Map of Fantasy World

[+ILuvHats]

So, this is a map I charted based on a world I’ve been cooking up, which I’ve made previous posts about. It probably makes no sense geographically, so feel free to point out how the map can be changed to be more realistic. If the borders don't look so great, that's because I was using free software and had to improvise. Also, I figured I’d include a "quick" summary of the world and the different nations. You should be fine reading it without reading my previous posts. All you need to know is that the Burnt are people who got turned magical.

It’s been centuries since catastrophe struck the world, leading to the first Burnt, and Scolaris is divided in half. Political tensions have been rising for the last 50 years, and a global war seems inevitable. Industrialization is spreading, heralding both a golden age of innovation as well as an arms race of epic proportions. Amidst the rising tensions, civil strife rages through territories yet to choose a side, as the position of Burnt in society is hotly debated. All of Scolaris on edge, and a single spark could set the world on fire.

The Southern Bloc

Spoiler

Spearheaded by the Hakani, the Bloc has grown from a mere alliance between the Hakanic Republic and Tomaka to a united front spreading across the south and even beyond. The Bloc is unified by a growing pro-Burnt sentiment, as well as trade embargos established by Kanza and Ced. Industrialization is widespread, and the dissemination of Hakanic principles of capitalism have led to a booming economy (as well as an oppressed and angry worker class).

The Hakanic Republic: As an island nation across the continent from Kanza, the center of commerce and prosperity in the early days, the Hakanic Republic has long been a backwards, rural nation with few natural resources. However, it was completely isolated from the Second Burning, a massive conflict between a coalition of Burnt in the Ravages and the rest of the world, a war which raged hottest north of the Crested Mountains. As such, the hatred of the Burnt which is so predominant in the North never spread to the Hakani.  

They’ve been one of only two nation to consistently have dealings with Burnt tribes from the Ravages, and two centuries ago, they became the first nation in which Burnt were legal. Since then, massive numbers of Consumed (a type of Burnt) have immigrated from the Ravages, and society was built around them. They were incorporated into the police force and military, and provided a way to efficiently deal with new Cracks without a massive loss of life. The Burnt also boosted the materials industry due to their magical abilities. 

(Note: The Consumed have an innate ability to scan and identify materials as well as their properties and microscopic structure. I did not cover this ability when I talked about them in my first post. Also, the only Burnt known to exist in the Hakanic Republic are the Consumed. The Charred are unidentified as discussed in my post about them, and the Inflamed disappeared off the face of the earth after the Second Burning, for reasons I don’t want to go into.)

Over these last 200 years, the Hakanic Republic became the forerunner of an industrial revolution, and has been the source of a number of new technologies, including the development of different plastics. Politically, they’ve evolved from a strict caste system to a looser one based on capitalist principles. After founding the Southern Bloc with their long-term ally, Tomaka, the Republic has become the predominant influence south of the Crested Mountains, spreading capitalist policies and a pro-Burnt sentiment.

Tomaka: They are the cofounder of the Southern Bloc alongside the Hakanic Republic. They have one of the largest fleets of trading vessels and are a arguably the greatest naval power. Tomaka has benefitted greatly from close ties with the Hakanic Republic, and they are a center of technological commerce, exporting many innovations developed by the Hakani. It is an industrialized nation, and shares very similar views to the Republic. Burnt are common here, though not as common as in their ally nation. 

Dmis: A center of silk and dye trade. They retain control of the southern passage through the Crested Mountains, the only major trade route through them. Medium levels of industrialization.

Elitia: They have a history of conflict with Dmis, but their introduction into the Southern Bloc alongside Dmis finalized years of peace talks, and tensions between them have ebbed. 

Notogara: Lots of fishing. It’s their main export. Uhhh, don’t have much else. Industrialization has been crawling in, but the west is still very rural. Burnt are legal, but very uncommon.

Marad: The only nation north of the Crested Mountains allied with the Southern Bloc. Their decision to join was largely motivated by the economic advantages gained by aligning themselves with southern centers of commerce. Due to the oligarchical government, the masses had little say in the decision to join the Bloc. Anti-Burnt sentiment is common, so the decision to join has been met with outcries and riots. Though Burnt are technically legal, after a number of Burnt revealed themselves and were subsequently lynched, the rest either fled or went undercover. The eastern portion is rural while the west is moderately industrialized.

The Kanzic Alliance (probably not the final name)

Spoiler

Comprised of Kanza and the nations tied to it politically and culturally. All members are north of the Crested mountains. The Burnt are widely hated thanks to the Church (no name for the religion yet). The Church is a massive influence, similar in power to the Catholic Church during the middle ages. The ______ religion, which sprouted shortly after the Ravaging (aka the First Burning), demonifies the Burnt, and has lead to a systemic establishment of anti-Burnt sentiment. The Second Burning, which swept through this region centuries ago, further enflamed the hatred of the Burnt and ensured the Church’s longevity.

