TEXT: A Magical Society:
  Guide to Mapping
  Expeditious Retreat Press
  Author Joseph Browning
  Interior Art by Ravindra Rana
  Editing and Layout by Suzi Yee
  WWW.EXP.CITYMAX.COM
  
  2
  Words from the Publisher
   
  Welcome to A Magical Society: Guide to Mapping, a free 37-page PDF that helps people make maps for 
  plausible worlds. Taken from a macro prospective, the mapping guide goes through nine steps, each step 
  illustrated with examples, supporting text, and a sample world map.
   
  This free product is a collection of the three mapping sections in a larger work, A Magical Society: 
  Ecology and Culture. Within those covers you will find help filling your world with biomes, ecological 
  wonders, and cultural groups
   
  If you want to expand upon the ideas presented in this free PDF, pick up A Magical Society: Ecology 
  and Culture from your FLGS or from rpgnow.com. The book will be available in April 2004, and the PDF 
  will be available on March 4th, [March Fo(u)rth to GM’s Day!]. If you buy the book directly from our 
  website (www.exp.citymax.com), you’ll receive a $5 off coupon for the pdf at RPGnow.com.
   
  We hope you enjoy this product and continue to support Expeditious Retreat Press. We work slowly so 
  you don’t have to. J
  Good Gaming,
  Joseph Browning and Suzi Yee
  Expeditious Retreat Press
  Note: Page 3 displays the Table of Contents from A Magical Society: Ecology and Culture.
  
  3
  Interlude 4
  Mapping Your World 7
   
  Beginning Considerations 7
   
  Step One: The Big Picture 8
   
  Step Two: Continents 10
   
  Step Three: Mountains 12
   
  Step Four: Islands and Archipelagoes 15
  Interlude 21
  Ecology 23
   
  Life Roles 23
   
  Food Chains and Food Webs 24
   
  Predation 26
   
  Plays Well with Others 30
   
  Succession 31
   
  The Inner Workings of Magic 32
  Biomes 38
   
  Tundra and Taiga 39
   
  Grasslands 42
   
  Forests 45
   
  Scrubland and Deserts 48
   
  Rivers and Lakes 51
   
  Swamps and Marshes 52
   
  Coastlines, Oceans, and Islands 55
   
  Caves and Underground Environments 57
   
  Mountains 59
  Interlude 60
  Mapping Your World (Part II) 62
   
  Step Five: Weather 62
   
  Step Six: Climate Zones and Rivers 65
  Interlude 70
  Culture 73
   
  Intelligent Races 73
   
  Physical Elements 74
   
   
  Appearances 74
   
   
  Temperate Lands 75
   
   
  Deserts 75
   
   
  Rainforests 76
   
   
  Tundra and Taiga 77
   
   
  High Altitudes 78
   
  Subsistence Pa�erns 80
   
  Material Culture 82
   
  Technology 88
   
   
  Social Factors 88
   
   
  Selling Technology 89
  Table of Contents
   
   
  New Technology 89
   
   
  Development of Magic 90
   
  Ideological Culture 91
   
   
  Alignment 92
   
   
  Language 92
   
   
  Writing 94
   
   
  Religion 94
   
   
  Myths 96
   
   
  Taboo 97
   
   
  Ritual 98
   
   
  Redistribution of Wealth 99
   
   
  Dispute Resolution 99
   
   
  Hospitality 99
   
   
  Birth 100
   
   
  Coming of Age 101
   
   
  Marriage 101
   
   
  Death 102
   
   
  Natural Cycles 103
   
   
  Cultural Rituals 103
   
   
  When Societies Interact 104
  Mapping Your World (Part III) 105
   
  Step Seven: The Origins of the Major
   
   
   Intelligent Races 105
   
  Step Eight: The Movement of the Major
   
   
   Intelligent Species 106
   
  Step Nine: Divergence and Divergent
   
   
   Expansion 107
  Final Interlude 112
  Appendix 113
   
  Formations 113
   
  Places 123
   
  Valuables 128
   
  Plants 135
   
  Animals 140
   
  Magiovores 145
   
   
  Animals 145
   
   
  Fungi 147
   
   
  Gems 148
   
   
  Insects 149
   
   
  Plants 151
   
  Common Dyes 154
  Comments 155
  Using A Magical Society:
   
  Ecology and Culture 156
  Bibliography 158
  Legal Stuff 160
  
  4
  To members of the Council and those who audience these pages,
   
  This treatise presents a collection of ideas, conditions, and advice on world 
  building for others who follow me, may they glean insight from my experiences. 
  I have chosen this path of recording over more extraordinary methods in hopes 
  that, should I complete the task satisfactorily, it may act as a guide for godlings 
  that follow.
   
  Split into three distinct but related parts, the unifying theme of this work 
  is mapping a new world. Book the first concerns the rudimentary decisions in 
  world building and their implications, including but not limited to the manner 
  in which landforms appear, why they appear in that fashion, and advice on 
  creating maps based upon sound physical geography. Book the second concerns 
  ecologies, various biomes and environments created by the interaction of weather 
  and physical geography, the creatures occupying these various environments, 
  and advice on mapping these places. Book the third concerns the limitations 
  environment places on intelligent races, tools of culture that intelligent races 
  use to overcome their environment, and advice on mapping cultures. Following 
  these three sections is a collection of useful reference appendices.
   
  The base world for comparison and reference is Earth, which functions 
  without major magical intercession. All discussed deviations are from the 
  perspective of Earth-like worlds, and numerous examples are drawn from Earth. 
  In this work, magic – a complex factor in world creation—is treated as another 
  source of accessible energy. Like sunlight and geothermal energy, magic is a 
  building block for life and links the traditional features of many fantastic 
  worlds to the intricate mundane web of life: vast underground populations; 
  amazingly lush, fertile, and inexhaustible environments; and a plethora of 
  massive predators whose existence must be magical.
   
  Some argue that gods create worlds. Period. Others point out that gods may 
  be living in a closed system created by a greater force, as godlings’ creations are 
  no more real except to those living in the creation. Regardless of how things are 
  made, our primary goal is proper functioning. Things must work on their own 
  without the constant intercession of their creators, other gods, and their magic. 
  That being said, gods still interfere; however in the best of worlds, it is minimally 
  necessary. With all these considerations, I humbly submit my observances for 
  your enjoyment, scrutiny, and perusal.
  Kierian the Bold
  Petitioner for God of War and Bringer of Justice
  Satisfactory
  *See back for comments
  
  5
        Interlude 
   
  Kierian moaned at the first 
  tinges of consciousness. He opened his 
  eyes and rubbed the sleep from them. 
  As his senses awakened, he noted 
  the strangeness of his surroundings. 
  The air was stiff like a skin pulled 
  over a drum—still, yet stretched with 
  taut energy. The light was neither dim nor 
  luminescent, but it glowed vibrantly. The room was hardly a room, absent of 
  walls, ceiling, and floor. Then there was the gnome sitting ten feet away from 
  him, reclining with a pipe and making scribbles in a little pocket book. Looking 
  up from his writings, he smiled warmly.
   
  “You’re up then,” Noj spoke matter-of-factly as he closed his book. “Good. 
  We have lots of work to do.”
   
  “Where am I?” Kierian asked in confusion. “And who are you?” He 
  placed an anxious hand on the hilt of his blade. 
   
  The fastidious gnome’s smile faded. “You don’t know?”
   
  Kierian rose to his full height, surveying his surroundings. “No. This place 
  is not known to me.”
   
  “Oh dear.” Noj sat down again and motioned for Kierian to take a seat. To 
  Kierian’s surprise, there was a chair for him where there had not been before.
   
  “What sorcery is this?” Kierian drew his sword and looked around. He 
  sensed a change in his blade. The sword was different in his grasp, lighter and 
  weightier at the same time.
   
  Noj looked up muttering Gnomish curses. “Please, just sit down, and 
  we’ll straighten this out.” He opened his brown plaid waistcoat to reveal his 
  possessions, of which were no weapons or devices 
  of sorcery. “As you can see, there is little need 
  for your sword.”
   
   
  Kierian cautiously took a seat 
  but refused to sheath his sword, resting 
  it beside his leg. The gnome flipped to 
  an earmarked page and produced a 
  pencil from his breast pocket. “Are 
  you Kierian of Rockmoor?”
   
  “Yes,” answered the surprised 
  fighter.
  
  6
   
  Noj looked up and nodded in confirmation. He moved the tip of his pencil 
  down the page. “And you slew Korgol the Destroyer, God of War, Bringer of 
  Chaos, Widow Maker, Devourer of Souls, etc?”
   
  Flashes of memory sparked a recollection. There was a battle, a victory, 
  then lightening; it wasn’t natural, but powerful. “Yes. I suppose I did,” conceded 
  Kierian.
   
  Noj closed his book with a reaffirming smile. “Then there is no mistake. 
  You are Kierian of Rockmoor, God of War, Bringer of Justice.” The satisfied 
  gnome noted Kierian’s blank expression. “Don’t worry. Everyone starts out with 
  a short title. You’ll get more as time goes on, though most gods would abandon ‘of 
  Rockmoor’ for something less… common.”
   
  Kierian stood, pacing back and forth for a few moments. “So let me get 
  this straight.” Kierian’s precise steps echoed crisply in the emptiness. “I kill a 
  god, and I take his place. Easy as that?”
   
  “Yes and no,” Noj replied with a hint of scholasticism. “The position is 
  temporarily empty, and a period of chaos will reign until the new God of War 
  asserts him or herself. Since you killed the last God of War, you have precedence 
  to fill the position, provided you prove ready.”
   
  Kierian’s brow furrowed, and he took his seat again. Pacing on a non-
  existent floor unsettled him while the lingering traces of mortal suspicion and 
  doubt interfered with his divine intelligence. “Ready?”
   
  “Yes. There is the small matter of the task.” Noj relit his pipe, realizing 
  this was going to take a while.
   
