#WBJ2017

[badassdanddpics]

World Building June: People and Races 1

The Elven Forests In the mystical forests of the north, dozens of bewildering botany has been created by the gods. This once ice cold tundra has been transformed into a moderate forest teeming with magical plant and animal life. their houses constructed over years of growth of warm-wood tree saplings intertwined provides the most shelter and bio-luminescent plants of all sorts and sizes light their breath taking cities. however, their nature expertise does not end on land. broad cliff sides stand against the northern coast past their boarders and the grand mountains limit the number of ports to the south protecting them from most seaward attacks. with shallow boats that glide over the natural coral reefs no ship of non-elven make will ever have a chance of landing on their mystic shores.

The Dwarven Mountains In the northern tundra even the air is charged with magic. the once sturdy fortresses and marches of the militaristic hill dwarves became almost obsolete when the natural rock barricades began to rise above the earth. Rarely, nearly entire settlements rose with the rocks into the sky cutting off several towns and often creating abandoned ruins untouched for centuries. The dwarves attempted to fix the land ravaged by such strong magical properties by several traditional dwarven means such as alchemy or trying to reduce the magical energies in the air that resided there but no option they choose worked. they instead opted to craft amazingly huge metal chains and fix them to the floating islands to at the very least make things more permanent. In the end, they developed airships of all sizes to reach the isolated places.

Dragonborn In the mountains lie the stout dragon-born, mighty warriors, oracles or mystics that rarely allow outsiders to enter. Building their dwellings out of the sides of cliffs their houses are carved of stone, while steep and narrow stairways act as the main mode of transportation in their dotted cities. within the cities, families of dragonborn often stay in close proximity and view their bonds as absolute. Such loyalty however often causes feuds between opposing families can often lead to bloodshed. when the need arises, they make use of the arena, a wide stone pillar where warriors often fight to the death, either from blade or a mortal fall after being pushed off.

lizardfolk Finally, from the swamps resides the cunning lizard-folk, hunters and man eaters they make use of ritual magics and ambush tactics to keep others out of their territory. Homes in the tops of the swamp trees neatly hidden away out of sight from travelers who dare cross their land. Throughout the ground, hidden ambush sites can be found almost everywhere, allowing them to attack from anywhere or evade any pursuit via water or hidden base. Their cities have no housings, rather they travel through the swamp to congregate and trade often. gold and bartering is both favored between the lizardfolk, who are often territorial sometimes allow trusted outsiders to trade in their cities, but often shun outsiders who often face their wrath. The most dangerous quality of the lizardfolk is their use of voodoo, shaman and tribal magics. passed down through family member, no ritual or spell is exactly the same between different families.

[worldhammerer-old]

Day 5 - Civilisation & Architecture

(Don’t worry [or possibly do worry?], i haven’t forgotten about the History prompt for day 4. I just figured since I’m already pretty far behind, I might as well get to the interesting ones before i tackle the ones that are likely going to be longer, drier, and more involved)

Vuatlieo

In the western deserts of Vuatlieo many live in cave homes not dissimilar to the yaodong of northern China - typically of the sunken-courtyard variety but sometimes dug into the sides of cliff faces, or other freestanding features. Communities of these dwellings have existed in this area for thousands of years, each remaining within a single family that they support. In areas where the water table is too high to support such ventures, homes and other buildings are built of bricks of cut stone or sun-dried mud, covered over with stucco. Sometimes one comes across complexes of earthen homes, storage spaces and workshops build into the undersides of hanging cliffs or shafts dug by humans, connected by ladders and gently sloping wooden platforms - the settlements of the Xwalhabmenet and the Hwalzanmenet, two great peoples of the West prior to its assimilation by Vuatlieo.

In the central areas of Vuatleio, they favor housing made from stone or mud bricks stuccoed and painted in angular geometric designs of purple and green, of red and gold, rich and vibrant colors. Rooms are boxy rectangular prisms grafted onto each other in a  somewhat haphazard way, where two connecting rooms might have very different dimensions including ceiling height based on what the builder intended the rooms to be used for. Most houses like this are built on a single level, with multi-story houses being atypical. When they exist, attempts to correct for the uneven quality of the floor - the previous level’s ceiling - are essentially unheard of, leading to disconcertingly angular lumps in the surface people walk on. The central Vuatlieone folk don’t seem to mind it, though. Almost no home in this style has internal stairs, with access to the roof or to potential other stories being provided by ladders or stairs on the outside formed by successive wooden stakes being hammered into the wall, or by natural slopes of hills or other geological formations that the building may be built into. Roofs may be the same stuff as the walls, supported by internal braces of wooden beams, or may be formed of woven corn leaves and stalks, or of baked or fired clay tiles in imitation of the East. Garden areas or courtyards might be sectioned off through extensions of the walls, enclosing some area beyond the normal confines.

The East and the Northern islands are pretty similar in architectural styles, so they’ll be described together, here. They are characterized by white or off-white buildings of clay or stone or, for certain monumental buildings, marble, built tall and supported by pillars and arches. While rectangular floorplans are favored as in the Central and Western regions, circular or oval shapes are also common and are held to be especially noble. Second or third floors may project beyond the boundaries of the first, and be supported by columns of pillars which signify a semi-private boundary while still maintaining visibility in a way that walls cannot. Stairs can be within or without a building, and as aforementioned, roofs are typically made of red tiles of fired clay, but may sometimes instead be domes of glass or beaten metal. The East being where the Emperor of Vuatlieo resides, and where the Royal Palace and City are, the Eastern style is associated with class and artistic refinement, and thus families or organizations in other regions who have high status, or wish to appear to, may have their buildings constructed in this style.

The towers of Vuatlieone wizards are famous, visible against pretty much any Vuatlieone horizon, majestic and eccentric, drawing from multiple traditions within and without the country, often from styles that only exist within the wizard’s mind. They may see multiple resident wizards over the course of their lifetime (though rarely more than one at any given time), each with their own preferences for how a building should look, and thus accrue a layered shell of balconies, windows, walls of stone or wood or metal. Their main unifying traits are their considerable height - wizards are a secretive sort, who see use in ensuring that their only visitors are those desperate enough to climb several flights of stairs or magically gifted enough to levitate to the top - and the considerable cellars at their base, stocked with the restorative wines and spirits for which Vuatlieo is so well known.

