Will to Power - Lands of Otan
This website was created by Will to Power Games. It is a free introduction to the primary setting of the Will to Power game and novel series; The Lands of Otan. Players and game masters alike can use this guide to preview the lore and legends of Otan.
Will to Power Games[edit]
Will to Power Games is an emerging creative studio born from a deep-seated passion for tabletop role-playing and the unforgettable sagas that unfold at the gaming table. Within the Will to Power Universe, we nurture two distinct fonts of storytelling. The journey begins with the Will to Power book series, anchored by our groundbreaking debut novel, Will to Power: The Sorrows of Hedgewind.
Our most ambitious endeavor, however, is the Will to Power Role-Playing Game. This genre-crossing system invites players to fully immerse themselves in a meticulously crafted multiverse. Under the guidance of a Game Master, players will forge their own destinies, striving for influence and mastery as they navigate the richly populated and dangerous worlds of Otan and beyond!
Our Setting[edit]
The Lands of Otan[edit]
The saga begins on the grand continent of Otan, a land where the drive for dominance is woven into the very fabric of existence. Our story follows Hedgewind Jalinbeti, a man who finds his life lacking in substance and quality. Seeking to better himself, he ventures beyond the familiar, only to uncover dark secrets that threaten his home and the fragile stability of the entire continent.
As the series progresses, our heroes are thrust beyond the borders of their reality. They find themselves in alien worlds where everything is different—where the Will to Power is no longer a universal law. How will they survive in a universe where their very thoughts and instincts no longer serve them?
Will to Power: The Role Playing Game[edit]
Our Passion: The Art of the Story[edit]
At Will to Power Games, our roots run deep—back to the era of staple-bound zines and hand-painted lead miniatures. We are driven by the raw joy of creation, the adrenaline of a hidden secret revealed, and the unbreakable social bonds that only form around a gaming table. For us, role-playing isn't just a hobby; it’s a lifelong pursuit of the stories that define us.
The Architect’s Engine: The Ultimate GM Resource[edit]
We believe the Game Master is the heartbeat of every great saga. To honor that role, we’ve engineered a suite of tools designed to strip away the burden of logistics. Our dedicated software slashes prep time and automates campaign tracking, handling the "math" so you can focus on the "myth." We’ve cleared the path, leaving you free to do what you do best: lead the story.
Beyond managing the mechanics, the Architect’s Engine places the entire scope of the Will to Power Universe at your fingertips. Instantly summon every person, place, and thing from the archives, from the shifting cultural hierarchies of the Soltustiker to the exact dietary preferences of a Wodaelf hermit... all with a single click.
But your creativity shouldn't be limited by our maps. Our platform is designed for the ultimate homebrewer; every entry in our database is a living template. You can take any established world, strain, or item and forge it into something new. Whether you are re-engineering the gravitational physics of a new continent or simply adjusting the shop price for a coil of rope in a local market, the Engine adapts to your vision. Build your own lore on the foundations of ours, and watch your unique version of the universe come to life.
The Player’s Workshop: From Spark to Legend[edit]
In the Will to Power Universe, your journey from commoner to hero should be as seamless as a well-timed critical hit. The Player’s Workshop is a streamlined forge for character creation. In just a few minutes, you can select your Strain, define your Archetype, and balance your stats to fit your playstyle. Choose your starting powers and step into Otan ready for glory—we’ve handled the complexity so you can focus on the adventure.
In the Will to Power Universe, the "Power" in our title isn't just for the gods or the GMs... it belongs to the players. We’ve integrated a robust Player-Led Homebrew System that turns every adventurer into a creator. Whether you are a Witch brewing volatile, custom-tailored potions, a Warlock stitching together a unique Homunculus, or a Tinker assembling a one-of-a-kind contraption, the Workshop provides the framework to bring your inventions to life.
From forging bespoke armor and weapons to designing the blueprints for your own mighty estates, you have the agency to build your legacy from the ground up. In this world, your influence is limited only by your imagination.
Will to Power: The Novels[edit]
A Trilogy in Four Parts
Book 1: The Sorrows of Hedgewind[edit]
Every great tragedy begins with a heartbeat, and for young Hedgewind, that beat belonged to a princess. He was a boy of no standing, looking up at a throne as distant as the stars. He was told he was unworthy, a word that tastes like ash. But Hedgewind was not a boy to accept a closed door. He discovered he had a spark... literally. A penchant for the flame, a gift for the wizard’s art that burned hotter than his own ambition.
