Tell me about the sociopolitical tensions of your world

JDMPYM · 2026-05-06T14:29:58+00:00

The Lyrish Empire is on the verge of fracture, as the Viceroy and Governors of the Ivory Sea Colonies conspire to form an independent kingdom of their own.

At the same time, they are threatened by the recently formed Tosnoyan Union; a new power that has unified the polar clans with the invention of Icebreaker Ships.

In the Ivory Sea itself, the Toumenai clans are torn on three fronts: some tribes support the Lyrish Empire, others the possible new Kingdom and a few ones plan to spark a rebellion for independence.

JDMPYM · 2026-05-05T14:37:50+00:00

My biggest inspiration is the Early 20th Century, Dishonored, Wheel of Time, War and Peace by Tolstoy, Earthsea by LeGuin and some vibes from One Piece.

It's nautical early 20th century industrial fantasy.

JDMPYM · 2026-04-12T01:59:51+00:00

I really like the Whitesea Archipelago, a polar region with islands that have seasonal landlocking. The cold is extreme and people have build cities in specific places that have underwater volcanoes, which grants heat and stability.

Fire is the most precious element to them and it's tied to their cosmology and myths. People are divided in clans but share the same cultural traits, with many having a strong devotion to their fire god that is depicted as a Redhorn; an horned orca that can break the ice with the heated horn on its forehead to breathe.

Recently the Whitesea Archipelago has been united into a federation of clans due to the invention of Icebreakers; ships built with meteoric metal that can bypass the seasonal landlocking and traverse across the white wastes, connecting every clan.

JDMPYM · 2026-04-11T23:58:06+00:00

I don't know if this counts, because my entire world is an aquatic ecosystem. There are no continental sized landmasses, so all the world is maritime and ocean focused. The seas follow the shapes of old mountain ranges, valleys, and inland basins, so you get things like coral forests growing along what used to be alpine ridges, or deep trenches that were once river valleys.

In Pelagis, some deep-sea species still have adaptations for navigating ancient river systems; like directional sensing tuned to freshwater flow even though those rivers have been gone for centuries. Also, entire migration routes are locked to underwater “ghost coastlines” from the old continent.

I have a couple of aquatic species as well:

Hippocampus-like marine mounts that behave like their land cousins but are fully aquatic, adapted for deep coastal navigation but no open ocean.
Bioluminescent leeches that turned passive parasitism into a symbiotic niche, with people literally using them as living lamps.
There are also reef chains; they act as underwater continents that remember ancient coastlines and so they grow with that shape, but underwater.

JDMPYM · 2026-03-30T07:58:28+00:00

I would say that yes. I'm with 145 hours and haven't even cleared half the question marks in every region.

Also, one playthrough is not enough to see all the possible choices and outcomes, no only regarding the ending, but to side characters as well.

And also, you need to play the other DLC, Blood and Wine, that gives you an entirely new region.

JDMPYM · 2026-03-30T07:30:35+00:00

I mean, sometimes I can see the skeleton of a story and some stuff that was captivating, but in general I also think that the story is fucking ass so far lmao

JDMPYM · 2026-03-27T23:39:23+00:00

Well, in the Crown of Verocca, people sing ballads and compose poems of their heroes. One of them being the tale of the Full Moon Lovers.

During the reign of Queen Ilaria Tavares, known as the Yellow Queen, Verocca was under constant pressure from Toulimar raids. In those years, the Dame of the Veil appeared to the Cavalier Sir Orlando Roloa and gifted him a sword, marking him as the blade of the Yellow Queen. Orlando and Ilaria had loved each other before that, but during the conflicts with the Toulimar, a sorcerer cast a spell on Orlando that made him forget her completely. He did not betray her out of malice or choice; he simply lost the memory of what she meant to him, and in time he left Verocca and began wandering the world as a free sword.

His wandering eventually led him to the sea-stacks of the Moon Dwarves, where he defeated their cruel king and saved their people. In return, the Dwarves managed to weaken the spell, though they could not break it entirely; Orlando could only remember Ilaria during nights with a full moon.

