Tales of the Lunar Lands: Zenithia
By this point, our investigation into the setting of The Saga of the Ortegids has covered every region present in the original NES Dragon Q...| tales-of-the-lunar-lands.blogspot.com
To round out myposts statting up magic items from the first two Dragon Quest games for The Saga of the Ortegids, here's a few magic items from Dragon Quest III.| Tales of the Lunar Lands
Continuing off my last post, here's a few more magic items for The Saga of the Ortegids, each based off items that debuted in Dragon Quest II. Stay tuned for the conclusion to the trilogy next week.| Tales of the Lunar Lands
The original Dragon Quest doesn't have a lot of notable magic items, but there's definitely enough for us to work with - and what's there is iconic enough to frequently show up in later games. Here's a few magic items for The Saga of the Ortegids - they may also work in other campaigns.| Tales of the Lunar Lands
Now that I've finished documenting every major location in the original Dragon Quest trilogy for The Saga of the Ortegids, my next priority is going to be statting up a few magic items from the games. I've used them plenty of times in my campaigns, but it's high time I got something written down somewhere. I'm going to make a series of posts detailing some key items from each of the first three games, but I think it warrants a separate post for the Arms of Erdrick - the equipment used...| Tales of the Lunar Lands
If you've been following my blog, I don't think it should be any surprise to you that I love backgrounds. They're one of the best ideas 5e ever had, offering customization options for characters that add flavor, and most of the features are narrative-focused, opening up new avenues for characters to explore and interact with the world rather than just giving them mathematical bonuses. That being said, I do think that there's room for background features to introduce mechanics of their...| Tales of the Lunar Lands
My default setting, as it were, for The Saga of the Ortegids would ground the action many generations after the events of Dragon Quest II - enough time for the setting to be a blank slate for the DM to run as they pleased, without needing to worry about canon characters or events impacting their plans, and for it to make sense that the Worldtree would have grown to the point where travel between Erdland and Torland would be possible in order to make full use of the material and its potentia...| Tales of the Lunar Lands
By this point, our investigation into the setting of The Saga of the Ortegids has covered every region present in the original NES Dragon Q...| tales-of-the-lunar-lands.blogspot.com
Following on the same format from my Erdland maps, now that we've completed our look at Torland, we can now present a complete map of my interpretation of the inner world for The Saga of the Ortegids.| Tales of the Lunar Lands
The setting for the climactic confrontation of Dragon Quest II is Rhone, a highland region in the center of Torland's Southern Continent under the control of Hargon, high priest of a cult that worships Malroth, the god of chaos and destruction. There's a few things that make this area unique and interesting, and they deserve a closer look - in no small part because they raise questions that might elucidate further worldbuilding in The Saga of the Ortegids.Rhone appears to be cotermino...| Tales of the Lunar Lands
The southwestern corner of Dragon Quest II's overworld features a large island off the coast of Tuhn, on which is the city of Beran. There's no major quests or dungeons here, but it is an evocative area that deserves a closer look for The Saga of the Ortegids.| Tales of the Lunar Lands
South of Moonbrooke and the Lianport region, the Southern Continent of Dragon Quest II 's overworld is highly mountainous. The central reg...| tales-of-the-lunar-lands.blogspot.com
Wellgarth is one of the more unique towns in Dragon Quest II. Located in the southern peninsula of the Southern Continent, just across the sea from the Southern Archipelago, the majority of the town is located underground. Why this is is never really explained. It's far away from any other settlement, and none of the townspeople comment on the unusual circumstances of the town. A lot of sources I've found online suggest that the people moved underground to defend against attacks, ...| Tales of the Lunar Lands
So this is probably the single nerdiest thing I've ever done.| Tales of the Lunar Lands
At the tip of the southern continent in the overworld of | Tales of the Lunar Lands
The middle act of Dragon Quest II follows a structure much the same as its successor. After obtaining a ship, you have free reign of the map and must seek out a series of artifacts - five crests, in this case - in order to access the next area. Probably the simplest of these to obtain is the Moon Crest, which is located in the Kingdom of Dirkandor.Dirkandor is a large island to the south of Lorasia. The only site of interest we see in-game is the capital city, which I am calling Osterfai...| Tales of the Lunar Lands
