INTRODUCTION

VERTICAL DEVELOPMENT

Natural fantasy campaigns are often set in small regions or villages rather than entire continents and cities, but compensate for this “limited perspective” with vertical development: the current world was built upon countless layers of history, where terrible powers and wondrous magics are buried. These are truly ancient worlds, where the past is millennia away rather than centuries, so that the causes of today’s misfortunes are often incomprehensible.

LIFE, DEATH, AND TRANSFORMATION

Natural fantasy mostly does away with epic and spectacular aesthetics, instead presenting Fabula Ultima’s thematic core in a visceral and sincere way, and involving the protagonists on an intimate and personal level: these are stories about the environment, life, and death. Like fairy tales, and the philosophies and traditions that inspired it, the natural fantasy style presents death as a necessary step for the world to regenerate – a terrible pain and yet an opportunity to appreciate life; a meaningful act which cannot be inflicted lightly, nor be stripped of its solemnity.

MAIN REFERENCES

Here are some titles that shaped the artistic vision of this book:

• The Dusk trilogy (Ayesha, Escha & Logy, Shallie) from the Atelier series is without a doubt one of our main influences. It’s set on a dying world victim of the manipulations of ancient humans, a world that can only be revived thanks to the tenacity of a younger generation. The Ryza trilogy and the Sophie duology also influenced the aesthetics of this book.
• The Monster Hunter Stories series shares its setting with the famous Monster Hunter saga, but emphasizes cooperation between human and monster and the importance of preserving even the most dangerous species.
• Jade Cocoon: Story of the Tamamayu is a great example of a campaign that takes place in a short time frame, and is set in a relatively small place: a single village and the surrounding forests struggling against a terrible curse.
• Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl features a truly inspired cast of characters and a plot centered around the progressive discovery of the mysteries of the past. It also reinvents the concept of a post-apocalyptic world as a lush and verdant landscape.