#aramis dagaz's worldbuilding

[aramis-dagaz]

I’ll make a more detailed post about this later, but I recently learned that smelting and forging iron takes a lot of charcoal just to heat the stuff, and that involves lots and LOTS of trees (see Isengard in full industrial production from Lord of the Rings for an example of the devastation it causes). Ironworking in the premodern age can literally deforest entire regions.

This raises an interesting idea about iron being a weakness of the fae. Instead of some inherent property of iron or a manifestation of the conflict between nature and civilization, to nature spirits like fairies, even an iron nail is forged in the fires of arboreal genocide. It’s practically infused with necrotic energy.

No wonder the nature gods in Princess Mononoke turn into rampaging forces of death when injured by human-made weapons.

[aramis-dagaz-imaginarium]

Concept: alien species with four or more arms being amazed that a human can hold a sack lunch, beverage, car keys, and wallet while pushing a cart all with just one hand. And that’s at the low end of such capability.

[aramis-dagaz]

Shitpost worldbuilding I made up while watching a friend streaming Elden Ring:

There are technically five belfries in Four Belfries. One of them caught fire and sank into the swamp in '85 and wasn't rebuilt until 2007 (thankfully before the recession hit, though some speculate that some of the funds for the reconstruction came from shady investment strategies). The fifth one is a local construction by one local man who devoted 40 years of his life to building a belfry in the same style as the Four Belfries, and despite being only three stories tall, it's still quite an impressive feat of architecture and contributed quite a bit to the local tourism. It was declared a UNESCO heritage site in 2016 after much petitioning, despite the fact that it's still technically under construction.

There are some who claim that there are actually ten belfries in Four Belfries (including the fallen one and excluding the private construction). These extra belfries are actually a series of seven Limgrave Motors Torrents with their front ends stuck in the ground. This basically a local art exhibit, but they are technically belfries, as they each have a bell in their trunks and there is a small shrine on the premises. Ultimately, though, the Torrent Row serves to help locals identify out of towner pedants.

[aramis-dagaz]

The Achnari

Back in college, I created a race known as the Achnari.  They were based off of the Yuuzhan Vong from the Star Wars Expanded Universe (full disclosure: I never read the novels involving them, I know of them through the Star Wars d20 RPG books) because I liked the idea of weapons and armor that were essentially highly trained, genetically engineered creatures.  Originally they were the primary villains in an unfortunately short-lived 3.5 Edition D&D campaign I ran.  Since then, they’ve softened from being conquering antagonists to just another species in the Firmament trying to make their way through life, some good, some bad, some indifferent.

Now I think I’m going play around with the idea that they are in some ways like the Tyranids from WH40K or the Zerg from Starcraft, only sapient and not mindless creatures that live only to destroy and devour.  Instead, the Achnari are a collective of species that are highly interdependent upon each other.  They need a very specific biosphere in order to grow, reproduce, and survive, so they establish their ecology where they can and create enclaves where they can build a community and thrive.  Environments that are hospitable to humans aren’t hostile to them, they just can’t reproduce and create a healthy environment for themselves that way.

The catch is that many of the species that make up the Achnari ecology are themselves sapient to some degree, and while they are all highly reliant upon each other for survival, there isn’t a hivemind controlling them all.  Instead, they have to direct their societies by establishing governments, some dictatorships, some oligarchies, some republics, or some other system that serves their needs in their given circumstances (or the whims of whoever can persuade or browbeat the rest).

So imagine, if you will, an Achnari adventurer with Achnari-produced (or, more accurately, grown or raised) equipment.  What most non-Achnari would call an “Achnari” is a humanoid that’s not quite animal but not quite plant, either.  Their armor is made up of several nonsapient crustacean-like creatures that attach to their flesh and provide protection in exchange for nutrients from the humanoid Achnari’s body.  Their weapon is more of a snake wielded like a whip-spear hybrid, but is intelligent and is actually smarter than the humanoid that wields them, and probably is the more charismatic of the bunch, but resents that they have to tell the humanoid what to say because the humans they deal with tend to react poorly when a monstrous snake-thing talks to them.  They carry a creature that converts the local organic matter into substances that the group needs, such as food and specialized healing salves.  They too, are intelligent, but very singleminded, not having anything to say (nor any interest to) if it doesn’t involve organic chemistry.  The backpack is...just a backpack created from the leather of a non-Achnari domestic animal, but inside is a creature that is a mass of tendrils that acts as a logistician, though this is just a fancy way of saying that they make sure that the item the rest of the team needs is on top so they don’t have to go sifting through all their junk.  It’s a simple, thankless job, but if you need someone to plan supply routes or even handle the party’s accounting, you’ll find none better (plus it gives them something to do while on the road aside from making terrible puns and prop humor).

[aramis-dagaz]

Naga Banking System

One of the oldest stories about the nagas state that they were originally created by the gods to protect their greatest and most valuable treasures.  While many hold that the nagas still uphold this sacred duty in their mythic homeland, those who live elsewhere established a planes-spanning system of banks for beings of less than godly stature.  Renown for their secure facilities, countless locations, and, perhaps most importantly, their utmost discretion and independence from most governments, the naga banking system is one of the most trusted and widely used among merchants, princes, and common folk.

