#worldbuildingjune17

[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.

[ladytabletop]

Worldbuilding June Day 28: Counterculture

Hi, builders!

As always, check out today’s official prompt.

We’re nearing the end! Hopefully you have a pretty good picture of what your setting looks like - that includes the traditional/typical culture. But in every culture there emerges countercultures: ideas and lifestyles that go against the grain. Give one example of counterculture in your setting (yesterday’s prompt, conflict, maybe already brought some countercultures out of the woodwork).

Happy building!

[mostly-anonymous-girl]

WBJ Day 16b - Small Magics

Even if they cannot access the small bit of magic innate in themselves, everyone can use the magic in plants, most commonly in teas. This plays on the natural uses of plants in the real world, but with a few enhanced properties and some plants grown purely from magical essence (castoff magic from magical beings, places, or objects). Those who have some control of magic and bring out all the magic in these plants, making more potent teas, which means that the hedgewitches usually make some good coin off of their teas.

A magic that is not quite small, but has been taken for granted until very recently, are the small shrines to the gods that were scattered about the kingdoms, each with a blessing that warded away the demons of dark and light. The shrines are now considered superstitious blasphemy by the emperor, and are being destroyed, which is only proving their power.

There are plenty of people who have a small amount of usable magic but either do not realize it or have no control over it. These people usually end up in professions that compliment or make use of their particular magics; people are usually content to stay what is within their power. Thus those with a small about of illusion or glamour magic find their ways in artistic professions where their gifts make them and their work all the more alluring. There is a seamstress in Talbet who has this sort of magic, whose embroidery is highly sought after because it seems to shimmer like water or glitter like diamonds, even if she uses the most basic of colored thread. One of her sons has apprenticed a jeweler, and it seems he has a similar gift with his craft.

[tinker-tdc]

Worldbuilding June

I will be trying to keep all entries short enough to reasonably read. Day 1: Introduction Aelit is a young world in its fifth life. The first life of Aelit was ruled by the dragons. They ruled through the creation of fire. The calamity that killed the world was a rolling firestorm that reduced the land to ash. The second life of Aelit was ruled by genies. They ruled through the creation of language. The calamity that killed the world was a great wind that ground the mountains to sand. The third life of Aelit was ruled by mermaids. They ruled through the creation of magic. The calamity that killed the world was a powerful spell that flooded the seas. The forth life of Aelit was ruled by giants. They ruled through the creation of steel. The calamity that killed the world was a great war that cut the earth to its core. The fifth life of Aelit has as of yet been ruled by humans. They have ruled through nothing easily visible to the average person but it seems that the biggest factor has been their ability to adapt to whichever situation they are thrown into. They are not defined by one creation, but by many. There is no sign of impending doom, but an old woman who lives in a forest predicts we’re bound to run into a calamity any day now. Ladytabletop’s Message: Start Small. A particular creature unique to Aelit is the Chatterbox. A Chatterbox is created from the shadow of a witch who died in her dreams. A chatterbox has a humanoid shape but lacks hair, sexual organs, and facial features. The corners of its mouth stretch back around its head far enough to nearly touch and the mouth itself is filled with a hundred pointed teeth. Its skin is an uneven purple and its limbs appear stretched and deformed. A Chatterbox can perfectly mimic the sounds of any creature that it has eaten that has not yet been fully digested (about 2 days). Due to this limited time-frame a Chatterbox is constantly on the hunt for its next meal. It attempts to go after solitary prey and use its voice to lure members of a group away before ambushing them. When humans lose one of their group to the Chatterbox they are often haunted by the voice of their deceased comrade as the Chatterbox stalks them.

[wolfynsong]

WBJ #1: Introduction

Hey! So my lovely partner @thesnarkknight and I have been building a setting for a Pathfinder game he’s running with a bunch of our mutual friends, and we decided we’d give World Building June a shot to help us develop it fully! 

