October Update
Added 2020-10-05 08:54:19 +0000 UTCHey everyone, it's time for another update!
Here's a quick overview of the maps that have been published since the last update.
Far to the north in the Kingdom of Rasfadal lies the city of Feryndon, a religious town, ruled by the bishop of the church. The people of Feryndon are devout followers of Herartus, the God of Knowledge.
Bishop Yormon, leader of the city, can often be found in the library of the church. The public library is only small, but underneath the church is a large network of tunnels and rooms where the bishop keeps all sorts of ancient texts. It is, he claims, the knowledge that belongs to his God. Many people have sought for the texts that are kept in the library, but Bishop Yormon won't allow anyone inside.
The city itself is a sober one. There is always trade going on, with people going about their daily business, but you'll never find extravagant festivities going on in the city. Even the Season Fair, which is a large seasonal celebration throughout the entire kingdom, is only a small event in Feryndon.
In the foothills of the Domart Mountains on the shores of Lake Romond lies the town of the same name.
Almost a decade ago, in the early years of the War of the Vale, Romond was captured by the forces of Domari and brought into their kingdom. The people of Romond care little for their new rulers and still hold on to their Burbric culture. Many people have left the town to move to nearby villages in the Kingdom of Burbry, their old home.
As the people of Romond left, the dwarves from Domari have gladly taken their place. This has most people confused: the dwarves of Domari seldom come out of the mountain cities, let alone settle in human settlements. And it's not just that, but the fact that the dwarves even show interest in conquering lands beyond their mountains in highly unusual. Something must have changed to make the dwarves want to leave their cities.
Meanwhile, life in Romond goes on as it always has. The humble town has a thriving fishing industry and farmers tend to the lands around town. The Demagie Brothel is a renowned establishment both among the old inhabitants as well as the dwarves. Many man share their stories in the company of the brothel's employees, which makes it the main hub of information in town.
The port is where all people come together to trade, work, barter and drink. Is a chaotic mess of people going about their daily business, or disrupting others. Some people try to avoid this part of town, while others thrive in it. Here they can do what they do best without prying eyes.
At night the docks are often empty, safe for some drunken sailors and the odd commoner. On the docks a cloaked figure can be seen looking out over the water, waiting for something or someone to arrive. Each night the stranger is there, but when you try to approach them, they disappear before you can catch them.
Hardworking people who have earned enough to retire often move out to the quiet Tarnal Peninsula with the town of Deleeron at the very end. Deleeron is not the fanciest town on the peninsula, but it's a very popular place among retired folk. Nothing happens here and they can spend their old days in peace.
The town is renowned for its great artists, sculptors and painters. Many people here spend their time picking up hobbies that they never had time for. The Church of Arus, the God of Art, is filled with beautiful - and less beautiful - paintings and sculptures. In addition to art created by the townsfolk, it also contains some of the most famous works of art from the kingdom.
Three nights ago there has been a theft. Someone, or something broke into the church and stole the "Lyck Mien Raet", one of the most valuable paintings in the kingdom. The priest has offered a great reward to those who would bring it back to its rightful place.
The people of the village hold their right to decide for themselves very close to heart. Whenever a big decision has to be made they meet in the village square to discuss the goings on, arguing, shouting and sometimes fighting.
Other times the village square hosts markets, festivals or fairs. People from the countryside come to visit and take part in the festivities and purchase wares from exotic lands.
When something occurs that concerns the whole village, the Village Elder calls everyone together to inform them. And so she did this morning. Lately, villagers have gone missing after going into the woods. Anyone brave enough to investigate and return the missing people will earn the eternal thanks of the Village Elder, as well as a handsome reward.
The Kingdom of Knurden is a cold and harsh nation in the north of Wordal. Of old, the people that dwelled here were a divided one, spread out across many competing clans. The rivalry amongst clans combined with the harsh weather made this a dangerous place to live. The people of the Fjords lived like this for centuries.
Two winter's ago a man decided that it was enough when his clan engaged in combat with another. His people were being crushed and upon seeing this, this man burst into a rage like no one had ever seen before, he defeated the enemy almost single handedly! In this fight, he lost all his teeth, save for one. From this day on, the man was known as Fjurmann Ojntund.
