World Systems
Arvanyr
Language
The Verdant Covenant
Religion
Calendar System
Days, Months, Year System
Arvanyr
An ancient language of the Westernlands, creating a shared cultural voice throughout the campaign.
Arvanyr was created to support player immersion by embedding a sense of age and continuity into the world. By integrating the language into both religion and the calendar system, it creates the illusion of time passing without relying on explicit exposition.
Intent
The language reinforces a sense of antiquity by being closely associated with the Realm of Elderglen’s religion: The Verdant Covenant, and with characters older than 600 years. As a result, players quickly learned to associate the language with the sacred and the ancient, subtly influencing their decision-making throughout the campaign.
Design Role
This ancient language has been used throughout the campaign in:
Prayers
Ancient poetry depicting the lives of the first civilization, the Sylvarae.
Whispered prophecies by mystical characters
Ritualistic hymns, often used during funerals.
Listen to the embedded audio to hear how the language sounds in practice.
Use in Practice
An audio example from a ritualistic hymn used by The Verdant Covenant.
Title: Dro Veyna
-
Nel Eolyn, nel Syltheris,
Dro veyna sul ghinaş lis.
Ashen vēr, nevel dor,
Ena vel thalos, ena vel mor.
-
Into Eolyn, into Syltheris,
I return from the children of this world.
Ashen one, no longer in pain,
Be with the trees, be with the dawn.
These images have been AI generated for visual purposes. All other works such as maps and original texts are personally created.
The Verdant Covenant
The religion that shapes Realm of Elderglen’s history.
As deities play a central role in the campaign, religion serves as a foundational system for shaping belief, motivation, and conflict. The Verdant Covenant helps structure NPC personalities and worldviews, giving emotional and moral context to their actions
Purpose
The Verdant Covenant deepens the world’s history while providing characters with a sense of identity. Faith, doubt, and devotion influence personal priorities, relationships, and decisions throughout the campaign.
Design Role
The Verdant Covenant can be seen in:
Religious symbols embedded in architecture and clothing
NPC decisions and events influenced by devotion, doubt, or fanaticism
Funeral rites and rituals tied to death, rebirth, and celebrations
Seasonal festivals aligned with the calendar system
Use in Practice
Calendar System
The calendar system is designed to mirror familiar seasonal rhythms, grounding the world in recognisable structure while shaping how players perceive the passage of time.
Intent
By connecting days of the week to deity names and Arvanyr translations for concepts such as sun and moon, and by giving months layered meanings in Arvanyr, the calendar system unifies language, belief, and time.
This system reinforces the sense of a lived-in history, completing the world’s internal logic and cultural continuity.
Design Role
The calendar system is used in:
Name and structure days of the week
Define months and seasonal cycles
Anchor religious observances and cultural events
Track the passage of time and key narrative events