Home › Forums › The HeroMachine Art Gallery › World-Building: Heimleikr
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March 27, 2012 at 11:57 am #180
Black GriffinParticipantHeimleikr
I am going to attempt to build a world, a complete world with: religions, locations, customs, politics, rulers, and history. there will be no specific “bad guys” to start out with, just 2 continents with their countries and me doing my best to entice you into this world I create.First the Maps:
General ShapeCountry and Capital
the light brown countries are independent of Empire(purple), Confederacy(dark brown), Civil War(orange), One Nation(green) and High King(red).
More maps will be added as I go more in depth about each nation.
OVERVIEW:
RACES
Man: Normal, Subterranean, Enchanted.
Elf: Wild, Resistant, Cursed.
Other: most of the other traditional fantasy races are considered extinct, but there might be one or two left.(we will see)
Religions:None as of yet.
Magic
Magic was lost or forgotten, powerful enchantments and curses still linger, charmed objects exist.
Time: 7th age, Age of Mud (Mud being a insulting term for mortals), or Age of the Broken (vanished magic, and races).Countries:
The RÃkijafn EmpireWorld Heroes:
Krikta BjargsteinnEnchanted Objects:
The Overview will be expanded upon in the posts to follow.
GOAL
my goal is to create a living a breathing world in which I can play, something with more structure then my Corner of Insanity. another part is I want to create a world that is uniquely my own, and share with other forumites the complete depth of my love for fantasy and history…and my insanity but that goes without saying.March 27, 2012 at 12:01 pm #3680
Kaylin88100ParticipantCool! I’m currently doing some world-building of my own, but don’t really feel comfortable enough with it to share
Serious props to you for being braveMarch 27, 2012 at 12:58 pm #3683
Black GriffinParticipantThanks Kaylin, but courage has nothing to do with it. I’m sitting in my college library waiting for my next class and I needed something to do, so I started laying the ground work for the thread.
these show common characteristics about each race.
Details about the Races:
~Human~
Normal–if you need me to describe what a Normal Human being looks like, then…well, you really should get out more.
History: there are to many humans for there to be much common history.
Subterranean
Size: Between 5’5ft and 4’8ft are the most common of the height. Underweight, very lean builds.
Appearance: Albino
Location: Leikr continent (more details to come)
Clothing: Black loose fitting robes are what they where underground. when venturing above ground they tend to wear the same black robes, with the addition of a strip of cloth tied over the eyes, acting as primitive sunglasses.
Armor/weapons: Stones that have been attached around the body in one fashion or another. they use short swords, daggers, and modified digging implements, no range to speak of.
Special: they dip the ends of their hair in phosphorescent liquid for some light and to identify gender (male=blue, female=red)
History: During the Third Age a great earthquake drove the two continents apart and to their current locations. Fearing that it was the end of the world, a large group of humanity took shelter in the caves that honeycomb the Leikr mountain range. Today the decedents of those people still live in the great caverns.
Enchanted
Treeling: (Also known as Hanged-men)
Size: depends on the size of the man and how long they live as Treelings.
Appearance: Treeish
Location: worldwide but surrounding a series of natural wellsprings of magic on the continents.
Clothing: their flexible-bark skin or what ever clothing others put on them.
Armor/weapons: their bark skin usually is all the armor they need, but people have been known to put metal or leather armor on them. their natural weapons are their wooden, elongated, fingers (perfect for seeking out chinks in armor). but people have been know to give them proper weapons too.
Special: while Treelings can’t move independently they can be transplanted, within a year after their first appearance.
History: Treelings have been growing since the dawn of mortal races, they primarily grow around natural wellsprings of magic (will be marked on the maps at a later date). Treelings themselves grow in the visage of the mortals hung around these wellsprings, it is unknown whether they are the mortal’s souls or just the look-a-like.
Draconian
Size: slightly bigger then most humans, around 6’0 to 6’10. (the last of the Great-Draconian died at 8’3, see the Minotaur’s history)
Appearance: a two legged komodo dragon, with a few differences.