Fjurmann became the leader of his clan, and out of fear of what this man could do, the survivors of the opposing clan joined his. Fjurmann continued to confront other clans offering them to join his or suffer the same fate as his enemies. Within 3 moons, he had united all of Knurden under one clan, pronounced himself King Fjurmann I of House Ojntund, and founded the Kingdom of Knurden.
The Kingdom of Knurden is still young, and the harsh people have little experience with diplomacy and politics. Still, save for the occasional feud and violent outbreak, King Fjurmann's rule is fair and firm, and his subject loyal. Now it is time for the Knurds to find their place in the world.
There's a windy road that leads through the forest. It's a faster way to the nearby city, but be warned: it's also bandit territory. The king's men don't patrol here and it's a lawless territory. it is recommended that you do not travel through these forests without protection, or you might find yourself in a nasty situation.
Along the road are various trees, bushes, cliffs and drops where bandits could be hiding. Keep a watchful eye, and you might just spot them in time, turn the tables and take the surprise to them!
The forest is thick and dark and gloomy. You've been struggling to get through since you got here. The journey has been long, and slow and tiring. But just now, you got to an opening, a clearing in the forest. It's lighter here than it has been in days. Your eyes need a moment to get used to the bright daylight. When your eyes finally adjusted you see before you a massive stone wall. But it's not natural looking. It's smooth and straight, though it seems years of rain and storms have worn it down. You decide to follow the wall and see where it leads.
After a short while you get to what looks like an entrance of sorts. several stairs lead up to a tall set of broken stone doors. Someone or something already got in. Or out...
Deep in the woods near the Haunted Lake is a woodcutter's cabin. It's not large and often abandoned, but from time to time you might catch the man going about his business.
Eric is a tall, bulky man who has moved away from the town years ago, when his wife and daughter died. Since then he has lived on his cabin in the woods on his own, far way from the people that kept bothering him.
Most people that visit him shouldn't expect a warm greeting, but there every now and then, when he feels comfortable around you, he'll open up. He'll tell you about his life in town, his wife, his daughter, and he might even tell you about the darkness that lurks in the forest...
There is a myth of a long forgotten time when a mighty king ruled all Wordal. This is a time long before the kingdom of Rasfadal, and even the Burbric Empire. King Benerthus is supposed to have been buried in an old tomb, hidden deep within the Gynardan Mountains. But no one knows where...
Long ago lived a great king. King Benerthus once ruled a united Wordal, something that no ruler that came after him ever managed. Benerthus lived a heroic life and in eventually he considered himself more heroic even than the Gods themselves. He climbed the highest peak of the Gynardan Mountains where he then challenged Gyrda herself, Goddess of Heroism, to a duel. Benerthus fought bravely, but was no match for the Goddess, and in the end he was struck down by Her thunder.
After his death, his kingdom fell apart. Benerthus was buried in the a tomb deep in the mountains along with his successors, though their achievements didn't come close to the greatness of their ancestor. The dynasty fell, and Benerthus turned into legend, then into myth. Today he is no more than a story parents tell to their children.
But the spirit of Benerthus still lingers in that tomb, watching over his grave and challenging all who dare enter.
There've also been some changes since the last update which I think are worth mentioning here again.
- First we have made some changes to the rewards for the tiers. Voting on the Patron-exclusive polls has become a reward for the Knight tier and up, where it was previously available for all patrons.
- Previously all variations were part of the Knight tier. I have decided to move some variations over to the Duke tier. Knights still gets Line Art and Parchment variations of the maps. Dukes get additional weather and/or season variations.
You may also have noticed that we briefly reached the new goal for the King Tier last month. End the end of every month the pledge amount decreased a little, so we'll have to wait until we start the month with the goal reached before the tier is unlocked. This tier will let you request a custom map which will be posted as a standard Patreon map on this page, including variations for every tier.
Finally, Patreon has recently offered payouts to creators in Euros. As I'm located in Europe I'm going to change to currency to Euro and some of the pledge amounts may change for new Patrons. For all my current Patrons, nothing should change.
I also have some new maps coming up!
The next map is a map of Fallaval, capital of the Lords of Olorlay.
And that's it for this update!
As always, happy gaming!
