#askedelos

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Day 2: Fantastic Places and Where to Find Them

Creation is home to two main continents, split by a chain of islands. The first of the continents, named Ues, is partially split into North and South by the Midland Sea; a body of water running roughly along the equator. The native population of Ues is almost exclusively Human, aside from a few tribal, almost feral holdouts in the most inhospitable corners of the continent.

Both halves of the continent are almost fully inhabited by a number of countries, with South Ues being home to Aquiland (the main setting of The Game We Play) as well as others such as the Kingdom of Xerstra or Metria City, and North Ues being home to the revolutionary country of Askedelos and the Federation of Rhosan Republics.

Ues’ climate runs the gambit from tundras near the poles to deserts by the equator, aside from where the Midland Sea runs of course. Both Aquiland and Askedelos lay in this Mediterranean-esque zone along the sea, and enjoy mostly moderate weather thanks to it. Countries at the extremes, such as the Rhos, instead deal with near-freezing temperatures for most of the year.

The second continent has been named Outrem by the Ueseans, and is the homeland of the Shapechangers.Before its discovery by the rest of Ues, Outrem was, and still is for the most part, a wild and untamed wilderness without hide nor hair of civilization. This is due to the fact that, before the Ueseans arrived on their shores, Shapechangers had little need for civilization, or for society in general.

Most of Outrem is covered by temperate rainforests, with occasional raised mesas to break up the tree cover. The exception to this is the scattered Uesean colonies along the eastern coast, such as Xerstra’s Dorianlanz and Aquiland’s Port Aqui.

The island chain called the Wisewurm’s Scales. These islands run from pole to pole,encircling the entire world like a ring. These islands are mostly uninhabited, but there are a few free-ports that have sprung up, populated by disgruntled sailors, disenchanted colonists, and a few adventurous Shapechangers; and of course, by pirates too. Some of these ports are known only to their inhabitants and the trade ships that sail past them, but some like Little Ues have an almost legendary quality about them.

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World Building June, Day 4: What’s it’s history?

(Do ya get it?)

There are a few historical events that are important to the story of The Game We Play. The first took place over 200 years before the start of the story, and that is the Aquiland Revolutionary War. While it’s called a war, it was really a coup by the Aquilish people to depose the monarchy. The king’s loyalist troops were fought, and eventually overwhelmed, by the revolutionary army. After six years of bloody combat, the revolutionaries won out, and executed the king, his family, and all other members of the nobility they could get their hands on. From this, the seeds of the modern Electoral Republic were sown.

Of course, with a couple hundred years of distance, there are now Aquilish people who believe that Aquiland should return to a monarchy; either headed by surviving member of the former ruling family, or a newly chosen king. These monarchists mainly keep their opinions to themselves, as in recent times the rest of the Aquilish have been taking a “Punch the Monarchist” approach to dealing with them.

The next historical event of note is the invention of the Focus; a device that uses mana to produce specific magical effects. The first of these devices, created by Aquilish native Adam Turnam, was a pair of connected crystals; one drew heat from the air around it, and the other converted that energy into light. Before the Focus, magic mainly took the form of single-use items, such as scrolls, potions, and rituals. The Focus both provided a reusable method of using magic, and opened up the use of magic to everyone; both of which lead to a technological and magical boom.

The final event known as either the Askedelian Civil War or the Askedelian Conflict, depending on who you ask. This was a war in Askedelos between two successor governments after the previous government collapsed, fought between the Independents and the Unifiers. The independents wanted to form a loose federation of states, while the Unifiers were seeking an absolute dictatorship. Multiple nations provided support to the three sides: the Independents, the Unifiers, and the rapidly crumbling former government.

This support grew into armed troops and fleets being sent to fight on behalf of their respective sides. Notably, Aquilish forces fought for the Independents, while Rhos (formally known as the Federation of Rhosan Republics) did the same for the Unifiers. At the end of a 4 year bloody war, the Unifiers claimed victory, executing the majority of their former foes and closing the country for the next 3 years. Those who were not killed became refugees, with many of them seeking shelter in Aquiland.

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World Building June, Day 2: What’s the Geography of your world?

Yep, that’s the best you’re getting. Made with Inkarnate so I’d have an easy way to visualize how far apart everything is.

This is a rough map of Aquiland, the country in which The Game We Play takes place. The rest of Creation is, roughly, equivalent to Earth: ice caps at either pole, a hotter equator, one sun in the sky and one moon circling it. Bam, done.

Aquiland is south of the equator, so the northern coast with cities like Talpasis and Port Mordan are the hottest parts. Cities to the south, like Hemfall, are colder, with heavier forests and hills the more south you get. That band in the middle of the country stays fairly comfortable all year round; not too hot in the summer, not too cold in the winter.

The capital of Aquiland, Aqui City, is built into the base of Mt. Oriad, the tallest mountain in the country. On the opposite side of Mt. Oriad is Melas, a center of magic and engineering advancement filled with counter-culture, organic foods, and piping hot stimulants.

So basically, it’s fantasy Seattle with wizards instead of techies. No wonder both of our protagonists live in or around it.

To the north of Aquiland is the nation of Askedelos, whose already scorching equatorial landscape has been blighted by weapons used in a violent civil war several years ago.To the east is Xerstra, one of Aquiland’s few remaining political allies. And far to the north, past Askedelos and the Midland Sea, lies the Federation of Rhosan Republics, an oligarchy who’s relationship with Aquiland can best be described as “peacefully antagonistic”.