Races

The dominant species on Vulkara are humans. Humans being a very broad term in prospective though. The Old Ones where human like in moist respects but lost their ability to reproduce. They where a dying race and in response created a breeding program to create more species of their kind. Now over 10,000 years of technological and natural evolution has created many various "breeds" across the planet. As i expand more of the planet more breeds will be revealed.

For now here are some that dominate the first region shown below..

Zarathisian (Greymen):
Long strandy white hair, usually no facial hair, slightly pointy ears, slender bodies, elongated gaunt faces with grayish tint to skin. They are a mysterious, human breed who are said through myth and legend to be powerful sorcerers, demon worshipers, and cannibals. They are also known as slave dealers and it is not unheard of to find a select few wondering the wastelands selling slaves in exchange for common goods. They are extremely secretive and not commonly known as friendly or information sharing.
Can be Clerics up to 6th level, Magic-Users up to 8th level, and Fighting-Men up to
4th level. May adventurer as fighters and magic-users as once but may only act as one specific class per an adventure. When adventuring as a specific class saves, fights, gains experience, and has the abilities of that specific class. May still wear armor and cast spells

Norn (Plainsmen):
Short, Dark Hair, Olive colored skin, light eyes
Natives to the western lands and the blessed plains. They are fierce survivor's and a nomadic peoples who call no where home specifically. They are known for being very good riders, hunters, and marksmen and very superstitious.
Fighting-Men up to 7th level, Clerics up to 5th level
+2 to saves vs. magic and poisons
+2 to hit with missile weapons

Karaisian (men of the sea):
Average heights, dark or sandy hair, tan skin, light and dark eyes, large furrowed brows
The men who mostly inhabit the coasts of the western lands they are known as the men of the sea though this is not true for all they are renowned for their importation of goods and trade exportation's through sea faring. They are very good businessmen usually and are known to be a bit untrustworthy but very persuasive.
Fighting-Men up to 6th level
+2 to social reaction and loyalty
When attacking from behind unnoticed they will deal an extra die of damage to foes.

Po (greenmen or swamp people)
Slightly short, greenish tint to skin, large protruding eyes of a blue or red color, have sharp talon like fingers and toes with purple hair. They are known as fairly reclusive living in mic. Swamp regions of various natures. They have a love of music and food for which is a specialty to them being very spicy.
Fighting-Men 6th level, Magic-User 4th level
Can move at normal movement rates underwater and +1' per a dexterity point over 14
Their talons act as natural weapons but are awkward to use dealing a die of damage but at a -1 to attacks.

I apologize for the grammatical errors ahead of time i am not much of a typist..

The West Lands Map 1

Ok so i have outlined my cosmos and a broad map of a single continent of Vulkara now i have take one part of the larger map and focused on one place. This is part of the western lands of one of the continents and i hope to release a bunch of maps that will fit together to make a larger world and in turn slowly detail more about the world.

Also i have taken a few locations and just given them a brief background of what they are. From there i will focus on each place in more detail.

Central Western Lands: Map 1:

Zarathisa: 37.14

The city of Zarathisa is known as the city of the greypeople. They are a mysterious, human breed who are said through myth and legend to be powerful sorcerers, demon worshipers, and cannibals. No intruders ever leave the grey city thus called because not only are the peoples a grey tint, with elongated heads and gaunt faces the city is also covered by black clouds always looming ahead. The reason for the continuous cloud coverage of the city is a particular mystery, some say it has to do with dark beings from the netherworld summoned to protect the city in exchange for the ever going sacrifices and devout servitude to there dark secrets. They are also known as slave dealers and it is not unheard of to find a select few wondering the wastelands selling slaves in exchange for common goods. They are extremely secretive and not commonly known as friendly or information sharing.

Karas: 03.40

Known as the city of rogues and scoundrels. Teeming with pirates, thieves, bandits, and assassins it is considered the most retched hive of scum and villainy through out the wastes. The government structure is ruled by a republic and politics run by thieves, as one can imagine, is a brutal game indeed. They have do have a standing army and navy made up of mostly mercenaries and their main form of trade is importing goods.

The Vault: 11.39

Strange ruins of unknown origins. Said to have been around since before the age of reason. Named as “the vault” because of a strange metal vault, large enough to drive a chariot in and rumored to be filled with treasures and artifacts from ages past exists here within the scattred ruins. No one has been able to ever enter the vault until recently it has been opened mysteriously by an unknown source attracting many treasure seekers and adventurers to this region.

Forest Ruins/Forest Of Shev: 15.22

These ruins are of a city that has been taken over by the local plant life literally. It was once a thriving community of merchant men who has settled here after the great choas but less then 100 years ago plant life started to spring up at an alraming rate around the city and it was dicovered that the plants where truly alive. These plants and their leaders

“the plant men” as they are known took over the city and everyone within perished. Few venture to the ruins now in fear that they too will be swallowed by the living forest.

Ern Caves: 35.21

Abandoned mines mostly inhabited by the strange breed of humanoids known as morlochs.

Swamp Lands:

Smelly marshes and swamps are what dominate this area. It always has a constant myst surrounding the area that makes it impossible to navigate except for the local inhabitants the Po or swamp peoples.

