Accursed Worldbuilding Part 2: The World

[Ross Watson]

 Right now the world itself is a collection of bullet points.

 

·       The Accursed Setting world is called Morden.

·       The Accursed Setting main continent (not the only continent, but the one where the core book focuses on) is called Saturnyn.

·       The continent is roughly the size of Australia, and is fairly well-populated (similar to eastern Europe).

·       Roughly 1% of the main setting’s population are Accursed.

·       Roughly 2% of the main setting’s population are Coven-Kin. (Coven-Kin are normal humans who have sworn to serve the Witches – and it is another placeholder name)

 

Note: Morden and Saturnyn are placeholder names – they’re perfectly serviceable, but I’m open to new ideas. Nothing of the above is necessarily set in stone.

 

Saturnyn consists of seven different main regions/nations:

“Transylvania”

“Egypt”

“Carpathia/Russia”

“Judea/Israel”

“Scotland”

“Spain”

“Border Princes” (Essentially “White Space” for players and GMs to create their own stuff going on)

 

There is a group of Accursed attempting to form their own nation, their own society – this is happening near the Border Princes area (maybe formerly a Border Princes area).

 

Note: All of the above are placeholder names. The number of regions/realms is not set in stone.

 

Two other main geographical features are:

The Mountains

            This is a natural border between Saturnyn and the Witch kingdoms beyond – basically, on the other side of the mountains lies Mordor.

The Sea

            This is a massive ocean that encompasses the coast of at least four of the regions (including the border princes) and contains hundreds of islands, many of them unexplored. A lot of white space can be found out to Sea, although we need to detail at least three or four major islands just so the PCs have reasons to go to sea and do things out there.

            The Sea is also a pirate haven – lots of pirates prowling the waters there.

It is known that there are lands beyond the sea, but they are largely unknown – excuses for traders to ship spices and silks across the Sea to be prey for pirates.

 

Note: The above (obviously!) are placeholder names.

 

Culture

The regions share a common language; Saturnian (placeholder name)

The regions share a common political style: primarily feudal, although I’d like to have at least one or two “black sheep” with some other form of government in place.

The regions share a common religion: the Enochians, who worship a divine Creator. This religion is being heavily persecuted by the Witches in favor of worship of themselves as goddesses. A third religion worshipping the deceased heroes of the kingdoms of light has begun to spread.

The kingdoms do not all get along; there should be at least two conflicts (maybe one major, one minor) between them from the years before the Witches invasion.

At least two of the regions should have an alliance.

Currently, the regions are all at peace with each other, enforced by the conquerors (the Witches).

 

Note: Nothing of the above is set in stone. I’m fond of the way that religion is set up, but I’m not married to it.

 

Witchcraft

The only known magic of the setting is Witchcraft. Witchcraft’s spells are known as “charms,” (Spells) “crafts,” (schools of magic) and “hexes” (ritual spells).

Note: All of the above are placeholders.

 

What is Witchcraft capable of? Right now, that’s not clear.

 

The Unexplained

There are certain unexplained phenomena in the Accursed Setting – they aren’t witchcraft, but are nevertheless supernatural. For example, there is a legend of a holy sword (The Spatha Sancta) that lies somewhere in the mountains. Miracles of faith have been recorded by the Enochians, and there are certain relics from the dead heroes of the kingdoms of light that also have unusual powers.

 

Races

Humans are the only known “race” in the Accursed setting. There are other types of sentient creatures (the Witches are not human, nor are their Banes, and of course the Accursed). The Fey (faerie-like creatures) exist, hidden in many secret places in the world – they are generally considered legends amongst Saturnyn, but the Witches and the Accursed are aware of their presence. The Fey attempt to keep themselves separate from the problems of Saturnyn.

(I think we could add another region that is a Fey nation of some kind – IF we consider it worthwhile to do so. I think it is a neat idea but it is not part of the core experience of the setting).

[dar...@darrellhardy.com]

(Sorry if this reply is terribly formatted or borderline unreadable. I
didn't see a way to reply in Google groups, so I'm trying to do so by
e-mail, and suspect I'm doing it wrong.)

First, I'm really digging this setting. It's got a great Gothic horror /
Hammer fims / Ravenloft-but-more vibe to it that I can really get into.

