Map of the Asleep Universe

[Kyng]

Well, this is a project I've been wanting to do for a long time now .

The 'Asleep' series of RPGs started back in August 2016. Three years and several RPGs later, we still don't have a proper map to work from . Except, we do now... and it shows all of the major locations introduced so far (plus space for more if we ever need any). It's not the best-quality map graphics-wise, since it's meant to be functional for now: perhaps I'll make it prettier when I have time .

So, here it is, in all its glory:


(Click to enlarge)

Now, a brief introduction to each of the kingdoms and realms introduced so far:

• Lennart Kingdom - The most politically influential of all of the kingdoms. It's not especially large; however, it does have a disproportionately high population for its size, thanks to the highly fertile soils in both the Southlands and the Westlands. Currently, it's ruled by King Thomas Lennart (however, it was briefly ruled by King Kei Silver, during which time it was known as 'Kei Kingdom').
  
  
• New Atlantis - A mostly-underwater duchy, with the highest Merfolk population of any realm, and the most powerful navy in the land. The non-Merfolk population (most of which is human) lives exclusively on the dozen or so islands - the largest of which is home to the ducal palace. Over the course of history, New Atlantis has had a complicated relationship with Lennart Kingdom - but, as of right now, Duke Nestor is friends with King Thomas (even if that friendship gets uneasy at times ). To read more information, please see this post (and this post).
  
  
• Kemmelreich - The largest, most populous, and most technologically-advanced realm of them all... but not the most politically influential, since they prefer not to project their power: they generally keep themselves to themselves. Most of the kingdom's inhabitants - including the current king, Henrik - are dwarfs, who live underground in cities like Kemmelhearth and Ulrikshaven. The vast majority of the kingdom is mountainous, although there are is a peripheral forested area in the south-west. This is home to Kemmelreich's Elvish population, who have always maintained a peaceful - if sometimes tense - relationship with the Dwarvish rulers. For more information, see this post (and this one).
  
  
• Magnifloria - A medium-sized, heavily-forested realm, to the south-west of Kemmelreich. Due to their very high level of latent magic, the forests are home to a dazzling array of flowers and fruits, which can grow to many times their usual sizes (it's not unusual to find strawberries the size of watermelons, or oranges the size of beach balls ). Magic levels are highest of all on Bluebell Island - on which the bluebells grow taller than even the trees . Unsurprisingly, this makes Magnifloria a popular tourist destination with people of all races.
  
  
• Black Shard Cliffs - A very small realm, to the north-west of Magnifloria. None of the bigger kingdoms ever bothered conquering it, partly because the surrounding terrain is so impassable that it acts as a natural barrier, and partly because it has too low a population and too few resources for conquest to be worth the effort. The only notable residents are Alexis and his family, who moved there to retire after their military careers.
  
  
• Light Kingdom - Around the same size as Lennart Kingdom (with which it is allied) - but with a much lower population, as its soils are far poorer. Has a high population of elves, most of whom live in the forests in the western part of the kingdom.
  
  
• Archduchy of Waldia - Home to Archduke Otto and his children, Rommel and Sabine. Known for its vast, picturesque forests, which are home to a reasonably-sized Elvish population, as well as the continent's largest population of fairies. (For a full profile, see this post)
  
  
• Heartwood Kingdom - A little-known and secretive kingdom, which is the ancestral homeland of the fairies. It is rumoured to contain Silver Oaks; however, because the area is densely-forested, and the fairies refuse to build transport links to the outside world, nobody else knows whether or not this is true. For more information, see this post.
  
  
• Sigmate Islands - An archipelago of swampy, barely-inhabitable S-shaped islands. This is home to the Serpentines: a race of water-dwelling snake-like people, who eke out an existence supported mainly by piracy: many a trans-oceanic trader fears attacks and plundering from the highly-skilled Serpentine pirates.
  
  
• Belaya Reka - A heavily-forested realm, with a high population of elves. Deep in these forests are the only known natural source of the legendary Silver Oak wood (and even there, supplies are extremely limited and carefully-controlled). Was the original home of Cheryl, before she moved to New Atlantis. (For a full profile, see this post)
  
  
• Krasnaya Reka - Another heavily-forested realm, which has a decent Elvish population, although the elves living there are outnumbered by humans. Produces the highest-quality wines and spirits in the entire continent.
  
  
• Chernaya Reka - A small, entirely-mountainous realm, which is the only place where Dark Elves are known to exist in significant numbers. Is also home to a few dissidents from the Academia Magesteria, who are trying to establish their own rival institution, to instruct young wizards in the dark arts.
  
