Charles this is all amazing, you could write a book by yourself it seems! And thank you both for recommending books that sounds like a great idea! I hope I can flesh out Alari even half as much as you have already fleshes out Kelleemah.
My mythos for my 2 worlds - Al'Ayn and Myirandios are very different from each other. The first is a type of Zoroastrian dualistic world view, but with multiple deities each 'side' led by a chief God (Eokraidhe and Gringroth), with a daughter Goddess, Eona, mating with the mortal Qunal (type of Luthien and Beren - no Silmarillion when I invented this, but just LOTR and the Hobbit - and no film either); whereas Myirandios' Gods are actually gene-enhanced mortals from the New Australasian Empire who were 'space-wrecked' on the planet, and used all the zygotes put in storage to populate the world - which already had its own sentient beings. Just like the British and Aboriginal Australia. I actually used some of the names of the Gods from my teenage world in my new world. But more of this on my own page. The point is that in my latter mythos, the Gods are actually supermen/women Aussies!
My own campaign mythos is, mostly, heavily influenced (and shamelessly lifted in places) from The Silmarillion, as well as Zoroastrianism, Catholicism, and some other religions/mythologies. I mixed and matched (and mashed) a bunch of it with my own ideas to make it all my own, but if you're at all familiar with The Silmarillion you'll recognize how much I, er, borrowed from there, in particular.
Charles apparently did the same thing with biblical and apocryphal/pseudepigraghical works, possibly some kabbalistic stuff too. He did a brilliant job of taking different elements, mixing them with his own ideas, and molding them into his own unique mythos.
Posted By: DogtagCharles apparently did the same thing with biblical and apocryphal/pseudepigraghical works, possibly some kabbalistic stuff too. He did a brilliant job of taking different elements, mixing them with his own ideas, and molding them into his own unique mythos.
Thanks Dogtag! :-)
Knowing where your world was, is, and will be helps a lot when it comes to mapping. It gives you the flavor of the world, the cultures, context for ruins, even the land masses (such as the Shattered Isles and the corresponding Sea of Sheol).
And, if you are like me, some of your campaigns may even take place during the days past. ;-)
CharlesWayneRobinson pointed out:Knowing where your world was, is, and will be helps a lot when it comes to mapping. It gives you the flavor of the world, the cultures, context for ruins, even the land masses (such as the Shattered Isles and the corresponding Sea of Sheol).
Yes.
CharlesWayneRobinson further wrote:And, if you are like me, some of your campaigns may even take place during the days past. ;-)
The final thing that I would add for creating a mythos; is that you do not tell the whole story, generate questions, and some of it should be wrong.
1. By not telling the whole story you give yourself two things; the ability to easily add new material and the ability for the player characters to learn new things through exploring.
2. Generate questions by leaving holes in the mythos. Again, this gives you two things; the ability to tie the mythos to the campaigns and/or to generate quests in player led campaigns. Examples from my mythos would be; what happened to the tree of knowledge, can the tree of life be healed, why did Satan willingly accept the blow, is Satan dead or is he sleeping too, and where did Lucifer disappear to and why? These are only a few examples that are purposefully placed throughout the various mythos of Kelleemah.
3. Some mythos should have factual errors or consist of conflicting legends. Players love finding out conspiracies, Illuminati type evil doers, dark secrets, and forbidden lore. I use all of these concepts in my games.
Why does this matter for mapping? You can leave clues within the maps themselves. It is so cool to see a player figure out a clue and then get all excited pouring over the older maps and finding similar clues in some of them.
Knowing how expensive specialist books are these days, and how many people there are that covet anything D&D that can help them build their own fantasy worlds, AND with all your years of experience, there's a potential for making a lot of money there!
I am behind of doing the character pieces so I will come back and get those later. Here is the template for the region known as the Shattered Isles:
1. Kematia - Land of the undead elves. 2. Saagar Naagon - Land of the Sea Naagons and the only Naagons that can dwell within the sea. 3. Matuwhati - Tasman Islanders 4. Kinonui - Tasman Islanders 5. Whenuatapu - Tasman Islanders 6. Nga-Motu Kainga - Tasman Islanders 7. The Kingdom of Selatan 8. The Elves of Benteng Pulau 9. The Pirates of Utara 10. The Titan Guard of Taphas 11. The Sea Giants of Tsaphah 12. The Shedim of Damshaar 13. The Shrouded Isle
Posted By: pixelkittehUNDEAD ELVES! I want to go there
Yangsatu, Council of the Hvitalfr, Sedang Sekarat, and Kematian.