As for the nations, another factor to consider is how complicit they are
in the witches' rule. I can imagine that at least one of them is a total
puppet state, with the old rulers in place but serving the witches' will.
Another might be ruled directly the witches -- when the original
aristocracy refused to surrender, they were killed and replaced. Another
might pretend to support the witches' rule, but is secretly aiding
resistance groups (think Princess Leia just before New Hope).

These things don't have to supersede other political considerations, but
are additional variables to make things more complicated.

Regarding the fey nation... Personally, it feels a bit too high-fantasy
for the setting unless it's relegated to myth and legend. "They say the
hidden ones have their own kingdom deep inside the Bloodthorn Forest. But
no man has ever been to the heart of that forest and lived!"

Oh, and a question: Can anyone use witchcraft, given the proper training?
Or is something only (non-human) witches can do? Could be interesting if a
*few* humans can do it (it's a mutation?), and they have to keep their
gifts secret lest the witches either (a) kill them on principle, or (b)
take them away over the mountains for indoctrination.

Man, I can't wait to see where you go with this. I was working on
something similar for my home game... but this is way better. :)

- Darrell

[Ross Watson]

Hi Darrell,

Glad you're enjoying!

Im starting to agree with you about the fey -- the more I consider it, the
more I'm thinking they don't fit. At least, not as overt.

Witchcraft can be performed by anyone with the talent for magic (humans can
have this) and willing to put in the time and effort to hone that talent
into a skill. Those who use witchcraft for good rather than ill are known as
"White Witches." And yeah, Witches tend to kill White Witches on principle.
:)

[MATTHEW STEEN]

>The Sea

A couple of islands to flesh out, eh? Old stand-bys that may work could be a 'Tortuga'-like haven for Piracy, a meeting place for pirate/merchant kings, or a trade waypoint of some sort.

>Culture

 - Political Styles - A mercantile oligarchy might work. With the 'Egypt' region, I could see a number of risen Pharaohs forming a council as they struggle to determine the one true Pharaoh among them.

 - Conflict - I don't know how anyone else here feels about ye olde bloodfeude betwixt Vamps and Weres. I feel it's a little overdone but it does fit the set of tropes here.

---

From: Ross Watson <spy...@clansmith.org>
To: accursed-wo...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Saturday, April 6, 2013 6:54 PM
Subject: Accursed Worldbuilding Part 2: The World

[Robert Morris]

Trouble I see with the fey, is that more oft than not, the happy and brightly colored races are usually picked out. Contrary to something like Pans Labyrinth where even the fey aren't exactly the most kuddly of creatures (Liked their take of it actually).

Werewolves and Vamps have been featured so much, I think something new needs to be done. On one end, with Matts idea on the Pharaohs, that definitely leads to some contention between immortals and those chosen by the gods.

For the Sea, I'd say even taking a look at the early days of Hawaii and their culture, had some wicked stuff from their beliefs to how they viewed their volcanoes. Think of the Aztecs (when it was still utopic) except focused down to an island rather than a continent, that sort of life would be crazy.

Politics hmm, I couldn't go against Matts Pharoahs, that is rather wicked, with the Vampire court, unlike the usual prince and kings that so many courts portray, it would be interesting to see the Vamp court literally be a Parliament, kind of a new light to the ever evolving culture that these undead show.

Brain still working out thoughts

--
_____

'Our voyages are very educational... We learn about the natives before we slaughter them.' - Nescaf (Asterix and the Normans)
_____

[Ympulse Pulse]

At work, so this will be brief.

Fey: By definition, the Fey are nature, and so the Pan's Labrynth take is more along the lines for the setting. If you want to separate from that take, make them much more feral/bestial, less Sylvan from GW2, and more carnivorous plants, BBEG type of distinctions. They aren't wholesome protectors, they're another antagonist all their own if you venture into their domain. I'd really play up the ugly/hateful on them.

Egypt: I really dig the risen/immortal feud  As it's high and mighty vs high and mighty, there can be a LOT of political intrigue, like good ol' fictional Rome, where being in one politician's camp will get you killed for being in the wrong bathhouse, etc. 