  
• Khilmir - A small, largely-mountainous realm, which has the continent's largest population of trolls. The non-troll population is mostly human, and mostly confined to the south-western corner of the principality. These people have a centuries-long tradition of singing - and Khilmir's best crooners are highly sought after in royal courts up and down the continent.

The following territories are not part of (or under the ownership of) any other nation; however, they cannot really be described as 'nations' in and of themselves. Therefore, I have listed them separately:

• Academia Magesteria - The universe's premium school of magic: nearly all wizards in the land were trained in their craft here. It's not a part of any nation: in some ways, it could be considered to be a nation in its own right, but it's not really organised as one, since the only permanent population are the academy's teaching staff.
  
  
• Toadstool Swamp - A swampy, forested slice of land which is located between Kemmelreich and Waldia, but is claimed by neither nation. It has no government of its own - and, as such, it is teeming with all manner of outlaws and criminals. For more information, please see this post.
  
  
• Athrak Pass - A treacherous, volcanic terrain, home to the continent's only significant population of dragons. Their presence makes it impossible for anybody to found a new nation there, or for any existing nation to annex it into their borders; even the almighty Kemmelreich steers clear. For more information, please see this post.

So, that's all I've got for now. I'll add to this as and when I need to - but, until then, I hope you enjoyed this !

[Kyng]

I've made a few updates to this map:

• Cleaned up some of the borders;
  
  
• Added transitions between grassland, forests, and mountains;
  
  
• Added a new location (Dragon Lake). It's on the border between Kemmelreich, Light Kingdom, and the Archduchy of Waldia.

[Megan]

MAP!

It looks awesome. =3

[Kyng]

MAP!

It looks awesome. =3

Thanks, I'm glad you like it ! I'm sure I'll realise I've missed something soon enough, though .

By the way, that forest in the south-east of Kemmelreich, where all the bandits like to congregate... that's where Zarna was keeping Kyle and her other victims. (Usually, the Archduchy of Waldia will come in every couple of years or so to clear out all the bandits, but because they're not very friendly with Light Kingdom these days, they can't get through their territory any more !)

[Kyng]

A few updates to the map today:

• Added a new nation: Khilmir. (This is a small, largely-mountainous realm, which has the continent's largest population of trolls. The non-troll population is mostly human, and mostly confined to the south-western corner of the principality. These people have a centuries-long tradition of singing - and Khilmir's best crooners are highly sought after in royal courts up and down the continent)
  
  
• Added a new terrain type: Marsh. The main ones are in Light Kingdom and in the south-east corner of Kemmelreich. (The latter is completely infested with bandits: dwarfs are even worse at enforcing the law in marsh than in forests !)
  
  
• Moved Ulrikshaven and Kemmelhearth further south-west. (This is more consistent with the steam coach taking six hours to get from Kemmelhearth to the western border: I don't want them covering off half a continent in that time!!!)
  
  
• Cleaned up a few edges that I missed last time.

Hope you like this !

[Kyng]

It's all well and good having these nations placed on a map. However, this alone doesn't say a whole lot about the history and culture of any of these locations. So, I've decided to start writing more detailed profiles of some of the realms depicted on the map, starting with:

ARCHDUCHY OF WALDIA

The Archduchy of Waldia is a large realm, situated in the centre of the continent's eastern coast. The realm was first settled and founded by Grünwald Clan, whose chieftain Hans constructed a small hill fort in a range of mountains in the year 533 BGE. This hill fort spawned a market village, which eventually grew over the centuries into the city of Waldstein. As the city's population began to rise, the little also needed to be rebuilt into a proper castle, which has itself expanded over the years: it currently has half a dozen magnificent turrets, the last and tallest of which was completed in the year 147 BGE.

The banner of Waldia consists of a yellow field with a green border, emblazoned with a black bear. The colours were chosen to symbolise the terrain itself: the yellow represents the plains which make up the core of Waldia's territory, while the green represents the forests which run along the realm's western borders. The black bear was adopted as the symbol of Hans Grünwald: he was appointed as the tribal chieftain after he killed a black bear which had pursued the clan on their journey through the forests. This started a tradition where Hans's successors would have to prove their worth by killing a black bear before they were allowed to inherit his crown. This custom has long since been abandoned; however, the black bear remains on the banner as a symbol of the dynasty's history.

The map on the right shows the four main sub-divisions of the Archduchy of Waldia, consisting of the Archduke's personal holdings, together with three vassal states, as follows:

• Inner Waldia: The core territories of the Archduchy of Waldia. These are the personal holdings of the Archduke, and the only parts of the realm over which he exercises direct control. This is the richest, most urbanised, and most populous part of Waldia: it is home to around 68,000 people (almost half of Waldia's total population of 150,000). Around 70% of the inhabitants are human, with elves, dwarfs and fairies being the largest minority populations (although the wealth of this region attracts people of all races). Most of the people live in the city of Waldstein, or in the smaller market towns dotted across the region.
  
