Monday, April 27, 2015

Worldbuilder's Anvil: an inspired collaboration

This post is Part 1 of a series to augment the Guest Resources available for free download.

This and other guest-inspired content is gathered in my Guest Directory for you to explore.

Find more world workshops in my Worldbuilding Directory.



Recently, I was interviewed for Worldbuilder's Anvil, a cool podcast by Jeffery W. Ingram. I first met Jeffery on Twitter, well before he launched his podcast, and we chatted as friends and fellow world-builders. He mentioned his idea to interview different world-builders on his podcast. We also discussed a joint production on how to create fictional languages, to utilize my linguistics degree and Language Codex of the Known World.

Jeffery launched his fantastic podcast with each episode focused on a different topic or world-builder. After we set a date to record my interview, Jeffery sent me the show questions, and I went through the notes in a few different pen colors.


Check out these Guest Resources for more inspirational content!


While jotting down cool answers and mentionable details, I came up with my World Map Giveaway to announce on the podcast. I'd been wanting to do another map commission to flesh out my world map portfolio, and Jeffery's listeners seemed like the perfect audience for it.

The day of the recording happened to be the exact day I started recovering from a cold. With my head a little duller than usual, I ran the giveaway by Jeffery before the interview, and he agreed to have me announce it. We dove into the interview, and I'm so glad I made notes beforehand! I found myself relying on those notes much more than I'd anticipated, though my nerves and waning cold were likely culprits.

After following my notes through two pages of questions, I saw my idea for the map giveaway scrawled in the bottom margin. I'd totally forgotten to mention it throughout the whole interview! Hilariously, I announced my well-planned giveaway at the last minute, and learned a valuable lesson about prioritizing notes ahead of time.


You can start listening to
Worldbuilder's Anvil: Interview with D.N.Frost here.

(interview starts at 1:50)

And be sure to subscribe to Jeffery's awesome podcast, if you haven't already.


That's it for this post! Up Next: All these freaking maps...

Download the Guest Resources here, or start your adventure below.






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Monday, April 20, 2015

Coastlines of Babylon: a map commission

This post is Part 2 of a series to augment the Fictional Cartography by D.N.Frost available for free download. Start with Part 1 here.

This and other map commissions are gathered in my Portfolio Directory for you to explore.

Find more guest-inspired content in my Guest Directory.



After Steve and I discussed his unique world in Part 1 of this series, the next step was to iron out the shape of his continents. His initial render was free of charge, to help Steve envision his finished map before he made a deposit on the commission.

The free render started when Steve sent me some of his world-building notes on the lay of the land. I read through the notes and made a freehand sketch of the continents, then talked with Steve about general shapes of the mainland continent and the island archipelago. Armed with knowledge, I made the first render of Steve's map!


Check out this Fictional Cartography by D.N.Frost for more maps!


After Steve saw the preliminary render, he printed out the render and sketched his first adjustments right onto the map, then scanned it and sent the image back to me.

At this point, he paid a deposit for a little over half the total cost, and I began making adjustments.

I shifted subcontinents, adjusted islands, and added peninsulas to the original render.

Steve provided very particular latitudes for the Arctic and Tropic parallels. But as I worked those lines into the updated map, I bumped into a problem.

The temperate zone Steve wanted stretched the continent far beyond the north pole and equator.

I sent him an overlay of his continents across a map of Earth to illustrate the issue, and I provided a few options for different solutions.

Steve picked the option that worked best for his world, and I shrank the tropic and arctic zones into proportion for the temperate zone he wanted.

Not surprisingly, the shape of the whole continent changed drastically.

I added a latitude and longitude grid for Steve's reference and sent him another render so he could decide if he liked the new look.

Steve had lots of statistics about his planet that were difficult to translate into a 2D map projection.

Because all 2D maps distort the land depicted (especially near the poles), we agreed that his 2D map would inherently be a little inaccurate, similar to my Maps of the Known World.

Fortunately, that meant it wouldn't contradict his data on miles of coastline, total land area, and percentage fresh water. He liked the new render, and we were ready to move on to the next stage of his map.


That's it for this post! Up Next: Mountains, lakes, and plotting town coordinates...