Wolves Vs Vampires: I agree that it's really overdone, even if we're going for tropes. Assumedly, they weren't really interconnected until the Great War (tm), and so having them be in the beginnings of conflict and/or recognized conflict of interest (Vamps eat blood, Wolves Eat people (among other things), the two really can't coexist without thorough cooperation). Or, alternatively, ditching the concept of grand-scale conflict altogether could also work. (We could leave whitespace there, as WWolves are by nature not a singular regime, and so if a GM wants to do wolves vs vamps, there are Wolf clans more than happy to be antagonists in that scope.)

Sea: I dig the Tortuga hub and the Hawaiian/Aztec culture. Old Samoan culture is also a good reference, as they were extremely Xenophobic and just as bloodthirsty in the early times.

Politics: The lore here would make me think that the one or two complicit kingdoms (with the Witches) would be the largest/most prosperous, as the Vamp Spies (if that's still the route we're taking) would have been there in force. In the setting, Mercantile relationships between all of the kingdoms could still exist, but the actual relationships could look like: 2-3 complicit kingdoms allied, 1-2 rebellious nations allied (split them geographically to play up the 'points of light' take), and the 1-2 moderates being independent and suspicious of everyone, almost paranoia-level suspicion.

Vamp Court: I'm in complete agreeance with the Parliament idea for the Vamp Court, really like that take, since actual courts are a bit overdone and somewhat stale.

[MATTHEW STEEN]

Ok, that last post took 2 days to filter through, so apologies if my responses are delayed.

>Sea: I dig the Tortuga hub and the Hawaiian/Aztec culture. Old Samoan culture is also a good reference, as they were extremely Xenophobic and just as bloodthirsty in the early times.

Two words: Tiki Golem

>Politics: The lore here would make me think that the one or two complicit kingdoms (with the Witches) would be the largest/most prosperous, as the Vamp Spies (if that's still the route we're taking) would have been there in force. In the setting, Mercantile relationships between all of the kingdoms could still exist, but the actual relationships could look like: 2-3 complicit kingdoms allied, 1-2 rebellious nations allied (split them geographically to play up the 'points of light' take), and the 1-2 moderates being independent and suspicious of everyone, almost paranoia-level suspicion.

I will definitely second this.

>Vamp Court: I'm in complete agreeance with the Parliament idea for the Vamp Court, really like that take, since actual courts are a bit overdone and somewhat stale.

My mind conjures the 'boardroom' scene from Blade. Seeing that on a parliament-style scale is a sure win in my book.

'Carpathia/Russia' - Between this and the Baba Yaga ref, I could see the WWolves being treated in tones like the Romani gypsies or Cossacks or similar/hybridized flavor, if you get my meaning.

 

---

From: Ympulse Pulse <ympu...@gmail.com>
To: accursed-wo...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, April 9, 2013 3:36 PM
Subject: Re: Accursed Worldbuilding Part 2: The World

[Robert Morris]

Tiki Golem with their sticks of burning fire...so does Hawaii like island still become an attraction for Tourist? Do we get the Magnum P.I. of Van Helsing :D

As for Werewolves, the Cossack idea is actually brilliant, Cossacks we're very up and up in dueling with sabers and rather some ingenius but crazy culture in and out of battles!

[Ross Watson]

Of course, they dance the Mamushka!

[Robert Morris]

Ross when we next get you to a con, yo have to dress as Fester.

[Patrick Dennis]

So this is my first post here and only a couple of y'all even know me but here goes.

1) Witchcraft is composed of glamors, to use one requires a portion of your essense/life force and the correct formula. Something minor like a fireball you can recover from or just suck up. However you could also do something really awful and it may be a permanent thing. Such as cursing someone with a permanent condition. IE: I send out my glamor and your appearance changes every thirty seconds from now on but I can barely scrape up a parlor trick because most of my life force is used up. I like the idea of it only being limited by your imagination and willingness to sacrifice some part of yourself. Once your life force is zero, well, bad times abound. 

2) I really like the WWolf clan cossacks. Sort of calvary without horses. 

