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- Jul 1, 2005
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Western World Gazeteer
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- Joined
- Nov 13, 2005
- Messages
- 3
Introduction to the Western World
The Western World
My world is set in a modified medieval Western Europe. This Europe is inhabited with a multitude of Ethnic and Racial peoples, from the primitive human Picts of the Northern Wilds to the Immortal and highly advanced Grey Elves of Albion. The Western World is a compilation of too many years wasted gaming, reading, watching movies and thinking in the fantasy genre. Maybe only half of it is original, the other half has been borrowed, ripped off and stolen from history, books, movies and other games. Here I now give due credit to all those who work I have copied and emulated; after all imitation is the greatest compliment. I apologize to all those sources I can’t remember well enough to credit specifically.
Wandering through The Western World you find a resemblance to a few of my favorite fantasy sources:
Medieval History; the greatest of all sources, truth is stranger than fiction. The driving force of the medieval world was religion. I attempt to emphasize the importance of religion during the medieval era in my campaigns. This is done not only through churches, but also politics, economics and secular orders.
Robert E. Howard; Author of Conan, Cormac Mac Art, and the Hyborean World. The writing of Robert E. Howard was the cornerstone of the the early sword and sorcery genre of the early 20th Century. His heroes were big, strong and fast, they suffered no fools and came through Epic Battles stronger than before, though bruised and bloody. Look around my world and you will find Cimmerians, Gaels, Picts, Hyrcanians, Stygians, strong warriors, beautiful princess’, and evil sorcerers.
J.R.R. Tolkien, the Master, little more needs to be said. You will find elves that are immortal, the horses of Rohan, magical forests, sorcerers that wield swords as well as staves, and epic themes.
Religion in the Western World
Worship in my world most closely resembles the period between the 6th and 8th centuries. This was a tumultuous era for all religions. Monotheism was just getting established; paganism was on the wane. The Western Christian church was just becoming well established, but nothing was certain at that point. There was the birth of the Islamic faith. Pagan religions such as the Roman/Greek Pantheons, the Norse Pantheon and the Celtic Pantheon could still be found in different areas of the world and all the religions were battling for followers, supremacy and survival.
In my world the dominant religion is the Church of the West. The Church of the West resembles the early Christian Church; rather than a stable full of deities for every conceivable instance, there are patron saint for specialized groups. The patron saints all fall under one central god, The Creator. The symbol of the Church of the West is the cross. In my world this symbolizes the Four Canon Saints of the Church with the center of the cross symbolizing the creator. That is as close to reality as I want to get and I hope this does not turn anyone off of the game. I do not take religion lightly and I am not trying to be sacrilegious.
Only two religions are still considered strong enough to have intact pantheons of worship. These two are the Celtic and Norse Religions. There are a multitude of other religions and on the fringes of the Western World many of them are very strong. The standard PHB deities are available, but I would like to encourage players to use Church of the West, Celtic or Norse religions for their characters. I offer a quick reference table for converting the appropriate PHB to these three religions. A Characters ethnic background should have a great deal of influence on there choice of religion. In the Western World the standard PHB are considered “old gods”, rarely worshipped anymore.
Hyboria, Middle-Earth and The Western World
Hyboria was the world created by Robert E. Howard as the back drop for his great heroes to adventure. Hyboria was dominated by Aquilonia; the Symbol of might in the Hyborian Age, “Aquilonia with her legendary armies of Bossonian archers, Gunderland pikemen and Poitanian knights, wields indisputably the supreme military power of the Western world. More than any other kingdom, however, Aquilonia lies surrounded by grim and unrelenting enemies.” In my world you will find all these nations plus Argos, Cimmeria, Hyrcania, Stygia, Vanaheim and Asgard.
These nations and regions are mixed and mingled with historical regions of the Europe. Within these areas of the world you might run into heroes and characters from mythology, history and fiction. The Arthurian bloodline does exist in my world, though the Arthurian Age has ended. The Merlin is a title handed down not a singular entity, a wise individual might become the next Merlin (meaning the all wise and knowing master). Durandal the sword of Roland lays waiting to be discovered. Kralt the Walker walks the land, a Viking from historical accounts so big he could not ride a horse. Keep your eyes open you might meet Kralt the Walker, or maybe a young Cimmerian Barbarian named Conan.