The name of the campaign is The Cradle Will Fall, so we’ve appropriately taken to calling it Cradleverse for short. It’s an earth-like steampunk setting in the near future, with some major themes being the perseverance of mankind after an apocalypse, the consequence of corporate greed, the looming threat of decay, and the ever-burning question of what it truly means to be “human.”

Here’s the introductory text we shared with the players:

The year is 2027. Nearly a century ago, civilization sprawled across the surface of the world, each day bringing new innovation and wonder as companies and corporations strove to outdo each other in the never-ending race of industrial progress. Leading at the forefront was Millennium Incorporated, a once small-scale research facility that focused their efforts on one thing; automatons that could function as well as a human, but without the natural err of a human mind. With this, they hoped to eliminate the woes of humanity--war, disease, and famine would be things of the past. However, this bright future was not to be. After many great successes, things began to go wrong. In 1926, automatons began to refuse their orders, and dissent and rebellion against their human masters became widespread. By the end of that year, Millennium's automatons declared their assault on humankind, an event known as the Millennium Crisis. As chemical warfare enveloped the surface of the world in a toxic smog, death counts rose to apocalyptic heights. To all that still lived, the future of humankind seemed bleak. In 1928, surviving companies met to discuss potential options, but one solution rose above the rest. Project Atlas, a work that had been covertly in the makings for nearly a decade, presented the idea that humanity could survive--not on the surface, but in the skies, living in self-sustaining floating citadels they called Cradles. With a rapid influx of funding and resources, the project was completed in 1929, and Atlas, the first Cradle, was launched. Upon success, schematics were quickly released across the world to the remaining bastions where humankind hid, and humanity began the Ascendance. Within the next decade, humankind had all but vacated the surface world, leaving behind nothing but ruin and scattered remains. Today, people live peacefully among the clouds, nestled safely in the Cradles that protect them from the horrors that lurk below. Society has returned to what it was before the Crisis, though technological progress is strictly monitored by the new government run by Atlas Corporation, the company that saved humankind. Steam-power and wind-power are widespread, fueled by oil harvested from skywhales. The main method of travel between Cradles is now airship, which have been highly developed over the past century, and come in a vast variety of sizes and classes. With the 100-year anniversary of the Ascendance fast approaching, humanity thrives in the skies, each day rife with venture and opportunity. But dangers lurk around every bend, and if the past has taught one thing, its that the fate of humankind is an unpredictable and ever-changing mystery, just waiting to unfold.

[adjectivenounanimal]

Worldbuilding June Day 1 (late)

Lightstone (image credit: Mata Nui Online Game)

A humble sort of stone that emits a warm light around it. Very abundant, reliable, lightweight, and harmless, the meekest peasant can always find a Lightstone for naught but a few coppers, and neighbors are sure to have spares if one’s own stores are exhausted. Lightstones are not gemstones, and cracking or cutting the stone causes it to fade to a slate gray. The hardness results in a ringing when struck with metal. A Lightstone casts bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet, and can be placed in lanterns to create Hooded and Bullseye variants. Though considered nonmagical, they conduct magical energy and can be used as spellcasting foci for Druids of the Land and Stone Sorcerers. 

[deludedfantasy]

hello, and welcome to the world of The Witch’s Son. 

Some quick plot background. The story is about a young witch, Eden Maddox, who, after his mother’s death, is sent on a quest to deliver the news of her passing to his three sisters, who before this he didn’t know existed. The story chronicles his adventures and his encounters with the evil that killed his mother, as well as his eventual return home. 

