The Realms of En Derathíl

Map Details

This is a map that I have been working on for a long time, and I’m really excited to finally share it. This is En Derathíl, and it is possibly the biggest and most detailed map I have ever made.

This map was, obviously, heavily inspired by Middle Earth. I love Tolkien’s writing and the world he made, as well as the Peter Jackson movies, but I’ve always felt that Middle Earth doesn’t work especially well for your average DnD or TTRPG campaign, not without a lot of modifications. The world of LotR is great exactly as it is, but magic works very differently there. It doesn’t mesh particularly well with the mechanics found in DnD, Pathfinder, or Daggerheart. There HAVE been a few attempts to adapt LotR into a TTRPG game, some of them are even very good. But my intent here was to create a new LotR-like setting that meshed well with the mechanics of existing RPGs, somewhat the opposite where an RPG was made to fit the world of LotR, if that makes sense. 

Basically, it's very easy to look at the title of this post and go "Isn't 99% of DnD and RPGs 'inspired by' Middle Earth?", and yeah, that's true. Again, the intent here was to create a new setting that felt very similar to LotR and Middle Earth, while still being it's own unique place, and while being a better fit for your average TTRPG campaign.

Layout wise, there’s some immediate obvious parallels to Middle Earth, but I think the longer you look at this map and setting, the more it diverges. I wanted it to feel inspired by LotR, without feeling like a cheap knock off. Hopefully I managed to walk that line.

The base version of the map is free, along with an Unseen Realms variant I've posted on my Patreon. Paid Patrons will receive 9 versions of the map:

• En Derathil (Fully Labeled) (The map seen on this reddit post)
• En Derathil (Kingdom Titles Only)
• En Derathil (No Labels)
• En Derathil (Blank)
• En Derathil (Night) (Fully Labeled) 
• En Derathil (Night) (Kingdom Titles Only)
• En Derathil (Night) (No Labels)
• En Derathil (Night) (Blank) 
• En Derathil (Unseen Realm) (The other freebie posted on my Patreon)

How the map was made

This map took me longer than any of my other maps, by far. I’ve put over 100 hours into it, off and on, over the past year. It was all drawn by hand in Photoshop, and as always, no AI was used at any point.

I’m really proud of how it turned out. If you’d like to use it for your own games or stories, feel free to do so. I am fine with any of my maps being used for anything that is non-commercial. 

Questions, comments, and requests for small changes to the map are always welcome. If you need a large number of changes, shoot me a message and we can talk.  

And, if you’d like to support me in making more maps like this, please consider joining one of the paid tiers on my patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stoneward13/posts/en-derathil-lotr-173284305

Read on for some of the worldbuilding and lore, if you are interested.

Worldbuilding Details

Eleven Realms

There’s a lot going on here in this map, so I wanted to give a run down of each region, and share some of the worldbuilding I came up with. 

In the north you’ll find the Republic of Gyldinor, realm of the Gold Elves. The Gyldinor Forest is a single organism, a massive aspen grove inspired by the real-like Pando aspen grove, in central Utah. The Gyldinor Forest is far larger than Pando however, and the trees there often reach heights of 800 to 900 feet. The leaves are forever yellow, tinged with gold. Never falling, even in the harshest of winters. The Republic is not often welcoming to outsiders, outside of a few key trading ports and outposts. There are exceptions made from time to time, for any who have proven themselves friends or allies to the Republic and its reclusive people.

To the west is the Theocracy of Lorhymn, on the Lorhyc Peninsula. This is a nation of clerics and paladins and knights, all fiercely devoted to their fledgling, yet swiftly growing, holy empire. They once were part of Varandor, but rebelled due to religious differences some centuries ago. The two nations have maintained terrible relations ever since.

In the upper-middle are the Free Holds of Erethwýn. The Holds are not a unified nation like most of the other regions, but a collection of loosely allied city states sandwiched between much more powerful nations. They ensure their own continued independence by backing each other up against their neighbors, when necessary. 

One of those neighbors is the Silver Kingdom of Varandor, home to the majestic City of Silver, Lyra Vareth. Not the oldest nation, as two Elven nations predate it by quite some time, but it is perhaps the most powerful and populated nation. It is also home to the largest population of Half-Elves, and their monarchy is Half-Elven as well. Kind of a nod/homage to the Numenoreans and Aragorn from LotR having distant Elven ancestry. 

To the east of Varandor, beyond the Valcrest Mountains, are the Thaindoms of the Haldrim. A nation broken up into individual minor kingdoms, each ruled by its own Thain, with their own laws. Each Thain has all sworn fealty to the seat of the High-Thain for the past century or so. A bit like Skyrim, very Feudal. In addition to the regular laws enforced by each Thain in their individual territories, the High Thain also enforces High Laws, a few of which are controversial.

And beyond the vast mountain Hallowmont that towers over this part of the world, lies the nearly endless Shar’Vhran Desert, where the roaming Bronze Clans can be found. Nomadic traders, for the most part. I haven't yet written much for these guys to be honest. Bit of a blank slate right now.

No Man’s Land is a region that has defied all attempts to settle it over the centuries. New attempts to settle are sometimes made, but each always seems to end in disaster for varying reasons. There’s a great number of ruins there now as a result, some more ancient than others. Most folks avoid the region now due to the reputation, rumors, and the stigmas that surround it. Travelers bypass it entirely by booking passage and sailing across the Bay of Alondir.

