Travel in the HQ World? - Brainstorming

[Kurgan]

So I'm doing some research for an upcoming project and I want to use as much "canon" (such as it is) material as possible. I know this is fantasy, and it's just a game, so it won't be perfectly realistic, but I want to make it at least suggest something plausible within the fantasy realm already established.

Now I'm not attempting to revive the, amazing, HQ Cartography discussion (though it might come in handy from time to time)...

But here we have some maps. I will take at face value that the Hero Quest world is "loosely based on the Warhammer fantasy world." Hence, Warhammer maps are helpful, but don't have to be final or even definitive. They are more there to fill in gaps or help smooth inconsistencies where they come up. One map is taken from the EU quest book of Return of the Witch Lord. The other is taken from the Japanese Hero Quest's Quest book.

My purpose here is in examining the Hero Quest world as portrayed in these two maps (there is another map somebody showed once that is from one of the novels). It clearly shows that Zargon's forces (or the Dark Demon King Grimdead, as he is known in the East) had a presence in the East, where the chaos god's resurrection was attempted. Nifon Island is fantasy Japan and the UK's Hero Quest world is the "old world" of Western Europe and the British Isles, with the realm of Chaos assumed to be Scandanavia if I understand it correctly. Other factions are spread around, with hostile groups in the South (fantasy North Africa) and East (fantasy Russia). Then there are big stretches of "nothing" until we get to the fantasy Pacific islands.

So I'm wondering, how do Zargon's forces move into the eastern Islands? Where they there a long time ago, or did they travel over land (or by sea)? I had this idea that they were travelers and sailed around on Orc ships and maybe setup base there at once point.

Then again if you don't take the regionalist approach and just say "wherever evil crops up there it is" and you have various groups pledging allegiance to Chaos and then Zargon sending spies to seek out and recruit them to his cause, to unite all the "evil" factions together to conquer the world.

So how did Zargon's forces get to Nifon Island? Does it matter? Did they travel over land and then by sea, did they sail all the way over there. Did they fly on dragons? Was there a magic portal that teleported them closer? I could see them traveling through the Ogre lands (coincidentally my gaming group is playing Against the Ogre Horde at the same time as the Japanese Game System, with two different groups of Heroes).

Maybe this is over thinking what is a simple game, but I'm welcome to hear some creative or imaginative ideas. It's more background, size and scope and a way to explain why there are so many Orc pirates sailing around and what they might be up to, in an attempt to fit in certain Remake elements in a way that doesn't suck.

Warhammer super detailed map(ONLY for reference, remember, I'm not saying everything has to match Warhammer fantasy!)

Then again, maybe this world is a lot smaller than ours in terms of land mass... maybe Nifon's islands are just on the other side of the world edge mountains?

Or maybe the Alchemists of this world have figured out how to build Hot-air balloons? (possible lead in to the Heroquest "steampunk" revolution). They're not good for transporting much other than people, though.

[Kurgan]

Now that I own copies of the Heroquest novels, there's another map, which is a northern extension of the "old world" map, see below... (I know Advanced Hero Quest has another map, but I don't own it)

[Oftkilted]

The important thing to bring on a long journey and method on how you get there? A second pair of boots.

Because they’re made for walking!

[Kurgan]

One of the novels include mention of magic carpet rides... (you don't know what we can find)

[Davane]

Actually, the Chaos Wastes are assumed to be the arctic circle, due to a collapsing warp gate of the Old Ones. There's also a similar gate at the south pole, so there are technically southern Chaos Wastes, but since there isn't a great deal of land in the south, it's fairly redundant.

There are numerous types of travel in the Warhammer World, although for most intercontinental travel, you are looking at going by sea or on foot. Within the Empire, there's an extensive network of rivers and canals to facilitate travel, but throughout the Old World, coach is a good way to get between the larger settlements of the civilised world. Horse is also an option if you have one, but this is normally reserved for the Road Wardens, which have a pony express along the main routes of their patrols.

It worth noting that whilst the nations of Ind, Cathay, and Nippon haven't been thoroughly mapped out, there is a Warhammer version of the Silk Road known to exist, but most trade would have been by ship around the Dark Lands after lands discovered by Marco Columbo, a renowned Estalian explorer.

It's worth noting that Chaos doesn't NEED to travel, per se. Magic, at the core, is Chaos and thus it travels through the air as the Winds of Magic. Anybody tapping into these winds can succumb to Chaos and be corrupted. Previously corrupted travellers can spread Chaos too - Nurgle, in particular, can spread Chaos and mutation like a disease. Warpstone and Chaos Artefacts are another source of corruption, with warpstone sometimes literally falling from the stars. It's said that Morrslieb, the Warhammer World's second moon (the first being Mannslieb, with a pattern like our own Luna), is actually a massive chunk of warpstone in orbit, that has an erratic orbit and is capable of spreading Chaos when it is full.