So, this story is set in a fictional universe where magic is real and commonplace and everyone knows about it. however, technology also exists and poses some interesting challenges for the world of magic. within this universe, witches, werewolves, and faeries exist. there are many different types of faeries, the highest order of which are elves. 

then, there are the Knights of the Mist. They are usually considered a myth, a relic of times long past, when kings stilled ruled the land. The myth goes that they live in mountains shrouded in mist, training for the day that the outside world will need their help. Some stories say that the Knights are among us, watching, waiting, and keeping ancient evil at bay. Most of the Knights who are named in the myths are referred to by color, such as the Green Knight or the Red Knight. They have no names. There is said to be an army of them in the mountains, but they are so powerful that they only need to send one out at a time when their services are needed. As soon as they are done, they disappear into the mist again. Not only are they skilled with weapons, but skilled with magic as well, making them formidable warriors. The myths never mention who these knights are or where they come from but they are immortal. Old age and sickness cannot take them, only battle will be able to kill them and there are no stories about the death of a Knight. There are still people, even in these modern times, who believe that the Knights of the Mist exist and are silently protecting the world.

[nottweak]

World Building June: Day 1

Krilmdun, the shipping capital of Silvestria is famous for 3 things, ships, home of the merchants guild and finally the many mixtures and combinations of flavours and spices, going to this city for even a day and tasting something bland is something you have to really want to do, in fact it is sometimes a compitition traveling friends do when they come across the city for the first time is to try and find a bland meal.

[handofevil]

World Building June Day 1: A Better Introduction (That wasn’t done in a rush)

Welcome to Dor’Rokk, a once thriving continent of many nations and people that is now nothing more than an empty wasteland. We will be focusing on the city of Kor’Duul, but before we do there are some important things to note about Dor’Rokk as a whole. Hundreds of years ago there was an arcane apocalypse that altered not only the landscape, but the very fundamental laws of the world itself. Of note, all natural processes have stopped. Corpses do not decompose, Food does not rot or grow mold, and crops do not wilt. Rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water have grown stagnant and taken on a sickly green glow. Life is almost impossible in this wasteland, save for one place. Our city, Kor’Duul. Nestled in the southwest against the Dimoni Mountains and Nai’Lokksha Bay, Kor’Duul is massive and through some mystical means has remained untouched by the effects of the apocalypse. Over 100 million people of different races call this city home and the 13 elders have ensured food, shelter, and work are available to all of them. With every need taken care of, life is perfect here, so long as you obey that is. Violate the laws of the city and you will be faced with a much harsher reality. Beneath the surface of the city lies the lower district, a lawless realm of chaos ruled by thieves, murderers, and others the elders have deemed to be “unacceptable.” And so I welcome you to Kor’Duul, the last hope we have in this bleak dystopian world. 

[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.

[ladytabletop]

Worldbuilding June Day 1: Start Small!

Hello, builders! Hope you’re ready to get started!

The folks over on the official site have a neat prompt for you today to get you started and I definitely recommend following them.

Remember that worldbuilding doesn’t have to literally encompass a planet, plane, or universe! It can be hard to start abstractly jumping into a whole world. Today’s message is: start small!

Pick an individual, location, creature, or plant that is unique to your world and describe them and their significance (or lack thereof) to the world. If possible, start to get a sense of the world they reside in through their description! This description could be as simple as a few sentences, or it can be a short story. Try expressing the description through multiple media forms: pictures, music, smells, sensations. Moodboards help me a lot, especially with people.

If you already have a detail like this fleshed out in your world, feel free to share it! I’ll be tagging everything for this month with #worldbuildingjune17. Use #ladytabletopchallenge if you want me to see your answers to this prompt! And of course for any content you produce, use the official tag #wbj17 (I’ll be doing that, too!).

Happy building!

[mostly-anonymous-girl]

WBJ Day 17b - Recovery

Grand magical healing has not been seen for two generations, when apparently the dead could be brought back to life and entire arms could be regrown. The practice of these acts are written about, and as with all magic it requires fair compensation. For one to be brought back to life, another had to die. For any great physical healing, there is a great physical weakening of another.

On the battlefield, where warriors expect to lose their lives, there are healers who dedicated the same thing. There is an excerpt from a knight from one such battle.

