So... as this journey takes us to the sixth and final episode of Explore Cosmos, let's figure out what I actually know about Cosmos, as far as the big picture. Simply put, we know that the heroes of any given story set there are probably adventurers. If we assume that to be a not-unusual concept, well, that implies the sort of fantasy world that's very unsafe for travelers, where the kingdoms serve as beacons of civilization and safety in an untamed world. Where civilizations have fallen, and the world is full of ancient ruins filled with unclaimed treasure.
These are all very baseline assumptions about D&D worlds. It certainly doesn't sound much like a fairy tale... or maybe it does. Fairy tales are teeming with giants and witches and trolls, after all. One gets the impression in fairy tales that these encounters are very unusual circumstances, but... what if they're not? Well, then our fairy tale setting swings back around to being a high fantasy one. Logically, if monsters are about, well, you have to be pretty badass if you're gonna be, say, a farmer. Cottages out in the woods? Those can't contain any ordinary granny.
So, you know, something to think about. The main cast of The Choices find themselves traveling through, perhaps, an unrealistic percentage of the world over the course of the five story arcs I have planned for them. But I haven't the slightest clue what exists outside of the places they go. And by that, I don't mean that the only cities I know about are the ones they visit, I mean that I don't know what's beyond a twenty-foot radius of their position. Every city, dungeon, and wilderness area they visit contains only what they need to advance the plot, so... let's get to work on filling in the rest of it, because theirs isn't this world's only story, not by a long shot.
Before we get into this episode... well, we had a rather bizarre shakeup the other day. These blog posts have primarily been for the benefit of one guy in particular, who's been looking them over and helping me brainstorm. Before that, he played a part in writing one of the Explore Cosmos episodes, the one we're about to talk about. We were in the TAPAS chat room discussing the Cosmology blog post that just came out, a task he'd been particularly looking forward to, when suddenly... he was gone. Only a few hours later did I realize he hadn't just gone offline, he'd quit the server altogether.
I went to DeviantArt and asked him what was up, and he said he had no further interest in my project, my organization, or me, for reasons that were none of my concern. So... I left him to it. I'm incredibly wounded and confused. What could I have said to make the guy go from enthusiastically swapping world-building ideas with me to never wanting to see me again in the space of twenty minutes? Everyone else in the chat room can see the conversation we had, and none of them can figure out why he so abruptly chose to ditch us all either.
I just hope he didn't block me. You know? I hope he gave me the chance to prove that I can respect his wishes and not contact him again. Which I won't, gonna leave him be.
The show must go on, I guess, but I don't know who I'm gonna talk about these blogs with now. Hmm. Whatever I did, he doesn't want to be affiliated with me anymore, so I guess he doesn't want his name on this episode or any other part of this he helped with...? Heck if I know. I suppose if this content ever gets released and he wants his due, he knows where to find me, and I'll be happy to comply, because, well... he didn't do anything wrong, he's still pretty much cool in my book, he's guilty only of being... incredibly confusing. It's the absolute strangest thing, it truly is.
Episode 6: World Map - written by Sage Mann, Dakota Umlauf, & [redacted]
I don't remember the exact reasons for who got writing credits on the previous episodes, but for this one, I do. When the time came to put together Cosmos as a world, I started off with a list of eighteen countries. Each one, I chose to base upon a real region of the world. Then, I distributed the eighteen countries evenly over three regions, each one ruled over by one of the three pantheons. Eventually, I ended up with this map, crudely slapped together on some mapmaking website or another:
Someday there'll be more to it than just continents, oceans, and borders, but mapmaking is so not my area of expertise that it's not even funny. Gonna find me someone who actually knows how to make a fantasy map, and we'll figure out how to add rivers and mountains and islands and lakes in a manner that makes for, you know, the potential for good stories being told in these locales. Climates and landscapes that actually make scientific sense? We might do that, but it wouldn't be much of a fantasy world if we did. And while we're at it, let's make the coastlines and stuff a bit less... square. They're a bit square.
Anyway, as far as writing credits: Dakota helped me kickstart the actual geopolitical situation of Cosmos by, completely unprompted, providing me with a ton of ideas for how the three regions can each be unique -- not all of it was viable, but I jotted it all down and most of it can be found sprinkled throughout the descriptions of the various nations.
