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This is how Sasha, a Whisp, and to a lesser extent other folk in Vintreth view death (for context they're talking about Heaven's Light who is a goddess of Punishment and Life). The other guy is Lev he's the main character or whatever we don't care about him right now

Lev: so if shes the god of Life, then whose the god of Death

Sasha, baffled and confused: why... Would there be a god of death. thats stupid

Lev: you know? life and death? inextricably connected, a terrifying thing that takes us all? eternal catholic agony? not even a guide throuogh the afterlife?

Sasha: The Lord punishes us in life, She levels our sins in Life, there is no need for it in death. She is Punishment

Lev: is there not a big fear of the unknown? 'oh god what happens when we die'

Sasha: why, why would it be unknown? We have five gods to tell us every few generations upon the Day. they have Nephilim to speak their truths to us, even if ive never met one or met someone who has, they still exist as a vocal piece for The Lord(s)

Lev: so youre just... cool with it. no worship ceremonies or begging forgiviness

Sasha: death is sad, we mourn the pain and loss. but there is no need to ask the gods for something they can not do

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Bug would be a much better figurehead for The Rot if he was just a little more understanding

He's so resistant, 'oh but it's killing me' 'oh but I lost my leg' 'oh but it could affect my little sister' okay? Pussy. Have you considered that it's beautiful, have you considered how joyous it is to taste the mold. What if that's just how the rot shows love. What if its perpetual spread is just little kisses. Mayhaps it's using your dead flesh to nourish the plants you're so intent on destroying, did you ever think of that??? No. No you didn't. My god does nobody think about the benefits

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In relation to Whisps, different kinds of Revekhi can coalless into one person, overwhelming them and pretty much turning them into a different person. Whisps are not allowed in armies or rich kid magic schools for the reason that if they get too near masses of dead, they'll just cease to exist as the person they were completely, since they cant expel that much Revekhi in the time before the moon goes down.

Revekhi doesnt form ghosts, its usually eaten by Wandering Souls before it can do much. however, if enough sentient grade Revekhi of a similar kind is in the same place, it can form Null Fields. (similar Revekhi would stem from similar NS, so people with similar personalities or who've been to the same areas, like a brigade of soldiers for example) they're like live grenades to a Conductor's senses. its nearly damn impossible to manipulate NS, well, Revekhi is just that taken a different form, when a bunch drifts together and a Conductor touches it for weaving, they can just fuckin die. on the spot, no preamble.

This is pretty common, because its a common celebration to use a dead enemy's Revekhi for a light show after a win, or as a morale booster after a loss. kinda vicious but its just how some folks go about things. Basically, if you think youre grabbing the Revekhi of one guy and it turns out youre grabbing at the edge of a Null Field, youre fucked

Since weaving, esp en mass like in armies, strips an area of its strings, people say its just cosmic retaliation that people die trying to use strings for weaving instead of leaving them alone. i just think thats funny since 'cosmic' retaliation can imply something with gods and the gods are very supportive of getting rid of aether strings Actually.

Null Fields are very pretty, like auroras of interlocking strings

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I am sisyphus and explaining the concept of Arynthrite is my boulder (literally)

"they're like magic bomb rocks, knotted aether strings solidifying into rock due to a catalyst made of a similar material to krasvu"

"okay I get it! Like elemental concentrations"

"yeah and also this guy is one. The uh, the guy, he's a magic bomb also"

"what the fuck"

It's it's. Listen I barely understand the concept, this guy Raphael got his Revehki shoved into a Language Arynthrite

Yeah so due to the nature of aether strings being bundles of sensation, it's incredibly rare but if a bunch of strings with similar sensations of a concept are shoved together they can make that concept

Anyway, he's in the rock, he's also inside Lev's neck, and since Arynthrite are like magic bombs they (when in contact with a catalyst) constantly manifest an effect; so Raphael is constantly working as a translator in Lev's neck for anyone in the vicinity (mostly Lev) which is how he's able to splat into a new world and understand what people are saying

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Working brainstorm on my two moon cults

Heaven’s Mind is the second red moon, visible on clear nights. It causes nightmares, and a cult worships them

Moon cult for the normal moon: A section of the Whisps, believe heaven’s light is represented by the moon due to an old mistranslated folktale and fear her greatly. They believe that their condition is a curse from the goddess and will be cured by her if they worship hard enough, they are wrong but she enjoys the attention outside of her usual domain

