Nature in My Homebrew Setting

There are a great many details to consider about your gameworld. Conceivably, every element of the world in which we live can be recreated or redesigned in your gameworld. I've designated some space on this site to the different elements of the world I play in--because I'm fascinated by language, I ended up developing common sayings, naming conventions, literature, and mythology all before I got to something as simple as nature. But it's true; I viewed the nature in my world as being a fairly unremarkable part of it. 

But I was, of course, not giving it the credit nature is due. Setting is not just the "civilized" parts of the map--those sprawling forests and the other biomes you create for your world are not just static locations. If we think back to our biology classes, we know that every ecosystem is a carefully-interlaced collection of species. That's why, in order to improve my connection to the nature in my world, I am going to create unique plants and animals for each geographical region of my main gameworld, Evanoch. 

I'm going to start by dividing my map of Evanoch up into distinct geographical regions. My goal is to isolate areas that would have similar climates and resources and section them off. When I divide up the map along these geographical lines, I get something like this: 

I have combined similar regions into categories, and the result are these unique biomes. 

Having created this biome map, I now have a total of eight different ecosystems to account for. Half of these are simple definitions using real ecosystems (northern/southern forests/plains); one quarter are more fragile real ecosystems (desert and mountains); the final quarter are fictional ecosystems that I am creating for the islands where the elves and orcs live. This fits with my goal of creating a world that has elements that resemble real life (to make roleplaying easier--pretending you're a real life person with real life problems is usually easier than pretending to be a non-human creature grappling with otherworldly problems) while still including some more fantastical elements (to give the world character and more interesting things to see). 

One last word before proceeding: I tend to go pretty light on magical creatures, more because I try to stick to as realistic of storytelling as possible when I game than anything else, but that's only because that's the purpose I'm trying to serve. However, my approach with worldbuilding is a smorgasbord approach: have a little of everything ready so all bases are covered. I embrace that in my DMing by not loading my players down with worldbuilding details unless they ask about them. Similarly, I want to build my world so that there is the capacity for magical beasts if they want, but also so that they're not the focus if no one's interested. Now, on to the ecosystems!

The Northern Forests

By area, the largest region of Evanoch is its northern forests. The impressive Cosetta Forest to the west and the massive Liggen Forest to the east are the home of most gnomes, half-elves, and Faninites. I've modeled these forests on the forests of the Northern Hemisphere, so most of its ecosystem is fairly recognizable to most people from the Northern Hemisphere. 

Plants: These forests are simply pulsing with life. Enormous trees of all types--most heavily oak, spruce, fir, cedar, and yew--grow throughout the region, often in large areas of a single tree, though there are many areas where several species of tree intermingles. Simultaneously, there are dozens of species of mosses that grow at various heights on the trees, and bushes and shrubs can get big enough to be mistaken for trees. Mushrooms, berries, and root vegetables grow wild in these forests. 

Animals: The northern forests operate on fairly standard predator-prey models; rabbits eat plants, wolves eat rabbits. Where the plantlife here is diverse, relatively few animal species exist here. The more docile creatures include rabbits, badgers, beavers, skunks, and deer, while the more predatory animals include wolves, bears, cougars, foxes, and venomous snakes. A variety of birds nest in the trees, and there are more insects than even an entomologist could name. 

Ecosystem: These forests are strong and quite stable. Humanoids have inhabited, relied on, and changed the shape of the northern forests for longer than recorded history; the forests have simply grown in whatever direction has been left for them. Careful moderation of hunting in the settlements in the northern forests has kept animal populations stable in recent years, although the moose was nearly hunted to extinction over a hundred years ago. Today, the people who live in and around the northern forests regard them as an integral part of their community, and half-elven writers have long described these forests as home to the most natural beauty available anywhere. 

