Hey there! If you're reading this, you're hopefully already a member of any one of my current or past roleplays. If you're not, then by following the link posted on the homepage you should be able to join us, and we will gladly welcome you into the community!
For those of you that are acquainted, I shall explain. This wiki is for keeping record of most of the information for the world in which my roleplays take place. I have left blank all entries for all characters not owned by me, and all places that have not been created by me. It is completely up to you whether or not you want that information on this wiki- they are your creations, after all. If you do want to put them on, then that's great!
Furthermore, you don't just have to add your characters. Although I've defined a fair bit about Engelain, there are still deliberate gaps within it, so that people can come in and add their own unique locations, races and histories. So long as you do not contradict anything that has already been established, then I will most likely be fine with its inclusion. Generally, I don't want you adding things for adding's sake- there's no point in making a kingdom that no one will go to, no character has ever heard of/been to/came from, and will never be seen or heard from again.
To be safe, you should probably talk to me about your idea on the Roleplay and Story Chat thread, just in case you end up writing loads of stuff and for me to decide it clashes with the aesthetic. It's unlikely, but I wouldn't want to have wasted your time!
So here's a general overview. All of my roleplays take place on the continent of Engelain, for the most part based on Western Europe. Engelain is currently the most westerly of the known lands, given that its most western point is named Last Shore, but if someone wants to make a land even further west that's fine, so long as it is a new discovery, as I imagine there to be a large ocean between Engelain and any other western lands, such as the difference between America and Europe.
Engelain is connected by a land-bridge to Kal'sea, the creation of Er Ril. This land bridge borders Engelain on the east and Kal'sea on the west, and is home to the enchanted forests of the elves. If someone wants to take a claim to the elves and define them, that's fine. However the entirety of Kal'sea is off-limits, as it is Er Ril's creation and he has given no one permission to edit that.
Kal'sea is a cold land, and it stretches north to the Frozen Wastes that used to host the now-fallen kingdom of Drag'athania. Kal'sea is based roughly off of Scandinavia, and is the home of barbarians, mercenaries, puritans and witchcraft. The frozen wastes it leads onto stretch as far north as north goes, this world's equivalent of the north pole. Southern Kal'sea is a desert land, which stretches out and leads onto Sanjer and Sanjaja, the subcontinents that combined are known as The Southlands, created by Laser Gunk.
The Southlands are the world's equivalent of Africa, with Sanjer being the north, desert-like, and Sanjaja being the south, jungle. It is a savage land, just beginning to be colonised. The Southlands reach to what is currently the furthest south the world goes, where it touches the start of another landmass, completely unexplored, which would presumably be styled after South America. The Southlands again cannot be edited, as it is the property of Laser Gunk.
The eastern-most city of Kal'sea is Kal'dara, City-Port of Thieves. Going east from this coastal city is the Kal'daran Archipelagos, and then a jungle continent, all of which is again, under Er Ril's control. Further east than this is the continent of Khaliyat, owned by Own Amnesty, a series of Arabian islands and desert-lands. It marks the furthest east the map goes thus far, though of course that can change if you are willing to put in the effort to make the change. As it stands, we roughly have Europe, the Arctic, Africa and the Middle East, so if someone were wanting to make other lands then that is fine- there is certainly some as-of-yet unnamed eastern land where the likes of Xiang and other Japanese-inspired characters originate. Just know the further away you put your land, the less likely you are to be interconnected politically and culturally with the others.
Going onto a larger scale, Engelain and the rest of the continents together form a planet that, for lack of a better name, is being called Earth. Astronomy has yet to ascertain that the Earth is not the centre of the universe, and therefore it is assumed that the sun and moon are of equal size and both revolve around the earth, as well as the other 'planets'. There are currently four recognised planets, not including the sun and moon, and none of them have ever been discovered to have moons of their own, for the telescope has yet to be invented.