Location: world-wide, in either isolated communities or in the old dragon lairs.
Clothing: at home they where nothing or a loincloth. travailing, which they do rarely, they favor long robes that hide their features.
Armor/weapons: their scales provide some protection, but not enough to be worn into battle. for battle the traditionalists wear what remains of dragon-scale, while the younger generation favors steel or leather replications of dragon-scale. tooth, claw, and tail are their usual weapons, but they also forge halberds which can piece or slash.
Special: despite their fearsome appearance and their relation to the savage dragons, they are a peaceful race which enjoys philosophy and the arts more then destruction. beware their ire just the same.
History: the Draconian were created by the dragons towards the end of the 4th age, the Age of Fire. the Age of Fire was a time where the dragons dominated the world, but by the end of it, the various mortal and elvish races had figured out how to combat the dragons effectively. to protect themselves the Elder Dragons collected up the various dragon based cults, orders, and followers and cast spells upon them to create a Man-Dragon, or Draconian. Unfortunately for the dragons this plan backfired simply because the Elder Dragons never asked the human participants if they were willing to under go this change, so instead of making a ally they lost many of their human supporters.
Minotaur:
Size: 7’0 feet to 7’8
Appearance: Ape like Bull
Location: everywhere, single or in family units.
Clothing: it depends on personal taste, fashion, and what they can find/make in their size.
Armor/weapons: unlike most races armor never comes off, unless it needs fixing or resizing, its thick leather, sometimes with fur still on it. for weapons they tend to favor spears and crossbows, but it varies depending on the person.
Special: the longest living mortals, and the ones with the best memory.
History: the majority of the dragons were slain at the end of the 4th age and the ones that survived into the 5th were the most powerful in magic and strength, they were named Great-Dragons. with the Great-Dragons came a new type of Draconian, bigger, stronger, and fanatically loyal to the remaining Dragons, they were called, the Great-Draconian. the Elves responded to the creation of the new Draconian by harnessing the magic of a wellspring and using willing humans to create a creature that could hold its own against the Great-Draconian, the Minotaur. after the Great-Dragons and Draconian were defeated, after a long and bloody war, it left a void for a new enormous predator to fill, guess what happened to the Giants, Trolls, and Griffins. the race has lasted through the ages due to a oversight by the elves, the wellspring they used to create the Minotaur continued to leak the magic and transform innocent passersby into powerful Minotaurs. (the wellspring has been contained since then)
~Elves~
Resistant Elves:
Size: taller and thinner then most humans, 6’0-6’7
Appearance: Ethereal.
Location: their city in Leikr and a imperial prison town.
Clothing: light silk that leaves little to the imagination.
Armor/weapons: magic was their armor and magic, but with the disappearance of magic they use padded silk for armor and carry curved bronze swords or enchanted weapons.
Special: Immortal and the strongest in magic, after the extinction of dragons that is. please note that with the failing magic their wings are becoming increasingly unreliable.
History: the Resistant Elves are all that remains of the High Elven people, the High Elves left Heimleikr at the end of the 6th age while the Resistant Elves stayed behind out of pride and stubbornness. they live in the ruins, its very hard to keep city built with magic up when magic is failing, of their capital city in Leikr. some went to the Heim continent to try and reclaim on of their oldest cities from the human empire, the survivors of that conflict are imprisoned in a ghetto within one of the Imperial Orders compound.
Wild Elves:
Size: Same as Resistant.
Appearance: A lot more earthy while still being ethereal.
Location: on plains and in the mighty forests.
Clothing: homespun clothing that strikes a stark contrast with their ethereal appearance.
Armor/weapons: their armor tends to be primitive furs or leather. their weapons aren’t much better, some of the tribes still use stone, while others have managed to forge bronze, a handful use steel or iron weapons.
Special: very in tune to the natural world and the ancient magics of the world.
History: the Wild Elves first appeared in the second age where they refused to accept thought-and-word magic that a powerful being offered them, the ones that accepted it became the High Elves. without the benefits of thought-and-word magic they stayed locked in the primitive world of the second age.
