Seven Realms: Drawing the Map

I’ve talked a bit about the Seven realms in abstract and concrete terms. I’ve listed the reasons why certain fantasy staples are rare or nonexistent in my world. Now I’m going to talk about the countries somewhat, draw back the curtain if you will, and explain what themes govern the nations of the campaign. Here I’m not going to talk about internal logic or verisimilitude. I had certain goals and I set out to fulfill them.

Seven Realms: The Weight of History

Lots of fantasy worlds attempt to build a history, or at least the sense of history. They start with the big bad of the piece, add some ambitions of lesser beings to thwart on the side, and then they step back to figure out how things got this way to begin with. The problem is, that most of the time, unless there are a cadre of writers on deck, this historical wondering stops at the kingdom border.

Mortal Fiber: Mother Twilight (Seven Realms)

Just as campaign settings require quest givers and benefit from oddities in human form, they also require villains. Mother Twilight is one of these characters. You may recognize the inspiration for this character, she was a powerful sorceress-priest who was obsessed with the God of Death. Her amorous ambitions led to her turning herself into an abomination, and Father Bones not only spurned her, he prevented her from ever truly dying or entering his kingdom in the Spirit Realm. Her research, her deeds and her true name were erased from history, leaving behind the sad undying, unliving being known as Mother Twilight.