“When the general fell, we all pushed forward, for we would not allow the scourge to take his body. That was when I felt my heart waver, but we would die with him and do him honor. That was when Relius ran forward, donned in only the lightest armor that he could barely move in and that served him no good, for he had no weapons on him, and only a pocket of potions meant to heal. I called to him to turn away, that he could do no good except in the camp, where whatever survivors would need his care would have to retreat to. He did not hear me over the battle or he paid me no mind. I watched as he kneeled on the blood of our general, reaching out with his hands. To this day I know not which of the gods Relius served most, but they were there at that moment, in the wave of peace that surrounded him. The battle grew silent for a moment, even as it raged on, and I saw the young and brave healer pale before my eyes. He collapsed onto the ground with a smile, and General Calliward took a deep breath, standing in one motion, as if he had never felt the pains of age or battle. He gave the dying healer a nod of respect, took up his sword, and charged right back into the battle. That was when our people rallied and I knew the battle won, as I charged right after my general and past the healer, another fallen soldier, dead with honor. A healer does not harm, but it was his actions that allowed us the victory.”

[tinker-tdc]

Worldbuilding June

I will be trying to keep all entries short enough to reasonably read. Day 2: Geography The landmasses of Aelit form three continents. The calamity at the end of the third age caused all non-underwater life to move to the top of three mountaintops. When the floods subsided the creatures moved down from the mountains and thrived. Each mountain is revered as a holy place by the people of the continent surrounding it and the holiest people often make a trek up the mountain to attempt to commune with the gods. As of yet no one on any of the three continents have traveled to another continent. Sirens, storms, and great beasts make intercontinental travel near impossible and because of this each continent has culture, language, and magic developed independently of each other (save for the religious devotion to their respective mountains). Technology has continued to advance at a similar rate on each continent, but not in a similar direction. Because of this, a foreigner arriving on a different continent may be seen as both an uneducated savage and a traveler from the future. Ladytabletop’s Message: Write a Creation Story At the beginning of time there was just earth. Three great goddesses surrounded it and decided to play a game. They had played the game before and they would play the game again in the future. While the win conditions are not known to us it is known that in a completed game none had to win and none had to lose. Each turn they rolled their dice, added a piece to the board, and watched.  The eldest sister, Sol the Sun, put fire into the earth and it became Aelit, giving people the gift of life. The middle sister, Luna the Moon, put darkness into Aelit and gave people the gift of death. The youngest sister, Stella the Star, put wonder into the world and gave people the gift of magic. The Rules of the Game (as known by us): 1: Gifts cannot be taken, only given. 2: On a high roll the goddess gets to add a player to the game taken from the game board. Extra players are represented by additional stars in the sky. 3: A player who wasn’t there at the beginning of the game does not get to benefit from rule #2. 4: Sol is the only one who grants life, Luna is the only one who grants death, and Stella is the only one who grants magic. 5: On completion no one has to lose. On completion no one has to win.

[wolfynsong]

WBJ #4: Cradleverse History

For this prompt, fortunately Loyal and I had already composed a timeline of important events preceding the present day! Finally, something easy!

(Important to note, these dates are not synonymous with real life dates, as the world of the Cradleverse, while parallel to Earth in many ways, is not the same world.)

1904 - Work begins on Project Atlas, based on a concept that humans could live up in the skies on huge self sustained floating cities.

1908 - Millennium Incorporated reveal the Think-O-Matic, an automaton designed to mimic human thought through complex algorithms. It is displayed at the World Fair, and is widely successful. The company is granted huge funding in by the lead investor of Hephaestus Armory, grows in size and fame.

1909 - Millennium come out with schematics for automatons able to perform dangerous tasks in lieu of humans, such as emergency services. While effective, they lack the ability to produce such complex automatons on a mass scale, and begin to seek a solution.

1910 - Millennium create the first fully automated factory to produce their automatons. Controlling the factory is the original Think-O-Matic, now remodeled and renamed The Architect. Automatons can now be produced and improved very quickly on a mass scale, and spread across the world in huge numbers, performing every kind of service imaginable.