Cursed Elves:
The Cursed Elves can be any type of Elf.
they first appeared during the second age, right after the High Elves appeared.
the Curse is that ones flesh becomes mortal while the spirit doesn’t, so the Cursed ones live in a shambling state of decomposition.
the Curse can either be a punishment, the first Cursed Elf was a Wild Elf who slue hundreds of the newly born High Elves, or a reward, Many loyal bodyguards request it so they can guard their master in death.
March 27, 2012 at 5:23 pm #3688
barbarioParticipantcheck out obsidion portal. its a wiki for dnd or other rpg campaigns. ive just barely started mine.
March 27, 2012 at 9:24 pm #3697
HammerknightParticipantWelcome to the forums.
March 29, 2012 at 11:09 am #3785
Black GriffinParticipantI’m special, I get two Welcomes
UPDATE: The races I’m starting this world with is done.
Types of Magic and its Users:
Natural.
Natural Magic is only used by Wild Elves and the now dead Dragons.
Its source is something like the wellsprings, but far more secretive.
Natural magic isn’t controlled, it responds to the the powerful will of the user and often in unexpected waysThought and Word.
this is the most common and easiest to control type of magic.
it comes from the Giant’s Jewel, a magical object created by the only known giant to use magic. (the Jewel is lost, is thought to be buried with its maker underneath the Krinhol, Heim’s southernmost mountain.)
Thought and Word takes years of study to master, and is controlled by words in the ancient giant language, the masters of this magic are rumored to be able to control it with their thoughts.Demonic.
the demonic magics are temperamental and often tend to stab the user in the back.
there is a place where powerful entities reside, these beings can be enticed out with the proper words and sacrifices.
the people who use Demonic magic are in truth asking these Demons to loan them some power temporarily at the cost of blood, life, or soul.Rules for Magic:
1. You cannot unmake anything.
things and people can be destroyed, but going as far as to try and unmake the very matter of which it is made will result in your messy demise.
2. Magic depends on being clear about the results you are trying to produce.
Natural magic users need to know what they are willing to happen for the best results. Thought and Word magic users need to say exactly what they want to happen.
3. fight other magic users at your own peril.
Every type of magic has its weakness and strengths, just like every user can find a way around your defense.
4. Magic is only limited by your creativity, strength, and knowledge.I am currently working on adding more.
March 29, 2012 at 12:30 pm #3796
HammerknightParticipant@Black Griffin said:
I’m special, I get two Welcomes lol
That is because you open a second thread and you didn’t has your name in the title and I get busy sometimes and don’t notice or remember the name. But you are on the my radar now lol
March 29, 2012 at 11:28 pm #3834
Black GriffinParticipantI really thought I would start writing about the different countries, their cultures, rulers and the likes after I finished the information on Magic and Religion. But this story of the Giant Mage couldn’t wait, I didn’t wantt to forget it.
Krikta Bjargsteinn; the Giant Mage, the first and last of his kind, creator of the Jewel of Thought and Word, and Guardian of the Opening.
Krikta was born and raised in the early days of the second age, The Age of Growth. He was largely unaware of his talents until his 139 Change-Year, where his power manifested in the surprising way of burning his mates clothing to ashes and then flooding their dwelling with sea water.
It took roughly another 100 Change-Years for him to gain even the most basic amount of control of the Natural magic that coursed through his veins. Over the next batch of centuries Krikta sought more than control of his ability but also away to streamline it into a more controllable state.
His first experiments involved attaching the magic to himself to be drawn upon by couscous thought, while successful those experiments left him with scares, physical ailments and terrible damage to his metal state.
It wasn’t until his 500 Change-Year where he thought to attach the magic to a stone instead of a living creature. That is how the Giant’s Jewel, source for Thought and Word magic, was born.Using this new magic He prolonged his life to the point of immortality, laid tons of enchantments, and wrote more books then the mortal mind can comprehend.
