• View
• Edit
• History
• Backlinks

Territory Creation Guide

Occasionally, 'Souls itself has a "create-a-territory" contest wherein new In Character territories are opened to the public. The 'Souls Assemblage evaluates all entries for these contests for realism, of course, but there are quite a few things you can do to make sure your territory descriptions are realistic before you submit them for contests!

This guide is also helpful for members entering pack "create-a-subterritory" contests. It is also helpful for new packs hoping to form!

1.  'Souls Territory Organization

The 'Souls territory is organized as Region > Territory > Subterritory > Landmark. For example.... Sticks and Stones > Inferni > Great Village > Schoolhouse. Feel free to adopt or modify this structure for your pack's territories; your pack will always be a territory, though, as the regions are too large for any pack to claim completely.

2.  Creating a Territory

• Write a 150-300 word description of your territory. If you want to write more, go ahead... but after a paragraph or two, it might be time to start thinking about an Areas Wiki page for your pack's subterritory. See D'Neville Mansion or Marrgerd for some inspiration.
• Things to think about when writing a description or creating a longer page:
  • What's the area's geology? What kind of rocks and stones can be found here? Big, hulking boulders or tiny stones? Rough, sandy soil or rich black dirt?
  • What's the area's topography? Is it flat, is it hilly, is it mountainous? Are there any areas of note (e.g., a rise in the middle of an otherwise flat field)?
  • What does the area smell like? An area in the middle of a pine forest will smell vastly different from an area in a salt marsh.
  • What kind of plants and animals can be found in the area?
  • Are there any human leftovers in the area? A road slowly disappearing into the forest, a crumbling house, an old radio tower?
• (OPTIONAL) Get an image (or two, or three) to represent your territory. Make sure it's realistic: you don't want to show people walking around a city, for example, or a skyline with tons of lights blazing.
• (OPTIONAL) Create a map. This is great for larger areas of the game your pack has claimed. Visualization is great and a map is a good way to do it.

3.  Questions to Ask

Ask yourself the following questions to make sure your territory is realistic.

• Does the territory make sense for Nova Scotia's geography, climate, and population?
  Check the Nova Scotia page on the RP Guide for information regarding all of these subjects. Halifax is the largest city in Nova Scotia, so it doesn't make much sense for another, much-larger city to "sprout up" elsewhere. Nova Scotia doesn't have any large mountain ranges (excepting the fictional Halcyon Mountains) or desert territory, nor would it have tundra or jungle regions. Such territories wouldn't be so realistic for our playable area!
• Does the territory reflect the 20 years of non-maintenance occurring after the apocalypse?
  Check the Post-Apocalypse guide for an idea of how just things would look so long after humanity's demise. It's a good idea to make sure to describe human areas of your territory as dilapidated or decaying, and it's important to avoid giving an appearance of pristine conditioning. After some time and effort, Luperci can of course make things look better, but this does take some time, and it should be fun to roleplay, too!
• Does the territory's animal species make sense?
  Some players like to mention the inhabitant non-canine species when describing their territories -- e.g., seals along the coast or a particular species of owl that is dominant within that territory. Some players even like to describe the tree and plant life within their territories, which is great and can add an extra layer of description to your territory.
  Make sure the creatures and plant species you pick are realistic to 'Souls -- check the Flora and Fauna guide for further information. It's not very realistic for a New Zealand-native parrot species to inhabit the 'Souls territory, nor would one find peyote cactus growing naturally within Nova Scotia -- both would have to be imports specifically cultured and cared for by Luperci! See the section on Character Companions for realism where these things are concerned.