Moon cult for the red moon: underground in the fulcrum, no one race, they are right in saying that the moon is actually god torturing them but no one believes it. As intunn can interact with them through dreams, it is able to influence and even give power to people; unlike other gods. It has no set rituals or rules, heavens mind sending choppy and garbled orders that followers attempt in vain to carry out. People work themselves to madness trying to fufill incomprehensible orders on the small chance they get it right and are granted a moment of power (that will also more than likely kill them). Its the sunk cost fallacy, living through nightmares to get orders, running around and carrying them out, just one more time to achieve their wish. And of course an incentive from folks trying to get more people working for mind for more chances to understand the quests through a larger question pool. It’s less of a religious mindset and more of a worker’s one. They naturally find themselves in the fulcrum (underground trade network between the kingdom of Luden and the Skiran oligarchy) due to the illicit nature of most quests.

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Hey so you know how plants breathe.I am going to be so annoying about this

If they breath then they can have krasvu and if they can have krasvu then they can have nebulous strings and if they can have nebulous strings and krasvu then I can make them function with animal rules and corrupt them at different levels (animals exist with different aether levels which changes them to different degrees. Think of aether like radiation)

Skira would have so many incredibly magic plants and be so mad about it since they don't use magic culturally but their land is perfect for it due to being old and having a bunch of old strings

Luden wants their plants so bad

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Know I'm fucked when I start making two, entirely separate and entirely opposed moon cults who worship different moons based on two gods who hate eachother

Me when I'm in the red moon cult and someone from the white moon cult talks to me

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Nim'ke Nim'ke Nim'ke. Thinking about them <3 (the desert)

Their skin is thinner than human skin and clear, with black veins. This clear skin allows them to absorb the sun’s energy and convert it into poison, they show a lot of skin, but sometimes they overdose on poison. This is easily detectable early on by skin discoloration (or in this case coloration) so it is rare for overdoses to be deadly. The cure is to 'dress like a Skirian' or, put on a lot of clothing.

Children are overly clothed and then progressively interduce to the sun to get them use to the poison to build a tolerance, or, sometimes the opposite, where people 'throw them into the fire' to build quicker tolerance. This is more common among the children of warriors and hunters.

They are some of the best healers in the world due to their knowledge of humanoid bodies (clear skin) and ability to work around volitile material.

Sharing poison between people to build a tolerance to each other is seen as a an intimate gesture, normally seen a romantic, though with how close communities can be the lines blur. Nim ritualistically drink the poison of another to show a bond deeper than anything in the world, beyond romance, sex, or brotherhood, because it shows vulnerability, their poisin is a nim’s greatest defense.

The inside of a Nim’s mouth is void black with red jaggedly sharp teeth around 1 and a half centimeters in length. Their tongues and teeth store a corrosive and deadly toxin. Within moments of contact affected skin will rot and fall off as the poison enters their system, and body systems will fail leaving them conscious and aware throughout until they finally die. Reportedly the toxin can cut through any material and is often sold for a lot of money, especially to Skira and the Fulcrum at full strength. (NOTE: Poison strength depends on exposure to the sun, from garter snake to alien blood).

However, most nim’s poison can only kill after a direct bite, with poisonous saliva and venomous glands in action, indirect contact will lead to skin discoloration and irritation, nails falling off, and fever, while direct contact with a weaker nim’s toxin will cause disorientation, weakness, fatigue, nausea, hair loss and bloody vomit, until eventual death with a high enough direct dose. Though it is still valuable as its effects are some of the most powerful.

Because of their deadly mouths, almost all Nim'ke wear specially enchanted masks that are provided for free by Luden, but are sold in Skira (notably for much cheaper than most enchanted things.) the nim are pretty well integrated with humans ever since the masks were made, normally w/non human species there isn't much discrimination in Vintreth but since nim are related to tricks, they get heavy discrimination by association in some places, so they are spread through deserts, Karkish, and populated cities.

Since their poisons would destroy dishes, Nim eat from floating amorphous blobs with food and drink suspended inside.

They live in Arin Desert. They're as intelligent as humans so they only really hunt like them, often using poison on speartips, in mele going in with a bite when possible is common.

Art, dance, and music are very important to their culture; floral patterns are also commonplace. Nim have few material possessions in case of storms. They wear either shades of black or white depening on their level of poison, with weaker nim wearing black to absorb more heat, and stronger wearing white to ensure they dont overdose.

Fennic foxes are common companions to hunting parties, with entire buildings dedicated to their care. And, large desert cats are much bigger with a need to be hunted around Nim settlements.

