Small Soldiers: Malestrom Fantasy Campaign by Darkfuries Publishing

Some may be surprised, but my wargaming roots began in fantasy roleplaying, specifically original Dungeons and Dragons back in 1981. Sadly, during the years I have played less and less than I would like. I have since moved on, with Savage Worlds replacing my RPG of choice.

Your first D&D experience can be a very personal thing, leaving a lasting impression and laying the ground work for how you visualize and internalize the game. For me my roots were laid in the Known World of the BECMI Expert Set, later known as "Mystara". I will not go into the history of that world, but suffice to say that I thought that I would never find another setting that would capture my imagination like Mystara did.

I was wrong.

In 2002, while browsing the Drive Through RPG web site I found the title linked below, "Maelstrom Fantasy Campaign Setting". It was reasonably priced so I took a chance and picked it up. The setting, while made for the d20 system has no stats or game mechanics, making the book essentially System Neutral.

The World of Roil

Written by a fellow named Brian K Moseley, this world was his own D&D homebrew setting for almost two decades. Consisting of 148 pages of content and 23 maps, it details the world of Roil, with the continent of Kaladia being the main focus of the book. A second volume, 46 pages, was released alongside the core book, detailing the various pantheons and deities of Roil.

Maelstrom is a traditional fantasy world set against the backdrop of an ever changing magical phenomenon called "The Mists" which can change/destroy geography, climate, civilizations and lifeforms at will. It is very similar to the plot device used in the new RPG called "Worlds Without Number", by Kevin Crawford, called "The Legacy": a pseudo magical-technological rationale for events/plot devices which defy conventional logical/explanation. Pockets of this substance roam the planet causing whatever mayhem the DM can envision.

The world of Roil is what I would classify as a Post-Post Apocalypse Fantasy setting: lightly populated after a fantastical disastrous event (called the "The War of the Winds") which destroyed much of the previous world. The Maelstrom timeline is set almost 400 years after this cataclysm; new civilizations are building on the ruins and bones of their forbearers while at the same time multitudes of new monstrous creatures have made the wilderness a perilous place to tread. Roil is now wild and untamed, waiting to be filled with whatever fantastic elements you can imagine.

All is not barbarism however. There are a variety of cultures spread across the continent of Kaladia. The human cultures, and their many sub-cultures, have no real-world analogs which is refreshing. There are of course some racial analogs (Caucasian, African, Asiatic, ect), but you will find that in any RPG. The cultures themselves are detailed enough to provide a springboard for the DM without being trite in their presentation.

Author’s Introduction

The Maelstrom Fantasy Campaign Setting is set within the world of Roil, a powerfully realistic setting for role-playing games. Roil is most appropriately utilized as a realm in its medieval era, with an added element of magic. However, the information in this volume is tremendously flexible, and may be used in any genre role- playing game. While there is a great amount of data, it is my intention that anyone using this volume can start their own campaign upon Roil within an hour of beginning their journey.

The primary subject of this work is Kaladia, the largest continent of Roil. The continent is showcased in twenty-three highly detailed maps. The summaries of Kaladia's countries contain a substantial wealth of detail without being overwhelming.

It isn't necessary to study all of Kaladia before undertaking a campaign upon it. Peruse the countries or the maps, choose one that intrigues you, and start your adventure. From the sweltering sands of the Lyrmaddyn to the frozen wastes of the Rhul Nugath, the world of Roil awaits. Begin your journey and unleash the magic!

Brian K. Moseley

The continent of Kaladia
9 million square miles of howling wilderness.

Chronicler’s Foreword

“ Set forth within this volume is a compilation of accumulated knowledge of the continent of Kaladia, the largest and most prominent land of the world of Roil. Roil... as it is called by most of the peoples of the world. Shaydaera, as it is known in the elfanir tongue. Arthe, as it is named by the dwarn. But in any language, the maelstrom that is Roil is a realm everchanging, twisting and shaping to the will of those commanding the Mists, the essence of Makyah.