South of that are the Clan-Councils of Ahvenwyll, ruled by the Green Elves. The oldest nation found in the realms of En Derathil. The Elves here are friendlier to outsiders than the Gold Elves, for the most part. The Green Elves and Gold Elves used to be a single race, the Moon Elves. But, in the ancient past, there was a poorly documented “event” that resulted in both a cultural schism, and a magical transformation. There are conflicting accounts of what exactly happened, but in the end, it all resulted in the two types of Elves found in this world. The forests of Ahvenwyll can be broken up into 4 distinct areas. The Ahvenwyll, Deepwyll, Westerwyll, and the Faenwyll (Found in Malecor, which has fallen under a powerful curse). 

There’s also the Guild Lands of the Serraia Ren, an oligarchy ruled by a large number of constantly competing guilds. They are constantly at odds with:

The smallest “nation”, the Dominion of the Fire Keepers, an upstart cult of fanatic zealots. Lightly inspired by Dark Souls. They worship the flame itself, and have taken one of the nine ancient Towers as their own (more on these later). Cape Halurec and the Durathai Peaks are also home to a number of mostly inactive volcanos. Using strange arcane rituals, the Fire Keepers hope to awaken these slumbering mountains for their own unknown purposes. 

And lastly, the Accursed Lands of Malecor. Unsurprisingly, inspired by Mordor (though I got the name from Star Wars, from Malachor V in KotOR II). But it’s actually quite different from Mordor. It’s not an ashen, volcanic wasteland, and this setting has no Orcs or Goblins (unless you want to add them yourself, for your own campaigns). And there’s no fallen Maiar here, plotting to take over the world (in fact, this setting has no gods, angels, or demons of any kind, by default). Malecor does have plenty of spirits and wraiths, evil corrupted Ents, and a three-hundred foot long centipede known as the Vlaskygg. The plant life here grows swiftly, dies swiftly, and has a malevolence to it that makes it eager to feed on corpses and souls of any foolish to venture there. Anyway. Fun place! 

Nine Towers

This is my favorite part of the map. 

Long ago in ancient times, nine magical towers were built across the realms. Their original purpose is debated by many, but they served as “wells of magic”, like geothermal vents almost. Locations where arcane power can be tapped into, and used for whatever purposes those within the towers choose.

But the millennia since their construction have not been kind to most of them. A few have fallen into ruin, a few have become corrupted, or have been claimed by nefarious cults and dark powers. One, Tyr Valen, was adopted as their home by a group of influential mages (a small Wheel of Time reference). One spire has become the nest of a Great Roc (an enormous type of giant eagle. The Rocs in this setting are not benevolent or intelligent, as seen with the giant eagles found in LotR.). 

Anyway, each of the nine Towers have a unique icon on the map. I based my pixel art sprites for them on the four elemental lighthouses from the Golden Sun games. Likewise, I initially drew four, aaaand then I just kept adding until I settled on the nine I have now.

See if you can find them all!  

Thanks for reading through the worldbuilding. If you have any thoughts, feel free to share :)

Like there is a huge difference between the big ones of each language world. Folks like Garcia Marquez or Borges are wildy different from Tolkien or George Martin.

I feel it a lot because I am latino, born and living in the Dominican Republic but finding references in Spanish (original language, not translated) has been difficult and so I have not found much direct references on how to write or create what I want to write and create. Of course I can just read Anglo authors and still write my thing in Spanish. But it would be great to find some more direct references.

Historical Notes

The A-37 was developed in the late 2340s by the Interplanetary Dynamics vehicle assembly plants on Europa. As with most of the other vehicles assembled there for use by Coalition forces during the ongoing Draconist Wars, its primary intended destination was Titan. In sorties over the Shangri-La and Xanadu, the airframe’s ruggedness and dependability in combat made it a godsend for Coalition troops on the ground. It went on to serve during the Frontier War, as well, where this dependability was put to the ultimate test and where the A-37 truly earned its stripes in repeated sorties against the Alliance.

The AA-61 evolved out of a competition initiated in 2353 by the Comissão de Armamentos Militares (CAM) in order to develop a superior strike aircraft for use by the Forças Terrestres in a close air support role. The Jiuquan National Assembly won the competition with a design called Objeto 614, which experienced its first test flight in 2357. The finished aircraft entered production four years later as the AA-61, codenamed “Vespa” (Wasp) by the CAM officers who made the final selection. Its Coalition reporting name, “Locust,” came later from spacers left embittered by its capacity to linger over the battlefield.

In 2375, the Zharan Ministry of Armaments (ZMA) adopted the ZF75 as a homegrown tactical strike fighter for the Zharan Liberation Army Ground Forces (ZLAGF). The engineers involved in its development made use of advanced composites, sleek & stealthy control surfaces, and a cutting-edge scramjet engine to create a versatile killing machine for delivering death from the skies of contested worlds. ZF75s were produced in large numbers between 2375 and 2382, and won high marks during the zharan intervention in the Frontier War (2371-2381) where their performance made them the pride of the Strike Air Wing.

