A very thought provoking episode. You’ve certainly gotten me thinking about the setting and whys and wherefores. One thing that came to mind from your discussion is that if the wizards are afraid of a great evil to the north, could that evil be linked to the ruins of the ancient civilisation? Could it have destroyed it? My own thoughts, for a twist, is that the ancients summoned something and they wrought an evil greater evil to defend themselves that ultimately destroyed them. That ‘something’ they created to save them is still out there to the North waiting. Maybe there are clues in the recently discovered ruins in the mountains??
I definitely like the twist aspect of some nuclear option that was meant to be benevolent or a last resort turning into an even bigger mess, those are always fun. And a tie-in with the ruins strewn all over the place and up in the mountains also seems like a pretty solid fit. Definitely something to keep in mind! PS: apologies for the rather late response, my vacation ran on for a bit and I took a little internet break - thanks for leaving a comment!
Great start! Regarding other planes of existence: why don't we go the Moorcock way, and have a plane (or planes) of Law and other(s) of Chaos? That would make the physical world their "battlefield". Regarding other empires: we could have a very ancient empire, one that is extremely powerful but also very isolationist; it doesn't treat with other nations, nobody comes in, nobody comes out. It's just there, but nobody knows a thing about them, like a large, looming threat.
Interesting cosmology, I had forgotten all about that (last time I read anything Elric was in 1992 or thereabouts so I'm very hazy). If we also want to add a twist, maybe the "battlefield" was a bit sick and tired of being the forces' playground and managed to divorce itself from its direct interference somehow - but how and at what cost, and how does it relate to the barrier and the threat it wants to protect against? I really like the thought of some inscrutable, inaccessible monolith of ancient isolated history out there that nobody knows much beyond the name about and nobody has managed to communicate with since time immemorial. The only risk I see with that is that I'll end up wanting to explain it and keep thinking about how it fits in, because I tend to do that sort of thing. But it's certainly one of the concepts I love a lot when I run into it in other settings (even though I generally end up thinking "I sure hope they have a good plan for this" - maybe I watched too much Lost in the 00s and don't want to get burned again). PS: apologies for the rather late response, my vacation ran on for a bit and I took a little internet break - thanks for leaving a comment!
@@killtenratsrpg I'd recommend you pick up the recent release of the Elric novels, it's the best edition so far! And there's a new novel coming out this year, too! One of my all-time favorite characters, for sure. Glad to have you back, looking forward to the next video!
@@killtenratsrpg that's the one! It has a second tome, and then the third one will be the new story Moorcock wrote recently and that is being published now for the first time!
My thoughts: The rich ruins contain an ancient mechanism that greatly increases magical power, this was used by the wizards to create the great frost and the elementals( maybe the wizards know who built this mechanism but keep it secret). As the frost itself wasn’t enough of a deterrent the Withering was then created to keep people from finding the mechanism. Maybe the thing the wizards were trying to stop is frozen within the large body of water behind the dam. Idea for world name is Umbra which is Latin for shadow this being a grim dark fantasy.
Some kind of amplification node sounds like it would fit in and maybe it's not something that can be placed at will and wherever but follows some supernatural laws, such as needing a ley line nexus or similar, in which case the "magic amplifier ruin" could be the farthest point they could push the barrier and they chose to "salt the earth" with the Withering anywhere they couldn't protect. Interesting thought! Umbra sounds rather lovely, my only worry would be that the name probably already exists in some supplement somewhere (outside of Werewolf: The Apocalypse, where I've run into it as a term for their spirit world). PS: apologies for the rather late response, my vacation ran on for a bit and I took a little internet break - thanks for leaving a comment!
Cool first episode! A few questions that the results made me ask: 1.) Is the metal that the border mountains are rich in a "normal" metal, like Iron or Copper, or is it something more fantastical like Mithril or Orichalcum? 2.) How fantastical are the powers wielded by wizards in this world? Can they sling fireballs around like D&D spell casters, or is magic in this world based more around rituals like in Ironsworn? 3.) Calling them the border mountains is kind of weird and they need a name. Yes, I know this isn't question. Maybe the name could relate to the Withering somehow. The Anglish website has barrow, fell, and peak as words for mountains, so possible names could the the Witherbarrow, Witherfell, or Witherpeaks.
