Building Your Campaign Setting With The Hollow Earth Hypothesis

If you play RPGs, then chances are the idea of a Hollow Earth is probably not new to you. With games like Hollow Earth Expedition, Adventure To Hollow Earth for Mage: The Ascension, or Terra Incognita, a Hollow Earth setting for Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, the concept has been explored in a lot of ways. And that's without discussing Hollow Earth in popular fiction, such as the prehistoric Pellucidar.

However, just because an idea is popular, that doesn't mean everyone has heard of it. And if you haven't read the history of the Hollow Earth theory, it's pretty damn wild!

So, this is the Earth...

As always, 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! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

The Origin of The Hollow Earth

According to the Library of Congress, the Hollow Earth theory was originally created back in the 1600s as a radical way of explaining a natural phenomenon. You see, when sailors would go out on their ships to cross the ocean, they would bring all the tools they had with them to make sure they didn't get lost. Star charts were common, as well as tools that helped them easily locate true north so they could orient themselves accordingly. However, it was noted that sometimes the magnetic needles in their compasses did not point north. They would, in fact, go wandering and become completely useless at certain points.

How could this happen? Well Royal Society member and astronomer Edmund Halley (yeah, the guy whose name is on the comet) had an idea... the Earth was actually hollow!

All right, I'm gonna back up. Tell me where I lost you.

So, the basic idea that Halley proposed was that the Earth we know up on the surface is just an outer shell, and there is actually an inner Earth with its own magnetic poles, and that these two Earths spin freely. This change in relative positioning of the inner Earth interfered with the natural magnetic laws on the surface, which is why the compass needles would sometimes wander for no discernible reason. He even went so far as to suggest that this inner sphere would harbor some kind of life.

On the one hand, this is sort of ridiculous... on the other hand, though, he wasn't that far off. We're more of a Jawbreaker Earth, with a bunch of layers, but the molten iron core does actually shift and fluctuate. This is what causes the magnetic drift that was being observed. That explanation, though, is nowhere near as much fun as the idea of there being an entirely different world inside our own!

Making This Concept Your Own

A lot of Hollow Earth games have a very pulp adventure/steampunk vibe to them, because that's when the concept really hit pop culture awareness. Books, short stories, and movies all trying to capture that pulp era really leaned into the Hollow Earth idea. Sadly, it turns out John Quincy Adams didn't believe it, but an alternate history game where he did, and funded an expedition your characters are now part of is just one inspiration for a Hollow Earth game.

However, if you want to build a really unique Hollow Earth game, I would recommend doing something a little different, and mashing it up with games or genres that we don't usually associate with this kind of setup.

A world without sun, you say...?

For example, is this Hollow Earth a place where all the creatures of horror have their origins? A place filled with vampires, werewolves, the walking dead, and other terrifying beings? Is it instead a place filled with alien races who have lived here far longer than humanity, the center of the world filled with horrors like elder things, gugs, and other Lovecraftian monsters? Did the Earth open up to swallow people at the end of the world in Mork Borg, and now this place is being explored by those who were raised on the poisoned prophecies of the basilisk, finding out there were long-lost truths beneath the surface?

Is the Hollow Earth where this fantasy game has been happening this whole time, and it is through finding the boundaries of this world that our adventurers climb out to the outer shell? And if so, what do they find when they reach the upper crust of a world they thought they knew? Is it the modern world as we know it? A ruined hellscape of frozen wastes representing the edges of Snowhaven? Or something else entirely?

If you've been looking to do something different for your next game, but the previous installment of Using Flat Earth Theories To Fuel Your Fantasy Worldbuilding didn't really scratch that itch, then consider what a Hollow Earth game might look like at your table! Even (or perhaps especially) if the game won't be taking place on Earth at all.

Lastly, before you head out today, consider the following articles of mine as some additional reading/inspiration for this week's post:

- 5 Real Underground Cities To Inspire Your TTRPG Campaign

- 5 Tips For Creating Fantasy Towns and Cities

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Fluff post. 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 Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and 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 Blue Sky, 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!

I'm A Little Behind (Here's What's Going On)

I wanted to take a moment this week to apologize to my readers out there. The wheels haven't come off of the struggle bus, but there have been a lot of doings on my end of the screen of late. Because of this, I've missed a couple of updates, but I wanted to take this Monday's post to catch you all up on what's been going down, and to say sorry for the missed steps, and for getting some projects out a little more slowly than I'd like to.

Sadly, there just aren't enough hours in the day or gas in the tank to do absolutely everything I want to. Or even need to!

It's been... a lot of a lot.

As always, 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! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

What Have I Missed (And What Am I Doing)?

