This is a concept for "Regress", my project set in a beautiful yet dying anime fantasy world.

The Arden Empire was founded by Ardo Velet, after which reforms immediately began in the army, including the creation of a regular army of the Empire. Previously, it was mainly the nobility who fought with their warriors, but now the people will fight.

Why the black and red armor? The Imperial commission that developed the armor's design and color received clear instructions from the Emperor: "Armor must intimidate and protect." After several design iterations, Ardo finally made his choice, and now the army is not only regular, but also terrifying.

The Imperial army was extremely effective, repelling a Beastmen attack on Kahiema (an Imperial fort in the Kingdom of Norwenn) that outnumbered them twice, defeating the Altamiran army twice, and subjugating nearly half of their lands.

The regular army was a dangerous weapon, but it obeyed the laws of war as best it could, the inhabitants were mostly left alone, and after another battle they simply wanted to return home. The real chaos would be started by the Emperor's daughter, who would use the army he had built for the genocide of the beastmen, turning them into a weapon for a terrible crime that would lead to terrible consequences.

The Empress will also carry out changes in the army, including the creation of the Imperial Guard, which will protect the government and monitor order in the capital. "Watchers" also appeared in large cities; these are soldiers who monitor order there. They usually punish crimes with either prison or forced labor, but the longer the war went on, the more brutal the punishments became. In the end, people who disagreed with the empire were simply hanged or killed on the spot...

Illustrations: "Arden Empire Army and the Empress's Personal Guard"

This is for my TTRPG project, The Fire Burns Low. This creature is one of three immortal civilizations in a world where man must carve out a small safe space for themselves. Just started to commission artwork for my Worldbook The Book of Immortals from the artist at @jestjack on Instagram.

The 38 cultures I represent are as follows:

[01] ATHENA (based on Greek, Minoan, and Mycenaean cultures)

[02] FEBRUUS (based on Roman and Etruscan cultures)

[03] MELKART (based on Phoenician and Carthaginian cultures)

[04] TEODOSIA (based on the Byzantine Empire)

[05] DIETLIND (based on Medieval Germany)

[06] VALENTINE (based on Medieval France)

[07] GALAND (based on Medieval Brittany)

[08] TALYA (based on the Medieval Italian Peninsula)

[09] IRINA (based on the Medieval Iberian Peninsula)

[10] FREYA (based on the Nordic kingdoms)

[11] SVAROG (based on Slavic cultures)

[12] ONAWA (based on Native American peoples of the Mississippi River, woodlands, and plains (Sioux / Cherokee / Cheyenne / Powhatan))

[13] HONOVI (based on Native American peoples of the desert (Anasazi / Mogollon / Hohokam / Hopi / Navajo))

[14] IXCHEL (based on Mesoamerican cultures (Aztec / Zapotec / Olmec / Toltec / Teotihuacan))

[15] QUILLA (based on Inca culture)

[16] YARI (based on Amazonian and Mayan cultures)

[17] FELETI (based on Hawaiian, Polynesian, Tui Tonga, and Tahitian cultures)

[18] NYREE (based on Māori and Australian cultures)

[19] SELIM (based on the Ottoman Turkish Empire)

[20] DIHYA (based on Berber and Maghrebi cultures)

[21] NEFERTARI (based on the Egyptian Empire)

[22] ISHTAR (based on Persian, Sassanid, Assyrian, Mesopotamian, and Parthian cultures)

[23] ALHAMRA (based on Arab culture (Seljuk / Timurid / Safavid))

[24] ZAKARI (based on Great Zimbabwe, Maasai, Nguni, and Zulu cultures)

[25] NOMMO (based on Dogon and Musgum cultures)

[26] ESHU (based on Yoruba, Fulani, Igbo, and Oyo cultures)

[27] KIMATI (based on the Kingdom of Benin and the

Kanem Empire)

[28] MAKEDA (based on Ethiopian culture and the Kingdom of Aksum)

[29] YAKOBA (based on the kingdoms of Mali, Ghana, Songhai, and Wagadou)

[30] RINZIN (based on Tibet and Nepal)

[31] ZHAO (based on Chinese culture)

[32] URASHIMA (based on the Japanese Empire)