Often I will use alternate names of Heroes, Conan was also known as Amra the Lion. Aragorn was also known as Strider and Thorongil. Which brings us to J.R.R. Tolkien.
Tolkien and Howard both admittedly call their worlds imiatations of Europe in a different age. The Western World is set after the time of Middle-Earth and after the Hyborian Age. I have a historical timeline which I will be placing the periods in which Middle-Earth and Hyboria fall in the timeline. It is possible for a character to find Bilbo’s beloved sword Sting, see Rivendell, the bridge of Khazud-dum or meet Elrond. You will not however, find all of Hyboria or Middle-Earth in my world. It is a compilation of my favorite things.
I try to emulate Tolkien’s mastery of the epic struggle between good and evil. The distrust between equally good people and the difficulty of getting good people to work together for the common good. With all the choices of races, and ethnic groups I am trying to bring a unique flavor to each character. Characters should be recognized by there dress and arraignment, characters and non-player characters should react differently to them based on their dress and ethnic background. Whether we like it or not it is reality and that is a bit of reality I would like to bring into the game, to harmlessly raise a little emotion.
Your Character and the Western World
Immerse yourself in your character. If he is a Saxon fighter, take some time to find out about historical Saxon life. Simple internet searches will give you short readings of how Saxons dressed and lived, what weapons they preferred and famous Saxons. Then act the part.
The average medieval traveler did not ever eat roast boar or deer, that was reserved for noble alone. Commoners ate pottage, a pasty gruel of vegetables and little else, rarely with a little meat. Utensils were not used, other than a knife and maybe a wooden spoon. Dog’s and often livestock slept with people. A man on a horse was considered wealthy and above most commoners, as was anyone who had a sword.
Your character should have a life before adventuring. The system I use to create characters helps players develop and make their character unique even before they make their first encounter. I like to have characters that have skills they acquired prior to adventuring. Even a tailor can have skills that will be useful in adventuring. A tailor could make local disguises or hide items in the lining of clothing to name a couple things. I will give you all the background information you want and together we can build a memorable character.
Further notes on the historical setting of the Western World:
Anglo-Welsh- this is early 12th century England after the Norman Conquest and the first of the crusades.
Aquitanian- a mix of 5th century Roman Republic, and Robert E. Howard’s Aquilonia. With shades of 13th Century Holy Roman Empire.
Burgundian- Early 13th Century Burgundia
Celtic- 1st to 2nd Century Celtic Empire after the fall of Vercingetorix, but before the fall of Boadiccea
Flanders- Early 14th Century Flanders on the eve of the Hundred Years War, at the rise of independent City-States.
Gaelic- 10th Century Scot’s before the English conquest
Goth- 7th Century Goth’s at the wane of their empire
Grenada and Cordoba- late 7th to early 8th Century Hispaniola, with a little 12th C.
Hyrcania- 13th Century Mongol Empire after the fall of the Golden Horde
Frank- Carolingian Franks after the death of Charlomagne (Carlus Magnus)
Norman- 12th Century Normandy and France after the Norman Conquest
Norse- 9th to 11th Century Vikings
Saxon- 8th to 10th Century Saxon Hegemony
Other Races-some given in human terms
Dwarven- 15th Century German Landscnecht. Feared for their heavily armed infantry. The Dwarves guard their secret knowledge deep within their halls. These secrets includes advanced mathematics, metallurgy and gunpowder.
Elven-no human equivalent close, look to Tolkein.
Gnome-The Tradesmen of the High Middle-Ages, the inventors of great knew technologies.
Halfling-13th Century Ireland. Mostly small farms, and merchants, little military of note.
Giants-A mix between Scandinavian giants and the giants of Robert E. Howard.
Gnoll-Semi-Nomadic hunters, great opportunists
Goblin-the dregs of Humanoid society, but have found some homes to themselves and rule where Goblins outnumber all others.
Hobgoblin-very close to the infamous Mongols, structured, rule the Kingdom of Turan.