The Vuatlieone chthonic tombs are labyrinthine constructions, some of the very oldest not only in Vuatlieo but in all the known world. Their aboveground portion can be deceptively simple, an earthwork mound in the shape of a  hemisphere or a long wedge or a pyramid, shored up where needed with marble or granite and marked with a devotional stele proclaiming the family or individual the tomb is associated with. An opening will lead to a staircase or downward-angled corridor which invites deeper into the tomb, and into the earth, where the complex truly begins. The dead, in the Vuatlieone folk tradition, are displayed sitting in niches along the walls, or on thrones or benches, or lying in repose on slabs; regardless of the specifics, they are open to the elements and not hidden away from the eye as they decay into skeletons, draped with funerary goods of beaded necklaces, torcs and bangles, and sometimes dressed in a curious sort of armor of beaten copper, or silver, or gold, which would have done little to protect the deceased in life but rather is meant to beautify the corpse, with breastplates that draw one’s eye to the heart, or helmets with elaborate flared headdresses that put one in mind of a peacock’s train. The hallways and open rooms of the tombs are supported by fluted columns. Statues or murals may be present to commemorate the individuals interred or specific evens in their lives, or to act as a focus for prayers to ancestral spirits residing within the tomb or underground more generally. While excavating space for their dead, the Vuatlieone sometimes broke into natural caverns or underground tunnels. While sometimes these were assimilated, in whole or in part, into the structure of the tomb, at other times the architects were content to leave the natural beauty of these spaces be, and would leave them as a vista for the dead and their visitors to view, or even wall them off (though over time not all of these walls have remained).

Along the eastern borders, at the shores of the great lakes, the particularly destitute, humble or pious may live in the massive shells of deceased snails which have washed ashore; these are cramped and, in terms of weight, relatively light, such that particularly strong winds may blow them over or even carry them some distance (including into the water, where the resident will likely drown). It’s this lightness of shell that is an asset for the structure’s other use, that of the carriage for carts drawn by aavexhãonon, the large birds that act as steeds and beasts of burden in certain southern and southeastern areas of Vuatlieo, and who lack the strength to pull heavier wooden carts for a useful distance.

Hambry

The buildings in Hambry are overwhelmingly constructed of wood, with sparing use of iron or ceramics or stone for nails, hinges, tile floors, etc. Accordingly, fires are a very serious problem which can cause tremendous loss of life and property damage. However, in most of Hambry, stone is too scarce, difficult to access, or poor quality to be a realistic building material for most people. Use of stone is reserved for the rich, the priesthood, and communal warehouses, these last being built entirely of stone in the hopes that they withstand fires that lesser buildings do not. Somewhat ironically, the main place where stone is an economical building material for most people is one of the poorest places in the empire: the Nivan highlands, up on the slopes of the mountains and the hidden valleys where they make a rough living herding yaks and cattle for their meat and for dairy products that make their way through all the Nivan astral-trail system to be deeply embedded in southern continental cuisine.

In the Nivan lowlands, the thin and scraggly grasslands and black sand beaches that lead down to the steel-grey ocean, many live in villages made from clusters of an enormous root vegetable, woody and bitter, which are hollowed out and then covered with woven roofs supported by short wooden stakes. These are typically one-room, with a hollow in the center of the room for a metal bowl (and insulating cloth between the bowl and the substance of the root) to built a fire for cooking, light, heat, etc. Other housing solutions unique to the region include the discarded shells of snails that the famous great crabs of the Kymnutari Ocean feed on, much like the ones in eastern Vuatlieo, but formed into a large cone, rather than a simple round shape. These are somewhat heavier than Vuatlieone shells, but further held down with magical stones, incised with runes by a wizard, and possibly also restrained by nets nailed into the ground with great pegs.

The kansiuq of the south have mastered the art of defensive architecture; covering their island beaches with rough-cut spiked logs, giving their fortress walls a beard of the same, placing tall towers at the corners of their towns from which enemies can be seen for miles around. The wood used is typically pine or cedar, and not always particularly well finished - visitors or soldiers stationed at kansiuq settlements often come away complaining of splinters. To some degree this is alleviated by wall hangings of furs and skins (the product of the kansiuq diet, in which meat features prominently) which may be painted, an artistic medium of the kansiuq which may convey stories about the Hambric state religion, famous kansiuq and foreigners of history, or naturalistic scenes.

In the Zrii isles, city-fortresses are built in shells of iron and Zrii metal, in the shape of truncated pyramids with pentagonal bases, off of which many semi-open promenades and boardwalks may project into the warm northern waters or along beaches. These can be tightly shut in the summer and fall months in which tropical storms are common. Inside, iron and Zrii metal are still prominent building materials, but also the jungle hardwoods, and soft carved stone. Light is provided by narrow windows in the city-fortress shells, but also by gas fires. Gardens in cup-shaped structures outside the cities were once exercises in patience and continual rebuilding, annually ravaged as they were by weather, but now trade with Vuatlieo for resilient glass in large panes that the Zrii islanders don’t have the technological expertise or facilities to create themselves is much easier (if not much less expensive), meaning that many of these gardens are now greenhouses of sorts.

Szaomngba

Szaomngba is a land of nomadic horse-riders, and so much of their architecture is based around the tent or somewhat more permanent (though still ultimately temporary) ger. The truly permanent settlements that they have make use of the volcanic stone basalt which is plentiful in that place, as well as tuff and the wood of the black walnut tree; roofs of stone, copper or bronze are common, as are domed roofs, which may be ornamented with weathercocks, spires, cupolas, or devices meant to strain the volcanic ash of Red Mountain out of the air and collect it in reservoirs for the residents’ use. These devices may also stand free in the countryside, their ash collected by travellers. Szaomngba mortuary architecture is superficially similar to Vuatlieone practices but differs in a number of crucial ways. The mound aboveground is typically meant to enclose the entirety of the tomb; though in practice most specimens have at least one chamber sunk a significant ways into the earth below. The mound is formed of a frame of wooden beams surrounding a (series of) room(s) built of wooden planks, surrounded by heaped stones packed with earth. 

[pathfuckery]

World Building June! Introduction~!