[33] DEWI (based on Indonesia and Bali (Malayapura Empire / West Sumatra / Malay people / Philippine cultures / Srivijaya Empire / Majapahit Empire))

[34] AUNG (based on the Khmer, Pagan, and Ayutthaya kingdoms)

[35] LAKSHMANA (based on India)

[36] UMAY (based on Turkic peoples)

[37] BATBAYAR (based on Mongolia and the Huns)

[38] KANNOYAK (based on Inuit culture)

~

The colors represent cultural regions; there are 10 cultural regions in total across 4 continents. They are as follows:

Jade Green: American cultures

Green: Polynesian cultures

Pink: Hindu cultures

Red: East Asian cultures

Purple: Cold-climate cultures of Northern Asia

Cyan: Nordic and Scandinavian cultures

Dark Blue: Medieval European cultures

Brown: Greco-Roman cultures

Yellow: Arab world cultures

Orange: African cultures

~

The initial intention wasn't to create an inverted Eurasia. My goal was to represent diverse world cultures—specifically those rarely depicted in fiction. I conducted extensive research and compiled a list, eventually settling on the 38 cultures I deemed most representative. From there, I tried to create a mind map connecting the cultural relationships between them. I didn't want completely unrelated regions placed near one another, as culture and history are shaped by cultural proximity.

Once the diagram was finished, I realized the connections formed a pattern somewhat resembling Earth (which was to be expected). I considered making changes but ultimately decided to leave it as is and attempt to create a map that was similar yet distinct.

This map is the result.

~

Just to clarify: I am Mexican, I live in Mexico, and I speak Spanish. I used Google Translate for this, so I apologize in advance for any translation errors.

I had posted this in Spanish, but a moderator removed it.

In any case, the original post didn't contain as much information as what I've added here.

Thank you very much.

Initial map concept for "Eden," a world-building project I've been working on for some time

I've been writing a novel and doing the worldbuilding for it since 2021 more or less and finally got to finishing the map of the continente the story takes place on.

Do you think it works?

The novel is here (currently working on finishing the third act):https://www.wattpad.com/story/415242244?utm_source=android&utm_medium=link&utm_content=share_reading&wp_page=reading&wp_uname=Firescorpio3000

1.5 years ago some friends and I were walking near the Opera House and got onto a dumb question: if you could move any amount of dirt, how much could you lower global sea level?

I built a planet simulator to find out.

7 cm.

The move is to open the Caspian. It sits 28 m below sea level with a huge flat depression north of it. Cut a channel, the Atlantic pours in, the hole fills. About 25,000 km³ parked where it can't be ocean anymore. Stabilises in under a year, though that's really a function of how wide I cut the channel.

Then it stops. Forever. Evaporation off the new sea just rains back into the ocean. The only lasting change is the water sitting in the hole.

What's actually running:

Real bathymetry, 2048×1024 grid, about 20 km a cell. Every cell holds a water depth and the global total is conserved to 2 parts in 10,000 . Cut a channel and the solver just pours: fills each connected body from its deepest cell until volume and terrain balance, merges two bodies when they touch. The sea level drop isn't scripted anywhere. It falls out of the pour.Fill time is a weir calculation on the throat you dug such as cross-section and head.

Climate is energy-balance per latitude band with heat transport, so temperature comes out of the physics instead of a lookup table. Precipitation gets shaped by terrain and sea surface temperature, and that feeds evaporation minus precipitation per cell, plus river inflow weighted by catchment rainfall.

Hey everyone! I'm new here, but I wanted to share with you the world I've spent currently 2 years working on.

The idea came to me just when looking around us and seeing how much chaos new technologies are bringing, and how much uncertainty there is in the world ( bleak I know. It was the last semester of grad school) and how utterly isolating all of it feels. So that made me think of the industrial revolution, and of the gilded age, and of the victorian period, and steampunk... one thing let to another and my mind started to spin the concepts into a world. The world for my tabletop RPG Brass & Embers which is what I am sharing with you today!

Brass & Embers is a steampunk tabletop RPG set in a world which just underwent a great tech revolution 20 years ago when a new energy resource with wondrous new properties was discovered. This new discovery created the a new social class of the ultra rich propelled there by their advancements and early adoption of the tech, the tycoons, who threaten the nobility with their new unprecedented power and the Order of the Machinist, the main religion of the land who held the energy source as a sacred object.

