Order of Paladins Drawing And Lore
The Platinum Paladin
Member
in Art
On one restless night, I decided to try and do my own drawing (though I'm stronger as a writer than an illustrator). I have more "epic" ideas cooking in my head, but to start off simple and basic, here's a map I had in mind for what the surrounding area would look like. In-game, much of this has yet to be built; this is just the ideas swirling in my brain, and it's to ideally lay out a roadmap for many (if not most) future development projects.
To start, you have Fort Knight, which is squarely in the center. This is the heart of the Order of Paladins, and it is also the personal home and estate of Sir Qbalot Knight, The Platinum Paladin. Many of his closest friends also mingle with him within its solid steel walls. Fort Knight is equipped with a Laundry Room, a Workshop, Kitchen, Dining Room and Living Room, Rec Room, Pool Room, Trophy Room, an Armory near the roof access, and a smattering of bedrooms including the Master Bedroom reserved for The Platinum Paladin and whatever adult woman is powerful enough to sway him as his lover. Officially, he currently has no lover, leaving half of the bed vacant.
South is "No Man's Land", where the cannons are ALWAYS firing! Bandits and crooks are endlessly exhausting themselves through their attempts to find ways around the defenses, as Fort Knight is the border between the settled and unsettled lands. Up North is Town Center, which is a more peaceful hub of activity known for its stores and quiet parks. Connecting from that is the Suburbs (formally known as "The Residential District"), and that is where most Paladins will mark as their home (specifically the ones who were not rewarded with quarters inside Fort Knight proper, as even despite the grand size of Fort Knight, there is simply not enough interior space or raw resources to house hundreds of Paladins).
The Shopping District is by far the most popular tourist attraction, as lawful Qbees (at least stereotypically) care only about 3 things: Buying, Selling, and Trading. For rarities not on display in-person within the Shopping District, there is a plethora of portals within its central hub that will lead to the countless other stores, where at least one will no doubt have the most elusive of hats. The Natural Park is an environmental attraction meant to also preserve and enshrine natural beauty. Nobody is allowed to mine there, but all are welcome to visit.
"The Great Wall" needs no introduction. This controversial monument speaks for itself as the first and most obvious line of defense. It even stretches throughout to contain The Borderlands. Unlike with Fort Knight where the Great Wall completely encircles Fort Knight, "The Borderlands" naturally swallows up anything (and anyone) in its area, so the vertical parts of the wall were impossible to erect. Thus, only the horizontal portions remain, which defines the territory limits. The crowning jewel is the line of cannons atop the Great Wall, which only adds to the polarizing nature of the Great Wall. Love it or hate it, The Great Wall is here to stay!
"The Lava Moat" is the second line of defense. If having one wall wasn't enough, why not plant a wall that BURNS?! However, unlike The Great Wall, its purpose is not to halt slippery scoundrels from crossing the border, but rather to protect Fort Knight itself from serious, more direct assaults.
"The Borderlands" is essentially just the border between territories. Fort Knight marks the boundary. What is NOT directly protected by Fort Knight is a barren wasteland, completely immersed in nothing but quicksand, lava, and nonstop fire jets. According to myth and folklore, The Borderlands are also bottomless, so those who try to dig beneath these natural traps will fall to their dooms. And any who try to swim above them invariably end up roasted to the bone.
This leaves one glaring question. How has Fort Knight been able to sit so squarely on The Borderlands?! The short answer: it is a blessed, sacred ground. That is because of all the space throughout the entire border, this is one of the very rare, exceptional locales that have not been absolutely saturated by natural and divine hazards. Upon breaking ground (as in, the very beginning of a construction project), the site has been directly blessed by the presence of the Almighty Cube, which Sir Qbalot Knight (better known as The Platinum Paladin) recognized as a sign and calling. As a result, it is one of the few possible positions for land-based traversal across borders. It is one of the only options for fiends to penetrate northward. So, for those rare spots where nature does not completely quarantine the thieves and scammers, artificial defenses needed to be built to compensate for this. Hence, the birth of Fort Knight.
How can a WALL be controversial?! On one side of the argument, it is an essential line of defense for stifling thievery and scammers, by keeping them outside of lawful territories. The other side of the argument insists that not all Qbees from No Man's Land are terrible or "deplorable", and some are simply trying to escape the brutalities inflicted by the crueler individuals and/or the harshness of the natural desert. That, and The Great Wall was conceived by one of the most divisive leaders in history! His name alone creates tensions on anything he attaches it to.
