Update 3 - End of Week 1 + Garugoma Monsters
about 1 month ago
– Tue, Feb 11, 2025 at 05:46:02 AM
Greetings, Chroniclers! Mappa Mundi - An Exploration + Ecology RPG is now at the end of its first week on Kickstarter, and what a week!
At time of writing, the campaign has raised £44,330 from 946 backers, meaning that we're 354% funded and well on our way to £50,000!
Thank you all so much for your support so far. We are so grateful that you've decided to join us out in the Wilds and we look forward to seeing the campaign go from strength to strength over the next three weeks!
Garugoma - the Land of Myriad Spirits
We want to use these updates to share deeper dives into some of our regions and their Monsters, which also gives us the opportunity to show of more of Joel's incredible artwork. To that end, we're starting off with a very popular region among our community: Garugoma, the Land of Myriad Spirits.
Garugoma is Mappa Mundi's equivalent of South Asia, particularly India and Bangladesh, from which our inspirations were heavily drawn. Garugoma is a vast region, encompassing environments ranging from coastal plains, golden beaches, and swampy marshes through to magnificent rivers, stark cliff faces, dense mangroves and rainforests, and -- of course -- the majesty of the Svarga Mountains.
In this update, I'm going to introduce you to our three Garugoman Monsters and also share some cards from the Journey Deck that you're likely to see associated with them. Let's begin!
Mande Barung - The Living Seed
The Mande Barung are an ancient Monster species who have dwelt in their heavily forested homes in the Karotia Hills for time immemorial.
Made from the very trees around them, and bearing the likenesses of both birds and primates, the Mande Barung have been a vital part of not just the forest ecosystem in the Karotia Hills, but also an integral cultural and historical element of the Karo society.
Despite being incredibly long-lived, only one Mande Barung now remains: The Living Seed. The final repository of thousands of years of cultural memory, the Living Seed is revered and treasured by the Karo people and is emblematic of their own connection to their homeland and their ancestry.
But the Living Seed is old, older than anyone can remember. And the effects of the Flux appear to weigh heavily on his wooded shoulders. None can fathom the consequences of his death, and yet whispers increasingly resonate around the forest that this most terrible of realities may soon come to pass...
Waghoba - Itinerant Insurrectionary
Garugoma is a land of many people, many cultures, and many perspectives. But despite this diversity, it is ruled by a single person: Suraksha Vritrahan, Rani of the Garus Empire.
The streets of Gomantara, the capital city of the Garus Empire, are maintained by the benevolence of the Rani, but not all are happy with her rule, or indeed the presence of any rulers.
Out in the Wilds and in the small towns and villages on their borders, insurrection brews. Stories have reached the capital of a charismatic force gathering people and Creatures alike to his side. He speaks with a silver tongue, they say, his words dripping honey into the ears of those willing to listen.
This insurrection began in the mangrove forests that separate Garugoma from Phuondi. For centuries, those who live on the borders of the mangroves have spoken about a presence they call the Dream Tiger, a force that appears in flashes of colour in otherwise greyscale dreams.
Now, the leader of this rebellion has made himself known. Dwelling in the plains in the region's centre, Waghoba, a tiger of huge size and presence, gathers tigers around him. He preaches revolution, his sonorous voice convincing any and all who hear him. And foremost among his concerns? The tyranny of the Rani.
Airavata - Guardian of Garugoma
The Rani of Garugoma have sat at the head of the head of the Garus Empire -- a confederation of twenty of the region's northern tribes -- for centuries. Yet they derive their power and legitimacy from a single source: Airavata, the great elephant guardian of Garugoma.
Believed by some to be as old as Fate itself, Airavata is a Monster of titanic proportions. Blessed with multiple trunks, the great elephant has been seen manifesting from and disappearing back into the shadows of the Svarga Mountains, leading many to believe that their protector can move beyond the bounds of this world and into another.
Appearing whenever the region is in peril, Airavata is bound to the line of the Rani by a mysterious pact, known only to the elephant and the Rani herself. Despite this connection, Airavata protects all with equal force and fervour, suggesting that it is the region -- rather than the Rani's power -- that Airavata is primarily concerned with.
The subject of deep speculation by scholars and citizens alike, the Mappa Mundi Institute in Garugoma have dedicated themselves to learning more about this enigmatic Monster.
Onward to Week 2!
Thank you again, everyone, for your support so far. I hope you enjoyed reading some more information about Garugoma and its three Monsters, and I can't wait to share more with you from others regions.
Make sure to vote in the comments below as to which of our nine remaining regions you want to see:
Barbecia, Domolov, Lechnitsa, Tiahakim, Aishamet, The Kikal Rift, The Muten Steppe, Zoumung, or Phuondi.
Social Impact Stretch Goals Update
We're getting closer and closer to our next Social Impact Stretch Goal donation increase! When we hit £50,000 raised, we'll be increasing our contribution from £1,000 to £2,500. This money will go to the Save Elephant Foundation (I'm sure Airavata would be happy) to support their work to rescue, rehabilitate, support, and protect Asian Elephants and a range of other species in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
With your help, we can all embody the values of the Mappa Mundi Institute!
Until the next update,
George, Mappa Mundi creator and designer.
