Collosal Legos: Building a continent brick by brick

[Nomadic]

So I have had flash working overtime. Partly cause I just love drawing, but also cause I want to run a campaign. Before we really get into this I just want to say that I love creating worlds just for the sake of creating. I have come to realize how, like building with legos it is an art which requires that all the interconnecting pieces come together as flawlessly as possible. I have been quite happy so far with how my world has come together so far. But I really like to make a project more than my own, I want people to put forward their own ideas. I have my own style and I feel that things are less bland if other people integrate their styles into it instead of it just being boring old me. So anyhow, here is the world as it stands.

Map of the Region
(its an swf so you can right click and zoom in and drag it around for a better view)

Key:
Red Dot + Star: Capitol
Red Dot: City
Blue Line: Trade Route (Water)
Orange Line: Trade Route (Land)
White Line: Border
Deep Green: Heavy Forest
Green: Fertile Land
Light Green: Semi-Fertile Land
Yellow: Wasteland
Brown: Mountainous Areas
Light Blue: Shallow Water
Blue: Deep Sea

It is a very small continent (slightly smaller then Alaska). The climate is a mix of grassy plains and forests, as well as vast expanses of unfarmable wasteland. It has several groups of mountains as well as several volcanoes including 3 massive shield volcanoes that have formed over a moving hot spot (think Hawaii) which crept north till it met the tectonic plate division that is the reason for the mountains. I haven't yet done a separate graphic for them but they are the mountain on the island at the northern tip of the mountain range and the two progressively farther south and west of it).

There are six countries, they have a bit of history already.

Denkirn Republic

Denkirn is the oldest nation, at roughly 800 years of age. The first settlers to arrive landed here, at Pikes Point (named for the captain of the expedition). The settlers were from a country that was being politically and militarily pushed around and were seeking a new life away from all the trouble. After the area around Pikes Point became too crowded a group of them moved on, looking for fresh crop and grazing land. The results of that ended up leading to the formation of the cities to the south of Pikes Point, all of which prospered from the large deposits of iron they discovered in the hills and mountains of the area. About this time a group of settlers funded by the rival government landed at Gherrysol. In time this was discovered by explorers from Pikes Point. This lead to the formation of an alliance between the original cities (Pikes Point, Ridgetown, Glensdale, and Hastebay). The Denkirn Alliance would become the foundation for the government of Denkirn. The alliance never had to fight against the newcomers, and as time erased the memories of their original homelands, the Denkirn Republic and the Sovereignty of Ghent became economic partners.

Sovereignty of Ghent

When the smaller nations rival learned of the settlers attempt to colonize a newly discovered land they sent their own vessels. They landed and founded the city of Gherrysol. From their they began expanding outwards until they met explorers from the original settlers. Instead of fighting for land they sent out ships to explore the nearby mainland. This led to their expansion onto its shores and brought about a rapid colonization of the area. Denkirn later followed in this unofficially with settlers individually moving over. The resulting mix of cultures has ever after shaped the mainland. The expansion continued on, with Ghent becoming a military powerhouse from the need to fight off the native creatures (some of which were truly frightening) as well as having to quell the ever more common unrest from citizens in the east. This eventually led to the breakaway by eastern Ghent and the formation of Maegon and Nordan. Regardless of this Ghent enjoyed a great deal of prosperity thanks to numerous natural resources and a large military to protect those resources. As time wore on Ghent eventually lost all ties with its homeland and there has been no news from the west since. With Maegon to the east and an inhospitable wasteland to the north Ghent would eventually send on its own colonists. These ended up founding the nation of Clowhdrent which has over time become totally seperate from Ghent.

Democratic Republic of Maegon

The citizens of Eastern Ghent had a great deal of separation from the main governing body and little say in what happened. Their growing unrest eventually became too great and they rebelled against their home country. The war was mostly skirmishes with the great distance that had caused them grief, now aiding them. Ghents supply trains became stretched and prone to attacks from raiders. In the end the king decided to seek peace rather then suffer from the hit and run attacks that were having great effect on his troops. In the end the two sides reached an agreement and the people of East Ghent split into two new sovereign nations. The southern nation became the Democratic Republic of Maegon and has remained on friendly terms with its neighbors to the north (and on economically friendly towards Ghent).