Anyone can open an account with the naga banking system, allowing them to deposit, withdraw, and transfer money to other accounts at any naga bank or kiosk.  All new account holders are given a naga banking token keyed to their account and a nagapouch wallet they can store physical currency in.  Naga banking tokens can be used at the naga banking kiosks to check the account’s balance, deposit or withdraw funds, and access many other financial services, or pay for goods and services at any shop that also hold accounts with the nagas.  Security consists of a passcode that is entered whenever the token is used.  However, the nagas are very meticulous record keepers, so any transactions conducted with a keyed nagapouch will be recorded.  While the nagas are fiercely independent and will not necessarily cooperate with local authorities if any of their customers use their banking system for criminal activities, they will not tolerate such abuse of their banks and have few qualms about taking matters into their own hands if anyone causes considerable difficulties for them.

Nagapouch wallets act as a tiny bag of holding weighing 0.5 lbs and can hold up to 10 lbs’ worth of physical currency (about 500 coins) in an extradimensional space, but nothing else.  Most nagapouches allow for a simple passcode to be set in order to protect their contents (DC 25 Intelligence (Arcana) check to crack, though specialized tools and other means can reduce the DC somewhat), but an unsettling number of customers don’t even bother.  Nagapouch wallets are useful for those who need to carry around hard currency or prefer to conduct their business dealings without their transactions being tracked.

If a nagapouch or banking token is lost or stolen, they cost nothing to replace, though it will take up to 2d12 hours for a naga banker to procure a replacement.  Cancelling a baking token takes only 1 minute once a naga banker is notified.  Any money in a lost or stolen nagapouch wallet, however, is not reimbursed unless the customer has insurance.

Putting your money into a bank account yields a small amount of money per money in interest paid to the account holder.  Most non-naga-run banks yield around 3% of your current balance (after living expenses are paid) per month, but will cooperate with law enforcement to investigate or even freeze your account.  The naga banks only yield 1% per month, but won’t cooperate with authorities, though they have no problem getting involved if you make business difficult for them.

Securing a loan from a bank depends on the institution you are dealing with.  Most ordinary banks will conduct at least some kind of interview and background check to ensure that you will be capable of repaying the loan, though some are a bit more lax, instead charging massive interest rates to make up for the number of defaults.  Securing a loan from the naga bank is very difficult, requiring impeccable credit and a grueling interview process, but they have the lowest interest rates anywhere in the Lyhali Sea.

Loan shark, 25% interest per month, very few questions asked, though you may be asked to provide other favors and services (typically of the shady kind) if you can’t repay the interest for two months

Average bank loan, 10% interest per month, a basic credit check and interview will be required, legal repercussions and garnishing of income if you can’t repay the interest for two months

Naga bank loan, 5% interest per month, a very in-depth background check and interview required (make sure you have a very well thought-out plan!), suspension of all financial services and backlisting by the naga bank if you can’t repay the interest for two months

[aramis-dagaz]

Gods of the Nine Cities

Names, genders, and domains to be determined.  These are the major deities of the Lyhali Sea region, along which a multitude of other minor gods and powerful spirits ranging from deified ancestors to local nature spirits to servants of other gods.  It’s very rare that a person in the Nine Cities would worship one god to the exclusion of the others except as an act of extreme devotion or due to a significant personal connection.  Typically, most people would offer prayers, sacrifices, and worship to whichever deity is most appropriate for the given situation or in accordance with a set calendar of worship or personal tradition.  There are only two real rules here: 1) give the gods their due where appropriate, and 2) don’t piss off the gods, especially any of the major ones listed here, as their reach is long.

La Kane, god of the sun, light, warmth, and life.  Least demanding of the gods in their rituals and worship.  Spouse of Mahina Wahine.

Mahina Wahine, goddess of the moon, tides, navigation, and fishing in partnership with the sea god.  God of timekeeping and the calendar.  Queen of the stars.  Spouse of La Kane.

The fact that the sun and moon spend a considerable time away from each other each month is not seen as tragic or sad but as a normal part of relationships.  The sun and moon spend time apart from each other during the full moon, and then spend time together during the new moon.  New moons are seen as good times to be with one’s spouse and eclipses are seen as very romantic and embody spontaneous acts of affection and passion.  Eclipses are usually described as the sun and moon momentarily shirking their duties for some intimate time together (“the Sun and Moon are playing hooky for some nookie,” as the irreverent saying goes).  Lots of babies are born after an appropriate time after an eclipse.

Makuekepanuku, god of war, farming, fishing, industry, and the subjugation and consumption of nature in general.  Progenitor of the dwarves.  Taught them everything they know, and other species emulated their success (so the stories go).  Not so foolish as to outright lay waste to nature, but holds nature in their thrall and doesn’t let anyone forget it.

Ahi Pahu, the volcano god.  All volcanoes are sacred to them, but the volcano Quatrième is built on is the physical embodiment or dwelling of this god.  Quatrième relies on them for protection, but it’s less that this god protects them and more the Quatriais figured out how to use this god’s wrath to their advantage and redirect it to invaders instead of themselves.

Makua Kai, the Sea Father, god of the seas and progenitor of sea creatures and other minor gods of the sea.  Usually depicted as a massive whale.

Hokai, god of weather and storms, fickle and destructive, cares not for the creatures of the air, sea, or land, sapient or not.  Tends to get violently offended if directly challenged (never shout “You call this a storm?!”  You will be thrown overboard by the rest of the crew very quickly.)  Typically shown in iconography as a giant moth, and large moths are considered to be harbingers of coming storms and rough weather.

Taumaruopahemo, goddess of death and the underworld, possesses secret knowledge and treasures.  Associated with the naga.  Dour but not evil.  Ruthless by necessity but not malicious about it.  Hunts down lost souls and the undead.  Despises necromancers unless you pay proper homage and she lets you.

Ohiohi, god of forests, farming, fertility, peace, and music.  Teaches more sustainable methods than the god of war.  Obviously in conflict with the god of war.