Kanza: Undoubtedly the most powerful nation in Scolaris. Geographically and population-wise, it’s the largest, and it has access to a plethora of natural resources. Spurred on by the success of the Hakanic Republic, Kanza quickly became an industrial powerhouse. Though steam power was first seen in Hakani, it was perfected and applied by Kanzic engineers. The first trains and steamboats were designed here, and they built a massive railway network throughout northeastern Scolaris, which is taxed heavily to fund the Kanzic government.

Though agriculture used to be an enormous industry, Kanza has been outsourcing for food more and more as they’ve begun focusing on industry. The middle class has grown exponentially, sustained by a lower class filled with immigrants hoping to share in the prosperity of the nation. Kanza is also the origin and current center of the Church. While the Church claims to be impartial on political matters, many of its doctrines, rulings, etc. tend to favor Kanza.

As the center of the Church, hatred of the Burnt is rampant in Kanza, though the population tends to be less fanatical than nations farther west like Ced. This is because Burnt incursions during the Second Burning never reached this far east. Culturally, Kanza is an oppressive force, having vast influence over neighboring nations, particularly Agith Tar. It is undoubtedly the center of the northern Scolaris. 

Ced: It’s a bit of a wannabe Kanza. It has access to a lot of land and natural resources, but lacks the manpower to fully take advantage of them. Despite it’s proximity to Kanza, it has successfully resisted becoming a vassal state, though it is still prone to the influence of Kanzic culture. Ced is something of a secondary center of the Church, which has even been incorporated into the government (it’s not a full theocracy – think of it like the UK parliament with a third House; there’s a House of Lords, a House of Commoners, and a House of the Church). Hatred of the Burnt is basically fanatical here, and the military is very active in the Ravages, where they focus on exterminating Burnt tribes (Kanza also aids in such military action).

Agith Tar: Initially part of Kanza, it revolted and split from its mother nation several decades after the Second Burning due to cultural differences. However, it has since become little more than a vassal state to Kanza. The local government wields limited power and is subject to the whims of Kanzic authorities. The religious affiliation of the population is split between the Church and a splinter religion originating in Govea, though the latter has a smaller presence. It has a vast navy (funded by Kanza) which rivals even Tomaka.

Fedia: I have little to say about this one. It’s less of a vassal state to Kanza than Agith Tar, but it still can’t be considered fully independent. The local government would have preferred to remain neutral in the coming conflict, but pressure from Kanza forced them to declare their alliance.

Rakar: It’s an extremely xenophobic nation, ruled by a fascist government. Entry and leaving is heavily monitored, so little information about it leaks into the outside world. It’s comparable to modern day North Korea.

Jakov: Like all countries bordering the Ravages, it is very rural. Due to religious influence from Ced, it has joined the Kanzic Alliance.

Neutral Territories

Spoiler

Govea: Most predominantly, it’s known as the center of a splinter religion from the Church. This splinter religion focuses less on ideology around the Burnt and more on other teachings/doctrines. In recent years, Govea has been serving as a go-between for sea trade between the south and the north as tensions have risen. 

Illoria: Originally, Illoria was comprised of a number of city states based around the mountains. After a trade pass was established through the Crested Mountains, most of the city states joined under a single ruler to form a monarchy, consolidating control over the northern side of the trade route. This has made the nation very wealthy. Kanzic influence is limited here due to distance, and it has been heavily influenced by the Govean religion as well as differing religions/aspects of culture passing through from Dmis.  

Tzurk: Rural, deemed of little importance by more powerful nations. 

Makhistan: Like Tzurk, it is very rural, though the western border has seen a bit of industrialization. It is likely join the Southern Bloc if the war continues to be delayed decades more, as Hakanic influence continues to spread here.

The Ravages (not an actual nation): It covers most of Scolaris, and is deemed land where the Cracks are too prevalent for safe human habitation. Most of the nations next to the Ravages have very loose western borders, tending to simply bleed into these wild lands. It is home to many wandering tribes of Burnt, able to live here thanks to their immunity to the Cracks. If you’re wondering why these tribes haven’t fled farther west, it’s because Cracks will leach the life from land over time. The farther west you head, the more barren it gets.

 

Edited January 20, 2020 by ILuvHats

[Lunamor]

So this isn’t exactly something to make it more realistic (I know zilch about geography), but it seems like a great deal of nations bulge out on the left side and taper down on the right side, kind of like they are all facing the same direction. Unless that is intentional, I’d change the proportions of some of the boundaries a little so that there is more variety in shape. (I love the worldbuilding by the way!)

