“Many great people think to claim this realm as their own.”

He paused for a moment, looked you over. His eyes were burrowed deep in recesses of his hood, so that all you could see of his face was his skeletal chin, and furrowed lips.

“But you, of course, know that this realm has only one master. Don’t you?”

[[Yes, of course. Lord Ethal’s will is my own.]]

[[I… don’t. Not always.]]

[[Turn to face the window and gaze out at the city below.]]

—

The world of “The Isle of Ethal” is one that is, and always was, intended to be relatively self contained.

Developing a world from scratch is never as easy as it can initially appear. Sometimes you think “I’ll just plonk some elves here, some vampires there, and it’ll all sort itself out.” Sometimes that can definitely be a good way to start. It’s kind of how I start some projects.

The Isle was always more considered than that, at least when it started. I knew I wanted this world to have a beating heart, something that pumped solidly and around which this entire civilization rotated. The City of Thanderon was that city. It was very much inspired by the Imperial City from Oblivion in its role in the tabletop campaign I was devising.

But, as I was conceptualizing this game, I knew I wanted to shift away from Thanderon, despite there being much more detail written out for that than any other location in the game. Perhaps because of that past baggage. I wanted something that felt fresh, some part of this little world I made that I hadn’t explored. So I went north.

The game’s setting is roughly early 1300s equivalent. A relatively classic medieval fantasy setting on the surface – before that particular period was thrown into abject chaos by the Black Death – contains influence from other periods of time as well, as well as cultures beyond just that of Medieval England, as happens to be the main focus of many fantasy works and games.

Moorish culture and fashion is something I am researching for the game a bit, to help make the culture of the Isle of Ethal stand out more from other fantasy works. The game’s architecture, at least at first draft, often appears to me as I visualize it to be slate-gray medieval European buildings. But the inhabitants of the buildings are steeped in the art and fashion of the Moors, for the most part.

There are also the barbarians camped outside the city walls. The barbarians are definitely inspired primarily by the Roman-reported aesthetics of Germanic tribes. I hope that with this unique blend of aesthetics and cultural influences that something new

The Inquisitorial Order – the order to which you, the blank slate of the player character, belong – is the order that defines much of the country’s law enforcement. They are checks and balances, getting rid of criminals that defy the natural order. That natural order, is, of course, centered around Lord Ethal remaining in power indefinitely.

The immortal ruler Ethal spends most of his time situated in Thanderon. Thus, the Inquisitorial Order function as the classic extensions of his will. Magic is not really a part of this world – instead, magic is performed through material things. Alchemists are powerful here, as are enchanters, those who can imbue things with the magical power evident in the air. As an Inquisitor, you have access to one of those magical items. This item will have a definite impact on the gameplay, and will allow you to influence conversations and the events of the game in ways that aren’t just mundane.

—

“What do you think Chaos looks like?”

[[I see Thanderon, punctured from underneath, like a piece of parchment that a knife has stabbed through. From that wound emerges darkness, pouring upwards into the sky, changing it from blue to black. It’s like blood in water.]]

[[A broken chain, lying in a bonfire.]]

[[Nothing.]]

So we have a Medieval world, with the classic immortal ruler trope keeping the world “static”, at least, as static as he can manage it. But the world aesthetically differentiates itself (I hope), and also doesn’t rely on many of the fantasy species and magic (which I do still love to bits). I wanted to create something that, as I think I said last time, is flexible and immersive. The world therefore is rooted in these material ideas. Magic is material. Flesh and blood is fallible – except for that of Lord Ethal, whose flesh and blood has not failed him for centuries.

I have taken great care with what I’ve written so far to have careful descriptions about temperature and texture. Mood comes through in those things more than in overly elaborate descriptions of your surroundings. Of course that too is important, but I want the player to feel the cold of the streets just by reading my descriptions.

The world is separated generally by class (how typical, I know). Nobility are handpicked by Ethal himself, sometimes with family bloodlines chosen generations ago, often for shows of competence or support. But all bloodlines, no matter how glorious in the past, eventually collapse under their own failings.

As you might have seen from the banner image, I had a go at reconstructing a map of the north from old notes I had. The map is certainly not perfect, and there are bits to the west and a sliver to the south I had to crop for the sake of the banner, but essentially this is the northeastern part of Ethal’s realm. If I was to expand the world further in future projects, I would likely remain with what you see on that map to some degree. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The city of Walden has been ruled by one family for generations. It is staunchly religious, affirming the belief in the deity-figure of Ethal throughout all of its citizens. But something has happened, and that foundational belief has been shaken to its very core. With no other Inquisitors available to investigate, it falls to you, a relatively new “graduate” of the Order’s rigorous training program, to deal with the outburst of Chaos that has happened in Walden.

I hope you like what you have heard about the world and the game thus far. Please let me know if you have questions, because those questions will indicate what people might be most interested in about the world, and thus what I should answer within the bounds of the game too.