Pa’ahana, god of machines, order, knowledge, industry, and prosperity.  In short, a god of Progress and Science.  Also a god of leisure in their own way.  Despised by the god of war, who hasn’t figured out how to defeat, subdue, or eat it yet.

[aramis-dagaz]

Current Storyworlds/Campaign Settings

The Firmament: huge, sprawling fantasy space opera magepunk. Contains several subsettings.

- Inpalav: dragon-ruled theocratic aetherfaring republic, strong tradition of merchants, mercenaries, adventurers, and pirates as a result of the Contract War. As much legalpunk as it is magepunk due to one of the dragon-gods being a god of law with a functioning republic serving as her hoard.

- Verraxia: aetherfaring feudal society featuring knights in mecha armor. Wealth and prestige measured by ships and shipping routes than by land. Role of a Roman Catholic church pastiche played by a grand conclave of mages. A bit archaic, very romantic. Biggest export: bored minor nobility seeking wealth and glory because they are unlikely to find it at home.

- The Aetheric South: slow-burn apocalypse in progress in a lot of places, if not outright post-apocalyptic already. Beset by monsters created from the anxieties, despair, and callousness of sapient beings to others found in “advanced” civilization. Typical remedy is to drive them off and let them be someone else’s problem. An aetherscape of bright, glittering cities surrounded by a dark wasteland of death, despair, and unresolved social and psychological trauma. Few outside the region know of the latter. Setting for a campaign I’m developing that’s Dark Souls meets Acquisitions Incorporated, tentatively named Gear Souls.

Allershire: intended to be a classic generic sword-and-sorcery wizards-and-warriors medieval fantasy setting, ended up being a more 1970s/early 1980s-esque weird fantasy with the generic medieval fantasy built on the bones of an Ancient, Advanced Civilization. Actually, make that two Ancient, Advanced Civilizations, one being two factions of aliens fighting to gain control over the artifacts of an ancient race of titans with magic and technology beyond the ken of mere mortals, which may involve aeons-spanning time travel. Said aliens are actually from the Firmament described above. This was supposed to be a simple setting for my niece and nephew’s first D&D campaign. Ah, well.

Jade Coast: alternate fantasy version of 18th century Pacific Northwest, only lightly colonized by fantasy Qing dynasty China. Colonies isolated by massive Three Kingdoms-style dynastic collapse and civil war going on back home. Companion setting to Tempest Realms, the current wigpunk campaign I’m playing in. Originally supposed to be a quick, fun, generic Avatar: the Last Airbender-themed setting idea to test ideas for playing benders in D&D 5e. Oops.

[aramis-dagaz]

In the Nine Cities, the reputation humans have for being able to interbreed with most other species and enthusiastically willing to mate with just about any sapient being is not an inaccurate or completely unfair one.  In fact, at some point in the world’s history pureblood humans effectively bred themselves out of existence, leaving behind countless individuals of other species that can say that they have some trace of human blood in their lineage.  That’s not to say that humans no longer exist, but they are now like tieflings and aasimar.  Every now and then you’ll have two non-human parents who carry just enough human blood in them that they end up having a human child.  This can be a bit difficult for some species, as their human children will have different psychological tendencies and usually shorter lifespans thanks to their heritage.  In human communities, most individuals will manifest some minor trait from their non-human ancestors, such as soft points on their ears, a slightly greenish cast to their skin, somewhat larger canines, larger or smaller than average builds, and even slightly longer lifespans than an average human.

One other effect of the proliferation of human ancestry among many non-human species is the ability for two non-human parents of different species to produce fertile children.  Such unions don’t always produce children, but the possibility is statistically significant enough.

[aramis-dagaz]

The Firmament: Some Basics, Part 2

Resonances Matter may make up the physical being of the Firmament and everything in it, but Resonances are its very essence and soul.  In its most simple form, a Resonance is simply an energy field, made up of heat, light, or other more exotic forms of energy.  At higher orders of energy, however, patterns begin to emerge.  As these patterns become more ordered and complex, Resonances stop merely existing and start actively interacting with its environment.  Some Resonances bond with matter, and at increasing levels of complexity, these Resonances become life, which in turn become minds, and finally, sapience.

Therefore, sufficiently advanced Resonances are the spark of life.  In sapient creatures, many have referred to them as souls.  Those of immense power and consciousness are called gods.

Like any pattern and energy field, Resonances can be observed, understood, and, more importantly, harnessed and controlled.  This is the basis of magic, which all sapient beings hold the potential of wielding, albeit some better than others.  Over the ages, mages have learned to control and manipulate existing Resonances, and even create new ones to serve various functions.

In the Firmament, all living creatures, regardless of their physical composition, magical power, and level of sapience or lack thereof, possess a Resonance that is their consciousness and lifeforce.  Magic creates and manipulates Resonances, and sometimes is able to do so to a degree that it can create a Resonance of sufficient complexity to have an awareness of its own.  Resonances sometimes form spontaneously, especially in regions of powerful, uncontrolled forces, significant psychic events, or in the wake of gods, becoming aether ghosts or bonding with matter and forming elementals that are little more than wild animals.  Mages create Resonances that become autonomous spells, allowing them to perform rituals without their direct action or perform deeds that they would not be able to accomplish directly.  Some even go further and imbue these complex Resonances with vast arrays of heuristics, and even a bit of personality.  These constructed Resonances are bound to physical bodies, creating golems.

And sometimes, whether they were artificially created or arose from the clash and churn of natural forces and nearby sapient thoughts and emotions, these Resonances attain sapience themselves, and thus become their own being.