Nim worship Fás, and when small villages are built around oasis plants appear along the edges and bottom. This allows for nim food to be extremely spicy since they see using all of the plants as a show of worship, telling Fás her gift is well received.

The Sunstones are a group of six nim worshipped by the nim despite not being gods they were the origional leaders of the first established nim tribes. Favoring jewels and flowers, nim adapted floral patterned cloth (since they can’t engrave buildings due to how often they move) and uncut gems as a form of currency.

Nim’ke are very hard to find due to how often they move, being nomatic, however, they can be tracked down by the large carved temples they leave in their wake; a dedication to both Fás and the Sunstones and the only permenant building they erect.

Every nim wears an uncut sunstone somewhere on their person as a sign of respect to their ancestors, and leaders wear cut, and polished ones to show status.

Nim’ke tribes are generally run by a kingdom style family that controls everything. Each member having a different few things to look over with some overlapping duties; unlike a typical kingdom however, these leaders make sure to intigrate well with the community even as they guide them.

Vistuar Bugs infesting settlements are combated by the use of very sturdy, thick, triple locked doors that are barred at night; as nim settlements are so far apart they cannot warn eachother of the dangers of these bugs, so when one encampment learns to keep them away, the Vistuar move onto another group, and so on. The same thick metal used to make up nim’s masks is also used for their doors.

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Lev's a Sotver, a type of blood-sucking bird humanoid. his origin story changes with the tides but right now I'm stuck on the body he's inhabiting. Lev is originally from Earth, dragged to Vintreth on accident by Heaven's Growth; goddess of reincarnation among other things. He was shoved into a freshly dead body and the life of this body before him is what I get stuck up on. Right now this is what I've got;

he was a popular adventurer (someone hired by the king to explore Chaos Pockets, which are about exactly what the name entails) who put his career for the king above his family, so they made him pick between them and his kingdom when he picked family, his family bound his wings and set him on a quest to regain his citizenship as a punishment and as a way to earn his way back in. he was in the middle of this quest when he died, a pretty easy one, and Lev has to either pick up the pieces in his honor, despite it not being Lev's place, or abandon the quest altogether and lead his own body's family into despair and hatred I like how it makes Lev's; I want to return to earth and the body's old owner; I want to return to my island align, so Lev will empathize with who he used to be and make the decision all the more difficult

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Sasha the scholar without a last name is my sweetest little blorbo baby and also very homophobic due to the beliefs of his goddess; Heaven's Light, who is very homophobic. but he loosens up over time and slowly loses his religion in favor of independence. Sasha never really learned the details of how to deal with being a whisp having grown up entirely isolated. he didn't know how to navigate going on adventures with the group (my other characters) and being able to stay in at night.

it happened slowly, over time, but Sasha started changing little by little as the Revekhi took him over. and soon, he was too far gone with nothing left of the original Sasha. it was a different person entirely, the Revekhi possessing him entirely until there was no Sasha left. he had a cute little funeral and everything, but it just wasn't the same anymore. Sasha had forgotten everything about his former self, he had become an unstable stranger.

i have such a corrupted priest complex and i think sashas agoraphobia plays into that?

its both an actual action (pulling sasha out of his home) and a thematic one (pulling sasha away from his religion) a subset of Whisps believe they were cursed by the goddess of punishment Heaven's Light to loose themselves when in contact with moonlight (in reality its that they only get possessed when its night and theyre near something that recently died) some Whisps think if they just Repent enough and show enough subservience to the goddess of punishment theyll be forgiven (theres a myth where she did something similar to another group)

Sasha literally thinks staying indoors and constantly praying is going to save his life and fix the ailment that's ruined his life from the beginning and yet he still picks my silly little guy Lev over his own religion

GOD I hate him sooooo bad

its like,,, ,,, sasha Chose freedom, he chose love over worship, over fear, and in return his reward is to die? to lose himself anyway? for his fear to be proven entirely true? to get the right message across im going to make sure Sasha goes out smiling with so much warmth around him its sickening. the point is not 'lol look at this loser taking a risk and getting spurned in return' its 'this guy overcame his fear to live well, fully understanding the risks it entails, and died having lived more of a life anyone thought possible'

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Whisps

Whisps are vessels. they are pretty similar to humans but with a few key differences. Generally on the surface theyve got greyer, thinner skin, more sunken features, and totally white eyes. when the moonlight hits their skin (werewolf style), a reaction occurs where the layers open up  into visibly pocked and porous skin. Well, Revekhi clings to porous materials like I explained, so while it tries and fails to penetrate other organisms' skin, it can get through a Whisps at night. 