Though it might not seem obvious to everyone, I've missed a couple of updates recently on both my gaming blog, as well as over on my writing blog. I also missed my newsletter this past Sunday... but I have a good explanation for both of these things!

The short version is, I've been busy. The longer version is detailed below!

All gas, no brake.

Well, first things first, I've been trying to keep the plates spinning on all of my major TTRPG projects. For folks who didn't see it, my Sundara: Dawn of a New Age supplements were all on sale for DND 5E earlier this month in an attempt to stir up some more attention for them. Not only that, but my TTRPG Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic was deal of the day on DTRPG earlier this month. I spent a lot of time running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to make sure those sales got all the eyes I could reach, because my hope is that I'll be able to keep expanding both of those games and settings for at least a few years to come.

In addition to those things, which ate up a great deal of my time, I'm currently working on 2 new TTRPG supplements, and I'm trying to make sure we keep getting new videos for the Azukail Games YouTube channel since we're still in need of about 1,000 hours of watched content from our viewers to get monetized. I've even got our first short up, taken from the Geist: The Sin Eaters audio drama Russian Roulette, and you should consider checking out both if you haven't yet!

As if all of that weren't enough (and it definitely was), I was also at the Chicago Steampunk Expo this past weekend. It was my first time at that particular event, and it was a lot of work. And while I sold a handful of books, it was hardly enough that I can kick up my feet and take a breather. And if you missed out on getting copies of my Hardboiled Cat novels Marked Territory and Painted Cats, I'd highly recommend stopping in to grab some copies soon. Also, if you missed out on the hardback copies of Snowhaven, I'd recommend giving this snowpunk TTRPG setting a look, since it was the second most popular thing I brought to the show (which is damning it with pretty fine praise).

There's also a thing I can't talk about right now that I'm working on, but if it goes the way I'm hoping it will (fingers crossed on that) then it should open up several new projects in the future. But while I'm focusing on Project X, I won't have as much time and energy to keep up with all of the balls I've already got in the air!

How You Can Help

Again, regular readers, your patience and interest is greatly appreciated. If you want to help keep me going so I can keep making all this lovely content for you to enjoy, then please consider leaving me a tip on my Ko-Fi, or becoming a full-on patron on my Patreon page. If you're a reader or a gamer, please grab a copy of some of my books, or just take a spin through my Vocal archive to boost my numbers. And if you're someone who prefers video content, head over to the Azukail Games YouTube channel and check out some of the stuff I make there.

I'm doing my best to catch my breath, and to get back on top of the to-do list. But I could definitely use a little extra support, if you have the power to give it right now.

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 Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and 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!

Get Your Hands on Some Tormented Artifacts! (Especially if You're a LARPer)

The Internet is full of crafty people who make strange, unusual, striking, and downright awesome stuff. The problem is that most of the time you only find them by accident. You happen to be scrolling through a group you don't go to much, or a friend shares a link, or the random numbers of the algorithm give you a brief glimpse at someone's work, and show you a door you could step through if you were intrigued enough.

Today, I'd like to be that door for folks who haven't heard of Tormented Artifacts.

Seriously, step through already! There's all kinds of goodies in there.

What Is Tormented Artifacts?

Tormented Artifacts is the place where you can get work by crafter Dmitri Arbacauskas, who makes some lovely, high-quality stuff. Not only that, but he makes unusual pieces that you won't typically find outside of a convention (and what's even better, he'll make custom adjustments to ensure his customers are happy with their order, though there may be a few extra bucks tacked on for additional materials, efforts, etc.).

Seriously, LOOK at this thing!

While there are plenty of fun accessories for those among us who like to stand out from the general populace, Dmitri's work is particularly good for folks out there who enjoy LARPing. From body braces, to hand wraps, to masks, to pouches, his leather is durable, high-quality, and formed with skill. Additionally, you can get pretty much any sort of symbol, crest, or unique marker burned into it, if you can provide the artist with something to work off of.

You get what you pay for when it comes to this artist, which is why I would strongly suggest everyone out there who wants that memorable piece for their character (or just a durable, everyday accessory that will be with you for years to come), that you check out Tormented Artifacts today.

I did, and I'm very pleased with the results.

And if you're looking for some other folks you may not have come across, you should also check out:

- Gargoyle Forge is Your New Destination For LARP Gear

- Post-Apocalyptic LARP Accessories That Won't Break The Bank? Check Out Karol B!

The former is more about armor, weapons, and other boffer accessories, while the latter is a costuming resource I recommend everyone know about.

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday post. Remember, small businesses are always there for our hobby, so show them some love and spread the word!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, my Gamers page, or stop by Dungeon Keeper Radio. You could also head over to My Amazon Author Page to get some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. And if you'd like to help support Improved Initiative, remember that you can tip me by Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or you can go to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a patron.