  Kierian leaned toward the gnome. “What’s ‘The Task’?”
   
  “The trial of the gods where you must prove able to wield your divinity.”
   
  Kierian loosed his sword from its sheath. Shining in the eerie glow of this 
  place, the godling decided to call it the Blade of Righteousness. “Bring whatever 
  foe or beast the gods dare pit against me.”
   
  Noj shook his head and stifled his laughter. “No, nothing of that sort. You 
  killed Korgol the Destroyer, Spiller of Blood, Foe of Peace, Friend of Death, etc. 
  That alone proves your prowess, regardless through might, wisdom, or trickery. 
  Now you must prove your understanding.”
   
  Kierian was well over six feet tall, seventeen stone, encased in gleaming 
  metal armor, and bore the Blade of Righteousness. This was all the understanding 
  he had ever needed. “What must I do?” he asked in a dubious tone.
   
  Noj answered plainly, “You must create a world.”
   
  Kierian roared, releasing peels of laughter in the expansive space. “You 
  really had me going for a moment. ‘You are the new God of War.’ That’s great. 
  Who put you up to this? Was it Cora? ‘Cause I didn’t mean to leave her in the 
  pit trap. I just got sidetracked on the way for help, and by the time I got back, 
  she was already in town.”
  
  7
   
  “Why do I get the difficult ones?” Noj thought to himself. “Suit yourself. 
  Create something. Think of something, and shape it in your mind. You can give 
  it smells and texture and taste. Go ahead.” The terse edge in the gnome’s tone 
  and the imperious wave of his hand did not escape Kierian’s notice. He closed his 
  eyes and began creating. It was quiet and still. Then the smell of meat pie filled 
  the air. Kierian opened his eyes to a golden-brown meat pie whose juices were 
  bubbling through the buttery crust along side a frothing mug of ale.
   
  “Did I do that?” Kierian asked incredulously.
   
  “It wasn’t me,” answered Noj. “I’m a vegetarian.” Kierian crept forward 
  and held the warm pie in his hands. “It’s not real, you know,” injected the 
  gnome. “Nothing created here is, except for those living within the creation 
  itself.”
   
  The famished warrior bit into the pie. It felt like he hadn’t eaten in ages. 
  Warm juice and ale dribbled down his chin as he washed it down with a deep 
  drink. It was the best tasting meat pie and ale he had ever eaten, but something 
  was strange. It was a bit off. No, it was entirely wrong. “Where are we?” Kierian 
  asked with a new intensity.
   
  Noj straightened upon hearing the Voice of Divine manifest in the 
  fighter’s tone. “The testing ground. It’s where godlings practice creating and test 
  their theories on world building.”
   
  “And who are you?” Kierian’s mind focused into a singularity. The food 
  vanished like a memory.
   
  The gnome stood and bowed to his new lord. “Noj Danask, well versed in 
  the knowledge and engineering of building worlds. I am here to assist you. I put 
  into motion that which you desire for your world. You will record your findings, 
  and should the Council approve your process, you will come into your full 
  divinity.”
   
  “And if I refuse?” Kierian’s serious demeanor gave him a ferocity that Noj 
  hadn’t seen as of yet. 
   
  “Then you are neither here nor there, neither mortal nor god, shunned 
  from enjoying the innocence of one and the power of the other.”
   
  They sat in silence together until Kierian rose and cleared his throat. 
  “Right then. Where do we start?”
   
  Noj opened his book. “At the beginning.”
  
  8
  Mapping Your World
   
  Maps are home to the stuff of legends and nightmares: Atlantis, Xanadu, 
  terra incognita, “Here there be dragons!” A wise gnome once said, “A good map is 
  almost a history.” Maps show the past: treasure maps, maps of dead empires, and 
  maps of sunken ancient lands. Maps show the present possibilities: harsh deserts, 
  fertile meandering rivers, steamy jungles, and barrier mountains populated by fiercely 
  independent people. Maps also show the future, for well I know that every conquer 
  looks towards a map and dreams of empire. Maps may represent a world clearly like 
  the finest prose or as cryptically as the best of poetry. It is because of this that I have 
  chosen to use maps in creating my world.
   
  Though maps of pen and paper do not require much in divine power, they 
  are not so easily made. Most are unaware of all the landforms and physical geography 
  worlds demand. Where to place mountains, rivers, swamps and deserts are important 
  questions that must be answered, even for worlds which deviate from our given base 
  planet, Earth. The more a world mimics the basic forces of nature, the more engrossing 
  the world becomes for those living in the creation. The goal then becomes a map of the 
  world that can run itself without magic, for if we create such a world, any magic we do 
  implement simply adds to its charm.
   
  Originally I found building a planet that requires as li�le magic as possible an 
  odd request, especially considering my new abilities. Now I know it a valuable lesson. 
  Once we godlings know how a mostly non-magical planet works, we can step away 
  from the basic design into more complex and fulfilling ones. Bears, tigers, and even 
  dinosaurs may be interesting, but they all pale in comparison to the complexity of a 
  fully functioning magical world inhabited by orcs, ankheg, and dragons. 
   
  Beginning Considerations
   
  It’s tempting to run into world creation before thinking about the world as a 
  whole, hastily plopping down mountains, rivers, deserts, and jungles. When enthusiasm 
  gets the best of patience, however, godlings end up with ragtag worlds whose geography 
  and biomes make no sense and must be supported by magic. Although magic is an 
  important part of every world, magic shouldn’t be used to explain how a river flows 
  over a mountain, except in very special circumstances. Magical geography should be 
  used to intensify experiences, not explain everyday phenomenon. Remember godling, 
  the initial magic allowance for building first worlds is slim; maximize your potential by 
  minimizing your mistakes. Such mindful consideration may one day lead to building 
  whole planes created entirely through magic. But as of yet, that is the future.
   
  One of the best ways to minimize mistakes is through observation. Any artist 
  will tell you that seeing the world properly is the first step in creation. Before making 
  maps, spend some time with a good world atlas; it contains everything we need to 
  know about making independent, viable worlds and realistic maps. Hopefully the 
  remainder of this tome expands your knowledge base, allowing you a new sight in how 
  the world works through an atlas. For example, consider continents. Though we have 
  all been taught seven traditional continents, this artificial division impedes accurate 
  physical vision. There are really only four giant landmasses on Earth, along with 
  several smaller islands. Of these four giant landmasses, two of them have very small 
  isthmuses separating them roughly in half. 
   
  In this quest for proper vision, every step of the mapping process should 
  involve some visual aid, even if you are planning a deviant, themed world, such as an 
  archipelago world. You will benefit from time spent looking at Earth. Accurate vision 
  prevents jarring inaccuracies and makes new worlds require less magic. If you’re of 
  
  9
  the scholarly bent or find your gnome to be lacking in forthrightness, find an ancient 
  tome concerning geology or physical geography. Look for one in the library. There 
  are several available, and they will cover the processes of creation to minute details. 
  Sometimes details are exactly what you want. Please read through this whole section 
  before beginning your map. It will help you create a be�er world.
  Step One: The Big Picture
  The Heavenly Spheres
   
  Before starting a new world map, a creator must make decisions about what the 
  world looks like and how it interacts with the ma�er outside of its atmosphere. Is the 
  universe just like the base material one, but with more or less magic? Is the new planet 
  the center of the solar system? Do crystal spheres hold everything in their unchanging 
  order, or do the gods move the planets and sun? Perhaps the world rides along on the 
  back of a giant turtle? These types of questions and their answers are part of the fun in 
  creating new worlds.
   
  Ironically, it is here that we have the most flexibility with new worlds. The same 
  intelligent creatures that don’t like rivers flowing uphill have no problems accepting 
  a world surrounded by crystal spheres that move the celestial bodies across the sky 
  while intersecting the many planes. Magic on a massive, universal scale is more easily 
  accepted than on a small scale because creatures don’t interact with astrophysics as 
  much as they interact with gravity. Sometimes the big miracle is the most believable.
   
  Dealing with the various cosmological and world-shaping possibilities is 
  beyond the scope of this treatise. Flat worlds, water worlds, and hollow worlds all 
  have their place in the metaverse, but their unique pa�erns require serious dedication 
  to their exploration and power beyond what godlings possess. Our focus is on Earth-
  like worlds, but that’s far from limited. Even on the strangest prime material planes, 
  standard types of weather and erosion usually play their part upon landmasses, just 
  like they do on Earth. It’s just the way the multiverse likes to work.
  Axial Tilt and Seasons
   
  Earth sits slightly tilted at 23.5° and rotates around this axis every 24 hours, 
  forming a day. It also revolves around the sun every 365.25 days, forming a year. These 
  three simple things—axial tilt, length of a day, and length of a year—are some of the 
  most important aspects of any new world. They will have the greatest effect upon what 
  a new world looks like.
   
  Planets maintain their axial tilt and rotation, regardless of where they are in 
  their annual cycle. A planet’s rotation around its axis creates day and night, shi�ing 
  exposure to the sun’s rays in its rotation. Axial tilt determines seasons with winter 
  occurring when the planet is tilted away from the sun and summer when the planet is 
  tilted toward the sun. When one hemisphere is tilted away from the sun, the other is 
  tilted toward the sun, meaning that while it’s winter in one hemisphere, it’s summer in 
  the other. Axial tilt also influences the length of day and night through the creation of 
  seasons.  The amount of time the hemisphere is subject to the sun’s rays determines the 
  number of daylight hours. During the winter, the days are short, and the nights long, 
  while during summer the reverse is true.
   
  You can create a grid by identifying the points on the top and bo�om of the 
  planet around which the plant rotates, known as the poles. This grid allows you to 
  pinpoint any specific location in relation to the poles, which are fixed points. Latitude 
  is the distance measured north and south of the equator, with the equator at 0° and the 
  poles at 90°. On Earth (or any planet 8,000 miles in diameter), each degree of latitude 
  is roughly 69 miles, which varies due polar fla�ening, but only by about 0.5 a mile. 
  Since axial tilt provides us both with seasons and a way of locating specific places on a 
  
  10
  planet, it also provides us a useful way of measuring daylight times. Using latitude in 
  conjunction with axial tilt conveys a lot of information about a planet’s daylight hours 
  and climate.
   
