World Background

The following is designed to give you a brief overview of the areas of the Known World from which characters may come, along with some brief information about the Bladelands. For full details please click to download the:

Full World Background Document (v3.1, PDF, ~1.4Mb)

Introduction

Bladelands is a pseudo-medieval fantasy world based on a European geography. The action is set on a group of islands located where the British Isles are in the real world; these are the Bladelands of the title. Historically, the game can be considered somewhere between the dark ages and the later medieval period (pre-rennaisance).

All the characters are innitially assumed to be very recent arrivals from the mainland areas. Characters will not be permitted who either come from the Bladelands or who have lived there for any period of time; new players will not know a great deal about the Islands and so it is best if their characters do not either.

The Known World

Bladelands World Map
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The countries of The Bladelands Chronicles largely correspond geographically to those in the real world (France, Germany, Spain, etc).

The Bladelands


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The Bladelands are at the very edge of the known world.  Separated from the mainland by a wide stretch of treacherous and stormy seas, they are remote and inhospitable lands.

These isles are the most magical lands in the known world.  Many travel to them to seek their destiny, or their fortune.  Rich in resources both magical and mundane you would be forgiven for thinking that the Bladelands would be home to a thriving and civilised culture.  But with the abundance of magic comes an equal measure of danger. 

The most peculiar and defining feature of the Bladelands are the Bladestorms which descend on areas where large numbers of people gather together to fight, killing all in their path.  This makes it impossible to gather large armies.  For this reason the Bladelands are split up into much smaller fiefdoms than the kingdoms and countries that cover the rest of the world, since no one ruler can gather the fighting men necessary to dominate more than a small area of land.  It is generally thought these Bladestorms are caused by the overabundance of magic in the Bladelands.

There is only one port, called Sanctuary, access to which is controlled by the Guild of Navigators.

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