  
• Bayfields: A mostly rural, grassy region, in the north-east of the realm. Unlike Inner Waldia, the Archduke doesn't control Bayfields directly: instead, there is a Duke of Bayfields who is subordinate to the Archduke, but otherwise is allowed to run Bayfields as a semi-independent realm. This place is home to around 35,000 people in total, around 90% of whom are human (with most of the rest being elves). Most of these people work as farmers or fishermen, with a select few being bakers (a favourite local treat is the Bärkuchen: a pastry filled with honey, cooked in the shape of a bear and sometimes coated in blackberry juice)
  
  
• Hellbaum: A large, sprawling vassal realm, whose territory is mostly forested over. As with Bayfields, there's a Duke of Hellbaum who serves the Archduke, but otherwise runs Hellbaum like an independent realm. This place is home to around 30,000 people in total, most of whom are elves (with small minorites of humans in the east, and fairies in the west). Most work as hunters or as carpenters: the local wood is noted for for a very bright, almost-white colour, which is a popular choice for the furniture of kings and queens across the continent.
  
  
• Engelbosch: The last of the three vassal realms, where direct control is exercised by (you guessed it) the Duke of Engelbosch. This region is the most densely-forested of the three - and so, it has a relatively small population of only 17,000. Around 80% of its inhabitants are fairies, with the highest concentrations being in the 'bootheel' which makes up the southern part of Engelbosch. The rest of the population are almost all elves: only the bravest and most resourceful of humans would choose to live here.

As noted previously, the three vassal dukes have a large degree of autonomy. They have to pay taxes to the Archduke, and supply him with troops when he chooses to go to rule, but otherwise they have near-total freedom to set and enforce their own laws as they see fit. Four times a year, the Archduke will meet with the three vassal dukes in order to share updates on the general state of affairs, and discuss any laws which affect the entire realm (such as tax rates and succession). When a new law is proposed at these meetings, it will be voted on by the Archduke and the three vassal dukes: the Archduke has two votes, while the three vassal dukes have one vote each. This means the Archduke usually gets his way, but not always: for example, Archduke Otto recently proposed a new law allowing women to inherit the crown, but this was voted down by all three of the vassal dukes. His son, Prince Rommel, intends to have another go at this vote when he becomes Archduke: will he have more luck?

[Megan]

Ore stuff! Yaaaay!

[Kyng]

Time for another of these pieces. This time, I'll be writing about...

DUCHY OF NEW ATLANTIS

The Duchy of New Atlantis is an archipelago situated off the north-east coast of the continent, immediately bordering Lennart Kingdom. Despite its small geographical size, it has a relatively large population of 110,000 people, around three-quarters of which is made up of merfolk (the remainder are almost all human, with tiny populations of elves and dwarves).

New Atlantis was first founded in 436 BGE, by a loose band of merfolk refugees led by General Proteus. They had originally lived in the large merfolk city of Old Atlantis, in the calm coastal waters of the far northern Polar Peninsula. However, in the winter of 438 BGE, the city was ambushed at night-time by a colony of horned fire dragons. Following a gruelling and destructive battle, their chieftain was slain by Proteus himself, with his own personal golden trident. Sadly, it was not enough to save Old Atlantis: over 90% of the population had been slain, and the crops and livestock had been ravaged, rendering the remains of the city uninhabitable. Thus, for the next two years, the survivors journeyed southward, in search of a new home. Eventually, they discovered an uninhabited group of islands, surrounded by vast tracts of fertile seabeds. They chose to make their new home in a flooded cave underneath the largest of these islands: General Proteus was declared the first Duke of New Atlantis, and his golden trident was chosen as the emblem of the new realm. Since then, each new Duke of New Atlantis has received a replica of Proteus's trident, which they have wielded with pride in battle.

Over the next three hundred years, the merfolk population increased, the realm prospered and spread out across the sea floor. However, in the year 85 BGE, Archduke Nikolas I of New Atlantis decided that he wanted to open up New Atlantis to non-merfolk. As a result, he oversaw a large public works project to expand his palace, by using three modified Archimedes' screws to drill upwards from the ceiling of the main cave. Three years later, the borehole was finished - and mermen slithered on the surface of Atlantis Island for the first time. They proved surprisingly adept at life above water - and so, over the next four years, they constructed a new above-water palace on the island. After it was opened in 78 BGE, humans began to flock to New Atlantis, establishing a market and settling on both the main island and the surrounding ones.