The Northern Plains

These plains dominate the central section of Evanoch between its north and south ends. The northern plains are home to a great many of the newer settlements that have popped up in recent history, in particular because the plains lend themselves so well to agricultural needs; the ample rainfall and steady sun that the plains get mean that farming is less work than previously imagined. The plains also provide a great home to grazing livestock. The megacity of New Dalton is located on the eastern edge of the northern plains. Like the northern forests, these flora and fauna will be familiar to most people in the Northern Hemisphere.

Plants: The dominant feature of the plains is, of course, the grasses the cover most of its expanse. The most prevalent grass is bluestem, a tall and stalky grass which can grow to ten feet if untended, as most of the northern plains were at the start of the last century. Saltgrass (a short but hardy grass that can grow in salty soil) and wheatgrass (a reddish grainy grass which can dominate other nearby plants) are the other notable grasses; saltgrass has been spread by humanoids on purpose thanks to its ability to rejuvenate exhausted soil. The plains are also home to the occasional bush (mostly sagebrush) and tree (largely mesquite), but it seems that the climate does not invite larger plantlife; no forests of note exist within the region of the northern plains. 

Animals: The plains are home to a much greater balance of herbivorous animals than more predatory animals, though the population of predator versus prey animals fluctuates fairly wildly within the nonetheless stable ecosystem. The most notable groups of animals in the region are the bison and the pronghorn, but smaller animals include the boar, the hedgehog, and the porcupine. The predators of the plains cannot use distinct terrain to sneak up on animals and must rely on great force (the red wolf), incredible speed (the cheetah), or attacking in groups (the dingo). 

Ecosystem: The northern plains have taken quite the beating in the last century. Less than half of the region remains untouched by humanoid's use of the area for farming and ranching. Efforts have been made to restore some parts of the grasslands, but there are no concerted efforts currently being made to preserve the ecosystem. Populations of both predator and prey animals have dropped significantly with greater humanoid populations in the region. In particular, the killing of the predators of the area to ensure safety for grazing animals has been uncontrolled for years. 

The Southern Forests

These forests, unlike the sprawling expanses of the northern forests, are dense, smaller outcroppings of trees that exist across the southern stretch of Evanoch. The Shorgon Forest to the west is a largely untouched example of what the southern forests are like; the Chalba Forest to the far south has been preserved as something of a religious site; and the Heronal Forest just north of that is home to the former halfling capital, Curagon, now an anarchist collective. The southern forests are similar to real life rainforests in terms of their species. 

Plants: There are more species of plant that exist in the southern forests than in the other ecosystems combined. The most prevalent family of trees is the palm, though so many types of palm tree exist that naturalists have mostly given up on meaningfully categorizing them. The trees form a dense canopy which makes being inside a southern forest very dark. Beneath the canopy grows a large system of shrubs, ferns, and vines, with a healthy presence of growing saplings of the trees surrounding them. Mosses and lichens of all types live on every surface. Flowers of all shapes and colors grow wildly. Plants growing on top of plants on top of other plants is a common sight. 

Animals: The animals who have been able to survive in the strange world of the southern forests exist only within these regions, as being specialized enough to live here means being vulnerable in other climates. Because plant life is so wild and plentiful, all manner of herbivorous animals live here, ranging from variations of the humble tapir and sloth to the hundreds of species of bird, reptile, and monkey who make this place their home. It is often said that there are more animals living in these southern forests than in the rest of the world put together. Though there are not as many predatory animals in these forests as there are herbivorous, the predators here are especially vicious, including the jaguar, the boa constrictor, and the cassowary. 

Ecosystem: For a number of reasons, these forests have experienced either very little or at least impossible to measure change in recorded history. Chief amongst these reasons is the fact that they are so dense and inhospitable to most creatures. Curagon, located inside one of these forests, is an entirely underground city, an adaptation required by the forests' often dangerous daily life. Another reason is its biodiversity; there are so many different types of plants and animals that craftspeople in the area joke that matching sets of any hide or wood are inherently more rare and therefore valuable. A final reason is a myth surrounding these forests that attempts to explain why they have never grown past their outer limits; the lively species in the forests seem almost certainly strong enough to overtake the grasslands surrounding them, but one theory says that something magical is afoot. 