Socialist Republic of Nordan

With the success of the civil war, the northern half of East Ghent split off, forming a socialist state. The people of Nordan have prospered greatly from their position as the hub of multiple mainland trade routes. As a culture they value interdependence and their socialist style is held up by the people themselves with major nationwide decisions made by a council of representatives from every community. Over time, Nordans expansions to the east led to the seperate nation of Kaergirk.

Democratic Republic of Kaergirk

Kaergirk is a nation that has since broken off from Nordan. It still has close ties to Nordan, both economically as well as politically.

Sovereign Nation of Clowhdrent

Clowhdrent is the result of Ghents expansion into the east. Their great distance from their home nation however has led to a completely separate state. While they still keep trade open with their home nation, they now are for all intents and purposes a sovereign body. They have a generally neutral outlook on their neighbors and have become wealthy from their fertile, vast expanses of land.

Nomadic Tribes

The descendants of colonists from the same nation as the Denkirners, they have become a series of tribes wandering the open wastes. They were the last group of colonists, however their ships foundered in a storm and beached on the mainland. Their attempts to build a town failed when they found the land all but impossible to farm. They ended up spreading out, looking for better land, many of them in time learned how to live off the wastelands and have formed family groups who wander the open desert in search of food and watering holes for their animals.



So thats basically what I have so far. It isn't anywhere near complete. I have many questions that still need to be answered and I am sure there are many others I haven't thought of yet. The history still needs to be filled in and I need to think of names for the original nations as well as various rulers and important people. So I would like any thoughts and comments on the development of this land. I am also looking at potential plot hooks so if you have ideas for placement of things that could function as such I would love to hear them (a few of my friends already gave me ideas such as the ruins of the nomad town becoming home to a nest of creatures). So please throw out your ideas, I am a bit rusty after going so long without designing something like this.



Update: The wiki can now be found here.

[Hibou]

I like the map. It kind of reminds me of those IG continent/world maps only it's been touched up (this is good - I always thought those maps were awesome). Did you have a specific system you intended to use? What races exist? It sounds to me like this may be all-human, which is also cool. It's always nice to see this kind of setting, or at least get that vibe from one before being informed later that the other races exist :D.

[Nomadic]

Yes I was thinking of all human. I can't remember where I saw it but someone used an all human setup with the 'racial bonuses' based on where the people were from. So that is another something to figure out.

Anyhow an added note. I got talking with my sister about that bit of land on Northhaven near denkirn and west ghent. The question is... after 800 years what has stopped humans from colonizing it. One idea was that it is infested by wurms. Would make for some interesting storylines as well as a different feel to the city fortifications in the area (how does one defend against something that lives underground). So that is another thing I would like to look into. Is using that a viable option? If so how would it affect the development of settlements on northhaven and the mindset of the people?

[LordVreeg]

Wurm infestatins would be unuasual, especially if there were many different types of wurms.  You have a ready made, terrorizing place to adventure, especially if there was ever anything else there for them to explore.  Or if the wurms are intelligent...

[Nomadic]

Intelligent beasts would be a frightening thing most certainly. I will have to look into that, could make for a great plot setting.

Back to the original question, is there anything standing out to anybody here that needs to be fixed? Or more importantly is there anything that you see that could make a good setting for a plot device of some kind?

On a side note I updated the map, all of the areas are now named.

--------------

Ok apparently I am not being very clear (a common problem I fear). I have many questions so I will start with the first one.

Looking at the map does anyone see any potential for plot hooks (the wurm one is being looked into)? Are there any areas that stand out and make you say "dang if you did this here that would make for an awesome quest"? I am looking for areas that I can add story/quest content too that will really draw the players in.

[Jharviss]

First -
If there is only one ocean (the Naemus Ocean, which is a good name, by the way), I don't think it would actually have a name.  If people only think of it as the ocean and there are no other oceans then it won't develop a name.  It would just be the Ocean.  Just like if we had more than one moon they both would've developed different names, but it is, instead, just the moon.  (Your best bet for keeping the name would be having a history of another continent I didn't realize about or having a religious meaning for the name.  Otherwise, I could also see you splitting it up so there is a Naemus Ocean and another ocean on the other side of the continent.  If they didn't know this little world is round that would make sense for them.  Just a thought.)  Reading on, there is more to this world so you could certainly leave it as Naemus Ocean.  I suppose, for me, it just feels awkward.  Will you be examining the rest of the world?  Also, what time frame is this -- in other words, when did the first settlers arrive on Pike's Point?