  Axial tilt determines the lower and upper limit of daylight on your planet. 
  The lower limit of daylight is the place that experiences at least one complete day 
  of darkness and one complete day of light a year. On Earth, this takes place at 66.5° 
  latitude, which also correlates with the artic regions of the planet (66.5°-90°). As you 
  travel closer to the poles, you experience more days of continuous light and continuous 
  dark. Around the poles, day or night can last weeks. The upper limit of daylight is the 
  place where the sun is directly overhead for at least one day of the year. On Earth, this 
  takes place at 23.5° latitude, exactly 23.5° from the equator, which correlates with the 
  tropical zones (0°-23.5°). As you approach the equator, you experience more days with 
  the sun directly overhead.
  Notes on Deviant Axial Tilts
   
  When you chose the axial tilt of a new planet, you are also determining the 
  location of the artic circles and the tropics, which influence basic climate. For planets 
  to be Earth-like, axial tilts must be close to Earth’s range (15°-32°), depending on how 
  much seasonal variation a godling wants. The greater the axial tilt, the more seasonal 
  Equator
  Equator
  North Pole
  North Pole
  South Pole
  South Pole
  Sun
  Sun
  Direct Rays
  Direct Rays
  June 21
  December 21
  North Tropic
  North Tropic
  North Artic
  North Artic
  South Tropic
  South Tropic
  South Artic
  South Artic
  
  11
  variation. Keep in mind that a lot of the temperate climates rely 
  upon snowmelt for much of their water. A smaller axial tilt may 
  result in more widely spread deserts than on our base planet 
  because not enough snow melts. On the other hand, too much 
  tilt could result in more widely spread deserts because not 
  enough snow falls.
   
  Deviations in the axial tilt also change the 
  distribution of surface heat on the planet: the larger the 
  tilt, the more even the distribution of heat. With a tilt of 
  23.5°, Earth’s heat is more evenly spread than if its tilt was 
  15°. To build a planet where heat is evenly distributed 
  over the surface, a tilt of around 54° is required. This 
  extreme tilt, however, would lead to a world very 
  different than Earth. But there are also methods of 
  changing climate without choosing a drastic axial 
  tilt and all the implications that result from such a 
  decision. For example, if you want a colder plant, 
  perhaps your world has a larger orbit around the sun. 
  Of your planet is exactly like Earth, but is currently 
  experiencing an ice age.
   
  Planetary climatology is one of the most 
  complex subjects in world creation, so no godling 
  should feel inadequate at a world whose climate is 
  not 100% accurate. Although striving for perfection 
  and realism brings its own sort of accomplishment, 
  you should always weight the effort verses the 
  return on every part of world building.
  Step One: Example
   
  I’ll record my thoughts while creating my 
  world along with each step. Step one is easy for me, 
  as I don’t want to add any more complications than 
  necessary. I’ll create a world that’s the same diameter 
  as earth, the same distance from its sun, the same 
  daily and yearly cycles, and with an axial tilt of 24°. 
  This allows me to focus on other ma�ers right now. 
  My flat world will have to wait. 
  Step Two: Continents
   
  Continents are striking features of any map, 
  but they are merely the tips of larger plates that float 
  along the world’s surface. Plate tectonics describe the 
  very slow thermal convection system at work inside 
  the planet. This slow convection brings deep magma 
  to the surface while pulling crustal material down. In 
  this process, continents slowly move over the surface 
  of the world. Tectonics elegantly create many geological 
  phenomenon, most notably mountain formation, and 
  allow us the joy of watching our continents move around 
  like the hardening crust of cooling gravy. You may, of course, 
  create a world where continents move for reasons other than 
  tectonic activity, but you will have to supplement the natural 
  geothermal forces with your own magic. I would not suggest 
  No Seasons or 
  Hyper   Seasons?
   
  Axial 
  tilt 
  determines 
  many 
  vital 
  aspects 
  of 
  a 
  world. Choosing a tilt 
  far from Earth’s leads to 
  a very different world. A 
  world with a 0° tilt has no 
  seasons because the sun is 
  always in the same place 
  in relation to the planet. 
  Each individual location 
  on the planet receives the 
  same amount of sunlight 
  all year round, making day 
  and night the only temporal 
  variations in solar energy. 
  In order to achieve a 0° tilt, 
  the equator lines up with 
  the plane of ecliptic, the 
  plane that passes though 
  the sun and the every point 
  of the planet’s orbit around 
  the sun. This would radically 
  change the appearance your 
  world, given Earth’s reliance 
  on deferential temperatures 
  in climate, erosion, and other 
  world-shaping phenomenon. 
   
  A world where the 
  poles lie upon the plane of 
  the ecliptic (90° tilt) is in even 
  worse shape. Nearly half of 
  the planet has a never-se�ing 
  summer sun while the other 
  half has a never-rising sun. 
  Spring and fall are the time 
  of rising and se�ing suns, 
  and the equator is the best 
  place for the growth of 
  glaciers. Mass migration 
  is a possible solution for 
  Earth-like life to survive 
  in such a world, though 
  inhabitants of this type 
  of 
  world 
  probably 
  rely 
  on 
  magical 
  energy to provide 
  other 
  survival 
  methods.
  
  12
  such a course of action. Besides larger expenditure of magic, removing tectonics also 
  affects the ecological aspects of your world.
   
  How do you start building a world? Start drawing shapes. Don’t focus on 
  making good coastlines or craggy �ords. Just start placing general blobs where 
  your landmasses are at the current time. To mimic Earth, focus on three to five large 
  landmasses with one to three of them having small isthmuses connecting two larger 
  “continents.” This instantly provides a new world with the “right” feel with very li�le 
  effort on the part of the creator. If something isn’t pleasing, simply move on to the next 
  idea.
   
  A�er placing landmasses, consider the plates they rest on and how they could 
  have moved through time. Every landmass is the part of a plate of rock that “floats” 
  along at the surface of the planet. Plates generally extend miles into the ocean before 
  ending. For reference from the base world, South America abu�ed North America and 
  Africa; Africa abu�ed Eurasia, North America, India, and Antarctica; and Australia 
  abu�ed India and Antartica.
   
  To simulate this effect in your world, take the landmasses you created and fit 
  them together like pieces of a puzzle. Don’t worry if you have to shave pieces off or add 
  a land bridge somewhere. In geologic time, oceans rise and fall, continents crash into 
  each other, pieces cleave off larger plates, and plates separate. When creating a world, 
  you have the advantage of dictating history rather than recording it. A�er making these 
  modifications, notice the boundaries where the plates previously intersected. There’s a 
  good chance that mountains form at these intersections. If mountains aren’t there, hills 
  may be. This is not the only method of creation, though creating a new world “with 
  age” is fairly common. Most gods have li�le desire to wait the billions of years it takes 
  the universe to naturally create intelligent life.
  Africa
  North
  America
  Asia
  South
  America
  India
  Australia
  Antarctica
  Pangaea
  
  13
  Step Two: Example
   
  Please reference the map provided. I’ve drawn out some hasty coastlines for 
  two large landmasses connected by small isthmuses along with a single large island/
  continent. You’ll notice the peninsula on continent B ju�ing out westward. I drew 
  this because I like the shape. However, this probably means that that peninsula is 
  mountainous since almost all such peninsulas from our base planet are mountainous. 
  There are some exceptions (Florida), but most peninsulas are mountainous (Italian, 
  Iberian, Malaysian, Kamchatka, Scandinavian, Korean, Baja). This also means that I’ve 
  probably got a subduction zone offshore because most of these peninsulas do as well. 
  I’ll keep that in mind as I go along.
   
  I’ve also drawn do�ed lines showing where my continents linked up in their 
  pangea stage. This will help me place my mountains in the next step. If you’ll note, 
  I’ve placed the equator, the tropic lines, and the artic lines (24° from the equator and 
  24° from the poles respectively) based upon the tilt decided upon in step one. This isn’t 
  important now, but it does impact on weather later on.
  Step Three: Mountains
   
  Once continents have been roughly outlined, and you’ve gone back in time to 
  crunch all the continents together, placing mountains becomes a lot easier. Mountains 
  form in a number of ways, the majority of which result from tectonic plate collision. 
  Plates collide in three different mountain-building ways: oceanic plates collide with 
  continental plates, oceanic plates collide with oceanic plates, or continental plates 
  collide with continental plates. Mountain creation is generally a coastal affair. The 
  majority of inland mountains were once near a coast, although some are the result of 
  upli�ing or folding.
  Mountains Formed by Collision
   
  Whenever a continental plate meets an oceanic plate, the continental plate 
  pushes the oceanic plate underneath it because continental material is less dense. 
  This collision, known as subduction, thrusts the continental plate upward and creates 
  mountains. At the same time, subduction forces the oceanic plate downward, creating 
  subduction zones, the deepest of which are called trenches. As the oceanic plate moves 
  down, oceanic material re-melts and o�en works its way to the continental surface, 
  forming volcanoes. Shallow-focus and deep-focus earthquakes usually accompany 
  oceanic-continental mountain building, so don’t put your favored race there unless 
  you’re willing to periodically watch everything they build fall down or get covered 
  with lava. When two oceanic plates meet, either plate could be the one subducted, 
  depending on the direction of movement. The subduction zones of two oceanic plates 
  usually result in deeper oceanic trenches. Instead of forming mountains, two colliding 
  oceanic plates form a string of volcanically created islands. When two continental plates 
  collide, known as suturing, both crustal plates resist subduction, but eventually one 
  yields, forming massive mountains. Continental collisions don’t form volcanic ranges, 
  but they create many shallow-focus earthquakes.
  Mountains Formed by Vulcanism
   
  Mountains also form independent of tectonics, based solely upon vulcanism. 
  Vulcanism is the movement of magma from the interior of a planet to the exterior. One 
  common type of volcanically formed mountain is the dome mountain, which forms 
  when magma pushes upward into the crust of the earth. Laccoliths, large bodies of 
  slow-moving magma, form between horizontal layers of preexisting rock. The magma 
  is so thick that it resists flowing. Meanwhile more viscous magma feeds into the 
  mushroom-shaped laccolithic dome and forces the thick magma upward. The dome 
  
  14
  mountain’s 
  creation 
  process 
  produces rounded-top chains, 
  the Black Hills of South Dakota 
  serving as a good example.
   
