[map making] - Cthulhu R'lyeh

[Pocus]

I dont see the connection between this dream land and the Cthulu mythos, can somebody elaborate? Why for example some of the inhabitants of this land are friendly toward humans?

dont you have a glossary of nice looking words which could be used for naming provinces and special features?

[Gandalf Parker]

Doing a google on the words
cthulhu name generator
give alot of stuff.

But here is an absolute must-bookmark site you you

http://www.ruf.rice.edu/%7Epound/#pokethulhu

I have it jumping to the Pokemon-Cthulhu generator which is pretty funny and will probably suffice. But look a the other stuff there also.

[johan osterman]

Originally posted by Pocus:
I dont see the connection between this dream land and the Cthulu mythos, can somebody elaborate? Why for example some of the inhabitants of this land are friendly toward humans?

dont you have a glossary of nice looking words which could be used for naming provinces and special features?

I do not think Lovecraft himself made a clear distinction. The stories dealing with the dreamlands are more Dunsanian fantasy than horror. The same names and beings show up in the dreamlands that do in the Lovecraft stories taking place in the waking world. So there are references to the city Kadath both in the dreamlands story Dreamquest for unknown Kadath (if I recall the name correctly) and in the Mountains of madness where it is implied that Kadath lieas at the center of Antarctica. The tone of the stories not dealing with the dreamlands are generally darker.

Most of the Rlyeh's names are from lovecraftian stories, the others we made up and tried to make them sound somewhat similar. Quite a few were ripped from the encyclopedia mentioned below.

Obvious lovecraftian locations, besides sunken Rlyeh, of the top of my head are the Plateau of Leng, Kadath, the dreamland cities like Celaphias and Dylath Leen, the many pillared city of Irem, the planet Yuggoth, the star Formalhaut, the star Aldebran, Lake Hali. As far as I cab recall all except Lake Hali appear in original Lovecraft stories, Lake Hali might be from one of the latter writers continuing the mythos or from the Call of Cthulhu rpg. If you can find a copy of the rpg it should have plenty of names and places if you browse through it, otherwise besides Lovecrafts stories themselves Chaosium has produced a a somewhat cheesy Cthulhu encyclopedia that includes entries both from Lovecraft his followers and from various CoC rpg products.

[ October 09, 2003, 21:32: Message edited by: johan osterman ]

[Gandalf Parker]

[quote]Originally posted by johan osterman:

Obvious lovecraftian locations, besides sunken Rlyeh, of the top of my head are the Plateau of Leng, Kadath, the dreamland cities like Celaphias and Dylath Leen, the many pillared city of Irem, the planet Yuggoth, the star Formalhaut, the star Aldebran, Lake Hali. As far as I cab recall all except Lake Hali appear in original Lovecraft stories, Lake Hali might be from one of the latter writers continuing the mythos or from the Call of Cthulhu rpg.

And Miskatonic University with their team the Fighting Cephalapods! My wife is a total Cthulhu nut. She even has a Miskatnoic U bumber sticker.

MISKATONIC UNIVERSITY
Because getting a good education should involve some sacrifice.

/shout/ WHAT ARE WE GONNA?
/loud whisper/ you dont know....
/shout/ WHEN ARE WE GONNA?
/loud whisper/ you dont know....
/shout/ WHAT ARE WE GONNA?
/shout/ WHEN ARE WE GONNA?
/shout/ MISKATONIC U!
gooOOOOOO CEPHALAPODS!

You know what they say...
once you go cephalapod you will never go back.

(for those who dont know the Cthulhu series, all of the things I posted have a giggle meaning)

[ October 09, 2003, 21:40: Message edited by: Gandalf Parker ]

[LordArioch]

That is a site to bookmark there...I especially note the Dying Earth spell name generator. I've been quite a fan of the language of Jack Vance...and you just can't resist either Kurgadako's antagonistic cadaver, Murritzi's impracticable yam, or The call of the aromatic council.
But then again I am strange in my taste in words.

There's been over 2000 Posts here....wow. Its no space empires 4 forum but that's still a decent number.

[ October 09, 2003, 22:01: Message edited by: LordArioch ]

[Endoperez]

Originally posted by LordArioch:
There's been over 2000 Posts here....wow. Its no space empires 4 forum but that's still a decent number.

Noy yet. But really, this forum has only been up from what? September 17th? That would be less than a month... Although discussion has slown dows. I'm waiting to see what will happen when first people get their hands on the game... Either they become mute for a few weeks, come back giggling like mads (or whatever they do in the usenet) or Posts dozens' of Posts every day...

[Pocus]

thats funny because the posters here speak of the Cthulhu 'pantheon' as beings which would engulf all with total ease, but fail to notice that earth in 1900 is perhaps a bit weaker than the empires in dominions, where it is mundane to see giant vine creatures, ethereal spirits tall as 4 men, and wyrms 30 meters long.

My point is that I feel we can base a map on Cthulhu mythos without having to comes to rely on poor tricks and stories to explain why an attack from these creatures would not succeed that easily.

Aside from the random name generator (thanks!), do somebody as an URL (thanks also for the places Johan, I will find use of them) which would be like a Cthulhu encyclopedia, but Online?