Okay! So I’ll be keeping a physical journal here each day, and I’ll be transcribing notes from it to post on here each day. I’m really retooling my setting here, keeping only a few things I like from it and scrapping most of the rest! The first thing I need from the setting is a name. I’ve decided on Lorecanth. 

For today I’m going to talk about 3 things: What I want in this world, what I’m Keeping, and The Planar System.

What I want in this World:

-Flat Earth This is actually a staple of my setting that has survived many iterations, and I’m doing something even better with it this time around. I really like a fantasy world where the world is flat though, and you can sail to the edge of it (and off of it!). Golden Sun captured my heart with the Flat Earth charm.

-Diverse Races and Cultures I want to make sure I don’t make every culture based on traditional European fantasy! I’ll have several places in the world, and I need to keep each unique!

-Hunter Association One of two things I’m shamelessly stealing from the world of Hunter x Hunter. As an adventure world full of mystery, the setting of that show is serving as a big source of inspiration! One of the things I’m stealing is the Hunter Association (but probably by a different name? Maybe? Hunter is admittedly really cool, and for a homebrew setting that I only run my games in, I may just use it). 

-Cool for the sake of Cool! Does this need explaining?

-The Dark Continent The other idea I’m stealing from Hunter x Hunter! Not all of the world is explored! There exists a place so terrifying and deadly that only one expedition has ever come back. This is the Dark Continent, and can serve as a really cool place of high level adventures!

-Impressive Tech for Fantasy I want railroads, I want elevators. I want guns. I want steam and magic powered bullshit in certain parts of the world!

What I’m Keeping

I’m keeping two regions from my world. One is getting retooled a bit! 

-Kedada Kedada is a collection of islands near the middle of the world that acts as shelter for many pirates, as well as home to several native animal and aquatic races. Loosely federated by the religion of Distil, whose code demands respect for fellow pirates under her flag. Distil’s will is carried out in the region by the five pirate lords, who act as judges, police, and executioners.

-Farcen A traditional fantasy continent. All nations devoted to the worship of The Seven Heroes in some aspect. The human and halflings primarily run a federation of kingdoms in the south, the elvish tribes roam the plains in the west, the tribes of Bearaxe live in the cold north, the diverse magocracy of Shallia in the northeast, and the mountains in the centerof the continent form the ceiling of the dwarven kingdoms below. The drow used to live on top the mountains, having been banished from their homes by the dwarves, but they have all mysteriously disappeared.

The Planar System

I’ll try to keep this short and sweet. PRetty typical planar system overall, adapted for flat earth. The Feywilds still connect at points (The strong connections being in Kedada and Haishin). The Shadow and Ethereal planes are still overlayed onto the material. The Elemental planes are rings below the world, with fire in the center, earth next, then water, then surrounding it all, air. Surrounding it all is the astral, which forms the heavens that all look up to, the psychopomps the stars, the moon the chief psychopomp, and the sun the great mass of souls waiting to move on to their reward as they are judged. Beyond the astral are all the outer planes.  

[neonthewrite]

Angels

In Muunfel, an Angel is merely the name of a subservient psuedo-species created directly by one or more gods to act as their hand in some way. The somewhat common image of a humanoid with large feathered wings comes from the death god Cel’s usual corporeal form, and not from any particularly notable angels. His messengers do tend to take that form, as well, but there are many other kinds of angels (which, as creations of gods and not of any of the three energies, fall in the category of Mankind).

For example, Cora, the goddess of water, has created angels with the form of a sea serpent. The scales on these creatures can flip, and the undersides are mirrors that sometimes show things that aren’t really there. Sil, goddess of air, has created angels that whisper in the shadows where there is no wind.

Angels generally don’t have free will. They are made with a specific purpose in mind, and even if that purpose is not clear to those who meet them, they do operate on a pattern. Once they have fulfilled their purpose, they tend to develop some personality of their own, but they are still bound to the god(s) that created them.

[adaptivelynn]

Arunes: Day 12 - Fauna

The Cradle Principle suggests that Yggdrasil’s links depend on the type of life, linking Earthlike worlds with Earthlike life while remaining separate from more Earthlike worlds.

Life on Arunes is remarkably similar to that on Earth, with a mixture of mammal-like, reptile-like and bird-like life filling much of the spotlight. Classes include four-eyed mammalian quadroculi, often large, warm-blooded, reptilian pseudosauria, and mammal-like, amphibian mamamphi.

Komak

Komaki are large, ground-based pseudosaurian predators with highly pronounced tusks very similar to the lystrosaurus of Earth. They are extremely agile and powerful, serving as apex predators in the jungles. Tamed and even bred by various nations, their power, agility and endurance make them well suited as courier and war mounts, especially in urban territories and thick forestry where vehicles are impeded.

Sowar

Sowari are very large, avian pseudosauria. These mountain-and-nexus-dwelling omnivores are capable of carrying several times their body weight, making them excellent sky mounts and light cargo carriers, and so they are well-prized by rural civilians and warriors alike.

Koto

Koto are simple pseudosaurian herbivores comparable to Earth’s cattle. While they produce live young and do not lactate, making them useless for both eggs and milk, they are excellent for labor and meat.

Taklo

Taklo are small quadroculi - about the size of a small canid - with a parietal eye and opposable digits. Overall they resemble a cross between fox, squirrel and lemur. In the wild they are predominantly forest and jungle dwelling, and use their senses and agility to safely navigate both treetops and the forest floor. They are highly social, organizing into families called harems, and naturally fashion and utilize simple tools. They communicate using a variety of vocal and gestural cues, and are even capable of learning to reproduce small amounts of common speech and sign language. Due to their flexibility and intelligence they are prized as social and service companions.

Nemapa

Nemapa are mid-sized, quadrupedal mamamphi. As mamamphi they are capable of breathing both air and water and possess mammary glands similar to mammals. Their fine fur stands out among the class, earning them the nickname “river weasels,” and their high pitched, whale-like song has earned the secondary moniker “siren.” In marine society they serve as swimming and hunting companions, and they are highly capable as lifeguards, able to find swimmers in distress by scent and electrical field, using their teeth or claws to grasp them, and using their powerful hinds and fluked tail to drag them to safety.

Hybrid

Hybrids are creatures comprised of a mixture of plant and animal cells, a product of druidic bioengineering at the hands of the ulowa species. These are separated into two categories: Faunatype hybrids are more distinctly akin to animals, and floratype hybrids are more distinctly plant-like.