The Revekhi 'possesses' the Whisp and transforms their personality responding to whatever the organism’s Rev was.

by the morning, their skin closes up. normally by then a Whisp has exhaled all the Revekhi, if they havent then their personality changes to a degree depending on how much Revekhi was left.

E.X. a guy called Steve is a Whisp. Nightime comes and Steve's skin turns porous. hes near the place a sunflower recently died; its Revekhi cloud is still lingering. The cloud absorbs into his skin. His personality is now a caricature of pure, euphoric joy. as he breathes through the night, he breathes out Revekhi. By the time the sun is coming up, he's exhaled most of the Revekhi into his aura (Aura = NS). but, theres still a little left in his system, and his skin closes up. now hes a bit happier forever. 

Back n the day, Whisps developed in caves like Orykto (rock people).  Except unlike Orykto, they had caves closer to the surface. while Orykto developed specifically for cave dwelling, Whisps only got the 'there are less strings underground' part of caves. they didnt have krasvu for awhile due to not being affected by aether strings for awhile (note relating to last q: different races have different concentrations of krasvu, those exposed the most to strings have the most, those exposed the least have the least as a very general rule of thumb)

so when Whisps started to breach the surface and die immediately, their bodies evolved pores to take in whatever it could; which used to be aether strings, but the more natural krasvu they'd develop, the less strings from the atmosphere they'd need, so this ended up being Revekhi. its basically a leftover evolutionary adaption, except since it keeps functioning in some way, it isnt going away.

why only at night? Whisps originate from the furthest west reach of Skira called Karcedon, where big Whisp-Killing Rhin’kis also originate, and Rhin’kis only come out during the day, so the pores open at night, the moonlight thing is a superstition, but also very accurate so its near impossible to completely discount (yeah he was inside away from the moon, he didnt absorb any Revekhi > he wasnt near anything that died recently) 

When someone wakes up as a different person, they get a funeral (sometimes they retain memories, sometimes they dont (the funeral is very confusing to the new person)) followed by a party sort of like a baby show if it was for adults after being born. closest relative or friend/partner explains what happened if its a woman, or just explains how life works if its a man. 

there are shops the equivalent of Costcos for Whisps; buy in bulk all in one place, medieval supermarkets. There's an occupation called 'Runners' where all they do is get things for rich Whisps, like a personal servant but a bit cheaper. those who cant afford Runners/are in an area without any for hire/need something a Runner cant get, go out in one big shopping run during the day. most never go out at any point after 4pm just in case

its a sort of stereotype; the pale sunken Whisp. not just because of their genetics, but because of their lifestyles. Also there are Whisp taverns, which allow people to stay more nights than normal taverns 

a good majority of Whisps, especially down south closer to Zentoth, worship Heaven's Light (like Sasha) goddess of purity and punishment. even though its not her domain, most Whisps believe her also to be the goddess of the moon. it goes like this: Whisps did something horribly and irrevocably bad (varies from place to place what they believe it was) and their porous skin is a punishment for it, a generational curse. 

some Whisps think if they're subservient and religious enough they'll be forgiven, others think its kindness that's the key since she's also very close to the god of honor, others still think thats all wrong and you should actually be railing against her for doing such a thing; the sins of the past are not ours to bare etc…

those who embrace their porus skin are viewed as a sort of radical minority, a subculture almost

so, some races are predisposed to different aether types based on where they stem from, The greatest part of being a Whisp is the ability to wield Nebulous Strings! (well, NS in the form of the Revekhi possesses them but they have a similar effect)

While with other races, using magic is like flexing a muscle and learning a skill, for Whisps its all about will power and the ability to maintain autonomy (lots of meditation involved) through the process of being possessed Very Slowly over time. because its so slow, almost all Whisps discount it as not useful entirely. i would too tbh, i could never have that sort of self discipline.

Also, sometimes Whisps can actually reach a level where they can manipulate NS beyond whatever Revekhi is possessing them.

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Vocabulary!