As a P.S., I wanted to try and resemble a Qbee face with the Compass Rose, because I thought that'd be cute. :D Maybe "Compass Rose" could be a new hat. :P
To start, you have Fort Knight, which is squarely in the center. This is the heart of the Order of Paladins, and it is also the personal home and estate of Sir Qbalot Knight, The Platinum Paladin. Many of his closest friends also mingle with him within its solid steel walls. Fort Knight is equipped with a Laundry Room, a Workshop, Kitchen, Dining Room and Living Room, Rec Room, Pool Room, Trophy Room, an Armory near the roof access, and a smattering of bedrooms including the Master Bedroom reserved for The Platinum Paladin and whatever adult woman is powerful enough to sway him as his lover. Officially, he currently has no lover, leaving half of the bed vacant.
South is "No Man's Land", where the cannons are ALWAYS firing! Bandits and crooks are endlessly exhausting themselves through their attempts to find ways around the defenses, as Fort Knight is the border between the settled and unsettled lands. Up North is Town Center, which is a more peaceful hub of activity known for its stores and quiet parks. Connecting from that is the Suburbs (formally known as "The Residential District"), and that is where most Paladins will mark as their home (specifically the ones who were not rewarded with quarters inside Fort Knight proper, as even despite the grand size of Fort Knight, there is simply not enough interior space or raw resources to house hundreds of Paladins).
The Shopping District is by far the most popular tourist attraction, as lawful Qbees (at least stereotypically) care only about 3 things: Buying, Selling, and Trading. For rarities not on display in-person within the Shopping District, there is a plethora of portals within its central hub that will lead to the countless other stores, where at least one will no doubt have the most elusive of hats. The Natural Park is an environmental attraction meant to also preserve and enshrine natural beauty. Nobody is allowed to mine there, but all are welcome to visit.
"The Great Wall" needs no introduction. This controversial monument speaks for itself as the first and most obvious line of defense. It even stretches throughout to contain The Borderlands. Unlike with Fort Knight where the Great Wall completely encircles Fort Knight, "The Borderlands" naturally swallows up anything (and anyone) in its area, so the vertical parts of the wall were impossible to erect. Thus, only the horizontal portions remain, which defines the territory limits. The crowning jewel is the line of cannons atop the Great Wall, which only adds to the polarizing nature of the Great Wall. Love it or hate it, The Great Wall is here to stay!
"The Lava Moat" is the second line of defense. If having one wall wasn't enough, why not plant a wall that BURNS?! However, unlike The Great Wall, its purpose is not to halt slippery scoundrels from crossing the border, but rather to protect Fort Knight itself from serious, more direct assaults.
"The Borderlands" is essentially just the border between territories. Fort Knight marks the boundary. What is NOT directly protected by Fort Knight is a barren wasteland, completely immersed in nothing but quicksand, lava, and nonstop fire jets. According to myth and folklore, The Borderlands are also bottomless, so those who try to dig beneath these natural traps will fall to their dooms. And any who try to swim above them invariably end up roasted to the bone.
This leaves one glaring question. How has Fort Knight been able to sit so squarely on The Borderlands?! The short answer: it is a blessed, sacred ground. That is because of all the space throughout the entire border, this is one of the very rare, exceptional locales that have not been absolutely saturated by natural and divine hazards. Upon breaking ground (as in, the very beginning of a construction project), the site has been directly blessed by the presence of the Almighty Cube, which Sir Qbalot Knight (better known as The Platinum Paladin) recognized as a sign and calling. As a result, it is one of the few possible positions for land-based traversal across borders. It is one of the only options for fiends to penetrate northward. So, for those rare spots where nature does not completely quarantine the thieves and scammers, artificial defenses needed to be built to compensate for this. Hence, the birth of Fort Knight.
How can a WALL be controversial?! On one side of the argument, it is an essential line of defense for stifling thievery and scammers, by keeping them outside of lawful territories. The other side of the argument insists that not all Qbees from No Man's Land are terrible or "deplorable", and some are simply trying to escape the brutalities inflicted by the crueler individuals and/or the harshness of the natural desert. That, and The Great Wall was conceived by one of the most divisive leaders in history! His name alone creates tensions on anything he attaches it to.
As a P.S., I wanted to try and resemble a Qbee face with the Compass Rose, because I thought that'd be cute. :D Maybe "Compass Rose" could be a new hat. :P
Comments
There is A LOT to go over, so I'll try my best to keep it bite-size. The most important stuff (names) are highlighted in bold.
