I'm being distracted as I type,
I am really in awe, it's a great creation you have here.
I've been reading a bit more and I'm a little confused of the geography. Have I got this right so far?Don't feel too bad about being confused with the geography, I've only really just gotten that completely hammered out recently myself. :P
The assumption I'm making here is that Norbayne is in the middle (as in all references to east, west, north, south are from Norbayne):Absolutely right. The south is also pretty warm. Not desert, but wet and hot in the summer and dry and slightly less hot in the winter.
The north of Norbayne is cold and the south of Norbayne is mountainous.
Sothbayne is in the south, Far South is southerer.Yes, but keep in mind that Sothbayne is another landmass. It is a larger landmass to the south, just across some straits or something. Haven't completely figured out just how far away it is, but close enough that the inhabitants of Sothbayne and those of Norbayne do have something to do with each other.
Unterguardt is north of Northbayne and has a substantial mountain range in the north. Men generally dwelling mid-south Unterguardt and dwarves in the mountains. Borders constantly shifting due to conflict.Correct. Very cold and snowy. In basic terms, think Skyrim as far as climate goes. It is another landmass. I think. Alternatively the border with Norbayne might be a high, dangerous mountain range. Not impassable, but difficult.
North Norbayne is divided up into Rockfall and Crowpeak, east Norbayne is divided up into Naille and Elspeth, south Norbayne is Drell. This bit I think I understand.Yes, though there are many other kingdoms too. One small retcon I must fix up, Naille and Elspeth are now in the west.
I have no idea where to put these places or if they're part of Norbayne or seperate landmasses or what...Sorry if it's answered somewhere else.No problems, I don't think I've ever really explained the geography. Even my playtest group have only seen a basic sketch of the kingdoms in the general vicinity of Summer Hill.
Dark Fen is somewhere
Dunscarth is somewhere
Wardenfells(Substitute two letters and my Bosmer rogue comes from there ) are east-south-east, both the Leathe and Danann live here in mutual tension (I assume) though the Leathe keep to the northwest while the Danann roam a lot more.
Eastern Tundra, in the east(gee shucks wonder how I guessed that) above the Wardenfells?
The Boltmoors are in the north-west, other type of dwarven lands.
Isle of Varr, owned by the raider Invarrians
The undergound inhabited by the Greyskins can potentially be anywhere I assume but also I'd reason there would be under-kingdoms seperating them into numbers that are manageable to rule?The Dunscarth are not particularly numerous. The Merigund itself has no overall ruler. Every town has people in charge, but the Dunscarth themselves are not united.
I'm drawing a map but don't get hopes up if you still want a map maker. I can't draw for armadillo :P . I'm planning on using it to try and make up a little expedition and the tales of a group of travellers that get run out of or otherwise forced to leave pretty much any place they start to call home, sticking together all the way whatever comes at them. But I want to set them in a variety of lands and when they come full circle, they're pretty much the most well travelled individuals in the world.I too am not very good at cartography, but I have given it a shot. I'd be very happy to see what you come up with. Who knows, it might help me finalise some stuff I haven't completely figured out yet. :)
Am I right in thinking that there are invasions onto the Isle of Varr every now and then to curb the piracy, much like the chinese did against the Japanese Woku Pirates?Sometimes a kingdom might get pissed off enough to attempt an assault on the source of the attacks, but due to the strength of the Invarrian navy, this is rarely very successful. How long that can last however?
How did the Bovus Empire fall?Well then, the Bovus Empire was exceptionally powerful. They landed on the western shores of Norbayne as a people fleeing from an unremembered menace in their homelands. Compared to the indigenous people of Norbayne, the Bovus were both technologically advanced and physically powerful. They quickly took almost all of Norbayne as their own, though Dark Fen and the Wardenfells remained unconquered due to the climate not being conducive to the Bovus heavy infantry.
Can one cross from Norbayne to Sothbayne on foot? The mountains could be taken as nigh on impassable.QuoteNorbayne and Sothbayne are separated by ocean, which may be traversed by ship. The Midlands and Southlands of Norbayne however, may be travelled between on foot, and this is often the case.QuoteAlso if you're looking for diseases.I quite like this. I believe a similar suggestion was put forward by Ladyhawk who suggested it perhaps be a parasitic spider-type creature which causes the effect. Essentially a zombifying spider.
One that causes irrationality and loss of cognitive thought in the extreme, as in 'Why are you trying to feed a Capaill to the wall, Steve the Minotaur?' 'Rainbows'. Effect vary, Leathe are immune, until science really takes off nobody will know why.QuoteA reaction that causes psycopathy and pale yellow skin coloration in magic addicts, people who get a buzz out of using 'cure wounds' on themselves.That's pretty cool actually. I don't suppose you have any ideas regarding names?
God I hope that's legible. :P Thanks for the questions mate,
Cheers,
QuoteAlso if you're looking for diseases.I quite like this. I believe a similar suggestion was put forward by Ladyhawk who suggested it perhaps be a parasitic spider-type creature which causes the effect. Essentially a zombifying spider.
One that causes irrationality and loss of cognitive thought in the extreme, as in 'Why are you trying to feed a Capaill to the wall, Steve the Minotaur?' 'Rainbows'. Effect vary, Leathe are immune, until science really takes off nobody will know why.QuoteA reaction that causes psycopathy and pale yellow skin coloration in magic addicts, people who get a buzz out of using 'cure wounds' on themselves.That's pretty cool actually. I don't suppose you have any ideas regarding names?
