Koh’Norhl
Koh’Norhl is the name of the world which I’m currently building. It is intended as a setting that can be used for Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, and thus is built with the races and balance of the game in mind.
At this stage, I’ve completed:
A map, based on the topographical surface of Mars.
A rough idea of the history of the world and its’ surviving countries.
The layout and behaviour of each of the countries on the Vortengard (East) Continent.
The layout and rough ideals + business of each town, village and city within the Sha’vrado Coast (including her allied towns in No Man’s Bay).
The travel time following each of the roads and trails connecting the settlements of the Sha’vrado Coast.
The ideals and major motivations of a religion dedicated to the first king of the land.
- World Building - World Design - Narrative Design -
If you’d like to check out the map, feel free to do so here! It’s interactive and will provide much more information than I can on this site.
The World of Koh’Norhl
Vortengard
Vortengard
Vortengard is a massive, diverse continent in the east of Koh’Norhl. This land is prosperous, bringing life to the world and supporting it with rich farmland, richer ore and only the richest forests.
The continent is home to four main countries and three territories, though many other regions exist within. Particularly to note are the Sha’vrado Coast and The Northern Reaches, which were once part of an incredibly large country known as Dar’gen, splitting during the civil war caused by the tyrannical reign of King Sha’vrado.
The other two major countries of Vortengard are the Dwantred Ranges and The Great Woods, home to the Dwarves and Elves respectively. Tensions between these two countries once lead to a war between the Dwarves and Humans, eventually leading to the fall of Dar’gen’s capitol, Dar’genmol during the 5th century.
Territories to note are No Man’s Bay, formed in a treaty following the Dar’gen civil war in order to allow both the Sha’vrado Coast and The Northern Reaches to retain easy access to a trading port with the western continent, Groa’gmar. Next is the Shivan Peninsula, a beautiful cluster of islands and beaches with shallow, almost silvery waters. Finally, is the Forn’sharg Mesa, a dry stretch of land cursed to drought until the end of time.
Map of Vortengard
The World of Koh’Norhl
Groa’gmar
Groa’gmar
Groa’gmar is an equally massive, unequally dry landscape bombarded by meteorites and volcanic activity. The continent is only home to two settlements, the commonly known Hor’dregs, and the less commonly known tribal settlement of Voren.
The people of Hor’dregs survive off purified ocean water, heating it in pans placed atop natural volcanic vents and distilling it into bottles of healthy drinking water. Their main export is volcanic rock and ash, which is used by the people of Vortengard in beauty products, farming and construction. Additionally, a form of magic ore is mined in this region which retains heat for an extended period of time. This rarer resource is also exported to the Sha’davro Coast, and is used to heat the public baths of Kor’dmol, the modern capitol.
The people of Voren are incredibly isolated from the rest of the world. They are separated by the might of the Shipslost Sea, which takes after its name - no ship that has attempted to pass this region has returned to tell the tale. To the north of Voren is a volcanic and unsafe wasteland. No life - or no intelligent life that is - lives there, and nobody can survive the heat for more than a couple of days. For this reason, Voren has developed an incredibly rich and unknown spiritual culture. It is rumoured between those who know of the location’s existence that the elders of the Gorling settlement are able to cure many ailments.
Other than the settlements of the continent, there is very little of note occuring within the wastes. The land near her twin volcanoes is often unexpectedly cast into flames by their wrath.
Map of Groa’gmar
The History of Koh’Norhl
King Sharmire & Dar’gen
King Sharmire & Dar’gen
Born in year 52 BC and corronated in year 35 BC, King Sharmire was a brilliant and charismatic man. He raised a country of man from the mud, ordering the construction of Dar’genmol, the first major city of Vortengard, and forging the country of Dar’gen. He secured good nature with both the Dwarves of the Dwantred Ranges and the Elves of the Great Woods, despite his lifespan only being a fraction of theirs. He reigned for approximately 50 years, eventually dying peacefully in his sleep in year 15.
Dar’gen, and the peace it brought, lasted for two and a half centuries following his reign, until King Sha’davro was corronated in year 260. Sha’davro was a cruel, tyrannical leader, and hated in particular by a dimplmatic nobleman named Vrontmir. For several months prior to the beginning of the Dar’gen civil war, Vrontmir sewed the seeds of rebellion in the northern settlements of the country. By the time tensions reached their peak, Vrontmir had been the head man of several successful battles against Sha’davro’s army, and was crowned King by his peers during the wartime.
King Vrontmir’s efforts eventually lead to the liberation of The Northern Reaches from King Sha’davro’s grasp, and his negotiations following the civil war resulted in the formation of No Man’s Bay. This greatly advanced the economic recovery of The Northern Reaches following the civil war, allowing their citizens to prosper rather than enter a state of depression.
In modern day, King Sharmire is the central figure of religious belief in a group known as the Sharmist Church. They treat his birth village and the ruins of Dar’genmol as sacred or holy land, and believe King Sharmire was a God in mortal form, sent to empower the kingdom of man to prosper. This is, of course, unproven.
King Sharmire, Painted Approx Year 19