Good question, I suppose it depends somewhat on the availability of non-rare and more mundane metals and whether they're desirable enough to take a chance on a hostile set of mountains. Could be either if, say, the now unruly South used to be the center of imperial mining operations and they now need a new source but of course something more arcane and mystical sounds a bit cooler. I guess we'll need to see what more information we can drill out of the dice rolls to see whether we'll swing towards resource realpolitik or fancy magical alloys. As for the "flashiness" of wizards, that's an excellent question. Instinctively I'd lean towards subtlety coming at a lower cost while outright gratuitous displays of reality-disrupting sorcery carry a heavy price (maybe somewhat analogous to the "reality consensus vs. paradox" idea in Mage: The Ascension). I'm definitely in favor of low magic, ritualism and not a whole lot of vulgar, off-the-cuff displays of power. Regarding the mountain range: yeah the definitely need a name, maybe several. I'm generally just throwing out placeholders at this stage unless something immediately jumps out and rely on the step where we flesh out some history of the place to allocate more definitive naming. I'm not sure whether the "wither" association is as strong with them as the "barrier" aspect for me though so I'd probably prefer to distribute any terms derived from that linguistic root in the foothills and beyond, since I figure the mountains themselves weren't that greatly affected by the disease run rampant. Or maybe a bash in a sense of the "barrier against the withering", maybe something comes up in that context. PS: apologies for the rather late response, my vacation ran on for a bit and I took a little internet break - thanks for leaving a comment!
The dice rule! I really like Withermark as a name for this region. For the name of the world, Farlen has a nice short ring to it. Sticking to the grim mood and old English inspiration, I would suggest Wyrd (fate or personal destiny). And why not Weorold (simply “world”) or even Werald (“the age of man”) , proto-Germanic where it comes from?
Yeah I was also thinking in the direction of Weorold or something derived from the German "Erde" like Aerd (and ignoring the fact that Germany's very own "Dark Eye" went for the very imaginative "Dere"...). Wyrd is also a good one, if not simply for the fact that it's Gaahl's new band project! I definitely also like Farlen but the more I mull that word over, the more I want it to be the name of the hub city, I think. PS: apologies for the rather late response, my vacation ran on for a bit and I took a little internet break - thanks for leaving a comment!
Yet another inspiring world building episode! I think that the system of Low Fantasy Gaming made by Pickpocket Press might be applicable should you decide to begin this a new campaign. Hope you’re having fun and taking a nice, well deserved break
Oh yeah, Low Fantasy Gaming, excellent suggestion, I forgot all about that. It's been on my list of systems to grab for quite a while. I'll put in an order sooner or later! PS: apologies for the rather late response, my vacation ran on for a bit and I took a little internet break - thanks for leaving a comment!
Excellent content as always! Really enjoying your world building series 👍 This ancient rich city ruin kinda reminds me of Frostgrave, which if you haven't played it yet, is an awesome gateway game between RPG and Skirmish Wargame! It is about competing wizards vying for ancient magical loot in the slowly thawing city ruins, so much fun! Anyways, looking forward to the next installment
I've not played Frostgrave but I dig the general style of game and the idea of plundering rich old city ruins (since I'm currently halfway through assembling the minis for Warhammer Quest: Cursed City). Frostgrave definitely intrigues me, too (as does Stargrave, and Five Leagues / Parsecs, and Rangers of Shadow Deep and and and...)
Oooh, that's an interesting possibility. That I need to keep in the back of my mind for when we determine history and such, that sounds like it could fit in VERY well. PS: apologies for the rather late response, my vacation ran on for a bit and I took a little internet break - thanks for leaving a comment!