3) The Sea - Tortuga, The Headhunters, Fiji, Samoan, Cannibal Pygmies all that is super fun to use and I say do it all. Maybe there's an archpelego on the southern end of the continent. I also had a couple things to add here, what about an island of Fey? Populated by Pan's labryinth type faerie creatures. Like the Isle of Man in England. Cold, rocky shores and strange primeval forests where odd things are always happening. We could call it the Eerie Ilses! You could even make it a "Lost"-eske type island although if there's time travel my head might explode. I will say I am still a fan of the smoke monster.

I also like the dim hope of another land across the sea that the witches can't reach since witches have an aversion to the sea (see Wizard of Oz). Except of course the sea witch and there will invariably be one... A place unspoiled by their evil, a place that maybe some of the neutral/opposition political factions are looking for. Basically, wow living under the witches really sucks, what about that Atlantis place? I kinda like the idea of far off outside allies as well. 

4) Culture - I really like the Egypt ideas flying around. Also, I think that a Vampire Merchant/Corporate Council is pretty sweet, transcending borders with money. I think that your Israel/Judea should be one of the last strongholds of the Lords of Man. The witches were never able to completely conquer them due to harsh enviroment (desert) but were certainly able to contain them. I think it should be a religious theocracy lead by a council of Imams/Rabbis sort of like Iran where there's a secular government but it answers to the spiritual government. Maybe they have a lot of "white witches"? Or maybe the desert is an area of wild magical phenomena that particularly messes with the witches and they're creations. Or maybe it's the power of their faith that keeps the witches away. They would need some sort of Mussad to take out regular people spies. They may not be "conquered" but they are under siege. Perhaps just a single city like Mecca or something. 

[Ross Watson]

Some random thoughts I had tonight while talking over worldbuilding with a friend of mine.

1. The world is threatened by banes (the true monsters), but the /real/ problem with the setting is the Witches. Very few people really understand this truth. The "Rangers" are one of the few groups to recognize the true problem and are trying to solve it.

2. Banes are monsters -- they are creatures of blood and magic. Most banes are pretty mindless, possessing only base cunning. Banes can breed more banes. Some banes have "subraces" such as the horrid Leech-men and the Skunk Goblins. Some of these subraces have low intelligence, enough to have sentience and form communities, tribes, even some culture. In the end, however, Banes serve Witches. Witches and the banes they create have a bond... it is basically one-way from the Witch to the Banes. Killing a bunch of banes doesn't alert the Witch (at least, not generally... this may be different based on the Witch). However, if the Blood Witch really wants you dead, she can send every single Leech-man in the swamp after you. Banes are evil -- they enjoy causing suffering, pain, and slaughter.

3. "Scotland" is really more of a combination of Scotland and Wales -- it is mostly covered in rocky crags, swampy bogs of peat (including plenty of quicksand), misty moors and deep, unfathomable lakes harboring monsters.
Basically the most forbidding parts of that area of the world.

4. Most of the Accursed Mummies are not royalty/pharoahs... most of them were actually honored servants, tomb guardians, etc. A few Mummies /were/ part of the royal line, Pharoahs and whatnot -- these folks are all somehow related to the single ruler who made that unwise wish.

5. The blood witch created the Vampires and the Dhampir. Dhampir were able to resist the full effects of the curse and thus retained their humanity. Vampires are actually a form of Bane.

6. An example of an Accursed adventure:
The group encounters or is sent to investigate a village. They find that all the young people in the village have nasty scars and seem nervous and/or fearful.
Investigating, the group discovers that the town mayor ordered the disfigurements.
His explanation is that all the beautiful young sons and daughters were taken away by the Blood Witch and her servants over the last few years... and none of those were ever seen again. Disfiguring the youths was the only way to ensure their safety.

None of the above is set in stone per se, but they are definitely ideas that I like and they help give you an idea of where I'm going.

[Christina Dinse]

This post is mostly regarding culture, etc.  The more I read this the more I really don't see this world being a global monotheistic society. Since there are so many different countries on this continent ("Egypt", "Transylvania") I see there being more of pantheon of gods. Like 7 or 8 of them. Each province might have a Patron or Matron from the Pantheon but that wouldn't mean they wouldn't worship the whole group.

I also liked the idea of a vampire parliament but somehow I don't see them sitting around a table saying "Aye" and "Nay". I see it more as discussion with an iron fist. This could possibly apply to the Dhampir as well. I imagine some of them are older than others and some might have been closer to the witch then others during their bondage so perhaps this lends itself to them having higher positions in their hierarchy due to their unique perspective.