The Arcs The Arcs are what make aetheric civilization possible.  Without them, many forms of life could not exist and people would be unable to travel the vast distances between motes within a reasonable amount of time or expense.

Arcs are cords of magical plasma that crisscross the Firmament, essentially a permanent lightning bolt several miles in diameter that spans the length of the universe.  They give off vast amounts of light, heat, and other forms of energy, acting as stars for the motes nearby.  This makes them vitally important for both agriculture and energy production, and countries fortunate enough to be located near nexuses where two or more Arcs intersect can make a lot of coin in both trade and exporting batteries filled with raw arcane power.

In order to travel the immense distances between motes, aetherships will travel along the Arcs using devices known as Arc drives.  Arc drives can take several forms, but the most common are several mechanical arms that grab hold of the outer layers of an Arc, basically turning an aethership into a cable car using an Arc as a cable.  While a lot of shipping traffic follows known paths to reach their destinations in a fairly predictable amount of time, it is possible to calculate routes that will allow ships to travel much faster.  However, doing so involves placing oneself at the mercy of fate, for while one would arrive at their destination much sooner than taking the standard route, the path they follow could take them anywhere.  This means that the fastest route between two motes within the same country could take them to the farthest reaches of the wild, untamed Aetheric North and back, or along Arcs through the middle of an enemy nation or other extremely dangerous areas.  These opportunities and risks often prevent merchant princes and admirals from getting any sleep.

Calculating the fastest route is just as much an art as it is a science, and often involves the use of sophisticated and esoteric navigation devices, calculators, and divination magic.  Most skilled Arc navigators also have some talent as seers.

While Arc travel is very common and safe, it's not without its dangers.  Many creatures can use the Arcs for long-distance travel and migration, some of them quite dangerous to even large warships, and many strange phenomena can severely damage an aethership or even knock them away from an Arc, sending them tumbling into the aether at high speeds.  Some of these phenomena are even reproducible via technological and magical means, and are a favorite of pirates and navies who want to interdict incoming traffic.

[aramis-dagaz]

The Lyhali League

Centered around the Lyhali Sea on several large islands.  Founded about 600 years ago.

The Nine Cities Prima, the First City.  Once the grandest of the Nine Cities, now fallen into ruin due to political and economic decline.  Inhabited by decadent undead that struggle to maintain the facade of the glory days.  While not a place most people would want to live (at least not long term), it still has much symbolic importance and prestige attached to it, compelling many to still base their enterprises here.  If you can make it in Prima, you will have a significant advantage elsewhere in the League.

Binarius, The Second City.  The Floating City, supported on a large ship and surrounding flotilla.  Similar to a mobile Venice.  Fairly evenly mixed and integrated population, but high percentage of gnomes and dwarves.  Center of technological and arcane study, but also is the Las Vegas of this setting.  The people here work hard and party even harder.

Tuatoru, the Third City.  Located on an archipelago of small islands within visual sight of each other.  Lots of dwarves live here.  Technology seems to be stuck in the stone age, but the wood and stone are full of magical power, resulting in a society with advanced magitech that rivals that of the elves of Lempea.

Quatrième, the Fourth City.  The Fortress City.  Few buildings on the surface, most built into a semi-dormant volcano and the mines and catacombs beneath.  The walled Old City is the largest surface settlement, with catacombs and defensive bunkers underneath.  Uses the regular lava flows of the volcano as a defensive emplacement.  Designed to be the last bastion of defense for the Lyhali region.  Vaguely French and German.

Lempea, the Fifth City.  Elvish city, old city built in a forest of large and tall trees.  Typical elvish architecture and styles.  Lots of magic woven into everything.  Mostly inhabited by high elves with wood elves living out in the surrounding rural countryside.  Practically medieval in the rural areas.

Senaria, the Sixth City.  Fantasy Jetsonian city with buildings built on tall stilts up to the sky.  Lots of magical items as modern appliances and conveniences.  Little arcane technology beyond what is possible elsewhere, just fancier.  Fantasy 1960s googie aesthetic.  Use modrons for menial/manual labor.

Hiku, the Seventh City.  The Submerged City, home to many waterbreathing peoples such as merfolk and tritons.

A Hocht, the Eighth City.  Not so much a city as it is a valley full of forests and hills.  Home of the Ochtu firbolgs, a druidic conclave dedicated to protecting nature against the rampant industrialization and exploitation of natural resources.  Many of their critics (and there are many) paint them as tree-hugging hippies who spend their time dancing in the woods, getting high off of whatever natural intoxicants they can muster, and completely ignorant of how the real world works.  Truth is, the Ochtu druids know how the real world works all too well, both the natural world and the civilized world of the Nine Cities.  Assume an Ochtu druid is just some backwoods hillbilly and they will completely destroy you with their knowledge of economics and politics.  The Ochtu druids want to present viable solutions and get buy-in from the rest of the League as they know that they will not succeed otherwise.  That said, A Hocht is not above getting tough with anyone who will flout the conservation laws they worked so hard to get passed.

Novena, the Ninth City.  Renown for its high culture and artistic achievements.  Lots of architectural monuments, art galleries, museums, and opera houses.  Strong underground music and club scene.  Looks like a mix of Tokyo and old European cities like Paris, Vienna, and Prague.  One of the smallest cities, trading growth for sustainability thanks to the influence of neighboring A Hocht.  Some chafe under being inside A Hocht’s sphere of influence.