Then [redacted] and I went down the list of countries one by one, he threw out a bunch of ideas, and I ran with them. We didn't finish working on that, so this episode of Explore Cosmos was the only one that was never completed; the identities of the southern regions of the world are still mostly unfinished. Not sure why we stopped. Presumably because I lost the bulk of this year to the worst depression of my life. I'm probably better off for it; word on the street is that this year hasn't been very much fun, probably for the best that I don't remember most of it. Anyway, since evidently [redacted] isn't gonna be the one to help me finish writing about the south, let's just... see what we've got.
COSMOS
To discuss the global political situation in Cosmos, one must start with the gods. The three pantheons discovered each other at some point, and decided to distribute the world amongst themselves, each pantheon sticking to its own territory to avoid violent conflict that would result in mutually assured destruction and a lot of collateral damage. The northernmost region, Disvik, belongs to the Asgardian gods, the eastern region of Samea belongs to the Olympian gods, and the southern region of Tsir belongs to the Pharaonic gods.
The Choices, and presumably most other Cosmos-set stories as well, begins in the year 3065, counting the years since the magical harmonic convergence which, among other things, brought about the existence of fairies. In the status quo of the year 3065, each region happens to have six major geopolitical powers.
DISVIK
Disvik, often plain and simple called "the north", is ruled over by the Norse god and, with that association, is the home of many tough and proud warrior cultures, with whom the gods take a very hands-on approach, often going on adventures of their own.
Athundoft: A kingdom in the frozen north taking the heaviest inspiration from the Norse. The northern point of Athundoft is where the Bifrost is, the rainbow bridge that'll take you to Asgard. The king of Athundoft isn't a huge deal due to the close proximity and heavy involvement of the gods, but he's a nice guy. The country is full of hardships and violence, and you have to be tough to survive, but the Athundor people aren't grim about it -- they enjoy fighting monsters.
Sheafell: The place from which three of the main cast members of The Choices hail, and where the first season of the story takes place. This three-island country takes inspiration from those two disproportionately-influential tiny islands that make up Britain and Ireland. So, quite a bit of Arthurian influence in its history, I should think. Some of the greatest kings and queens of all time hail from Sheafell, along with some equally famed heroic knights and one particularly legendary time-traveling archmage. Modern-day Sheafell is now in the hands of the prime minister, but the royal family remain beloved celebrities.
Underheim: This small country has a surplus population of goblins and kobolds... so being a farmer, an even bigger deal than normal, as I alluded up top. Underheim is big on meritocracy: the weak die, and that's their problem. You'd be hard-pressed to find a charity or social institution there, only ways to work your way up. The original inspiration was Germany, so I imagine similar levels of anger and bitterness... and art direction matching that of Snow White and Tangled, Disney's films based on German fairytales. Being the studio's first film and their first CGI princess film respectively, they really went all out, so, might as well reflect that and make Underheim friggin' gorgeous.
Strumvik: Another, much larger, frozen north kingdom. Currently ruled by the czar, who presides over the advanced capital city, while everyone else in the rather large country live in smaller, more primitive tribes -- those tribes being the descendants of the native Strumvians, while the czar and others in the capital are descended from conquerers from, oh, let's say Magnae. The czars over the generations have always been advised by a council of thirteen undead generals, one of whom is the real emperor. As you probably gathered, cultural motifs are Russian, with the oppressed commoners being more Central Asian.
Gyanshi: A vast and proud empire, inspired by China. A big part of the world's economy and trade; they're willing to buy and sell with anyone, though they see anyone not from Gyanshi as barbarians. Though they lake some cues from the northern gods, their culture primarily revolves around ancestor worship, praying to them for guidance. The elites who can learn advanced magic, or pay someone who knows it, directly summon their ancestors from beyond the grave for advice.
Nixi: A republic made up of dozens of tribes, each with their own rulers, but all answering to a democratically-elected chief elder and his hand-picked parliament who set the parameters for the republic at large. Inspired by the various indigenous nations of North America, with some extra technological advancement and unity. They're famous for their horse-mounted mercenaries and their talent for elemental magic, acquired from a dangerous magical rift in the earth, left behind long ago by a meteor strike.
SAMEA
Samea, or simply "the east", is ruled by the Greek gods, who are described as creative and free-spirited, their influence giving the entire region a reputation for pioneering developments in art, technology, and political rule.
Magnae: The location of Mount Olympus and, as a result, the country taking the most inspiration from Greece, most ancient and modern. The gods lack the influence they may have once had, when the philosophers of Magnae discovered scientifically that the gods are not as divine as they had previously claimed -- for instance, both the Olympians and the Asgardians have a guy who pulls the sun along in a chariot, while the king of the Egyptian gods does likewise in a boat. The discovery of these three contradictory stories and the true nature of the sun, that shook the mortal world's faith a bit, though not a ton, as the gods still plainly exist and are plainly super-powerful. And it's still largely thanks to the gods that Magnae has a very good economy and high standard of living, with wizardry being a very common practice there. The ruler of Magnae is an elected monarch; the people choose the king or queen after a long campaign, but it's regardless a lifetime appointment with virtually absolute political power.