Jung

Jungi are mid-sized, quadrupedal pseudosaurs developed as a domestic species. Their torsos are covered in mostly insensate succulent leaves that regrow readily when removed. These leaves aid slightly in nutrition and metabolism, but removal will not harm a healthy jung. For reproduction, they lay eggs - sometimes jokingly referred to as true eggplants - and produce a functionally milk-like nectar from a gland hidden behind flap-like structures along the sides.

Tabi

Tabis are small, rodent-like, quadrupedal quadroculi. Known also as flower-rats thanks to their distinctly floral scent, they were developed by an unknown group of ulowa to cope with life in the sprawls. Due to extreme urbanization, pollution in all forms was abundant, and tabis were designed to handle garbage and toxic gasses. The biological processes of tabis are extremely robust and flexible, yet remarkably alien by comparison to any other form of life on Arunes. When stellar radiation is not available to fuel their powerful photosynthetic process, they will supplement or entirely transition to other forms of energy, including thermal energy and even raw ether, allowing them to thrive under any conditions. Tabis exhibit litter-box behavior, isolating their droppings, generally away from active areas.

Reproduction is by far the tabi’s most bizarre trait, consisting of a secondary biostructure akin to a nest that acts as a kind of external reproductive system. This structure, called a “grove,” is seeded into compost piles formed by tabi droppings and collected refuse well away from possible intruders, often in sewers or landfills. Once developed, these groves produce a substance that breaks down refuse and kills potentially harmful microbes, then bud, flower, and fruit with anywhere from four to seven buds developing. This fruit is produced with or without fertilization and contains a hardy, pit-like egg at the center. Once hatched, the offspring will feed on the rich fruit surrounding its egg. Groves are not permanent structures and will deteriorate after all fruits have hatched or fallen.

Domestic breeds of tabi exist, and unfertilized groves are farmed commercially for their fruit. Tabis are also kept as household pets, prized for their friendliness and odor neutralization. Tabis are often humorously nicknamed “living garbage disposals.”

Oddities

Oddities are paranormal entities, often developed from an existing species. Oddities occur on many worlds, but like gods and common spirits, their prominence is proportionate to the etheric exploration of the world’s corporeal inhabitants.

Polycauda

A polycaud is any creature whose etheric development is characterized by caudal overgrowth - larger or additional tails - often believed to be caused by profound changes in the spinal neurons. Pinning down the exact cause for tail-related changes has proven difficult, as polydauda from different species tend to exhibit different powers and neurological changes, and no solid set of causes has been established, although it has shown to be a hereditary trait.

Examples of polycauda from Earth include the Japanese kitsune and nekomata, and the Korean kumiho, but taklo and komaki have also been known to develop polycaudal traits.

Phantoms

Due to the altered spatial topography of Arunes, there are areas that trap deceased ghosts in a layer of subspace known colloquially as limbo, preventing them from passing on to an afterlife. It is also possible for heavily attached ghosts to linger without spatial distortions trapping them. These lost souls are generally unable to affect the tangible world or be sensed by its denizens, but through etheric sense a person may gain a kind of “second sight” and particularly strong phantoms may at times be able to expand their influence to move objects with little mass or establish contact with corporeal beings.

Locations where phantoms develop are called phantom valleys and settlements within them are known for establishing a functional relationship between corporeal beings, astrals, phantoms and other oddities.

Wraith

Wraith are unique entities, perhaps not truly a form of life, but certainly worth caution. These pests exist in subspace as a consequence of the spacetime warping and splintering caused by Gaia during the Collapse. They are known to pursue strong EM radiation and ether, though by more a kind of magnetism than an instinct. Some wraith have been observed to sum up and exhibit more diverse, animalistic behavior, indicating some neurological analog or an emulative imprint of whatever creatures they may feed off of, and it is claimed that on rare occasion wraith may sum up with phantoms - the released yet lingering ghosts of the fallen - to form truly intelligent, sapient, yet parasitic entities.

Wraith extermination is an important job in society, with many police departments implementing specialized extermination branches.

[dysonshellworld]

People and Races

There’s 2 kind of, like, General Shapes and Colors of people in the dyson shell.

Along the equator, where gravity is stronger, everyone is a little meatier. The most common color combinations for people who live on the continent is white/blue/yellow, tho there is a lot of variation and the blue/yellow is more prominent than the white is.

Out on the poles, where gravity is a little weaker, the people tend to be more gracile. They’re taller, longer, and thinner on average than their mainland counterparts, and tend to sport more distinct color patterns, bc travel is a little more restricted.  Dark colors, as well as bright ones like Teal, orange, and purple, are more likely on the poles.

There are some areas where there isn’t much cross-traffic, and of course some big cities that are very much melting pots, but in general the most diverse groups of these guys will be migration groups- the ladies will pick up friends along the way and travel to each others hometowns on their migration loops.

[arthopping]

History

Syd made his way around the camp to join Dani on watch. He frowned at the fire. “I hate keeping that lit,” he said.

Dani looked up at him, then the fire, “Makes it hard to see past camp.”

“And it’s a goddamned beacon,” Syd huffed and sunk down onto the log, facing opposite the way Dani was situated.

“Well, Yeah.”

They fell into silence, watching the perimeter. The night pressed in around them, with cold and unsettlingly bare mountains just visible in the east.

Eventually, and against her better judgement, Dani spoke.

“You still think about them, right?”

Syd was pulled out of his thoughts. He looked over at Dani, understandably confused, “What?”

Dani repeated herself, and Syd stared into the darkness beyond camp for a long time before saying, “Yeah. Why?”

Dani shifted uncomfortably. “Dunno. Just. . Been thinking about it a lot lately.”

“Hm,” Syd grunted, and they were quiet again for a few minutes.

“I always…” she hesitated, half a thought caught in her throat and suddenly regretting having brought it up. She took a breath, and pressed through. “I always thought of it as a bonding thing, sort of. That so many of us lost everyone? But…” Dani stumbled over her thoughts, “Nobody ever talks about it. Nobody ever did talk about it. and, I mean. I know why, I understand why, but…” She hesitated again,  kicking the thin layer of snow on the ground and sighing.

“I just think I would want to be remembered.”