The Southern Plains

These plains, unlike the northern plains, have less lush vegetation and hardier animals. This region marks most of the southernmost third of Evanoch. The dwarven capital Underhar is built on the southern plains, as is the major city of Torga. The southern plains are modeled after the African savanna. 

Plants: These plains are markedly hotter than their northern counterparts, and the grasses that grow here are much shorter. In them can be found occasional groves of trees and small watering holes. The grasses range from the relatively tall elephant grass to the widespread bahama grass, which grows in small clumps. The groves contain trees like the thorny acacia and the thick-barked bushwillow as well as shrubs like guarri (chewing it cures headaches) and the raisin bush (which can be used for its berries, its leaves for tea, and its bark for rope). 

Animals: Because there is relatively little plant life here compared to regions further north, animals tend to be very small, thereby requiring less food, or very large, thereby gaining access to harder-to-access food. The smaller animals consist of a wide variety of burrowing birds--such as the burrowing owl--burrowing mammals--like the pangolin--and burrowing snakes--including the burrowing asp. However, most people know the southern plains for their larger animals: the graceful gazelle, the elegant giraffe, the intimidating rhinoceros, and the sublime elephant. Smaller and mid-sized animals are eaten by the predatory hyenas of the southern plains, while lions prey on larger animals on land and crocodiles lay in wait at watering holes. 

Ecosystem: The southern plains were long the territory of dwarves, who largely ignored them in favor of mining into the mountains at the edge of the plains. But when people began to move across and settle Evanoch in recent centuries, the exotic animals of the southern plains fell under a new threat: humanoids. The plant life has been harmed in some ways by the introduction of zoysia, a grass native to the island of Dalton far to the east, which has overtaken much of the natural grass. This has led to a boom in the population of animals, which were in turn heavily hunted for their hides, tusks, and heads. Relatively few of the animals native to the area remain, and an effort to protect the animals still left is gaining steam. 

The Desert

The Kraal Desert stretches across a part of the western coast of Evanoch. It is an inhospitable place, but of course there is still life here. The Kraal Desert was historically the site of a bloody war between the elves and orcs that claimed over half of both races' populations, and traces of it remain today. There are no major settlements in the desert, though there are known outposts throughout it. It's of course inspired by our real world deserts, but I take special interest here as a native of the desert. 

Plants: With little rainfall and unusually high temperatures for the area, plants must be especially hardy to survive. Most of the desert's plant life is in the form of cacti, most notably barrel cacti, prickly pear, and organ pipe cactus. But there are also considerable amounts of brush, desert trees, and succulents; even without an oasis, outcroppings of creosote, paloverde, and ghost plants are fairly common sights. Travelers often warn of the "jumping cactus," or cholla, which will move to attach vicious spiny balls with hollow needles to nearby creatures. 

Animals: Because of the unforgiving climate and the lack of vegetation, the animals of the desert are forced to adapt to some of the harshest conditions on the continent. The herbivorous animals of the region are either hard to hunt due to size (lizards like the gecko) or speed (rabbits like the cottontail), or they are too much trouble for the predators of the area thanks to size (camels) and protection (armadillos and tortoises). The predatory animals of the desert are some of the most feared in the world. Its partly aggressive and partly scavenging coyotes and bobcats are threats to smaller animals, but all creatures can be easily killed by the many spiders (like the deadly black widow), scorpions (like the bark scorpion, which ironically has no relation to bark), and snakes (like the rattlesnake). 

Ecosystem: Following the War of Kraal about 500 years ago, there was a slow creation of small outposts across the desert on the part of both the elves and the orcs. The only interactions the troops had had with the wildlife was to be stung and bitten by seemingly every crawling thing in the desert. It kept them out. Those who still people the outposts are constantly at war with the nature around them. 

