Suvarna Garge (Editor)

Novoland

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit

Novoland, also known as Jiuzhou/九州, is a fictional universe, with a known world of 3 continents and 9 provinces. It mostly consists of non-fully explored seas to the east and deserts to the west; Zhongzhou being essentially northern China and Wanzhou southern China. It has a history of 10000 years divided into 10 eras and about 16 dynasties.

Contents

There are 30 books written for that universe and there are 7 principle authors that write novels for them. The project was started in early 2000s when Lord of the Rings was popular in China, and people want do the kind of world building based on Chinese mythology, with all the nations, histories, lineages and daemons.

Recently, some these novels have been adapted into dramas and films, since China now has the budget for live adaptations and there is demand for them in the mainstream as well.

Humans

The most abundant race, and has the most complete system of civilization. They have mainly three major civilized zone.

  • Beilu: A place with nomadic culture.
  • Donglu: A place with agricultural culture.
  • Xilu became a paradise for adventurers after the original city-state civilization was submerged in the desert jungle due to the plague.
  • Kua Fu

    They are a form of giants, known for their resemblance to the giants sated in China's legends/myths, thus earning their name. They have a huge and tall figure, and can grow up to be twice as tall as humans. The population is small. Their spirit is inversely proportionate to their strength. While they are physically strong, they are mentally weak.

    Location

    Shangzhou. They live in the mountainous area, preferring cold environments. They form buildings out of stone.

    Lifespan

    They have a lifespan of 50–80 years. Kua Fu has a low chance of survival. Thus when they are born, the adults bathe them in cold icy water or hard liquor, as only the fittest can survive. This resulted them having a stronger immunity to magic as well as better health than other races. Usually, they only live an average of 30–45 years as they often have to fight the barbarians.

    Diet

    Kua Fu mostly eat and hunt for meat, and cannot rely on a diet of vegetables. They like to drink hard liquor.

    Language

    They have their own language. They do not know how to speak in human language. They do not have much vocab, and speak in short and simple sentences. Kua Fus like to sing or hum melodies to express their feelings.

    Marriage

    They are unable to marry with other races. The women are pregnant for 7 months before giving birth, and usually stay at home to take care of the children while the men goes out to hunt.

    Fighting abilities

    They are the least receptive to astrological signs. Instead, they tap into their rich emotions to gather their spirit. They are however weak in their analytical, problem-solving and social skills. Their spirit is the strongest when they are physically weak. Those who can tap into the abilities of the stars during battles are seen as god-like and divine by the tribe.

    Hoklo:

    Location

    Jiuzhou's Donglu and Yuezhou/Wanzhou's Southern Qiu Ling and mountainous areas.

    Lifespan

    They have a lifespan of 50–80 years. Kua Fu has a low chance of survival. Thus when they are born, the adults bathe them in cold icy water or hard liquor, as only the fittest can survive. This resulted them having a stronger immunity to magic as well as better health than other races. Usually, they only live an average of 30–45 years as they often have to fight the barbarians.

    A short and small race, who is good at craft manufacturing. They are unable to marry with other races.

    Winged Tribe

    While they resemble humans and have similar movements, they have a light bone structure, and are able to use the power of their spirit to transform into wings and fly (height and length of their flight depends on their spirit/mental strength). However, they are also physically weaker than other races. During combat, they prefer shooting arrows. They live in Beilu's Ningzhou or Donglu's Lanzhou, mostly setting in forests and plains. They have a lifespan of 80–120 years.

  • Merman: They live in the water, and have tail fins.
  • Spirit Demon: They are creatures who exist only with a spirit, and has no body form. However, they can gather the power of their spirit to form a physical body.
  • Most Influential Authors

  • 江南/Jiangnan: 缥缈录(Novoland Eagle Flag)
  • 今何在/Jinhezhai: 海上牧云记 (Storm of Prophecies), 羽传说 (Legend of Feather)
  • 大角/Dajiao: ·铁浮图 (Iron Calvary), 死者夜谈 (Tales of the Dead), 白雀神龟 (White Bird and Magic Turtle)
  • 斩鞍/Zhan’an: 旅人(Traveler), 朱颜记 (Tales of Beauties) Unlike other author, he focuses on commoner’s tales rather than heroes and monarchs.
  • 唐缺/Tang Que 殇翼 (Lost Wings), 星痕 (Star Trail), 云之彼岸 (Farside of Clouds). He wrote mostly short novels telling a single event rather than long epics.
  • Dramas and live adaptions

  • City of Desperate Love 华胥引 (2015) –> Chao Dynasty, starring Lin Yuan, Kevin Cheng and Jiang Xin
  • Novoland: The Castle in the Sky (2016) 天空城 starring Zhang Ruoyun, Guan Xiaotong, Ju Jingyi and Liu Chang
  • Tribes and Empires: Storm of Prophecy 海上牧云记 (2017) –> Duan Dynasty, starring Huang Xuan and Shawn Dou
  • Legend of the Naga Pearl 鲛珠传 (2017) starring Darren Wang and Zhang Tianai
  • Novoland: Eagle Flag 缥缈录 (video game)
  • References

    Novoland Wikipedia