The Inland Sea

If we're going to discuss tropes of fantasy maps, the first one that comes to mind is surely a continent with a defined western coast and an indiscriminate landmass to the east. But inland seas are up there too. In addition to looking otherworldly, they serve a practical purpose - as Anders H. of Mythlands points out in his Fantasy Map Review series, a sufficiently large inland sea means that pretty much every part of the map is accessible from every other part of the map. I, personally, prefer long multi-stage journeys through multiple lands, but that's just me. It seems that inland seas are particularly associated with the sword and sorcery subgenre, likely because of Howard's Vilayet and Gygax's Nyr Dyv - I also suspect that this is because it provides for more area for pirate adventures to take place.

It's convenient, then, for the purposes of my project to reimagine the world of the original Dragon Quest trilogy as a sword and sorcery setting, that Dragon Quest III boasts a rather large inland sea. The distorted geography of DQ3's overworld combines the Black and Caspian Seas into a single body of water, almost as big as the pseudo-Mediterranean to the southwest. I've stated before that DQ3's overworld doesn't seem to be as big as the actual Earth, but the comparative sizes of the two seas does still give us reason to believe that it's quite a big one, and consequently, probably well-settled, with copious ports and trade routes to be found.

According to my theories on Erdland's geography, the Sea forms the eastern border of the Romalian Empire, with the Worldforest to the east, Ashalam and Baharata to the south, and the Kingdom of Dragons to the north. It's connected to the surrounding ocean by what are either rivers or (in my opinion, more likely) straits. Though we don't see any large settlements here in-game, it's reasonable to assume that such a large body of water so closely connected to the sea where Romaly and Portoga are located would be an important center for trade. This is supported by the fact that the terrain on the western and southern shores consists mostly of easily-settled plains - considering these shores would be controlled by Romaly and the Baharatan kingdoms, there are surely a number of important ports there.

Beyond that, I'd place a number of city-states, or even thalassocratic leagues thereof, around the coasts of the Inland Sea. Kings and merchants would surely be keen to take advantage of its strategic location and carve out dominions for themselves, ranging from stately maritime republics a la Venice to lawless dens of piracy. Considering the northern continent is ruled by dragons, the cities around its shore of the Sea would likely be heavily fortified and with formidable navies to defend themselves against their monstrous neighbors.

One might expect a similar quality from the cities bordering the Worldforest in the east - these ports would have plentiful access to wood, likely making them centers of shipbuilding and great exporters of timber, but the lack of infrastructure in the feral Worldforest would require them to rely on their own might. They are likely dependent on foreign imports for goods as well, trading wood for crops and luxuries they have limited access to themselves. If the Worldtree allows for travel (and, consequently, trade) with Torland, these ports may be some of the most important arteries supplying Torlandic goods into Erdland, but with the tree far afield inland, getting them to the port is another story - and perhaps a good opportunity for adventurers.

Locations in or around the Inland Sea include:

• Olivia Cape: A narrow point in the middle of the Sea. An inn is present on the southern shore, and a local legend tells that the cape's namesake, a woman named Olivia, drowned herself here after her husband, Eric, was lost at sea; her ghost now forbids ships to pass. Even without the ghost, it's likely a treacherous route due to its narrow nature and the presence of large shoals.
• The Shrine of Shackles: An island in the western half of the Sea that prisoners are exiled to. Given the geographic placement, it was likely established as a penal colony by the Romalians; however, the one named canonical resident, Simon (more on him in a moment - he's the most frustrating historical reference the translators missed), was exiled there by the king of Samanao. This is almost certainly me overanalyzing a decades-old video game (but then, what part of this project isn't?), but this could point to a historical treaty between Samanao and Romaly, comparable to how Russia and Germany were able to exile Napoleon to Elba.

Lancel

In the overworld of Dragon Quest III, Lancel geographically corresponds to Australia - a small continent and/or large island, located west of Aliahan and directly south of Baharata. That's about where the similarities to Australia end. Even in a game that was taking so many liberties when it came to mixing and matching historical eras, it seemed like not even Enix in 1988 knew how to include Australia in a medieval fantasy world. Anyway, Lancel has very little in common with its geographic doppelganger, but I still think it's an evocative setting with a lot to offer The Saga of the Ortegids.