Second -
I love the map!  It has a great pseudo-hand painted style which is hard to achieve.  Furthermore, having it as a .swf is genius.  Very easy to navigate.  The political borders, however, are a bit difficult to find.  I'd bring those out more.  I'd also use two different stamps for the mountains, or change up the size of the mountains.  That's the only thing that doesn't flow in the map, in my opinion.  Otherwise, good job there!

Third -
Poor Ghent!  It just can't seem to stay in one piece.  First it loses contact with its homeland, then it fractures into three, then it makes a new colony that also becomes independent.  (Sounds like Britain.)

Fourth -
I have to ask (the political science major inside of me is curious): how did a nation develop to be both the central trade hub for a continent as well as socialist?  Unless the foreign traders are also socialist, this would be very difficult and unlikely.  Perhaps you can expand a bit more on what, exactly, you mean by communism keeping in mind that this is a trade hub.

Fifth -
As a theme, this region seems to be entirely devoid of conflict.  The closest thing we have to a war is the ancient civil war of Ghent, which ended quickly due to the king wanting a peaceful solution.  And that seems to be a theme throughout the continents, as political conflict is, instead, all given a Switzerland syndrome.  So far I'm seeing a pretty picturesque world where all conflict is in the past and the closest we come to problems arises in Clowhdrest being "neutral" toward its neighbors.  Everyone else has strong economic ties.  Not to sound like a warmonger, but was this the intention?  

Sixth -
Clowhdrest is awkward to me.  What's the point of that 'h' in the middle?

Seventh -
The wurm idea is interesting.  Are we talking giant earth-borrowing worms with segments and acidic maws?  Or draconic wyrms?  What picture are you trying to draw - I've never seen the spelling, wurm, before.  It does seem like a good solution and certainly adds conflict (in response to my #5).  

All of that having been said, let's see what happens!

[Nomadic]

First -
If there is only one ocean (the Naemus Ocean, which is a good name, by the way), I don't think it would actually have a name.  If people only think of it as the ocean and there are no other oceans then it won't develop a name.  It would just be the Ocean.  Just like if we had more than one moon they both would've developed different names, but it is, instead, just the moon.  (Your best bet for keeping the name would be having a history of another continent I didn't realize about or having a religious meaning for the name.  Otherwise, I could also see you splitting it up so there is a Naemus Ocean and another ocean on the other side of the continent.  If they didn't know this little world is round that would make sense for them.  Just a thought.)  Reading on, there is more to this world so you could certainly leave it as Naemus Ocean.  I suppose, for me, it just feels awkward.  Will you be examining the rest of the world?  Also, what time frame is this -- in other words, when did the first settlers arrive on Pike's Point?

Second -
I love the map!  It has a great pseudo-hand painted style which is hard to achieve.  Furthermore, having it as a .swf is genius.  Very easy to navigate.  The political borders, however, are a bit difficult to find.  I'd bring those out more.  I'd also use two different stamps for the mountains, or change up the size of the mountains.  That's the only thing that doesn't flow in the map, in my opinion.  Otherwise, good job there!

Thank you, it took me a long time to make. Its still in the works though of course. I will put what you said in my list of things to do as I tend to agree with those points.

Third -
Poor Ghent!  It just can't seem to stay in one piece.  First it loses contact with its homeland, then it fractures into three, then it makes a new colony that also becomes independent.  (Sounds like Britain.)

Fourth -
I have to ask (the political science major inside of me is curious): how did a nation develop to be both the central trade hub for a continent as well as socialist?  Unless the foreign traders are also socialist, this would be very difficult and unlikely.  Perhaps you can expand a bit more on what, exactly, you mean by communism keeping in mind that this is a trade hub.