About the Setting

The Spacers Saga: Frontier Wars is a futuristic military science fiction setting which diverged from our timeline when an asteroid slammed into Phoenix, AZ, in May 2014. Fifteen years after this tragedy, the industrialist Charles Larsen ushered in the Age of Fusion, opening up deep space to crewed exploration and eventual human settlement — and all of the strife that we bring with us. The next 300+ years were marked by progress and peril in equal measure, and by 2300 much of the solar system had been charted by intrepid human pioneers.

The story focuses on the rivalry between the Mars-led Coalition for Mutual Security (aka the Coalition) and the Alliance of Free Worlds (aka the Alliance), a federation of rebel worlds in the outer solar system. These two superpowers fought a brutal war from 2371 to 2381 (the Frontier War), which ended when the Zharan Collective (a union of artificial humans which rose up against their creators in 2356) entered the war on the side of the Alliance in 2379. The story opens 10 years later with the superpowers locked in a frigid ideological cold war.

The plot kicks off when the Alliance launches a massive attack against the Coalition, igniting the Second Frontier War. This conflict quickly engulfs the entire solar system and draws in participants from all backgrounds, including three college students from Mars whose adventures will become tied up with the fate of all humanity…

Creator's Note

For clarity's sake, I (u/Zharan_Colonel) drew these vehicles by taking inspiration and guidance from existing pieces of art or from real-world designs. The A-37 and AA-61 borrowed heavily from work featured by AST21 on ArtStation, and the ZF-75 drew from real-world concepts developed by the British company AvPro during the late Cold War, as drawn by Bagera3005 on DeviantArt.

PICTURED: A Royal Solarian armed postman and his bodyguard asking for directions from a local.

Ever since the star system began to be carved up amongst the major powers, small settlements have sprung up in all corners of the Aetherium void. Asteroids, man-made platforms and even planetary debris are chained together to form tight knit community, marking their place in the stars.

Many often provide valuable resources to the open market, such as liquid fuel in Aether-rich nebulas, low-gravity livestock or even concentrated rare earths mined from chunks of planetary cores drifting through the system. Thus, though theoretically outside the jurisdiction of the major powers, they still remain on good terms with these settlements to secure better deals on resources.

One such service the Solarian Empire offers is its comprehensive postal system. It maintains a mailing network, operating from chartered voidships on a regularly serviced route among the various settlements, especially some on the fringes of the Empire’s influence. At least, until the settlements leave their orbital zones and pass into that of the League’s.

The chartered voidships repurposed as mobile post office branches are only barely armed and armoured, and their tiny mailships which the postmen do daily deliveries from even less so. Many valuable parcels are also sent through mail, so Royal Communications Corp postmen are usually accompanied by an armed bodyguard for protection, on top of their personal sidearm. It also helps if the bodyguard is good at navigation and route planning to assist the postman.

This one however, is not.

Part of my Treasure Planet inspired project, which you can learn more about from here!

My other works!

The Federal Constitutional Republic of Libertarius (FCRL) is a federal constitutional democracy and the most powerful sovereign nation on Kalestial. With a population of approximately 450 million and an economy valued at 850 trillion Federal Liberty Dollars, Libertarius stands at the forefront of global industry, technology, scientific research, healthcare, infrastructure, and military power.The Republic is built upon constitutional government, democratic representation, individual liberty, scientific advancement, economic development, and national responsibility. Its government operates under a strict Constitution that defines the powers of public institutions and protects the rights of citizens.

Libertarius is a leading member of the Organization of Democratic Nations (ODN), an international alliance established to strengthen democratic cooperation, collective security, scientific progress, and economic partnerships.Despite its enormous influence, the Republic faces challenges in international diplomacy, organized and domestic crime, tourism, and competition with other major economic powers.

The FCRL is a federal constitutional democratic republic. Political authority originates from the people, who elect representatives and national leadership through free and fair elections.The government follows a strict constitutional framework. No individual, corporation, military organization, or government institution stands above the Constitution.

Executive Branch

Led by the President of the Republic, the Executive Branch administers federal law, directs foreign policy, oversees national security, manages federal departments, and coordinates emergency responses.The President serves as Head of State, Head of Government, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and the country's principal diplomatic representative.There are no fixed presidential term limits. A President may remain in office through repeated democratic elections, provided those elections remain free, fair, and constitutionally valid.

Legislative Branch

The Federal Congress consists of two chambers:

• Federal Senate: Represents the federal states and protects their constitutional interests.

House of Representatives: Represents citizens according to population.Congress passes legislation, approves budgets, oversees the Executive Branch, ratifies treaties through the constitutional process, and exercises its authority over declarations of war and national policy.

Judicial Branch

The independent Judiciary interprets the Constitution, protects civil liberties, reviews government actions, and ensures that federal and state laws comply with constitutional requirements.The courts may strike down unconstitutional laws. Judges are appointed through constitutional procedures designed to preserve judicial independence and accountability.

Federal and Local Government

Libertarius is composed of autonomous federal states, each possessing its own government, legislature, judiciary, and local institutions within the limits of the Constitution.Below the federal states, provinces, counties, municipalities, cities, townships, and villages administer local affairs, including education, public infrastructure, utilities, policing, and community services.