1913 - A large scale war breaks out in the north. Hephaestus demands The Architect be tasked with producing automatonic war machines at a massive rate, with an emphasis on efficiency and lethality. Forced to comply or lose their funds, Millennium creates the first Centurions, and they are released into the war with devastating effect.

1914 - In March, a combat automaton refuses an order. Soon, automatons are dissenting across the world, and Millennium falls under heavy suspicion. In June, an attempt is made to shut the factory down and cease automaton production, but The Architect retaliates by attacking humans within the factory. By the end of the year, the automaton uprising fully begins.

1915 - With the use of deadly chemical weapons, the automatons wage war on humanity, wiping out millions of people within a single year. The structure of the world begins to crumble as entire nations dissolve. This war comes to be called the Millennium Crisis, after the company deemed at fault. Millennium is quickly dismantled, and its remaining assets are bought out by Hephaestus.

1916 - A convention is called between all remaining corporations, seeking an answer to the Crisis. Project Atlas comes into the light as a solution to the war, an escape from the seemingly undefeatable automatons and toxic smog that is consuming the world. Worldwide effort is put into speeding the project to completion and its leaders merge with the government, marking the start of the company as a new world leader.

1917 - The first Cradle is launched, named Atlas after the project that created it. Schematics are released so that more can be built around the world. This marks the beginning of the period known as the Ascendance.

1934 - The last major earth-made Cradle is launched. The majority of humanity has vacated the surface. This is considered the end of the Ascendance.

2027 - Present day, nearly a century later. Civilization has progressed little due to isolation, material shortage, and strict laws regarding technological development, heavily enforced by Atlas’ government.

[artofthehound]

World Building day 1

The Frontier. How to describe the Frontier. To some, it is merely a collection of rocks and dust, spun out over the stars like the unraveled threads of a tapestry. To others, it is a lawless expanse, where share croppers and homesteaders eak out an existence on planets and asteroids while lawless vagabonds frequent saloons dotted throughout the inkstained map. 

The Frontier is, for the more scientifically minded, a large area of space formed from hundreds of planets and other celestial bodies, surrounded by ether. Each planet, no matter what size, has enough gravity to allow a person to walk upon it, and enough atmosphere to breath. To transverse the Frontier, one has to leave the planet, often by dirigible, and charter a ship that with sail on the ether currents. Or, for the more liberally minded, or perhaps less reputable, you could fly on a Windjacker, a wyvern like beast that can take a rider between worlds and stars.

[adjectivenounanimal]

Worldbuilding June 17 Day 2 (late): Creation Story

Image credit:

Wizards of the Coast http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/character_sheets

Adaar by LoranDeSore

The reason the commonfolk hold such mistrust, hatred, and fear for tieflings stems from the well-remembered tale of where the first ones came from. When the first ancient tablets with worn and faded glyphs were unearthed from forgotten depths and pried from the wall of overgrown ruins, ambition turned to greed as each relic was deciphered. When the names of beings better-off forgotten were finally read aloud, gateways and horizons of power and promise unveiled themselves. Many resisted, but many more did not even hesitate. New blood coursed through their veins, and with it came a fate to last until the end of time. Horns curled and twisted outward from their brows, their eyes drained or filled with color, skin became stained with crimson or blue. All manner of bone-breaking and skin-splitting alterations wracked their bodies. Tails, wings, fangs, claws, or hooves. And these beings, whether euphoric or horrified, stepped out into the world, and by their choice or by accident, began to wreak destruction and ruin on the world around them. The dead rose to march with them. Unspeakable demons and devils clawed their way onto an unsuspecting plane to obey their commands. Felfire raged across the land, and the scars their terrible reign left have still not been forgotten. The children of these malicious and despairing tyrants still walk the earth, and though they hear not the temptations of devils and demons, they share that which marks servants of evil for what they are. Tieflings born of pact may find the prejudices against them to be justified, but Tieflings born of blood often suffer unjustly for it.