Lancel is dominated by a single city of the same name, which notably boasts an absolutely massive temple, by far the largest in the game. With this temple being the dominant feature of the city, it's reasonable to assume that Lancel is the spiritual heart of Erdland; its Vatican, or perhaps Olympia would be a closer comparison. I'd like to imagine this temple is quite a hotspot of activity, with shrines to each of the Nine Gods and frequent festivals on which rituals are performed, with incense hanging in the air and the streets choked with whirling, dancing devotees. There's plenty of Lieber stories to refer to here. The temple is noted to be a local landmark, and seems to dwarf the rest of the town even by the admission of its people, so it may well be of ancient Aliahanian construction. There's no teleportation shrine that leads to Lancel, but theoretically the proximity to Aliahan might make one unnecessary.

There is no king to be seen in Lancel or anywhere nearby, and the city seems self-sufficient, so it very well could be a theocracy run by the temple. Notably, the stores in the city are well-stocked, with merchandise not accessible anywhere else (even including magic items like invisibility-granting herbs) and some of the highest prices of any stores in the game. This could just be a mechanic for the purposes of game balance, but it's more fun to assume this means that Lancel, despite its small size and relative isolation, is a very wealthy city with a booming economy. If it is a holy place, it likely attracts pilgrims from across the world, bringing in a lot of revenue for unscrupulous merchants looking to turn a profit. This could present a good hook for PCs to visit the region, and could introduce other NPCs and factions from across the world they could rub shoulders with in the process.

It's quite interesting to note how well-connected Lancel seems to be. In the real world Australia had little contact with the outside world for most of history, but this doesn't appear to be the case for Lancel. It goes back to my point that the world of DQ3 seems much more interconnected than the real world was in the medieval era, and is probably smaller than Earth. Of course, the fact there's another continent right over to the east probably helps it from being too isolated.

Art by Shusei Sasaya

It's reasonable to assume that, with the continent being as large as it is, there would be other settlements there not depicted in-game. The question is if they would be governed by Lancel, or independent settlements. I'm more inclined to go with the latter, since Lancel itself doesn't have anything notable in the way of a centralized administration, and the presence of the temple could make the city a regional power, allowing it to establish itself as a prominent city-state.

The temple in Lancel is required to access the nearby dungeon, Gaia's Navel (this, incidentally, means that if I had a nickel for every JRPG that had a dungeon called Gaia's Navel, I'd have three nickels, which isn't a lot, but...). This dungeon is a proving ground that only worthy heroes can pass through. In the game, it must be completed solo, without the help of any party members, but that wouldn't be very fun in a TRPG with multiple players, so I likely wouldn't enforce that at the table. It is, however, one of my favorite dungeons in the game. It has a lot of fun setpieces, including an entire floor that's one giant cavernous room, and a hallway flanked by carved stone heads that urge you to turn back, and you're supposed to ignore them and move on anyway to prove your conviction. I'll probably adapt it to a D&D dungeon at some point in the future, so watch this space.

The name Gaia's Navel, and the fact that the dungeon is located at the dead center of the continent, is interesting. I'm choosing to interpret this as meaning that Lancel is at the very center of Erdland, which could explain its spiritual significance. Perhaps this is the place where the Nine Gods created the worlds, and the very heart of the universe. It would also make the proximity to Liamland, another holy island, interesting, but that's a topic for another day...

Friday Encounter: The Guardian Beast

A lot of my Friday Encounters center around a couple of themes I find ripe for exploiting when it comes to game material - subverting PC expectations, or confronting the party with moral dilemmas. Well, I hope people aren't getting tired of that, because this one has both.

This encounter is best used while the PCs are on the road, and come to a small isolated village. Ideally, you should drop rumors in the leadup to the encounter - for instance, in nearby settlements, the party may hear that people have sighted a foreboding shape flying over the horizon, and it seems to be coming closer and closer. They should also hear that number of farms and homesteads further down the road have been laid to waste, the buildings shattered and the people and animals vanished, with only bones left behind. Several such rumors describe the ground being scarred into wasteland, as though the fields were burned with acid, though none have seen such a desolation in person.