A Rapier Hidden Inside A Snake Bracelet

Hidden weapons are one of the tricks of the trade when it comes to roleplaying games. Rogues and ninjas are practically guaranteed to have at least one dagger on their person that won't be found before they're locked up, along with a few other odds and ends that will help them break out of nearly any prison cell. Canny duelists and back alley brawlers know that sometimes an unexpected blade, or a fist weight, can be what really turns the tide in their favor. However, reality is sometimes a lot more badass than fiction. That is definitely the case involving what most people refer to as the snake rapier.

No big deal. Nothing to see here.

It doesn't look like much, right? Just a detailed silver bracelet that's a little too large for the average bard. However, as you see on We Waste Time, the surprise hidden in this piece of jewelry is unexpected in the extreme.

Roll initiative.

What you're looking at is a fine example of 19th century Toledo steel from Spain. The blade is 7 millimeters thick, 20 millimeters wide, and 810 millimeters long. For those of you who haven't been to science class in a while, the conversion for that is a blade that's over two and a half feet long, and that holds an edge and a point as deadly as any other rapier. The blade is dated in the year 1846, and inscribed with the words Acargo del Cuerno de Artilleria.

That is one hell of a back-up weapon.

Thanks for dropping in on Monday's update! If you'd like to make sure you don't miss a single post, then plug your email address into the box on the right, or follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, or Twitter. If you'd like to help support Improved Initiative, then go to my Patreon page and become a patron today!

Never underestimate how far as little as $1 a month can go.

Using Roleplaying Games as Fodder For Fiction

Anyone who loves genre fiction (which I'm assuming is everyone reading this and countless other gaming blogs out there) is aware that roleplaying games have had a huge impact on the authors of today. From George R. R. Martin to Jim Butcher the influence of tabletop games is strongly (and occasionally a little too easily) seen. In fact last year The New York Times actually admitted Dungeons and Dragons was influential when it came to the storytellers of today.

Better late than never, right?

Roleplaying games are good for creative types in general, and authors in particular. It isn't just the ease of character creation, or learning how to judge the ebb and flow of a tale with the whims of your dice, either (though that certainly helps). Often your next big project is going to start life while you're drinking Mountain Dew and pretending to be a wizard surrounded by some of your friends in a basement somewhere. There are a lot of authors out there, yours truly included, who start a character or adventure with a D20, but who just have to finish them off with a word processor.

I'll even let you behind the scenes a bit and tell you which pieces began their lives as character sheets.

Which Stories Started At The Table?

Perhaps the most widely-read story directly influenced by my own gaming habits is my short story The Irregulars, written for Paizo's Pathfinder Tales. If you haven't read it, but you're a fan of Pathfinder, click the link and check it out. It's free to read, and it's a great introduction to my fiction if you're one of my readers who didn't know I wrote more than character builds and gaming guides.

"Go on, he'll wait" - Lieutenant Sturgeon Hook, Irregulars Commander

While most people who've read my work know me for that one story, there are actually a number of pieces I've had published that were born directly from tabletop games I've played.

One of them is actually in my recently-released book New Avalon: Love and Loss in The City of Steam.

There are two free stories in the preview, as well...

While this book is a collection of noir steampunk stories, buried right in the center of the book is a tasty tale titled The Legend of Black Jack Guillotine. It tells the story of a disgraced headsman who lost the woman he loved, and now haunts Headsman's Wharf exacting revenge on mortals as a way of doing penance for his own sins. His original incarnation was actually an urban legend in Waterdeep handed to the DM to keep the party from committing too many atrocities in the Dock Ward. Chase that innocent girl up a blind alley, and the next thing you know snicker-snack goes bloody black Jack.

It worked surprisingly well, and the concept just wasn't satisfied with remaining a homebrew addition to a single, short-lived campaign.

While this is the most recently-published story to draw on my gaming experience, there are a lot of others my fellow gamers might enjoy. One of my only self-published stories was Jungle Moon, which is a real Vietnam ghost story starring a character I guided through a horror game until he met a messy and untimely end (the full story on that campaign is right here). My story Terror on Saturn VI featured in the collection "Big Damn Heroines" was actually the continued adventures of a squad of female Imperial Regulars that were part of a home-brew Warhammer campaign run by a former DM. Even my story Paths of Iron and Blood featured in "Shadows of a Fading World" has a lead that began his life as a Kellid barbarian I wanted to play, but which I never got the chance to.

As always, thanks for stopping by Improved Initiative! If you want to support me and my blog then check out my books, tell your friends, or if you want to be a little more direct just stop by The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page and become a patron today! And if you want to make sure you're getting all of my updates then be sure to follow me on Facebook and Tumblr as well.