Expanding on the countries

[Mr. R]

So we'll start with Kerq.  Some of it is from the book, some I expanded and some I stole from another source (see if you can spot it!)

 

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Kerq

 

A collection of city states that have banded together in a mutual compact.  Each city state retains its own independence, but band together for purposes of defense and trade.  

 

There are eleven cities in all 

Kerqod (the capital) known for its…..

Rupetic is known for its…..

Vassun is known for its…..

Thailub is known for its…..

Jostin is known for its…..

Oralester is known for its…..

Doxley is known for its…..

Zordyn is known for its…..

Rofmartis known for its…..

Einhofan is known for its…..

Corigaas known for its…..

 

Kerq is vaguely square shaped and is about 400-450 miles east west and about the same north south.  It is bounded to the north by the Wyrmian Mountains, east by the Lost River, west by Tamed River and south by the Gefting Sea (A large inland lake about 600 miles east to west and 150 north to south)

 

Features in Kerq:  To the north at the base of the mountains is a large forest called the Goddess’ Woods.  In the Woods is found the Stone Tree. It is a tree seemingly made of stone that is sacred to the Goddess of Earth: Mistress of Agriculture. Lady of Seasons.  A shrine is nearby and they collect the stone leaves and branches that fall to sell to alchemists and wizards for magic items!

 

To the east is a line of hills that stretch from the mountains south to the sea called the Shattered Hills.  There are three passes in the hills that lead west.

 

Just to the east of the hills are the Sighing Wastes so called due the the many battles fought there against the neighbour to the west.

 

 

Government:  Each city is led by a council of Crafts people.  The Crafts Halls then set policy for the city and elect one of their number to sit on the Council of Trone.  The Council of Trone then deals with matters that affect the cities as a whole.  One of their members is chosen as the leader by acclamation and members change every few years.

 

Current Leader is Khon Lamar a…?.. from ….? He is known as a competent leader who can get his fellow members in line with a fair amount of dealing.  He is just a year into his position and many are waiting for his first misstep.

 

People:  Well educated.  Most are farmers, but the Crafts Halls are open to all and anyone can apply to any craft they want.

 

Slavery:  Not outlawed but not practiced to a great extent either.  

 

Economics:  Kerq imports most of its raw materials from the other countries and exports the finished goods to them via the Gefting Sea.  Kerqod is the largest port on the sea and Kerq’s navy is large and well armed.  As far as agricultural products it is largely self-sufficient in the basics, but does import luxury foods such as wine and cheese!

 

 

 

Any suggestions welcome.  And anything magical, go for it.

 

For my part, I'll start by suggesting one city be close to the woods.  They try to get most of the droppings from the Stone Tree and so there is a strong Alchemical Craft hall here.  The specialize in wands and staves, but also rings (wooden bands) and head bands/tiaras!

[DShomshak]

At risk of tooting my own horn, I recommend my "Worldbuilding: Social Design and Social Forces" thread, which I just bumped back up to the top of the page. You might find it useful for fleshing out the "deep structure" of how your setting functions.

 

If you want every city to have something colorful and distinctive (and I wouldn't say that's necessary for *every* city; concentrate your efforts on the places you intend the adventures to happen in), I'll repeat my usual recommendation of Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities. It's quite a short...  prose poem? At any rate, Fantasy from an author who won the Nobel Prize for literature.

 

Dean Shomshak

[Mr. R]

Now that I have read it (thank you Dean) I think I have most of it in check.  

 

 

So does anyone have anything else to add?  

[Mr. R]

OK a bit of a necroing here.  So please read the above and add any ideas.

 

In addition here is their version of Sparta (or is it Imperial Japan)  Any suggestions!

 

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Ruecha

 

 

A military dictatorship east of Kerq.  It shares the border with the Tamed River and wraps around the eastern end of the Wyrmian Mountains and stretches north until it meets the Bola Wastes (desert).  To the south is the Dragonblood River which forms its southern border with Fey.  In addition the Wyrm River stretches out of the Mountains to the Ocean which forms the Eastern Border.  It is also the only country with no access to the Gefting Sea.  

 

There are nine cities in all 

Dragon City is the capitol.  

 

Features:  

 

Government:  Military Dictatorship.  The head of the country is chosen in a mysterious ceremony held at the source of the Wyrmian Mountains, where the heads of all military units meet in a cave in the mountains.  After three days one is chosen as leader and has a magical mark indicating his rule.  All other members of the military now obey him.

 

Features:  Ruecha has access to extremely rich iron mines and access to many other metals and stones.  Most of the iron is used for armour and weapons (Some get enchanted).  

 

People:  There are four social classes.  Military, craftsmen, tradesmen, slaves.  Note- females can participate in the military equal to males.