****

Final Absolution doesn’t have, like, a ton of its own history- it shares our world up until about 2007. But there’s lots of very personal history being dragged around.

[homebrewdeviants-archive]

[World Building June 2017: Luxson Cluster] Day 5: Civilization & Architecture

[Day 5 Prompt] 🌐 [Full Prompt List]

The islands of the Luxson cluster are home to a set of widely variant and unique cultures, and therefore architectures. From the sprawling, zone-wide cities of Luxson, with its twenty-one districts and open-air markets. To the neon-lit casinos of Monte, where narrows streets and a rigid caste system rule supreme. Or even the overgrown ruins and temples of Fallow’s Island, where you can hear the whispers of the gods.

The following sections will go in depth on the unique aspects of architectures of the Luxson cluster. And how the cultures of each zone uniquely affect or are affected by it.  

▶ Luxson

Luxson is, essentially, a giant city stretching from coast to coast, divided into 21 districts. Each district has its own particular subculture and function, but each is considered a part of a larger whole.

Contemporary Luxson is a winding labyrinth of wide cobblestone streets and towering buildings in a patchwork of recycled pastel plaster and neon signs. Throughout most of the West, and slowly spreading to the east, is a complex system of piping, meant to carry sound from place to place, or to XXI himself.

A common sight in Luxson is the presence of sprawling, low to the ground open air markets (See illustration). Where people of all sorts come to offer their skills and to see what others have to offer as well. Stalls covered in heavy, brightly colored cloth stretch far and wide, bustling and noisy, these markets are a centerpiece of Luxsonian architecture and style 

Most housing in Luxson takes the form of standardized apartments or otherwise joined housing. Mobile homes, RVs, and trailers are a common sight around the coast and have recently been increasing in popularity throughout the landlocked districts. Most people live in these sorts of joined or portable homes. Rarely will a single family or person own or rent an entire building by themselves unless they are extremely wealthy, or live in the coastal district. 

Another facet of Luxson is its bathhouses, public locations for people to bathe and keep clean. Bath-houses have been especially popular in the more crowded or populous districts, as most apartments are too small to provide a full shower or tub.

After the terror plague was contained, more consideration was put into protecting the populace from future horror and terror attacks. For the most part, this is accomplished by reinforcing new buildings and constructing mass evacuation centers. As well as keeping the population prepared for attacks with emergency drill scenarios. Every day, another novel method for counteracting terror and horror attacks; underground bunkers were briefly proposed but shot down due to a blatant and fatal flaw in the concept. 

▶ Monte

The territories of Monte are ever-shifting, constantly fighting against their neighbors for whatever bit of territory they can take.

The cities of Monte (see illustration) are extremely dense crystalline monstrosities, abundant in enormous neon signs whose light distorts and flashes off of the buildings around them. Advertising the clubs, casinos and oxygen bars, all for the sake of driving the competitive and destructive nature of the De’moneres’ culture. 

The most extravagant architecture is found in the Diamonds’ district, where the most wealthy pool their fortune to build ever-taller monuments to their own power and influence. These monoliths stand among the mountain homes of the most influential families of the island, looming over the lower castes and the less wealthy. 

Hearts’ cities are unusually plain, given the status of those that live there. Often found on the surface levels of the deep mines, mostly managers. For those who live in Hearts cities, pollution from the mine-work below is an over-arching threat. The status of those who live in Hearts cities come from their comparative safety when compared to the viciousness of the rest of Monte, their role in policing Spades mining workers, and the fact that most of the weapons trade is central to their district

The largest cities in the Clubs’ district are found on waterfront property, either at sea or on the largest rivers. There, crystal, bone, and wood are fashioned into buildings distinctly inspired by those on Fallow’s island. Whereas most cities in Monte are distinguished by their glitz and fluorescent, bright flashing strobe lights. Clubs cities are much more sedated. Many of the cities in this unique district are covered in dense moss and air plants with vertical gardens of plants from Fallow’s island.

Spades cities are compact walls of noise and people, densely packed like sardine cans, full to capacity and then twice over. Most spades cities are centered around old mines, be it active or abandoned. The lowest of their society live the deepest down in the mines, where horror attacks and cave-ins are constant threats. While the upper levels do not have the threat of death by Horror, crime is a significant issue due to a lack of any care given by the other castes. 

The Joker Cities are filled with a wide variety of people, either those exiled there because of varying views or forced out from their homes because they simply made the wrong person angry. The structure of these cities is mostly based on old run down Spades mining towns, while towns in the Jokers’ district are somewhat better off than those of the Spades, Jokers’ are often neglected and ignored as an undesirable sort of people. Because of this fact, a few anti-caste groups have formed in the far reaches of Joker territory/ While many of these act in the form of peaceful (for De’moneres) protest, there have been a small number of these groups who have begun to resort to more violent activities, such as public attacks. 

Monte is famous for its casinos and shred farms. Casinos are run by the mob, who rinse you for your money, steal your organs and leave you at the Oxy bar. Shred farms are a structure originating in Monte, which take advantage of naturally occurring shred-conductive crystals. These crystals are on the large scale to make power-plant transformers, and on the small scale to make things like batteries. 

▶ Fallow’s Island

Fallow’s island is the most undeveloped island of the cluster, with much of its land being wilderness, ruins or rural farmland. Most of the development on Fallow’s island is located the western coasts, where spacious port towns have been slowly established over time. However, none of the cities of Fallow’s island come close to the density or height of those found in Luxson or Monte. The architecture of Fallow’s is distinguished by flowing, organic shape and working with nature, homes built alongside trees, or utilizing natural terrain for one or more supporting structures are common. 

Overgrown ruins (see illustration) can be found dotted throughout the island, particularly the hexagon-based constructions that the Comber left behind during their migration to the West. Among these ruins are many temples and shrines dedicated to Fallow. The largest and oldest of these temples and buildings are based on cavities or areas of Fallow’s body that are directly exposed to the air. With complex drainage systems to prevent flooding. 

Most of the buildings on Fallow’s Island are constructed out of stone, living wood, bone, and even cloth. Some regions utilize massive trees that abundant in the area and build their towns among the branches. Walkways and pathways interlacing and interlocking from lower ground to the higher branches. The Multi-leveled towns of the forests of Fallow’s Island are a sight to behold. On the other side of the spectrum, small houses that fit a single family, or natural house-complexes are common. The buildings of Fallow’s island take a step towards the personal when compared to the cities of Monte and Luxson.