The maps and text contained herein are of unparalleled completeness, both for Kaladia and Roil as a whole. And they well chronicle Kaladia's history and current state of affairs. To both the scholar and student this work provides invaluable enlightenment into the most intriguing land - and the most marvelous age - ever seen upon Roil.

It is a time of restless awakening in the world. We hail a golden era of renaissance that rivals the greatest achievements of Ruthanland, the ancient world, before her fall. In this day, we bear witness to events foretold by ancient legenders. The Corlennian Empire, the Dark Dragon of Roil, slowly releases her talons from the throats of civilizations. Where once the shadow of her great wings blackened the face of the world, now the aged evil lies weakened, stirring only in the heart of her lair.

Magic, once used solely by the Dragon to rule the world, is now the tool of restoration. Old lands long held by the Dragon breathe new life, throwing off the yoke of subjugation for a newfound freedom. But even as the Dragon rests, nations still wage war against another, and the races still hold prejudice toward their brothers.

And yet, it is a miraculous age of kingdoms and powers great and terrible to behold. It is a time of wondrous aspirations, of fabulous achievements and horrible failures. It is a time that will test the mettle of any that dare risk any dangers to share in its rewards. It is a time for the courageous and the cowardly, the valiant and the dastardly, the bold, the timid, the veteran and the novice. It is our time...”

Nyn' Thuvir the Legender

of the

Calthayes Citadel of Knowledge

7th of Cold Winds, 1021 KY

The book covers the basics of Roil: history, cultures, languages, currencies, calendars, nations and geography. In the back of the book is an index covering the named geographical/settlement features of the continent of Kaladia, including a pronunciation guide for each (I have never seen this in any published setting...it was appreciated). There are hundreds of entries and illustrations of currencies and heraldries of the various nations.

Humans are present in their many forms, as are your typical demi humans. A non-human humanoid race, called Corlennians serves as the basic bad guys of the setting (very similar in appearance and temperament to the Melnebonians of the Elric Saga). Lead by a Demi-God, the Corlennians, through magic, airships and martial might once controlled all of Kaladia. That greatness has waxed however and as the Corlennian Empire recedes new nations arise to fill the void. The setting is malleable enough to accomodate anything you might want to add. I have ported in a new lands and ideas from the recent release from Kevin Crawford, "Atlas of the Latter Earth", the companion to Worlds Without Number.

Each of the 40 civilized nations presented in the world book is given at least a single page, detailing their history, government and population centers. They do require some fleshing out, but that is not unwelcome. There are some familiar tropes to get you started: the classic medievalism of Western Europe, classic Sinbad/Arabian and your typical Sword and Sorcery barbarian areas where Conan would feel at home. In addition to those above there are many demi-human and barbarian realms in addition to Free Cities which stand alone, forging their own destines.

Corlennian Empire

The Kingdom of Dholvey.

The Pirate Lands of Quelschenda

"As can best be determined, the sheer number of humanoids and non-humans upon Kaladia vastly exceeds the total population of every civilized country even combined with all of the barbarian lands. It is accepted fact that the more common species of humanoids and non-humans breed far more quickly than even humans. With this consideration, it is plausible that humanoids and non-humans might someday become the overwhelmingly dominant races of Kaladia.

Fortunately for our civilizations, most of these creatures are brutally savage idiots, wholly incapable of overcoming their racial prejudice to collaborate together. It is true that the Elder did forge the Corlennian Empire, and brought into it all of the evil of Kaladia. Together, these forces defeated all the strength that the armies of light could muster. Now that the Corlennian Empire lies in disarray, the tribes of humanoids and non-humans have scattered across the land. Let us all hope they never again join together..."

Nyn' Thuvir the Legender

Examples:

Bune [Boon] Mountains between Nirinthine and Pirrindall. They begin at the foothills of the Crystalrock Mountains, and border the northeastern corner of the Lyrmaddyn Desert. The Bune Mountains have extensive deposits of iron ores, silver, platinum, and precious and semi-precious gemstones. Though the Bune Mountains are actively volcanic, many humanoids and non-humans inhabit the mountains. There are seven to ten major humanoid states in the Bune Mountains. Frames C2 and C3.