[aramis-dagaz]

The Firmament: Some Basics

The Firmament is an endless void of aether.  Within this void are numerous motes of rock, dirt, and other substances ranging in size from specks of dirt and rock no larger than a human to floating islands to planets, upon which creatures and sapient beings make their homes.  Crisscrossing the Firmament are the Arcs, bands of intense energy that travelers use to voyage throughout the aether.

In many ways, the Firmament is at the center of all of Existence where multiple worlds connect to.  As such, the Firmament teems with all manner of sapient species, and numerous cities and nations are melting pots of many different cultures and peoples.

Travel and trade is reliant upon the Arcs, which form the pathways upon which ships travel from one place to another.  While it is possible for ships to voyage through the Aether itself without the Arcs, such travel would take months, years, even centuries.  With the Arcs, these journeys take mere weeks at most, even though the exact path between any two given points won’t always be the same.  Navigating the Arcs is as much an art as it is a science.

Regions of the Firmament Most aetheric cartographers divide the known Firmament into five major regions based on the commonly-accepted cardinal directions:

- Aetheric Center: The location of the Great City and its immediate surroundings.  There is no particular scientific, geographic, or political basis for making the Great City the center of the Firmament aside from the convenience of having a ready point of reference.  Very heavily and densely populated, though the surrounding aether is surprisingly devoid of significant settlements aside from waystations for the massive amount of shipping traffic.

- Aetheric South: This region has the highest population in the Firmament and is arguably the most developed in terms of technological, economic, political, and military power.  Home to several nations, kingdoms, empires, and merchant leagues.  However, this power comes with a price, and the untamed aether around these countries are crawling with monsters of their own making in more ways than one.

- Aetheric East: Home of Verraxia, once the largest empire in the Firmament, now a shattered collection of feudal kingdoms and petty fiefdoms squabbling amongst each other for power and prestige.  Most known for their knights striding across the battlefield in 15-foot-tall suits of mechanical armor known as ogre armor and a shared culture of chivalry, though the reality is typically less glamorous.

- Aetheric West: A comparatively sparsely-settled region, home to several nations ruled by dragon-gods.  The kingdom of Aten is ruled by four ancient dragons, to whom many other dragons either claim familial ties or otherwise pay homage to.

- Aetheric North: A mostly unexplored region of the Firmament with comparatively few Arcs, inhibiting travel and exploration.  Most maps show it as being a vast, empty space, but in truth there are many undiscovered mysteries to be found there.  Most settlements there are economic ventures to exploit discovered resources.

Technically, there are also the Aetheric Zenith and the Aetheric Nadir above and below the Aetheric Plane, respectively, but most geographers do not consider them to be of any particular significance on their own.  Generally, the Aetheric Nadir is more populated and sees more traffic than the Zenith, with the Aetheric East being the exception.  Like the regional divisions of the Firmament, the Aetheric Plane and what is considered zenithward or nadirward is based largely on convenience and consensus, as there is no gravity out in the Aether.

Planes of Existence in the Firmament In general, there are four primary planes of existence in the Firmament, though many more are known to exist:

- The Firmament: The material realm where all the action happens, at least according to those that live there.

- Volleri, the Dreamrealm: The plane where the minds of most sapient beings go when they sleep.  Volleri is unsurprisingly a very strange and otherworldly place.  While the landscape is notorious for changing between visits and even during the same visit if you aren't paying close attention to it, the realm overall has a fairly stable geography, with certain landmarks, settlements, and native cultures having remained largely the same for centuries, if not millennia.  Moreso than the Firmament, Volleri is often said to be the true crossroads of all Existence, where beings from vastly different worlds can meet and interact with each other.  While most visitors to Volleri travel there by the mere act of dreaming, there are portals that directly connect the waking world to the realm of dreams.

- Wells: More of a category than a single plane, Wells are extradimensional pockets in the Firmament that contain separate worlds where environmental conditions can be drastically different.  Not all Wells are the same.  Some are connected to the Firmament by a portal, some are more or less the same as the Firmament except that the region can only be entered from a particular direction, and others don't have a distinct border but more of a region where the two realies blend together.  Most Wells have a finite size and distinct edges of their space, while others are seemingly infinite, or at least so large that their borders haven't been discovered yet.

- The Esgarion: The Esgarion is best described as a collection of artificial pocket planes created using Esgari, the underlying language of Existence.  Though long and complex arrangements of Esgari sigils, entire worlds can be created, though in practice most Esgarion nodes are simply rooms that can be connected to each other via portals.  While it is possible to travel directly into these nodes, most people simply use interfaces so that they remain in the Firmament.  A lot simpler and cheaper that way.

- Other Planes of Existence: There are many other known planes that are not directly connected to the Firmament like Wells are.  Travel to these planes can be accomplished by powerful magic, permanent gates, or other, more esoteric means.  Most famous of these is the Soleri Pillar, an infinitely tall tower (well, not quite infinite, but that's a topic for another day) that pierces through several planes, including the Dreamrealm of Volleri.

[aramis-dagaz]

A Couple of Vehicles

Lai'ibes Voc Medium Atmospheric Lifter

Named after a large, wedge-headed, flying creature native to Lai'ibes's home country, the Voc medium atmospheric lifter is a utility flier with the ruggedness and reliability the company is famous for.  The Voc is designed as a happy medium between large, heavy lifters and smaller utility vehicles, perfect for private owners who require a large amount of cargo space or for government or corporate entities who require a freight vehicle for which a heavy lifter would be impractical.  While primarily designed to be a cargo vehicle, the Voc has proven to be easy to modify and thus has been used for a variety of roles, many of which Lai'ibes now offers as variant production models.  Common variants include exploration and surveyor models with an expanded sensor suite and bunks for the crew, research vessels with mobile labs, medevac vehicles, and various configurations of armed light support and utility vehicles for military and mercenary organizations.