In the early days of the 6th Age Demonic magic appeared and with it a host of problems, problems that Krikta took it upon himself to solve. What, he was a ancient being whose done everything there is to do, why shouldn’t he use his powers to play god.
It was in the southern mountains of Heim where he discovered the most grievous misuse and mistake made with Demonic magic, a group of crazed magic users were attempting to rip a hole in the world to let in a Demon of enormous power.It was then the first mortals saw Krikta, the first mortals since the second age, it was also then that Krikta used the full amount of Natural and Thought magic he had at his disposal. The Opening was already big enough to let the Demon slip through, so instead of closing it, he sealed it, pumping as much magic through himself and his stone he placed a shield over the opening, trapping the Demon between the other place and the mortal world.
To date Krikta still sleeps beneath the Heim mountains, barely keeping the Opening sealed off and fighting a battle that cannot be won, only delayed.
Now I just need to make a image of the King of Other, Name i’m going to give the Demon.
March 29, 2012 at 11:31 pm #3835
VampyristParticipantThat stone is cool.
April 2, 2012 at 9:36 pm #3971
Black GriffinParticipantThe RÃkijafn Empire:
the Yellow star is the capital, the light green is major cities, the yellow circles are the capital of the region, and the red is the chapter-houses of the Militant orders.Main Export: Food, and Coal
Main Import: Slaves.
Type of Coin: Gold, Called: Numbers.
Government: Religious empire.
Religion: The Fingers.Leader:
753 of the 7-3: When a man becomes emperor he looses his name and family name, this is supposed to make him nothing more then a tool of the gods and the people. instead he is called by the number of Emerors came before him (first number), if he comes from a dynasty he gets that added to his name as well as how many of his family makes up the dynasty (7th dynasty, 3rd of his family to rule).753 is a improvement from 752, a insane man who attempted to invade Sloam with disastrous results (Sloam is in the Lower center part of the main map), unlike 752, 753 has made peace with the Sloam natives, gotten trade agreements from the majority of the powerful counties and has started rebuilding the army for the next conquest.
Landgraves:
Heroes:
Cultural Oddity: Where in many cultures people’s rank is shown by how fancy they ornament themselves, the Empire is the reverse. Rank is shown by the simplicity of the outfit and the only ornament worn is a tassel, once again, the fewer worn the higher the rank
April 10, 2012 at 10:57 am #4340
Black GriffinParticipantLandgrave-General Smarrson of the Green Army, Destroyer of Chcutha and Thdics, One Of the Three Generals, and Occupier of Sloam.
you might remember him from the old forums as:
Map:
History of Sloam:
Emperor 752 ordered the Green Army, experts of jungle warfare, to add the small area known as Sloamahaha to the Empires list of conquered lands. After a long campaign season the Green Army had only manage to secure the peninsula of Sloamahaha, having to few men left to continue the campaign General Smarrson refused to lead them into another season. for that Smarrson and the Green Army were ordered to “Hold Fast”, Meaning they must keep control of the area until a new army is sent.Recent History of Smarrson:
Smarrson lead the Green Army through a long and arduous campaign fighting the hidden forces of the Sloamahaha tribes.
TO BE CONTINUEDApril 10, 2012 at 11:20 am #4342
amsParticipantLooks great, but forgot his EARS!
May 15, 2012 at 11:11 pm #5508
Black GriffinParticipantwhat ears, I forgot nothing I’ll fix it sometime
Landgrave-General Alessian of the Orange Army, Conqueror of Hemdar, One of the Three Generals and Friend of the Draconian
Hemdar has always been the country of the Draconian, or at the very least the country with the highest population of them. When Alessian invaded he found very little resistance at the end of the campaign season he had lost more men to sickness then he had to fighting.
then why did he join the ranks of the banished generals? he didn’t continue his campaign till the end of the season. in his campaign he had noticed the hooded a cloaked figures of the Draconian and had followed them back to one of their dens. there, he and his bodyguards slowly were indoctrinated into the Draconian philosophy and lifestyle. after that experience he stopped his army and now has dedicated his life to the Draconian studies of philosophy and art.
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