Want to bring your own world to life? We can map your world.
You deserve a professional map you can be proud to share.

Download Fictional Cartography by D.N.Frost here, or start your adventure below.






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Wednesday, April 15, 2015

The Back Rishi: a map for Awakening

The Back Rishi: fertile river deltas in the elf heartland www.DNFrost.com/maps #TotKW A map for Awakening by D.N.Frost @DNFrost13 Part 9 of a series.
This post is Part 9 of a series to augment the Atlas of the Known World available for free download. Start with Part 1 here.

This and other TotKW maps are gathered in my Map Directory for you to explore.

Enjoy!



The Back Rishi
The Back Rishi: fertile river deltas in the elf heartland www.DNFrost.com/maps #TotKW A map for Awakening by D.N.Frost @DNFrost13 Part 9 of a series.
Fertile river deltas in the elf heartland.


Geography and Climate


In Chapter 6 of Awakening, the Back Rishi forms the eastern half of the Plains of Rishi. It lies between the arid Sutek Desert to the north and the balmy Gulf of Lohki to the south.

Below the sheer D'jed Mountains, its rolling plains foster mighty river deltas, where the rich black soil has been cultivated for centuries. At the western edge of the Katei Ocean, high escarpments plunge to meet the sea, and long growing seasons grace these temperate plains.

This region also borders the Front Rishi, the Sren Shoals, and the Broken Hills.


Flora and Fauna


The Back Rishi is heavily agrarian, with little uncultivated land left. Hardy grains are grown in the drier soils north of the deltas, and rice paddies dominate the low-lying southern regions. Insects proliferate throughout the Back Rishi, supporting a wide array of birds and field rodents. The wild animals of the Back Rishi are smaller than their cousins of the western Front Rishi, and very few ranches exist east of the Black Ka river. Most farms have large chicken coops for eggs and poultry production, and many farms utilize domesticated wyverns to guard their fields from raiding insects or thieving trespassers. Oxen and horses are not uncommon beasts for plowing and transporting harvests to market.


People and Dress


The plains elves of the sunny Back Rishi have browned skin and dark hair. Their long, backswept ears are similar to most other elves, but their dark complexions are unique amongst the elf races. While allied with the other regions of the Allanic Empire, the elves of the Back Rishi are more focused on their agrarian lifestyle than the doings of their neighbors. Women dress in simple frocks and men prefer to work the land in undyed coveralls. Colorful garments are considered feminine and gaudy, unless reserved for special occasions. In the southern regions of the Back Rishi, larger farms employ the lighter-complexioned tree elves as indentured servants, and the plains elves tend to look upon these pale cousins with disdain.


Native Magic


Plains elves across the Rishi display similar magical propensities. Their elemental powers are profoundly weak, though in rare cases a plains elf may perform Earth or Air magic. Special magic is their typical strong suit, and plains elves make powerful Metal mages. Their Animal magic is a bit stronger than their mountain cousins, and plains elves display stronger Sound and Touch magics than other elf races. These sensory powers sometimes combine into the rare ability to perform Music magic, and wandering bards often earn a good living along the gulf coast.

Check out the Magic Codex of the Known World to learn more.


Cultural Values and Traditions


A hard-working, diligent people, the plains elves of the Back Rishi value thrift and re-purposing over new possessions. Magic is typically affiliated with the colors blue and purple, which evoke wisdom and harmony with the divine. However, magic is approached as a practical resource rather than an otherworldly inspiration. Education is freely available, and all are encouraged to increase their understanding of economics and ecology. Farms and counties are governed locally, deferring to imperial law when necessary, but the elves of the Back Rishi prefer to handle their own affairs. Families are matriarchal and less wealthy than those to the west, but they still manage finances with deft scrutiny. Farms are passed down through generations, usually without dividing the land amongst children. Uniquely slow to anger, Back Rishins lead informal lives and rarely take offense at the behavior of others.