Fifth -
As a theme, this region seems to be entirely devoid of conflict.  The closest thing we have to a war is the ancient civil war of Ghent, which ended quickly due to the king wanting a peaceful solution.  And that seems to be a theme throughout the continents, as political conflict is, instead, all given a Switzerland syndrome.  So far I'm seeing a pretty picturesque world where all conflict is in the past and the closest we come to problems arises in Clowhdrest being "neutral" toward its neighbors.  Everyone else has strong economic ties.  Not to sound like a warmonger, but was this the intention?  
[/quote]
Sixth -
Clowhdrest is awkward to me.  What's the point of that 'h' in the middle?
[/quote]
Seventh -
The wurm idea is interesting.  Are we talking giant earth-borrowing worms with segments and acidic maws?  Or draconic wyrms?  What picture are you trying to draw - I've never seen the spelling, wurm, before.  It does seem like a good solution and certainly adds conflict (in response to my #5).  

All of that having been said, let's see what happens!
[/quote]
Lesser Wurm
Large Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 4d10+20 (42 hp)
Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares) Burrow 30 ft. (6 squares)
Init: +2
AC: 19; touch 11; flat-footed 17
-1 size, +2 dex, +8 natural
BAB/Grapple: +4/+12
Attack: Bite +10 melee (2d6+6, 19-20/x2)
Full-Attack: Bite +10 melee (2d6+6, 19-20/x2)
Space: 10 ft.; Reach: 5 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved Grab, Rend (2d6+9)
Special Qualities: Tremorsense 60 ft.
Saves: Fort +10 Ref +6 Will +0
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 14, Con 20, Int 8, Wis 8, Cha 2
Skills: +8 Listen
Feats: Weapon Focus: Bite, Improved Trip
Environment: Underground
Organization: Solitary, Troupe (3-5), Nest (6-15)
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: None
Alignment: Neutral
Advancement: 5-10 HD (Large), 11-15 HD (Huge)

The ground parts with a shower of debris as a hooked beak thrusts up into the air. The wurm may be small compared to others of its kind, but to most humanoids this is a massive beast not to be taken lightly. It shakes dirt off its body displaying a sleek brown head atop a long coiled form, all covered in chitinous plates. The wurm turns its eyeless face towards you and with a sudden shriek lunges, its gaping maw open and ringed with razor-sharp teeth.

Lesser Wurms are subterranean ambush predators. While they occasionally hunt for the small creatures that populate their domain, they much prefer the meat found above ground. These creatures are roughly 10 feet long and weigh about 1000 pounds. Each wurms head ends in a sharp hooked beak, which is lined with serrated teeth. They use these for tearing flesh off their prey, taking off great hunks of meat regardless of whether or not their meal is still alive. Their hide is covered in thick, bony plates which help them move through the earth, and give added protection against anything they may try to eat. Lesser Wurms can burrow through all manner of soil and rubble but cannot go through solid stone. While they can crawl on solid ground it is a difficult task that leaves them prone to attack. For this reason they are generally limited to areas where the bedrock is deep enough to support them. In the open wilderness Lesser Wurms commonly form nest groups, congregating for safety and to help bring down prey that smaller groups of wurms can't handle.

Combat:
Lesser Wurms only attack to bring down prey, or to defend their nest group. They are far more cunning then regular animals and fully capable of creating crude traps to catch unsuspecting prey by surprise. Being ambush predators by nature, Lesser Wurms rely on simple ambush tactics. A favorite of many Wurms is to dig a series of pits in a prey rich area, then ambush the prey and drive it into the pits, where it can be devoured more easily. If a Wurm finds itself over matched it will generally retreat underground for safety.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a Lesser Wurm must hit with its bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity.
Rend (Ex): A Lesser Wurm that wins a grapple check after successful bite attack establishes a hold, latching onto its opponent's body and tearing the flesh. This attack automatically deals 2d6+9 points of damage.
[/spoiler]

This again is just for Northhaven, however I am not against wurms on the mainland. This would like I said in my earlier posts, change how cities were designed. They would have thick walls that extended down to bedrock, and would be located where the bedrock tended towards the shallow side. People would likely congregate near these bastions, making them much larger then a normal city would be for a country of equivalent size. There would certainly still be settlements, but they would be found on and near rocky places (such as mountains) and you would find little or no civilization out where the bedrock is deep.