Much like how Portoga is where you get a ship in Dragon Quest III, significantly opening your venues for exploring the world, the city of Lianport plays a similar role in Dragon Quest II. This port town is located on the eastern coast of the southern continent of Torland, facing Alefgard, and with the northern continent not far from there. It's no surprise that a port would be established there - it's at a crossroads of Torland's three major land masses, with ready access to all three. For th...| Tales of the Lunar Lands
At the end of Dragon Quest I, the hero (who, for the purposes of The Saga of the Ortegids, I've given the name Aleph Wyrmbeorn - if you know, you know) defeats the Dragonlord and marries Princess Gwaelin of Alefgard. The king gives him the option to stay and succeed him, but he instead chooses to sail across the sea and settle a new kingdom.| Tales of the Lunar Lands
In Dragon Quest I , the castle of Charlock is the final dungeon in the game, and the site of the final battle with the Dragonlord. It repri...| tales-of-the-lunar-lands.blogspot.com
The Kingdom of Alefgard is the only location to make an appearance in all three games of the original Dragon Quest trilogy. Thus, it's a na...| tales-of-the-lunar-lands.blogspot.com
Art by Lindsey Crummet Once again , we're discussing the nature of the divine in the Dragon Quest series. There are two separate occasions ...| tales-of-the-lunar-lands.blogspot.com
By this point, we've covered every notable location from the overworld of Dragon Quest III . This does not mean we've covered every locatio...| tales-of-the-lunar-lands.blogspot.com
Once you get a ship in Portoga , most locations in the overworld of Dragon Quest III are open to exploration, either by sea or via portals....| tales-of-the-lunar-lands.blogspot.com
In the world map of Dragon Quest III , the vast area corresponding to sub-Saharan Africa, south of Isis , makes up a rugged, mountainous reg...| tales-of-the-lunar-lands.blogspot.com
The Kingdom of Manoza is the largest polity on the Eastern Continent , taking up much of that landmass's southern half. Much as I did with E...| tales-of-the-lunar-lands.blogspot.com
The inland reaches of the Eastern Continent are dominated by wilderness, with much of the northern half of the continent split by a large r...| tales-of-the-lunar-lands.blogspot.com
Dragon Quest III had to get creative when it came to adapting the Americas to a medieval fantasy world. There's still plenty of historical ...| tales-of-the-lunar-lands.blogspot.com
If we're going to discuss tropes of fantasy maps, the first one that comes to mind is surely a continent with a defined western coast and an...| tales-of-the-lunar-lands.blogspot.com
After purchasing a ship in Portoga , the overworld of Dragon Quest III opens dramatically. From this point on there are no real road blocks...| tales-of-the-lunar-lands.blogspot.com
The Nine Gods comprise the main pantheon of The Saga of the Ortegids . These are the gods you can expect to be worshiped in any temple in r...| tales-of-the-lunar-lands.blogspot.com
The northern portion of Dragon Quest III 's pseudo-Eurasian continent is dominated by forest. There aren't many dungeons or settlements to b...| tales-of-the-lunar-lands.blogspot.com
Here's the other half of the main pantheon of The Saga of the Ortegids . See here for part 1. Gaius , the Forgemaster, is the god of the su...| tales-of-the-lunar-lands.blogspot.com
Following up from last post , it's high time we began to lay out the pantheon we're working with for The Saga of the Ortegids . For the prim...| tales-of-the-lunar-lands.blogspot.com
Art by chuckcg Religion does not play a very big part in the Erdrick Trilogy. Remember, these games belong to an era where the difference be...| tales-of-the-lunar-lands.blogspot.com
As any polyglots out there could probably guess, Baharata corresponds to the Indian Subcontinent in the overworld of Dragon Quest III . It'...| tales-of-the-lunar-lands.blogspot.com
In my opinion, the Kingdom of Portoga is where the History's Greatest Hits nature of Dragon Quest III really shows through. After clearin...| tales-of-the-lunar-lands.blogspot.com
The settings of the Dragon Quest games tend to be quite humanocentric. Almost all playable characters throughout the series have been human...| tales-of-the-lunar-lands.blogspot.com
Ever since the first Octopath Traveler, I have truly believed in the wonders of Square Enix’s HD-2D aesthetic. The brilliant melding of Square’s expertise with pixel art and 3D models has enamored me and continues to do so. That’s why, after getting a chance to try the upcoming Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake at PAX West, a game I love in a series I love even more, I’m so bummed that this remake is also the first game in this style that feels like a bit of a step back for the HD-2D trea...| Irrational Passions