Eventually, this trail should take them to a town where the people know of a mountain nearby, where a chimera dwells in its cave. The villagers have known of this creature for years, and some even know the trail to its lair, but they note that it has never caused any trouble for the town before. However, if nearby settlements are being devastated, many suspect the chimera is responsible - and when it lives so close by, there is a growing sense of paranoia that their village may be next. A few have declared that the chimera must be slain before it takes another life, but no one is brave enough to make such a journey. However, if the PCs seem capable, one of the local guides will be happy to show them the way.

The chimera dwells at the summit of a mountain near the town. You may choose to add other encounters or hazards along the way as you wish, or even expand the lair into a full-fledged dungeon. However, the chimera should be found in a cavern strewn with bones. None of them appear to be human bones, and the bones of several dangerous monsters can be found among them. Nevertheless, if the PCs approach the chimera with weapons drawn, it will not hesitate to attack.

If the chimera is slain, the townspeople will celebrate, rewarding the PCs with a grand feast and offering 90 GP per party member in return; they will also find 4000 GP's worth of gold and jewels, a potion of fire giant strength, and a wand of secrets in the chimera's lair. However, about a week afterward (this can be adjusted if the PCs seem intent on moving on quickly), they will discover the terrible truth.

The chimera wasn't behind the attacks at all - rather, they were the work of a black dragon starting to expand its range into the nearby area. The chimera, in fact, had established itself as the protector of the village, and had fended off attacks by monsters for many years. Without it, though, the village is defenseless - and it will be the dragon's next target! The next time the PCs come to the village, they will find it a smoldering ruin, and the dragon may still be around. If the PCs don't have any desire to revisit the village, they can discover the consequences of their actions when an NPC, perhaps a survivor from the town, relays the news and warns of the dragon's threat.

I've tried to leave a few clues in this encounter, but if you don't think your players will pick up on them, you might allow PCs to research local lore, in which case they may discover that a folk hero from the town decided to spare a chimera's life years ago, and the chimera decided to defend the village ever since. This should be a relatively obscure legend, to explain why the people fear the chimera. If the PCs don't kill the chimera, the dragon will still attack, but this time the two beasts will do battle - and the party may well be caught in the middle of it!

Edina

After purchasing a ship in Portoga, the overworld of Dragon Quest III opens dramatically. From this point on there are no real road blocks until the endgame, so you're free to explore and complete the remaining quests in whatever order you choose. Up to this point, I've been covering every location in the order most players will encounter them in-game, but from here, the order I choose will be largely arbitrary.

The Kingdom of Edina is probably the closest new location that can be explored from Portoga, corresponding to the British Isles in the overworld map. The name I'm using here is actually a localizationism - the more accurate translation, as used in older releases, is Edinbear (more on that in a moment) - but I will admit that for all the many flaws with the new translation, Edina sounds much more like the name of a kingdom. For The Saga of the Ortegids, I'll be using Edina as the name of the country, and Edinbear for the capital city.

Art by Alan Lathwell

We don't see a lot of Edina in the game. On the map, Edinbear is simplified to only the castle where the royal family holds court. Even then, you can't actually explore the castle until later, because the guards bar entrance to any mere commoners, requiring you to find an item granting invisibility in order to sneak by them. The dialogue of many NPCs there highlights a strong culture of elitism among Edinan nobility, looking down on the lower classes and viewing them as beneath their care. However, the kingdom would also appear to be a prominent naval power - they've established contact with the barbarians of the eastern continent (that's a subject for a future post), across the ocean, and it stands to reason that they may well have colonies and trading posts established along the coast.

There are a number of directions I could go with Edina. The most obvious would be to make it the place where all the traditional medieval European fantasy trappings go, with knights in shining armor and pointy-hatted damsels in towers. There isn't really a better place to put it - the equivalent region to continental Europe is split between Romalia and Portoga, which are grounded in eras before and after the High Middle Ages respectively. I've already given Aliahan an Anglo-Saxon coat of paint, and much of Torland carries light Norse themes. There's nowhere left for the generically Anglo-Norman culture we associate with traditional fantasy and chivalric romance, and when this setting is as much a love letter to classical fantasy as it is to Dragon Quest, that seems like an obvious omission. Plus, if you want a highly stratified feudal society with stuffy, pompous aristocracy and disgruntled peasants inspired by medieval England, you need look no further than Warhammer Fantasy's Brettonia for inspiration.

