Does the one map show up? If so I can post the other dozen or so I have. I can also start adding more content, I have a bunch more stuff written up.

There's a map posted?

How's that for an answer.  It's just that whenever someone says "Where's the Map?" that stupid song from Dora The Explorer pops into my head - damn cartoons....

Quote from: PseudoephedrineHow do the parts you've posted already, especially the high level stuff about economics and politics, actually affect the kinds of stories you tell in the world?

Directly: Not all of it does, at first. Indirectly the economics is very important. Metal is becoming increasingly more rare, as in the last ten thousand years the Republic has mined much of the existing areas completely dry, which has fueled it's expansion both southward into the Afron (My tropical mountainous version of Africa) and eastward into the Or'Run. (Yes, I am not the most creative namer.)

But because the Republic wishes to be seen from a position of strength it is attempting to keep secret, as best it can, these sort of facts. (For instance the Republic is increasingly having to import stone, as they've mined as deep under their home "island" (Really a small continent.) as they can.)

In the first campaign the players played four random adventurers who discover a gigantic automaton, created in the early years of the Republic-when it still warred with other nations, specifically the Drow (Who have used dark magics to erase the memory of their people from the world at large, and follow the Spider Queen-goddess of chaos.), and accidentally activate it. The automaton rampages towards the center pf the Kingdom, as the Drow have tampered with it's programming, destroying as it goes.

So the PC's have to track it down, and in an epic battle destroy the machine.(Huge robot versus players, for the win!)

QuoteLike, are they just there for the PCs to say things like "I learnt to be a first level fighter in the Theilion guard!"

Yeah some of that is very important. All of their backgrounds made heavy use of the materials plus stuff we haven't put to paper yet. In the first game one of the players played an elf, which is a relatively rare sight in much of the Middle Kingdoms. He was the last falconer of the fallen stone city of Ellia, and secretly he was also a member of the secret elven society that hunts Drow. (The Dark Wood Hunters.)

Quoteor do they shape stories ("The King of Thorin needs iron! And only you can get it!") or are they just there for colour?

Some of this happened too. After they defeated the Automaton the city in which they fought it was devastated, and many of the local politicians turned to the PC's for help in getting things resolved.

We also had a lot of self driven exploration by the players, where they simply said "We go here, and see what's there." This spawned games like helping a village of Chuul relocate because heavy competition between them and dwarven fishing boats was quickly turning deadly. (One player was a Ranger and another was a Druid, so we had a lot of nature based games, and themes.)

Quote from: James J SkachThere's a map posted?

How's that for an answer.  It's just that whenever someone says "Where's the Map?" that stupid song from Dora The Explorer pops into my head - damn cartoons....

I the stupid. I posted it in the other thread. Here are some map links. That should be the directory.

All maps were made by me, by hand in Microsoft Paint.

Beign:The Eastern Frontier[/SIZE]

QuoteAre ye' a fool then? 'Cause only a fool comes to Beign expecting it to be easy...

Andros, Miner and sometimes Sage

On the Eastern fringes of the Middle Kingdoms lies Beign, a land where hard work is glory. Rugged and formidable the land breaks the weak of will, and feint of heart. But for a working man much can be found here: mining, timber, big game and fishing, and much more. A stout heart and back will earn a man much here.

Government and Politics

Technically a protectorate of the Republic Beign is ruled by a Provincial Governor, who resides in Titov Veles and whose authority is backed by three Legions of the Republican Guards. Locals do elect a Council, consisting of 25 members from various villages and cities, who range from industrial and economic leaders to religious and philosophical leaders. This Council advises the Provincial Governor.

Politics in Beign are considered to distasteful and a distraction from real work, many citizens are too busy eking out a living in this harsh land to be bothered with politics.

Economics

Beign relies heavily on the trade of timber, and stone. It also exports massive quantities of beef, pork and fish, as well furs and hides.

Beign's timber industry is the source of great contention, and it isn't uncommon for elven settlements to raid timber villages and mills, making elves somewhat unpopular at times, especially in the east.

The Free Ports of Ikema

QuoteLaw? I suppose it'd be found at the sharp end of your sword lad.

Thessel Redhand, Pirate

Sprawling shanties, more taverns per square foot than in any other part of the kingdom, and a smell worse than a latrine aptly describes Ikema for some. Home to pirates, thieves and harlots Ikema is an island of disrepute, of treachery.

Roving gangs, pirate bands and mercenaries mingle freely, with out fear because there is no law in Ikema a man doesn't create for himself.

