Setting Material

Well, seeing that Scott from World of Thool has posted on my first post, I am postponing my plans to delete this blog just yet.

I picture the setting for Inis Fáil as being very anachronistic. It will largely be forested, though long stretches of moorland, mountains, bogs, and other ecotypes (probably a tundra-like region in the north) scattered throughout. Civilization will live in the pockets of cleared land surrounded by wilds. Kingdoms will be very local, almost more on the tribal level of the late bronze and early iron age settlements that we associate with pre-Roman Celts, but with castles, chivalric knights, and other acoutrements of the high middle ages. Knights will wear chain armor; others, leather. The weapons most common to the setting will be the sword, axe, spear, bow, and sling. Polearms are uncommon, crossbows do not exist, nor does plate. While magical chain will be common, perhaps even more prized by the mightiest warriors will be magical woad that makes them untouchable in battle, even though they are, technically, naked. The spear should dominate the battlefield, but the weapon of romance should still be the sword.

In short, it is very much informed by various sources of actual mythology--the Táin, the Mabinogion, and others. Sources which, by and large, reflect much earlier periods than the ones they were finally laid down in. I specifically do not want, this time, to overly historicize the sources, to make it a purely iron age society, or bronze age, for that matter.

Instead, if anything, I want to go almost over the top with the mythological elements, the fairy tale elements, and the anachronisms. Weapons and armor will laregly be steel, but it may be possible to find iron or bronze versions--the difference will be aesthetic only.

More later.