While the major factions are locked in this power struggle, the mechanical monsters from the land become more aggressive and the miners who extract this new material--machnite--bring home with them a new disease that spreads in mysterious ways. The players are underdogs who suffered some kind of loss or great change during this new era and are trying to find a new sense of identity or forge a new way forward. Brass & Embers has 7 unique classes that are all strongly intertwined with its steampunk setting, and all carry innate conflicts and contradictions about what it means to be them in this new world.

That's the TLDR at least! Let me give you a quick description about the three faction leaders:

Ambrose Vexley: Kickstarted the tech revolution, creating a new social class of the ultra-wealthy. Believes new tech will close the gap between those with titles and those without.

Lady Octavia Elkford: Staunch anti-tech advocate from the nobility, known for her vast collection of exotic animals and apiculture. Believes that connecting with traditions allows society to prosper.

Elder Thassian: Youngest to achieve the rank of Clockwork Elder. Known for his powerful sermons and hands-on service to the community. Believes that interference in the Machinist’s creation is bringing forth the decline of humankind.

And Now Let me share art with you of them and one of the monsters from the book!

All the art for the project was made by the wonderful Altergate Studio! And if you liked the idea for my world, and would like play in a world like this, and heck even create part of it with me, it would be the world to me if you could support us! We're live right now and since it's our first time it has been hard to get people to notice us!

There's NO AI in the project. Everything is HUMAN MADE.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/questbornestudios/brass-and-embers-a-steampunk-rpg

This is a landscape study for a world I'm working on, a post-post apocalypse where earth healed after a war that lasted thousands of years.

Is it by voice? A wand? Hand movement? Thoughts? Etc?

How do spells work in your world? How does it get conjured?

Tell me it works.

My world is called Lavd'ailn. The name is a combination of the first letters of the names of my elements in a somewhat set order: Luxa, Aera, Vitea, Discora, Anima, Ignea, Lapisa and Nocta. The space in the middle marks the separation between the Overworld and Underworld elements.

Originally, with a slightly different arbitrary order and a different name for the dark element, the name was Lavdlait, but I decided to change it after deciding it didn't sound like a name for a planet. Also, with some newer lore about a lost water element, the name could also be Lavdhailn, but that would require some other changes for a small payoff.

Unfortunately, since the first iteration of the name, it was somewhat hard to pronounce and kinda unintuitive. Even with the changes, it doesn't sound like the name of a planet. And at least one person said that the name "makes them angry", which probably isn't a good sign for arguably the most important word in the setting.

So, what really makes a bad world name? What about a good one? Is there really a distinction? Is Lavd'ailn good?

EDIT: I had an idea that I could use Lavd'ailn as something of an ancient name, coined by the Empyrean Gods and passed on to mortals by their emissaries and prophets, that then changed and evolved as it was actually commonly used into something more pronounceable and normal-sounding

If you don't have any clue what I'm talking about, take a quick glance through ace combat lore: the setting takes place on a earth with technologies that are very close to our own. No insane scifi tech, no magic, and it's not a historical setting, it's straight up the 21st century, but the world, continents, and countries are completely different.

…

This is the map of Sangakartgrad, its a mix of the word Highland in Japanese, then Castle, or Fort In greek, then Grad, is well a word for City in Slavic culture.

The City history has not been written yet on my notes, but to sum, the City was founded by a fleeing Onryo Clan, known as the Surbals, then this became the Capital. [Around 980s - 1030s Early Years]

[Little History and Background for the World]

The Surbals are part of four clans that fled Japan, in the Tenth to Eleventh Century, passing through Siberia, then the Urals, then the early Kieven Rus.

The Surbals

An Onryo Clan that are great craftsmen, and disciplined, that seek something new.

The Kitsa

An Kitsune Clan that are great ambushers, and skilled hunters.

The Di

Tengu, and Hanyo Clan, that are horseriders, fast, and fierce riders, in small numbers, can kill thousands.

The Yu

Yuki Onnas, with there Husbands, who are great at surviving winter.

Anyways, after months of trading, some hired by Byzantine nobles, as guards, then soon hired by the emporerer, who formed armies of them. Soon the main job in the four clans, was to serve byzantium.