The primary advantage the Voc offers compared to other medium cargo vehicles is its balance of speed, reliability, and cargo and passenger capacity in an atmospheric flier.  While not the fastest or most voluminous of vehicles compared to others in its size class, the Voc offers the best possible compromise while not sacrificing the dependability the brand is renown for at a price that puts it in the reach of many private individuals.  Combined with an operational ceiling whose limit is that of a mote's atmosphere that allows it to ferry cargo and passengers to and from aetherships parked overhead, the Voc shows that it is not only possible to be able to do just about anything, but do it well.

Lai'ibes Drive Company manufactures a variety of utility vehicles.

Theown Mk 5.5 Ultralight Scout Vehicle "Scout Bike"

Though obsolete in many militaries and long since superseded by the Mk 8, the Theown Mk 5 ultralight scout vehicle remains one of Theown Drive Company's most popular and successful products with an operational history spanning nearly a century.  When first introduced, the Mk 5 scout bike was one of the fastest military light vehicles in existence, and while it no longer holds this distinction today, it remains a fast and nimble vehicle with a proven and reliable design.  Adding to its popularity is the fact that most of its working parts adhere to engineering standards that are still in use today, making the Mk 5 compatible with spare parts produced by a multitude of third-party companies and thus very simple and inexpensive to maintain.  As a result, the Mk 5 (now in its fifth iteration to make it even more compatible with changing standards, hence the Mk 5.5 designation) is now even more inexpensive to produce, lowering its price tag and thus ensuring continued sales.  Aside from minor changes, the Mk 5.5 still resembles the original design when it first rolled off the production line, which gives it an old-fashioned charm and no-frills appearance.  Though no longer used in most modern militaries, the Mk 5 still sees extensive use by mercenary companies, adventurers, and local defense forces on tight budgets.  The original design had an integrated belt-fed medium shell caster, which was removed in the 5.3 variant adapted for the civilian market.  However, Theown never forgot its military roots, and the Mk 5.5 remains capable of carrying a variety of light weapons, from hunting casters to grenade launchers and even light hex-casters (prevailing wisdom and experience strongly recommends bringing the bike to a full stop before firing a hex-caster to prevent losing control of the vehicle while in flight).

Theown Manufacturing manufactures military equipment and light vehicles.  It produces a few small arms under license, but is otherwise not a weapon manufacturer.

[aramis-dagaz]

Creating a Monster: The Vros

I was originally planning on describing the various sapient species of the Firmament starting with a few of the more common ones, but during a long and boring meeting at work I brainstormed a lot of ideas for one of my more unusual, non-humanoid species.  Looking over my notes, I realized that this would be a great opportunity to show how my creative process works.

So without further ado, let us discuss the Vros.

Creative Origins The initial spark for what would become the Vros came from a D&D blog called Goblin Punch, which I highly recommend for its awesome worldbuilding and D&D content.  Goblin Punch is focused mainly on homebrew editions of D&D that are streamlined versions of older editions of the game where most of the fun is making the most out of limited resources and abilities, combat is very lethal, and strange and random curses and mutations force your character to adapt.  Since this version of D&D takes inspiration from its roots, there's a lot of weird and silly Gygaxian and late 70s/early 80s sci-fi and fantasy stuff going on.

One race described in this blog is the spherical wizard, a magic user who is, well, a sphere.  Pretty silly concept, yes, but spherical wizards get a bunch of really interesting abilities and limitations.  For example, spherical wizards don't have any limbs or hands and cannot move under their own power without using spells, but in return they grow larger and gain HP as they memorize spells.  In addition, they also get some thematic sphere-based powers, such as being able to magically compress things such as monsters into spheres and then slam into them like a cue ball.  These powers and limitations are pretty evocative, and they got my mental gears turning.  What would a spherical wizard character be like?  How would they go about adventuring or even just day-to-day living if they are just a living ball that can't move on their own?  What would their culture be like, and how would they integrate into cultures of other species?

Whenever I see or read about something that gets this line of questions going, part of me wants to establish it in my setting so I can explore it.  Having awesome pictures like this one also helps.

So, we have a concept of a species of sphere-shaped monsters who have powerful magical talent and abilities to offset whatever physical limitations they have due to the fact that they are a limbless, living spheroid.

Hmmm, I swear I've heard of a similar idea somewhere else before...

Joking aside, the fact that these spherical magic-using creatures resemble beholders gives us some worldbuilding opportunities.  For one thing, all iconic fantasy creatures and monsters have a niche in the world and narrative: zombies are mindless, shambling monsters powered by evil forces, demons are literally pure evil incarnate, orcs are aggressive barbarians, drow are the evil, sinister versions of the typically good and noble elves, and dragons are nigh-unstoppable forces of destruction that hoard wealth of all kinds.  By looking at the niche of established monsters both in their world and in the narrative, we can find ideas to further explore as well as to subvert.

So what is the niche of beholders?  In terms of D&D, they are generally powerful magic users and egotistical megalomaniacal masterminds that tend toward the rather mundane evil motivations of believing that they are superior beings and deserve to be in charge of everything.  What makes them particularly dangerous is that they have the power and abilities to get what they want.  What makes them iconic are their weird and monstrous appearance and how their magical power works.  What makes them memorable villains is that despite their monstrous appearance and power, they are not too much different from a comic book supervillain.  Take Lex Luthor or the Penguin, make them beholders, and the villain for your next D&D campaign arc is ready to go.

