Regular readers know that for the past year and change now I've been releasing splat books for my own fantasy RPG setting titled Sundara: Dawn of a New Age. While I've talked about the setting on this blog in entries like What is "Sundara: Dawn of a New Age" All About? and "Gods of Sundara" Takes Aim at Monolithic Religions and Gods in Fantasy RPGs, I've started making videos about aspects of this setting that I think are interesting, or which I think my regular readers might get a kick out of. After all, it's one thing to read the creator's words, but it's another to see their face and hear their tone of voice while discussing their creation.
And some folks just like watching/listening to videos instead of reading blogs. Like when I first sat down and talked about why there are huge cities in Sundara, but there really aren't countries the way we think of them today (or how we see in most other RPGs).
Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron!
Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!
What Would You Like To See Make it Into This Series?
My goal with this series of videos is just to provide some insight on what I'm trying to do as a creator, the things that I think make this setting interesting, and the little quirks that I feel really provide flexibility and idea fodder in a way that should allow players and Game Masters to pursue unique stories.
However, as with everything else in Sundara, part of my goal is also to take reader/viewer desires and interest into account. So if you have a question about the setting that hasn't been answered yet, or you're wondering why I chose to go in a certain direction with a particular location, species, etc. (like why humans are the only base creatures who don't have their own splat book yet), my hope is that I can give folks an insight into what I'm trying to do with this setting going forward.
Like how I talked about stripping alignment out of the setting in its entirety, and the changes and challenges that represented in both Pathfinder and the DND 5E rules systems for me as a designer.
Whether you leave comments here or on the videos themselves, I'm going to try to check back and see what the consensus is among folks who are interested. And even if your question is something along the lines of, "Why play in this setting rather than in X setting that's bigger and more popular?" I can try to provide answers, should said questions be asked in good faith.
It's my hope that, going forward, I'll be able to expand my videos to make a variety of projects, including things like Stories of Sundara, where I make audio dramas set in different parts of the world to sort of give listeners a brief taste of the sorts of things they'll find should they choose to come visit Sundara. Thus far The Duel is the only such tale, but there are others waiting in the wings if folks make it clear they'd like me to make more!
How Can You Support This Project?
If you're one of the folks out there who likes Sundara and wants to see me keep expanding it going forward (you know who you are, and I'm grateful for every one of you) there are a few things you can do to help me build momentum on this endeavor.
- First, watch the videos! None of them are all that long, and it's YouTube so they're free to you. It takes 4,000 hours of watch time to get monetized, and we are nowhere near that goal yet.
- Second, subscribe to the Azukail Games YouTube channel. It also takes 1,000 subscribers to get monetized, and we've been fighting just to get a few hundred. At time of writing, channel is at 149.
- Third, like the videos and leave comments on them! The algorithm loves interaction, so if you give it a thumbs up, that signals that we're doing a good job. And if you leave comments then not only are you more likely to get your questions seen and addressed, but it helps us get more eyes on the videos going forward.
The purpose behind me making these videos is to try to get some additional eyes on my setting, and to reach out in a way I haven't done so before. While you can always help by purchasing any of the various Sundara splat books below, my hope is that providing free content like this gets more folks interested (and it might even lead to future sales and giveaways going forward, if the publisher decides that's a good idea).
So whether you're already a fan of Sundara, this is your first time hearing about it, or you've got questions, come check out the series for yourself! Especially the last video where I talk about the Prim, which is the source of all magic in the setting, along with the dwelling place of the gods.
Why Not Take a Look For Yourself?
I took a brief break on making new Sundara content at the start of the year, but I've already finished one new supplement, and I've started work on the second piece of 2022. Sellswords of Sundara is full of unique archetypes/subclasses for mercenary companies that come with their own themes, histories, NPCs, rumors, and more, and that should be coming out shortly. I'm also working on Towns of Sundara, so that folks have some smaller places to put between the cities that are just as interesting and unique in their own ways (and which acts as a good follow up to 10 Fantasy Villages, which kicked this whole project off in the first place).
Cities of Sundara
The setting first began with the Cities of Sundara splats. Self-contained guides to some of the larger and more powerful centers of trade, industry, arms, and magic, these unique locations provide plenty of fodder for character generation and plots. Not only that, but each one comes with unique, mechanical goodies for players and GMs alike to take out for a spin!
