Just over eleven years ago, I began the setting that will see publication next year. It has evolved and gone through dozens of sweeping changes. The result is something that generates excitement when I talk about it with others, and that makes me really happy. There is no greater joy for a writer than to see his works enjoyed by others.
My own reading enjoyment comes from a very epic slant. I like stories where the hero wins, but only by the narrowest of margins. I like stories where the entire world is at stake. I like stories where someone grows from simple origins into a legendary hero. These themes came through in Eiridia’s history.
The system it’s built for owes equal parts of its style to original D&D, Diablo, World of Warcraft, and 4E. This mix works oddly well, considering the fervor with which some crowds denounce each of those games in turn. It helps that I enjoy all of them, I suppose. With Ingenium, I sought to create a game that didn’t get in the way of the epic stories I wove for my players. It was designed to be simple to learn and simple to play, but with enough complexities to interest the more tactical or creative players.
Eiridia mixes a number of different real-world and fictional analogues together to form a cohesive whole. I took inspiration from Robert E. Howard’s Hyborea. Jur’gaan is a feudal land of warlords and dark magic. The Oriental influence is strongest there. Tantris is a desert populated by bandits. Arabia played the biggest part there. Nardora is a dystopia, its sprawling pristine cities ruled absolutely by a cult and its Queen. The Mongol Hordes provided the original inspiration for Nardora. Tandarus is a city-state populated almost entirely by the winged Tandari, making it a city of angels. Mercedes Lackey’s The White Gryphon inspired that race and their city. Rekellia is a weakened domain, a remnant of a once-great empire that spanned the entire continent. It was born of stories of Rome. Redami is a kingdom that, through the shortsighted malice of its populace, unwittingly created its own worst enemy. It had no one inspiration that influenced it most.
The other continent in Eiridia, Khathana, was initially written for the stillborn fantasy setting for Æther, my business partner’s brainchild. Not wanting to see the concept wasted, he handed it over to me to see if it could be incorporated into Eiridia. Given the epic, sweeping nature of Khathana, it was a natural fit. I’m in the process of pulling together the histories now.
I’m planning on shifting the focus of this blog to writing about Eiridia. If you like the new focus, let me know about it in the comments. If you hate the new focus, let me know, too. I’ll still continue with my plans, but it’s nice to know what the audience I’m writing for thinks.