  Vulcanism also results 
  in the most obvious mountain 
  creation—volcanoes. 
  Although 
  volcanoes are usually associated 
  with 
  subduction 
  of 
  tectonic 
  plates, some places are simply 
  “hot spots,” or places that 
  allow magma to rise near the 
  surface. 
  Although 
  volcanoes 
  are spectacular and dangerous, 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  very 
  good 
  mountain builders. Mountains 
  chains built predominately by 
  volcanic activity are usually 
  shorter (in length and height) 
  than mountains built in plate 
  collision.
  Ri�ing
   
  With 
  plates 
  crashing 
  into each other and forming 
  mountains, it stands to reason 
  that there are other places where 
  plates are dri�ing apart and 
  forming new crustal material. 
  Divergent boundaries are highly 
  volcanic areas, and they form ri� 
  valleys lined with mountains 
  when a continental plate splits. 
  Divergent 
  boundaries 
  are 
  responsible for breaking Earth’s 
  Pangea around 200-135 million 
  years ago, se�ing the pieces adri� 
  into their current locations.
  Mountains to Molehills
   
  Mountains compose 11% 
  of the continental surface. There 
  are unlimited possibilities when 
  creating the geologic history 
  of your world, but this work 
  directs the focus on mapping the 
  mountains. For more information 
  and detail, consult your gnome 
  or a historical geography tome. 
  Armed with the knowledge of 
  where and how mountains form, 
  you now have the tools to map 
  mountains in your world.
  X
  Y
  Continents X and Y crash together, increasing the subduction 
  mountain range.
  X
  Y
  The oceanic part of plate Y is 
  subducted beneath plate X.
  Volcanic island
  formation.
  X
  Y
  Plate Y stops subducting as its 
  continental portion reaches the 
  subduction zone.
  Volcanic island
  formation stops.
  X
  Y
  Subduction changes direction. 
  Now X subducts under Y.
  Subduction mountain 
  range forms
  Suturing and 
  Mountain Building
  
  15
   
  First, consider the giant proto-continent you formed from smashing your 
  current continents together. Consider placing mountains where two continental masses 
  collided in the imaginary proto-continent’s history. Also look at the intersections or 
  boundaries that later formed unique continents from the proto-continent. 20-40% of 
  these boundaries have mountain ranges associated with them. Many mountains form 
  a�er the proto-continent breaks up. For example, smaller continental plates calve off 
  the major plates, which then crash into a larger continental plate. Both the Alps and the 
  Himalayas formed in this manner.
   
  Now consider the continents’ current coastlines and decide which of them 
  have mountains due to oceanic plate subduction. Roughly 25-50% of all mountains are 
  associated with oceanic plate subduction. To give a familiar flavor from Earth, try to 
  place your subduction mountains north to south. The two major subduction mountains 
  on Earth (Rockies and Andes) run north to south.
   
  The remaining mountains formed in proto-continent period are more difficult 
  to place. Older mountains, like the Appalachians, o�en result from complex series of 
  collisions, subductions, and accretions. Older mountains may be placed just about 
  anywhere on the map, and their placement goes hand-in-hand with the placement of 
  upli� or volcanic mountains. A godling must rely upon his good sense when placing 
  the remaining mountains. Again, mountains compose about 11% of the continental 
  surface.
   
  The final thing to consider when mapping mountains is their height. Which 
  mountain ranges are rocky, tall, and forbidding, and which mountain ranges are 
  rounded, shorter, and more passable? Mountains that are currently growing due to 
  oceanic subduction or continental suturing are rocky and tall, becoming less so as 
  they age. The mountains that are not growing may be rocky and tall or rounded and 
  low, though only the oldest mountains, whose growth stopped prior to the break up 
  of a proto-continent, become rounded. Mountains created by volcanism are usually 
  rounded and shorter, regardless of their age. It’s also not unusual for a mountain range 
  to undergo several different phases of mountain growth, like the Andes. The Andes 
  are rather old mountains, some parts six times as old as the Alps, but they look “brand 
  new” due to current growth from oceanic subduction.
   
  To use more examples from Earth, the Alps are older than the Himalayas, yet 
  both ranges are rough and rugged, although the Himalayas are much more so. The 
  Appalachians are very old, and they show their age. Incidentally, the Appalachians 
  experienced various mountain-building periods similar to the Andes, but it has been a 
  very long time since the last of the series of mountain-building episodes occurred in the 
  Appalachians, which accounts for its aging appearance.
  Step Three: Example
   
  I’ve filled in the mountains on the map. Mountain ranges A and D are formed 
  by the collision of continents A and D. Range B results from continent A and B spli�ing 
  as well as from subduction. When a ri� occurs, one plate usually goes off in one direct 
  and the other continues its path. This o�en creates a new subduction zone since one of 
  the two plates isn’t moving exactly along with the ri�’s movement. Mountain range C is 
  pure subduction while mountain range E is a mixture of separation and collision. The 
  split of continent E and D formed the north-south part, and the east-west part is from a 
  plate that separated from E and then returned again. Range BE is subduction created.
   
  But I’m jumping ahead of myself here. What I really did was put down the 
  mountains where I thought they looked good, where they pleased my eye a�er looking 
  at atlases for a long time. I came up with how they were formed a�er I already put them 
  on the map. This is the great freedom of trusting your eye when placing mountains. If 
  you look at atlases, find their pa�erns, and mimic them somewhat, the reasons for your 
  mountains’ existence become almost self-explanatory.
  
  16
  Step Four: Islands and Archipelagoes
   
  Islands play integral parts in every world, teeming with exotic locals, expensive 
  spices, treacherous misty rocks, and unique flora and fauna. Islands come in different 
  sizes. Some are practically continents in and of themselves, while others are nothing 
  more than the eroding tops of volcanoes that managed to break the water’s surface. 
  Islands Connected to Continents
   
  Larger islands are commonly caused by variations in sea level. These islands 
  are actually part of a large continental plate, but they appear to be separate due to the 
  current water level. The UK islands are a great example. They are on the same plate with 
  the rest of northern Europe, but they are separated by water due to the current ocean 
  level. Should water levels drop, as in the last Ice Age, a land bridge forms between 
  England and France. Another good example is some of the islands off the Southeast 
  Asian coast. To place this type of island in your world, slightly expand the continents in 
  certain areas and create islands by inserting a shallow causeway or sea between them 
  and the main continent.
  Islands Formed By Ri�ing
   
  Some of the largest islands are small sections that broke off larger continental 
  landmasses, forming their own plate. The distance between islands on ri�ed plates and 
  their parent continent indicate how old they are, the oldest islands farther away from 
  their parent continent. Madagascar and Greenland are good examples of islands that 
  were once part of a continental landmass. Another good example is the Indian Sub-
  Continent. At one time it was an island calved off of Africa, which collided with Asia, 
  building the Himalayas. Place these islands by cleaving off part of a continent and dri� 
  the plate away from its parent continent, the oldest ri�ed islands traveling the farthest 
  from their parent continent. Ri�ed islands cannot travel over oceanic subduction 
  zones to get to their present location. Occasionally islands migrate long distances to 
  eventually accrete into new continents and form mountains, and such ri�ed islands 
  may have subduction zones between them and their new continents in the period 
  before they accrete. In general, the farther an island dri�s from their parent island, the 
  more unique their flora and fauna, but this is be�er addressed in the ecology section of 
  this work.
  Islands Formed by Volcanic Activity
   
  Volcanic activity is responsible for the majority of the islands, either at 
  subduction zones or hotspots. At subduction zones, where an oceanic plate is 
  subducting under a continental plate or another oceanic plate, volcanic activity o�en 
  creates a string of islands. These island chains and their volcanoes usually curve due 
  to the spherical nature of planets. Just as pressure applied to a ball creates a rounded 
  dimple, the pressure of colliding plates on a spherical planet results in curved 
  subduction zones, volcanoes, and islands. To place this type of island, look for areas 
  where subduction occurs, especially around oceanic trenches, where two oceanic plates 
  collide. Continental plates o�en extend out into the ocean, sometimes hundreds of 
  miles. When islands form in the subduction zone of extended continental plates and 
  oceanic plates, the island chains also curve. Many great island chains form this way on 
  Earth; Japan, the Philippines, the Aleutians, the Caribbean islands, New Zealand, and 
  most of Indonesia are creations of volcanic activity in subduction zones.
   
  Volcanic activity in oceanic hot spots also create islands, though must smaller 
  in scope. Most hot spot islands and island chains are less than 100 miles in diameter, 
  usually around 20 miles in diameter. Since hot spots are stationary and oceanic plates 
  are not, island chains form as volcanoes go through active and dormant stages while 
  
  17
  the island’s plate moves over the hot spot. Hawaii is an 
  excellent example: as the oceanic plate moves, the 
  hot spot remains stationary, creating the islands 
  in sequence. The oldest Hawaiian island is 
  Kauai (5.6 million years), and the youngest 
  is Hawaii proper (less than 1 million years). 
  The youngest island tends to be the largest, 
  while older islands are usually smaller. 
  Since most are formed by volcanic 
  activity, oceanic islands tend to be rather 
  mountainous. The newest islands are 
  the rockiest, while older ones are less 
  rocky. 
   