I think the ruins could have been a refining facility for the metals in the mountains. The metals could be very precious but to be used properly they have to be refined with the power of elementals, maybe the metal flows in molten veins and need to be frozen? Since it's a low magic setting the old wizards might've needed to siphon power from bound elementals to cool it enough to be turned into a workable form. Shenanigans happen, elementals break free of their bindings and wreck havoc making the facility a ruin that is still working in some capacity. Enough that the metals could be refined there but the threat of corrupted elementals or other threats still roaming the ruins still makes the trip very dangerous.
That's an intriguing notion! I've already recorded a follow-up but have stayed away from making a definitive decision on the ruins and the nature of the metals in the mountains so I'll file it away with the other ideas regarding this point for latter use. I like it!
Hey, I appreciate you taking the time to comment even if it was a long time ago. I had to step away from UA-cam for a bit and got a little frustrated by that, so I wasn't answering comments like I should have. Apologies for that! This is a wild skill to have lol. I'm bad with faces but I trust your judgement hahahaha!
The cameras are all some version of the JVC Everio series with full HD capabilities and a five hour battery runtime. Not all the same version but all very similar in features. There's six of them now but I have a few backups. Got lucky - when I started I only had one of the Everios and a few webcams plus an old GoPro clone but the footage looked quite disjointed, then I found a classified ad from a business that was selling off a dozen Everio cams in a bundle for a steal and got eight for the price of two. After I fixed the lighting and rebuilt my set the footage finally looks like I'd like it to until I upgrade to 4k cams (eventually, probably not soon). PS: apologies for the rather late response, my vacation ran on for a bit and I took a little internet break - thanks for leaving a comment!
How aboput this: The elementals originally were a byproduct of the magical lockdown which was less controlled than intended and those where not planned for. Concerning the ruins, maybe those are (possibly) the reason the lockdown did not held. Something there could have siffoned out some of the magic that was locking down the north and now something reawakened due to feasting on that power. Something beside frost elementals of which some or all surely must be corrupted as well.
Might line up with another idea we've got pitched regarding the "great freezing" that it's somehow related to an elemental lord or deity that holds some sort of dominion over frost and those who freeze to death (as in: can bring their corpses to life, etc.). Since magic is hard to do directly, maybe the "a wizard did it!" imperial sorcerers struck some sort of bargain or coerced cooperation and the elementals are a loophole, unintended side-effect, consequence or whatever. It might work as an "unlocking mechanism" to make the mountains transferable again, too, if there's some way in those ruins to interact with or "free" the subjugated elemental overlord. It'd just need some more explanation on why this worked in conjunction with removing a bunch of other locking mechanisms that shut down other access points and regions of the world from one another but maybe with a concerted effort behind it (such as a "cult of whatever it was we were trying to keep out") this'd work.
hey, nice video, I suggest you to check from software games worldbuilding, they are a strong inspiration for me when I think about dark fantasy, also checks berserk
I'd consider those well and truly checked out when it comes to me, I've been a "Souls guy" since PS3 Dark Souls and have spent a ton of hours with everything From has put out, as well as the various Queelag/ENB/Franz/Vaati and assorted lore buff derivative content over the years. Berserk too, naturally, considering how big a role it plays as an inspiration source for Souls. A bit hard to replicate but it's definitely a big touchpoint for me when I think Dark Fantasy. Sorry bout the horribly late response, really appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment. A new puppy hit the house and wrecked my schedule. All good now!
Taking that on board for the naming list, thank you! The world's got a name already but this might as well work for a region, city or whatever else we end up requiring!
![4 Amazing Stories with Soft Worldbuilding [ Lovecraft | Hollow Knight | Nier | Dark Souls ]](/img/n.gif)
Awesome! Glad to see another in this series appear!
A very thought provoking episode. You’ve certainly gotten me thinking about the setting and whys and wherefores. One thing that came to mind from your discussion is that if the wizards are afraid of a great evil to the north, could that evil be linked to the ruins of the ancient civilisation? Could it have destroyed it? My own thoughts, for a twist, is that the ancients summoned something and they wrought an evil greater evil to defend themselves that ultimately destroyed them. That ‘something’ they created to save them is still out there to the North waiting. Maybe there are clues in the recently discovered ruins in the mountains??