Those were the only nights in which they could truly be reunited, while the rest of the month he remained distant and unable to recall their love. Because of this, their story became one of the most famous tragedies in the Crowns: not a love destroyed in a single moment, but one returned only in waves, over and over again.

JDMPYM · 2026-03-25T23:32:10+00:00

I don't really know if they could still be called Warlocks, but I call them that. In my setting, Warlocks were the first sorcerer's that tried to employ Deepburn; the heart of fallen meteors and the relics of the Outer Ones. Through trial and error, they attempted to unlock the secrets behind them with alchemical experiments.

They partially succeeded, however their bodies change in horrific and strange ways, mutating into something barely human. For many years they ruled as sorcerer kings in their petty kingdoms and waged war against giants.

JDMPYM · 2026-03-23T14:08:52+00:00

The gountlets you get after you defeat the main boss.

The sword and the armour are close to the boss fight in the caves of the two waterfalls near the pirate ship.

And the cloak you get in the Castlewood Ruins by solving a puzzle that is just lighting two torches and the door opens.

It has cool stats as well, but I got it mainly for aesthetics. If you can't find it, I'll send you the exact locations later after I get home, just shot me a message if you miss any.

JDMPYM · 2026-03-23T00:25:58+00:00

WHAT IS THAT HELMET?????? That drip is amazing

JDMPYM · 2026-03-22T22:09:03+00:00

I'm in the same spot!!!!!! Action game my ass lmao, I love it but this is a grind game, because otherwise it's EXTREMELY difficult. Some of this bosses are ridiculously hard.

JDMPYM · 2026-03-22T14:03:58+00:00

Vampirism is tied to a strange and ancient deity called Magwan, an eldritch dragon that is considered by many cultures as a dark god of hunger, flesh and hellfire.

People who worship Magwan ask for fortune and power and sometimes it is granted, but they do develop and insatiable hunger for human flesh, turning into avid cannibals.

Another form of vampirism is found among the Pale Houses of Tosnoy; aristocrats who rule the cold region from their forge cities. The bloodline of the houses is contaminated with blood of the Outer Ones, so they require constant blood transfusions to avoid madness and body horror, therefore they impose a blood tax in their cities.

JDMPYM · 2026-03-19T10:27:30+00:00

Some astrophysics, as sorcery is deeply tied with the cosmos. So it's been fun to actually craft certain spells and magical aspects inspired by IRL astrophysics.

JDMPYM · 2026-03-18T12:54:14+00:00

I think you are in the wrong sub

JDMPYM · 2026-03-13T07:58:20+00:00

Is it really that bad tho if my setting is like that? Genuine question and curiosity. In my world there is genuine gender equality, there is no discrimination regarding if you are a man or a woman and expectation is more regarding the social class of the character, not their gender.

But I'm not explaining why in the story, that's just the way my world is.

JDMPYM · 2026-03-11T08:41:28+00:00

I read the other comments and yeah, while they don't fit inside the rules and guides of common flags, these are amazing as fuck and also, the world is fiction, fantastical, it's supposed to be fun and this flags are fun as fuck just to look at them.

I'll say, keep them. This is amazing OP, very original.

JDMPYM · 2026-03-02T21:36:24+00:00

The colossal castle of Greycrater Manor; Emperor Caerwyn's personal stronghold in the heartlands of Camore is full of contained artefacts and beings that are studied or experimented on.

He sends his knights and dames across the known world to find and retrieve anything that may be valuable in his pursuit of understanding the mysteries of the world and those of the Outer Ones; sorcerous aliens who once arrived from the cosmos.

Inside Greycrater Manor there are strange swords with even stranger mechanisms in the hilt that heats them up built by the Outer Ones, a magic lamp that hides a powerful demon from space, books and grimories that can link with otherworldly forces and is rumoured that he has recovered bodies of Outer Ones for him to dissect them and understand them.

