The World of Gibbous Tyke

I know someone is going to point out that I should probably put this in the control docs or the book its-self, but having already penned 3600 words in those docs and a severe need to get on with it and as I only figured it out Boxing day I thought I would world-build right here. To give assurances to the naysayers and show it can be done.   (There is no reason it can’t appear later in the story. This is an incognito Blog after all and I have no followers, who the hell is there to read ahead.)

So sitting here listening to Jethro Tull  “Broadsword and the Beast”  and well if you are going to free-form a fantasy world you need suitable music, if it takes too long I have my Led Zeppelin ready to go.

(I did a map thing the other afternoon and am going to use some of my daughters colored pencils to tart it up a bit and no doubt I can post it on the blog for you all to marvel at. One time pass no erasing, what you see is what it is going to be.) Talk of the devil here it is and NO THAT’S A CAMEL (of the dromedary persuasion, I know a song about that but that’s off the point a bit.)

So how far do you have to go with this world-building lark? Probably not all the way Tolkien, probably not the Earth just enough stuff to tell the story.

Just in case you think I am a real moron I do have some idea what I am doing, I know how Geography, Weather, Land masses, Ecosystems, Populations, Cities, Industry Farming and many ancient and modern societies operate. I know about churches, religions, weapons, fighting systems, sword weights ( looked it up ) and I think I am shifty enough for viable work around’s for most of the pit falls so that even the most bum puckered retentive Fantasy World Watchers can toddle off and go do something more worthwhile.

I have fixed the Magic there isn’t any so to speak. I have fixed the Elves and Dwarfs and Dragons, we don’t have any of these either. Language is fixed they all speak English ( or more accurately the same language but we can have some funny accents if you like) If not how the hell will the story get told interpreters and sub-titles. I don’t think so. All the lands are populated from one seed all European, Scandinavian, Slavic and Mediterranean types. (Can prove it too, the gods did it, well one of them did.)

I have fixed most of the gods, they are looking the other way (that just leaves 4 younger Elemental gods to deal with and they are a bit preoccupied to say the least). No Magic swords (well not magical but has an inherent memory very benign not really magical at all), No missing Kings, Main Character not really an unknown orphan ( his father is Ulysses and his mother Esmeralda – could be worse could be Ermentrude, a right cow) no portents of doom. No pointy hatted Wizards. Unfortunately there is a Bard but he is pretty cool. No Grand Viziers, no Witch Queens or Lions; but there is a Wardrobe as I could not resist it.

No Dystopia at the moment, no filthy plague ridden cities or raging armies the last war put pay to that, the lazy gods attempts to wipe-out mankind were not 100% efficient now with no population pressure well = no drive to destruction. Anyway the Penitents and Pilgrims are circling the Ribbon Confederacy and are still looking for their gods to demand an answer, nothing yet as they enter the fourth clockwork cycle of regret.

In the World of Gibbous Tyke you can get buy if you are honestish not too lazy and not completely stupid, however I have kept the traditional village idiot as a viable profession. We have Constables, Marshals ,Reeves and generally speaking a society without slavery. If you want to do something frowned upon you better have a contract, terms and conditions and all or you will be up shit creek without a paddle.

There are some unpleasant types out there in the World,The Royal Elphrati Numismatic Inquisition will have you Hung Drawn and Quartered if you break certain Laws. The followers of the Lost Ishtar will probably do you some unspeakable harm but as they are lost you would have to try very hard. Of course certain individuals just can’t get over the idea of a Zombie Apocalypse being a good idea.
Why I hear you ask have I done such a limiting thing and gone what appears to be Utopian, I can only say there is room for everything in principle. I don’t want to spend time telling you how shitty and filth ridden etc the slums are they are slums and I am pretty sure if you read a lot of fantasy you are aware of sanitary conditions in Medieval times however I will point out the Romans.

“All right… all right… but apart from better sanitation and medicine and education and irrigation and public health and roads and a freshwater system and baths and public order… what have the Romans done for us”  

(Monty Python)

I am going to give you some credit as I am sure we can all read between the lines. If your mind lives in a rose tinted world you will have one journey and if you live in a world of hardship and filth and want it to read that way do your own coloring.

So now I am going to sod off and get on with it, may let you know how it’s going along the way well at least a word count.

(Do you know since deciding to do this on Nov 6th 2013 I have written in Blogs, Plot Notes and my side of e-mails to my co-conspirator 15,385 word of which 929 have made it into chapter 1. So words not a problem maybe a bit of focus.)

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