So what can we use from this?  One option is to simply reskin beholders as a race of spherical wizards and adapt them into my world.  Alternatively, we can use the list of traits and narrative roles to decide what we want to keep, discard, or even invert.  Since I like the idea of all sapient monsters not being inherently good or evil, I decided to make them not evil masterminds, but just another species of sapient beings with some inherent magical abilities and perhaps some rather bombastic and larger-than-life personalities.  Unlike the megalomanical, arrogant, and xenophobic personalities of beholders, these beings have a common culture and society or freely integrate into the cultures of other communities with few thinking that this is unusual.

So now we have a concept for a species of intelligent monsters that have magical abilities, physical limitations, and a general place in the world.  That's a good start, but we're far from over.

[aramis-dagaz-imaginarium]

Worldbuilding Advent Calendar 2018: Dec 1st

The Firmament is a vast, endless expanse of aether, filled with motes of land and crisscrossed by the Arcs, massive conduits of energy that provide light, warmth, and, for those capable of doing so, a means of faster-than-light travel.  The Aether is also riddle with portals to other planes of existence known to natives of the Firmament as Wells as most are simply gates to pocket dimensions, though some Wells are large enough to encompass one or more planetary systems.  Many sapient species, such as the Fhalsnir and jinn, can trace their origins to one or more of these Wells, but many nations have existed in the Firmament for so long that their citizens consider themselves natives of the Aether.

While the Firmament is infinite as far as its inhabitants can tell, most are only aware of the known Aether surrounding the Great City.  This region is still deceptively vast, as someone who hops into the fastest ship and tries to fly from one edge to the other without using the Arcs will take tens, if not hundreds of thousands of years just to make the journey, much longer than the lifespans of the longest-lived species.  Using the Arcs with a sophisticated navigational system, a skilled pilot, and favorable conditions, the same journey can be made in a decade or two at worst.

While the Firmament is a vast three-dimensional space with no ready frame of reference for directions, a convention has emerged among the aetherfaring nations that divides the Firmament into seven general regions:

Aetheric Center: The location of the Great City and its immediate surroundings.  While most serons who are not from the City consider this to be another sign of its citizens’ undue pride, the mindbogglingly massive city still makes for a convenient frame of reference for navigation.  The saying that the Great City is the hub of the Firmament is not entirely without merit, as the City does sit at the nexus of many trade routes in order to feed its inhabitants’ considerable appetite for food and other goods.  This region is, unsurprisingly, densely urban, and the surrounding regions that are not part of the City proper are nevertheless figuratively and in many cases literally in the Great City’s shadow.

Aetheric North: A largely unexplored wilderness that seems to swallow up any attempts to explore and settle it, either through serons never returning or any established settlements being overshadowed by the sheer, unrelenting emptiness.  There are comparatively fewer Arcs in this region, making navigation difficult and journeys long.  Entire empires could be hidden away in the inter-arc aether and no one would be the wiser.  Untamed, sparsely settled, and full of mystery.

Aetheric South: In contrast to the Aetheric North, the Aetheric South is densely populated and home to numerous countries and empires.  Life in this region is considered to be stable and generally safe, though individual locations will vary greatly.  Fhalsnir are the most common here, as the Soleri Pillar from which they emerged pierces the fabric of reality here in multiple places like a needle through several folds of the same cloth.  As a whole, the Aetheric South has the most influence on the other regions politically and economically.  Few countries can afford to ignore this region entirely.

Aetheric East: The main feature of the Aetheric East is Verraxia, a large region that used to be a single, unified kingdom and one of the largest countries by territory until it disintegrated into several petty kingdoms and countless other fiefdoms a couple thousand years ago.  Verraxia is largely characterized by its highly feudal society and separation of mages from the rest of the social classes into its own social estate.  By far the most popular image of Verraxia by serons from other regions is that of the bold and valorous knight piloting their ogre armor, 16-foot-tall mechanical golems that serve as a hybrid of suit of armor and combat vehicle.

Aetheric West: A more sparsely settled region compared to the Aetheric South, but more thoroughly mapped compared to the North.  The Aetheric West is the home of both ancient and young countries where dragons and their children, the Firarsians, hold sway.  Many regions are ruled by dragon-gods, some having existed for millennia and others founded fairly recently by young dragons looking to make a name for themselves.  A bit more chaotic than the Aetheric South, but not as much as the Aetheric East.  This is a region where a seron could reinvent themself and find new opportunities without having to resort to living out in the inhospitable wilderness of the North or trying to break into the highly structured and stratified society of the East, though those who are not fond of dragons or who have earned the ire of one will find life more difficult here, though not entirely impossible.  The Aetheric West also has a much higher presence of Kaurathi ecosystems, to the point where in many regions both organic and mechanical life have coexisted with each other for many millennia.

Aetheric Zenith and Nadir: While living in a three-dimensional space means that there are cardinal directions for relative up and down (zenith and nadir, respectively), there’s very little that would distinctly characterize these two regions from the others and are general considered to be extensions of the five described above.  What generalizations that could be made are that the Aetheric Nadir is considered to be a transitive region, as many Arcs are found below the vaguely-defined Aetheric Plane, and that most regions are more sparsely settled zenithward that nadirward except for Verraxia, which is mostly above the Aetheric Plane.