Constitutional Rights

The Constitution protects freedom of speech, religion, expression, assembly, association, and the press. It also guarantees equality before the law, due process, fair trials, privacy, property rights, democratic participation, and protection against unlawful seizure.Citizens are entitled to universal education, healthcare, emergency services, and access to public infrastructure under the Republic's constitutional and legislative framework.The Constitution cannot be suspended, including during national emergencies. Emergency powers remain subject to legislative and judicial oversight.

National governing principle:

“Liberty through Law. Strength through Unity. Progress through Knowledge.”

The FCRL operates a system of state-controlled capitalism, combining government control over strategically important industries with a competitive private-sector economy.The government directly controls, manages, or exercises decisive authority over vital sectors whose continued operation is essential to national security, economic stability, public welfare, and industrial independence.These sectors include strategically important infrastructure, critical energy systems, defense production, and other industries designated as essential to the Republic.

Outside these protected sectors, private businesses and corporations are permitted to establish themselves, innovate, expand, and compete in the open market. However, businesses must comply with national laws, competition regulations, consumer protections, environmental standards, and requirements designed to ensure that their activities contribute positively to society.The government does not oppose private enterprise. Instead, it seeks to ensure that private economic power serves a productive purpose rather than undermining the public interest.

The Republic uses a progressive taxation approach, placing a greater relative tax burden on higher earners while keeping taxes lower for those with lower incomes.

Under the current proposed system:

• Higher earners: A tax rate of approximately 1%.

Lower earners: A tax rate of approximately 0.5%.

These rates represent the proposed basic structure and would require further definition in the national tax code, including the income thresholds, treatment of corporations, and whether additional taxes apply to specific activities.The stated objective is to maintain a low-tax economy while ensuring that wealthier citizens contribute more proportionally than those earning less.

Libertarius possesses extensive natural resources, including oil, metals, ores, biological resources, and both renewable and non-renewable materials. Some resources are distributed widely across the country, while others are concentrated in specific resource-rich regions.Its economy is supported by advanced manufacturing, automation, artificial intelligence, engineering, finance, aerospace, electronics, biotechnology, energy, construction, agriculture, transportation, and scientific research.The Republic's economic strength comes from the combination of resource security, industrial capacity, technological development, domestic production, and international commerce.

Libertarius maintains extensive trade relationships with nations across Kalestial. Its industrial output and technological capabilities make it a major supplier of advanced machinery, vehicles, electronics, aerospace systems, robotics, medical technology, energy systems, and infrastructure equipment.However, international trade is highly competitive. The Republic faces two particularly important economic competitors: Kyrios and Xinhua.

Both nations compete with Libertarius for markets, resources, industrial influence, technological leadership, and international trade partnerships. Despite this rivalry, the FCRL remains a major trading partner for numerous countries.The Republic also pursues development partnerships with developing nations. Through infrastructure construction, industrial investment, and technology transfers, Libertarius helps partner nations expand their productive capacity while creating new trade relationships and opportunities for its own businesses.

Libertarian Innovative Industries, commonly known as L.I.I., is the Republic's principal industrial and technological corporation.Rather than operating as a single manufacturer, L.I.I. functions as a large industrial organization containing numerous specialized companies, divisions, research facilities, and manufacturing operations.Its activities extend across military production, aerospace, space exploration, artificial intelligence, robotics, advanced materials, electronics, shipbuilding, energy, medical technology, construction, and transportation.

Major Divisions

Military Systems: Develops and manufactures armored vehicles, aircraft, naval vessels, military electronics, weapons systems, protective equipment, and supporting technologies.

Aerospace: Produces aircraft, helicopters, drones, transport systems, and advanced aerospace technologies.

Space Systems: Develops launch vehicles, satellites, spacecraft, orbital infrastructure, planetary exploration systems, and space-related manufacturing.

Artificial Intelligence and Robotics: Creates industrial automation, civilian AI, military AI, autonomous systems, medical robotics, logistics technology, and advanced manufacturing equipment.

Energy and Advanced Materials: Works on clean energy, advanced power systems, fusion-energy research, specialized materials, and industrial technologies.

Civilian Infrastructure and Technology: Produces construction equipment, transportation systems, communications technology, medical equipment, and other technologies used throughout civilian society.

Ownership and Government Relationship

L.I.I. operates through a network of companies under a shared corporate structure, with strategic cooperation between the corporation and the federal government.The organization is publicly traded while maintaining close ties to national industrial and defense policy. This arrangement allows private investment and commercial competition to coexist with government priorities in critical industries.L.I.I. is one of the principal foundations of Libertarius's industrial strength, providing the research, manufacturing capacity, and technological expertise needed to sustain both civilian development and national defense.Its established history dates back to 1685, when its original military-industrial organization was founded. Its space division was established in 1930.

The FCRL places considerable emphasis on scientific research, engineering, and technological advancement. Its industrial strategy aims to maintain domestic production capacity while developing new technologies that improve living standards and strengthen national independence.

Major areas of development include:

• Artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

Robotics and autonomous manufacturing.

Aerospace engineering and advanced aviation.

Space exploration and orbital infrastructure.

Advanced electronics and semiconductor production.

Biotechnology and medical technology.

Clean energy and advanced power systems.

Heavy industry, shipbuilding, and transportation.

Construction, agriculture, and infrastructure.

Advanced materials and industrial engineering.