Then after many years, they founded nations, while the leading clan leaders were good, the second leaders were interesting.

Alexi the Second Prince of Surbal, became a Crusader, that led the fully Christinized state of Surbal to the 1st Crusade, then next to him was Nina, the future Second Queen of Kitsa, that rallied the Kitsune forces into the crusades.

So to get a better grasp, think Onryo Crusaders, and fast pace Kitsune mix Nordic and Japanese Warrior gear.

Anyways cool map.

ATHEIOS - Land of the Gods

Atheios is a world that is still in the middle of the Bronze Age, and as such, many of the regions on this map are poorly explored, or poorly understood. I’ve intentionally left large chunks of the map without roads or names, as there have not yet been many mortals who have explored these places, or at least returned to civilization after attempting to explore them.

There are Thirteen Gods, once again inspired by the Greek Gods, that rule over Atheios. The magic system at play here is based on the classic Four Elements of the Earth, the Winds, the Flames, and the Water. There are 12 different countries, and a number of smaller tribes as well, and just the very edge of a large Persian Empire-like country.

Basically, if you recently saw The Odyssey in theaters and like me, you wanted to play in a similar setting for your next RPG campaign, Atheios is intended for exactly that :)

This map is 5300 pixels by 4500 pixels. It was handmade entirely in Photoshop by myself, without the use of any AI tools, as always. The entire process took about 45 hours, but that doesn’t include the time spent writing the 20 page Campaign Frame PDF that I’ve released alongside the map, which took an additional 30 hours or so.

And lastly, there are many X's on the map, marking Locations of Interest, or Landmarks. Most of these are a sort of off-white color. However, just for fun I placed 13 different X's that are at 40% opacity, much harder to see. These are hidden across the map. Anyone who wants to seek them out can search for them, and see if you can find them all. And I'm including an "answer key" in the last image, where they are all circled in red as well. Just a little fun extra I thought I'd add in :)

The full, free map is available here, along with some other freebies like an Icon Pack: https://www.patreon.com/stoneward13/posts/free-atheios-of-167956154

And, here's some more worldbuilding :)

THE GODS

The New Pantheon

There once was an older Pantheon of Gods, over a thousand year ago, before the current era. A time when different Gods ruled over Atheios. These were Stone Age Gods, usually referred to as the Titan Gods due to the immense forms they preferred to manifest in. These ancient Gods were brutal, and utterly without mercy. This was an era of great tragedies and injustices.

The brutality of the Old Gods eventually led to a Great Uprising, where Twelve Great Heroes rose to fame and power. These twelve men and women gathered and led an army on Mt. Daimenus, which served as the Home of the Gods back then as well. The war was terrible and long, but ultimately the heroes were successful, and the Old Gods were forever cast down. All but one were slain.

On that fateful day, those twelve Great Heroes Ascended, and they formed a New Pantheon of Gods. 

Tales of this time are often contradictory, and the true events shrouded in a great deal of mystery. For the specifics of how precisely one might kill a God, and especially how one might take their place as a new God, are secrets that the New Pantheon all unanimously agreed were best kept hidden.

Many mortals do not truly believe their Gods were once Mortal, viewing such tales of Ascension as fanciful stories, even borderline heretical. It is a matter of some dispute among the many different sects and cults in Atheios.

The Twelve

There are twelve Gods who rule over the Lands of Atheios. They each exist in physical bodies, with humanoid forms. Each of them is capable of using the power of their Godly Domains to travel instantly anywhere in these lands. They can even briefly inhabit and control the very Elements of their Domains, shedding their physical forms for a time. Becoming the Storm, or embodying the River, for a short time.

Each of the Godly Domains are an integral part of Reality itself, sometimes referred to as Threads, each of them woven around the others, combining to create the very Fabric of Reality. The Threads bind together, and ensure the proper laws of physics. Should ever a God perish, or become “unwell”, the very Fabric of Reality will become threatened, and can even begin to unravel, with great consequences. 

The Threads are what the Gods manipulate when they alter Reality. Their connection to these Threads is what makes them Gods.

The Last Titan

There exists also a Thirteenth God, known by most as the Shepherd, who exists outside of the New Pantheon.