[aramis-dagaz-imaginarium]

One possible difference between demons and devils is how they’ve derived their particular specializations in tempting mortals. Demons are just as influenced by mortal life as they influence mortals, if not more so. As such, species and specializations of demons emerge, mutate, and go extinct as mortals do. It’s very much survival of the fittest in a nightmarish Darwinian struggle, and only those demons who manage to obtain souls through their niche survive. As mortal societies and civilizations rise, fall, and change, so do the demons who prey upon them. Certain sins and temptations display considerable longevity throughout the ages, but the very specific means of parting mortals from their souls vary with time and culture.

Devils, on the other hand, are beings of supreme order. They were there at the creation of reality, and quite possibly were involved somehow. They know how reality operates. They know what makes mortals tick. There is very little that breaks their predictive models. To them, the sins of the past will be the sins of the future. There will never be any new types of sin, for devils already know them all and have weaponized them against all mortal-kind. All extant varieties of devils are the same as they were in the beginning. The hierarchy of devils exist as they are for a reason. Everything else are merely trends to be exploited.

[aramis-dagaz-imaginarium]

Tieflings are popular to play as in D&D and related games, and I strongly suspect that a lot of that popularity of late is due to the influence of Jester and Mollymauk from Critical Role season 2.  I also suspect that influence is also why a lot of the tiefling characters I see art for outside of source material tends to be more on the whimsical side, with lots of cheerful bards and trickster rogues than shadowy assassins and brooding warlocks dancing on the edge of damnation.

Or it could be part of a general reaction against grim, dark, and brooding archetypes.  I see a lot of art on this site of D&D characters who seem like they generally lead happy, well-adjusted lives and look like they spend just as much time carousing with friends in town as they are crawling through a dirty, dangerous dungeon out in the hinterlands.  I find these types of characters rather refreshing and it makes me curious if there is a lot of sessions where most of the action takes place in non-dungeon environments or doing something other than standard dungeoncrawling.

With that in mind, I can see three types of tieflings of different natures and origins:

The first type is your standard fiendish heritage tiefling as described in the rulebooks.  Characters whose ancestors mingled with fiends, passing down a cursed heritage that resulted in an infernal appearance and nature, always feeling the lure of the Lower Planes tugging at their soul and are thus inclined towards evil.  This spiritual taint and connection to the Lower Planes makes them perfect for villains, antiheroes, pawns of darker powers, and examinations of nature vs. nurture and whether one can overcome the sins of their ancestors and many other factors that predispose them towards evil.  Demons and devils look upon tieflings as pawns, footholds in the mortal realm, and lesser versions of fiends that nevertheless have their uses, or at least are the easiest to manipulate due to their connection to the Lower Planes.  Tieflings may fight against their true nature out of rebellion or some foolish ideas put in their heads by other mortals, but they can't escape what they are and must learn to deal with it.

The second type is also fiendish in origin, but the results of mingling demons and mortals after the first couple of generations are not what either demons or mortals ever expected.  Tieflings still retain some of the appearance and abilities of their fiendish ancestors, but the spiritual taint is practically gone.  If anything, tieflings generally tend to be cheerful, outgoing, and possessing a zest for life, even moreso than their mortal ancestors.  The reason why tieflings are like this is unknown.  Perhaps there's something about the mortal realms that interacts strangely with infernal energies, which would explain why fiends require rather esoteric and complex means to even exist there.  Or maybe this is the subtle influence of good-aligned deities upon those that dwell in their creation.  Or it could just be that while mortals and fiends can interbreed, the results of that genetic and spiritual mixing has some very unexpected results.  Either way, these tieflings are no more likely to be evil as any other mortal, though they tend to have larger-than-life personalities and a flair for the dramatic.  Fiends see such tieflings as little more than disappointments, and any demon who attempts to control their wayward descendants are generally mocked by other fiends for their foolishness.  Creating half-fiends from mortals is a short-term strategy at best, not the start of a long line potential pawns.

Following that line of thought, the third type of tiefling are not fiendish at all, but instead have their origins with the fae.  They are not hellspawn, but changelings and those whose line has been touched by the Fair Folk at some point.  The classic look of a tiefling as a watered-down goat demon is actually the manifestation of faun-like physical traits, or because the fae find this look particularly amusing on mortals (if we want to get somewhat Shakespearean here, then most tieflings have features resembling donkeys than goats).  Tieflings also inherit some of their fae progenitors' personality traits as well, which only further adds to the usual mortal confustion that tieflings are of fiendish origin as typical fae amorality and cruel-but-not-really-malevolent behavior resembles demonic evil at first glance.  For tielfings that are of a more malicious streak, they might have ancestors among the darker courts of the Fair Folk and have inherited their disdain for mortals and their silly concepts of morality.  A clever fiend might be able to exploit this, but because of their pride they are more likely to kill anyone who dares to imply that tieflings are the descendants of the Lower Planes in a rather horrible fashion.

It is quite possible that all three types of tieflings exist in the same campaign setting.  Because they all resemble each other in appearance and abilities, they all tend to get lumped under the same term.  Some tieflings might resent this, others might revel in the confusion and exploit it, and others still might simply not care.  It certainly would be a great opportunity to play on player and character expectations.  A party gearing up against a tiefling summoner might prepare for all kinds of demonic opposition, only to find that instead of packing holy water and silver, they really needed to bring a lot of iron and knowledge of fae psychology.  A tiefling of the first type who had been subjected to all manner of persecution in their homeland travels to a country where most tieflings are of the second type, and while they certainly enjoy the fact that they can walk openly in the streets and no one thinks anything of it, adjusting to the local tiefling scene is...complicated, to say the least, as they see the local tieflings as rather silly and overdramatic over nothing.  And a tiefling who is the child of tiefling parents, one of fiendish heritage while the other is a fae changeling, is probably going to have a very, very interesting upbringing.