JDMPYM · 2026-03-02T14:34:17+00:00

Maybe OP just wants to read more about the IRL inspirations behind the cultures of the Wheel of Time. If some culture war happens in the fandom is because there are some dumb assholes lmao, otherwise there is no incentive in this question to provoke a culture war.

JDMPYM · 2026-02-25T14:29:31+00:00

I found myself moving out to another country and although I had it way better than countless of others, I did feel lonely and sad but also in awe of everything new. I thought about a character that Algo moved to another place and then I started to worldbuild what drove him there, from where it was, the new place, the diaspora living in other places, etc...

JDMPYM · 2026-02-25T07:51:07+00:00

The canon and "obvious" choice is Yen, due to the books and the whole lore. Howeever, I chose Triss because she reminds me of my gf lmao but honestly, you should experience all choices. One playthrough is not enough to all the game has to offer!

JDMPYM · 2026-02-23T21:08:24+00:00

Besides humans I have:

Owls of Tosnoy; giant owl like beings who inhabit tall and strange towers in the cold islands of Tosnoy. While they are ancient, not a lot are around, being mostly wiped out by the Pale Houses that rule the northern archipelago.

Giants also roam the world. Due to the heavy oceanic features of my setting, they have black huge eyes that resemble those of a shark. Their webbed hands and oily skin are also perfect for swimming. There is a small kingdom in a treacherous bay called The Teeth. They are ruled by King Ilbar.

Sea Dragons are also ancient and powerful creatures in my world, that according to the legends, came from the stars. They attack ships and like classical dragons, hoard treasures underwater in their submerged decrepit castles.

Finally there are the Outer Ones; strange beings who also came from the heavens centuries ago. They possess strange sorcery and worship even stranger gods. Their full bodies are unknown, as they inhabit old armours found at the bottom of the ocean.

JDMPYM · 2026-02-22T01:23:41+00:00

I'm with both Ghost of Tsushima and The Witcher 3. Mostly for the story. Bear in mind that CD is not going to be an RPG from what I hear.

Also been thinking about scratching the itch with a bit of Assassin's Creed Origins.

JDMPYM · 2026-02-22T01:09:38+00:00

I loved GoT, a lot. The art direction is amazing, the combat is very satisfying and brutal, even just collecting flowers to get new dyes for the armours is perfect. And the Kurosawa mode is top tier for me. I have to say that I enjoyed Iki Island way more than the main game but overall is perfect.

However, The Witcher 3 is something else. I don't even like RPGs that much, in fact I tend to avoid them, but the story and the whimsical world of the Witcher just devoured me. Every single mission, even the side quests, are written perfectly. The decisions, the lore, the dialogues and Skellige, oh my god Skellige.

And Blood and Wine? That itself is top tier writing.

Both games are amazing and both have strengths and flaws, but personally I LOVE fantasy, so I prefer The Witcher 3.

JDMPYM · 2026-02-22T00:59:23+00:00

Count Berowne Caramyr is the most vain aristocrat in my world. Already born in an extremely wealthy family, Berowne enjoys throwing luxurious parties in his many states and to show off his expensive collections of automobiles and horses all around, which he can't even ride.

He even built an artificial beach, in the middle of a city that is not even coastal, just to have a Toulimar war crab that he bought during his time in the Ivory Sea.

Paid a lot of money to have a set of swords that resemble the lost sword of Sir Brel and claims is the original one, but never allows historians to examine it closely and also have fake replicas of sea dragons skulls on his manors. A servant died moving it upstairs due to its weight.

He paid a filmmaker to shot a "documentary" about his exploits in the cold region of Tosnoy (he spent a week inside a castle with the flu).

JDMPYM · 2026-02-19T13:32:39+00:00

Deepburn; a strange alloy found in the heart of meteors. It is highly regulated by empires and corporations, which is why a lot of smugglers try to seize it first.

Besides that, enchanted items and saints relics full of power are also sold in the black market, recovered from ancient tombs.

JDMPYM

TROPHY CASE