The Yorde

Beyond the walled city-states of civilization lies the Yorde. Some call it the wild, some call it “Mother Nature”, and some even dare to call it home. The Yorde cares not what you call it, only that you respect it. If you do not, it will swallow you whole.

Trust no “safe road”. Keep your eyes open. Give the Yorde no opportunity to claim you, and it might let you live.

Regions

Anmark

A dozen houses of men vie for the right to wear the Emerald Crown of Anmark, but the crown itself was stolen long ago. Without it, the war waxes and wanes without end in sight.

Ashema

Ashema—the City of Life—nestles into a Bend of the River Ah, but between Ashema and the world spills a sea of dunes, where the cold stars take turns with the glaring sun to watch men die searching for the fabled treasures of the Dead City.

Fountains

Deep in the mountains, the Dwarves found the Fountains - three majestic waterfalls spilling forth into a great box canyon. They built their city directly into the walls of the canyon, and have enjoyed long, quiet years in their sanctuary. Recently, however, rumor has spread of a beast sleeping beneath the waters of their city.

Jorum

Once a seat of power for the humans of Southern Rana, Jorum has become a place of tyrant kings and dangerous outlaws. It is rumored that the current king murdered his own father during a failed war with Tarsha, but spreading such rumors can be dangerous for one’s neck.

Kalavasar

Among the Dragonfolk of Kalavasar, most folk feel little safer than they do in the Yorde. Their strange tongue and reptilian gaze is off-putting to even the most accepting folk. It is odd, then, that the young unwed queen of Kalavasar seeks a husband from among the other peoples. Several have tried, but none have yet impressed her.

Kiraset

From the docks, the high palace of Kiraset gleams each morning like a jewel upon the sea. Yet the gilded streets have grown quiet of late due to a recurring dream of the locals - Kiraset burning as the earth shakes and the seas rise.

Longwalk

There is no king, council, or code in Longwalk. It is a nation only because there is no other word to describe quite what it is. Some call it freedom, others call it the surest place to catch the plague.

Naranthar

Long ago the Naranthi left Riovar and sailed for a new home. They landed on a string of islands brimming with blessings for those strong enough to overcome the constant danger of the wildlife. They have embraced the lifestyle. In fact, for a young one to propose to their beloved, they must present the elders with the serrated teeth of an Ungola. Most outsiders, upon meeting an Ungola, pray only for a quick death.

Naz’Kasim

It is whispered that the mage-kings of Naz’Kasim discovered the secrets to eternal life, and that is why the gods blasted the land from the face of the world. Treasure seekers from around the world still venture there, however, in hopes of finding ancient wonders beneath the ruins.

Northreach

Youngest of the City-States of the world, Northreach is a place founded by hardy folk who sought to escape the brutality of the human civilizations of the south. They would rather set themselves against the Yorde than one-another. But the Yorde here has snuffed out civilizations before. Their gleaming metal towers, long empty of life, bear witness to their destruction. Even so, perhaps a spark of memory remains.

Ophir

Prince Zargo of Ophir rules his city with a fist of iron. The city is dedicated to Othan, King of Tides, and upon the tides Ophir depends for its welfare. Fishermen provide food, true, but Ophir’s real power is its lax rules on what can be traded within its walls, and its high tax on everything that is traded there. Kings and Rulers from around the world often keep an agent in the city to procure the rarest of items for them.

Orvad

The jungles of Orvad are home to the Orcish people. Filled with shamanistic magic and physical might, the orcs make fearsome opponents in war. Recently orcs have been disappearing from the clanhalls of orvad, and rumors of strange spirits from the cursed lands of the west have become commonly accepted as truth.

Rhynnesburg

Long ago the nations of Jorum and Tarsha decided their walls were filled with criminals and scum, and so they put them all on boats and sent them west. The currents drove them south, and they made land on the continent of Erinar. The nation went through a dozen “kings” in its first eight years, and eventually settled on electing a council of Guild-leaders to govern it. Now, the guilds have grown greedy.

Riovar

There are no cities in Riovar. The elves forbid it. They are welcoming enough to outsiders, but be warned - put so much as a tent-peg in the dirt and you may lose your head.

Southreach

A year ago, 3 ships left from Kiraset to southern lands only rumored to exist. A message came through, “We’ve found land, and are making camp.” Nothing more has been heard since, but the Merchant Lords of Kiraset are sure there are yet survivors, if only a new expedition could be funded to rescue them.

Talton

The Way is followed in Talton. Whether noble, peasant, or outsider, none who walk apart from the Way will know peace. This religious zealotry has been whipped into a fervor of late by the self-proclaimed Voice of Truth, and tensions are growing between those who believe the Way is meant to bring peace, and those who believe the Way is peace.

Tarsha

Land of 100 gods, Tarsha celebrates the birth of a new divinity each year. Most fascinating, however, is that these gods walk among them. The firstborn child of each year is given the title, and usually manifests miraculous powers before their third year of life. Last year, however, one of the gods of Tarsha went missing.

Tel’Techal

The sacred city of a tribe of Goliath, Tel’Techal is built upon a rock amongst the dunes, and is a place of water and salvation. Outsiders are forbidden within the walls, but outside stretches a city of merchants and wanderers seeking shelter from the sun.

Tuania

In the treetops of Tuania, the gnomish folk dwell in blissful peace, trading tales and hiding from the brutish creatures below.

Uro

The volcano rising from the heart of Uro’s sands is a holy site to the goblin tribes of the area. Likely because it’s nearly annual eruptions are yet unparalleled by their own pyrotechnic capabilities. Let us all pray that this remains true.

The Wyvern Isles

These islands were once the peaks of a long mountain-range. In the waves below dwell the Undine, a strange but peaceful folk. They believe that long-ago their gods sank the lands beneath the waves as a punishment to their brutal nobility. While the rulers were left as air-breathing men, the peasantry were transformed into folk of the sea, and have thrived ever since.

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This world is a mixing of all the campaigns I have ever run. It only occurred to me today that there's no reason they couldn't all fit on one planet.

Ophir and the Wyvern Isles are from The Land of Nod, volume 1.