Vintreth has a name for just about everything, it can get overwhelming. Here's where you'll find the building blocks of the universe, as well as my tagging system. Spellcasters n' Such

Conductor: Someone who can see and manipulate aether strings Specter: Someone who can see but not manipulate aether strings Before Rising: B.R. Before the gods ascended and left Vintreth due to the invasion of aether strings, when mana existed After Rising: A.R. After the gods left, when aether strings took over Vintreth: The planet

Magic System

Krasvu: Krasvu is a naturally produced jelly-like substance created inside every recorded organism and certain porous materials. In things able to breathe, krasvu is released with exhales. This is only really important for the general populous in specific situations, but Conductors can weave krasvu into spells. When exposed to open air, krasvu immediately breaks down into gas from its usual jelly form, either dissipating or being pressed into aether strings to create spells. Physical Aether Strings: (mostly just called aether strings): Aether strings are strings invisible to common folk and connected to all physical objects, manifested from raw aether in the air. They relate to the environment or humanoid impact. The longer an object stays in one place, the more numerous and thicker the strings get, strengthening with age. These strings cause visceral feelings in Conductors (smell, taste, touch, sight, sound). The sensations of a string are made by the history of its surroundings, all of what makes the strings what they are is felt when someone tugs on them. when combined with 'krasvu', manifesting effects, both depending on the kind of string. Nebulous Aether Strings: When a person exhales and krasvu is released, some of it naturally binds with the surrounding ambient aether and clings onto the person's skin. This is Inactive, Passive, and only helps people acclimate to their aether-filled environment from birth as well as affects what happens after death. 'Aura' is when a Conductor weaves a spell, there is a leftover film at the moment when 'krasvu' escapes, clinging onto the Conductor. This is made up of the sensations and ideas the Conductor used most in the spell; creating a broader image of them. The more a caster weaves spells, the stronger/more numerous the NS get. Conductors use these to identify and profile one another.

How to Cast a Spell: Conductors can manipulate Physical Aether Strings, basically, when Aether Strings are intentionally combined (not naturally converted) with krasvu, the strings manifest effects based on whatever kind they are, and whatever sense is chosen for manifestation. The strength of the effect depends on both the amount of krasvu invested, the amount of strings, and the age of the strings. Ways to combine krasvu and aether vary wildly from person to person, some people have to be laser-focused on one sense of aether, pushing krasvu ‘into’ it, others just will it to happen and the spell is cast.

Weaving: Using large-scale spells, lots of strings Threading: Using small-scale spells, few strings Revekhi: After an organism dies, it can't produce NS anymore so the strings begin to detach and form into Revekhi as it ages. This cloud of Revekhi, which had different properties than NS, lingers where the organism was. These strings dissipate after a few days, to a few years, depending on how many strings the organism has. Another thing important to alchemy, Revekhi clings to porous material. Smaller organisms’ Revekhi has strings with the emotions of nearby travelers (animals, people). While bigger organisms’ Revekhi has strings with emotions dependent on the type of organism. Main-ish Characters Lev Ramone: Also known as Leviathan Raemos, when he's lying. Our main character sometimes! A type of vampire-bird person. He's from earth, taken to Vintreth though a godly mishap and the connection between most characters. Raz Heu'raz: Imp/geologist who's constantly getting beaten nearly to death with a horrific life (got locked in an underground ice cave full of volatile explosives for most of his childhood). He slowly improves his prosthetic arm and gets less cynical with time. His glasses are his biggest weakness, along with his curiosity above survival attitude. Bug (Ascal Zinric): A noble elf with a horrible curse due to being born from a vampire and elf, striking out to find a cure and control the rot that has already taken his leg before the clock runs out. Rosemary Verrat: A really old esurient sailor with a genetic mutation that makes him covered in eyes rather than mouths. He still needs to eat more than humans and most other races to maintain the eyes, but not as much as the average esurient. He’s bad-tempered, foul-mouthed, cranky, and very sad. Rosemary is searching for his son, who he lost during a trip across the Tinted Sea. It’s been twenty years; since he was a little baby boy; now he’s an adult and could have gone absolutely anywhere of his own accord. Or died. But Rosemary is a stubborn old bastard and hitched a ride with Lev’s crew so they can guard and guide him through harder areas of the world. Leon (Doc) Lenzot: A chaotically paranoid alchemist. She is searching for a way to end her life so she can continue surviving. She also wears a ridiculous giant purple fur-lined coat with patches sewn in courtesy of various assassin attempts from the Luden king and queen; her parents. Charles Aerosith: Charles: A bard who single-mindedly wants revenge against his sibling. Though presenting a jolly personal Charles is a deeply troubled, angry man. Godwin Aerosith: The sibling, a cult leader in need of validation, willing to take over the world to find it.

Tagging! Tags are formatted as 'vintreth-thing' I'll mainly use vinteth-character, vintreth-race, vintreth-magic, and vinreth-land to start though I might add more specific tags depending on which way the blog goes. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!