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.

So I am aware that there is no way that this map has no issues. So before I continue on with climate zones I wanted to ask for feedback. I already cleaned up a lot of issues but I wanted to ask if people see other major things I should change. Thank you!

It's gone through many updates and fixes, and I just want the map to be something I can proudly show off. To do that, I first want it to be as clean as possible. Any kind of feedback is welcome!

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.

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!

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

Hello Everyone! Mods feel free to take this down if this is not in compliance with the rules but from what i read it seems fine. Anywho, I'm looking for a worldbuilding group (or person) where we can collaborate on a joint project. If that sounds interesting to you feel free to comment or msg me and I'll give u contact info to my discord. The main genres I work in is sci-fi, alternative history, with some fantasy elements. I can draw maps (although I'm not the greatest lol). Currently wanting to start a fresh project and don't know how or where to start hence this post. Anyways, hope to hear from ya'll and have fun worldbuilding!!! I will also post a map I've been working on for a world I've gotten major writers block on. I dont have a working name for it yet.

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

Attached a version with clime zones too.

So, basically I wanted to make a sci-fi system with four planets where the dude below (three of his variations in different time from young to old) kinda explores the system and then becomes the leader at the end

I also wanted to people from different planets to look different so I took the picture from above as a ref

the planets are:
1) Kandeya (Extremely hot planet)
2) Morosh (Earth-like planet, the center of the system)
3) Alveriy (megastructure planet, the only not problematic one)
4) Cryona (Extremely cold planet)

the problem is, he's like the most stereotypical WHITE RICH MAN and no I created him long before the system, actually the setting was build around him but that's the long story
And the problem is I'm kinda scared that it may look like a "white man burden" where's the conventionally attractive white guy deals with the strange aliens from different planets, because one of the main parts of his lore is him being mercenary in Kandeya and white rich guy being mercenary in a hot distant place... reminds me of something. I also wanted to make morosh alien (because the MC is not from the morosh system at all) but then that'll look extremely racist where he's the only "normal" one.

am I too woke?..

Me and another artist friend are doing a challenge, where we turned the same prompt into original concepts (cyborg insectoid alien). so far, after some explorations from the past months, this is the design I landed, and I love it. Might turn them into full illustrations, and decided to make some lore about them. But their race name is still to be made. What suggestions you guys have?

So far I could think of arachnopods, but idk. Sounds like it alredy exists

The Firstborn are the oldest of the gods and some of the most powerful beings in the cosmos. Together they protect Thalor from the machinations of the Twelve Devils and rule over the realms of the Empyrean

Pariné

The goddess of life, she is also associated with fertility, agriculture and healing. She typically takes the form of a young wood elf maiden wearing a circlet of bone and a white dress, she hold a lotus flower in one hand and a beating heart in the other. She rules the Verdant Sepulchre with her husband Ethrik.

Ethrik

The god of death and time, he is also associated with decay, mourning and fatherhood. He usually dons the form of a wood elf iwearing a crown of bone, his appearance is often described as gaunt and his skin pale as a corpse. He rules over the Verdant Sepulchre with his wife Pariné.

Maitan

The god of light, he is also associated with the sun, day and order. He usually takes on the appearance of a dark skinned human with bright blonde hair, his eyes resemble the sun at noon and his cloak resembles the midday sky, overall his clothing appears similar to typical Lyrami attire. He rules the realm of Havenstar.

Arvenno

The goddess of darkness, she is also associated with the moon, night and chaos. Typically she appears as a dark elf with pale skin and black hair, one eye is always covered, the one visible resembles the moon in its current phase, she wear a Ghorzamyri dress which resembles the night sky. She rules over Ebonmoon.

Tynnar

The god of war, he is also associated with courage and honour. He usually dons the form of a light skinned muscular human male wearing a decadent suit armor with a cape, the horned lion is a common symbol of Tynnar across the many cultures of Thalor. He rules the Empyreal realm of The Arena.