Age is measured in years, with the new year on the winter solstice as established by the ancient merfolk calendar. Birthdays in the Back Rishi are mild affairs celebrated with friends and family, a stark departure from the grand galas of the wealthier Front Rishins. Male children are not usually considered adults until they've taken a wife, and wedding parties double as coming-of-age ceremonies, with rituals confirming ascension to manhood often woven into the wedding itself. Women, however, become adults at first blood, and it is usually the woman who woos and proposes to her chosen man--once she's established a viable income for herself, typically as the inheritor of a piece of farmland. Mothers are expected to manage the farm's administrative duties in addition to raising children, while fathers are typically expected to labor on the farm and execute the harsher disciplinary actions for children and farmhands.


Warriors and Guardians


While gryphon riders were traditionally the guardians of the Rishi, wild gryphons have completely vanished from the eastern plains. There are few policing forces in the heavily cultivated Back Rishi, and private farms often have their most established serving families act as local enforcers. These enforcers tend to live alongside the farmhands, or even double as farmhands themselves. They protect fields and prevent theft, from both raiding animals and desperate people. Some minor farms employ mercenary guards to protect their fields from thieves, but most small farmers have a few guard-wyverns and little else to protect their crops.


Languages


Allanic is the uniting language of the empire, and the plains elves of the Back Rishi are no exception. Their dialect is a more tuneful and informal speech than the Allanic spoken further north in the empire. Compared to the elves of the western Rishi, Back Rishins speak more slowly and use a number of casual grammatical constructions that can sound lazy or disinterested to outsiders. Back Rishins, however, tend to gesticulate less than their western cousins do. The ancestral language of the elves, known as Ka'e, is no longer spoken in the Back Rishi, though traditional names and certain words still harken back to their ancestral roots.

Check out the Language Codex of the Known World to learn more.


Characters from The Known World


Awakening is a potent tale of self-discovery. Experience this gripping fantasy adventure and discover yourself within. www.DNFrost.com/Awakening #TotKW
In the book Awakening, elves Sharis and Fal'on travel the Rishi Plains in the traditional nomadic lifestyle of gryphon riders, bartering their services for food and lodging.

While flying above the Drylands near the Sutek, they encounter the desert rider Tirrok and his pegasus as they embark from the sands.

After rendezvousing on the ground, Sharis and her brother share their knowledge about the plight of Allana's empress.

Tirrok joins the elf siblings on their quest to seek help from the mages of the mythic A'lara City.

That's it for this post! Up Next: Lifeblood of trade routes and pirates alike...

Download the Atlas of the Known World here, or start your adventure below.






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Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Portent IX of Awakening: a riddle in rhyme

In the novel Awakening, there are 23 portents fortelling the events of the unfolding saga.

Start with Portent I here.

These and other riddles in rhyme are gathered in the Portents Directory for you to explore.

Enjoy!



They gather lost and grieving sore
A fractured band that battle bore
Survivors who cannot prevail
Around a vacant pyre wail

Defeated thane by heartstring hanged
In living wake unto the fanged
By night divide and stronger grow
By day they bring the legend low

No shelter left they cannot breach
Nor hope their prowess cannot leach
In fire and blood their hungers sate
While master spins the threads of fate

When none can slow the dark advance
The green enlists a second chance
At last unfettered servants fledge
To meet the dark horizon's edge.


Can you decode the future Tales of the Known World?

Share your interpretation!
Comment below with your take on this portent.


This epic portent is quoted before eight different scenes in Awakening, and it predicts the state of the world after the events of Book 2 take place. Not only does it set the stage for Book 3, it also alludes to a grand plot twist that happens later in that book.

I love this prophesy's relentless meter, embodying how none can slow the dark advance. Can you guess who the defeated thane might be?



Download the Prophesy Appendix:

The merfolk culture is built on the prophetic Gift. Nearly all men produce a portent every twenty days, and they devote their lives to interpretation. For more about the role and inner workings of prophesy, check out the Prophesy Appendix above.



Alongside every prophesy is an attribution block. This block contains a byline giving the name of the person who said the prophesy, and a dateline giving the day the prophesy was first said. Here is the attribution for this portent:
Leiro Nvwnle Dynde XIV
1:2:1:6/5, III:IX
The portent attributed here has not yet been interpreted. It was said recently, and it will be repeated every twenty days until either it is correctly interpreted, or it comes to pass.


That's it for this post! Up Next: When lost is found with silent ears...

For the Prophesy Appendix, enter your email above.






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