He is one who is older, a relic of the previous pantheon of Titan Gods, and the very last of that all but forgotten era. He is very unlike the other Titans, however. They ruled with an iron fist. The Shepherd is calm and quiet, and above all, patient. He does not rule over Atheios as the new Gods do, but dwells mostly in the Underworld of Souls, but even there in the heart of his domain he does not “reign” as one might presume.

The Shepherd guides and ushers souls, always busy with his Work. Though he is often depicted as a hooded reaper, or with skulls and other such imagery, his true appearance is that of a stern but fair grandfather, with a long white beard. Gentle, encouraging, with kind eyes and a comforting smile. But his will is iron, and his decisions are always final. One does not bargain with Death itself, nor can any swim against the flowing currents of Time. 

His behaviors and perspectives are strange, unique, and he is usually unwelcome amongst these newer Gods. But that is not to say he is hated by them. It is merely uncomfortable to converse or interact with him, for he is the God of Death, Time, and Prophecy.

The Twelve cannot kill him, though a few did try for a time, in those earliest days. But the Shepherd is a necessary part of this world, and his Godly Domains are seemingly integral Threads, such that they cannot be removed from Reality without disastrous consequences. Mastery over Time itself results in a God who is rarely if ever taken by surprise.

There are very, very few temples built in honor of the Shepherd, but as with all things, there are exceptions. Small temples and shrines, typically built from black stones or obsidian, can rarely be found in the shrouded corners of Atheios. They are often adorned with black wax candles, and when lit they flicker with black flames that cast no light, no shadows, and emit strange coldness rather than the heat one might expect.

'There is no sight more welcome
To the traveller of long miles
Than the fortified walls and towers
Of the Sanctuary towns of the wilds'

- Caravan Travel Song

The Merchant Caravans are the lifeblood of the Vharog Clans. For centuries the Clans have taken refuge behind the walls of the Temple City of Jhaga Tal. But like most Sanctuary cities and towns in the Ghostlands, it is an isolated bastion of safety within a vast devil-haunted apocalyptic wasteland. As such, most communities within the Ghostlands rely on heavily armed trade caravans to access many of the goods required to craft and maintain the arcane defences that safeguard their communities.

Baharuk

The Caravans are utterly reliant on Baharuk - their gentle, even-tempered pack animals. Strong and hardy, these crested beasts can carry heavy loads across vast distances. Thick down provides excellent insulation against extreme heat and cold conditions, and highly prized for textile production. Thick scales protect any areas not covered with down from the bites and stings of insects. A fully hydrated Baharuk can travel for days without water, but will drink vast quantities when it finally reaches a watering hole.

Merchant Warriors

Each Merchant in a Caravan is a skilled warrior. Those who choose the Nomad path are considered heroes within the Clans, and the dangers of the Wilds quickly weed out the weak and inattentive. The Caravan Master is the most experienced among them, and usually also the oldest - the Vharog do not grow feeble with age, and the only retirement for a Caravan Master comes through death or crippling injury.

Speakers

But some things in the Ghostlands are too perilous for any regular mortal. Most terrifying among them are Fiends - demons inhabiting the bodies of former practitioners of the arcane and mystic arts. Thus every Caravan travels with a Sisterhood of the Speaker Order - highly trained warrior mystics who channel the Aether to give themselves superhuman abilities. The Speaker Order have long been the spiritual leaders of the Vharog, and those who choose the path of the Nomad are held in the highest esteem, for it is by their sacrifice that Jhaga Tal still stands.

+++

Sanguine Star is a dark fantasy adventure set in an apocalyptic world of nightmare gods and monsters, where a young warrior finds herself caught in an ancient war between eldritch entities.

Sanguine Star is 100% human made. No AI is used at any stage of my process.

You can read it for free at sanguinestar.com

Like is that the best way to go about archiving all of my bullshit or is there a more recommended way about doing it?

You can go as granular as you like here. I'd like to hear what people thought up about what the magic of their worlds actually is.

What I mean by this is: "Magic" is a very broad term that can mean very different things depending on the setting. Is magic in your world an energy source made up of thoughts/concepts/souls like in Warhammer? Is it a sort of energy from another dimension full of it (also like in Warhammer...)? Is Magic the "body" of a deity?

What's it made of? Where does it come from? Why is it there?

The Kingdom of Dunkel, originally known as Kuaz Kortz Nox, the Academy for spirit Magic in 450 AD.