However, the game can't really make up its mind about what part of Britain Edina is supposed to be. The culture seems to be grounded in negative stereotypes of the English upper class, and the castle is located where London would be, but the name "Edinbear" is clearly derived from Edinburgh, pointing at a specifically Scottish theme. You could give a Celtic tone to Edina, with druids, bards, and fey folk about. Perhaps you could even do both, with chivalric knights in the southeast and forest-dwelling highlanders in the north and west. Edina's elitist nature could easily be a consequence of its multicultural society, with its ruling caste adopting a sense of superiority to exert its authority over conquered tribes.

This, too, would lend itself well to potential plots. We don't see the common people of Edina, but there is likely plenty of discontent with the ruling class - and the PCs might be just what the powder keg needs to descend into full-scale revolt...

Saga of the Ortegids: Other Pantheons

The Nine Gods comprise the main pantheon of The Saga of the Ortegids. These are the gods you can expect to be worshiped in any temple in respectable society, no matter where in the world(s) you go. However, these are not the only gods that exist in this universe. Other cults to other powers might not be as large, widespread, powerful, or accepted, but they do exist. Here are some other gods worshiped in the world of the Ortegids, and the roles they play in the setting.

The Beast Gods

A number of gods exist that are always depicted in animal form. These are believed to be older, primeval spirits, their cults predating the formation of those of the Nine Gods - according to some theologists, the Beast Gods existed long before the Nine Gods ever came to this world. In most of the world, worship of the Beast Gods has been supplanted by that of the Nine Gods, though they still have a following, especially among so-called barbarian societies such as Aliahan, Suland, and the hill tribes scattered throughout wild areas of the world. They are also commonly worshiped by beastmen, and some elven kingdoms. Worship of the Beast Gods is tolerated, as their followers can comfortably coexist with civilized society, but tends to be considered backward and the domain of heathens in the countryside among more advanced realms.

Ramia, the God-Bird, is celebrated as the great phoenix, and a bringer of hope and life to the world. Her shrine sits on the frozen island of Liamland, where it is said that once an Age she emerges from a pit of fire tirelessly watched over by two sacred virgins, then flies around the world, chooses one who is destined to be a great leader of men, and then burns herself upon her own pyre so the cycle can continue again. She is also associated with the ideals of freedom and exploration, owing to her power of flight, which makes her popular among adventurers. Although one of the Beast Gods, Ramia is invoked in the courts of many kings due to her powers of prophecy and association with divine right, and her holy symbol can be found on many coats of arms, including that of the Ortegid Dynasty - Erdrick the Aliahanian was a follower of Ramia, and was said to have ridden her into battle.

• Ramia appears as a massive bird with iridescent plumage. Her holy symbol is a stylized depiction of a phoenix in flight.
• Alignment: Chaotic Good
• Domains: Life, Light, Nature, Tempest
• Oaths: Conquest, Glory, Vengeance

Nim-Tso, the Serpent God, is the god of poisons, thieves, murderers, and other criminals. He is associated with trickery and betrayal, and for this reason, cults devoted to him are not openly tolerated. However, there are many guilds of thieves and assassins that pay homage to him. For some, this is treated as more of a metaphorical bond, associating their clandestine operations with that of the sinister serpent god, but other, darker organizations conduct their grim business in Nim-Tso's name, and some are rumored to offer dark rituals, offering human sacrifices to their dark god. No matter how many times the authorities try to stamp out these illicit snake cults, it seems that a new one always springs up not long after. Aside from his patronage over criminals, Nim-Tso is also revered by the lizardmen, who consider him their honored forefather.

• Nim-Tso takes the form of a massive serpent. His holy symbol is two snakes coming together, facing each other, but they're one.
• Alignment: Neutral Evil
• Domains: Nature, Trickery
• Oaths: Treachery

The Forbidden Gods

These are the gods toward whom worship is not tolerated by most societies, as their portfolios are considered incapable with civil life - the gods that govern such things as death, destruction, and cruelty. Worshiping them usually entails partaking in overtly destructive behavior, and thus their cults are forced to operate in the shadows - there are some exceptions, however, when these cults grow powerful enough to challenge civilized rule, as happened with the Children of Hargon, a Malrothite cult that managed to usurp the rulership of Rhone during the War of the Three Kingdoms. Although these gods are not counted among the Nine Gods due to matters of good taste, they are nonetheless agreed to be beings of the same order, and just as powerful and immortal. They are not to be confused with demons, which do not as a rule seek followers, and even the most powerful demons are less powerful than gods. Generally, however, demons do worship the Forbidden Gods, as their interests tend to overlap, and cultists of the Forbidden Gods often summon demons to do their bidding. To shamelessly rip off Knight at the Opera, demons of the Lunar Lands are classical; demons in Saga of the Ortegids are heavy metal. The Forbidden Gods are also worshiped by the more savage tribes of beastmen.