Orcs-Widely spread throughout the world, their numbers and strong leaders make them a force to be reckoned with.
The Western World
My world is set in a modified medieval Western Europe. This Europe is inhabited with a multitude of Ethnic and Racial peoples, from the primitive human Picts of the Northern Wilds to the Immortal and highly advanced Grey Elves of Albion. The Western World is a compilation of too many years wasted gaming, reading, watching movies and thinking in the fantasy genre. Maybe only half of it is original, the other half has been borrowed, ripped off and stolen from history, books, movies and other games. Here I now give due credit to all those who work I have copied and emulated; after all imitation is the greatest compliment. I apologize to all those sources I can’t remember well enough to credit specifically.
Wandering through The Western World you find a resemblance to a few of my favorite fantasy sources:
Medieval History; the greatest of all sources, truth is stranger than fiction. The driving force of the medieval world was religion. I attempt to emphasize the importance of religion during the medieval era in my campaigns. This is done not only through churches, but also politics, economics and secular orders.
Robert E. Howard; Author of Conan, Cormac Mac Art, and the Hyborean World. The writing of Robert E. Howard was the cornerstone of the the early sword and sorcery genre of the early 20th Century. His heroes were big, strong and fast, they suffered no fools and came through Epic Battles stronger than before, though bruised and bloody. Look around my world and you will find Cimmerians, Gaels, Picts, Hyrcanians, Stygians, strong warriors, beautiful princess’, and evil sorcerers.
J.R.R. Tolkien, the Master, little more needs to be said. You will find elves that are immortal, the horses of Rohan, magical forests, sorcerers that wield swords as well as staves, and epic themes.
Religion in the Western World
Worship in my world most closely resembles the period between the 6th and 8th centuries. This was a tumultuous era for all religions. Monotheism was just getting established; paganism was on the wane. The Western Christian church was just becoming well established, but nothing was certain at that point. There was the birth of the Islamic faith. Pagan religions such as the Roman/Greek Pantheons, the Norse Pantheon and the Celtic Pantheon could still be found in different areas of the world and all the religions were battling for followers, supremacy and survival.
In my world the dominant religion is the Church of the West. The Church of the West resembles the early Christian Church; rather than a stable full of deities for every conceivable instance, there are patron saint for specialized groups. The patron saints all fall under one central god, The Creator. The symbol of the Church of the West is the cross. In my world this symbolizes the Four Canon Saints of the Church with the center of the cross symbolizing the creator. That is as close to reality as I want to get and I hope this does not turn anyone off of the game. I do not take religion lightly and I am not trying to be sacrilegious.
Only two religions are still considered strong enough to have intact pantheons of worship. These two are the Celtic and Norse Religions. There are a multitude of other religions and on the fringes of the Western World many of them are very strong. The standard PHB deities are available, but I would like to encourage players to use Church of the West, Celtic or Norse religions for their characters. I offer a quick reference table for converting the appropriate PHB to these three religions. A Characters ethnic background should have a great deal of influence on there choice of religion. In the Western World the standard PHB are considered “old gods”, rarely worshipped anymore.
Hyboria, Middle-Earth and The Western World
Hyboria was the world created by Robert E. Howard as the back drop for his great heroes to adventure. Hyboria was dominated by Aquilonia; the Symbol of might in the Hyborian Age, “Aquilonia with her legendary armies of Bossonian archers, Gunderland pikemen and Poitanian knights, wields indisputably the supreme military power of the Western world. More than any other kingdom, however, Aquilonia lies surrounded by grim and unrelenting enemies.” In my world you will find all these nations plus Argos, Cimmeria, Hyrcania, Stygia, Vanaheim and Asgard.
These nations and regions are mixed and mingled with historical regions of the Europe. Within these areas of the world you might run into heroes and characters from mythology, history and fiction. The Arthurian bloodline does exist in my world, though the Arthurian Age has ended. The Merlin is a title handed down not a singular entity, a wise individual might become the next Merlin (meaning the all wise and knowing master). Durandal the sword of Roland lays waiting to be discovered. Kralt the Walker walks the land, a Viking from historical accounts so big he could not ride a horse. Keep your eyes open you might meet Kralt the Walker, or maybe a young Cimmerian Barbarian named Conan.