Even larger than that, the universe as a whole is called the Mortal Realm. It is one of many realms- alternate dimensions that have fleeting interaction with our world. The Demonic Halls you are free to define whatever you want in, so long as you do not make a one-true-demonic-overlord. The Underworld is currently under the jurisdiction of Loaned Shark, though deities from different pantheons do claim sections of the Underworld for themselves, hence the different types of heaven. You may add a realm of your own, if you wish, but it has to serve a purpose and make logical sense, it has to have some sort of use in the overall narrative of the world.
Now, onto the small scale. Any area of land that I have left 'blank' on Engelain can be filled by whatever it is you wish to have. Any period of time that I have left 'blank' can similarly have things included, so long as they don't retroactively affect what has already happened in the present time. Engelain is essentially shaped like an egg on its side, with the thin end of the egg in the west and the fat end in the east. There is area north, south and east of the Free Kingdoms that is blank, and the Great Plains are so large that you can stick anything on the outskirts and it be fine. I am fine with islands existing around Engelain, though be conscious of the fact that the likes of the Tyrranian Empire and other factions would likely have tried to take it over at least once.
The capital of the Empire is Messia, and its second greatest city is Merina, but other than that it is undefined. Tywrought, the Empire's main country, exists in a little jut of land off of the bottom of Engelain, like Italy juts off of Europe, though is somewhat larger relative to Engelain than Italy is to Europe. Feel free to add countries under Tyrannian rule, or locations in the Free Kingdoms or the Seven States, or in surrounding areas. Feel free to add your own lore to any species whose culture I have not already outlined.
Now, for the history of Engelain
- 12,000 years ago, Tyrrus lands in Messia, heads to Eastern Engelain and founds Annwyfn, paradise on earth. Sometime later, his son, Soahc, wars against him. The city is destroyed and the gods leave Engelain. The true giants and the Engelite dwarves are both driven to extinction.
- 12,000 years ago, the Seven Sisters of Eastern Engelain banish the monsters forged in the gods wars from their lands, and the Seven States are formed in the wreckage of Annwyfn
- 12,000 years ago, the avians of the northern mountains begin the mass enslavement of the dwarven race, in order to purpose-build their geothermal-powered sky cities. This takes many millennia to complete, after which the dwarves are expelled from the mountains forevermore.
- 5,000 years ago, a great empire forms in what is today the east of the Great Plains, becoming a continental superpower until miraculously a counter-empire rises in the west. The two powers fight each other into oblivion, and successive nations wipe all trace of them off of the planet. Even the names of the empires are lost to history, though their great ruins pepper the Great Plains.
- 5,000-3,000 years ago, the east Great Plains are reclaimed by the centaurs, whilst the west Great Plains is taken by the avians.
- 3,000 years ago, the Casurillion Empire is formed, its capital of Casul in Western Engelain and spreading across the west Great Plains. When the elder demon Azul is summoned, its capital is destroyed overnight, and the empire collapses. With the empire's defeat, the centaurs reclaim the entirety of the Great Plains, and split the mountain-dwelling avians of the north from the grassland avians of the south, which cluster near the top of what is present-day Tywrought.
- 1,800 years ago, the Emperor of Merina accepts Tyrrus as the only god in the Engelite Pantheon worth worshipping and is coronated by the Pope of Messia. The Emperor moves to Messia, and the Tyrannian Empire is officially born.
- 1,800-600 years ago, the Empire begins its expansion, driving most of the grassland avians to extinction, and the onocentaurs. The Empire takes over the Seven States, founds the outpost of Speria in the west, and pushes north into the Great Plains, essentially controlling the entire southern half of the Engelite continent.
- 600 years ago, the unfortunately named Dwail Shadowfoot declares himself High King, rebels against the empire, and the Free Kingdoms of Engelain are formed. They start at seventeen, bubble up and fall down, until eventually they become thirteen kingdoms.
- 400 years ago, the hero Arran liberates the Seven States from Tyrannian rule, until Soahc gives Arran his godhood, banishing Arran from Engelain and allowing Soahc to walk the earth once more.
It should be noted that in earlier days, Engelain was referred to as Engelion. And that's about it, happy posting!