I hit some road blocks along the way and had to change cover artists last minute as a business choice. So two covers where done, but this one wins out in the end. It was done by Emmanuel Xerx Javier and myself as a collaboration. Emmanuel created the concept, layout, design framework and finally the art itself. I took that and did the digital work around the art. I’ve always loved collaborative processes but have lost some of my own confidence over the years. I hope to be able to do these collabs for the rest of this series.

Below is are the components that took me in this final direction. The first is Emmanuels art, with the background concepts stripped out. The second is a free texture I found online of paint splattered on a wall.

I immediately saw a raven shape–and I took that as a sign from a great power to roll with it and drop my previous concepts asap. I regret loosing the dog, but sometimes the art controls you. I spent 5 hours last night doing concepts with the dog in it that I ended up trashing… all but one. Maybe it’ll be for the trade some day .

The essential wrapper around the World of Hellmouth is one of horror. With that said though, its also a world filled with steampunk, fantasy and mythological elements. The purpose of the setting isn’t to throw horrific scenarios at the protagonists until they can’t do anything but cower in the corners of their rooms, stripped of any will to be heroic in a world that needs heroes.

Moody descriptions filled with the possibility of a greater evil always watching and ready to strike is often enough to convey a moderate amount of trepidation in a party while they go about their quest, but most importantly is that heroes still have room to be heroes in a time of darkness.

Encroaching Evil

In the World of Hellmouth it’s obvious who the enemy is–for the most part–and that’s the point of applying some of the elements of a good horror tale and leaving room to still surprise the heroes with twists that always leave them guessing. The obvious enemy of course is the essence of the Hellmouth: its entity, its influence, its fiends and cult devotees.

In the world of horror, things are commonly very black and white. Either something is good, or it’s evil. This makes it very easy for a hero to be a hero. The World of Hellmouth is rarely that clear, and the voids of gray happen enough to put heroes on edge each time they encounter what could possibly be the next big threat to humanity. What happens when a fiendish leader of a township uses its influence to protect the population from territorial dragons or renegade celestials that believe the whole town to be corrupt of evil and a blight on the land? Who do the heroes side with then? Having the heroes in these questionable scenarios opens up many opportunities for them to develop their character in ways they might not have predicted. This unpredictability should be just as exciting for all involved as the conclusion of the adventure’s plot itself.

In the World of Hellmouth, the truth of the matter is closer to the modern horror tactic of having the menace survive at the end of the tale. The Hellmouth will always exist. As daunting as that sounds, heroes will be heroes in this settling for their tenacity to never give up. A small win against a menace influenced by the Hellmouth is one victorious step against defeating the Hellmouth as a whole.

Sometimes defeating a high powered menace is possible, but only at great risk–and sometimes even sacrifice. The common convention is that evil will be defeated and characters will gain more power through surviving the experience. It is encouraged to make some plots hang on seemingly overwhelming odds that might actually terminate the life of a character during the climactic battle. Hellmouth can not be feared if these kinds of dangers do not present themselves, and heroes can not be heroes without great lose at times.

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After talking to some writers at the beginning of last week, describing lands and cultures that their stories could reference, I figured it was time to get a map drafted up as close to “final” as possible.

This map is the latest render of what the lands around the Hellmouth look like. Hellmouth is located a just north of the center of Odland (The Wasteland). It is version 0.3 because, within six years, the concept behind how to organize the lands was in a limbo-like state.

The first concept assumed it was a map of Europe, plain and simple, modified on a timeline or cultural or absolutely fictional level. The issue with that for me was that having the map too close to what a reader is used to innately sets up expectations–and “rule mongers” would pick away at moments in re-written history that should be “this way” or “that way”, and that would defeat the entire purpose Hellmouth stood for.

The second version took the concept of Europe a step further but modified the coastlines to convey that these lands were no longer actually Earth. I felt the changes in the fractal map I designed where still way too close and, in truth, still way too large a scope to start. I didn’t like the idea of creating a land mass that had lands creeping off the page undefined (in the case of Russia and parts of Asia for example).