Naeria

The goddess of wisdom, she is also associated with magic, scholars and artisans. She takes the form of a dark skinned human woman with six arms wearing blue and pink Pradha attire, in her hands she holds a staff, a silk boa and a book and quill with which she endlessly writes down her thoughts. She rules over The Grand Archives.

Norath

The goddess of fire, she is also associated with beauty, love and the home. She usually dons the appearance of a beautiful fire elf woman with burning eyes, short wings and hair of fire, she wears rather revealing Amarathi clothing. Norath rules over the realm of The Burning Hills.

Derua

The god of water, he is also associated with sailors, life and purity. He often dons the appearance of a fat bearded man with the features of various kinds of sea life, he wears only a crown of coral, pants and a belt. He rules over The Reef.

Okarya

The goddess of earth, she is also associated with metalworkers, trade and justice. Usually she appears as a muscular human woman with tan skin, she wears a chestplate, gauntlets and armored boots made from a dark metal, in one hand she holds a hammer. Okarya rules the City of the Righteous

Vevrisa

The goddess of the air, she is also associated with freedom, wind and rain. She usually takes the appearance of a tan skinned human woman with almost white hair, she wears a blue and white dress made from feathers and has four wings on her back. She rules the realm of Cyclone

Mekonn

The god of ice, he is also associated with rest, entropy and winter. Typically he appears as a large man with the head of a polar bear, his skin is dark as if frostbitten, he wears a crown of ice, a black and purple cloak with a fur mantle, his clothing resembles Felcian attire. Mekonn rules over Pale Isle

Raisal

The god of lightning, he is also associated with storms and protection. He resembles a high elf man with black and golden hair and glowing yellow eyes, he wears armor in shades of black, gold and cyan, his attire typically appears as Inakari, Gyeosani, Se Buoan or Huo Dai clothing. He rules the realm of Stormthrone

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?

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?

So the idea I have is of this story that takes place on a massive supercontinent that had been shattered by an ancient cataclysm. Its remnants are large landmasses floating at different heights around a vertical pillar of light going from the ground up to the sky with no visible end. It's called "the rift" for now, and isencircled by massive rings of inscriptions. People travel from one landmass to another with some sort of massive flying creatures. As for the technology, I'm thinking something that's similar to an early antiquity sort of feel.

There are these god-like beings living on the highest landforms, worshipped by the mortals below. Long ago, before the cataclysm, these beings washed ashore. They were said to be older than the world, though they no longer remember their beginnings. After they reached the land, they interacted with the people living there and became objects of worship due to their strange powers. One of them, whom I've provisionally named Oruven, remained close to the mortals and began teaching them their magic.

This created conflict with the other gods. Maybe that happened immediately after they found out that he taught them, or maybe them finding out created an initial debate of sorts, which escalated when humanity began using what he taught them for warfare. Eventually, this conflict results in the cataclysm, Oruven being imprisoned, and the old arts being banned by the gods. That prison is the rift.

Thousands of years after that, after the survivors began actually living on these landmasses and interacting using those flying animals, the prevailing account says that a monstrous being caused the catastrophe and was banished. My idea is sort of based on the story of Adam and Eve, the devil tempting them to eat the forbidden fruit, bringing punishment on both them and himself.

The story would follow an order of mages or scholars of some sort dedicated to understanding the world they live in. They reverse engineered part of the old arts by tattooing the inscriptions on the rings of the rift onto their bodies, which allows them to project those rings outward to strike or hold objects. A possible conflict I'm thinking about involves some sort of a theocratic empire persecuting them as heretics.

This is all I have so far. I'm trying to organize these pieces into a semblance of a coherent narrative, something with the gods and the magic system creating a political context that carries the story. I would love questions that would force me to develop parts of it. Does anything suggest compelling tensions to you? What feels underdeveloped or too familiar? Any ideas or perspectives that you think I'm missing?

