The World of Bahr

In general, the world of Bahr is a young world. There are remnants of ancient civilizations that mysteriously lost contact with the new cultures, which makes everything even more enigmatic. It is a world that celebrates diversity but has also suffered greatly from it—due to the conflicts that arose from it. This world is connected to an even older one, which carries a history full of pain. Bahr is the new home to many species seeking peace, but also a target for numerous beings that thrive on chaos. In this world, there are entities whose purpose is to lead cultures toward the truth—a truth that is difficult to accept.

The setting is inspired by various storytelling forms I’ve encountered through my own experience with RPGs video games, classic literature, fantasy, dystopian worlds, magical realism, science and the occasional series or anime I enjoyed. In some cultures, one can find influences from Gothic style, Burlesque, dramatic heroism, Renaissance poetry, occultism, typical Tolkienesque high fantasy, as well as pre-Columbian and colonial history. I also strive to develop isolated themes that explore extremist philosophies—such as dictatorships with racial discrimination, religious fanaticism, genetic modifications, and the degenerative diseases that result from them—and how all of this ties into the functioning of a magical world.

To better understand how Bahr’s story connects with its characters, one can simply imagine the mechanism I used for its development: the focus lies on uncovering meaningful stories from the perspectives and experiences of simple beings and objects across the world. I place special importance on the visual design of the universe and color it with mysticism and history. Much of what is hidden in the world lies not only in the hands of great libraries or rulers, but often even more so in ancient objects, people in the shadows, songs of bards, forgotten weapons, or everyday things and individuals.

As for the direction I want the story of Bahr to take—that’s a difficult question, because Bahr is not a classic narrative for me, but rather a network of lives interconnected by thousands of events and objects. From the very beginning, I knew I wanted to allow my players to experience the world of Bahr with as few restrictions as possible—to give them space to use their own creativity to discover what lies behind every corner and in every conversation. Therefore, while there are certain secrets that help make the world more understandable, there is no fixed ending. The world is dynamic—so much so that I sit down every afternoon for an hour or two to breathe life into remote corners of the world that my players haven’t yet discovered. The lives of some characters follow a specific path, and the world moves with their decisions. I try to give my players a central role—but the world has already set a course, one that is influenced by events which, just like in-game decisions, are regulated by dice rolls. These decisions and their consequences are not predetermined in favor of a plot; rather, they are seeds of chaos that at some point reach a climax and become real changes in the lives of the world’s characters.

What kinds of personalities best fit into this world? Those who understand some of the motifs that always accompany me in my writing: my love for the patient work of building something that evolves in unexpected directions. My curiosity for the cultures and languages of the world. My fascination with the beauty that lies in the fact that we all live in chaos and yet believe we can find harmony in it. My passion for heroic sacrifice and its dramatic intensity—how such sacrifices carry on through objects or stories. My interest in astronomy, planetology, psychology, metaphysics, biology, and anthropology. My urge to be inspired by my experiences and the stories and visuals I consume, to let a part of them flow into the world of Bahr. And finally: my passion for storytelling.

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