The Vast Lands of Norwold: The Companion World—A Mystaran subsetting and logo
by Travis HenryNext up, after THE GATEWAY LANDS, here's my logo for NORWOLD as a distinct subsetting:
Here's the sources for the images and phrases:
"the vast lands of Norwold" is from CM1: Test of the Warlords, p.2, where the subsetting is first introduced.
"Then comes word from the north: the empire of Alphatia has claimed the vast lands of Norwold, and has appointed a king to rule over those lands. This monarch is in need of steadfast characters to administer the many dominions that may be carved from the wilderness of Norwold!"
Also, the phrase "the lands of Norwold" appears seven more times in the book.
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The subtitle "The Companion World" is extrapolated from Jim Bambra's term "The Expert World" to refer to the Known World proper, from his overview of the Gazetteers in DRAGON #148, August 1989.
"The Companion Set, while opening up Norwald [sic], set aside attention on the "Expert World." It was assumed that the Expert World was deserted by Companion-level PCs as they ventured north into Norwald [sic] for high-level challenges."
"Then the Companion and Master PCs came back to the Expert World (now the "Known World"), and great changes took place in the realms of the D&D® game."
If the KW is Officially "the Expert World," then it's not much of leap to christen Norwold as "the Companion World."
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The graphic design of course models the Aqua Box.
I used these freeware fonts:
-KorinnaCTT for the light-faced "THE VAST LANDS OF"
-DnDC for NOR(W)OLD (except for the "W", since the DnDC "W" is too thick and wonky looking)
-Masquerade for the "W", and I modified it by scooping it out a little.
-Korinna for the bold-faced subtitle
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The shield with tower is the symbol used to represent the "Setting" chapter, the first chapter in CM1.
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This NORWOLD: THE COMPANION WORLD subsetting extends through time and space, including:
-Mentzerian "greater" Norwold, as (at least notionally) "the major/dominant socioeconomic and political force in that region", as seen on the Master Set world map
-The Alphatian Kingdom of Norwold
-The post-WotI Region of Norwold