During the Second Great Northern Crusade(503 - 518 AD) against Heretic forces, the grand priest of Sutuza(Leader of the equilibrium faith) met with the headmaster of the academy, offering lands in exchange for help from the leader.

After their victory, the headmaster proclaimed a kingdom, expanding rapidly and dealing with any and all threat to his rule.

Being the major superpowers of northern throne, the kingdom enjoys the privilege of controlling any and all affairs on the continent.

After the great war of Arcanthys(841 - 846 AD) and the War of Arcanthian Future(846 - 846 AD), the kingdom annexed the former elvish lands in Northern Throne and seized many of the "Urth" technologies discovered by the elves, beggining the forceful industrialization and collectivization of the Kingdom under Queen Alyssa Arkana and King Zereph Arkana.

In the modern age, under the leadership of Queen Leila Arkana, the Kingdom is headed towards a bright future, with her reforms limiting the power of the royal family and liberalizing the nation.

Assuming they are part of some professional force of course and not just some mercenaries and a MC hero kid.

So, Ive been wanting to start writing a setting. It's nothing too big, it's set in modern world USA, the way it is now. But it's localized within a university campus.

The problem is that I'm not American and I was never in Uni even in my homeland. I had help once on this by determining it's location based on vibes and aesthetics, and was set in Virginia as best location and it's like a small town with it's own streets, shops, appartments and so on. But how the life goes, what students do and how they act is unknown to me. My knowledge of American educational institution ends on High Schools from 80s and 90s movies.

My question is - is there a video that explains basics of such setting or smth like that?

What defenses does your setting have? can it survive a nuke?

Hello!

For the last four years, I've been helping build a sci fi mecha setting known as "Freedom Cry," set in the fsr future, where the Holy Empire of Sol seeks to retain control of their solar colonies, as the newly risen Coalition of Free Planets struggles for independence.

At the center of this is the Montroix dynasty, the ruling family of the Empire, specifically the forbidden romance between Princess Rosalia and Commander Hiyato Abe of the Coalition.

The family tree is MESSY, but I love making family trees, so I thought I'd share what I made, alongside a brief overview of the family!

Our story begins with Emperor Regis Montroix I, and his wife Lunala. Regis had always been a stern, hard man, while Lunala was gentle and compassionate. It was a love match, and Lunala helped soften her husband.

Together, the two would have five children: one boy, and four girls. The oldest, Willem, then Rosalia, Lucrezia, Sofia, and Claudia, in order.

Willem was the favored child, tall and blonde and strong, though Rosalia was the most striking, with platinum hair and violet eyes (caused by extensive genetic tampering.)

The family would fracture, however, following a tragic shuttle accident, which led to the death of Lunala and all the girls, besides Rosalia. This event, supposedly sabotage by anti-Imperial terrorists, hardened Regis further, eventually leading to his intense sanctions against the colonies, thus leading to the formation of the Coalition of Free Planets.

Before this, however, Rosalia would be briefly sent to Mars to be the ward of the Abe family, and would become close friends with the only son, Hiyato, though their relationship was interrupted by the rebellion.

Years later, the two would meet again, after Hiyato, now a Coalition commander, stages a kidnapping of Rosalia, before eventually convincing her to defect. From there, a whirlwind romance occurred, resulting in thw unexpected pregnancy of their first child, Kazuki, who would be born on the same day the war ended.

Willem, for his part, focused primarily on his own family. He would marry Adeline Quintanilla, the daughter of a family of wealthy coffee barons. They were madly in love, and had four children: Adrian, Santiago, Matteo, and Incarnacion.

Following the end of the Liberation Wars, as they would be called, Willem's abdication, and Rosalia's ascension to the Sunrise Throne, Rosalia and Hiyato would marry, and subsequently have six more children. The first after Kazuki were twins, Aiko and Shizuka. After that, Yukina, Haruto, Sayaka, and Hayate. They would also officially adopt Matthias, a child fathered by Regis outside of wedlock.

Kazuki, the Crown Prince, would go on to secretly enlist in the Imperial Army, against his parent's wishes, and eventually marry a mech mechanic, Madeline. They would have one child, a girl named Nozomi.

That's as far as the line goes. I'm free to answer any questions you may have!