Nastiin: Taking inspiration from a region of the world that's, well, not often made an inspiration of in the fantasy genre: the sinking ship that is the United States. Nastiin has the best education and medical care in the world... if you can afford to pay for it, which you probably can't. Too on the nose? Don't care, it's true. Nastiin was originally settled by those few Magnaeans who were far more offended than most about the gods' deception, and sought to escape their influence, sailing north to the massive continent where Nastiin is now. They conquered it, and the republic was developed by immigrants from all over. Hmm, who lived there before? That's something to examine. Nastiin is possibly the most powerful geopolitical entity on Cosmos; Nastiicans as a culture still hold some bitterness and resentment toward the gods and reflexively seek to defy them whenever possible, and despite their rich melting-pot culture, have grown somewhat isolationist in recent years.
Onnecco: Onnecco is a collective of city-states; the capital city, whose ruler gets to govern the entire country, changes every few years based on the winners of an athletics competition held every five years. Their complex culture takes cues from the eastern gods, but reinterpreted their teachings for the nation's personal tastes. Their magic and infrastructure rivals the glory of that of Magnae, but the culture is plagued by practices such as trial by combat, slavery, and rampant corruption and nepotism. Cultural motifs are a mix of ancient Roman and modern-day Italian.
Pontou: A very magical place, inspired by France and the Disney films that are set there, some of the most glorious in the Disney catalogue. It was in the place that is now Pontou that the first fairies appeared during the harmonic convergence, and magic continues to run wild there. Pontou recently declared its independence (hmm, that's an interesting idea that I don't remember having -- independence from whom?), and are ruled by a benevolent family of sorcerers descended from the fair folk. Ooh, that's right! I had forgotten about that idea about "wild magic" sorcerers, that they're descended from fairies, that all fairies are, technically speaking, wild magic sorcerers themselves, they're just not all obligated to follow their true nature, they can learn to take on any class. Thank goodness for that reminder of a little tidbit to put under "fairies" and "sorcerers" in the real Cosmos encyclopedia. Anyway, Pontou is known for its gorgeous architecture, master classes in wizardry, and harmony with nature.
Khuvira: Fun fact to open with: I originally called this country Khufira. Google Docs spellcheck wondered if maybe I meant "kufira", so I looked up that word. It's Swahili for anal sex, and that, boys and girls, is the best example ever on why you should always Google the names you invent for your speculative fiction. There are only so many combinations of sounds in the world, you gotta make sure it's not already out there somewhere, or that if it is, it doesn't mean anything silly. Thank you, Google, for your apparently bizarrely comprehensive spellcheck database. So it's Khuvira now, a word which I'm pretty sure doesn't invoke anything except for Kuvira, Zelda Williams's character in The Legend of Korra. Solid upgrade. Anyway, Khuvira is inspired by the Middle East. The data we have: it's mostly desert, the civilized part centralized in a vast "sea" of trees, where olives and pistachios grow. Its capital city is regarded as the most romantic city on the planet, with glorious golden architecture, libraries of ancient lore, and lots of coffee. Elemental magic flows freely in both the lush and barren parts of the country, while the desert is home to some of the deadliest beasts in the world: giant worms, whose corpses, if you're a mighty enough hero to actually slay one, provide the perfect fertilizer for delicious and juicy cactus fields.
Mabayashi: Inspired by Japan, as was probably your first guess, given the blatantly faux-Japanese name. Described as a place where technological wonders meet an ancient culture of honor and etiquette. The emperor is a samurai warrior blessed by the gods; his undead skeleton has continued his reign many centuries after his death, but don't worry, he's a good necrocratic emperor, very good at taking care of his people and even better at defending them. Villages in Mabayashi each operate as tiny countries all their own, each with a completely different climate (because magic), and largely self-contained economies, infrastructure, and culture, each with a different approach to the use of magic and technology.
TSIR
Tsir, or simply "the south", is the domain of the Egyptian gods, is described as being more varied in its cultures than the other two regions, and exotic to northern and eastern eyes.
