Saturday, 23 November 2019

The Sobral Kingdom and Barrier Peaks

Earlier I showed the world map, let's zoom in a level. But only one level.

My players selected the area in the upper left of the world map. This campaign map focuses in on that area. The hexes for this campaign maps are the standard 24 miles, with the larger gray hexes in the overlay showing the world maps 96 mile hexes. You can see the original red lines for the parallelogram from the world map shown here as smaller dotted lines.


Geography


First there is geography to contend with. After the war with the gods the visitor planet ship crashed near the northern hemisphere. It released a shockwave of destruction that was held at bay by a great and final ritual from the creators. This act raised a wall of earth and magic, ripping the very crust of the planet to divert the force and poisons of impact. This is shown through the barrier peaks to the north of the map, the lands over the peak are blighted lands.

Humans and gnomes who have entered the blighted lands never return, Endjinn who do so find little in these lands but return as carriers of blight sickness. Prolonged contact with this Endjinn causes a wasting illness in humans and gnome alike.

To the south of the map is the great world ocean that spans the tropical band of the planet. The lands in between are broken and mixed in nature given the upheaval from the barrier peaks giving a wide mix in terrain types.

Politics


The kingdom of Sobral forms the major political player in the region. This human kingdom is formed from the remnants of the great empire of Astia that was struck down by Genies over four centuries past. Sobral is renowned for the grand concourse, a well maintained and paved road spanning from one side of the empire to the other. It is also home to the Magi, who educate and tend to the wellbeing of its people while the lords focus on their conquests.

Sobral is a militant kingdom that only recently absorbed the Duchy of Iveles to its south east. Their conquest cut through Gnoll and Ogre territory alike before conquering this Duchy and extending the Grand Concourse (the extensions are not so grand yet, being in the main still under construction). The Elwin people inhabit Iveles, humans of tall and lithe stature know to be excellent craftsmen and sorcerers. The ancient city of Kiseh Jin, with its elegant white walls, is said to rest several older cities that hold their secrets to this day (where I plan to put the Secrets of the Nethercity kilodungeon).

Sobral also houses a significant Endjinn population, while a minority within the kingdom, they are respected and valued member of its social fabric. North of Sobral the kingdom of Landfall sits, a wholly Endjinn kingdom, its forges and traders are renowned throughout the realm, though it is not a major political player.

To the very north lies the Saronin Protectorate. An accidental kingdom based of an interesting symbiosis between ruler and peasant. Originally there was no kingdom at all, merely a loose collection of Sorcerers tapping the energies from over the barrier peaks with their mighty towers and energy collectors. This changed after the Genie wars as refugees flowed to these bastions of apparent safety. Some Sorcerers ignored these refugees, others exploited them, but in time something had to be done about them. Plalsa the magnanimous drew together a council of sorcerers to decide, they agreed to a pact, a magocracy, where the sorcerers had absolute power and governing councils of the people maintained the order of this new realm. This allowed the peasants to govern themselves, but placed the sorcerers as the ultimate authorities.

Several smaller kingdoms are present, three worthy of mention, but most not even rating a place on the map.

The Tribes of Canonii are a loose collection of nomadic human tribes that live in the central planes. Referring to them as a politically united people is generous at best. But they are a strong warrior people renowned for their ferocity and bravery, which has allowed them to keep Sobral at bay.

The Three kingdoms is the only substantial Gnomish kingdom in the region. While not technically one kingdom, debates over flags and rulership stymie any unification efforts, it tends to overall act as one.

Finally Guilderland to the south is a human kingdom made rich off trade along the great ocean.

Dangers


The Wastelands of Astia are said to house the ruins and treasures of this once great kingdom. From the list city of Atagra to the various tombs and catacombs of its once great cities many a ruin is available to plunder. Adventurers return from these places diminished in number but carrying boundless wealth making it and cities that boarder is prosperous off it lost treasures. To this day some even talk of powerful artefacts that triggered the Genie war being present in its tombs.

The dangers of the barrier peaks and the ruins a along its length attract both sorcerer and adventurer alike to tap is secrets. Several sorcerers draw on the arcane energies held at bay by the mountains and use it to fuel their magic, and some say immortality. Great ruins of the creators are also present, both magical and mechanical awaiting discovery.

Finally to the south east is a land of elemental energy and Dragons. It is said that rifts to other planes are common here and the Djinn are using this to plot there return to the world and dominance over its denizens.

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