The Grasslands

The Grasslands is where players begin play.

Anne Mohr, http://luned.deviantart.com/

A civilized area in western Valkuria, the Grasslands still form the power core of the

Western Empire - or what remains of it. They mostly contain rolling green hills and

prairies made more fertile by the Twin River that slowly winds its way towards the

western ocean.

City of Evergreen

Although a shadow of its past glory, the imperial capital still dominates the region. Its tall green tower spires are visible from quite far away and its mighty walls have never been breached during its bimillenial existence. The city is surrounded by the Stoneguard Mountains and the Twin River, making this an excellent, extremely defensible location.

Greenwood

Greenwood forms a border between the Grasslands and the Badlands to the east. It as considered a safe place to harvest wood, herbs as well as hunt game. In recent decades, however, unrest in the Badlands has made it less and less attractive.

Mistwood

Contrary to the rest of the Grasslands, Mistwood is a damp, miserable place. It separates the Grasslands from the Crimson Forest to the north. A mist seems to hang perpetually over the silent trees, discouraging any adventurers from venturing any deeper.

Monastery of Patience

This is an ancient monastery in the eastern part of the Grasslands. Founded long ago, it once belonged to the Ring of Virtue, a string of monasteries promoting human life, righteousness, and purity of spirit. Now, like so much else, it lies abandoned atop its characteristic rock pillar.

Quietus

Once a thriving community, this island now lies deserted in the middle of Sunset Bay. Almost a century ago, its inhabitants rebelled against tyrannical imperial rule and their land was destroyed by Emperor Alexius I.

South Loch

In this protected bay, one can see the remains of two naval fleets. A century ago, fugitive Quietus vessels were destroyed by the imperial fleet. Their remains are still visible where the water is shallow. In an ironic twist of fate, revolutionaries from the Scarlet Ring torched imperial ships in the same spot three decades ago, destroying the empire's naval power base.

Drafting Nocturion

Putting this game together is so much more than writing code. I've been reading Archmage's notes, and the realm of Nocturion is becoming more than just a world where strongholds are built and heroes battle creatures, alive and dead. Nocturion now has depth, a history of hundreds of years, empires that rise and fall, grand battles fought... won and lost.

Archmage has been working with artist and cartographer Anne Mohr (http://luned.deviantart.com/) to help us visualize this new world. It's definitely a process and this is still very much in-progress, but this is what they've come up with so far...

The End of the World

Maybe you remember a few years back, when the world was supposed to end? Harold Camping predicted May 21, 2011 would be the day of the Christian Rapture, and five months after, The End.

As far as I can tell, it didn't happen as predicted, but in the world of Nocturion, you will definitely encounter dark knights, demons, and strigoi... the troubled souls of the dead rising from the grave.

What happens next? No one knows.

Harpy Monday!

Inhabitants of the Elemental Planes

As the game story progresses, the elemental beings of Oceanus, Spiritus, Terra Infinitus, and Ignis will become more and more involved in players' affairs, eventually becoming their ultimate opponents.

On the plane of Oceanus, water is the life-giving element and the inhabitants support the diversity of (mostly aquatic) life in all its myriad forms. This places them in direct opposition to the fire lords of Ignis, who worship death and destruction. The ruler of Oceanus is Neriah Terror of the Deep, a huge kraken-like creature that commands everything in this realm.

Air elementals are the most common inhabitants of Spiritus. They resemble air vortices or whirlwinds that playfully move among the clouds. Air is in constant motion and takes an infinite number of possible shapes. Air manifests everywhere, from small clouds and wisps of smoke to lashing winds, terrible thunderstorms and the breath of living creatures. The ruler of this plane is Lord Thunderon, a gigantic air elemental that resembles a dark, living whirlwind.

Terra Infinitus is mostly solid earth, filled with endless tunnels and caverns. Most native creatures of Terra Infinitus, such as earth elementals, have little difficulty traveling through the plane, usually by merging into the rocks at will. Other creatures, such as stone and iron golems, are scattered around guarding ancient secrets. The rulers of Terra Infinitus are the Stonecore Archons, seven gigantic golems of supreme power, each made from a different precious material: diamond, ruby, emerald, sapphire, amethyst, zircon, amber.

Inhabitants of Ignis, the plane of fire, favor destruction. All things, they believe, must be purified by fire, the most powerful of all elements. Only those strong enough to withstand fire's destructive power are deemed worthy of existence. The fire lords consider beings of flesh to be insignificant and weak and they care almost nothing about their existence. The ruler of this plane is Pyrelord Phlogistus, a gigantic phoenix-like flyer that is always on fire.

Divulging the Elemental Planes

Surrounding Nocturion are the Elemental Planes of Oceanus, Spirtus, Terra Infinitus, and Ignis. The rulers of these planes are hostile, raging war with one another, which is why they leave Nocturion alone... for now.

Oceanus is an endless ocean, filled with all types of aquatic creatures. Numerous islands dot its surface but they are actually floating in the plane’s eternal currents. The skies are blue and clouds, light rain, and the occasional storm, stir the otherwise peaceful water surface. 

In the elemental plane of Spiritus, everything is floating. Here and there small islands of matter drift endlessly in the wind currents, with their own pockets of gravity holding together the soil and dirt. This elemental plane resembles a planet’s atmosphere without the surface. There are clouds, storms, whirlwinds, and tornados as manifestations of the Air element. The light comes from everywhere (there is no sun), resembling Earth’s clear blue skies in a good day or the darker hues while a storm rages.

Terra Infinitus is mostly solid matter, with the occasional pocket of air. Rich veins of gold, silver, mithril, and numerous precious gems are found throughout the plane, although their extraction is often difficult. The precious materials found throughout this plane illuminate the endless tunnels and caves with a soft bluish light which often confuses travelers from Nocturion.

The plane of Ignis is the hardest for the inhabitants of Nocturion to survive, because it is almost entirely set on fire. Rocks glow red hot, fire geysers sprout from the ground, gigantic firestorms rage in the distance and active volcanoes disgorge lava and ash from the bowels of the plane. Even fire occasionally rains down from the skies, turning unprotected travelers to cinders within minutes.

As an inhabitant of Nocturion, are you eager to explore the planes or apprehensive?

And so far, I've only described the terrain...

Next post: Inhabitants of the Elemental Planes

Mapping it out

The process is incredible. As someone watching from the sidelines, I am in complete awe of Archmage and how his mind can imagine, detail, and create this new world, Nocturion.

In March, I introduced you to the concept of Nocturion. Then, all I knew was that it was a world that resembled our own, as it was during the Middle Ages, but with a darker twist. As it turns out, there is so much more to discover.

Our timeline begins when Varian Auxentius dissolves the Republic and proclaims the universal Evergreen Empire. But, as you many have guessed, the story, Nocturion's lore, started well before. It was 640 years before that the City of Evergreen was first settled. This city lies at a naturally defensible position in the Grasslands of western Valkuria, the main continent of Nocturion.

This map is still in it's infancy, but it gives some structure to the story of this dark new world.

Are you intrigued? Because I have more to tell... much more.

Next post: Divulging the Elemental Planes

Protector

In a world filled of Warlords, Assassins, Werewolves and Dragons... 

who will protect you?