And this is just for the wurms, I was thinking of having many other types of nightmarish creatures. So yes, we will see what becomes of this. :)

[Etarnon]

I like the map, good deal.

[Nomadic]

Thanks :)

Ok there is still of course the main question (what plot hooks can you come up with looking at that map). Lets add another one that I am wondering about.

Does anybody know a good source of wurm/worm stat sheets? I did that one in the spoiler up above of. So things like that. Sure you have things like purple worms and gricks from the MM, but there really is almost no variety, and not really much that a low level adventurer can handle. I am talking level 4+ party; obviously don't want a level 1 to be able take on any type of worm as it would lessen the fear that should be so strong in regards to these deadly monsters.

On a side note the wiki can now be found here.

[Snargash Moonclaw]

I like the map '" nicely drawn and it makes a lot of sense. There are a couple of things I see in it which you may wish to give some further consideration to, and since you're getting plenty of feedback on your socio-economics and politics I'll limit this post to geophysical considerations.

Your shield volcanoes look good '" I'm not sure yet just how your plate tectonics lie tho '" they could go a couple of different ways. Currently however, your water depth indicates a major trench or other sudden drop off running just off of your eastern coast. The way you have extended the mountain range through the string of island peaks off of the coast of Maegon makes a lot of sense, but would normally imply the shelf extending much further east ward '" shallow water from the drop-off due east of Noryma Is. extending south around the cape of the Grey Mountains in a (fairly) straight line. The sharp drop off implies the underwater mountain range ending in deep cliffs which would result in a great deal of seismic and/or volcanic activity all the way down the coast (and making the coastline sunami central. . .) which doesn't sound like your intention with the northern plate.

You haven't said which hemisphere this island lies in '" as drawn however, it is clearly in the southern hemisphere. The reason is that the major oceanic currents and wind patterns will run in a roughly counter-clockwise fashion '" prevailing winds would carry the moisture down out of the northeast and the mountain range will produce a rain shadow resulting in the deserts/wastes as you have depicted them. In the northern hemisphere they would water the western region and produce rain shadows on the eastern slopes. Given the arable land along the western edge of the range I would recommend when you go into more detailed terrain that you place your highest elevations (ridgeline) much closer to the eastern slop than the western '" imagine the western plate riding up over the eastern which is being pushed under the range (this would be consistent with the shallow waters extending eastward as well). The result is that the western 2/3 or ¾ of the mountains would soak up a lot of rain, creating the fertile land you've shown and feeding the Raimeil River and still produce the rain shadow further west since the clouds would have been sucked dry by the time they get there.

Okay '" 1 economic/political consideration '" I'm surprised that no-one is claiming control/responsibility for the length of the Raimeil River. It is such a major trade route (probably the most significant single route on the entire map) and bordered by a thick riparian highway concealing both banks. Without significant military presence from one or both nations at the ends of the route all the way along it river piracy would swiftly run rampant. Most likely a single warlord would eventually gain control and provide 'safe passage' in return for tribute '" a reasonably stable situation which would still irk both nations to no end and provide numerous potential plot hooks. . .The Last Saskatchewan Pirate

[Nomadic]

Excellent ideas. See this is the kind of help I need because I have no official knowledge of that kind of stuff. I only have the basic knowledge that tells me things like "a mountain range poking out into the ocean will end in island chains" and that sort of stuff. I will see what I can do about these points.

On to the point about the Raimeil River. The wasteland that it runs through has not only some incredibly nasty creatures, it is also home to quite a few tribes. Some of them don't like foreigners running up and down 'their' river. The governments of the countries involved decided that rather then annex the territory and add to the administrative mess they would just use armed convoys instead, perhaps with heavily fortified stopping points along the river. I don't know how well that would work out just yet but it was an idea I had and another potential point to add plot hooks to. So anyhow both countries involved take part in protecting traders using the river.

[Snargash Moonclaw]

A mutual river defense pact would certainly be workable. The primary concern to look at then would be expense - good trading partners will be even more concerned about insuring that they don't get stuck footing the majority of the bill. Depending on the nature(s) of the threat(s) this could be interesting - e.g. need for significant magical assets which one or the other may not have. Clearly the nomad tribes don't find the wurms quite as big a problem as their more "civilized" neighbors. . . Are their eyes by any chance solid blue?