I definitely like the twist aspect of some nuclear option that was meant to be benevolent or a last resort turning into an even bigger mess, those are always fun. And a tie-in with the ruins strewn all over the place and up in the mountains also seems like a pretty solid fit. Definitely something to keep in mind!
PS: apologies for the rather late response, my vacation ran on for a bit and I took a little internet break - thanks for leaving a comment!
Great start! Regarding other planes of existence: why don't we go the Moorcock way, and have a plane (or planes) of Law and other(s) of Chaos? That would make the physical world their "battlefield". Regarding other empires: we could have a very ancient empire, one that is extremely powerful but also very isolationist; it doesn't treat with other nations, nobody comes in, nobody comes out. It's just there, but nobody knows a thing about them, like a large, looming threat.
Interesting cosmology, I had forgotten all about that (last time I read anything Elric was in 1992 or thereabouts so I'm very hazy). If we also want to add a twist, maybe the "battlefield" was a bit sick and tired of being the forces' playground and managed to divorce itself from its direct interference somehow - but how and at what cost, and how does it relate to the barrier and the threat it wants to protect against?
I really like the thought of some inscrutable, inaccessible monolith of ancient isolated history out there that nobody knows much beyond the name about and nobody has managed to communicate with since time immemorial. The only risk I see with that is that I'll end up wanting to explain it and keep thinking about how it fits in, because I tend to do that sort of thing. But it's certainly one of the concepts I love a lot when I run into it in other settings (even though I generally end up thinking "I sure hope they have a good plan for this" - maybe I watched too much Lost in the 00s and don't want to get burned again).
PS: apologies for the rather late response, my vacation ran on for a bit and I took a little internet break - thanks for leaving a comment!
@@killtenratsrpg I'd recommend you pick up the recent release of the Elric novels, it's the best edition so far! And there's a new novel coming out this year, too! One of my all-time favorite characters, for sure.
Glad to have you back, looking forward to the next video!
I think I found the edition you are referring to. Foreword by Neil Gaimam from an older essay of his? If so then I now at least have book one again!
@@killtenratsrpg that's the one! It has a second tome, and then the third one will be the new story Moorcock wrote recently and that is being published now for the first time!
My thoughts: The rich ruins contain an ancient mechanism that greatly increases magical power, this was used by the wizards to create the great frost and the elementals( maybe the wizards know who built this mechanism but keep it secret). As the frost itself wasn’t enough of a deterrent the Withering was then created to keep people from finding the mechanism. Maybe the thing the wizards were trying to stop is frozen within the large body of water behind the dam.
Idea for world name is Umbra which is Latin for shadow this being a grim dark fantasy.
Some kind of amplification node sounds like it would fit in and maybe it's not something that can be placed at will and wherever but follows some supernatural laws, such as needing a ley line nexus or similar, in which case the "magic amplifier ruin" could be the farthest point they could push the barrier and they chose to "salt the earth" with the Withering anywhere they couldn't protect. Interesting thought!
Umbra sounds rather lovely, my only worry would be that the name probably already exists in some supplement somewhere (outside of Werewolf: The Apocalypse, where I've run into it as a term for their spirit world).
PS: apologies for the rather late response, my vacation ran on for a bit and I took a little internet break - thanks for leaving a comment!
Cool first episode! A few questions that the results made me ask:
1.) Is the metal that the border mountains are rich in a "normal" metal, like Iron or Copper, or is it something more fantastical like Mithril or Orichalcum?
2.) How fantastical are the powers wielded by wizards in this world? Can they sling fireballs around like D&D spell casters, or is magic in this world based more around rituals like in Ironsworn?
3.) Calling them the border mountains is kind of weird and they need a name. Yes, I know this isn't question. Maybe the name could relate to the Withering somehow. The Anglish website has barrow, fell, and peak as words for mountains, so possible names could the the Witherbarrow, Witherfell, or Witherpeaks.