Consequently, the population of New Atlantis now consists of three main divisions:

• Atlantis Island - The main island of New Atlantis, home to around 30,000 people. Of these, around three-fifths are humans, and almost all of the rest are merfolk who have chosen to live their lives above water. This island is home to New Atlantis's main urban, industrial and economic centres: the southern peninsula is occupied by the palace, docks, barracks and market town, while the forests of the north are home to the lumber mills, carpenters' workshops, and shipbuilding yards.
  
  
• Hendecanese Islands - The rest of the above-water portion of New Atlantis. This division consists of eleven medium-sized islands, as well as thousands of small uninhabited islets. In total, there are 20,000 people spread across the eleven main islands, split almost evenly between humans and merfolk. Most of these people work as farmers: the humans grow their own crops and livestock above water, while merfolk engage in aquaculture around the coasts (producing primarily fish, crustaceans, and seaweed).
  
  
• Underwater - Despite the expansion of New Atlantis above water, the majority of New Atlantis's population has chosen to remain below the sea. In total, around 60,000 people (all of them merfolk) have chosen this path, in the belief that it keeps them safe from humans (whom many view with intense suspicion). There are several major underwater towns, the largest of which is Asteron, whose population of 10,000 is exceeded only by the central market town of Atlantis Island.

Over the years, New Atlantis has had a largely peaceful (if somewhat tense) relationship with Lennart Kingdom: New Atlantis has enjoyed several eras of full independence, punctuated by periods as a Lennart vassal. A lengthy wooden bridge exists to connect Atlantis Island to Lennart Castle, allowing easy access between the two capitals during times of peace; however, this bridge tends to be heavily armed (or even closed entirely) whenever the relationship grows tense. The most recent closure took place during Kei Silver's unrecognised tenure on the throne of Lennart Kingdom; however, with tensions once again surfacing between King Thomas Lennart and Duke Nestor of New Atlantis, how much longer will this remain the case?

[Kyng]

I've added a new realm to the map:

Magnifloria - A medium-sized, heavily-forested realm, to the south-west of Kemmelreich. Due to their very high level of latent magic, the forests are home to a dazzling array of flowers and fruits, which can grow to many times their usual sizes (it's not unusual to find strawberries the size of watermelons, or oranges the size of beach balls ). Magic levels are highest of all on Bluebell Island - on which the bluebells grow taller than even the trees . Unsurprisingly, this makes Magnifloria a popular tourist destination with people of all races.

(I just wish I could draw this place !)

[Kyng]

I've updated the map in the opening post. Most of the changes are small details: I've added the cities of Lennartmark and Lysmark (both in Kemmelreich); added the Tongue Fjord (on the border between Kemmelreich and Light Kingdom), and changed some of Kemmelreich's forests into mountains.

The main addition, however, is a new territory:

TOADSTOOL SWAMP

Toadstool Swamp is a murky, swampy, forested area which exists on the border between Kemmelreich and Waldia, but is part of neither realm. Historically, it had been part of Kemmelreich; however, the dwarfs hated both swamps and forests, and therefore they had a hard time defending it. Furthermore, the swamp had no population and no natural resources - and so, in the year 10 AGE, King Henrik decided to give up the Toadstool Swamp, and set it aside for settlers who wished to start a new life and create their own nation.

Unfortunately, what emerged in the swamp was not a new nation, but a toxic mess. With no government to answer to, the swamp became a magnet for bandits, thieves, smugglers, prostitutes, practitioners of dark magic, and anybody else who had run in trouble with the law within their own homelands. Nobody with a shred of decency in their body would touch the swamp with a ten-foot pole, and the few law-abiding settlers who did set up new homes there soon fled. Before long, the phrase "Your mother is a Toadstool Swamper" became one of the most insulting things that could be said to an inhabitant of Kemmelreich or Waldia (or anywhere else, for that matter).

However, neither of the bordering countries had any appetite to do anything about it. The last thing Henrik's dwarfs wanted was anything to do with the swamps, while Waldia was grateful for the existence of a buffer between themselves and the vastly larger and more powerful Kemmelreich. Furthermore, Archduke Otto reasoned that all the social problems which existed within the swamp were at least contained there: since there was a wall of mountains to the west, and a heavily-fortified lake to the east, Toadstool Swamp was effectively just the world's largest prison. Indeed, its existence was the main reason why Waldia enjoyed very low crime rates: all the criminals simply moved next door, where they could quite easily be kept out.

Every few years, the armies of Kemmelreich and Waldia launch a joint invasion of the swamp, with the goal of "clearing out the criminals". Unfortunately, this is only temporary, as more simply spring up to replace those who have been flattened by the invasion; however, it does at least prevent things from getting too out of hand.