This led me to this current version. I brought the strongest defined areas (in my mind) together into a contained land mass. This allows focus to be brought to the setting and expansion past the seas to come later. This also came out of the confirmation that, although I’d like components of real world history to be a part of Hellmouth, I’d actually rather it have the freedom to be its own entity in time and space. Even though it still has the feeling of being Europe, it’s obviously not anymore; and more obviously so.

A Brief Description of Each Country

Here is a very short rundown of what each county concept is based on:

Iberia: This land is based on concepts referencing Portuguese and Spanish sea exploration, which includes swashbuckling over tones and an even harder focus on piracy and slavery. Many fiends have spread out to these borders and run, directly or indirectly, many of the darker operations.

Gaulan: This land is based heavily on barbaric culture. The fiendish influence here is that many of the barbarian leaders and other notables have made “skin packs” that now allow them to shift into animal forms such as wolves and bears or be possessed by totemic spirits.

Angland: This land is based on medieval England with a strong Chaucer-based framework. The land is once again protected by King Arthur, “raised from the dead in a time of need”, and his Knights of the Round Table. Of all the non-Fey lands, this land has the closet ties to real magic due to it’s proximity to Tir Nan Og.

Tir Nan Og: This land is based on any and every concept of the Faerie Realms imaginable. Some would say it’s infinitely large even though it has distinct boarders. The land is ruled by the Faerie Queene which maintains order and fights to keep the Unseelie Court in check.

Odlund: This land is based strongly on the concepts of post-apocalyptic ruin. Fiendish hordes are prevalent here and some powerful fiends have even started up their own cities of worshipers. This land is infected with “The Taint” which is known to mutate individuals in unforeseen ways when exposed to it for too long.

Ragnarok: This land is based on Norse mythology. Vikings rule the northern seas and defend their land with the help of displaced dwarves, who retreated from Odlund during fiendish incursion. Dwarves have brought magical artefact creation to the lands to help the giants against future invasion from the south.

Terra Nova: This is the land where the main exodus occurred after the Hellmouth erupted. A massive army of men and civilians marched their way through Odlund during heavy fiendish offensives and eventually downward to settle in Sanctuary. The north is defended by displaced dwarves and halflings. The look and feel is lightly based on Renaissance Italy and although close to the Hellmouth, is considered the most forward moving “new culture” since X-Zero occurred.

Romus: This land is based on old Roman culture and is ruled by the surviving twin founder, Romulus. Tension is higher than one would think with this population considering their relative position of safety concerning fiendish invasion. Roman Legionnaires defend the borders and coastlines heavily at all times.

Macedon: This land is based on Greece just after Alexander the Great conquered Persia. Hearing of the fiendish invasions he returned to his people early and with his army, pushed the fiends north, ultimately dying in battle while cursing the gods. Dionysus, the half-god, now helps protect the land.

Minoa: This island is based loosely on Minoan culture in theme only. It is ruled by minotaurs, recently un-cursed by Poseidon to their natural form, from a time when half their culture was turned into men while the other half took the form of cows. The southern waterways are defended with their naval skills.

Walachia: This land is also called Necropolis by the Macedonians as it is now a dark place filled with tales of roaming dead. Despite this fact, the land is possibly the most peaceful area under the protection of its ruler people call The Impaler”. He is rarely seen, but his presence is always felt.

Sanctuary: This city was founded after the great exodus out of Terra Nova occurred in the very early years of fiendish incursion. Its carved out its own small country around its holy metropolis with borders open to all who are looking for celestial protection and a new start. The city is ruled by Celine, the warrior maiden who led the great exodus, thus bringing together “The Thousand Knights”. Her sacrifice for the city’s protection gained the attention of the heavens which opened up and introduced celestials into the shattered lands.

Perusia: This land is loosely based on Persian culture at the height of their conquest. The sultans are not happy with their current predicament which has them cut off from the world on an island–an empire cut off from future expansion. Many have adapted to the state of the world while others still hold onto the past.