Art by noba

Zoma, the Three-Eyed God of the Winter Wind, is the god of death, decay, and stagnation - he who sees to the end of all things. He is associated with ice, cold, snow, and winter, due to how frost kills crops and brings an end to the harvest season. Traditionally, he is held as the twin brother of Rubiss, and her equal and opposite in all respects. Long before the first humans drew breath, Zoma rebelled against his brethren in the God-War, feeling spurned for his macabre character, and attempted to get revenge on the other gods by bringing death to their creations, but was exiled to the Black Pits of Hades. To this day, however, he plots his vengeance, and seeks mortals to further his goals. He taught necromancy to mortals through the manipulation of life and death - unlike Melisine, he's just tasked with making things die, not what happens to them afterward, and he can't really care less about that.

• Zoma's preferred form is that of a horned three-eyed giant with sickly blue skin, and he may manifest in this form if the proper ritual is performed, but most of the time can only project enough power over the mortal realm to appear as a gigantic eye spanning the sky. His holy symbol, likewise, is that of an eye.
• Alignment: Neutral Evil
• Domains: Death, or use a School of Necromancy Wizard to represent a pilgrim of Zoma.
• Oaths: Oathbreaker

Malroth, the Many-Fanged God of the Black Pits, is the god of chaos and destruction. If Zoma represents the silent, slow deterioration of entropy, then Malroth is the loud, fiery, violent cataclysm that destroys indiscriminately; the beast that will one day devour the universe and brings about natural disasters to sate his lust for wanton ruin. He is perhaps the oldest of the gods, ruling over the Black Pits since the dawn of existence, and will bring about the end of all things when the apocalypse comes. While most mortals view him with horror and disgust, for obvious reasons, he is considered the father of all demons, and many monstrous beings are said to have spawned from his flesh. His cults, however scarce, are some of the most terrifying. Some fear him, offering sacrifices to placate his hunger so that the end times might be delayed...others, worse yet, seek to summon him in order to accelerate the end of the world.

• Malroth appears as a hideous creature with six clawed arms, bat-like wings, and a grinning mouth full of fangs. His symbol is a fanged maw flanked by wings.
• Alignment: Chaotic Evil
• Domains: Death, War
• Oaths: Conquest, Oathbreaker

The Worldforest

The northern portion of Dragon Quest III's pseudo-Eurasian continent is dominated by forest. There aren't many dungeons or settlements to be found here, and nothing that's required to complete the game. However, the imagery of a massive primeval continent-spanning forest is a potent one, and I would be remiss to leave such a thing out of The Saga of the Ortegids. I'll always be one to champion the values of outdoor survival and overland travel in RPGs, and an expanse of mythic wilderness is perfect for adventures in this vein.

Probably the most notable feature of this region is the four solitary mountains arranged in a cross. This is actually an Easter egg - if you inspect the ground at the dead center of this cross, you find a leaf of the Worldtree, a unique item that can be used to revive dead party members. You see what I mean about DQ3 having more in common with western open-world RPGs than it does with modern JRPGs? Anyway, I digress. I find the allusions to a world tree here to be quite interesting, and worthy of expansion upon.

There's no actual world trees in the Erdrick Trilogy, but it is a recurring image in the rest of the series, and certainly in keeping with the vaguely Nordic themes of the first three games. Furthermore, from a practical gameplay standpoint, a tree linking Erdland and Torland would provide a means for travel between the two worlds. Using the Pit of Giaga is mostly a one-way affair, and it's sealed off a third of the way into the Trilogy, so campaigns taking place afterward wouldn't be able to take advantage of the concept of a hollow world with continents and kingdoms on either side of the planet's crust if we limit ourselves to what appears on-screen. However, a single massive tree with roots reaching down into Torland could be climbed up or down to move between the two worlds, and is quite evocative of the Norse Yggdrasil.