Good question, I suppose it depends somewhat on the availability of non-rare and more mundane metals and whether they're desirable enough to take a chance on a hostile set of mountains. Could be either if, say, the now unruly South used to be the center of imperial mining operations and they now need a new source but of course something more arcane and mystical sounds a bit cooler. I guess we'll need to see what more information we can drill out of the dice rolls to see whether we'll swing towards resource realpolitik or fancy magical alloys.
As for the "flashiness" of wizards, that's an excellent question. Instinctively I'd lean towards subtlety coming at a lower cost while outright gratuitous displays of reality-disrupting sorcery carry a heavy price (maybe somewhat analogous to the "reality consensus vs. paradox" idea in Mage: The Ascension). I'm definitely in favor of low magic, ritualism and not a whole lot of vulgar, off-the-cuff displays of power.
Regarding the mountain range: yeah the definitely need a name, maybe several. I'm generally just throwing out placeholders at this stage unless something immediately jumps out and rely on the step where we flesh out some history of the place to allocate more definitive naming. I'm not sure whether the "wither" association is as strong with them as the "barrier" aspect for me though so I'd probably prefer to distribute any terms derived from that linguistic root in the foothills and beyond, since I figure the mountains themselves weren't that greatly affected by the disease run rampant. Or maybe a bash in a sense of the "barrier against the withering", maybe something comes up in that context.
PS: apologies for the rather late response, my vacation ran on for a bit and I took a little internet break - thanks for leaving a comment!
The dice rule! I really like Withermark as a name for this region. For the name of the world, Farlen has a nice short ring to it. Sticking to the grim mood and old English inspiration, I would suggest Wyrd (fate or personal destiny). And why not Weorold (simply “world”) or even Werald (“the age of man”) , proto-Germanic where it comes from?
Yeah I was also thinking in the direction of Weorold or something derived from the German "Erde" like Aerd (and ignoring the fact that Germany's very own "Dark Eye" went for the very imaginative "Dere"...). Wyrd is also a good one, if not simply for the fact that it's Gaahl's new band project! I definitely also like Farlen but the more I mull that word over, the more I want it to be the name of the hub city, I think.
PS: apologies for the rather late response, my vacation ran on for a bit and I took a little internet break - thanks for leaving a comment!
Yet another inspiring world building episode! I think that the system of Low Fantasy Gaming made by Pickpocket Press might be applicable should you decide to begin this a new campaign. Hope you’re having fun and taking a nice, well deserved break
Oh yeah, Low Fantasy Gaming, excellent suggestion, I forgot all about that. It's been on my list of systems to grab for quite a while. I'll put in an order sooner or later!
PS: apologies for the rather late response, my vacation ran on for a bit and I took a little internet break - thanks for leaving a comment!
Excellent content as always! Really enjoying your world building series 👍
This ancient rich city ruin kinda reminds me of Frostgrave, which if you haven't played it yet, is an awesome gateway game between RPG and Skirmish Wargame! It is about competing wizards vying for ancient magical loot in the slowly thawing city ruins, so much fun!
Anyways, looking forward to the next installment
I've not played Frostgrave but I dig the general style of game and the idea of plundering rich old city ruins (since I'm currently halfway through assembling the minis for Warhammer Quest: Cursed City). Frostgrave definitely intrigues me, too (as does Stargrave, and Five Leagues / Parsecs, and Rangers of Shadow Deep and and and...)
@@killtenratsrpg hehehe beware the plastic crack addiction 😉
I was thinking that the rich ruin might have been the source of whatever they were trying to lock up.
Oooh, that's an interesting possibility. That I need to keep in the back of my mind for when we determine history and such, that sounds like it could fit in VERY well.
PS: apologies for the rather late response, my vacation ran on for a bit and I took a little internet break - thanks for leaving a comment!
@@killtenratsrpg No worries!