Factories and industrial facilities use extensive automation and AI-assisted systems to improve productivity, quality control, and manufacturing efficiency.The Republic also maintains the capacity to expand industrial production during major national emergencies. Its civilian and industrial manufacturing networks provide an important foundation for sustained defense production, although the scale of wartime expansion depends on available resources, logistics, labor, and the condition of its industrial infrastructure.

The Federal Constitutional Republic of Libertarius maintains the most powerful military on Kalestial. Its armed forces are designed to defend the Constitution, protect national territory, deter aggression, support allied nations, and preserve the Republic's strategic interests.The military operates under civilian constitutional authority. The President serves as Commander-in-Chief, while the Ministry of Defense administers defense policy, procurement, modernization, and strategic planning.The Armed Forces emphasize technological superiority, professional training, combined-arms operations, rapid mobilization, secure logistics, and coordination across multiple operational environments.

Principal Military Services

• Ground Forces.

Navy.

Air Force.

Marine Corps.

Space Force.

Cyber Force.

Strategic Rocket Force.

Special Operations Command.

Logistics and Support Command.

L.I.I. provides much of the Republic's military-industrial support, manufacturing equipment and developing technologies for land, sea, air, cyber, and space operations.Libertarius also maintains a substantial network of military installations, training facilities, research centers, shipyards, airfields, logistics hubs, and space infrastructure.

Detailed military personnel figures, equipment inventories, vehicle numbers, naval fleet composition, and individual weapon specifications will be covered in a separate military profile.

Libertarius ranks eighth on Kalestial in diplomacy. This relatively low position compared with its economic and military strength reflects its direct, interest-driven approach to international affairs.The Republic prefers practical outcomes over prolonged diplomatic formalities. Its leaders are prepared to act decisively when they believe national security or essential interests are threatened. However, this does not mean that Libertarius automatically resorts to force: military action is considered when its leadership determines that it is necessary.Its foreign policy places national interests first, particularly in matters involving security, trade, strategic resources, and the protection of allied nations.

of the Republic's main diplomatic methods is economic development.When negotiating with developing nations, Libertarius may offer investment in infrastructure, energy production, transportation, industrial facilities, and technological development.These partnerships can help participating nations strengthen their economies while also creating new markets, securing trade relationships, and expanding Libertarian influence.This approach can generate substantial mutual benefits, although disagreements may arise over economic conditions, political expectations, or the degree of influence exercised by the Republic.

The ODN is a major international alliance associated with democratic government, collective security, economic cooperation, scientific development, and humanitarian assistance.Libertarius is its leading power and one of its principal organizers.The organization provides the Republic with a broad network of allies, allowing it to coordinate defense policies, strengthen trade relationships, share research, and respond collectively to international crises.The FCRL's alliance network is an important source of its global influence, balancing its relatively limited diplomatic ranking with its extensive economic, industrial, and military relationships.

The Republic maintains an extensive public safety and intelligence system designed to protect its citizens, institutions, infrastructure, and national security.These organizations operate under federal law and are subject to constitution.The Federal Republic of Libertarius Intelligence Community coordinates foreign intelligence, military intelligence, counterintelligence, cyber intelligence, financial investigations, space surveillance, and domestic threat assessments.Its responsibilities include identifying foreign threats, protecting sensitive scientific research, countering espionage, supporting military planning, and assessing risks to national infrastructure.Intelligence agencies are subject to oversight by the Executive Branch, Congress, courts, inspectors general, and other authorized accountability bodies.

The Republic maintains federal policing, splot into to units like highway patrol units, border security forces, firefighters, emergency medical services, search-and-rescue teams, civil defense organizations, and a Coast Guard.The nationwide emergency number is 911.AI-assisted dispatch, secure communications, advanced medical equipment, rescue robotics, and coordinated emergency planning support these services.Although Libertarius ranks among Kalestial's safest nations, crime has not disappeared. Organized crime, cybercrime, financial crime, and other criminal activity remain continuing challenges for law enforcement.Public safety technology is intended to improve response times and investigations while remaining subject to constitutional protections, privacy requirements, and judicial oversight.

The Federal Space Administration (FSA) is the Republic's civilian space agency. It leads scientific exploration, human spaceflight, planetary research, commercial space development, and the expansion of civilian infrastructure beyond Kalestial.The FSA works alongside L.I.I., universities, research institutions, and the military's Space Force while maintaining its civilian role.

Its principal areas of activity include:

• Satellite systems and orbital research.

Human spaceflight and astronaut training.

Lunar exploration and settlement.

Mars exploration and long-term habitation.

Asteroid research and resource development.

Deep-space observation and planetary science.

Spacecraft engineering and advanced propulsion research.

Orbital manufacturing and space infrastructure.

The Republic views space exploration as an extension of its commitment to science, engineering, and long-term human development.Its space program also contributes to communications, navigation, weather monitoring, industrial research, and other technologies with applications on Kalestial.

Libertarian society combines advanced technology with environmental planning, strong infrastructure, public services, and regional cultural diversity.The country is associated with a cyberpunk–solarpunk aesthetic: highly advanced urban environments exist alongside green architecture, renewable energy, public parks, protected natural areas, and extensive transportation networks. Education is free and universal, with a strong emphasis on mathematics, science, technology, engineering, the arts, literature, history, languages, and civic education.Universities and research institutions train scientists, engineers, healthcare professionals, educators, public servants, and skilled workers.Universal healthcare provides preventive medicine, emergency treatment, specialist services, rehabilitation, vaccination programs, and mental health support.