Basically, Chaos just "gets there" however it can, and then just grows and spreads. Chances are that a foolish mage became corrupted, either by the taint of misfiring magic or the insipid dream whispering of Tzeentch, who either travelled to Nippon or was already there. They established a cult over there that grew, and probably used portals to bring more Chaos through. I doubt that how Chaos appears on Nippon is much different from how Chaos appears within the Empire.

It's worth noting that Chaos is considered the great enemy within and without, that can corrupt mind, body, and soul. So, just as the Empire can have Chaos rise from within the bloated underbelly of civilization and have it knocking on it's borders sweeping down from Kislev, it's likely that Nippon would face a similar threat - Chaos sweeping down from the Northern Steppes of the Ogrelands through Cathay and assailing the strait, whilst Chaos bubbles up from within.

There are two other vectors of "infection" that can also be considered. Whilst not all of the Norscans are Chaos Marauders, they are all hardy explorers and seafarers, and could easily have raided Nippon and spread the taint of Chaos there. Then you have the Skaven, which could just as easily have tunnelled to Nippon at some point.

There's just so many options for the spread of Chaos throughout the Warhammer World, that can't just outrun it, as it seeps into the very fabric of the metaphysical world.

That's not including all the space-time bending stuff the Chaos Gods can do... they exist in the Warp, and are able to manipulate it to cross entire galaxies in seconds, leading to the Warp Technology of the Imperium of Man. Or they can trap travellers within for an eternity of suffering. Entire worlds can be consumed by collapsing warp gates like the ones on the Warhammer World.

With all this in mind, reaching a tiny island isn't much of a hassle. It's less "wherever people find Chaos, there it is," as it is "wherever people are, Chaos is there too."

In general, Chaos, magic, and life are all intertwined. Chaos isn't just where you find it, it's also where you don't find it too...

[Kurgan]

I'm amused by the idea of the Ratmen hordes digging their way to china. I guess they used their magic to protect against the radiation... is the earth not hollow in this scenario? Because otherwise I'm sure the dinosaurs/molemen/inhumanoids got 'em.

I also somehow missed the fact that (not included in my cropped image above), the ROTWL graphic refers to a "map of the new world" in the credit text, despite the map only depicting an arrow. Wonder what that means.

[Davane]

I'm amused by the idea of the Ratmen hordes digging their way to china. I guess they used to magic to protect against the radiation... is the earth isn't hollow in this scenario? Because otherwise I'm sure the dinosaurs/molemen/inhumanoids got 'em.

I also somehow missed the fact that (not included in my cropped image above), the ROTWL graphic refers to a "map of the new world" in the credit text, despite the map only depicting an arrow. Wonder what that means.

Skaven don't dig down to Cathay, they dig around to Cathay... but I doubt radiation is an issue for them when they are full of warpstone-infused mutant warlock-engineers...

Also... the dinosaurs/molemen/inhumanoids all live on the surface in forests and jungles around the world, including the New World, which is the name given to the lands representing the Americas of the real world: The jungles of Lustria and the harsh frozenlands of Naggaroth, beneath which lie the caverns of the Dark Elves...

Between the Dwarves, Dark Elves, and the Skaven, there's a network of tunnels and caverns under the ground that span the entire world, making it more akin to the Underdark of D&D than anything else...

[lestodante]

In Marvel Winter Special, Mentor teleports the Heroes into the dungeon using some kind of magic mirror.

[Kurgan]

Also... the dinosaurs/molemen/inhumanoids all live on the surface in forests and jungles around the world, including the New World, which is the name given to the lands representing the Americas of the real world: The jungles of Lustria and the harsh frozenlands of Naggaroth, beneath which lie the caverns of the Dark Elves...

Between the Dwarves, Dark Elves, and the Skaven, there's a network of tunnels and caverns under the ground that span the entire world, making it more akin to the Underdark of D&D than anything else...

Or those hamster balls they travel with in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation! I wonder if those Dwarves ever dug down TOO deeply and found something... you know of what I speak... shadow... and flame!

[soniamann]

Your research into Warhammer maps is a great idea to fill in any gaps and inconsistencies, and I'm excited to see what you come up with! I also appreciate your mention of the potential dangers of travelling abroad and the link to travel safety resources. Safety should always be a top priority when exploring new places.