  Hot spots are places where the 
  crust is thinner, allowing the magma 
  to escape to the surface. Oceanic 
  island-forming hot spots are easy to 
  locate because no one is certain why 
  they form in the first place. Simply put 
  them where you like. I recommend 
  placing hot spot islands, like Hawaii, 
  at serendipitously convenient places 
  for ship travel. Nothing quite beats 
  the excitement of a long voyage by ship 
  to a strange new island. Unlike Hawaii 
  however, the majority of hot spot islands 
  form in more volcanically active areas 
  closer to subduction zones.
   
  Hot spots also occur on continental 
  plates, though 75% of Earth’s 40+ hot spots 
  are oceanic. Yellowstone is an example of 
  continental hot spots, where they create surreal 
  landscapes full of geysers, hot mud pits, and 
  volcanoes. Again, wonderful places for adventure.
   
  Archipelagoes
   
  Archipelagoes are collections of islands that extend from larger bodies of land. 
  The term applies to both massive collections of islands, such as the western portion 
  of Indonesia, as well as long extensions of smaller islands, such as the Aleutians. 
  Archipelagoes are usually island chains resulting from volcanic activity in subduction 
  zones, although a few are the result of sea level variation. Really large collections of 
  islands are the result of several subduction zones in close proximity to each other. For 
  example, volcanic activity from three major subduction zones formed the thousands 
  of islands that constitute the Indonesian islands. They are usually mountainous since 
  most archipelagoes are created through volcanic activity in subduction zones.
  Plates
   
  Though we have been discussing tectonic plates and their role in mountain 
  and island formation, it is far easier to put the plates in a�er placing major mountains, 
  islands, and archipelagoes in your world. Remember that your responsibility is mapping 
  the world in its current time. All geologic history may be retro-engineered. First place 
  subduction zones on the map beside the mountains, islands, and archipelagoes they 
  created. 
  Island Worlds
   Though 
  a 
  popular 
  idea 
  among 
  godlings, 
  a 
  world 
  consisting 
  entirely 
  of 
  islands 
  is extremely difficult to achieve 
  without great expenditures of magic. 
  The majority of continental landmass 
  is felsic rock, so light that once it is 
  extruded from the earth, it strongly resists 
  subduction. On the other hand, oceanic 
  crust is made from dense mafic rock, which 
  is why oceanic crusts usually subduct under 
  continental rock. Felsic rock’s lesser density 
  results in continental landmasses because 
  extruded felsic rock stays on the outside of 
  the crust.
   Though this process makes justifying 
  archipelago worlds more difficult, here are 
  a few non-magical suggestions. Perhaps the 
  world is very young, and all the felsic rock 
  has yet to surface and form large continents. 
  Perhaps only the known world is an 
  archipelago. For example, thousands of 
  miles filled with islands form where two 
  or three oceanic plates meet in the middle 
  of a large ocean, and their inhabitants 
  do not know of the outside world. 
  How the intelligent creatures got 
  there, and how they forgot about 
  the world they came from is at 
  your discretion, but such is the 
  art of composing great 
  creations.
  
  18
   
  Then identify the areas where upwelling magma forms new crustal material 
  and drives two plates apart or splits one plate apart. This ri�ing creates ridges as two 
  parallel mountainous lines form on either side of the new crust. Most of the ridges on 
  a planet are oceanic (roughly 90%), though continental ri�ing is responsible for forcing 
  the continents apart. Continental ri� valleys widen and eventually fill up with water, 
  creating separate independent continents. As new material expands a ri� valley, plates 
  move away from the ridges. Place major ridges in the ocean, usually where subduction 
  zones occur on both sides of the ri�. In the Pacific Ocean, the ridge pushes new oceanic 
  plate material into subduction zones all around the ocean, creating the Andes, Japan, 
  and the Aleutians.
   
  Oceanic plates moving away from ri� valleys do not always subduct under 
  another plate. Sometimes they travel together in the same direction. For example, 
  the growing Mid-Atlantic ridge pushes both American continents west and Africa 
  northeast, but no mountains are forming along the east coast of South America and the 
  west coast of Africa because those continental plates are traveling in the same direction 
  as the oceanic plate. In some cases, oceanic and continental plates slip alongside each 
  other when moving in a similar direction. This creates great slip faults like the San 
  Andreas Fault and produces a lot of earthquake activity. Oceanic ridges are not as 
  important as other plate activity, but they cement what is going on tectonically on a 
  new world and point out areas that experience a significant number of earthquakes.
  Step Four: Example
   
  I’ve determined the basic (very basic) plate structure of my world. There’s a 
  large ri� (oceanic ridge) between continents BE and CD. This follows along with how 
  they fit in the pangea stage. There’s also a ridge between A and B for pre�y much the 
  same reason. The subduction zone off B’s peninsula is where the oceanic crust (created 
  at the ri�) is pushed under B’s continental plate. This means that mountain range A 
  formed both by ri�ing as well as subduction. I’ve also added the two subduction zones 
  that are creating mountain ranges BE and C. This could mean that at one time continents 
  B and E were separated and the subduction zone linked them together through its 
  mountain building, but it doesn’t have to. I’ve also included a small oceanic subduction 
  zone offshore of E. This is where the ridge is subducted under the continental shelf of 
  E (which extends under the water). I’ve only placed one slip plate in the ocean between 
  continents AB and E. I’ve also indicated the suturing on continent E where its calved 
  island is crashing back and the suturing between continents D and A where they’re 
  coming together.
   
  With this in mind, placing islands on the map is fairly simple. The large 
  peninsula on B gains an archipelago, and islands form over the subduction zone 
  offshore of E. More islands form along the slip plate. I’ve also placed some continentally 
  connected islands (like England) and a few hotspot islands (like Hawaii). This gives you 
  rough guidelines when you actually place your islands in creation. Namely, this lets 
  me know where to put larger islands and why they are there. A more thorough look at 
  plate structures would also provide more islands, but I’m only summarily addressing 
  the plate details.
  
  19
  Mapping your World~ Steps 1 & 2
  A
  B
  C
  D
  E
  
  20
  Mapping your World~ Step 3
  A
  B
  C
  D
  E
  
  21
  Mapping your World~ Step 4
  
  22
  Mapping Your World
  (Part II)
  Step Five: Weather
  Generative Forces
   
  Mapping weather pa�erns is the most complex subject so far and requires 
  more information than the previous steps. Only a�er we place all the landmasses can 
  we infer global weather pa�erns. Assuming a world relatively similar to Earth in tilt 
  and orbit around the sun, global weather pa�erns follow a few basic rules. Weather 
  is a planet’s a�empt to equalize the heat it receives from the sun. The sun’s rays warm 
  oceans and lakes, and heat rises off land and water into the atmosphere. The warming 
  of the atmosphere results in weather. Ho�er air becomes less dense, rises, and displaces 
  the cooler air in the atmosphere. The poles are cooler because the sun’s rays transfer less 
  heat due to their low angle near the poles. Near the equator, the sun’s rays strike the 
  planet more directly and transfer more heat. This difference in heat distribution drives 
  air currents and ocean currents in a pa�ern of motion called convection.
   
  Besides this heat imbalance, there is one other major creator in weather pa�erns: 
  the Coriolis effect. The Coriolis effect is the curving of the air and water currents due to 
  a planet’s rotation. Since most planets rotate, you can thank the universe’s preference 
  for circular movement for making your work more complex. As the cooler air from the 
  poles makes its way towards the equator, the planet rotates eastward. The air current 
  thus bends towards the west with respect to the surface and continues to bend because 
  the speed of the surface increases the closer the air gets to the equator. The reverse 
  happens with the warm air that rises from the equator and makes it way to the poles. 
  Weather is less complex on 
  planets that do not rotate 
  on an axis. Planets rectify 
  the heat imbalance with a 
  simple airflow and a water 
  flow. Generally, a cool wind 
  blows from the poles to the 
  equator in a straight line. At 
  the tropics, the air warms 
  and moves to the top of the 
  atmosphere, heading back 
  to the pole from which it 
  came. Water currents follow 
  the same general pattern. 
  Deep cold waters flow to the 
  tropics, and warm tropical 
  waters flow back to the poles. 
  The only changes in airflow 
  result from mountains or 
  large bodies of water, while 
  continents stand as the sole 
  disruptors to water flow.
  It Does Not Move
  Equator
  30 N
  30 S
  60 N
  60 S
  H
  H
  L
  L
  
  23
  The Coriolis effect forces “pile-ups” of this upper level air because it can’t make it’s way 
  unimpeded back to the pole. The air north and south of the equator (at around 20°-30° 
  north and south) can’t escape to the poles fast enough. High-pressure areas build up, 
  push down on the planet, and create winds towards the north and south. These winds 
  are also deflected because of the Coriolis effect and move diagonally westward. This 
  equatorial gyre is repeated twice more until they reach the poles. Each gyre creates an 
  alternating wind pa�ern. The trade winds move west, the westerlies move east (given 
  that name because the wind blows from the west as it moves east), and the easterlies 
  move west.
   