God I hope that's legible. :P Thanks for the questions mate,
Cheers,
Very impressed with the ambience items. ;) Definitely going in so keep your eyes peeled.Thanks! One thing that terrifies me (and I know you want a good dash of horror in here) is man eating plants. Plants in general actually, but ones that can eat you have a special place in my nightmares.
I finished reading your playtest and it sounds like great fun! helps that each player has epic moments of hilarity in every single paragraph
Thanks! One thing that terrifies me (and I know you want a good dash of horror in here) is man eating plants. Plants in general actually, but ones that can eat you have a special place in my nightmares.Ladyhawk has already made a few suggestions along the same lines and there are already a few. A massive Venus Flytrap is pretty straightforward, but razor edged grass which feeds on blood is also present. And more besides, but I won't give too much away. Rest assured that you are correct, horror themes are a must to allow GM's the options to play the type of game they want.
Also: slugs that burrow into your flesh, preferring the increased core body temperature (guessing that's lore friendly) of Invarrains, Northmen and Selkye, anesthetizing the wound as they do it so that with a low perception score and some bad luck, you can get one under your skin during the night without realising it. No more than an inch in length and cannibalistic. Unless you can remove it while it's still visble through the surface of the skin, it might live inside you for good, doing all kinds of gleefully disruptive things.Very creepy, though I do imagine that it would perhaps be something in the Dark Fens. Good conditions for that sort of creature, particularly moisture for it to survive in without a host. And then in addition to that, the main peoples' there are reptilian in nature, meaning lower body temperatures on average. Therefore these things wouldn't be a problem to them, but to visiting mammals.... And no one would really know the solution. Perfect for horror. :D
Viscriotor is a one-of-a-kind amphibious ground shrub that is found in the harsh deserts of the Far South but has been known to migrate into Sothbayne and very rarely in southern Norbayne. This shrub can strech for a hundred metres and is usually docile, requiring a lot of light (hence living mainly in the sunnier south) but when 'awakened' is capable of biting cleanly through an ankle bone (think green, mossy bear trap). Unfortunately there is a plant that looks very similar to it which stores water in it's roots, travellers have mistaken the two when dying of dehydration and been eaten. Omnomnom. Some academics think that the plant is a sentient and ancient proto-organism that has survived millenia, perhaps even since the breaking of the world. These are generally not the most reputable of folks, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're wrong.Haha this is amazing. I love the idea of a predatory "bear-trap." I "may" change the name to something more fitting, but the idea is absolutely perfect. ;)
Slugs are named Joris Slugs after the famous Selkye taxonomist, Joris Ice-Grave (would you mind translating for me? It's basically icelandic, right? <3) that named them. His whereabouts are currently unknown after his expedition to each corner of Norbayne to find and catalogue as many species as he could.
There is a slight possibility that this is the main character of my expedition tale I've not yet started. As I figure out where he's going and what kind of problems he's going to face, I'll have more creatures and diseases for you to have a look at. Imo telling a story and seeing what 'fits' is the best way of adding new content, but that's just me.My friend you are correct and I look forward to incorporating your ideas further. ;)
Great, once I get going I'm sure I'll have a load more questions and such. Good to know I have both a great writer and the ultimate knowledge base in my literary toolkit :)Ha, I wouldn't go that far, but I'm happy to help. :P
Is there a giant sea monster that inhabits the icy waters around the Isle of Varr? If so I think there will be a fishing trip included.Several, though both of these are spread a little further than just Varr. Two quick examples:
Mercrabs? The face of a crustacean and the body of a man! Might need some tweaking. or just not included, I'll be the first to admit it's a little rubbish :PYeah, I'm trying to avoid sentient creatures which aren't mammalian in origin, simply because of the lifestyle that sentience requires. The few I do have are significantly alien and all three I can think of, cannot communicate properly with other races. Might have to skip this one. ;)
In the Black Fens, a quadrapedal swamp creature that while scary to look at with a single cyclopic eye and usually covered in swamp weed is in fact no danger to anyone. Unless you try to eat it. Think of a small dog, but with no hair, one eye and secretes a sticky coating to provide itself with insulation. Very timid herbivore, pretty commonly found among the marshes, eats swamp weed and lives in small packs of 4-8. Name pending.Huh, that's really pretty cool. I'll work on a name, but I like it. Very original. :)
I think that while the slug might not have been the best way to do it, the mechanic that a creature prefers the warmer blooded races (or colder, necrophages?) is quite good, I'll try and find a better way to incorporate it I think.Yeah, definitely a good idea and I look forward to seeing what else you come up with. ;)
You've referenced dogs in the game you're currently playing, which other terran creatures make an appearance?To prevent players from being overwhelmed with animals they've never heard of before, I've tried to keep things relatively familiar. Now what a Midlander might call a dog might be different to what a Roanfaille from Sothbayne would call a dog and likely very different from what the Bruin would call a dog. So while dogs exist, and they may be canid in form, there's a good chance they're different from 'Terran canids.'
EDIT: Black Fens would be filled with insects right? Maybe have a blind, green mosquito (camoflaged to a lesser extent) which goes into a blood frenzy each time it feeds, releasing a pheromone that attracts hordes more of them. Enough to drain a small human or a large Leathe dry. However since it's blind and actually has no way of determining where a blood source is, they fly in circles most of the time and it's only chance if they get to eat. Name pending again.The only problem I have with this is that the creature needs to actually be able to survive in its environment. What does it feed on when it can't get warm-blooed adventurers? :P