A lot of these books also boasted fun little vignettes to bring readers into the world, and in time I convinced my publisher to let me dramatize them for the Azukail Games YouTube channel, such as The Price of Steel, a story of the Risen Legion mercenary company.
However, this has been a one-man operation when it comes to the storytelling aspects of a lot of the setting... until recently, that is. And while I'm excited about it, this is also the first time I've experienced this unique situation. As such, I thought I'd take a moment this week to talk about it.
But before we get into it this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron!
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Castles in My Sandbox
When I first started shaping Sundara as a setting, I knew I faced certain challenges as a sole creator. After all, there's only so much word count I can put down in a day, and I have bills to pay, so I couldn't spend 6 months to a year putting together large tomes that covered huge swaths of the world all at once. Hence making smaller resources that built the world one block at a time, and allowed players and Game Masters to explore it bit by bit, while keeping my new releases flowing.
While a couple of folks noticed, the setting went largely unremarked... except by one Isaiah Burt.
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| The name on the cover, in case it blended with the mountain. |
When I was first approached about the story that became Legacy of Flames, I had a strange cocktail of feelings regarding it. Because I've never read something by another author that took place in a world of my creation. So I was seeing the names and descriptions of things that had come out of my own imagination, but filtered through the mind and creativity of someone else. Not only that, but seeing a story that really hit the high notes of what I wanted the setting to bring across to readers, and the kinds of narratives that I felt lurked between the lines, was a great feeling.
The story itself is a solid piece of work that gives readers a different perspective on Ironfire, the City of Steel, and the dangers faced by the Red Cloaks that are the closest thing to an official force the city has. It follows Gnav, a huge razorskull cinderscale (lizardfolk from the local volcanic region) as he seeks a beast that threatens the region. A creature that could, if left unchecked, become a problem even for a place as powerful as Ironfire!
It's a fun story, and if you've ever wanted to read a sword and sorcery tale where the protagonist felt like the bastard child of Conan and Killer Croc then you're going to love Gnav. More than that, though, reading this made me feel like all the work and energy I've been pouring into Sundara as a setting hasn't just been pissing into the wind. Because if there's someone who loves the setting enough to write entire novellas of text in it, then it means I must be doing something right.
And that can be very motivating.
Check Out Sundara: Dawn of a New Age If You Haven't Yet!
If you're in the market for a good read, grab a copy of Legacy of Flames for yourself! And if you want more Stories of Sundara like the one I linked all the way in the top of this blog entry, then stop by and subscribe to the Azukail Games YouTube channel. I've even got videos discussing Sundara as a setting, if you're curious about what's going on but would like a like more information before you get in too deep.
So check out the full 26-video Speaking of Sundara playlist, in addition to the following supplements!
Cities of Sundara
The setting first began with the Cities of Sundara splats. Self-contained guides to some of the larger and more powerful centers of trade, industry, arms, and magic, these unique locations provide plenty of fodder for character generation and plots. Not only that, but each one comes with unique, mechanical goodies for players and GMs alike to take out for a spin!
- Ironfire: The City of Steel (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Built around the Dragon Forge, Ironfire is where the secret to dragon steel was first cracked. The center of the mercenary trade in the region, as well as boasting some of the finest schools for teaching practical sciences, Ironfire is a place where discovery and danger walk hand in hand!
- Moüd: The City of Bones (Pathfinder and DND 5E): An ancient center of trade and magic, Moüd was lost to a cataclysm, and then buried in myth. Reclaimed by the necromantic arts of the Silver Wraiths guild, this city has once again become a place teeming with life. Despite the burgeoning population, though, it is the continued presence of the undead that helps keep the city running, ensuring that Moüd is not swallowed up once more.
- Silkgift: The City of Sails (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Built on the cottage industry of Archer cloth (an extremely durable material used for sails, windmills, etc.), Silkgift is a place that prizes invention and discovery. From gravity batteries that store the potential of the wind, to unique irrigation systems, to aether weapons, the city positively churns out discoveries... and then there's the canal they cut through the mountains that makes them a major center of trade across the region.
- Hoardreach: The City of Wyrms (Pathfinder and DND 5E): A center of power across an entire region, Hoardreach is ruled over by a Cooperation of five different dragons. A place for refugees and outcasts of all sorts, Hoardreach boasts some of the most unusual citizens and creations from across Sundara. Infamous for their sky ships, which require the cast-off scales and unique arcane sciences of the Dragon Works to take to the air, one never knows just what they'll find in this city built atop a mountain.
- Archbliss: The City of The Sorcerers (Pathfinder and DND 5E): A floating city in the sky, Archbliss has been a refuge for sorcerers for thousands of years. It's only in relatively recent years that the city has allowed those from the ground below who lack the power of a bloodline to join them in the clouds. However, while there are certainly amazing wonders to behold, there is a darkness in Archbliss. Something rotting away at its heart that could, if not healed, bring the city crashing to the ground once more.
Gods of Sundara
- Gods of Sundara (available for Pathfinder and DND 5E): In a world with no alignment, and where the gods are often genuinely mysterious forces that are far too large for mortals to truly comprehend, the divine feels genuinely strange and unknown... something that really does have to be taken on faith. This supplement provides a sample pantheon for Sundara, but also provides instructions on how to easily make your own gods in a world where you can't cast a spell and tell whether someone is good or evil.
Species of Sundara
Sundara is filled with creatures that many of us recognize, but I wanted to give greater depth to their cultures, and a wider variety of options. After all, humans always get 15+ ethnicities, languages, and unique histories, while elves, dwarves, orcs, halflings, etc. are almost always left with footnotes, or maybe with a handful of offshoots. So, in short, I wanted to give all the fantastical creatures the treatment that humans usually get in our games.
And there is no human book yet. If readers demand to know more, then I may sit down to pen one... but I figured that humans didn't need to be front-and-center in this setting just yet.
- Elves of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Elves are one of the most quintessential fantasy creatures... but if you want to see more than just high elves, wood elves, and elves of the sun and moon, then this supplement has you covered!
- Dwarves of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): The children of the primordial giants who were meant to fill in the details of the world they'd made (or so the myths say) there are as many kinds of dwarves as their are kinds of giants... and possibly more, depending on who is keeping count.
- Orcs of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Supposedly a creation of the elves, none can say for certain exactly how or why orcs have been made. What most agree on is that these creatures are far more than most may think at first glance.
- Halflings of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Little cousins to the dwarves, halflings are tough, clever, and not to be underestimated. From living beneath the hills, to taking up residence in the deep forests, halflings in Sundara come in quite a variety!
- The Blooded (Half-Elves and Half-Orcs) [Pathfinder and DND 5E]: When orcs and elves mix their bloodlines with other creatures, the result is one of the Blooded. This inheritance takes many forms, and it can even wait generations before manifesting when the right combination of individuals come together to have a child.
- Gnomes of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Gnomes are strange creatures, found in places where the spirit of the land has coalesced and made children of its own. The sons and daughters of the ancient nymphs, they are the stewards of these places, and they change as often as the weather and the land.
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That's all for this week's Craft of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!
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