World-building: What Have I Done?

Over lunch martinis today, agreed to run D&D campaign, give current GM break. Martinis are the devil.

Figured this was good place to think out loud, maybe get valuable comments. Heck - this IS a good place, comments always valuable.

What I've thought up since lunch:

Use this map of 1453 France for political structure. Flanders, Artoi, Picardy, Champagne, Normandy, Alençon, Maine, Berry, Burgundy, Poitou, Languidoc, Dauphiny, Guienne all kingdoms (smaller kingdoms than common in 1453, of course). The reddish internal zones are Free Cities, who reject monarchs in favor of various other means.

Guines = major port city, ruled by mob
Montereau = plutocracy & where mercenaries often flow towards
Rodex = magiocracy
Brittany = trade cities run by aristo families (Italian renaissance-ish)
- Brest, Rennes, Vannes, Champtoceaux, Nantes, St Malo = major aristo strongholds
- Léon = THE trade city by sea
- Rais = major port, and buffer against Poitou aggression
Limoges, Climousin, Périgord = allied religious nuts
- listed cities = temple cities
Albret = magiocracy
Armagnac = ruled by Order of Knights, very King Arthur-esque
- Foix = fortress city of Armagnac
Béarn = "colony" of Armagnac, also buffer against goblinoids to south
Narbonne = magiocracy, and darned successful one

Areas outside of main France zone are wilderness or worse, encroaching goblinoid hordes.

England area renamed "Avalos", and is the West that elves go to when retire.

PCs will be from Narbonne. Gives me seaside port, magic, closeness to goblinoid borders, so PCs can justify any class easily. Plenty mountains NW of there, also, so plenty of dwarves; but area is hilly, so good places for gnomes & halflings; elves rare, but that's okay. Will say that humans, dwarves, most common races (maybe 65% human, 25% dwarf).

Hm.

Okay, that's all I have at moment.

This sounds like a blast.

Okay, so where are you playing and how do I get in on it?

Any big bads leaping to mind? Never too many bad guys, I always say. A list of key NPCs in Narbonne, a spot of trouble for the players to get involved in (involving religious nuts or over-zealous Arthurian knights, just off the top of my head), and you're good to go.

Mm, matinis...

Is there a question involved? Sounds great so far...

How about Moor-like kingdoms to the southwest?

Nice!
Using the historical map of a real place lends that extra bit o' versimilitude for immersive play. I'll bet your players will love it.

I can see it now: the city-states and the petty kings are wondering whether they should ally in mutual defense against the Humanoids to the east and the Moorish pirate lords to the south, when an Elvish ambassador shows up from England to inform them that a huge armada of thousands of flying hide-boats has crossed the Atlantic, bearing tens of thousands of warrior-shamans, of a tribe of Humans none has ever seen... the fleet will land at Normandy in just a few days...

PirateCat, thanks .

Barsoomcore, big bads coming. Overzealous knights... need to find way to work that in!

Joshual, question is just: looking for comments + thinking out loud + any ideas that pop up .

Since main region is "civilized", and there will be universities, etc., then strict historical comparison would say Moors existed previously, already destroyed by "Europe-analog", books and learning disseminated among conquerors.

Also want civilization to be centralized, threatened on all sides by emminent collapse into barbarism.

Gutboy, heh . No Normandy Invasion just yet. Pirate lords sounds GOOD, though. Might be good fodder for future Léon adventure.

topographical map
NASA topographical map (3 MB!!!)

Building Nations, In-to-Out:

Narbonnes
600 square miles (approx. 200 arable; effectively 260 w/Plant Growth)
Pop 50,000; approx 15% urban (7,500)
Wizards 1500 (approx. 80 at 11th+)

Magiocracy. Primary source of authority is in Grand Council, made up of 40 wizards primarily 11th level or higher ("merit" based testing = essentially peer review + Spellcraft DC 25 test with no magic items allowed + access to Legend Lore, Scrying, True Seeing and Tongues, the "spells of state"). Grand Council is always 40, even if more qualify. Position is for life, but accidents known to happen from time to time.

Grand Council elects certain positions with specific duties, such as Minister of Finances and Minister of War. Sometimes elected from within Grand Council, but usually trusted associates instead.

insert major NPCs here

Narbonne has little sea trade, harboring fishing fleet, very small navy (3 warships, 400 crew, plus capability to carry +500 soldiers). Pirates not significant problem, due to poor harbor, little trade, few fat targets, and tendency of Grand Council to set sea on fire when ticked off.

Almost entirely surrounded by Languedoc, which is held off by pre-eminence of wizards in Narbonne, mountain range (+ dwarven kingdoms there), and fact that Narbonne's land generally low quality. Narbonne has access to several wizard and arcane other PrCs, strong military tradition.

Trade with Languedoc happens via NW dwarven kingdoms.

Points of Interest, Narbonne
- The city itself (3,500 people)
- The Council Tower: 30 story roundtower; outer wall & stair constructed from Glassteel, inner stone blocks Hardened, soaring ramparts and some levitating/orbiting platforms with spyglasses, permanent Walls of Force, etc.
- The Red And Black: wizard university, also center of alchemy, astronomy and medicine
- Hero Square: massive (and beautiful) statuary garden composed of fallen heroes whose bodies were healed, equipped & turned to stone; legend says that they will someday defend the city.
- Moradin Plaza: a vast, flat space surrounded by arches and constructed entirely of Echostone; built by the city in honor of Moradin (a dwarven bard)

Points of Interest, Bordering Dwarves
- Trail of Stone: 25 mile long, 150 ft wide, 350 ft high tunnel through dwarven mountain.
- House of Echoes & Moradin's Call: see Echo of Snow, by PirateCat

Sorry my notes are so sparse. World-building is hard.

At moment, only intend to design Narbonne, Bezier (biggest dwarven city, main trade route), + general statements about Languedoc.

PCs will start 3rd level, stay local for a while, no need for anything but broadest outline of rest of kingdoms. Faerun this is not

Sounds most interesting!

What are you thinking of for religions? If there's a catholic style church, then they're going to be an important player in this area? Wonder what their views on non-humans, magic, etc would be?

Besides (minor time inaccuracies aside?): No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!