  Air and water gyres are the final things created by the Coriolis. Water and air 
  are both affected by the planet’s rotation and develop not only convection currents (the 
  currents established by temperature differences), but also giant rotation currents. North 
  of the equator, water and air circle in a clockwise pa�ern: south of the equator, water 
  and air circle in a counter-clockwise pa�ern. The air currents heavily influence the 
  surface-water currents, but deeper ocean currents (similar to the upper air currents) do 
  play a small role in water pa�erns. Bodies of water, landmasses, and mountains further 
  complicate these general air and water pa�erns.
  Water and Land
   
  Although the sun is weather’s primary driver, the oceans provide the life-
  giving water that the sun’s heat moves through the planet. The movement of water 
  on a planet is fairly complex, but it can be easily simplified for mapping purposes. 
  Water evaporates under the sun’s heat and collects in the air forming clouds. When 
  the moisture level of the air becomes greater than it can hold (usually because a 
  temperature change) rain falls back on the surface of the planet. The movement of air 
  carries this water vapor off the oceans and onto the land (most of the rain on a planet 
  comes from oceanic evaporation) and into the life on the land.
  0
  30
  30
  60
  60
  It Does Move
  Polar high
  Polar high
  Polar easterlies
  Polar easterlies
  Subpolar low
  Subpolar low
  Westerlies
  Westerlies
  Subtropical high
  Subtropical high
  Northeast trade winds
  Intertropical convergence zone
  Southeast trade winds
  This diagram shows the 
  Coriolis effect at work 
  on Earth and can be 
  applied on any other 
  planet of similar make. 
  Notice 
  how 
  surface 
  air is flowing up at 
  the equator and at the 
  subpolar lows. High-
  altitude air is flowing 
  to the surface at the 
  subtropical highs and 
  the polar highs. This also 
  shows the gyres going 
  clockwise in the north 
  and 
  counterclockwise 
  in the south. The polar 
  highs produce a very 
  strong and steady wind, 
  called the katabatic.
  
  24
   
  Water is generally subject to the air currents and their subsequent rain pa�erns, 
  but it also influences them. The oceans heat and cool slower and to a lesser degree 
  than land. This difference is very important. Water can store about five times the heat 
  energy that land can store, which means water can absorb about five times more energy 
  without its temperature increasing. The sun’s rays are also diffused over a much greater 
  area of water (since light can penetrate water), which further reduces the maximum 
  temperature water reaches in comparison with land. Water is also mobile allowing 
  convection to distribute uneven heating easier than land and the unlimited amount of 
  moisture in water means it can evaporate (and hence cool) unlimitedly when compared 
  to land. All of this means that because water retains more heat, it cools slower during 
  winter than land; conversely it takes longer to heat up once summer arrives again.
   
  All of water’s unique properties have significant effects upon weather, and 
  over time, climate because it changes temperatures. The ho�est and coldest places on 
  a planet will be on the interior of continents, far away from the influence of the oceans. 
  The oceans act as a great heat sink; absorbing heat in summer and releasing it in winter. 
  You should look at the amount of water in the northern and southern hemispheres 
  of your new planet. The hemisphere with the most water will have less variance in 
  annual temperature ranges for each latitude. On Earth, the Northern Hemisphere is 
  39% land while the Southern Hemisphere is 19% land. This causes the more extreme 
  temperatures typical of the Northern Hemisphere.
   
  Land has just as great an impact upon weather and climate as water. Unlike 
  water, land quickly gains and loses heat. This leads to generally more erratic winds 
  over landmasses than over oceans as the land cools quickly and in different proportions 
  depending on its vegetative cover (the more plants, the slower it gains and loses heat; 
  the fewer plants the quicker the process). This difference in cooling is noticeable in 
  mountainous areas as mountains have more surface area per square mile than most 
  other terrain types and particularly noticeable in deserts, which lose their day’s heat 
  very quickly. Another important difference in weather over the land and over water is 
  humidity. More evaporation occurs over water, so most humid air (the air that brings 
  rain) comes from evaporation over oceans or other large bodies of water, like the Great 
  Lakes. Most of the rain falling on the continents comes from evaporation off the oceans. 
  Thus, if a continent is large, the centers will be very dry because most of the moisture 
  has already dropped out of the wind. Central Asia (Gobi Desert) is a good example of 
  this.
   
  Terrain types and their respective vegetation levels influence weather 
  through their respective heat absorption and release levels, but mountains are the 
  only geographical features capable of affecting weather pa�erns outside of the sun’s 
  influence. Mountains are physical barriers to wind and the cause massive disturbances 
  in weather pa�erns, particularly rainfall. Air rises as it goes up a mountain, cooling it. 
  This cooling reduces the amount of moisture the air can hold and o�en results in rain. 
  This means, that in general, a mountain range will have a wet and a dry side. If the 
  range is a large one and winds are fairly consistent in their direction, the mountain can 
  create a rain shadow, effectively creating a desert. This can even happen on a smaller 
  scale, like the island of Hawaii, where the eastern side receives the trade winds and an 
  annual rainfall of 150 inches while the other side of the island only receives 9 inches of 
  rain a year. A few (or a pair in the case of Hawaii) mountains can dramatically change 
  weather. 
  Mapping the Phenomenon
   
  Mapping all of the complexities of weather is something simply beyond the 
  need of most new worlds. The general principles discussed above should provide you 
  with enough raw information to look at your maps and make some decisions.
  
  25
   
  First, you should basically mimic the air pa�erns as influenced by the Coriolis 
  effect. This provides a baseline that is agreeable to every other assumption about the 
  working of weather. Adopting the basic ocean currents to the new world is the next 
  step. Continental placement will affect this more than air pa�erns, but as long as the 
  same general pa�erns of movement (gyres, areas of lows and highs) are maintained, 
  the currents should closely mimic the Earth’s because they’re also influenced by heat 
  and rotation. Our goal is to make a map that takes into account the natural functions of 
  the universe. Before we can put down an ancient jungle kingdom, we’d best make sure 
  it’s where the planet is going to naturally create a jungle. We can use magic to do it, but 
  pre-planning avoids a lot of post-creation headaches.
   
  Around the equator and around 60° N and S there are wet zones. Around 30° N 
  and S (and more exactly the tropics) will be dry areas. This is a gross simplification, but 
  it’ll get us where we need to go for right now. Mountains will affect the degree of rain, 
  so be certain to indicate rain shadows based upon wind movement.
  Step Five: Example
   
  To map the weather, I used the equator, the tropics, artic circles, and latitudes 
  30º and 60º. Since my tilt is very Earth-like, I don’t have to worry about weather 
  pa�erns drastically diverging from Earth norms. I drew in the wind pa�erns based 
  upon the Coriolis effect. A�er the air, I mapped the water currents, showing the typical 
  gyre pa�erns. This is fairly straightforward, even though it’s a very complex physical 
  process. I then mapped in the wet and dry latitudinal zones, again based upon the 
  Coriolis effect.
   
  Throughout this process, I’ve made a lot of arbitrary, but plausible, decisions. 
  The movement of the wind is more complex than I’ve shown, but again, the pa�ern 
  generally follows what I’ve put down. The same is true of ocean currents. They 
  almost all follow the gyres according to their hemisphere (clockwise in the north, 
  counterclockwise in the south), but there are some exceptions. I have a few currents 
  that split and head in differing directions, but even these currents eventually follow 
  the overall pa�ern. For example, the current off the east coast of continent B splits and 
  flows up the coastline while the other part gyres up to continent C. The coastal flow up 
  continent B eventually gyres back and rejoins at continent C. A good example of split 
  currents is the Atlantic Equatorial Current. It travels from Africa to South American and 
  splits. One flow goes south along the east coast of South America, and the other flows 
  along the northern coast of South America. The southern split maintains the traditional 
  counterclockwise gyre, but the northern current crosses the equator and eventually 
  gyres clockwise as part of the Florida Current and the Gulf Stream. Generally, cold 
  currents are moving from high latitudes to low latitudes, while warm currents are 
  moving from low latitudes to high latitudes. On my world, a strong cold current flows 
  from the south to the north along the west coast of continent E while a warm current 
  moves north along the east coast of continent B.
  Step Six: Climate Zones and Rivers
   
  Climate is where rain and temperature mix, therefore latitude, altitude, and 
  wind pa�ern all shape climates. An idealized world has the pa�ern shown in the List 
  of Climate zones. Place each type of climate on your map in roughly the same manner. 
  Again, pay a�ention to where the wind blows and where the mountains are. General 
  elevation may play a role depending on how vast an area you’ve elevated. The Tibetan 
  plateau is a good example of an elevated area changing the expected climate. More than 
  elevated areas, ocean currents play an important role in determining climate. Warm 
  currents heat the air around them, making Europe very habitable for example, while 
  cold currents can temper a warm climate. Cold currents sometimes reduce rainfall along 
  
  26
  coastlines because they cool 
  the air above them, restricting 
  the amount of water the air 
  can carry.
   
  Rivers are easy to 
  place at this scope; we’re just 
  looking to place a few major 
  rivers 
  on 
  each 
  continent. 
  Remember that water flows 
  downhill and wet areas have 
  more water than dry areas. 
  Rivers are the easiest part 
  of this step, so have fun and 
  pay a�ention to where they’re 
  going, because they’ll be the 
  cradles of your forthcoming 
  civilizations. 
  Overall, 
  this 
  step is the most complex of 
  all the mapping steps. The 
  vast diversity of climate and 
  the intricacies that make up 
  each climate can’t be modeled 
  without extraordinary effort. 
  But even this very basic 
  climate map of the world will 
  help when discussing cultural 
  development.
  Step Six: Example
   
  Following the general wind pa�erns, I first placed equatorial areas with heavy 
  rain. The mountain range BE is packed with water because it’s not only on the equator, 
  but the mountains catch the water and send it downstream in torrents. The northern 
  part of continent D is very wet since there’s nothing interfering with winds, as is the 
  northern part of continent A. These areas are probably rainforests because they have a 
  lot of rain and plenty of sun.
   
  The next step is to place the transitional areas that are more wet than dry. These 
  were placed north and south of the very wet areas. Most are probably deciduous forests 
  mixed with the remnants of rainforests, grasslands mixed with deciduous forests, and 
  the beginning of the dryer lands. They could be simply grassland as well. Notice that 
  these two zones are mostly within the tropic bands. Their placement also reflects what 
  the wind is doing. On continent A, this zone loops around because the wind is coming 
  from a particular direction while on continent D, the zone remains more horizontal for 
  generally the same reason. You could change these zones based upon what you wish 
  to happen. As long as they’re relatively in the same location, such change can easily be 
  supported.
   