 

Slavery:   Props up the entire economy.  They work the fields and mines.  The recent loss to access to easy slaves from the north is already making leaders nervous!

 

Economy:  Ruecha’s main exports are its armour, weapons and citrus fruits that seem to grow only in their nation.  

 

[Mr. R]

Of course we have to have a nation of mages

 

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Fey

 

Fey is at the far eastern end of the Gefting Sea and stretches to the ocean to the east of the continent.  It shares a border with both Kerq and Ruecha to its west and northwest.  To the south is the Hrange (A very LARGE forest) and the Jenal Downs, which forms its border with Moregador.  

 

The Methian River starts in the forest and runs to the ocean through Fey.  Also the Rhylian Way, an ancient road starts at the ocean near Fey and runs west through the forest, over the river and continues to the Gefting Sea.  There it continues through the continent running just south of the Gefting Sea.

 

There are five cities in all, with the capitol being called Ebon City.  

 

 

Government- Magocracy:  Anyone who has any magical training is able to vote.  So in my world, that is anyone who has spent the points to gain one of the schools of magic, anyone who has alchemy, anyone who has runecrafting.  The mages vote for a representative on the ruling council.  

Note- no magic, no vote.  

 

(please help me flesh this out.  I am thinking of making it a consensus type government.  After the election, the members of the council vote for the leader of the government. )

 

Features-  Besides the Rhylian Way, Ebon City (which is on the Ocean Coast) has a number of Spires in it.  There are close to forty.  These towers are leased out by the government to high level mages as domiciles and places to study/experiment.  No one knows where the towers came from or who built them.

 

In addition the oysters of Ebon Bay produce black pearls, which are in high demand across the Gefting Sea.

 

People- Farmers, tradesmen and mages.  Also the people in Fey are very well educated.

 

Slavery- NONE!  Fey believes anyone can learn magic if they take the time.  

 

Economy-  Wine, musical instruments, Black Pearls, magical and alchemical items.

 

 

[Mr. R]

I am convinced that the writers had recently read Talislanta, especially Aaman and Zandir, as the next two nations fit this totally. The next nations, Thosque is a theocracy (with a dose of misogyny), And the nation following is the Moregador, a nation the literally should not be existing in its current state for over 2000 years. If any countries need an over haul it is this one and Thosque.

For this country I need a government that keeps the individualism and drive for action, but gets rid of the CONSTANT instability.

Some of my ideas at the bottom

 

 

 

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Moregador

In the south east section. It borders Fey on its north east and the Thruben river forms its western boundary with Thosque. It is roughly square and controls the bottom half of the Gefting Sea. In addition the Nicha River runs through the middle of the state. The south is bordered by the Moreg Brow Mountains.

There are five towns in addition to the Capitol Ixon.

Government- really none. Moregador changes leaders often. In one memorable space there were FIve leaders in a period of Three months.

Basically Moregadorians are extremely independent people. Success is measured by success, achievement, social position and wealth. Many indulge in political games, and though strict laws are in place, most are ignored and people actively campaign against each other in games of one upmanship.

Features- The Players. This is an organisation of thrill seekers who travel the continent to do strange and dangerous deeds.

People- Slaves, farmers, craftsmen, nobility (Note all these are fluid depending on which set of schemes are playing out at the time.)

Slavery- some, but the economy is not dependant on it and a slave can gain his/her freedom if they scheme enough (one even became the leader of the country)

Economy- Agriculture. It supplies most of the food for the rest of the Gefting Sea states. Also woodworking

 

 

 

One idea is that the leaders that are placed are actually figureheads. In reality a very well entrenched and well educated bureaucracy handle most of the governing and let the nobles think they are in charge by occasionally supporting some of their more offbeat plans.

 

Another is  could be an example of a land that is in flux as the political situation has started to fall apart. Before it was something akin to Ireland with the Kings and High King situation. But recently the High King dies without naming a successor and instead there has been jockeying for position as people climb up in power and others try to supplant them. And all the while the bureaucrats (for a want of a better term) are trying their best keeping the country in one piece.

Basically it is a search for a new High King (yes there is a pantheon of deities ) that has gotten the blessing of the Gods/Godesses!


Just had another thought. The Players (those thrill seekers) are those tasked right now with protecting the country, sort of like the Fianna!


Any other ideas? I am open to anything that keeps this from becoming "We are taking over for your own good. Children need to grow up!"

[Lord Liaden]

I deeply apologize for my ignorance, but what book is this from?

[Mr. R]

The Star Crown Empire and the Sea of Fates.  It is an old ICE Shadow World module.  