Akhmis: The largest and oldest empire in the world. An empire of merchants, Akhmisian explorers and traders are responsible for the entirety of Cosmos being mapped. The nation is also responsible for the most in-depth studies of magic, unlocking many secrets of the practice and all its forms. Currently, Akhmis finds itself a bit degraded; the gods and the royal family (led, naturally, by a pharaoh, whose coronation is subject to the approval of the gods) keep things running pretty well, but local nobility and elites are rather hedonistic and leave their people in extreme poverty. Akhmis's geography and culture are inspired by Africa -- which is, of course, a continent, with uncountable cultures contained within, but that's to be reflected by Akhmis. Akhmis is an empire, after all, and a really big one in a world that lacks fast travel (well, there's teleportation, but that's hard to come by), so there are tons of different cultures and climates throughout.
Mahanja: Inspired by India and other South Asian places, Mahanja is a very old kingdom currently in the grips of a slow-burn civil war. Tribes and civil leaders often find themselves in opposition to the royal family, whose political sway is weakening. Which side is in the right, and which will be backed by the gods, remains to be seen. And that's all we've got, we didn't finish working on this one, we need a little more.
Tehuaco: Didn't get to dig into this one. I know it's a monarchy, and that its inspiration comes from Spain and Portugal. It plays a part in the history of the next country, Itaxan, and I'm going with an idea Dakota had of a country that's "secretly" run by criminal cartels.
Itaxan: Inspired by pre-colonial Mesoamerica and the modern-day Latin America that replaced it. Latino culture is a pretty cool mix of the Christian traditions of the European colonizers and those of the indigenous people, plus all sorts of tidbits from every ethnic origin imaginable. Itaxan is an empire founded by immigrants from Tehuaco, who overthrew the empire that lived there previously, a regime that was said to be fascist and tyrannical before the Tehuagans came along, but you know what they say about who writes the history books. While technically all of the big worm-shaped island belongs to Itaxan, most of the important stuff there is within a week's travel of the capital. Fine stone roads connect the capital to the outlying villages and farms, but beyond that, you'll find a low stone wall surrounding the civilized portion of the country, easily stepped over but marking where the land gives way to the thick, treacherous jungles of the isle. All of this was in place before the colonization, and the Tehuagan colonizers found the roads impressive enough, and the border wall a good enough marker of when it was too dangerous to venture on, that they didn't change a thing.
Keyfell: Another one I haven't had a chance to develop. I know Keyfell is based on Australia, and I get the vibe it shares the same relationship with Sheafell as Australia does with England -- a prison colony for Shea criminals. I originally planned it to be a republic, but I might go with something a bit more fantastical, maybe taking a lot more cues from the Aboriginal equivalents. One of the last world-building ideas presented to me, back in June before I fell into a depression and TAPAS as a whole went on sabbatical for a couple of months, was when [redacted] pitched to me the idea that Keyfell sets up a lot of temporary coastal settlements for the purposes of whaling, showing me a photo of such a place in New England.
Wogo: A nation of many islands -- presumably way more than just the eight big ones you see on my crude map -- inspired by the Polynesian parts of the world, a region and ethnicity which wasn't often on my mind before Moana came out. I fell in love with the region, not from the movie (though I adore the movie), but from learning about the research that the filmmakers did to make sure they were capturing the place right. Notably, Polynesian culture is where we get the word "mana", a concept often employed in modern magic systems, so perhaps mastery over our world's magic system started in Wogo. Wogovians are masters of the oceans, and presumably on good terms with the people of the neighboring Keyfell. I imagine the region has a singular king -- something that resonated with me from those Moana special features was someone saying that Polynesians see the ocean as something that connects their various islands, not separates them.
So, those were the six episodes of Explore Cosmos, which I put together not so much to educate viewers about the nature of Cosmos, but to educate myself on the subject, having found the story I'd been writing thus far lacking in any kind of world-based uniqueness.
Three more of these Constructing Cosmos blogs to go -- first, I'll be looking at the WorldAnvil wiki where I was previously attempting to compile what little I knew about the world.
Then, I'll be organizing all the data I've collected from watching my Disney collection for the past... wow, exactly two years to the day, according to my Facebook memories. I compiled a list of over 200 Disney films and have been watching them in the order in which they were released, mining each one for ideas about how to make Cosmos stand out as a fantasy setting.
And then, finally, I'll be digging deep into the archives of my old writings, looking into all the notes I had on Christalss, the first fantasy setting I created, to see which parts of that world are still worth visiting.
Any one of these three pursuits, of course, might end up the same way that Explore Cosmos did, having way more data than I gave myself credit for and have to be split into multiple parts. That seems to be the way things are going for me these days.
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