Last week I started my Writing Journal. It's time for my next entry.
On this installment I'm going to go into greater detail about the 5 countries that make up this still unnamed world.
We'll start with Sharlem, the home of our hero. I picture Sharlem as being a very rural area. The people are a mix, visually, of Spanish and Native American. The people are characterized as having black hair, olive/brown skin, dark eyes, and wearing simple leather garments.
Sharlem is an agricultural society. It is the closest to nature of the five countries. This is probably due to it's unfettered access to the Forest. All of the other countries have a natural boundary from it.
Sharlem is a country with no King or true Government. It is held together by an ages old covenant between the villages and oversight by the Brotherhood. Of the five countries Sharlem is made up of the most strident believers. Since the economy is based around hunting, foraging, and trapping a large government is unnecessary. Still the Brotherhood keeps things running smoothly.
The people of Sharlem are known for their skill as huntsman, their knowledge of medicinal herbs, and their closeness to nature.
Our hero is a perfect example of that.
The main thing to understand about Sharlem is that the people aren't stupid nor are they uneducated. Just because they are believers does not mean they are incapable of deep thought.
After Sharlem, Bwa is the country that the Brotherhood has the most influence in. Bwa is a country that is bordered by a desert. It's people are dark skinned, tall, and beautiful.
The royal Family of Bwa is descended from a Brother of the Great Tree and as such are loyal to the Brotherhood. The country isn't run by the Brotherhood but their influence is very apparent.
The people of Bwa or Bwaians, are known for their skills at battle and the arts. They are both feared warriors and renounded artist.
Bwa is a country of contradictions. They are warrior poets, ruled by a king who bows to priests, and bordered by both a sea and a desert.
Artirian is the last of the three countries the Brotherhood has influence's in. The Brotherhood has very little control on the Artirian government. The people are respectful of the Brotherhood. Some are true believers but most are not. Yet, this is a safe haven for the Priests.
Artirian is a country ruled by science, it's advances in the past century have caused the downturn in belief. I see Artirian as being an English/American amalgamation. This is a country that doesn't quite fit with the rest.
The people are light skinned, fair haired, and on the smaller side. They are known as being builders, smiths, and thinkers. This is the only country with a democratically elected government.
Artirian is bordered by a large snow capped mountain range.
D'Jaladin is the most powerful of all the countries. It is a land of magic and is always at odds with Artirian.
The ruler of D'Jaladin is a mage chosen by the ruling counsel. He or she rules the land until the council decides they have run their course.
D'Jaladin is the only country to use magic. Whether this has to do with the people, the land itself, or just luck is unknown.
The people of D'Jaladin are darker than the people of Sharlem but lighter than the Bwaians. They are usually heavier than the other peoples since they do little work and have brightly colored eyes.
D'Jaladins fear nothing, why should they? When you have power like they do, you are to be feared. The only reason D’Jaladin doesn't rule the world as a whole is because the country is small, the smallest of the five. Even if they weren’t a country of magic uses the dark jungle that surrounds them would ward off most threats.
The leadership of the Lord Mage should not be forgotten. No other country has had a line of such benevolent leaders. D'Jaladin is proof that saying "Absolute power corrupts absolutely." is untrue.
The last country is Nijon. This is a land of warriors. The people of Nijon are governed by a rotating group of families. Each generation a representative of each family is sent to partake in a great battle. The winner of the battle, and their family, rule the country for that generation.
Since Nijon is a play off of Asian countries the people are of smaller stature with upturned almond shaped eyes. To add a different flair the Nijonese are either blond or red haired.
As a warrior culture, an honorable one, the Nijonese are respected and feared. They are known as the most skilled warriors. One of the main aspects of Nijonese culture is the regard they have for skill even above strength. Due to that the greatest warriors of the Nijon nation can be Male or Female.
The most revered warrior in the history of Nijon was female as are many of the past leaders of the nation. Unlike the Bwaians the Nijonese are not warrior poets. They are warriors who hold honor and skill above all else.
Nijon is bordered by swampy marsh lands which lead to the forest.
The five countries are laid out as such.
Bwa is to the West.
We'll start with Sharlem, the home of our hero. I picture Sharlem as being a very rural area. The people are a mix, visually, of Spanish and Native American. The people are characterized as having black hair, olive/brown skin, dark eyes, and wearing simple leather garments.
Sharlem is an agricultural society. It is the closest to nature of the five countries. This is probably due to it's unfettered access to the Forest. All of the other countries have a natural boundary from it.