The Accursed, presumably, wouldn't maintain political control or power in an area since they were driven out so did they establish their own societies in sparsely populated areas or their nations? If so they would have a culture and a governing body. This bring me to a question that will have a pretty big impact on the cultural identity of each Nation:

Presumably, each witch had a unique curse so the Accursed in Transylvania would all be a certain type of accursed unless another witch was present? If so, do they retain their religious beliefs/cultural identity and what effect would that have on the cultural identity of the Accursed since they have been driven away by their friends and family do to their transformations?

[Ross Watson]

Hey guys,

John Dunn wrote up a great piece on the Order of the Penitent (or the Order of Saint Vitus).

[Ross Watson]

Had an idea today about the Darkwall and the lands beyond.

Since Accursed is a realm with many dark mirrors to classic faery tales, and because our main antagonists are Witches --

What if the lands beyond the Darkwall were once lush and fertile, full of brave hunters, wise kings, and handsome princes?
What if the lands beyond the Darkwall were once the settings of classic faerie tales like Hansel & Gretel, Red Riding Hood, and more?

And...

What if the lands beyond the Darkwall is where all those stories went horribly, horribly wrong?

So the Witches feared so much by the land of Morden were once queens, mothers, and normal women -- but they triumphed in their evil where they should have been defeated by good.

For every faerie tale, imagine a horrifying ending.

Aladdin and the Forty Theives? The Djinn was awoken and not friendly. Thousands died.
Sleeping Beauty? The prince and every citizen of his land died one by one at the hands of the jealous Crone.
Red Riding Hood? All that remains of a gentle girl is a vicious murdering fey assassin who dips her hood in the blood of the slain... Little Red Cap is her name now.

Once the lands beyond the Darkwall were dead, gone, used up... that's when the Witches set their sights on Morden.

[Texashex]

You remember in dark sun when they used magic it burned up plants and that's why it's a desert? Why not something similar? Maybe the people of yon gentle fairy tale land were the blood for the banes? (Creatures of blood and magic)

Sent from my iPhone

[John Dunn]

I was just thinking about the Darkwall today. My notion was that there might have been some sort of barrier there which kept the witches out throughout most of Morden's history. It was only when the barrier was sundered (most likely inadvertently, probably by citizens of the Outlands) that the Witches became aware of the potential prey beyond it.

Someone had previously mentioned something about sleeping dragons. It occurs to me that this might have been the barrier that kept the witches away.

-John

[Scott Johnson]

Hello You could work in a little bit of Tolkien environmentalism. Maybe there was a giant "enchanted/haunted" forest that kept the baddies at bay. After overharvesting, unchecked developement the forest just couldn't keep them away any longer?   SJ --- On Thu, 6/13/13, John Dunn <john...@meliorvia.com> wrote:

From: John Dunn <john...@meliorvia.com> Subject: Re: Accursed Worldbuilding Part 2: The World

[Ross Watson]

I like the idea that the setting has a number of conflicting theories about this, and no one is sure which one is right. J

 

One cool theory could be that a hero of the Outlands slew a sleeping dragon, and that turned out to be the one thing keeping the Witches away…

 

Obviously the Enochians have their own theory (SIN!) and the Manreians another (the Witches were frightened of us until they united) and so forth.

 

From: accursed-wo...@googlegroups.com [mailto:accursed-wo...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of John Dunn
Sent: Thursday, June 13, 2013 4:30 AM
To: accursed-wo...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Accursed Worldbuilding Part 2: The World

 

I was just thinking about the Darkwall today. My notion was that there might have been some sort of barrier there which kept the witches out throughout most of Morden's history. It was only when the barrier was sundered (most likely inadvertently, probably by citizens of the Outlands) that the Witches became aware of the potential prey beyond it.

-John

[Texashex]

When I originally was thinking sleeping dragons, as a fact Ross didn't want to take away from the witches über-ness. But I like the idea of it as a fable/myth.

 I was thinking that past the wall should be undefined as much as possible, but there does need to be a giant briar patch somewhere. 

Sent from my iPhone