 

[Mr. R]

The Aaman half

 

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Thosque

 

In the south west section of the Gefting Basin is Thosque.  It borders Moregador to the east with the Thurben River.  On its northwest border are the Jamal Hills.  To the west is the Fost Forest and to the south are the Moreg Mountains.  Like Moregador it is roughly square and like Moregador it has a river that runs through the middle, the Sandine.

 

There are five major towns in addition to the capital Rasul.

 

Government- Hereditary theocracy.  In Thosque the god of commerce is venerated above all others and has become the de facto ruler of of the country.

 

The society is extremely stratified with various statutory and religious laws being vigorously enforced to keep people in their designated social position.

 

 

People- At the bottom are the serf/peasant/slave class.  Then tradesmen and merchants. Then the nobility. And finally the Church hierarchy.  (Sorry there is a group below the serf/peasant/slave, females.  Women are oppressed even worse than slaves)

 

Features- ????

 

Slavery- Yes, but the economy is not dependant on them because the local peasant class are little better than slaves.

 

Economics- Agriculture.  Also textiles and brewing (beers, ales, etc.).  Thosque merchants travel the whole basin buying and selling material.  Of note are Thosquan horses.  Many nobles have large stables and their horse are considered some of the best in the Basin Area>

 

 

 

If you are curious, here is how I am portraying the God of Commerce

 

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God of Commerce: Also the traveler, the explorer, of keeping your word, oaths (for good or ill). The god of the legal cheat. The collector, the god of wonder and exuberance! Master of language. 

 

 

So my major question is: How do you keep the entire class responsible for most of your wealth (merchants) at such a low status/societal level?

 

 

[Mr. R]

So the next two nations are something like the USA in the 1850's.  A slave free north and ......

 

 

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Danris

 

Danris is triangular shaped and is about 300 miles east west and about 450 miles north south.  It is bounded to the north by the meeting of the Fairn river (which bounds it to the east) and the Kulana River (which forms its border with Tenryk).  To the south are the Onel Hills and the border with Thosque and part of the Gefting Sea.  Note that the Kulana River is the river from which the Gefting Sea drains to the north into the Hagen Bay of the K’srondi Jungles.

 

There are seven cities in all with Danris at the point where the Fairn and Kulana Rivers meet.

 

Features in Kerq:  on the other side of the Fairn River are the Forbek Steppes, home of a number of Horse Nomads.

 

Government:  Each city is led by a lord.  Each lord is chosen based on a) amount of land owned, b) cattle and livestock owned and c) monetary value of all possessions.  As such social mobility is hard and most positions are now hereditary. 

 

People:  Most are poor and uneducated.  Most are serfs, working a parcel of land for almost no profit.  

 

Slavery:  Until recently Danris was the main importer of slaves from the north.  The city of Danris was the first major city coming up the Kulana River from the north and was a clearing house for many items gathered from the north, including slaves.  It still is a clearing house for items like sugar, fruits, coffee, tea and unique woods and material,

 

Economics:  Despite its role as a clearing house, Danris is an agricultural nation.  Lords rent the land out to lower nobles who rent it to peasants/serfs or work it using slave labour (yes we are talking plantations here)

 

 

[Mr. R]

The last and probably the best of the bunch

 

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Tenryk

 

Danris is vaguely rectangular and is about 350 miles east west and about 450 miles north south.  It is bounded to the north by the frontier leading to the Bola Wastes and the Northern Grassland. The Kulana River forms its eastern border.  The west is bounded by the Wyrmian Mountains and the Lost River.  To the south is part of the Gefting Sea.  Note that the Kulana River is the river from which the Gefting Sea drains to the north into the Hagen Bay of the K’srondi Jungles.

 

There are eight cities in all with Danris at the center of the country.

 

Government:  Oligarchy.  Each city is led by a lord/lady. Each lord/lady is chosen by the lords/ladies under him.  Then the city lords/ladies choose one of their own as head of the country. 

 

People:  Most are poor but educated.  Most work their lands in a feudal nature, but the lords don’t take so much as to leave the people destitute.

 

Slavery:  Outlawed.  Slavery, sexism and racism are deemed intolerable.  

 

Economics:  Tenryk is an agricultural nation.  As well it produces many fine wines, and raises fine horses.  

 

 

[Mr. R]

After taking a second (or is it 22nd?) look at the map, and the descriptions of the cities and the populations I cam to a realization.  This world is actually a Points of Light setting.  

 

Example Tenryk above.  It is 350 by 450 miles roughly so approx 150000 sq mi.

 

Population 160000 people.  15000 in the capital, 10000 in a big port city called Arelios and three more with 7500 each the rest scattered (yeah right) through the country.  This gives us a pop density of 1 person / sq mi (as a comparison Mongolia is more densely populated)

 

Even if I triple the population it means at least 50-75% of the land is uninhabited wilderness.  

 

Am I wrong with this idea?