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I've recently been reading the Kobold Guide to Worldbuilding, a book that isn't so much a step-by-step guide to building a fantasy world (like this blog series) and instead essays on a variety of topics related to Worldbuilding. While I feel comfortable that my blog doesn't overlap entirely with the book, I was reminded a huge foundational topic I overlooked. Oops.

So I'm writing this and squishing it in between the first Part I: The Hook and Part II: Conflict.

Introduction

The continent of Westeros and Faerun are both fantasy settings. As are the Tablelands of Athas and the ringed city of Sigil. All have similarities: people earning a living, falling in love, fighting, dying. And yet, the differences between A Song of Ice and Fire, the Forgotten Realms, Dark

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Hello again! Well here is chapter two. I hope you enjoy chapter two. It is mostly character development. Next chapter will be up on Monday. 

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Chapter 2

    "He is coming back around. Everyone quiet."
    This couldn't be. I was dead, why could I hear that women's voice? I felt the sharp cold blade at my throat moments ago. I could feel the warmth of my blood spilling on to my shirt. No. No, I had to be dead.
    My lungs burst with air as I tried to scream, a hallow, empty choking noise was all I could manage though. Flinging my eyelids open I tried to glare at the women I could feel standing before me. My eyes, however where already accustomed to the darkness from being deceased, therefore everything in the room was a blur of...

DM Write up - Session 2

Players Present - Dwalin (Shield Dwarf Fighter), Zats (Halfling Rogue), Eolith (Elven Ranger), Shamash (Dragonborn Blackguard), Pieter(Human Paladin - arrived a little bit late) and Lia (Half-elf Wizard - whose Arcana training was needed for the session so was played as an NPC by the DM).

Level: All level 1 still

Last week we left our adventurers after they had burst out of a trapped room into a new area. This new area was divided in 3 by curtains made of animals skins and cloth, sewed in patches. Upon entry players (with the dice luck of the Gods) managed not to disturb the inhabitants of the room, 2 Hobgoblin Battleguards and 2 Goblin Cutthroats. Stealthily some of the players snuck up to the northern curtain and peered through the gaps, they heard the creature

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An often overlooked element of world building are organizations. Even if they are included, organizations are often limited to the role of antagonists. This might be to avoid heroic groups that might be seen as deus ex machina (or a dreaded Dungeon Master PC). This does a disservice to groups as they can play multiple roles in a campaign setting and have varied benefits for a setting.

There are innumerable examples of organizations in official worlds. Dragonlance is especially known for its organizations with the Knights of Solamnia, Knights of Takhisis/Neraka, the Legion of Steel, and the Wizards of High Sorcery. Dark Sun has the Veiled Alliance, Eberron has the Order of the Emerald Claw, and the Forgotten Realms has several such as the Red Wizards,

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Session 1

Players Present: Dwalin, Eolith, Lia & Zats (the last two arrived an hour late however)

The adventure began in the Yawning Portal. As the Dwalin and Eolith looked around they realised that amongst the common rabble (represented on my map be hershies kisses), they were the only ones with the special notes from H. This intrigued them. They both talked to NPC's in the tavern and Eolith gleaned from Coporal Knag that there is a murderer known as Josephus Blaze running around Waterdeep eluding capture. There was a second mystery here, but he chose not to discover it.

Eolith also spoke to Old Stannoc (a veteran of Undermountain) regarding H's note, he learned that Stannoc had never seen anything like this note before. Dwalin spoke to the White Lady, she was a bit of a nutter and

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Check out a sample chapter of Prophet of the Dead, my new Forgotten Realms/Brotherhood of the Griffon novel:

www.wizards.com/DnD/Product.aspx?x=dnd/p...

As of today, nine of Forgotten Realms novels and my urban fantasy novel Blind God’s Bluff are available as audiobooks. For more info, click the link and then Search “Richard Lee Byers.”

 

www.audible.com

In a previous post, I talked about making races modular and easy to fit in generic D&D, while making it easy to replace them with personal favorites and setting specific concepts... without having to go beyond the core books!  In this one, I wanna tackle a raging ball of conflict that will never die, the split fandoms of the Forgotten Realms!

The way I see it, nothing will probably work too well in the end.  The fracture in the Realms base is probably bigger than any part of D&D itself.  Sure, you could say editions and their edition wars have splintered many a person, but metaplot changes have shunned many other potential customers away.  I myself have not bought any of the Forgotten Realms products for 4th edition, despite buying several 4e and essentials books. ...