In the court of the erl king - a new monster emerges in domolov
Hello, Chroniclers! George here, creator of Mappa Mundi - An Exploration + Ecology RPG. Mappa Mundi is a game about exploration, a game about ecologies, a game about landscapes, worldbuilding, and storytelling. But at its core, Mappa Mundi is a game about Monsters and Creatures. In this blog, I am incredibly happy to share my favourite (so far) Mappa Mundi Monster with you: The Erl King. Let’s do it!
If you haven’t already, come and join us on our Facebook and Discord communities! They’re the very best place to come and learn about Mappa Mundi and to take part in games, discussions, and to make contributions to the game.
The Erl King, Lord of the Konigswald
Mappa Mundi - An Exploration + Ecology RPG is a game driven by its Monsters and Creatures. Chroniclers are trained in cartography, research and exploration, sample taking, wilderness survival, negotiation and investigation, navigation and conservation. All of these skills are minded towards locating and encountering the Monsters and Creatures (as well, of course, the cultures) of the world of Ecumene.
Chroniclers swear an oath to do no harm, to observe Monsters as sentient beings, engaging with them peacefully and with great respect. Mappa Mundi Institute graduate swear this oath with the full knowledge that the Monsters they seek will not have sworn this oath, and may see them as threats, as prey, as toys to be played with and discarded.
Some, meanwhile, will revel in their own superiority and their ability to manipulate the lives of ‘lesser’ beings….
The Erl King, Lord of the Konigswald.
The Erl King, undisputed Lord of the Konigswald. The Erl King is attended by the members of his court, the ever-faithful Nixie.
Monster card for The Erl King, one of the thirty Monster cards included in the Mappa Mundi - An Exploration + Ecology RPG Journey Deck.
The Erl King is the first Monster we are revealing from the Domolov region. Taking up residence in the Konigswald, a dark forest that extends across northern and central Domolov, The Erl King is an enigmatic, terrifying, beautiful, and treacherous force, the centre of myriad fairy stories told to Domolovian children, warning them to stay out of the forest lest they join the ranks of the Nixie, tadpole-like courtiers to the king.
Included here is the current layout page for The Erl King. While each page of the final Mappa Mundi - An Exploration + Ecology RPG will be slightly different, each will work from this basic template. The layout of the book is incredibly important to me (especially as I’m doing it myself), so your feedback would be very welcome. If you want to share it, please come and join us on Discord (click here) and Facebook (click here).
Draft layout page for The Erl King, from Mappa Mundi - An Exploration + Ecology RPG.
Inspirations for the Erl King
The design process of Mappa Mundi is incredibly collaborative. Jeremy (our developer and co-writer), Joel (our artist), and myself frequently submit Monster and Creature ideas to the group and our shared Google Drive and we workshop them together. Some ideas, however, are initially all from the mind of a single person. The Erl King (and the Nixie that attend him) are mine.
When I submitted them to the group, I told Joel I wanted ‘a man-stag’, majestic and deeply rooted in his forest home. Visually, the idea came to me after watching series one of Yellowjackets, the opening scene of which features protagonists decked out in antlers with fabric covering their faces. This image, I latterly discovered, is likely inspired the Wendigo, a mythological creature or evil spirit rooted in Algonquin Native American folklore.
When Joel and I sat to workshop The Erl King, I also directed him to the Spirit of the Forest from Princess Mononoke, one of my all time favourite films and a huge thematic inspiration for Mappa Mundi. You’ll note that inspiration in the pose of The Erl King, I’m sure!
But here is the beauty of working with creative partners you love, trust, and respect: the final result is exactly like and nothing like what you were expecting, all at the same time! Joel took my concept for The Erl King and presented this majestic, terrifying, regal, creepy, yet beautiful ‘man-stag’ you see above. In the process, he also redefined the visual style for our Monster cards, and we’ll be proceeding with this style (a close-cut detail of a Monster, rather than a full body image) for all our Monsters.
Beware the Erl King, child, for his wrath is fierce and his forgiveness absent…
So, everyone, there we have it, the first new Monster revealed for Mappa Mundi - An Exploration + Ecology RPG. We now have artwork for five Monster: The Erl King, the Helix Carcolh, the Tarasconus, the Merpeysk, and the Zmei, with several more nearing completion. In addition, all thirty Monsters have now been decided and settled on, along with a large chunk of our fifty Creatures.
Work continues apace on Mappa Mundi, and I’ll be sharing many more Monsters and Creatures with you as we move towards crowdfunding next year. In the meantime, why not come and join us on Discord (click here) and Facebook (click here) and let us know what you think of The Erl King, the artwork, and the layout? We’d love to have you with us, helping to shape the game as we continue development.
In the meantime, make sure to watch out for Nixie if you’re ever on the borders of the Konigswald. These aquatic creatures are, they say, the eyes and ears of The Erl King. If they’re watching you, their king will certainly have marked you as a person of interest.
Until next time, Chronicler!
George, Mappa Mundi creator.