Sharlem is a country with no King or true Government. It is held together by an ages old covenant between the villages and oversight by the Brotherhood. Of the five countries Sharlem is made up of the most strident believers. Since the economy is based around hunting, foraging, and trapping a large government is unnecessary. Still the Brotherhood keeps things running smoothly.
The people of Sharlem are known for their skill as huntsman, their knowledge of medicinal herbs, and their closeness to nature.
Our hero is a perfect example of that.
The main thing to understand about Sharlem is that the people aren't stupid nor are they uneducated. Just because they are believers does not mean they are incapable of deep thought.
After Sharlem, Bwa is the country that the Brotherhood has the most influence in. Bwa is a country that is bordered by a desert. It's people are dark skinned, tall, and beautiful.
The royal Family of Bwa is descended from a Brother of the Great Tree and as such are loyal to the Brotherhood. The country isn't run by the Brotherhood but their influence is very apparent.
The people of Bwa or Bwaians, are known for their skills at battle and the arts. They are both feared warriors and renounded artist.
Bwa is a country of contradictions. They are warrior poets, ruled by a king who bows to priests, and bordered by both a sea and a desert.
Artirian is the last of the three countries the Brotherhood has influence's in. The Brotherhood has very little control on the Artirian government. The people are respectful of the Brotherhood. Some are true believers but most are not. Yet, this is a safe haven for the Priests.
Artirian is a country ruled by science, it's advances in the past century have caused the downturn in belief. I see Artirian as being an English/American amalgamation. This is a country that doesn't quite fit with the rest.
The people are light skinned, fair haired, and on the smaller side. They are known as being builders, smiths, and thinkers. This is the only country with a democratically elected government.
Artirian is bordered by a large snow capped mountain range.
D'Jaladin is the most powerful of all the countries. It is a land of magic and is always at odds with Artirian.
The ruler of D'Jaladin is a mage chosen by the ruling counsel. He or she rules the land until the council decides they have run their course.
D'Jaladin is the only country to use magic. Whether this has to do with the people, the land itself, or just luck is unknown.
The people of D'Jaladin are darker than the people of Sharlem but lighter than the Bwaians. They are usually heavier than the other peoples since they do little work and have brightly colored eyes.
D'Jaladins fear nothing, why should they? When you have power like they do, you are to be feared. The only reason D’Jaladin doesn't rule the world as a whole is because the country is small, the smallest of the five. Even if they weren’t a country of magic uses the dark jungle that surrounds them would ward off most threats.
The leadership of the Lord Mage should not be forgotten. No other country has had a line of such benevolent leaders. D'Jaladin is proof that saying "Absolute power corrupts absolutely." is untrue.
The last country is Nijon. This is a land of warriors. The people of Nijon are governed by a rotating group of families. Each generation a representative of each family is sent to partake in a great battle. The winner of the battle, and their family, rule the country for that generation.
Since Nijon is a play off of Asian countries the people are of smaller stature with upturned almond shaped eyes. To add a different flair the Nijonese are either blond or red haired.
As a warrior culture, an honorable one, the Nijonese are respected and feared. They are known as the most skilled warriors. One of the main aspects of Nijonese culture is the regard they have for skill even above strength. Due to that the greatest warriors of the Nijon nation can be Male or Female.
The most revered warrior in the history of Nijon was female as are many of the past leaders of the nation. Unlike the Bwaians the Nijonese are not warrior poets. They are warriors who hold honor and skill above all else.
Nijon is bordered by swampy marsh lands which lead to the forest.
The five countries are laid out as such.
Sharlem is the Northern most land.
The Eastern most is Artitian.
Bwa is to the West.
Nijon is South West.
Finally D'jaladin is South East.
That means Sharlem is bordered by countries that the Brotherhood holds power in. The last notable 'known' populated area is the island that sits in the middle of the five point ocean.
The island, which is called Kindred Isle, is a wild ungoverned place. It is a trading post/safe harbor that is claimed by none of the 5 countries. Kindred Isle is home to pirates, traders, mercenaries, rogue mages, fallen priests, and 'wyld' peoples.
The 'Wyld' Peoples are individuals who claim to come from somewhere other than the 5 countries. Since I am still creating this world I can't say for sure where these people are from.
That's the basic, very basic, layout of the 5 countries. As you can see this story is very much in an early state.
I have a lot of work to do. I think, through these posts, I can start to build a blueprint for the world, characters, and plot.
I'm still at 17 pages. I haven't done any writing this past week. I hope to have at least 3 pages done by next weeks post.
I have a lot of work to do. I think, through these posts, I can start to build a blueprint for the world, characters, and plot.
I'm still at 17 pages. I haven't done any writing this past week. I hope to have at least 3 pages done by next weeks post.
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