The Mountains

There are two major mountain ranges in Evanoch: the connected Great Cliffs and Kragg Mountains that rise where the Dakor Peninsula reaches mainland Evanoch, and the massive Kallett Mountains, which nearly cut the continent in half from the northwest to the southeast. The dwarven capital, Underhar, is built into the base of the Kallett Moutanins on the northern plains, and the major city Ringsdale is also nestled into the Kalletts further north. Readers familiar with my mystery campaign should note that Yamseth is located halfway up the Kallett Mountains. 

Plants: The Kallett Mountains tend to have more soil, where the Kragg Mountains-Great Cliffs belt are more rocky. However, the same flora tend to live in both mountainous regions. Where little moisture and soil are available such as at the lower elevations on the mountains, brome grass grows, a mid-height grass with wheaty seeds. Where there is more rainfall and purchase to grow, there are thicker grasses as well as wildflowers (the bright goldenrod, which grows in fields up the side of the mountain, and larkspur, which is toxic to consume), wild berries (mostly elderberries and currants), and even native vegetables (like carrots and peas). In areas that can sustain it, the mountains becomes lightly forested, growing bamboo at lower locations, magnolia and maple at middle heights, and mahogany and especially pine at higher locations. One plant which grows only on the Great Cliffs portion of the mountain ranges is the Jinsertia Flower, a brilliantly colored and iridescent flower that blooms when the roots of most flowers contact jinsertia crystal in the soil of the cliffs. 

Animals: The mountains are home to a variety of animals perfectly suited to life at their height on the mountains. There has been occasional migration up or down a stratum by some populations--notably the gorillas, which have small populations at nearly every height of the mountain ranges--but most animals stay where they are best suited. On the smaller side, the animals of the mountains feature a variety of birds, particularly small agile ones; the dominant species on the Kallett side is the sparrow, while the Great Cliffs/Kragg side is known more for thrushes. Several species of bighorn sheep and rams reside on the mountains' less inhabitable areas (the steeply angled ones). As mention, gorillas live throughout the mountains, while elk take the lower areas and llamas the higher areas. Predators on the mountains are fierce hunters, namely the cunning leopard, the agile lynx, and the mighty golden eagle. 

Ecosystem: Like many other ecosystems in Evanoch, the spread of humanoids changed like for the wildlife on the mountains. Elk and gorillas were heavily hunted by poachers, and llamas were domesticated in droves. However, in the last fifty years, it has come to appear that the gorillas have begun to organize, as fewer and fewer of their settlements are seen, but orchestrated attacks on encroaching humanoid settlements have risen. Life on the mountain, especially at higher elevations which require more reliance on having goods shipped to them, is challenging enough to only a few more people call the mountains home than the desert.

The Lathien Islands

These volcanically created islands (there is a small volcano in the cluster at the north edge, if you look closely) are relatively small pieces of land, but as the homeland of the elves, it has served well. The ground of the islands is usually flooded, so the elves have built their settlements into the forests, carving into still-growing trees and forming settlements in the thick woods native to the islands. I want the Lathien Islands to be exotic and interesting, so I've based part of the design on the Sundarbans region of India. 

Plants: The most prominent plant life, and the only plant life that most non-elves even recognize when visiting the islands, are the massive mangrove trees that grow from the volcanic soil, up through the water, and into the open air. While traditional mangroves are not big enough to accommodate an entire home, a combination of magical coaxing and selective breeding allowed ancient elves to create tall, thick mangrove trees that they could live in. Some patches of spear grass grow up from the water as well, and on patches of soil that rise above the waterline, a variety of red flowering plants such as the Kankara bloom. It is worth noting that within the Lathien Islands, several subcategories of climate exist, including swamp, marsh, salt flat, mudflat, and grassland; within each of these exist unique plants too numerous to name. 

