Tag Archives: setting

Setting Idea: The Pious Barbarians

Fantasy literature and gaming are full to the brim with main characters living on the outside of some almost unbelievably advanced civilization that they only catch glimpses of through a handful of its members and artifacts. A few examples, just … Continue reading

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Setting Idea – Animism / Spontaneous Generation

There was a time when human knowledge of biology was underpinned (and dragged down) by the theory of “Spontaneous Generation” – the idea that living organisms need not necessarily be born, but may spring wholly formed from some appropriate substrate, … Continue reading

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Location: Sella Island

Geography Located about sixty miles southwest of Kyper, the nearest major island is Sella. The island is roughly saddle-shaped, with a mass of high cliffs dominating its northern third and another, slightly lower mass of hills to the southwest. The … Continue reading

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Creation Legend (Retold from the Amsa of Ya-Khem family)

Long before the world was divided into Halls, all things were mixed and uniform. This was called the living world. It went on for such a long time that each element slowly changed into each of the others and then … Continue reading

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RPG system-building: Statement of Intent

In my very first post on this blog, I mentioned that I was – like many people in the hobby – working on my own gaming system.  And like many creative projects by many people who have yet to be … Continue reading

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The Last Labor of the Titans

The Last Labor of the Titans (A creation legend of the Slakiv Empire, from Hloen’s Tales of Our Mothers) Listen to what I say, you young and old, for I tell of how our world was made and what its … Continue reading

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Setting: A Cultural Miscellany for Fair Vickelt

Languages The large part of the Archipelago’s business is conducted in a pidgin tongue called Pata Ila.  Every island speaks a different dialect, but in general any one speaker can understand any other.  Pata Ila shares a number of points … Continue reading

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Setting: Groups of Interest on Kyper

In town Fair Vickelt and Low Vickelt are rife with guilds: organizations that act in part as unions (protecting their members, providing training, advancing capital, guaranteeing quality, and setting prices) and in part as protection rackets (doing their best to … Continue reading

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Mini (“Doom”) campaign

A few years ago, a death cult was found operating in Slakiv lands.  The self-styled “Sons of Du Van Ku” simply set up a secret lair and start scouring the countryside for likely-looking victims to kidnap and murder or drug … Continue reading

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Location: Fair-Vickelt-after-the-Flood

History and overview The island of Kyper lies in the northern reaches of the Diarchal Archipelago.  Even less hospitable than its neighbors, for centuries its largest sign of civilization was the thrice-rebuilt city of Vickelt, a sea-town with decent natural … Continue reading

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