The Padishah Caves: 53.52

A giant tomb made in the very rocks of the mountains. Rumored to host treasures beyond belief to those the are willing to venture forth into the networks of caves. Also rumored to be cursed and guarded by the very dead King and his servants who protect their unearthly secrets and their very souls

Eastern Passage: 71.22

A giant subterrain passage that leads through the great peaks of Grul to what is known as the middle lands. Few venture this way now for it has become known to be infested with all sorts of terrors and also it is said a hermit witch lives there who worships the neather beings and is more then willing to take some more souls.

Origins and Makeup

Ok so now that i have my concept i am going for the actual picture.... A dark brutal fantasy world, with odd sci-fi elements. I start to plot out firstly where did this world come from? Who created it? What is the cosmology (not looks mind you). Well i have kind of already stated this on my previous blog but i would kind of like to revise it again so here we go....

(epic music, camera scrolls through stars, and words scroll down screen)

Origins
To discuss the origins of Vulkara one does not need to discuss where the planet came from. Just like any world it was created through whatever theoretical means that have been discussed many times. The true beginnings of Vulkara started with the old ones. Beings from a far off universe, they where a race who had become totally dependent on technology and eventually became slaves to it (ala dune, terminator, matrix, etc.) after many years they finally freed themselves from shackles and it was decreed that the mind was stronger then any technological advancement known. So though technology was still a prominent part of their lives they discovered that with their minds they could do anything perceivable and actually bend the fabric of reality itself. This power was so great it drove some of them mad and destroyed their home planet. Those that survived migrated across the universe searching for a new homeworld, a paradise in which in their master plan they would become gods. Along their traverses they encountered many worlds and many creatures taking with them different species of plants, and other creatures until they somehow managed upon the planet known in the current age as Vulkara. Vulkara was a absolute paradise plane with fertile planes, soft breeze, and constant temperatures at all times. The Old ones settled the world making it their home and freeing the creatures they found throughout their travels letting them multiply and roam the planet. The more intelligent ones they intermingled with hoping that they could save their own species and created many of the common breeds in the current age. They sold themselves as gods and through their powers ruled the planet at first kindly but as the years passed they forgot the lessons of the past and started to abuse god hood as they once did technological marvels treating the peoples cruelly. Soon there was a mass rebellion as many of the species rose up they learned that they where one and the same and overthrew the very gods. The old ones where driven off to exile and faded into time. Where they actually went no one really knows some say that they went back to the heavens, some say the created a new empire in a dark land of vulkara, and some say they where just out bred.

Soon a new empire flourished under a new regime. This new beginning is known as the age of reason when the mighty empire of the peoples of Vex-Er ruled the world. They learned the secrets of the old ones passed down from the trusted wizards and knowledge, peace, and serenity ruled the land for 2,000 years. Even though this was known as an era of peace many great conflicts ensued to keep the lands in check but like any great empire it toppled into chaos. The secrets now known as magic are the real causes of the decline of the Vex-Er. The mighty wizards bent the powers to their will not heading the warnings of their teachers that with this power comes a price. Magic in Vulkara should thus then be explained, it is a scientific power not a purely mystical one though it is seen as one in the current society. It is the power to warp reality to ones will trough the mind and through this power almost anything is possible but if reality is warped too much it will try to right itself again lashing back at the wielder. After many years the great wizards became the rulers of the land and like the old ones some where driven mad by the power and bent on chaos and destruction. A great conflict ensued between the wizards of order and chaos and in the end none prevailed instead they tore apart existence, changing the world sending it into an alternate plain , and scaring the land from a fertile paradise to a wasteland of torments and horror.

This is the current age the age of ruins the world of Vulkara and it's populace have risen through the ashes but life hangs on a thread. Societies are isolated by dimensional rifts that torment the wastes, strange beings haunt the ancient ruins of that once great empire, and no one can escape the torment not even the dead who are said to drift into the other world only to be spit back out again as other beings or undead who feast off the souls of the living.

This is the age of ruins, this is a time of adventures, this is Vulkara!

(i would like to think the guy over at the weird worlds of quantique for introducing me to phillip druillet whom i have absolutely fallen in love with this guys work!)

Creating a World

I have decided to create a separate blog for the creation of my sandbox world for the original d&d game. All information will be detailed here instead of on my current blog. It should also be noted that sometimes this will seem like a lot of ramblings because i will be using this blog a lot more like a notebook as well as a track of what I'm doing. I will attempt to track my steps in creating my world following the steps as detailed on the excellent bat in attic blog found here... http://batintheattic.blogspot.com/2009/08/how-to-make-fantasy-sandbox.html
This has been a project i have been working on for a few months and i already have a lot details worked out but it seems like every time i get near completion there are many details that i find disgusting so i will take those ideas waud them all up and start from scratch with step 1. First off i have been asking myself what do i want in this world, what really am i trying to create here. The best way for me to create anything is to first visualize it, get some kind of provocative imagery in my mind and work from there. So the first images that come to mind are things like this...

Savage dark swords and sorcery with demons, witchs, barbarians, lost tombs, and forgotten gods.

but i also like this..

A strange world with swashbuckling hero's and wonders beyond belief..

And then this!


Weird Weird horror, an adventurer would not even want to step out the door!
So now really i have my elements. A science fantasy world of weird savage and dark horror!
Lovecraft meets Howard meets Burroughs.

Now that i have my concepts swirling around in my head i can start to make the actual world.