  The next step moves into dryer lands by placing the transitional dry zone. 
  These are mostly grasslands/scrublands, and they generally abut the transitional wet 
  zones. Such zones are plentiful throughout the dry latitudinal zone and o�en abut a 
  dessert zone. I didn’t place these zones next on the map, however. It’s easier if you go 
  right to the deserts, and then look to see where these zones fit best.
   
  Deserts are almost always along 30° N, 30° S, or the tropic lines. I placed my 
  deserts along these areas and paid particular a�ention to wind direction. The desert on 
  continent A is in a dry zone, but it also has a range of mountains that interfere with rain, 
  List of Climate Zones
  Artic/Polar Region-North of Artic Circle
  Wet Zone- Mostly south of 60 N
  Transition from Dry to Wet Zone
  Transition to Desert Zone
  Desert Zone-Tropic Circle and 30N
  Transition to Desert Zone
  Transition from Wet to Dry Zone
  Very Wet Zone- Equator
  Transition from Wet to Dry Zone
  Transition to Desert Zone
  Desert Zone-Tropic Circle and 30S
  Transition to Desert Zone
  Transition from Dry to Wet Zone
  Wet Zone-Mostly north of 60 S
  Artic/Polar Region-South of Artic Circle
  
  27
  so it stretches farther north into the we�er latitudinal zones. A similar thing happens 
  with the desert on continent D. The desert on A exists because it’s in the dry zone, but 
  notice that I placed a dry transition zone along the southern coast. The ocean air is 
  relatively dry in this zone, but what li�le moisture it holds drops along this curve. All 
  things considered, the desert on A is probably fairly wet for a desert until you go in 
  deeper. The great desert on E was the hardest to place because there are many factors to 
  weigh. It is a mixture of dry zone, wind pa�erns, mountain range and large landmass. 
  For these reasons, I decided that this was the Sahara of my world: the big, sandy, 
  unfriendly desert.
   
  I then placed the dry transitional zones between the deserts and the wet 
  transitional zone. It’s much easier to do it this way, even though you have to consider 
  the next wet transitional zone leading to the wet band around 60° north and south 
  latitude. Again, I found it easier to just jump zones and place the midlatitude wet zones 
  before placing both the dry transitional zones and the wet transitional zones.
   
  Placing the next wet areas was very easy. I just followed the wind pa�erns and 
  land as I did with the equatorial wet zones. These wet zones aren’t as wet as the equator, 
  so if you find yourself faced by a large continent, the water won’t travel as far inland 
  as it would at the equator. I mapped my midlatitude wet zones, then placed my wet 
  transitionals, and finally the dry transitionals. These dry transitional zones are mostly 
  grassland/scrublands while the wet transitional zones are mostly forest/grassland 
  mixes. The midlatitude wet zones can be temperate rain forests if there are mountains 
  to catch enough rain, like along the Pacific Northwest coast. With all that done, I capped 
  of my world with the cold zones north and south of the artic circles. These zones can 
  be grasslands, boreal forest, or tundra depending on their rainfall and how close they 
  are to the poles. I haven’t differentiated between the polar climates for this map, but by 
  now, you should be familiar enough to place your taiga and tundra without guidance.
   
  Next, I placed rivers on each continent, keeping in mind wind pa�erns and 
  general elevation. Most of them are straightforward and not worth mentioning except 
  for the major river on continent B that runs through the desert. This river provides 
  water in the otherwise dry expanse and will no doubt play a role in intelligent creatures’ 
  interactions. It could also mimic the Nile as its headwaters are in wetlands. If I wanted, 
  I could make these headlands have a particularly rainy period that would mimic the 
  yearly floods of the great river on Earth. I think I will.
  
  28
  Mapping your World~ Step 5
  Very Wet Zone
  Dry Zone
  Dry Zone
  Wet Zone
  Wet Zone
  
  29
  Mapping your World~ Step 6
  Very Wet
  Transition to Wet
  Transition to Dry
  Desert
  Transition to Dry
  Transition to Wet
  Wet
  Polar
  
  30
  Mapping Your World
  (Part III)
  Step Seven: The Origin of the Major Intelligent Races
   
  The origins of major intelligent races largely depend on what type of creation 
  you want, but it is always easiest to work with the system than against it. Given that 
  assumption, I also know that you probably want to create your own races by hand, 
  so we’ll find a way to do both. What nature likes to do is create environments that 
  apply pressures on creatures to survive. By adapting to these pressures and passing 
  adaptations to further generations, creatures undergo physical and behavioral changes. 
  In this way, a small creature becomes a large one given millions of years. In this process, 
  some creatures develop intelligence. Intelligence is a shortcut adaptation compared 
  to all others. Intelligence allows a creature to recognize the systems around them as 
  systems and not just stimuli. It also allows them to be�er manipulate their environment 
  to suit their needs rather than waiting for genetic and evolutionary adaptations. It’s a 
  very powerful adaptation, and it’s what we gods are interested in. Eventually these 
  intelligent creatures learn to survive in almost every environment through their 
  cleverness. They may even find a way to traverse over large bodies of water, given 
  enough time, experiment, and luck. It seems impossible that an island in the middle of 
  a huge ocean would be populated, but it happens. As long as intelligent creatures can 
  survive, they’ll continue to expand their territory.
   
  The movement and expansion of intelligent creatures are our focus for mapping. 
  But before you start mapping where your races originate and where they migrate, you 
  need to decide what your major races are going to be. How many intelligent species 
  are you going to have, knowing that wars are inevitable, and some species may have 
  selective advantages over others? In other words, you should be prepared to lose a few 
  of your races due to any number of factors, luck being an important one. Of course, you 
  can always create them again, but let’s keep our magic expenditures to a minimum and 
  prevent unnecessary expenses.
   
  Once you’ve chosen your major races, place them next to major rivers or within 
  50 miles of the shore. Also, don’t put them at high altitudes; it’s easier closer to sea level. 
  Now move them around. Move them up and down the river they occupy, and then 
  watch them jump to other environments that abut their home river. Given hundreds of 
  thousands of years, they’ll be everywhere, and may have already killed off each other. 
  That’s their nature. We don’t have the right to change that as godlings. But instead of 
  creating “finished” races, you should create ancestor races rather than creating each 
  race from scratch. Ancestor races are the “proto-races” from which other races spring 
  forth. This can explain how some races are capable of interbreeding (but not always) 
  and eases the first steps of a complicated history.
  Step Seven: Example
   
  I’ve decided on the major intelligent races in my world: elves, dwarves, humans, 
  gnomes, halflings, orcs, goblins, hobgoblins, and kobolds. That’s a lot of intelligence 
  and perhaps not all of them will make it through.
   
  Placing these races is a bit of a challenge, so I began with ancestor races. The 
  river on continent E is the birthplace of one of my ancestor races: the ancestor race of 
  humans, elves, and orcs. Some of these can interbreed when this whole process is done, 
  so I need to address the different environmental pressures that caused the ancestor race 
  
  31
  to diverge. But that is later. The rivers along the mountain range on C are the birthplace 
  of the ancestor race for the dwarves, gnomes, and halflings. All the “li�le people” on 
  one continent pleases me. The ancestor race of the goblins and hobgoblins appear on 
  the desert river on continent B. This leaves only the kobolds, which come from the 
  rivers on continent A. Right now I’ve four centers of origination. This is a good number, 
  and there’s only one large landmass (continent D) without major intelligent species.
  Step Eight: The Movement of the Major Intelligent Species
   
  Our next mapping step is to move our ancestor races out of their swaddling-
  lands and into the territories they’ll claim as birth lands. There are a few things that 
  we should consider in this step. The most important is rivers. People prefer to move 
  and populate areas all along rivers rather than deviate away from rivers. It’s easy to 
  understand; water is life. Next, it’s easier for creatures to stay in their own familiar 
  climate zone than to move out of it, making east/west movement easier than north/
  south movement. Sources of food (plants and animals) and appropriate shelter are 
  more similar east/west than north/south because climate is more variable north/south. 
  Altitude also plays a role here. People se�le lowlands before highlands, all things 
  considered. These lands of easy expansion are birthlands of the ancestral race.
   
  Move your ancestor groups around according to these primary factors. They 
  quickly claim these parts of the world, then they move into less familiar terrain. 
  This second migration is harder to define and occurs for many different reasons, but 
  remember the above two factors. If one of your ancestor races moves east/west and 
  encounters a river, they’ll expand to fill that river as well. In a way, it’s sort of like the 
  children’s game leapfrog. It’s in this manner that the great north/south rivers play an 
  important role, because although the climate changes faster, at least one thing is staying 
  the same. North/south movement is much faster with a river than without. The last type 
  of expansion is the most likely to fail, but the most spectacular: sea expansion. When a 
  population becomes crowded and there’s nowhere to easily expand, internal war and 
  more daring expansion a�empts occur. Wind direction and ocean currents are the two 
  most important aspects of expansion. If a race can move with water and air currents, 
  their chances of finding shore greatly increase.
   
  Once your ancestor races go through two, possibly three expansions, there is a 
  good chance they have encountered another race or a significant physical barrier, like 
  a desert or mountain chain. These things both limit expansion for different reasons. 
  Meeting another race inevitably leads to violent conflict while meeting a great physical 
  barrier inevitably stalls expansions. How you wish to handle the conflict is up to you, 
  but assuming that your races are both competitively viable through similar or different 
  survival strategies, you’ll probably have a rough line of racial control that moves back 
  and forth throughout time. Of course, one race can get a permanent upper hand and 
  drive another into less fruitful lands, but even then, the “dominant” race doesn’t “own” 
  these lands like it does their birthlands. It takes a long time for dominant races to engulf 
  subject races at this point. More than likely, periodic warfare continues indefinitely as 
  the subject race in the hills and forests a�ack the dominant race that owns the valleys 
  and plains.
   