Often I will use alternate names of Heroes, Conan was also known as Amra the Lion. Aragorn was also known as Strider and Thorongil. Which brings us to J.R.R. Tolkien.
Tolkien and Howard both admittedly call their worlds imiatations of Europe in a different age. The Western World is set after the time of Middle-Earth and after the Hyborian Age. I have a historical timeline which I will be placing the periods in which Middle-Earth and Hyboria fall in the timeline. It is possible for a character to find Bilbo’s beloved sword Sting, see Rivendell, the bridge of Khazud-dum or meet Elrond. You will not however, find all of Hyboria or Middle-Earth in my world. It is a compilation of my favorite things.
I try to emulate Tolkien’s mastery of the epic struggle between good and evil. The distrust between equally good people and the difficulty of getting good people to work together for the common good. With all the choices of races, and ethnic groups I am trying to bring a unique flavor to each character. Characters should be recognized by there dress and arraignment, characters and non-player characters should react differently to them based on their dress and ethnic background. Whether we like it or not it is reality and that is a bit of reality I would like to bring into the game, to harmlessly raise a little emotion.
Your Character and the Western World
Immerse yourself in your character. If he is a Saxon fighter, take some time to find out about historical Saxon life. Simple internet searches will give you short readings of how Saxons dressed and lived, what weapons they preferred and famous Saxons. Then act the part.
The average medieval traveler did not ever eat roast boar or deer, that was reserved for noble alone. Commoners ate pottage, a pasty gruel of vegetables and little else, rarely with a little meat. Utensils were not used, other than a knife and maybe a wooden spoon. Dog’s and often livestock slept with people. A man on a horse was considered wealthy and above most commoners, as was anyone who had a sword.
Your character should have a life before adventuring. The system I use to create characters helps players develop and make their character unique even before they make their first encounter. I like to have characters that have skills they acquired prior to adventuring. Even a tailor can have skills that will be useful in adventuring. A tailor could make local disguises or hide items in the lining of clothing to name a couple things. I will give you all the background information you want and together we can build a memorable character.
Further notes on the historical setting of the Western World:
Anglo-Welsh- this is early 12th century England after the Norman Conquest and the first of the crusades.
Aquitanian- a mix of 5th century Roman Republic, and Robert E. Howard’s Aquilonia. With shades of 13th Century Holy Roman Empire.
Burgundian- Early 13th Century Burgundia
Celtic- 1st to 2nd Century Celtic Empire after the fall of Vercingetorix, but before the fall of Boadiccea
Flanders- Early 14th Century Flanders on the eve of the Hundred Years War, at the rise of independent City-States.
Gaelic- 10th Century Scot’s before the English conquest
Goth- 7th Century Goth’s at the wane of their empire
Grenada and Cordoba- late 7th to early 8th Century Hispaniola, with a little 12th C.
Hyrcania- 13th Century Mongol Empire after the fall of the Golden Horde
Frank- Carolingian Franks after the death of Charlomagne (Carlus Magnus)
Norman- 12th Century Normandy and France after the Norman Conquest
Norse- 9th to 11th Century Vikings
Saxon- 8th to 10th Century Saxon Hegemony
Other Races-some given in human terms
Dwarven- 15th Century German Landscnecht. Feared for their heavily armed infantry. The Dwarves guard their secret knowledge deep within their halls. These secrets includes advanced mathematics, metallurgy and gunpowder.
Elven-no human equivalent close, look to Tolkein.
Gnome-The Tradesmen of the High Middle-Ages, the inventors of great knew technologies.
Halfling-13th Century Ireland. Mostly small farms, and merchants, little military of note.
Giants-A mix between Scandinavian giants and the giants of Robert E. Howard.
Gnoll-Semi-Nomadic hunters, great opportunists
Goblin-the dregs of Humanoid society, but have found some homes to themselves and rule where Goblins outnumber all others.
Hobgoblin-very close to the infamous Mongols, structured, rule the Kingdom of Turan.
Orcs-Widely spread throughout the world, their numbers and strong leaders make them a force to be reckoned with.
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