Aode
Scope
The motivation behind building Aode
I am building this world as a personal project to give me some creative output, express my ideas, and create an extensive, detailed, and varied world for my fantasy roleplaying games to take place in. I also try to create places that take the best ideas I find in other works and put them into mine. If you see something similar to what you have seen before- that is probably why. I make plenty of original content for this world, but some of the ideas are admittedly directly lifted.
The goal of the project
I hope one day for it to be grand enough for me to just send a link to my players and be confident that they will have plenty of information to look at to understand my world and create interesting characters within it.
Aode's Unique Selling point
This world is 100%, completely, and absolutely fine tuned to my very personal taste in the fantasy genre. I combine elements I love from all over, mix them up, and create new things based on everything I have read, played, and watched.
Some inspiration is below, not in any way comprehensive.
1984,
Airships: Conquer the Skies,
Alien,
Azeroth,
Baldur's Gate,
Call of Cthulhu RPG,
Castlevania,
Civilization V,
Cowboy Bebop,
Crusader Kings,
Dawn of the Dead,
Darkest Dungeon,
Darren Shan,
Deadlands,
Divinity 2,
Don't Starve,
Eberron,
Evangelion,
Faerun,
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser,
Fallout,
Fire Emblem,
Five Torches Deep,
Grim Hollow,
Hollow Knight,
Hunt: Showdown,
Indiana Jones,
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure,
The Last Apprentice,
The Legend of Drizzt,
The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante,
Lord of the Rings,
Lovecraft,
Mahoutsukai no Yome,
Mob Psycho 100,
Monty Python,
The Once and Future King,
Pathologic 2,
Ravenloft,
REAL History from all over the world,
Samurai Jack,
A Song of Ice and Fire,
Spice and Wolf,
Star Wars,
Stephen King,
Tamriel,
The Thing,
The Walking Dead,
Warhammer,
The Witcher,
Theme
Genre
Aode is a primarily fantastical world, along the lines of Middle Earth and Westeros. However, as a world to that primarily exists in my head to express to my players at the TTRPG table, it is very flexible to their needs. As a whole, however, it is generally a medium magic world that is scarred by tragedy and bleakness. Magic isn't inherently rare or despised, but it is usually heavily regulated if not banned outright. Technology is currently advancing rapidly in the east, with black powder being about two generations old and trainlines beginning to snake across the coast. Aviation is in its infancy, and the new technology is leading to political turmoil across the continent. Revolution is a word oft on the tongue, unless you are in a country controlled by the Angel Party, who has transformed the east coast into an Orwellian nightmare. Divine powers, Celestial and Daemonic alike, once expelled from Aode for their pointless and destructive wars, are seeping back into the world as the magic keeping them at bay erodes over time. Dragon-kin are still held in deep resentment for the crimes of their ancestors, and a fading empire of elvs still lashes out at countries that displease it.
Reader Experience
How the players should feel is dependent on the campaign; you can have a dazzling detective story in the Velar, the city of lights. Or you can have a classical fantasy adventure in the backwoods of Darrlonia. Or a game of internal politics in the Zatalia. A war campaign in Castil. A pirate themed one in the Teperdis sea. An experience with eldritch horrors along the White Road. I try to have locations and lore for just about any fantasy game you can think of somewhere in the world. Any time a run a module, I create or change a part of my own world to fit it in. As a whole though, I want the players to feel as though the world operates without them there, but they are more than welcome to take the wheels of history :).
(I have separate worlds for sci-fi and post apocalyptic games, not on world anvil)
(I am working on a full RPG book for my post apocalyptic game as well)
Reader Tone
The world leans to the dark side of things, but I don't want a misery cesspit. Fantastical events occur, but so do war crimes. The world has had worse than the players will likely ever experience. The average life depends on where you are, nowhere is entirely rainbows, nor is anywhere completely hopeless.
Recurring Themes
- The crusty eyed boatswain speaks to you in a harsh Suevish tongue. He is heading north, to Orlaki. He wants to mine three boats worth of livingstone and needs protection. Not only is it highly illegal in Velarian waters, but travelling through the Starfall Straight with living-built boats is a one way trip to the drink. "Awh, but oi have a plan. We brave tha' northway, pass Talon Bay, and slip under the nose of the Polvantis." Suicide is the first word that comes to your mind. "There's a storm a' coming, I can smell it. A lowly Suevish sailor like meself might not 'ave a chance against a Rancar, but I 'can beat a storm. A Rancar can't." Not the worst plan you've ever heard, and there's a lot of money in it... perhaps this could just work
- The eye turns the corner. Another shouldn't pass for at least 40 seconds. You sprint to the next alley, determined to reach the steam station. Your contact in the party said the railboat on platform four was bound for the Border Station. If you can just catch it, this nightmare will be one step closer to being over. Another eye passes, about five seconds later than normal. The prycasters are sloppy this morning. You take off again, one other block to go. The orange of the sun is beginning to creep over the rooftops. It would only be a few minutes until public hours, and the departure of the train. You decided to go for it. You've been watching the patrols for weeks, you shouldn't have an issue. You prepare to hop the fence, snapping the magistick in your teeth as you do. It's magic should protect you from the alarm spells that infest the location. You saved up nearly a month of bread ration tickets to buy it from that rogue spellslinger. It would have been more, but five of your rations were the premium kind that include cheese and meat, so that swayed him to you. You drop down into the compound, running as soon as you hit the ground. You get to the platform, and scramble onto it. Just as the train enters your sight, your heart drops. Every eye in the compound is trained on you, and you hear the sound of running footsteps. The alarm had been triggered. If you survive whatever they have in store for you, that mage is dead.
Character Agency
Irrelevant. That depends on the players.
Drama
The Empire of Zatalia is currently without a ruler, the Zarma. The previous Zarma, Zelekellen, used his position as the Bud of Red to systematically kill the entire Zatalian royalty, leaving him as the only inheritor, despite being far down the line of succession. After a long and strained reign of 543 years however, he died without an heir, laughing on his deathbed that empire would die with him. The Yarate governors currently scramble for power, attempting to establish a new line for the first time since the beginning of the Third Era. Unbeknownst to all however, one of royal blood remains; a failing actor and living powder dealer far to the north in Velar, Zax.
"The Petals of Blue have divined one still alive, nearly out of vision due to the distance. We believe he is in Irynia. Send the Green and Purple to retrieve him, at any cost."
The political situation in the east is, in a word, oppressive. The police states ran by the Angel Party only number in three, with two of those being only partial, but their weight in the east is immeasurable. It is said that the Angel Party took power with guns and kept it with mages. Every wizard, mage, and back alley sorcerer was either captured, converted, or killed by the party in Harbrath and Free Salgermaar in order to power their mass surveillance programs. It is only a matter of time before the Berbalan Union falls as well. Eltermore isn't much better, with a god-emperor Celestial at the head of the government who simply kills mages for fear of their power. Tardün is in the process of industrialization during their never ending war with the empire. The Kingdom of Cwandore simply wishes to stay out of matters concerning the east, preferring to hold out the storm in Darrlonia. Tederland is recovering from war with the empire, but still keeps its ever- vigilant Cherry Armada patrolling the coasts. Salgermaar wishes to unite the country once more, and are always looking for allies to tip the scales against the Angels.
"You betrayed me to the party? Why?! I thought you finally grew a pair when you said we should stand up to them!"
"I did grow a pair. Of wings"
-
more to come when I feel like it