quote from: XeviatSilver, not often am I honestly impressed. I was able to read through the entire thread without it feeling like work. I know it's still a work in progress, but I think the direction you've started out in is great.

It may be because I also an amature writer.  Or it could just be that I allowed myself to do this in a random fashion that allowed my creativity to really come out.

Quote from: XeviatWhat sort of adventures do you intend for your players to go on? I'm slowly piecing your theme together, but I'd like to hear your intensions.

Whatever I feel like: high adventure, spying, exploration, heroism, etc.

Quote from: XeviatI too, am very interested in the Drasil. It's getting me thinking about possible ways of redoing my elves in a mini-setting I've been thinking about.

The idea grew out of finding a way for people to create a character that was of a totally new species while still being explained in the game world.  I merged that idea with plants because I think plants do just not get enough respect in fantasy games.

The section on the countries is nearly finished, I just have Ikol to go.  I hope you guys like it, because so far it's supposed to be the campaign center.

Religious Figures (note: just because I say a certain entity is â,¬Å"in chargeâ,¬Â of something this is the religious view and not necessarily reality):
â,¬'Yggdrasil: The World Tree.  The spirit that created and nutures all life on Midgard.  It roots extend everywhere, but they are burried so carefully that they cannot be found by the ordinary mortal.  Those who say Midgard is a floating island claim that Yggdrasil is what keeps it afloat, while believers in Gard claim that Yggdrasil is Gard's mate (see next entry).  All trees on Midgard are children of Yggdrasil, while the drasil are those children who could not become trees.  Whatever the belief, legend has it that Yggdrasil stands in the middle of the Seas, surrounded by mist that prevents anyone from seeing it [the mist itself is also not visible].
â,¬'Gard: The World Turtle.  The church of Gard does not have a myth for how Gard came into being, she/he always was (there is a patriarchal and a matriarchal faction to the chruch), instead claiming that Gard has always been.  Gard carries the world on his/her back, but for reasons known only to Gard dives into the depths of the Endless Sea that Gard swims through periodically, flooding the world and sparing only those who have enbraced Gard and are thus bestowed with the power to live beneith the water.  Various races that life in the Sea seem to hold a similar belief, encouraging the church even more.  Most believers in Gard hold that Yggdrasil is Gard's mate and is thus of secondary importance to Gard.  [The world name "Midgard" is based upon the belief in Gard.]
â,¬'Arna: The myriad gods of the North lands.  Each of the Arna has an apect of Power, representing their grandest area, and an aspect of Knowledge, representing their subtlest area.
--Jinir: God of creation.  In his aspect of Power he is a montun streaked with sweaty soot working in a fiery forge.  In his aspect of Knowledge he is a dissheveled scibe surrounded by pages of work.
--Far: God of seeking.  In it's apsect of Power it is portrayed as a member of any race travelling the road.  In it's aspect of Knowledge it is an ascetic sitting in meditation.
--Imir: God of the Sea.  In her aspect of Power she is a hugely fat woman from which pours the bounty of the waters.  In her aspect of Knowledge she is a snake changing from ice to water to steam and back again.
--Can: God of civilization.  In his aspect of Power, he is a huge golem outfitted for war.  In his aspect of Knowledge he is a kellen of the streets, disheveled but with a knowing glint to his eye and his pockets full of differnt items.
--Mogul: God of the party (celebrations, fun, etc.).  In its aspect of Power it is drink given an animate shape.  This arna has no known aspect of Knowledge.
â,¬'the Beast Lords: The enigmatic leaders of the animal world and protectors of the cycles of nature.  There are more Beast Lords than can be listed here.
--Braccis, the Stag Lord: Beast Lord of all male animals, embodiment of the myriad possibilities and probabilities that a single life can take.
-Aru, the Wolf Queen: Beast Lord of all female animals, embodyment of protective and nuturing forces.
-Cromo: Often confused with Gard.  Beast Lord of all creatures that depend live both in water and on land, in charge of the water cycle.
--King Crow: Beast Lord of scavengers, charged with ensuring proper disposal and renewal of natural resources.
â,¬'[â,¬']: The gods of the dragons and the people of the nation of Horun.
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deleted

The nation entry on Ikol is finished.  Updated some of the gods section.

[bump, more to come later]