A common feature of constructions is that they are all made flexible, moving in sympathy with the slow rhythm of Fallow’s natural breath and movements. While Fallow tries hard to not cause any harm to those who live upon its head, some movement is inevitable. 

[wingedcatp]

WBJ17 Day 26: Art

This is fun because I literally made this junk up! For this prompt, we’ll look into the Mirrorkin Races and their more expressive art forms. While all standard forms of art do, of course, exists in this world. Some feel better comfort in these methods more than others.

Kaykiras are very sexual creatures and love is just as high on their list. They express themselves through dancing. Their culture has a lot of partner dancing for this reason, though interpretative dancing is solo and usually shows themes of love, lust, or separation. Most folks have to ask the dancer about the message behind the choreography.

Ferrcatuns are traditionalists and their art forms stem from old fashion calligraphy, bamboo basket weaving, and even pottery. It takes days to weeks and they put everything into it to makes sure every single one is masterpiece of its own. Craftsmenship like this, and their rice farms, are one of the reasons they are rich in the trade.

Wolfkins are all natural born singers. Singing is big part of their culture and is used in every event. During the Tsukuyomi Festival, singers band together to do their howling for the Patron Angel. It’s more like acapella with wolf howling. It’s considered to be difficult and a big deal for anyone who pulls it off. 

Minrocas are the best storytellers and with that, they write the best books. In their lands, there are caves in the sides of the mountain slopes where they paint the walls like a tapestry of their people. Using that and magic, they create visuals with their story telling, enrapturing their listeners with all the emotions tied into the story. Think of it like 4D movie.

[badassdanddpics]

World Building June Introduction

The Creation of an Unnamed World

          As the first elements formed they combined to create the world forms the first life. The first dragons, beasts of primal nature and imbued by the different aspects that were used to create this world towered above their modern ancestors. These terrifying beings composed of pure elements bore many things; teeth of lightning, claws of acid, scales of stone or wings of fire. However powerful, there was one, the dragon-mother Tiamat who's power remained unmatched even by the best of these ferocious beings. In the beginning, the world was truly hers. Brutality and savagery became the rule of the land, leaving only those who were worthy were fit to live.

          Born after the world cooled and the oceans flooded from the plane of water, creatures of epic proportions began to claim the sea as their own. Known as the leviathans, they conquered the dragons for domain of the sea. The first beasts born of all elements, their shear durability was enough to overcome the dragons of pure primal energy. Their massive bodies too big to be supported on land, they settled the the ocean, ready to discover its depths where some remain sleeping even today.

          In the chaos of the battles, the first humanoid race emerged; the Highlords, a race well versed in magic and physical capability, began to fight the inhabitants of the primal world for a foothold of their own. In time, their numbers and innate strength overcame the dragons, some even gaining the first sparks of divinity. With this spark, they began to gain significant power as they became worshiped by others of their kind. Eventually, those who had gained their spark were able to create the first lesser beings which they kept as physical laborers. These lesser beings resembled men made of clay, brought to life through the use of powerful magics. Though not strong, their creation set the groundwork for the construction of golems and the use of false souls.

[worldhammerer-old]

Day 3: People and Races

Aoat has a number of sentient species on it; it’s difficult to create a precise compendium of all who share the world because there are many who exist only in isolated pockets in remote locations, and others who do their best not to be found or at the very least recognized as a species of their own. That said, here’s a (non-exhaustive) listing of some of the kinds of people you might find around the rim of the Kymnutari Ocean:

Ksui are muscular feline folk averaging around twelve feet tall. They are obligate carnivores and come with most of the expected cat accoutrements: triangular ears that can rotate independently of each other for improved directional hearing, a proud twitching tail that provides balance and lends expressiveness to one’s demeanor. They have five fingers and one opposable thumb per hand. While by far most thickly found in the Firsthomes - their first home, and only secondarily home of any other species harbored there - they can be found in any place on Aoat with any significant population. Even Hambry, thought to be the human nation if any such thing existed, has a sizeable slice of ksui in its demographic makeup. Their coats come in a number of colours and patterns.

Humans are small (typically around six feet tall), weak creatures built to the ksui bipedal body plan, typically mostly hairless save for impressive shocks of hair on their scalps and, depending on culture and personal preference, beards in a variety of styles. Omnivores, though religion, culture or health may dictate a vegetarian or nearly entirely meat diet. You know what these beings are, probably.

Orcs are creatures from beneath the earth, eight to ten feet when full grown, herbivores who are acutely aware that most other species in the world have no physiological barriers to eating meat, and just as acutely aware that they are themselves composed chiefly of meat. Their skin colour ranges from navy blue, through indigo and violet, through to a sort of magenta, and, in certain cases, shades of green. They have large, floppy ears not unlike those of rabbits, and may be possessed of horns in a variety of styles (rounded nubs, straight spikes, curled ram horns or the ridged curves of the ibex). The deep orcs are subterranean masters of technology, and have carved out a mighty empire for themselves in the chthonic Underworld. The surfacer orcs are what the deep orcs have left behind as a safeguard against carnivore intrusion into the heart of their lands, and they face condescending paternalism from their deep kin while quaking in their boots with us as neighbors. They (often) reside in the discarded reeking swamps, bogs, fens and marshes that others do not deign to call their own, and make a humble living farming fine vegetables and selling deep goods such as naphthalene (essentially, magic gasoline) powered portable lamps and burnished bronze automata in the shape of bulls and other beasts of burden. Orcs have a reputation for being adept at chemistry, draughting medicines, liquors, liquid fertilizers. Due to their herbivore metabolism, they grow weary more quickly and more often than a human would, despite (almost always) being physically stronger, and thus have a number of small meals throughout the day - like a hobbit, say, in the media franchise that hangs over every fantasy writer’s head like the Sword of Damocles.