- Ironfire: The City of Steel (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Built around the Dragon Forge, Ironfire is where the secret to dragon steel was first cracked. The center of the mercenary trade in the region, as well as boasting some of the finest schools for teaching practical sciences, Ironfire is a place where discovery and danger walk hand in hand!
- Moüd: The City of Bones (Pathfinder and DND 5E): An ancient center of trade and magic, Moüd was lost to a cataclysm, and then buried in myth. Reclaimed by the necromantic arts of the Silver Wraiths guild, this city has once again become a place teeming with life. Despite the burgeoning population, though, it is the continued presence of the undead that helps keep the city running, ensuring that Moüd is not swallowed up once more.
- Silkgift: The City of Sails (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Built on the cottage industry of Archer cloth (an extremely durable material used for sails, windmills, etc.), Silkgift is a place that prizes invention and discovery. From gravity batteries that store the potential of the wind, to unique irrigation systems, to aether weapons, the city positively churns out discoveries... and then there's the canal they cut through the mountains that makes them a major center of trade across the region.
- Hoardreach: The City of Wyrms (Pathfinder and DND 5E): A center of power across an entire region, Hoardreach is ruled over by a Cooperation of five different dragons. A place for refugees and outcasts of all sorts, Hoardreach boasts some of the most unusual citizens and creations from across Sundara. Infamous for their sky ships, which require the cast-off scales and unique arcane sciences of the Dragon Works to take to the air, one never knows just what they'll find in this city built atop a mountain.
- Archbliss: The City of The Sorcerers (Pathfinder and DND 5E): A floating city in the sky, Archbliss has been a refuge for sorcerers for thousands of years. It's only in relatively recent years that the city has allowed those from the ground below who lack the power of a bloodline to join them in the clouds. However, while there are certainly amazing wonders to behold, there is a darkness in Archbliss. Something rotting away at its heart that could, if not healed, bring the city crashing to the ground once more.
Gods of Sundara
- Gods of Sundara (available for Pathfinder and DND 5E): In a world with no alignment, and where the gods are often genuinely mysterious forces that are far too large for mortals to truly comprehend, the divine feels genuinely strange and unknown... something that really does have to be taken on faith. This supplement provides a sample pantheon for Sundara, but also provides instructions on how to easily make your own gods in a world where you can't cast a spell and tell whether someone is good or evil.
Species of Sundara
Sundara is filled with creatures that many of us recognize, but I wanted to give greater depth to their cultures, and a wider variety of options. After all, humans always get 15+ ethnicities, languages, and unique histories, while elves, dwarves, orcs, halflings, etc. are almost always left with footnotes, or maybe with a handful of offshoots. So, in short, I wanted to give all the fantastical creatures the treatment that humans usually get in our games.
And there is no human book yet. If readers demand to know more, then I may sit down to pen one... but I figured that humans didn't need to be front-and-center in this setting just yet.
- Elves of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Elves are one of the most quintessential fantasy creatures... but if you want to see more than just high elves, wood elves, and elves of the sun and moon, then this supplement has you covered!
- Dwarves of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): The children of the primordial giants who were meant to fill in the details of the world they'd made (or so the myths say) there are as many kinds of dwarves as their are kinds of giants... and possibly more, depending on who is keeping count.
- Orcs of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Supposedly a creation of the elves, none can say for certain exactly how or why orcs have been made. What most agree on is that these creatures are far more than most may think at first glance.
- Halflings of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Little cousins to the dwarves, halflings are tough, clever, and not to be underestimated. From living beneath the hills, to taking up residence in the deep forests, halflings in Sundara come in quite a variety!
- The Blooded (Half-Elves and Half-Orcs) [Pathfinder and DND 5E]: When orcs and elves mix their bloodlines with other creatures, the result is one of the Blooded. This inheritance takes many forms, and it can even wait generations before manifesting when the right combination of individuals come together to have a child.
- Gnomes of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Gnomes are strange creatures, found in places where the spirit of the land has coalesced and made children of its own. The sons and daughters of the ancient nymphs, they are the stewards of these places, and they change as often as the weather and the land.
Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!
That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!
Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my cat noir thriller Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!
To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!
No comments:
Post a Comment