Thus, I would rule that there is a Worldtree growing out of the ground in Erdland, sitting in the center of a large valley bounded by four mountains, and its roots reach down into Torland. At the time of DQ3, it was only a sapling, not visible on the world map, but over the course of untold centuries, it eventually grows large enough to join the two worlds, probably some time after the events of Dragon Quest II. Not only does this add an interesting feature to the setting that creates opportunities for travel from one map to another, if the two worlds existed without any contact with one another until relatively recently, the shakeup of different cultures interacting for the first time could create plenty of plot opportunities.

Art by Philip Straub

As far as the continent-spanning forest the Worldtree grows in, I've accordingly dubbed it the Worldforest. This would be Erdland's own Mirkwood, an unimaginably vast woodland with as many mysteries and dangers as any dungeon.

DQ3 doesn't show us any real settlement in the Worldforest beyond a couple of isolated hermits. It does seem like a fitting place for elves, so I would probably scatter a few elven kingdoms here and there. There is one village, Muor, located at the eastern edge of the forest, but it seems to be a far-flung self-sufficient settlement - there are no kings anywhere close by, and the people there don't seem to get many visitors, to the point where someone unfamiliar showing up is notable to them. This seems like a reasonable baseline for human habitation in the region, and I'd likely add more villages and tribes in a similar vein to the area if expanding upon it.

Also, in keeping with the History's Greatest Hits spirit of DQ3's overworld, I could see playing the Worldforest as akin to Earth's Ice Age or Stone Age. Maybe the place is so sparsely populated because the humans there are literal cavemen (or at least, cavemen exist alongside more Neolithic settlements - Muor seems settled enough for agriculture to exist), hunting and gathering and sharing the space with mammoths, sabrecats, and other prehistoric megafauna. This would allow you to play into the tropes of the Lost World, with an area of the setting seemingly untouched by time. I probably wouldn't have any dinosaurs there - it's too northern - but if you wanted to put them in I certainly wouldn't stop you.

Art by Bob Larkin

Friday Encounter: The Leprechaun's Drinking Contest

This encounter could work either in the wilderness or in a dungeon - really, anything far enough removed from civilization.

The PCs come across a little man with pointy ears, all dressed in green, seated on a rock with a large pot of gold beside him. He introduces himself as Fachanan, a leprechaun, and welcomes the PCs to his domain. If asked about the pot of gold, he will explain that, like all leprechauns, he watches over great riches and will not allow mortals to take them for themselves. If he is accosted, he attempts to dazzle the party with a hypnotic pattern spell before turning invisible and scurrying off; the pot of gold will also vanish.

However, he will offer to part with the gold as long as he is defeated in a fair competition - and he proposes a drinking contest, producing a large flagon of ale almost too big for him to have any right to carry. He will face each member of the party, one by one, and if any are left standing by the end of it, then the treasure is theirs.

Such a task might seem simple, but it is no easy task to outdrink a leprechaun. If a PC wishes to engage in Fachanan's contest, they must take turns drinking from the flagon with Fachanan, and whoever surrenders or passes out is eliminated from the competition. Make a note of the PC's Constitution score (the entire score, not the modifier). Every time they take a drink, they lose 1d8 points from their Constitution score until the next long rest. When their Constitution score drops by half, they take 2d8 damage from each drink and have Disadvantage on all attack rolls and skill checks. For the purposes of the contest, Fachanan's Constitution is 20, and he heals 1d4-1 points every round. If he manages to beat one of the PCs in the contest, his Constitution returns to its maximum value.

The flagon is bottomless and will not run out, and Fachanan will not allow anyone to interfere in the contest. If they do, he will accuse them of cheating and curses the entire party with ill fortune; they have Disadvantage on all rolls until the next long rest. He then disappears, taking the pot of gold with him.

If Fachanan is beaten in the contest, he will give the PCs his pot of gold. The pot contains a total of 6000 GP in gold and jewels, but it weighs 10 pounds and is cumbersome to carry, so getting it to a place where the treasure may be spent may be a challenge in and of itself. If all the PCs end up passing out, they may well awake to find they have gotten into all sorts of escapades while drunk on fey liquor...