I've found this  World Builder's Guidebook to be helpful. It isn't really edition specific in any way. It can offer some help in considering where/how plates collide or separate to determine seismic and volcanic activity. This place could have a lot of (Icelandic) geothermal phenomenon as well.

The more I look at it, the more the Lesser Wastes scream "magical desert." Rain shadow would only account for the northeastern half and the way the rivers run thru and around make it seem even more odd. The Damen and it's tributaries look aas if they should be flowing southeast to empt into the bay at the edge of the waste. Try doing a crude topo of the region from Longbeam Lake south to below Lake Plaedin - not real detailed - just play with your general elevation trends directing the water courses in the region. Heavy alkali soils might explain the extent of the lesser wastes. Are they growing to merge w/the Graem Wastes or shrinking portions of a once greater desert?

All that I've said notwithstanding, magical effects could produce a lot that would seem to defy geophysics. A large maelstrom over the ocean to the northeast could produce the weather patterns on an island in the northern hemisphere. An ancient magical cataclysm could explain a lot of wasteland, lack of human habitation (until resettled) and the presence of far more dangerous beasts than the planetary norm. The trick with all of that would be not inadvertently re-creating Anauroch (Forgotten Realms). Of course, if you wanted to use the Phaerim (FR uber-nasty monstrous magical race) then Anourach would be a great source of ideas/material.

The burning question as I look at all of this is, "What's in those deserts? How do the nomads manage not only to survive, but actually prefer living there when the neighboring countries are so peaceful?" When I first read the description I wondered about that since they would still have quickly found hospitable areas to settle. I'm guessing they made landfall on the NW coast and now live primarily in the semi-fertile regions surrounding the Raimeil River. Mongolia like arid steppes and tribes? Something makes the wastelands seem the better place to live and it's obviously not the avoidance of oppressive governments unless there's an over-riding religious problem. If so, was it one they arrived with, or developed as they explored the wastelands? Even nomads tend to trade for what they can't find/produce themselves - in this case I tend to think metals and forged items unless they have access to resources no one else knows about (and forges also require fuel). Since they're clearly well enough armed to pose a problem for the river traffic the weapons had to come from somewhere - and you can bet the merchants and politicians bordering their territories have been asking these questions for a few centuries. (Either that or they've developed some very impressive magical/psionic capabilities to make up for the lack of physical assets.) In any case, inquiring minds will no doubt be willing to pay a lot of money for less cautious minds to seek the answers.

[Nomadic]

The nomads have become expert slayers you could say. Living in a much more exposed position they have had to learn how to aggressively defend against the nasties. Life isn't easy for them but they manage where most other people would die. When they first landed many of them did die, though when they first landed they also attempted to build a fortified town (similar to the fortified towns of the nations), that didn't work out though. I am thinking of adding that as a potential area to explore (abandoned town ruins could make for a creepy place to explore).

The southern wastes though aren't from a rain shadow, they have very poor soil. The wastes to the north are from a rain shadow but I am not yet sure whether they are shrinking or growing. In regards to the topography map I can certainly do that.

Magical effects would also be interesting but I want to limit them mostly to the reason why the nature here is so nightmarish. Which brings us back to hammering out my geographic and climate based errors.

As for why the nomads are there I was thinking perhaps there is a sort of spice in the sands that they could scoop...

*hears the copyright police sirens*

...umm, nevermind...

Anyhow that is a good question that I never thought about to be honest. The nomads need a reason to stay there. Part of that is obviously that they and the nations are strangers to each other. Though that is not enough to keep them out in the desert. There has to be something, I am not yet sure what though.

[Nomadic]

Well took me awhile but here is the image:

General Topography

I likely need alot of help with this as I have almost no knowledge of how to do topography in a realistic manner.

[Snargash Moonclaw]

Looks good. Basic topo simply arises from plates colliding or seperating - if you have a general idea of relative plate locations (edges) and direction of movement the terrain will arise (and fall) accordingly. You might want to extend your negative elevations of key underwater features off your north and eastern coastlines as affect the volcanoes and the southern island peaks. Even without that tho' what you have here will provide you with the basic considerations for any detailed local maps you require later to support adventures.