Baltrum: Kingdom of Judgement

The great city of Baltrum, blessed by the Gods themselves. It is here the heads of the great churches make their home, and thousands upon thousands of the faithful live, work and play. Ancient, even by Dwarven standards the city has stood for millenia beyond reckoning.

Ancient statues of saints and sinners stand above the city, unfaded and as glorious as the day they were built, through divine grace of the gods. Glorious streets paved in marble, buildings gilded with gold and platinum, towers of obsidian and granite tower into the skies.

Perhaps the grandest of all the buildings is the Temple of Judgment, in which the greatest trials of the land are held. A cleric from each church is represented on the Council of Judges, who preside over these trials.

Government and Politics

Ruled by a theocratic council Baltrum has a fairly efficient bureaucracy in place, with the city divided into Wards, and a representative from each Ward sitting on the City Council. The Council is presided over by the Mayor, an office that is rotated through each church every three years.

No weapons are allowed inside the city with out a permit from the City Council, or sponsorship from individuals Clerics, and churches. (Daggers, small knives and stave's are not considered weapons under the law.)

Each Ward is able to set it's own laws and the laws vary widely in each ward, a wary traveler should take care to understand where he or she is, and what laws are applicable.

Terros: Land of comfort and ease.

QuotePull up a chair laddie, and sit a spell. There now, that's better now isn't it? Yar, have a hit off me pipe if you'd like, for today is a day to relax me bucko.

Arlo Rootfoot, farmer and land owner.

Terros is truly the promised land. The Sun shines brightly across the fields, as the bees buzz from flower to flower. In the fields and orchards the slaves labor, while the land owners survey all that is theirs. Few parts of the Middle Kingdoms are as truly as blessed as those of Terros. Originally founded and settled by halflings Terros has since become home to numerous Dwarven clans and Gnomish families as well. It's large agrarian economy feeds a vast swath of the Kingdoms many peoples. Wheat, barley, hay, oats, fruits, vegetables and nuts are all grown in abundance, as well as tobacco and cotton.

Allied with the Republic for the last 9000 years or so, the Terran's are perhaps the Republics oldest and most trusted allies. The Halflings of Terros have given up much of the day to day chores of ruling their nation, allowing the Republic to take stewardship of this burden. In exchange for grains and other food stuffs the Republics legions ensure the day to day safety and security of Terros.

Government and Politics

The average Terran lives a good life. Most Terran's work in a trade, or on a farm. Land Owners are the most powerful class of Terran's, and it is from them that the Terran representatives to the Council of Peers are selected. The Land Owners also select the Sheriff, the most powerful local political office in Terros.

Terran politics tend to be almost sedentary, boring and predictable little change has occurred in the last nine thousand years. Offices are often handed down through generations of the same families.

One unique feature of Terran life is slavery, which is a massive industry that helps keep their agrarian economy afloat.

Military Might and Foreign relations

Terros has no army to speak of, although all Land Owners maintain their own forces that vary in size from negligible to impressive, depending on how close to the Afrus the plantation is. The Terran Sheriff also has a national police force, who perform traditional law enforcement duties. All other military needs are handled by the Republic forces stationed in Terros.

The majority of Terran's care little about foreign relations, and the few who do always side with the Dwarves of the Republic.

Western Or'Run: The Great Hoard

QuoteNo where is the pressing chaos of humanity greater than in the Or'Run where you can't swing a cat with out hitting some human or another. Village after village of sprawling, breeding filthy humans.

Commodore Dain StoneCutter

Government and Politics

Like most of the Or'Run, Western Or'Run lacks any real centralized authority and although the Republic has invested a great deal of time and effort into establishing a temporary Administration, charged with bringing Dwarven culture and technology to the peoples of the Or'Run. Several local war lords and strong men have established their own personal fiefdoms, in which they control the lives of their peasants with varying levels of control. Some are petty tyrants, others enlightened to a point.

Politics are a morass of madness and chaos, with alliances shifting and changing from day to day and sometimes hour to hour. Few things stay the same in this confusing mess of humanity.

Military Might and Foreign Affairs

The Or'Run as a whole lacks a cohesive government, which of course means it lacks any sizable armies or legions of their own. Currently four legions of the Republic's are currently operating in the Western Or'Run-but most of these Legions have been split into Regiment sized or smaller units. Often these units use the Republic's coffers to purchase the loyalty of local war lords and their rag tag armies. Banditry is considered a time honored tradition in this region, and crime syndicates often operate in the open with impunity.