He didn't study the arcane to understand the universe; he honed his fire to become a sun. He believed that if he became powerful enough, the greatest pyromancer Otan had ever seen, he would finally be "worthy" of that first, impossible love.
His journey is a trail of cinders. He fought, he burned, and he led. He rose so high he carved his own nation out of the dirt, dubbing it Jalinbeti. He sat on a throne of his own making, a king of fire and shadow. But here is the first sorrow, traveler: Even with a crown on his head and the elements at his command, the ghost of that little boy still whispers in his ear... “Are you worthy yet?”
But as Hedgewind climbed the mountain of power, he saw what lay at the peak. He began to look past the spells and the steel, seeing the hidden hand of the Divines. He realized that the Will to Power, the very drive that pushed him to conquer and consume, isn't a natural law. It’s a leash.
He started to suspect a terrifying truth: This relentless hunger for dominance doesn't serve the farmer, the smith, or even the king. It serves only the Gods, who feast on the ambition and strife of mortals like it was fine wine.
Hedgewind Jalinbeti set out to win a princess; he ended up discovering that the entire world is a cage, and the "Will to Power" he chased is his jailor.
Book 2: The Fourteenth Rose of Karakat[edit]
The world of Otan has been turned upside-down. The lupine Garis, driven by a predatory Will to Power, have moved beyond their borders to subjugate half the continent. As fallen nations struggle to claw back their sovereignty from the wolf-men, a shadow falls over the sea: the Sewoch have arrived.
Caught between the Garis' iron grip and the alien threat of the Sewoch, the Caliphate of Ontustik makes a desperate play. Hedgewind Jalinbeti finds an unlikely ally in a Divine of the Caliphate, the Fourteenth Rose of Karakat. Together, they combine Hedgewind’s mastery of the arcane with the Rose’s celestial authority to forge the "Ultimate Holy Weapon," a force they believe will finally break the Garis and repel the Sewoch.
But Power has a price. On the eve of the counter-offensive, Hedgewind goes missing, vanished into the chaos of a world on fire. Without his steady hand to guide it, the "Holy Weapon" is unleashed.
It is not the salvation they prayed for.
The weapon’s fury terrifies friend and foe alike, a divine horror that threatens to consume two continents. With the Garis in retreat and the Sewoch in awe, the question is no longer who will win the war, but who, if anyone, can stop the very weapon meant to save them before there is nothing left to rule.
Book 3: Transcendence of Chitin[edit]
On the continent of Ukele, the physical world itself is viewed as a temporary husk. While the Aya Qurilissi of Otan find divinity in the flexible wood of their own bodies, the people of Ukele seek a "Freedom from the Bonds" that transcends flesh and bone entirely.
As our heroes encounter these "Transcendentalists," they are faced with a disturbing mirror: if the Will to Power is the ultimate expression of the self, what happens when the self no longer wishes to exist in the physical realm? The conflict erupts into a war of ideologies—the raw, industrial Will to Power of the Dweorges and humans pitted against the ethereal, soul-shifting magic of those who seek to leave the world behind.
Book 4: Justice of the Divine[edit]
The survivors of the multiversal trek finally return their gaze to the source: the Gods of Otan. Legends say Woden the All-Father created the Aelfes and scattered them to find their own "preferences," but the truth is far more clinical.
If the desire for power was hard-coded into every human strain by divine design, then the gods are not just creators—they are jailers. Hedgewind and his remaining allies must now face a harrowing choice: seek justice against the divine for a world built on suffering, or accept that the Will to Power is the only thing that can challenge a god. The final installment asks the ultimate question: If you kill the gods who gave you your Will, what is left of you?
Short Stories[edit]
This wiki was created both to manage the fantasy world of Otan, while sharing lore about Otan with players in our games. In the future, this site will provide an excellent resource for both players and game masters alike as they learn more about this unique setting. Official Otan rules for our game series, with complete gaming stats, will soon follow.
Of course, elements specific to other games will likely not find their way into the Otan novels, but there may be a crossover in any future published rules to make the lands of Otan compatible with other RPG systems. Our gaming system is planned to become available to the public early next year... and may involve a Kickstarter campaign.
OtanWiki currently has 476 articles.
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