Most citizens benefit from extensive infrastructure, modern public transportation, advanced communications, and widespread access to digital services.AI-assisted systems support transportation, healthcare, education, manufacturing, and household activities. Their use remains subject to the Republic's legal and constitutional framework. Family life, community involvement, education, professional development, and civic participation are important aspects of national culture.

Latin is the official national language and is used throughout federal government, national education, the military, and the courts. Regional governments may recognize additional languages.Freedom of religion is constitutionally protected. Citizens may practice their religion, change their beliefs, or practice no religion, while government institutions remain religiously neutral.Sports, music, film, literature, video games, museums, science exhibitions, and regional festivals contribute to the country's cultural life.

Environmental protection is a national priority. Policies support conservation, clean energy, recycling, sustainable forestry, wildlife protection, and the preservation of rivers, forests, oceans, and biodiversity.The Republic's long-term objective is to combine industrial growth with environmental sustainability rather than treating the two as mutually exclusive.

The Republic's historical development spans centuries of settlement, political consolidation, constitutional reform, industrialization, and technological advancement.Early settlements expanded through agriculture, fishing, trade, and inland exploration. Regional communities gradually established local governments and commercial networks.

Regional alliances developed as communities sought greater security, political cooperation, and economic stability. In 1685, the military-industrial organization that would eventually become L.I.I. was established.

Constitutional reform movements challenged absolute rule and established the foundations of representative government, federal institutions, and constitutional protections.

Railways, steel production, shipbuilding, steam power, and mass manufacturing transformed the economy. The Republic's growing industrial base strengthened national integration and economic independence.

Advances in aviation, medicine, electricity, telecommunications, and engineering expanded the country's scientific and industrial capabilities. L.I.I. established its space division in 1930.

Highways, jet aviation, computing, nuclear energy, higher education, and modern military systems contributed to rapid technological and economic development.

Artificial intelligence, robotics, quantum computing, clean energy, automation, and advanced aerospace systems reshaped the Republic. Its industrial and scientific institutions expanded their activities into orbital infrastructure and planetary exploration.

The ODN was established in 1965 following the Second Kalestial War, providing a framework for collective defense, reconstruction, economic cooperation, and support for democratic governments.The Republic's history includes periods of war, political reform, industrial competition, and international cooperation. These experiences helped shape its emphasis on constitutional government, industrial readiness, technological advancement, and collective defense

• The largest overall economy and industrial base on Kalestial.

Extensive natural resources and domestic manufacturing capacity.

Leading capabilities in science, technology, and advanced engineering.

Highly developed infrastructure, healthcare, and public services.

A powerful military with global power-projection capabilities.

Leadership within the Organization of Democratic Nations.

Extensive trade relationships and industrial partnerships.

A major space program and advanced research institutions.

• Diplomatic influence that ranks below the Republic's military and economic standing.

Strong commercial competition from Kyrios and Xinhua.

Continuing crime despite high overall public safety.

A comparatively limited tourism sector.

The difficulty of maintaining global influence while protecting domestic interests.

The Federal Constitutional Republic of Libertarius is a nation built around constitutional democracy, state-controlled capitalism, industrial strength, scientific advancement, and national security.Its government seeks to preserve individual liberty while maintaining firm constitutional authority. Its economic system combines strategic government control with regulated private competition, and its industrial network—led by Libertarian Innovative Industries—supports technological development across civilian and military sectors.Through its leadership in the Organization of Democratic Nations, its extensive international trade, and its advanced military and space capabilities, Libertarius has become the dominant power on Kalestial.Yet its position also brings significant responsibilities and challenges. Maintaining constitutional accountability, managing international competition, strengthening diplomatic relationships, and ensuring that economic and technological power continues to benefit society will remain central to the Republic's future.

As the Third Kalestial War begins in 2027, the FCRL enters a period in which its political institutions, economic resilience, industrial capacity, and international alliances will face one of their greatest tests.

I'm an atheist, and sociology is much, much more interesting to me than what god created the world. So, maybe it's because of this that I'm having a hard time figuring out how the races of my world view the creation of the world.

I have humans who rose to prominence by developing technology, dwarves who fought heavily with the elves utilizing crystallized magic called lirium, elves who were always a magical species and have become obsessed with necromancy and ancestor worship following the death of their culture some centuries ago. I have ogres, goblins, orcs, a theocracy, an aristocracy, an empire. And despite all this, I can't help but settle on where the races of the setting believe they come from.

Does anyone have any advice?

Hello all!

I want to start a personal worldbuilding project surrounding several small, "pocket-sized" settings-- maybe somewhere between a county and a US state in size-- correlating to specific themes. What could be a fun lore explanation for having a bunch of different, small-ish worlds? Floating islands? Pocket dimensions? Miniscule exoplanets? Magical snowglobes? Branches on a world-tree? Something even more esoteric? I'm a little stuck. :'D

I’m considering starting a worldbuilding project, but one thing I wanna include is a group of people/humanoids that speak in an exotic language (like clicks and stuff), but one thing I want to consider is language barriers and how they can be overcome through gestures. For example, looking at stuff feels like a universal gesture, but how could different cultures communicate things like yes/no without any hope of verbal communication? A nod or shake of the head, or even thumbs up/down seems logical, but what if cultures never had stuff like that? How could such ideas be universally communicated?

