A World a Week: Expanded Rooqa expanded upon

(For a visual reference look at the map that was yesterdays post)

I was definitely going big while drawing up this campaign setting around '98. I had done entire fantasy worlds since the late 80s, but those were crafted as the scenarios were sketched and then played out. In my notes, I had the countries outlined as to terrain and climate, dominate sentient species, cultural/ethnic descriptions, and plenty of NPCs. Indeed, there are a lot of NPCs. Looking at the pages, I think I have about 45 NPCs worked up and ready to play.

My Kindreds were still fairly RQ-ish with Tom-isms thrown in. Humans could be compared to cultures of early Sumeria and iron-age NE Africa. The elves were tied to specific plants but not actually plants, a shift from RQ. Boons became diverse races of apes that walked upright and acted mostly like humans-- the Ape language, Ualk, names "Djung" and "Akko" would creep into my mind whenever I started working up worlds from now on. The Tuskers became the Og, og-men and the she-og almost two separate species; and the low realm of "Pelond," Land of the Beasts Men, started here as well.  The start of my fixation with aquatic role-playing realms was starting when I worked in the Otgan. They were pretty similar to before, but no longer held territories the way map-drawers could craft. I put my Griffin Mountain, a must for all RQ fans, in the dreaded lands of "Isun" and "Thunn," a couple more names my long-term players will recognize. One could say the naming rut I've been in for fifteen years now started here. I'd say, I've got to right that damn novel already. 

Being a RQ homage, heroes and villains came easily. Knad Ek, the Foul, still dwelt in Def Nel on the borders of Pelond. His goat-heads and snake-folk discouraged most visitors. The Monster-Lord Ugoran (translated as Ancient King) was in his 700th year of life and well on his way towards making the Og, orks, and savage humans of Pelond into his servant nation. The Ten Kings had arisen in the west to counter the eastern "monster-kin." The Ten were made up of six humans, two elves, one dwarf, and an ape. The humans had Sumerian names; the elves were Freyer and Snirfir (Vanir deities, I think); the dwarf was Hor-Heth (Horus), and the ape was Gonzo (he is a monkey).

 Though this setting was never actually played in, as said before, it has influenced my game table ever since it was worked up. I think it was one weekend at my kitchen table.