The Wildlands: This land is an open territory with no particular ruler of cultural power. Many beasts and monsters roam these lands and is where many of the remaining dragons retreated to after the Hellfire Wars ended. The largest concentration of humans are part of a wandering culture who carry their lives on their backs ensuring their survival in these harsher lands.

It’s the year X-50. Nowadays folk don’t know the right year no more. It’s 50 years passed the day the Hellmouth belched chaos onto the land. They go abouts their lives like nothing has happened. But if they looked a little harder around them they’d realize everything has happened! Of course, lookin too hard these days makes a perfectly sane man go baccus over night–or gets him mudded in no time.

Here, within the tall glowing walls of Sanctuary though, most wool tails pretend the outside don’t exist. They are perfectly happy going abouts life, all safe-like, under the protection of Celine and her tin soldiers.

I, for one, was born to travel since the year I was birthed. I was meant to see new things, and meet new peoples. I prepared myself for this day since X-45. It was safe enough in these lands, all the mephs pretty much stayed west. There are towns out there, days of travel away, poor drifters they are.

I was meant to change things, and I will today prove to the wool tails that there is no purpose in living blindly behind these holy walls. The land is safe again for man to roam and rule it. I will prove this to them, for sureness I will.

The last entry in Jonasi the Ranter’s journal,
found by his scorched corpse 8 miles outside Sanctuary

Heroes will have varied experiences. They may encounter overwhelming hordes of fiends from the Hellmouth itself, or reclusive celestials from the protective mega-city of Sanctuary; newly awakened protective dragons of Gaia, or mysterious adapting cultures of Fey from the world Behind the Veil. They may come across golems made of gears and metal running on magic and steam from Cog Town, or they may cross paths with a valiant knight in shining armor displaced from Avalon. They may look out across rocky landscapes at giants from Ragnarok as they roam the land, terrorizing civilized settlements, while mechas from the east fly overhead, piloted in union by five men.

Where there is an abundance of darkness, destruction and death, the importance of heroes is that much more illuminating to those who require symbols of hope. These heroes become beacons of light against the despair. They become a reassurance that the future may once again become theirs; that the fiends will be banished, the Maws closed across the land, and the Hellmouth finally destroyed and sealed forever. Some of these goals may be impossible to accomplish, but without heroes, days in The World of Hellmouth would be nothing more than a countdown to extinction.

These heroes are few and scattered, but the few become mighty. Together they can be an unyielding force against the armies of evil. They might not be able to defeat it all but they can at least hold it back one day at a time.

This is where the adventure begins and all hell breaks loose!

I walk across a landscape, barren and silent. The shadows creep across blasted rocks and flesh colored clouds entangle the sky above me. The sound of wild animals is something only remembered as a child or imitated by my forefathers. Before me, in the stillness of eternal night, stretches Odland, the Wasteland of the Hellmouth.

All I have now on my valiant quest are my remaining companions: a dwarf weapon smith with glowing weapons and armor powered by the magic of the Lost Gods; a halfling in the clanking body of a Clockwork Knight Battlesuit with the power of a giant; an elven Wilder Scout, as swift as the wind with a marksmanship legends will tell stories of; and, a celestial with the power of the stars in its eyes and the energy of life pulsating at his finger tips. I are a Knight of the Chalice and my life’s training led me to this day.

In the distance, across the desolate terrain, rises a constantly flowing beam of light out of a wound in the earth. Pieces of stones float like globules of blood into the swirling clouds above. It is the mark of the Hellmouth itself, seen from hundreds of miles away–-a sign of warning to all who see it.

I may not be able to see them from this distance, but the sounds of screaming souls shifting around the column like moths attracted to a gaslight lantern invade my mind. The tormenting cackles of the demons that continue to kill them for pleasure chills the marrow in my bones. Dragons no longer return here since the Hellfire Wars, but here I stand–me and my allies–ready to walk forth into history, with no one to tell my story.

We look one last time at each other, and without speaking a word, we march towards the beacon of death. We all know there will be no rewards for our actions, and yet we do them–not because we can defeat all evil entirely, or even some of it temporarily. We do it because, hopefully, for a couple more minutes, we will give the rest of the world a few less things to worry about.

We do it because we’re heroes.