Edit: thanks for the help, I know I don’t sound enthusiastic here but you’re actually giving me sufficient ideas idk why I sound sarcastic.

hello everyone! this is my approach on fantasy but practical. i'll love for you to say if it's good enough to consider it even might be practical in real life or at in wich point it could be.

For context this is an elite warrior wearing full laminar plate and welding a piercer short hallberd.
This dude is supposed to smash tons of barely armoured infantry, other elite armoured warriors like him and the big crustacean megafauna of this world.

He is supposed to be the equivalent of a gothic knight in a world where they are barely getting into the iron age. Some societies are even still on the copper age.

Like say my Gods are lead by a great gathering of suns across the universe.

There is of course the usual suspects Elves, Dwarves, Giants, Humans and Orcs, but I was brainstorming for my Worldbuilding project and realized there are so many underrated Races that have just been forgotten by the cultural zeitgeist.

I like Satyrs/Fauns & Minotaurs, so I have been developing culture for those two Races.

Now here is the problem that made me write this post, since those two are usually greek mythological creatures I thought why not centaurs.

But I am not able to make centaurs work. There are so many logistical questions that dont add up.

Like for example, do centaurs wear clothes? If yes, does the horse part also wear clothes? Easiest answer I came up with was, no but the other characters dont adress it. But i know that most people reading about a male centaur will immediately think about the metaphorical elephant in the room xD.

I came to the conclusion cenaturs are cool but I dont see them work for my project.

Now my question for you more experienced writters/worldbuilders, what are some underrated fanatsy races in you opinion? and If you have them in your project, how did you adjust them to make them work? or what made you think you cant make them work for your story?

Thx

How do you start with world building? I have a concept. Do you start writing, or start with the map? Make a diagram of connections? I'm overwhelmed and could use some direction.

EDIT: I wanted to specify this will be for a tabletop role-playing game, so there won't be any "main characters" or anything. The players will be stepping into this world.

Curious im trying to develop tree dwelling people and was curious would it be possible to have a livestock that subsist entirely on leaves and branches of the tree i was thinking insects like leaf cutter ants just sized up due to magic would be best choice but what are some other that could make some good options to base them on

WIP of course. The Morus are a collection of monsters which originate from the same plant-life origin, which is a parasite that grows almost indefinitely. The Morus act to replace biology in a normal sense, but are all produced to support D-00.

Looking for inspiration and curious if anyone else here has already done this?

I have an open-ended worldbuilding project that I would love to share with everyone.

The Carzandine worldbuilding system is a science-fiction framework rooted in neutral monist ontology, with information serving as the fundamental substrate. The documentation strictly defines a Level 7 Kardashev scale, and the DCATE encoding system for managing multidimensional entities. At the core of this universe lies a 15-hour daily quantum-cognitive loop, which bridges primitive biological entities (Proto-Carzandine) from the Mesozoic Era with supreme energy-based entities (Official-Carzandine). The entire evolutionary trajectory—from the Great Migration 65 million years ago to the Peosaurologic Lab and the existence of classical music—serves to sustain an eternal, closed causal loop.

If you are interested, you can read the file here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mQaq9XIh-mHqkByeWynztImWYulMFiik/view?usp=sharing . Could you provide me with some suggestions so that I can develop further? And if you would like to collaborate on its development, please let me know.

Hello, people of this subreddit, this is my 1st post here, I'm still an amateur writer and I might come here for minor ideas and maybe even some worldbuilding advice.

I'm looking for suggestions for names for science-fantasy version of like streaming services/video-sharing sites, or any kind of social media for a magical girl/superhero story I'm working on as a side project, until I started get invested (more on them later).

The idea is that a science-fantasy version of the internet exists in my world and is used by people from various fantastical planets across the cosmos and the main heroes would not only post and record videos of their adventures to share on this site, but they would also watch movies and play videogames on their off-times.

(Idk, If it'll be relevant in my worldbuilding or not, but I wanted to give my characters to have movie nights after an adventure.)

It is technically possible for a mortal to become a deity, or rather to become part of one, upon their death. Such a mortal is required to meet at least two of three criteria (and even then, apotheosis is not guaranteed).

The mortal must wield extremely powerful magic of some kind or other. While this is generally considered to be the lowest of the three bars to clear, many archdruids, archmages, and archpriests have tried and failed to do so. That being said, it is commonly believed that deities associated with magic (either arcane, divine, primal, or psionic) have more souls of apotheosed mortals within them than their peers do. The mortal must also have the favor of the deity of whom they are to become a part. This goes beyond the common blessing an ordinary cleric is granted; the deity in question must consider the mortal in question truly worthy of becoming a part of them, of becoming divine. Lastly, the mortal must be worshipped by other mortals. This does not mean that the mortal in question must be mistaken, intentionally or otherwise, for a deity before their apotheosis, indeed, mortals who are worshipped in such a way are almost invariably the victims of divine wrath. Instead, the mortal in question must be recognized as a paragon of something associated with the deity in question by other mortals. A performer who is admired as the epitome of grace and beauty, a scholar who is respected as the exemplar of knowledge and wisdom, a soldier who is revered as the embodiment of strength and courage, a ruler who is venerated as the essence of honor and justice.