I think the ruins could have been a refining facility for the metals in the mountains. The metals could be very precious but to be used properly they have to be refined with the power of elementals, maybe the metal flows in molten veins and need to be frozen? Since it's a low magic setting the old wizards might've needed to siphon power from bound elementals to cool it enough to be turned into a workable form. Shenanigans happen, elementals break free of their bindings and wreck havoc making the facility a ruin that is still working in some capacity. Enough that the metals could be refined there but the threat of corrupted elementals or other threats still roaming the ruins still makes the trip very dangerous.
That's an intriguing notion! I've already recorded a follow-up but have stayed away from making a definitive decision on the ruins and the nature of the metals in the mountains so I'll file it away with the other ideas regarding this point for latter use. I like it!
So one of my skills is spotting celebrity combos. You are the combination of Jason Segal and Alfred Molina.
Hey, I appreciate you taking the time to comment even if it was a long time ago. I had to step away from UA-cam for a bit and got a little frustrated by that, so I wasn't answering comments like I should have. Apologies for that!
This is a wild skill to have lol. I'm bad with faces but I trust your judgement hahahaha!
@@killtenratsrpg I hope everything is well. I really enjoy your videos. The ones on World Without Number especially!
Been waiting for this . Let's goooooooooo.
Just wondering , what kind of cameras are you using? And how many
The cameras are all some version of the JVC Everio series with full HD capabilities and a five hour battery runtime. Not all the same version but all very similar in features. There's six of them now but I have a few backups. Got lucky - when I started I only had one of the Everios and a few webcams plus an old GoPro clone but the footage looked quite disjointed, then I found a classified ad from a business that was selling off a dozen Everio cams in a bundle for a steal and got eight for the price of two. After I fixed the lighting and rebuilt my set the footage finally looks like I'd like it to until I upgrade to 4k cams (eventually, probably not soon).
PS: apologies for the rather late response, my vacation ran on for a bit and I took a little internet break - thanks for leaving a comment!
@@killtenratsrpg all good on the respond time and awesome find on the cameras
How aboput this:
The elementals originally were a byproduct of the magical lockdown which was less controlled than intended and those where not planned for.
Concerning the ruins, maybe those are (possibly) the reason the lockdown did not held. Something there could have siffoned out some of the magic that was locking down the north and now something reawakened due to feasting on that power. Something beside frost elementals of which some or all surely must be corrupted as well.
Might line up with another idea we've got pitched regarding the "great freezing" that it's somehow related to an elemental lord or deity that holds some sort of dominion over frost and those who freeze to death (as in: can bring their corpses to life, etc.). Since magic is hard to do directly, maybe the "a wizard did it!" imperial sorcerers struck some sort of bargain or coerced cooperation and the elementals are a loophole, unintended side-effect, consequence or whatever.
It might work as an "unlocking mechanism" to make the mountains transferable again, too, if there's some way in those ruins to interact with or "free" the subjugated elemental overlord. It'd just need some more explanation on why this worked in conjunction with removing a bunch of other locking mechanisms that shut down other access points and regions of the world from one another but maybe with a concerted effort behind it (such as a "cult of whatever it was we were trying to keep out") this'd work.
hey, nice video, I suggest you to check from software games worldbuilding, they are a strong inspiration for me when I think about dark fantasy, also checks berserk
I'd consider those well and truly checked out when it comes to me, I've been a "Souls guy" since PS3 Dark Souls and have spent a ton of hours with everything From has put out, as well as the various Queelag/ENB/Franz/Vaati and assorted lore buff derivative content over the years. Berserk too, naturally, considering how big a role it plays as an inspiration source for Souls. A bit hard to replicate but it's definitely a big touchpoint for me when I think Dark Fantasy.
Sorry bout the horribly late response, really appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment. A new puppy hit the house and wrecked my schedule. All good now!
@@killtenratsrpg Keep the good work, I'm also creating a "pale fantasy" setting that are more soulslike atmosphere of a glorious world in decadence
You kind of speak like Christopher Lee, may he rest in peace.
The world could be called Gàrn
Taking that on board for the naming list, thank you! The world's got a name already but this might as well work for a region, city or whatever else we end up requiring!