The last to arrive was the Kematian, an Elvin undead. They had recently risen from the waters of Sheol in the Shattered Isles. Indeed, it was the day after Satukuno had cast his spell to summon the White Elves together. Needless to say, it was even more disturbing than Tuahitam’s arrival with the dragon. Especially since the dragon whimpered and flew away as she walked by. It quickly grew cold and the fire under the mantel was snuffed out as she entered the room. She said nothing and just stood there. Tuahitam was the first to approach her, confident in her own power. “So, what do we call you? Lady Ghoul?” asked Tuahitam in a sarcastic tone. The Kematian replied in old Elvish “Yangsatu”. Tuahitam new the old tongue well, we all did. She replied “The one, the one what? The one of the cold deep water?” Tuahitam seemed pleased with herself as she stared at the Kematian. Yangsatu leaned forward and whispered slowly to Tuahitam. You could see the frost forming on the dark skinned cheeks as she blinked and her smile faded. She stumbled back a few steps, her courage gone. Satukuno asked “What did the Kematian say?” I do not know if it was fear or the cold, but with an unsteady voice, Tuahitam replied “She said Yangsatu, Sedang Sekarat.” The mood was dark indeed, for it translates to… "I am the one at death’s door."
Signed,
The Father, Council of the Hvitalfr, the Lord of Destiny, and the Patron Saint of Orphans.
I am having to take a break for now. I have my first kidney stone and it has been 6 miserable days so far. I hope that I never have to go through this again.
Update: In initial report the stone was supposed to be 3.5mm. I was in so much pain that I when to the emergency room on Friday. It turned out to be 6.5mm and had not moved at all. It was blocking the flow of my left kidney and the right one was stressed the whole time trying to make up for it. I was at acute kidney failure and they sent to a specialist that put in a stent for the blocked kidney and have been treating the kidneys. The are good now and I should get released tomorrow. I have to go back in two weeks to have the stone and the stent removed. They will break up the stone using a laser. It has been a real rough 8 days. Thank you all so much for your messages of support.
Comments
Charles apparently did the same thing with biblical and apocryphal/pseudepigraghical works, possibly some kabbalistic stuff too. He did a brilliant job of taking different elements, mixing them with his own ideas, and molding them into his own unique mythos.
Knowing where your world was, is, and will be helps a lot when it comes to mapping. It gives you the flavor of the world, the cultures, context for ruins, even the land masses (such as the Shattered Isles and the corresponding Sea of Sheol).
And, if you are like me, some of your campaigns may even take place during the days past. ;-)
1. By not telling the whole story you give yourself two things; the ability to easily add new material and the ability for the player characters to learn new things through exploring.
2. Generate questions by leaving holes in the mythos. Again, this gives you two things; the ability to tie the mythos to the campaigns and/or to generate quests in player led campaigns. Examples from my mythos would be; what happened to the tree of knowledge, can the tree of life be healed, why did Satan willingly accept the blow, is Satan dead or is he sleeping too, and where did Lucifer disappear to and why? These are only a few examples that are purposefully placed throughout the various mythos of Kelleemah.
3. Some mythos should have factual errors or consist of conflicting legends. Players love finding out conspiracies, Illuminati type evil doers, dark secrets, and forbidden lore. I use all of these concepts in my games.
Why does this matter for mapping? You can leave clues within the maps themselves. It is so cool to see a player figure out a clue and then get all excited pouring over the older maps and finding similar clues in some of them.
Here is the template for the region known as the Shattered Isles:
1. Kematia - Land of the undead elves.
2. Saagar Naagon - Land of the Sea Naagons and the only Naagons that can dwell within the sea.
3. Matuwhati - Tasman Islanders
4. Kinonui - Tasman Islanders
5. Whenuatapu - Tasman Islanders
6. Nga-Motu Kainga - Tasman Islanders
7. The Kingdom of Selatan
8. The Elves of Benteng Pulau
9. The Pirates of Utara
10. The Titan Guard of Taphas
11. The Sea Giants of Tsaphah
12. The Shedim of Damshaar
13. The Shrouded Isle
Nice work, Charles
The last to arrive was the Kematian, an Elvin undead. They had recently risen from the waters of Sheol in the Shattered Isles. Indeed, it was the day after Satukuno had cast his spell to summon the White Elves together. Needless to say, it was even more disturbing than Tuahitam’s arrival with the dragon. Especially since the dragon whimpered and flew away as she walked by. It quickly grew cold and the fire under the mantel was snuffed out as she entered the room. She said nothing and just stood there. Tuahitam was the first to approach her, confident in her own power. “So, what do we call you? Lady Ghoul?” asked Tuahitam in a sarcastic tone. The Kematian replied in old Elvish “Yangsatu”. Tuahitam new the old tongue well, we all did. She replied “The one, the one what? The one of the cold deep water?” Tuahitam seemed pleased with herself as she stared at the Kematian. Yangsatu leaned forward and whispered slowly to Tuahitam. You could see the frost forming on the dark skinned cheeks as she blinked and her smile faded. She stumbled back a few steps, her courage gone. Satukuno asked “What did the Kematian say?” I do not know if it was fear or the cold, but with an unsteady voice, Tuahitam replied “She said Yangsatu, Sedang Sekarat.” The mood was dark indeed, for it translates to… "I am the one at death’s door."
Signed,
The Father, Council of the Hvitalfr, the Lord of Destiny, and the Patron Saint of Orphans.
I am having to take a break for now. I have my first kidney stone and it has been 6 miserable days so far. I hope that I never have to go through this again.
I hope its small enough to be dealt with that way