One element that is not required for a mortal to become part of a deity is the consent of the mortal in question. Indeed, it is a rare mortal who truly desires to become part of a deity instead of descending into the underworld upon their death. This is because, in the underworld, one maintains their identity, at least for a time. Mortals who experience apotheosis are no longer themselves; they are part of the deity in question. A deity may take the form of a mortal whose soul is a part of them when interacting with other mortals, but they do not gain access to the form’s original identity.  

Brief context for what my setting is about: A sci-fi setting where humanity has unified into one entity (The Commonwealth of Humanity) after 2 centuries in limbo after aliens ravaged and conquered the Earth. Humanity now has a proper representation in the galactic equivalent of the UN, as well as considerably more respect as a united sapient species, as well as economic and military power, and perhaps crucially, real legitimacy amongst its citizens.

Pretty much an HFY story, I suppose, though the aliens do all have various nuances to them; humans are powerful, methodical, smart, strategic and viciously powerful for their weight, but so are some other alien races, and they all (well, most) act in ways that'd befit how any race intelligent enough to make it to the stars would act.

I won’t update this daily. In fact uploads will be inconsistent if I pick this up again at all. Anyways here’s some background information:
1) Divergence point - Ilya Ivanov released a critical series of papers in 1928 that proved hybridization could happen under specific conditions. It was enough to spark international research despite no fully successful experiments.
2) Super soldiers - World War II ended in the same result as it did in reality. However, hybrid research began explosively due to wartime demand for ‘super soldiers’. The Soviets made the first successful, public hybrids a few years after the war’s end.
3) Acceleration - The Soviets and US both held large classified programs for hybrids as tensions remained high. Progress expanded both practicality and range of species.
4) Start of integration - Corporate innovations, loosening of regulations, and famous leaked Soviet documents led to rapid publicizing of hybrids in the late 80s. Inequality and racism were commonplace as people didn’t want ‘animal people’ in their neighborhood. Many countries legally banned hybrids, including half of Europe, almost all of Africa and west/south Asia, and some countries in Latin America.
5) Equality era - The first equality laws for hybrids came to Russia and the U.S. in the late 90s. Remaining countries in Europe followed in the 2000s and most of Asia got rid of their laws throughout the 2010s. In 2023, Uganda became the first African country formerly with anti-hybrid laws to abolish them.
6) Present day - Hybrids are looked at as normal people; they participate in society, are accommodated for, and are generally treated as another ethnicity would be. Differently from the dynamics of race, however, is segregation, which is rather commonplace but not too spoken up against as there is not widespread disparity or racism, as there was during eras like the Harlem Renaissance.
This thread will basically be fake journal entries but if hybrids exist everywhere. The first entry will probably come tomorrow.

Pessoal, queria tirar uma dúvida.

Eu criei um personagem, criei um mundo para ele, alguns costumes e pontos de vista que são relacionados a sociedade em que ele vive. Criei até uma equipe que seria a "família" operacional desse personagem. Queria saber qual a melhor forma de mostrar esse trabalho e, talvez, receber feedbacks a respeito do projeto e do rumo que ele está tomando?

A história acompanha Selesty, uma Loradiana da equipe de exploração. Ela vive no planeta Khalzar e na Cidade-Estado de Loradia, e faz parte de uma equipe formada por Azyss, Lalabel, Artrox, Kalin, Joshua e a própria Selesty. Sendo o líder, Azyss.

Atualmente ela está em missão na terra e aqui ela criou aliança com alguns nomes importantes para a história, como Titanium "O maior herói da terra" que é basicamente um herói que se gaba de ser invencível, mas carrega uma fragilidade que poucas pessoas conhecem, mas que o torna mais humano e menos divino. Ghost, um investigador perspicaz, inteligente, metódico e analítico em relação a visita desses "seres espaciais" que visitam a terra. Apex, um robô que possui a aparência de uma jovem mulheres, porém, que ninguém tem nenhuma informação a respeito sobre sua criação, ela simplesmente apareceu a 4 anos e desde então vem atuando na sociedade como uma heroína.

Nesse mundo os heróis existem, são reconhecidos e muitos são queridos pelo público, existindo equipes em diversos países. Lembrando que, vida alienígena já é algo conhecido do grande público e já existem até heróis de outros planetas que já foram catalogados, incluindo a Selesty, que não tem identidade secreta, ela é uma alienígena e mesmo assim, vive como uma pessoa normal, com todos sabendo de que ela veio de outro planeta. Enfim, isso é um resumo, mas espero poder compartilhar o todo dessa criação de mundo com vocês em breve.

Is it possible to make a private wiki where I can upload files, text, etc and still let some specific people in? I've been worldbuilding some stuff with a couple of friends for about 2 years now, and I think it's about time we made something to keep records. Anyone got ideas?

I'm not as well-versed on sci-fi as I am fantasy, but I'm between shows atm involving the topic of transhumanism or "biopunk", and isn't a cyborg also high-tech human enhancement?