Ka' Lageri [Kay - Lah - gare - e] Island offshore of northwestern Kaladia. Largest of the great islands surrounding Kaladia. It is a cold, miserable land bordering on the Arctic Circle. The island is claimed by the Corlennian Empire, but jurisdiction is shared by the Drandolm, Grenn, Ivinjarin, and Yurr'Zonn Territories. Ka' Lageri Island is populated almost exclusively by humans. Most are a mixture of Belaran, Lornkira, and Tulmarian whose ancestors were brought to Ka' Lageri as slaves by the Corlennian airships. Major settlements on the island include Galestorm, Lodin, Myrnth and Wyrn. Frames A1 and A2.

Tylyryn [Ti - Lir - N] Sea between the Northern Reaches and the eastern grassland. The Tylyryn Sea was named by the elfanir of the Greybark, a name translating as "timeless pools". But the Tylyryn is anything but timeless. The sea was dramatically altered by the War of the Winds. There were five large, forested islands in the southern sea that were inhabited by elfanir clans, all are gone. The Welgredd peninsula was broken into an island, and its population too was destroyed. Many of the pirates of the Tylyryn believe that the riches of these lost cities now lie at the bottomof the sea, waiting to be claimed. Frame C5.

Gary Gygax himself made a comment on the content:

"Having spent countless hours doing this sort of work, I must say that I am very impressed with what has been accomplished here. this is an excellent resource for all FRPG enthusiasts! Gary"

What you will not find in this material is any sort of pre-made plot point(s), a Big Bad or any adventure ideas (well almost none). This book is strictly a canvas on which to draw your own adventures on. The cartography is beautifully presented on 23 black and white Indian Ink maps at roughly 150 miles to an inch. Sorry, no hex maps here.

However, the good news is that Brian also produced the maps in full color. Those never made it into the book, however they were downloadable from his old web site. Sadly, the files are no longer available (Brian informed me years ago that the original electronic files were lost). They are the same scale as the black and white drawings, but done with much more granular detail: additional geographic features such as villages, ruins, castles and settlements are shown on these maps. Those features are also listed in the World Book Index, so having both sets of maps is very useful.

The color maps are quite easy to both zoom in and to print off to whatever scale and region you are interested in. I have ported these maps into Campaign Cartographer and overlaid them with hex maps easily enough. You can also use programs like Inkscape to edit the files as needed, renaming regions, adding villages, cities, ruined cities or other features.

Map C7 zoomed in.
A reasonably size starter campaign area. Adventure awaits!

The two books mentioned above were not the only content produced for Kaladia. Various supplemental materials were added to the line: a city supplement, airships and various types of map books (castles, temples, ect) were released. All are worth acquiring.

Finally, during the early 2000s Brian emailed out a weekly newsletter called "Unleash the Magic". Over 180 issues were sent, each detailing a nation on Kaladia, going into minute details similar to the D&D Gazetteers from TSR. Brian was active on the net and would answer questions about Kaladia and provide insight into the huge world he created, including details which never made it into the main book but were in his own private DM notes.

Sadly, Darkfuries no longer publishes new material and I have found it impossible to contact Brian by any means. Additionally, I lost almost all my copies of Unleash the Magic, which was quite a shame. If anyone out there has access to them I would appreciate those being sent to me.

However, all that aside I highly recommend this setting. It is fresh and provides just enough detail for a DM to create some exciting campaigns without being shoe-horned into a pre-defined plot.

The color maps are posted below. Consider them my tribute to Brian and his incredible imagination. He made them open source years ago, along with his art work. A fine gentleman.

If you are an DM you owe it to yourself to grab a copy of Maelstrom and in Brian's words, "Unleash the Magic".