Yagervan Plains was designed as I went along with The Mercenary Prince. It had always been in the back of my mind since I had only mountains, forests, and the desert region. The jungles were there too. It was hard to find a place for Yagervan to appear and thrive, which happened when Delvin went on his adventure.
This land is similar to the desert in that it has nomadic people. The tribes, all of which are named after birds, follow the same route every year and try to stay on a schedule to avoid the harsh weather that can spring up. Many follow herds of animals, which gives them a food and clothing source too. Each tribe has their own symbols and rites, but they all have a distrust of the outside world. Not enough that they’ll avoid trading when times get tough. There’s only so many resources in the plains after all. Another thing they have in common is being superstitious, which is why they don’t venture beyond the borders very often. All contact is made on the border and their closest ally is the Snow Tiger Tribe, which is stretching the term. At best, they have mutual respect for each other and see a kinder spirit in structure.
There are bazaars too, which act as social hubs. Information and supplies can be purchased here as well as other things. Sadly, there is a slave trade in Yagervan because there’s no central government. Nobody trusts the flesh peddlers and those who buy from them. They stay in business because of exiles and foreigners who happen to wander into the area. It’s nobles and those with more money than morals that buy slaves. All attempts to smash the industry has been met with an increase in activity and the merchants setting up shop somewhere else. This isn’t to say people don’t try to cause trouble for the flesh peddlers or buy slaves to set them free right away. This is definitely the seedy underbelly of the region.
One of my favorite parts of creating Yagervan was the wildlife. I don’t want to reveal too many because they’re fun to stumble upon in the book. The one I will mention is the Hooded Lion. This predator is very dangerous and looks like a regular lion. Only the males and females all have manes, which resemble hairy fans. They can be folded over the face enough to block the sun and are part of the mating display. The way to tell the difference between the genders is mostly by size. Females also have a red tint to their manes, but you might be too busy trying to get away to notice.
You’d be surprised how much goes into planning and describing a wide expanse of tall grass. There are factors that one might forget like the wind, the sun, and even the smell of the terrain. Putting the occasional tree and rock formation helped break up the tedium, but its flat land for the most part. You have to think about the borderlands too and figure out how that is maintained. Do you have a man-made wall, a river, or a sudden change of terrain? The area is actually bigger than the desert and jungle regions combined, so I plan on visiting it in the future. This means I might not be done with Yagervan’s growth and there’s a touch of excitement to that.
Legends of Windemere 
Reblogged this on Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life and commented:
Charles Yallowitz creates a wonderful wide expanse of grass where lions can roam freely.. find out how he did it.
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Thanks for the reblog. 🙂
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I’m not surprised. Your world-building is pretty awesome. And yes the creatures are fun to discover. I also like the descriptions of food and drinks. I’m weird that way. But I do love a desert bazaar. 🙂
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Funny how I never put a bazaar or nomadic marketplace in the desert region. Seemed to make more sense for the grassland regions. Looking forward to the lower mountains and jungles that are coming up. 🙂
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Did you think a desert bazaar would seem cliche?
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A little. I don’t think it fit into the story either. Most of the action was around Bor’daruk and the other groups were nomads. I stated that they trade with each other or the city, so there might be bazaars out there somewhere.
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Reblogged this on theivorytide and commented:
Re-posting this WordPress blog as it describes terrain in my own novel. Yes, sharing your work for my benefit. I love helping others; I’m a nurse. Good luck to you!
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Thanks. Really appreciate the reblog. Good luck with your novel.
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I like all the worlds you build. I had to laugh at the idea of not noticing the red tinge in the female mane since one might be busy getting away.
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Thanks. I really want to find other stories to place in Yagervan Such a large region that I don’t use nearly enough.
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Sounds a little sparse and dangerous.
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Not as dangerous as the desert or jungle, but definitely sparse. A lot of land needed for migrating herds and the tribes. Might be a few ruined cities from the ancient world too, but nobody uses those.
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Something in them?(like a forbidding creature)
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Haven’t decided yet. 😀
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I can’t imagine all the world-building you have done. It’s amazing to hear about and wonder how one remembers all the details. A lot of checking notes, I imagine. Stunning. 🙂
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Definitely a lot of notes and going back over older entries. Many of the details end up being made on the spot, but a return to the area requires that I check the original description. Some days I’m tempted to do a ‘copy/paste’, but that’s just lazy. 😀
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I can’t imagine your notes. My first novel (languishing), not that I knew what I was doing had lots of note as I went along but no where NEAR what you have to juggle. Mine was one. Yours: overwhelming. 🙂
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I’ve slacked off on notes recently. Might be why I feel like I have to read through the last 2 books in the series before I tackle the next one. One of these days I should probably make an actually system.
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You must be deeply immersed in the Legends world and need to spruce up only on small details. I’m amazed either way. 🙂
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Very true. Though it’s the details that tend to get you. 😉
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I’m overwhelmed thinking about what you have to juggle. Once upon a time I thought a series might be ‘e.a.s.y.’.
No longer.
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But they’re still fun to read and write. 😀
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I have not doubt about that. None at all. The continuing seamless authenticity of background and foreground is what amaze me. 🙂
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Charles, your imagination is staggering. I love the idea of hooded lions!
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Thanks. They were a fun and spontaneous creation. 🙂
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it is great fun world building and putting in animals which do not exist elsewhere. i loved the description
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Thanks. The animal and monster creation is probably the most amount of fun. You get to act like a mental Dr. Frankenstein. 😀
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he he he now that is fun.
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