I've got some ideas for regions for my setting (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?9334.0). I just can't really think of what needs to be said about each one... Since there is little to no government to speak of, and hardly any variation in the people's present, I could use some help on what to add to my descriptions. here are three regions I've started, but I'm unsure whether the information in their description's belongs elsewhere, and what else to add... Help would be nice.
[spoiler=Great Forest]Surrounding the three great lands is a forest unending. Trees forever onward, and an impassable barrier to all. Even the dragons (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?9334.0), armed with fire and flight have been unable to find the end of the forest. In this great wilderness live the tribe of "humans" known as the Leafwhisper tribe (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?9334.0), and the lycanthropes (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?9334.0) who hunt them. Also, roaming this great wood is the greatest beast of all, the god of the woodlands. Said to be a massive wolf, with teeth as thick as an oak, he is feared above all else. The few who live in this wilderness pray to him for their lives, and his pity.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Fangs of Winter]In the farthest northern reaches of Egridar, there is a range of mountains impassable. Constantly smothered in blizzards, and stricken with temperatures deadly to the unprepared, this is an inhospitable realm for sure. Amazingly, the Northspear tribe (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?9334.0) not only lies here, but thrives among the hills. Hunting what little game there is, and avoiding the dragons, these people live fairly well. Often, they will compete with the goblins in the area for food and shelter, but carefully made agreements have stopped most fighting, even if a strong enmity still exists.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Ocean of Grass]Located in the middle of the world, a vast plain spreading straight to the horizon and beyond. With little shelter and little to break it, the wind is a constant presence here. Shrieking across the â,¬Å"Oceanâ,¬Â, the local Horsebrother tribe (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?9334.0) believes the voice of their ancestors live on within it. This tribe also raises horses religiously, often bonding with a mount and keeping it for life. It should be noted that a mount bonded to a member of the horsebrother tribe can be expected to experience great health and longevity, although litle will protect it from a dragon (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?9334.0).[/spoiler]
EDIT: Seeing how all my proposed changes were accepted. I'll just edit this post with some different advice.
To put it bluntly, it's dull. The forest is the best, and even that is fairly cliche. My suggestion is this: Don't think about terrain, think about things that make the land special. Conflict is also interesting and the first age should be full of it. Why does it sound like the only thing these people need to worry about is a random dragon?
Try something more along the lines of "Lycanthropes, the scourge of the woods are near-but invincible alone. Whole tribes of Leafwhispers have fallen to a single werewolf, and a pack of them is nigh but unstoppable. Struggling against monsters much greater than them, the leafwhispers hide in the treetops and move as quiet as spiders from branch to branch hoping to avoid the shadows of even darker denizens of the endless forest."
Well, can you come up with something more fearsome?
How about this as an idea...that they are totally adapted to life in the forest, that they commune with forest spirits or the like, that they must live in peculiar ways in order to live in as much harmony with the forest as they can, lest they fall to the many dangers that live in it?
You might try reading something unusual for inspiration, like "The Colour of Distance" or the Earthdawn rpg book to get some ideas on this.
It seems like each of these regions are impassable, so what connects them to your unresolved other regions
Quote from: http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?9334here[/url]. I'm just not sure what I should write about for this section...
QuoteA couple questions now. Do you think I might be better off just making a smaller description of the area, and then writing up one or two locations of interest? It's just that I feel I'm trespassing on the cultures and people, when I should be talking about the region itself.
I find most geography pretty boring on its own. It seems to me that particularly in a setting like this one, geography serves to showcase the people (which is where the real interest lies), so I see no reason to avoid presenting the two concepts together.
So these three regions form a ring that bounds the less hostile areas of the world? Do they just extend outward indefinitely and featurelessly, or what? The idea that "beyond this area lies absolutely nothing of interest, just more and more of the same featureless landscape" strikes me as a little unlikely, unless something supernatural is involved.
However, I'm inclined to agree with Raelifin: a little conflict and danger would go a long way toward making these areas more exciting. (And on the other hand, if these places are so dangerous, what stops them from moving to to a less harsh climate?)
The Ocean of Grass and Horsebrother tribe remind me simultaneously of GRRM's Dothraki and a little bit of Atreyu's tribe from the Neverending Story. Intentional, or coincidence?
Quote from: Luminous CrayonSo these three regions form a ring that bounds the less hostile areas of the world? Do they just extend outward indefinitely and featurelessly, or what? The idea that "beyond this area lies absolutely nothing of interest, just more and more of the same featureless landscape" strikes me as a little unlikely, unless something supernatural is involved.
The Ocean of Grass and Horsebrother tribe remind me simultaneously of GRRM's Dothraki and a little bit of Atreyu's tribe from the Neverending Story. Intentional, or coincidence?[/quote]
Seeing as I have no idea about the first, and I've only seen the Neverending Stoy movie(#1 only) when I was younger than 10 years old, I'd say it is the definitio of a coincidence.
Oh, and thanks for the help folks.
Okay. It seems like your ideas on the geography of the world are a bit scattered. So, in an attempt to help with this I present 4 questions:
Q: Do you want the campaign to be land-centric or water-centric?
Q: How many focus points do you want for your world? (A focus point is the area of the world you spend time in most.)
For each focus, do these two:
Q: Do you want the focus of the world to be warm, cold or temperate?
Q: Do you want the focus of the world to be wet, dry or average?
Quote from: RaelifinQ: How many focus points do you want for your world? (A focus point is the area of the world you spend time in most.)
Q: Do you want the focus of the world to be wet, dry or average?[/quote]
Dry, see above.
Okay, seeing as you have a desert-centric setting. We need to create a setup that will lead to a desert...
Deserts (other than arctic) are usually formed through three ways:
1) The desert is inland and a mountain range or vast expanse of land causes any moisture-laden air to dissipates before reaching the area. I lived in the High Desert of central Oregon for a few years of my life. It's truly a beautiful place.
2) Deserts are also formed by cold air and high pressure reducing rainfall and making the air very dry before blowing inland. These deserts are colder and less stable than others, as blankets of fog can blow water onto otherwise dry soil. Baja California is an example of this.
3) Windswept deserts are often similar to coastal other coastal deserts but instead of cold air and high pressure fronts, these deserts are dry mainly from heat. Deserts located near the equator are exposed to the trade winds that can dissipate cloud cover quickly, leaving the tropical sun to bake the earth. It's often important to keep at least a little buffer zone between a wind desert and the cost, as trade winds will also bring rain off the ocean. The Sahara Desert is an excellent example of a windswept desert.
Alright, I have made a world map, which will be posted on monday, as soon as my mom scans it at work. I've decided to just post the map, and then describe the regions briefly, perhaps with a location of interest for each. I'll mention where each tribe lives in their description, same for the monsters.
Anyway, thanks for the help folks, it was useful!
oooh post it under map showcase! (and here of course)
raelefin don't forget desertification and over-farming ;)