The Known World

[bengaijin]

Thanks for all the feedback!

I've tweaked the map slightly in response to your comments:

-Desert and Steppe colours tweaked to be in closer harmony with general land colour.
-Jungles darkened slightly to differentiate them from forests
-Drop shadows brought in tighter to the text
-Nation Names switched to Treasure Map Deadhand. hohum, that's the font name if you're interested (free online)

Eilathen: I've got a ton of info on the world, but as of now it is quite poorly organized. I'm in the process of putting together a gazetteer, but it's got a long way to go. A couple of major points:

The west has been dominated for nearly a millennium by the island nation of Vardos, an aristocratic republic. Nearly all of the nations within a thousand miles were under Vardosi sway at its peak. A number of far-flung lands - Varisia, Sasserine, Sargava - are colonies from it's heyday. 35 years ago, an aristocratic house overthrew the Vardosi Senate with diabolical assistance and declared themselves as the first imperial line. Almost immediately, Andoran, an old and wealthy vassal state, declared itself an independent democracy and won an improbable war against Vardos. In the aftermath, every other northern territory declared independence, and Vardos found itself greatly reduced. The west is now full of fledgling nations rife with internal conflict and renewed border enmities.

The East, while quite diverse, has its principal conflict in Azoth, formerly a much smaller desert within the empire of Ai Tun. 200 years ago, Ai Tun fell under the sway of a cabal of chromatic dragons bent on the destruction of Xiu Ha - the millenia-old human/metallic dragon empire. In an attempt to summon an unprecedented demon army, the metallic cabal achieved the unthinkable, ripping a full layer from the Abyss into the Material Plane. Ai Tun was instantly destroyed and Xiu Ha was forced to retreat behind a great wall. The Bright Cities were founded by survivors of Ai Tun's fall as a celestial theocracy and have waged an endless crusade against the demon-haunted waste ever since.

There's a lot more going on in the world obviously. I'd be happy to answer any specific questions beyond that...

Wormspeaker: I guess that in part answers your question about Azoth, but for the sake of argument, let's say it IS a natural desert. What seems off about it? My geographic knowledge is fairly limited...

_ben