Animals: The animals of the Lathien Islands are nearly as many as the animals of the southern forests, and most of the creatures here could not exist anywhere but in the islands' strange climate. Among the smaller animals are various reptiles, most prominently turtles and snakes but also including the mystifying chameleon, and aquatic birds, notably the kingfisher and the osprey. But the islands are also home to a variety of diverse mammals, such as the clever mongoose, the peaceful chital deer, and the curious rhesus macaque (monkey). Life for these animals can be complicated by the daunting predators of the region: there are venomous snakes like the cobra, patient hunters like the alligator, and fierce beasts like the tiger. 

Ecosystem: Perhaps because the environment of the Lathien Islands is so challenging to live in, the elves who reside there had to adapt from the beginning. Because they learned from the start to respect the nature around them and live in harmony with it, they have been able to keep the diverse flora and fauna in balance and healthy for their entire history. While tigers do eat an occasional elf, and elves do hunt an occasional tiger, for the most part, there is a sense of communion between the nature of the Lathien Islands and the humanoid residents. 

Grob Island

This sizable island off the southwest coast of Evanoch is the homeland of the orcs. It is a rocky island that is dotted with small but plentiful freshwater lakes. As a result of the mostly infertile soil, little plant life grows here, making life difficult for animals. Like with the Lathien Islands, I want this region to feel exotic, and this time I've based things very loosely on the Tonlé Sap Lake in Cambodia, though I am departed a bit more from the reference to make this region feel more unique. 

Plants: As mentioned, there is little opportunity for plant life. However, life finds a way, and there are indeed some distinctive plant species native to Grob Island. The existence of so many lakes has meant the natural production of large quantities of algae, which over time have been encouraged by industrious orcs into a food source for herd animals. Most of the plants that grow on land are mosses which vary in color and growing shape, but which belong to the genus Trichosteleum, a moss which turns sunlight into energy with very little nutrients. The groves of trees that manage to grow are a mix of evergreen--the striking hemlock--and the deciduous Hopea tree, which is a wood well-suited for building or burning, as well as the mango-pine (neither mango-bearing nor a pine), which has several medicinal applications. 

Animals: The animals of Grob Island are elusive--they know that other living things mean danger, and so they come prepared. In the lakes live a variety of fish, the most common of which are mud carp, snakehead, and catfish. Living off these fish are a range of birds, most notably the graceful stork, the resourceful pelican, and the colorful ibis. The lakes are also home to creatures like the otter, which feeds on the fish, and many varieties of poisonous and non-poisonous frogs. There is one frog, the bufo, which exudes a mildly toxic but hallucinogenic oil. The island is home to predators, as well, including a great many watersnakes, especially the longhead watersnake, the mighty caiman, and the occasional leopard. 

Ecosystem: Orcs have long held the land on which they live to be both a source of nutrition and a source of challenging enrichment. In this regard, they revere the land by not allowing their presence to make the island worse. They have cautiously allowed encouraging the algae growth needed to stimulate the food chain, but have otherwise kept changing the environment to a minimal. If a tree is cut down, a new one must be planted. If someone needs an animal skin, they cannot hunt it--they must wait until they need to hunt for food as well. Some orcs have mythologized the experience of the bufo frog's hallucinations, but not all orcs regard the experience as life-changing, and the practice is fairly minimal. 

There you have you: 8 distinct climatic regions with unique flora and fauna. I got very excited putting this together, in part because I began to realize the full implications that this profile will have on my campaigns. Now I can have moments where the elf from the Lathien Islands has a tiger hide coat, while an orc from Grob Island would have a leopard hide coat instead. Or when players go to a tavern in a particular city, I can offer them vegetables and meats that correspond to the region we're playing in. There are dozens of applications of this type of detail, and it all becomes possible when you begin to develop the details. 

That's all for now. Coming soon: how to use divination in your campaign, how writing and D&D influence each other for the better, and what kind of food is available in my homebrew setting. Until next time, happy gaming!

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