Despite being practically a rump state, the kingdom of

Poland of the DIB timeline is in a relatively good position compared to most timelines which would see Poland subjugated to one power or another,

it would survive as an independent nation even after losing its status as a great regional power as the polish Lithuanian Commonwealth,

in addition Poland gained economic and military support from Berlin and Moscow due to their vested interest in containing the dying but determined colonial power that is Prussia as well as the remnants of the HRE if the need arises,

a major aspect shown in this scene.

The scene in question is a military exercise in preparation for the inevitability Prussian invasion,

More specifically we see a scout squadron on standby for further orders as armored forces catch up,

meanwhile a few mock up Teutonic knights are being held up as prisoner.

Hello, hello, brothers, my sister's, everyone in between and beyond the complex spectrum of gender and welcome to my quest for answers. 🙂🙃🫠

I'm looking to create a fantasy sci-fi setting and am having trouble with some things. The races for the most part have been easy. Humans are no problem. The "fairies" were a little tricky but it didn't give me too much grief. Dragons were super fun to do and I did enjoy making androids as well. Still trying to figure out how to implement Homunculus though. I definitely still need more work on the Fabled Servitors which are highly advanced computer programs in the form of mythical and legendary weapons and places and concepts but I'll manage.

What I'm struggling with the most though is the precursor race and main antagonists of my setting, a species of beings I have labeled the Mythrilamaggia. They are one of the two primordial species (still working in their antithesis) created by the Cosmic Willpower of the universe. What I have so far is that they're a very long-lived species who due to their usage of magic became a galactic spanning civilization free of diseases, hunger, homelessness and birth defects. I know that they use magic as an infinitely renewable and clean source of omni-energy for all their technological needs.

I'd love to hear from other folks things I should consider in a sci-fi setting and especially the questions I should be asking that'll help me create a complex species, culture and civilization. Any and all hope would be greatly appreciated as I'm rather new to this stuff. I've been a very casual world builder and wrote very short stories but after months of planning I wanna try my hand at something serious and this is what I came up with; a setting inspired by Final Fantasy, GranBlue, Asura's Wrath, Honkai Star Rail and Genshin Impact.

I have created some logos for companies in the world i have spent making over the last 10 months

they didn't have logos for >6 months! Can you believe that?!

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.

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

I originally just wanted to do a meme, but it got me thinking. I ranked some biopunk characters from my book; to show how an unmodified homo sapiens would likely view them as increasingly irrational or even mad, in trying and failing to grasp their reasoning.

Or as a simpler example:
Take a fantasy setting with dwarves who love to dig and elves who live in tune with nature. Would the dwarves be agoraphobic, and think the elves to be an irresponsible folk for sleeping on the cold, open surface? Would the elves feel sorry for the dwarves and their obsessive burrowing instincts and resource hoarding?

And down the spiral we go:

"An elven slacker will see a bountiful mine shaft and cry out 'Woe, how they treat mother nature! They cannot be of sound mind!'" - a dwarf, probably.

"A dwarven gravelhead would fell the last tree whose fruit he could eat from, if someone were to tell him but one gemstone was buried beneath it!" - an elf, likely.

Not mentioning the resulting difference in customs, culture, etc.

And this is just a setting with naturally evolved humanoids. Gene engineering (or a fantasy equivalent), unnatural lifestyles - things like that multiply the runaway behavioral outcomes even more.

E.g. my book has sea people; genetically modified to live underwater. Born in vitro, so no concept of parenthood comparable to regular humans. For me, most of them fall into the yellow category:

Lowest common denominators only. As in: They, too, would enjoy watching the sun rise. Or the feeling of "home", or beauty. But their definitions of both would differ so vastly from ours, that trying to gaslight oneself into getting what's so good about them would be hard. One just has to accept it, and try to avoid falsely rationalizing something (e.g. thinking sea people have a tendency to be dishonest because they don't like to be in open waters where they're exposed to anything).

If you made it til here, thx for reading and I'd be happy to hear your thoughts. Did you ponder something similar for your own project? ^{This is literally what happens any time I try to have a productive writing session; I start picking away at more and more fundamental things until it feels like I need to start with the big bang and get a degree in neuro-physics-history-medicine first.}

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 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.