  Two final notes: don’t forget the coastline and consider spacial restraints. Even 
  well developed worlds have the majority of their populations (up to 70% in worlds with 
  billions, yes billions, of people) within 50 miles of the coast. Coasts are great sources of 
  food, and the call of the water pleases nearly every intelligent humanoid ever created 
  with its cyclic to’s and frow’s. Spatial restraint may start speciation off earlier in an 
  ancestral race, and it o�en leads to quicker overseas expansion.
  
  32
  Step Eight: Example
   
  This example is best understood by looking at the included map. Each age 
  shows the progressive expansion of each ancestor race as time goes by. All of this 
  expansion takes place before agriculture and the development of cities; the extended 
  nomadic family is the unit of these intelligent animals. Also remember these ages are 
  really ages; they’re thousands of years, even hundreds of thousands.
   
  My ancestor races take off along rivers and along the east/west axis first. The 
  goblin/hobgoblin group claims all of continent of B, the elf/human/orc ancestor race 
  claims all of E, the future dwarves/halflings/gnomes claim continent C, and the kobolds 
  claim continent A. There are a few points of interest in the migrations according to each 
  age. The first age is the riverine and east-west expansion period. During this time, each 
  race takes the easiest route of expansion. During the second age, the goblin/hobgoblin 
  moves along the great north-south river through the desert to expand along the more 
  hospitable coast while the elf/human/orc group and the kobolds expand along the 
  coast of their respective continents. Both groups avoid their deserts. The second age is 
  also the end of easy expansion for the dwarven/gnome/halfling group, meaning their 
  densities increase and speciation may occur. During this period, I had them start to 
  show differences in build, height, and behavior according to their preferred terrain, 
  but they’re still one race right now. The kobolds have also run up against the mountain 
  group caused by continents A and D colliding. This barrier stops them for a long time 
  until they learn to adapt.
   
  The third age is an exciting one because the dwarves/gnomes/halfings make 
  it across the ocean to continent D through the beneficial ocean and air currents. They 
  find a land that, although containing a lot of different plant and animal life, is very 
  similar to the land they le� behind. They survive and continue to reproduce, claiming 
  the northern portion of continent D. During this period they make first contact with 
  another intelligent species, the kobolds. The kobolds have finally go�en through (and 
  around) the mountain chain on the isthmus between continents A and D. They found 
  the environment harsh, but survivable, with the land north of the mountains be�er 
  than the land south. In the north, they meet the dwarf/gnome/halfling ancestral race. 
  Chaos, madness, and death ensue. Don’t try to stop it, you can’t. I don’t find it very 
  fair either. For the human/elf/orc and hobgobling/goblin group, the third age is more 
  like the previous one. They both expand where it’s easiest and most familiar. They do 
  manage to conquer their local desert environment, but density is so low it’s almost non-
  existent.
   
  The fourth age claims all the land on the world for some intelligent ancestor 
  races. Although some islands were conquered earlier, all islands are now populated by 
  intelligent proto-races. The isthmus between continents A and E rage with conflict as 
  the human/elf/orc group has finally met the hobgoblin/goblin group. Continent D has 
  become the most hotly contested real estate in pre-history because not only have the 
  gnome/dwarf/halfing ancestor race and the kobolds taken part of it, but the intrepid 
  orc/human/elf group has grabbed a hold on the southern tip.
  Step Nine: Divergence and Divergent Expansion
   
  Once expansion slows down for any reason and large portions of a race have 
  spent significant amounts of time in differing environments, species divergence occurs. 
  Given the magical nature of our worlds, this divergence can be extensive and very 
  sudden. This step creates the races we’re all familiar with: elves, humans, dwarves and 
  all the other various humanoids. Depending on what races you want on your world, 
  you’ll need to look at the environments where your ancestral races se�led and select 
  the one which is most associated with what you desire. For example, you’ll probably 
  want your dwarves to come from rocky mountainous areas. A�er se�ling divergence, 
  you can start sub-speciation if you wish. The various different sub-races are reflections 
  
  33
  of additional specialization to a particular environment. My gnome cautions me to not 
  get “out of hand” on this, but that’s his preference. You’ll have your own, I’m sure.
  Once you locate where the new races develop, they expand. During this expansion, 
  the ancestral races are still around, and every newly developed race is still capable 
  of breeding with them as well as each other, but this won’t last for much longer. The 
  young races quickly out compete their forefathers, and their territory expands while 
  the ancestral races’ territory diminishes. This is very similar to the manner in which 
  the ancestral race originally spread throughout the world, but faster and more deadly. 
  Given enough time, the ancestral races that spawned children races are no more, and 
  only a few of their descendent races are even capable of interbreeding.
   
  But what of the ancestral races that don’t evolve into new races? These are not 
  as rare as one would think, and they don’t stop evolving. There’s no way to stop that, 
  not for we godlings. The ancestral races that survive are just that, survivors. They are 
  scrappy and more than likely hold their own against all comers. These are the races 
  that may even outlast the other “more developed” races. What they o�en do however, 
  is undergo sub-race development pa�ern directly, spewing out sub-type a�er sub-
  type, all well developed to exploit their particular environment and all capable of 
  interbreeding with all the other sub-types. This is o�en greatly to their advantage.
  Step Nine: Example
   
  Now that everyone’s got nowhere to go, they se�le down to constant conflict 
  with themselves and their neighbors and specialize. Over the ages, they learn a 
  particular environment well and find particular ways to exploit it. Eventually, magic 
  takes a hold of them, and nature pressures them into different races. Again, this takes a 
  very long time, and now they may start toying with a new thing called agriculture.
  The races have finally developed enough to be individually discernable. As shown on 
  the map, each race rose from a particular area within their ancestral race’s territory. 
  Every ancestor race sprouts younglings except for kobolds—they’re like the roaches of 
  intelligent species. Eventually I’ll have them expand to all the continents (just like every 
  other race), and they’ll just be too numerous and cra�y to destroy. Good must always 
  have something to be wary of. Anyway, back to the map.
   
  Kobolds watch their territory diminish on continent D as gnomes and humans 
  expand over two ages. On continent E, humans expand inward, eventually claiming 
  most of the desert and the coastline, separating the majority of orcs from elves. Elves 
  and orcs lose the ability to intermingle through this geographic separation over a few 
  more ages, but elves and humans continue to breed through their wars and alliances. 
  Goblins hold their own, until they meet hobgoblins, who conquer them completely and 
  use them as a servant race. Dwarves and halflings expand, destroying their progenitor 
  race, but then they hold their own as dwarves start to delve deep for the first time, 
  relieving the pressure on their society.
   
  It’s important to remember that every race has diversity within their group. For 
  example, the dwarves have the underground/mountainous branch as well as the more 
  artic types living on the northern shoreline of B. The kobolds cover so many different 
  terrains that every possible subsistence/cultural pa�ern can be found on continents 
  A and D. The hobgoblins may develop the first kingdoms along their Nilesque river 
  because the soil is naturally fertile, renewable, and predictable, conditions that may 
  make agriculture quickly surpass hunting/gathering as the main subsistence pa�ern. 
  Also, the stability of the river prevents the universal abuse of land done through short-
  term survival needs that tends to destroy civilizations and thus promote continual 
  occupation of the same land for hundreds of generations. Other races will have similar 
  differences develop within their race. Don’t assume that all elves come from forest 
  people and all halflings are gardeners.
  
  34
   
  That’s it. The races now have their terrain, their histories, and their reasons for 
  how they are as well as where they are. Eventually dwarves find themselves carving 
  kingdoms out of kobolds’ mountains and in elvish mountains. The la�er location leads 
  to tragedy a�er elves betray dwarves to goblins, and an enmity exists for eons. But 
  every race eventually makes its way around the world, given enough time. Through 
  this whole process, I’ve spent some of my magic energy to push their developments the 
  way I want them to go (can’t leave everything to chance), but only minimal amounts are 
  needed through this process to get a reasonable amount of what you wish. Budgeting 
  our magic is the most important aspect or our divine existence, and your world is a 
  reflection of judiciousness.
   
  But that’s another story. My work here is done.
  Ah... Things were simplier then...
  
  35
  Mapping your World~ Steps 7 & 8
  Age 1
  Age 2
  Age 3
  Age 4
  Age 5
  
  36
  Mapping your World~ Step 9
  Age 1
  Age 2
  Age 3
  
  37
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  6.Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE 
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  10 Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every 
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  12 Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the 
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  13 Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply 
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  15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE
  Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc
  System Reference Document Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc; authors 
  Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on original material by E. 
  Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson
  Disenchanter from the Tome of Horrors, Copyright 2002. Necromancer Games, 
  Inc; Author Scott Greene based upon original material by Roger Musson.
  Bookworm from the Tome of Horrors, Copyright 2002. Necromancer Games, Inc; 
  Author Scott Greene based upon original material by Gary Gygax.
  Purple Moss  from the Tome of Horrors, Copyright 2002. Necromancer Games, 
  Inc; Author Scott Greene based upon original material by Jean Wells.
  Occult Lore Copyright 2002, Trident Inc. d/b/a Atlas Games; authors Keith Baker, 
  Adam Bank, Chris Jones, Scott Reeves, and Elton Robb
  Minions: Fearsome Foes Copyright 2001, Bastion Press, Inc.
  Open Game Content from The Penumbra Bestiary Copyright 2003, Trident Inc. 
  d/b/a Atlas Games; editor Michelle A. Brown Nephew.
  Nyambe: African Adventures Copyright 2002, Trident Inc. d/b/a Atlas Games; 
  author Christopher W. Dolunt
  Open Game Content from The Penumbra Bestiary Copyright 2003, Trident Inc. 
  d/b/a Atlas Games; editor Michelle A. Brown Nephew.
  Into the Green Copyright 2003, Bastion Press, Inc.
  A Magical Society: Guide to Mapping, Copyright 2004, Expeditious Retreat 
  Press, Authors Joseph Browning and Suzi Yee
  The entirety of this work is 100% 
  open game content, excluding the 
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  Legal Stuff
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/_GM Books/World Building & Game Design/Mapmaking/Books/Guide to Mapping.pdf