Mtok are persons who are also birds. Corvids, in fact, of a large size. They were given a power to generate and manipulate electricity long ago, when the world was being made. They can fly under their own power, aided by huge wings and hollow, brittle bones, and indeed have a number of flying cities - huge mobile arrangements of woven reeds and strings and all manner of things that individual mtok have found and surrendered to the good of the city. At any given time these cities have a significant portion of their population given over to the arduous task of keeping it aloft, with rested and fed mtok taking over for the ones who are too fatigued to carry on. A few times a year these cities make landing outside of other, larger cities built on the ground - sometimes landing in said cities if they have fashioned an appropriate cradle in which the city may rest. Then, a brisk trade starts up of goods and services - many mtok turn to the arts of wizardry, given the meditative nature of their flightpower-lending labor corvée, but they also have among them their share of smiths, of weavers, of lapidaries and scribes and lensgrinders and cooks and chandlers.

Kobolds are reptilian folk who are perhaps of a height with ksui, though often so hunched over or otherwise postured that estimating their height is difficult. They were deliberately made by the dragons, in an ancient war, from the dragons’ own essence, cast to be soldiers and fight against the forces of order in the world. Now, the dragons are nowhere to be seen, and the kobold feel no particular obligation to their memory. They can swim for hours underwater without drawing breath, and spit lances of strange energies in times of dire peril. While they lay eggs, like mtok and goblinfolk do, a kobold egg can be left unattended for decades and then returned to and, with the appropriate attention, still hatch a viable kobold. Kobold lineages are thus difficult to trace, and many times great kobold houses will exchange eggs as a show of goodwill and allegiance to each other. They are better suited to warm climates than cold ones, and wet climates than dry ones.

Goblins are really three species that share a common ancestor, though when people who have any awareness of goblins at all hear the word, it’s typically the red goblin they think of. These nomads journey along the deep roads under mountains, bridging the Underworld and the surface. They have a long, narrow beak for fishing and for snatching insects from tiny gaps; huge, reflective eyes; clawed hands and feet; and a loose covering of feathers and needle-like quills. They love spicy foods and at each stop along their great roads they plant gardens of chilies. They stand as tall as a human, roughly, about six feet. Next most common (or at least, most prominent in the eyes of non-goblins) are the black goblins or white goblins, depending on who you’re talking to and at what period in history (’white goblin’ was for a long time the preferred term, but has been being phased out over the last few hundred years). These muscular beings have blunted, almost square beaks and scaly armor over much of their head, shoulders and chest. They stand thirteen to fifteen feet tall. They hail from the snowy wastes of the far south of Drokkstang, on the borders of Hambry and Belkharoz, and mostly eat penguins, seals and the meat of the ironwood tree nut (they use the shards of the shell in their arrow- and spearheads and as flanges for their maces). The green goblins/water goblins/kappa are amphibious in nature (in that they thrive both in and out of water, not in that they bear a close resemblance to amphibians) and are most commonly found in the open waters of the Kymnutari Ocean. They bear a deep resentment for ships that are passing through waters they apparently consider to be theirs, and have been known to form parties to climb up the sides of vessels and attack the crew (or at the very least, steal supplies and cause a ruckus). While mute, they have a language (probably many languages) of hand gestures and other bodily motions - history tells of sailors who learned to communicate with them in kind and enjoyed passage unharried (or probably only less harried - kappa are no more a monolithic entity than any other sentient species of Aoat and favor with one does not necessarily mean favor with a whole or any other individual within that whole) but the language seems immensely complex and linguists often would rather study languages with less hostile speakers. They glow a gentle green and stand about five feet tall. Diggings in western Vuatlieo have uncovered skeletal remains of what appear to be a fourth goblin race, the blue goblins, so named for the sky-blue cups and beads that were buried alongside them. They had a curious hollow fluted bone emanating from their skull.

The trolls are towering (eighteen to twenty-four feet tall) herdsmen composed of living stone, migrating from mountaintop to mountaintop with their equally-stony herd animals, who have asbestos wooly coats and udders that drip petroleum. Trolls eat stone, sleep little, and are mostly solitary except for semi-annual gatherings of perhaps twenty at a time.

[pathfuckery]

World Building June Day 9! Religion and Cosmology!

Alright alright alright! Got some fun stuff here today, talking about Religion on Vartak! To kick things off, I will admit that I’m taking inspiration from my current GM, @dndhomebrewandart. In this setting, deities are created out of belief, and it is belief that makes them strong, so for the amjority of religion, it was the believers that came first, latched on to some legend, myth, or tale, and the devotion of those believers created the gods that they worship! 

@ladytabletop‘s challenge fits right in what I wanted to do today, which was describe the pantheons, and since I already talked about the cosmology of the setting in the introductory post, that’s pretty much all I’ll be talking about!

Deities of Velor

Anami and Anagi- The Creator Gods. Not so much worshipped any more as they are regarded for giving birth to all, and for being all.

Itaka- Patron Goddess of Velor. Rules over the law and civilization, and watches over Velor. Is described as an imposing human woman, bejewelled and wearing fine robes, sitting upon a splendid white throne.

Zekent- Lifter of the Poor. Said to watch over the poor and downtrodden in the world. Often described as a middle-aged heavily-bearded dwarf man wearing nothing but plain brown robes. 

Tsuki and Hoshiko- The Twins of Love. Together they rule the realm of love. Their domain encompasses not just romantic love, but familial, friendly, and other forms of love as well. Often represented as twin humans, a young man and a young woman, in flowery Haishinese robes.

Codex- Goddess of Science and Knowledge. Worshipped heavily by the many scholars in the large cities of Velor, Codex is credited for the large strides in innovation Velor has made. Represented by an elderly elf woman, often sitting upon a large tome.

Atrax- God of Death. Said to judge the souls of the dead, and rule over them for a hundred years, before they are sent from the realm of the dead into the Beyond. Said to be represented but a blindfolded human, androgynous, wearing a long black dress. 

Cernos- God of the wild. Said to rule over the cycles of nature, over the seasons, the storms, over birth, and over death. Some even attribute all fate to him. Said to be a large boar. 

Aliya- Goddess of Parties. Rules over the good times, good good, good booze, and good friends. Said to be a youthful human woman, often wearing a short yukata, loud and vibrant in the pattern.

Yotaro- God of art and beauty. The patron of the bards, Yotaro is said to be a large man, dressing in simple robes. 

Kaga- Goddess of War. Said to watch over the Velorian Soldiers in battle, and to bless them with victory. Often depicted as a muscular, heavily armed and armored woman, wielding two large greatswords.