[GoWibble]

So, is the Hakanic republic focused on naval power like Tomaka? otherwise they seem at a major disadvantage for an island state. 

[+ILuvHats]

4 hours ago, GoWibble said:

So, is the Hakanic republic focused on naval power like Tomaka? otherwise they seem at a major disadvantage for an island state. 

Their navy is comparable to Tomaka, but they have less trading vessels. They’re more focused on localized trade and don’t travel as far, relying on neighboring nations to distribute their exports to more distant regions. 

11 hours ago, Lunamor said:

So this isn’t exactly something to make it more realistic (I know zilch about geography), but it seems like a great deal of nations bulge out on the left side and taper down on the right side, kind of like they are all facing the same direction. Unless that is intentional, I’d change the proportions of some of the boundaries a little so that there is more variety in shape. (I love the worldbuilding by the way!)

Thanks for the advice! I’ll definitely take it into consideration when I update the map.

[Kureshi Ironclaw]

Keep in mind that borders tend to appear around natural obstacles like mountain ranges, rivers, and dense forests. You're probably limited in the app you're working with to show all that sort of stuff but it seems like a lot of your borders are just out in the middle of nowhere with no justification as to why they are there. If the border is in the middle of open plains, what is to stop anyone from just walking across it? Borders are also constantly moving and that movement tells a story. Ced has a large protrusion to the south cutting between Tzurk and Fedia down to Marad. Was this protrusion originally a larger territory stretching right down to the mountain range that has begun to shrink as these other nations expanded and Ced couldn't hold the land from so many expanding fronts? Or has Ced been recently expanding south, seizing territory from those three nations. If so, why? Is there a valuable recourse in the south they want to control. You could tie that expansion into your world's conflict about the Burnt, but not all of your worldbuilding should be directly tied to the Burnt. You'll get a much realer feeling world if you have things shaped by other factors.

[+ILuvHats]

1 hour ago, Kureshi Ironclaw said:

Keep in mind that borders tend to appear around natural obstacles like mountain ranges, rivers, and dense forests. You're probably limited in the app you're working with to show all that sort of stuff but it seems like a lot of your borders are just out in the middle of nowhere with no justification as to why they are there. If the border is in the middle of open plains, what is to stop anyone from just walking across it? Borders are also constantly moving and that movement tells a story. Ced has a large protrusion to the south cutting between Tzurk and Fedia down to Marad. Was this protrusion originally a larger territory stretching right down to the mountain range that has begun to shrink as these other nations expanded and Ced couldn't hold the land from so many expanding fronts? Or has Ced been recently expanding south, seizing territory from those three nations. If so, why? Is there a valuable recourse in the south they want to control. You could tie that expansion into your world's conflict about the Burnt, but not all of your worldbuilding should be directly tied to the Burnt. You'll get a much realer feeling world if you have things shaped by other factors.

Yeah, that's something I can do a lot better with. The thing is, I basically just threw this map together. I didn't plan it at all. In fact, I only had 4 of the countries planned out in my head beforehand: the Hakanic Republic, Kanza, Illoria, and Rakar. The other nations just arose as I threw borders down willy nilly. Just seeing the map helped me to develop the nations more and see how they interacted, but most of that came after I made the map. So I guess it was basically just a visual aid I could use to actually figure out how many nations I had, their relative positions, and their attitudes towards each other. 

But yeah, you make some excellent points. There should definitely be more topography, and the topography, landscape, and natural resources should be what determine the borders of nations. So in future drafts, the aim is to use this map as a model of approximately where I want the nations to be. Topography should be added accordingly, then the borders should be added afterwards to mostly fit them.

Edited January 21, 2020 by ILuvHats

[Kureshi Ironclaw]

21 hours ago, ILuvHats said:

Yeah, that's something I can do a lot better with. The thing is, I basically just threw this map together. I didn't plan it at all. In fact, I only had 4 of the countries planned out in my head beforehand: the Hakanic Republic, Kanza, Illoria, and Rakar. The other nations just arose as I threw borders down willy nilly. Just seeing the map helped me to develop the nations more and see how they interacted, but most of that came after I made the map. So I guess it was basically just a visual aid I could use to actually figure out how many nations I had, their relative positions, and their attitudes towards each other. 

But yeah, you make some excellent points. There should definitely be more topography, and the topography, landscape, and natural resources should be what determine the borders of nations. So in future drafts, the aim is to use this map as a model of approximately where I want the nations to be. Topography should be added accordingly, then the borders should be added afterwards to mostly fit them.

Yeah I think that is definitely a good way to do it. I used to draw maps for fun and then build stories around whatever I put on the map.