Regional war lords attempt to control various cities, and from time to time these war lords will band together to form marginally significant blocks of power to negotiate with the Republic, but these primarily human run alliances tend to crumble quickly. Still various war lords maintain connections to various parts of the Middle Kingdoms which they supply with grains, rice and other food stuffs.

Economics

The Western Or'Run is the rice bowl of the Middle Kingdoms, providing a massive amount of food stuffs which range from rice to nearly any fruit imaginable. The Or'Run also provides a massive quantity of fish and wood to the rest of the Middle Kingdoms. Wood exports are fairly profitable as most bandits lack the ability to transport the large and heavy shipments of timber, and although burnings have increased slightly in the last decade, as yet timber remains a lucrative business.

Grain and rice exports are the primary export of the Or'Run and with recent attacks on rice shipments, many of the Republic's Legions have been divided into smaller units to escort these essential shipments to various portions of the Middle Kingdoms. An essential, but tedious duty.

The Weylands

QuoteTreachery abounds in the Middle Kingdoms, but these are the Weylands, where a man's worth is determined by the Gods, not men.

Duke Octavian Welland, Ruler of the Free City of Weyland.

One of the three free cities Weyland is a docking point for a variety of ships, as well as home to a number of great trading houses. Duke Octavian Welland is current ruler of the City and the small island Weyland itself.

The Weylands is also home to the towers of high sorcery, and several schools of magic. In exchange for their cooperation in the islands defense the Duke guarantees that their work shall continue both unimpeded, and securely.

Government and Politics

Duke Welland rules the island, through hereditary title and is known as a fair and just ruler. Now well into his fortieth decade as ruler of the island the Duke has slowly begun to transfer power to his son Lucius Vorenus, a skilled warrior and river boat pilot who also is known to have some magical talent.

The Duke and his son rule with little problems from the people, especially given the amount of support they receive from the schools of sorcery.

Economics

The Weylands produces little worth exporting in agricultural terms, and has little to no mining operations, but it does do a brisk trade in textiles, but primarily the Weylands exports Magic.

Thanks to the schools of sorcery much of the Middle Kingdoms finds access to affordable, quality magical items. (Admittedly minor in their effects.)

Magic

The Weylands is synonymous with magic in the Middle Kingdoms. Home to the finest schools of magic, and most impressively Khoras, The Tower of High Sorcery aspiring students couldn't hope for more. Funded through a variety of means, including benefactors, donations, and sales of f magical goods the schools operate a variety of public and private campuses through out the island, with the Eight Towers of Wizardry and the High Tower of Sorcery being the most impressive. (The lesser known and somewhat secretive Tower of the Serpent lies some where just off the island, and is rumored to be submerged or hidden through some form of powerful dark magics.)

Greater Gods

The greater gods are divided into three categories, or Pantheons: Good , Evil and Neutral.

The Gods of Good:

Kratos-Male-God of War and Storms, Head of the Pantheon. Major Domains:War and Destruction. Minor Domains: Strength and Protection

Juno-Female-Goddess of nature, earth and truth. major Domains:Earth and Good. Minor Domains: Plant and Healing

Pathos-Male-God of Speed and Fire. Major Domains: Fire and Travel. Minor domains: Air and Luck

Atropos-Male-God of the Seas and Luck. Major Domains: Luck and Water. Minor Domains: none

Kira-Female-Goddess of the Strength. Major Domains: Strength and Healing Minor: Domains: Magic and War

Neutral Aligned Greater Gods

Kell-Gender Neutral-God of Magic and Learning. Major Domains: Magic and Knowledge. Minor Domains:Law and  Chaos

Nellios-Male-God of Fate and Time. Major Domains: Chaos and Luck Minor Domains: Magic and Learning

Madine-Female-Goddess of death. Major Domain: Death. Minor: Magic

Evil Aligned Greater Gods

Unnamed in Common, referred to as the Dark Lady-Female-Goddess of Chaos and Destruction, head of the Pantheon. Domains: Chaos and Destruction Minor Domains: Evil and Strength

Dosun-Male-God of Famine and Pestilence, and the Dead. Major Domain: Death Minor Domains: Plant and Evil

Ashrah-Female Goddess of  Jealousy, Anger, hate and th Moon.Major Domain: Evil and Trickery Minor Domains: Magic and Luck

Saturos-Male-God of Madness. Major Domain: Chaos Minor Domain: Evil

Gladios-Male. God of Fools and Gold. Major Domain: Luck and Chaos Minor Domain: Fire and Death