Hattan- The God of Pain. Has a few cults across the country, Hattan calls for murder and destruction from his followers, and is fueled by the suffering of the innocent. He promises life everlasting to those that fulfill his wishes. Depicted as a tiefling man, bound in barbed wire and chains. 

Ryushi- God of the seas. Said to watch over the sailors of Velor in their journey, and to bless the Velorian navy in their duty to protect Velor. Depicted as a large whale, deep in the depths of the ocean.

Jyu-So- Goddess of Torment and Curses. Said to work with Atrax to punish the most wicked of souls before they are sent to the beyond. Witches often call upon her power to curse their enemies, though there is always a cost for beseeching her this way. Said to be a naga woman with two faces, on smiling, while the other many-fanged, agape, and terrifying.

And that’s the Velorian Pantheon! I know there’s a lot there, the Velorians are heavily religious people, and the society is a polytheistic one. People often worship many of the gods, though obviously an individual will worship different gods with different devotion. 

Gods of the Orcs

Unlike the Velorian Gods, the Orc Gods are not personified, but are instead often said to be exactly the thing that they are, and in everything that they are. 

Guruk-Hai- God of war and battle. The only Orc god that is truly personified, said to be a 15 foot tall Orc man, wielding a maul bigger than himself called simply The Thunder.

Asan-Go’ta- The wind herself, that blows across all things.

Kota-Amuk- The big sky, that watches over all, showing many faces.

Taruk’ta- The Rolling Lands, springing forth, and holding life for all

Talulah and Amadyh- The twin waters, those which flow together to form in their majesty the endless water.

Aten Alo- The Miasma of Death, that place where all souls go before rejoining life again, in some new form. (Note: Aten Alo has been rejected by the To’vakt, and they no longer even respect them.)

Wokatana- The mother and creator of the tribes. The spirit that guides orcs from Aten Alo back to the womb, or to a new place to commune with other gods. 

Akareto- Father of all life.

Note: While Necrophiladelphia doesn’t reject the concept of the gods, in unlife they no longer worship any of them. 

And those are the two pantheons of Vartak! Hopefully you all at least found them interesting! :D 

[neonthewrite]

Korvasin Grey Metal

Throughout history, the people of Muunfel have found reasons to fight one another and drive rifts between them. One of the most violent rifts is between the people who can channel magic directly (Tamkind, gods, and fairies) and those who must direct it some other way (wizards and sorcerers, etc).

This fighting saw a turning point when scholars of Korvasin discovered and developed what they simply dubbed “Grey Metal”. This material, created through alchemy, enchanting, and rigorous rituals, can be shaped into almost anything. It is an absolute bane on magic channellers.

When it comes into contact with someone with magic in their blood, it floods them with its own strange, false magic. The afflicted person cannot use this Grey Magic, and are rendered almost helpless because of it.

Grey Metal has been made into chains and manacles as well as weapons. In some regions, it is common for magic folk to be detained using Grey Metal, while in others there are those who lobby against its use at all. The ethics behind its use are often brought into discussion, and many of the naysayers cite some of its more catastrophic uses as reasons to ban it without considering its usefulness:

Manacles made of Grey Metal were used on Trace, Biim, and Fiorebell in the incident that resulted in Fiorebell’s death. The land surrounding the village where this took place still cannot support any growth, and Biim himself received an incurable curse thanks to the way his and Trace’s godly magic fled.

The previous Una of the Fae was shot through the spine with an arrow tipped in Grey Metal. Because she was unable to heal, she spent the rest of her days unable to walk. The Aubry placed a curse on the entire empire of Korvasin for this, and it has yet to recover from it.

Regardless of anyone’s stance on the subject, Grey Metal is dangerous and not to be used lightly in any scenario.

[adaptivelynn]

re: your food post -- Are there any downsides (health or otherwise) to having processed foods so readily available to residents of Arune? What would a typical meal for a regular middle class citizen of Arune be like?

I think a lot of the problem with processed food here in the US is poor starting material quality and extreme reliance on *bread*. Bread is great, but not on everything all the time. Plus that bread has had a lot of its natural nutritional value stripped out to make the flour shelf-stable. All things in balance. And that’s where the reasoning behind the soylent-like rations kind of saves the day.I’d say that yes, there’s a significant downside to the “soylent” rations. They’re basically edible cardboard, and the lack of palatal stimulation is going to do a hard number on the psyche. So, rather than seeing heart disease, diabetes and morbid obesity, you’d see more depression and weight-retention due to self-starving from just having no real desire to choke down another cardboard cookie. Perhaps not rampant, but certainly not absent.For actually *flavorful* processed foods, look at a nation’s agriculture regulations. If you treat your cattle like third-rate product, they yield exactly that, and the resulting meat is inferior in both flavor and health effects. Acceptance of GMOs and meat-bearing hybrids helps things along by lowering the bar a bit on cost and effort required to crank out materials of passable quality. Futuretech(tm) (disclaimer: not an actual company in the lore) helps as well by increasing processing efficiency and decreasing storage costs.---Depending on the region, a middle class meal might consist of eggs, fish or meats, pasta or bread, assorted veggies, cereal grains. There are lots of familiar and strange things to choose from.Sorry I don’t have more to say on *that* subject, but I’m honestly not all that well versed on the typical middle-class meal here in the US.

[dysonshellworld]

Geography

Right after I sort of figured out that the only real way to make gravity happen in the dyson shell that wouldn't require More Suspension of Disbelief than I Was Comfortable With was centripetal force.... it also occurred to me that that system opened up the potential for floating islands, which is My Shit.

I hadn't really done like, a lot of development on them, though, other than just like "idk they're out there on the poles" but as i kept thinking about it it seemed more and more apparent that probably there would be some water out there, too? and I had this thought that water would probably clump around the bases of the islands- and then the water also connects to the actual oceans, bc there needs to be a way that people living on the poles can make it to the equator, so... some kind of boat or submarine is probably how they do it.

This is also the first time i've really had to think about what the interior of the shell looks like at the poles- I didn;t really want it to just be bare metal, so i put in moss. i imagine that it's a mix of mosses and some kind of cell to collect the energy from the 'sun', but i dont know for sure yet.

Anyway, you can kind of see how the poles are a kind of archipelago, and the islands float with a clear view above them of one of the tethers.

[syllic-wyrd]

World Building June Day One: Introduction