At the absolute top is Capital City. This is where the developers, moderators, and their mascot THE Cosmic Cow all linger and mingle. They have Maou's Harbor, Cubic Town Center with Cubic Jail, and the Graveyard, as well as their other projects such as the space launchpad (one of their parkour courses). And the developers have their own offices, which is at the absolute heart of Capital City.
Capital City is flanked by 2 large bodies of water. To the West is where Maou's Harbor connects to. I suppose I should've named that ocean. Oh well. I'll leave that up to YOU! :P To the East is Helpful Pirate Bay, the main territory of the Helpful Pirate Society.
With Cars getting tested, they needed HUMONGOUS stretches of road to effectively stress-test the first renditions of the marvelous tech. Thus, enter Route 1! To honor the historical moment, it has also been known as "Prototype Highway".
Lo and behold, Route 1 ends connecting to Paladin City! That is the main hub area for the Order of Paladins, where they also have the Paladin Natural Park as well as the Paladin Combat Arena (where I host my Combat Tournaments).
Fort Knight is THE end-all and be-all guard of Paladin City. That needs no introduction. It is the home of Sir Qbalot Knight, The Platinum Paladin. Its majestic and massive solid-steel hull can be seen for hundreds of miles out. Fortified and armed to the teeth, it is more than up to the job!
The infamous Paladin Proving Grounds lies 5 miles beneath THE BORDERLANDS! A pact was committed with The Baleful Box to create a deviously punishing parkour course, "specifically designed to separate the elite from the common." This course rests within the void FAR underneath THE BORDERLANDS! And it is a "hardcore parkour course for EXPERTS only!" To date, no more than a dozen Paladins have actually bested The Baleful Box's army of minions. One of them was, of course, The Platinum Paladin.
Recently, the Order of Paladins has seen a surge in activity from its lieutenants. Specifically two are of note. The first is Sir Qbert Harrison, The Solo Ranger, who fought at Fort Knight during the Greater Battle of Fort Knight. Sir Harrison has claimed the SECOND gap in THE BORDERLANDS! These "gaps" are rare, and when they crop up, it rests SOLELY on the Order's shoulders to pick up Nature's slack. Thus dawned Fort Harrison.
Both these Forts needed SOME way to stay connected. So the Paladins took it upon themselves to tireless hammer out Route 2: Base Drive.
THE BORDERLANDS! This is the dreaded natural border between all civilization and No Bee's Land. It is in essence a "No Man's Land" except there are no Humans, only Qbees. In The Borderlands, there is only fire, void, and death.
No Bee's Land is the endless deserts and wastelands that lay south. Scum take refuge here, as they attempt to escape justice while they continue to get away with their abuses. Two noteworthy encampments include the Thieves' Hideout, which is where most scammers run. There is currently no organization with them; the original leader was slain by The Platinum Paladin. Second is Slavers' Camp, which is where Paladin Qball was sent to...and "promptly" liberated by the Order of Paladins during the Battle of the Breakout. @That_Guy_Joe
The War Path is the route on the other side of THE BORDERLANDS that connects Fort Knight with Fort Harrison. Unlike the rest of No Bee's Land, this area is technically CONTESTED territory! THAT SAID, many heroes have suffered dramatically just for even this sliver of progress.
Fort Noble is the Forward Operating Base for the Order of Paladins as they attempt to lay claim into No Bee's Land. One of the most eager Lieutenants craved a spot of his/her/its own, but there were no more leaks in The Borderland that needed plugging. Thus the bold Qbee defiantly rushed to push into No Bee's Land! The exact name of this hero currently escapes memory. :/
...Sky Empire is WAY too far in the sky to even be put on this map. Lol. Seriously, I did not know where to put them, even though I could've always made the board bigger. Same with the "Mighty Gods". I do not know where Billyboo's Kingdom sits geographically, especially relative to the rest of 'em. So there ARE some gaps that still need filling.
Yes, this WILL expand as more lore is woven and the Order of Paladins grows into an ever-greater power within Qbee Lands. :D
Also, I haven't seen you around much. :/
Specifically, a new fort or 2 cropped up, as well as the Metro Tunnels into No Bee's Land. The path across The Borderlands is dreadful, make no mistake. That said, the only alternative is leaving those two forts stranded all by their sorry selves.
On top of that, I tried to blow up the map some. But for some dumb reason, it didn't work. I want it to be similar to the look of the very first drawing in the original post, where you can easily see all the details.