Let's create a Fantasy World....

[frigidmagi]

Seems alright, I guess, are there any rituals needed with it? Any drawbacks to using your truename as a filter?

I mean why doesn't everyone do it?

[Charon]

Seems alright, I guess, are there any rituals needed with it? Any drawbacks to using your truename as a filter?

I mean why doesn't everyone do it?

Lots of rituals, a drawback to the truename is that it requires a greater amount of will and understanding of magic than most can achieve, and if you fuck it up Bad Shit (TM) goes down. Honestly I've kept it pretty vague because it is a dead form of magic. So much information on it has been lost that it's almost impossible to recreate.

[frigidmagi]

What happens if someone else learns your truename?

[General Havoc]

Lots of rituals, a drawback to the truename is that it requires a greater amount of will and understanding of magic than most can achieve, and if you fuck it up Bad Shit (TM) goes down. Honestly I've kept it pretty vague because it is a dead form of magic. So much information on it has been lost that it's almost impossible to recreate.

... which leads me to speculate that "True Names" have something to do with the lost art used to create the Audemedon.

[Dark Silver]

What happens if someone else learns your truename?

If you go by other fiction, Mage the Ascension and real life Hermetic theory....learning the True Name of something allows you a measure of control over the object. Knowing it's True name could even allow you to kill/destroy the object/person irrevocably (inscribing it's True Name on a paper or a clay tablet, then shatter/burning it).

[Charon]

I was going to say something to that effect. Greater and lesser gods would also have true names. But they are to powerful to be destroyed through the use of just a true name. And there is always the simple fact that it is never a good idea to mess with the gods because they will destroy you hard.

[Comrade Tortoise]

This is my first problem. Buddy, swamp/river/coastal peoples like you're describing don't use mud as a building material because for mud bricks to work, they have to be dry. You got them all but floating here, they're going to collapse from their own weight. My advice to either go boat people like you seem to be leaning towards at times or just do what every other group in the environment does. Build out of wood.

I had forgotten this particular property of mud brick. Editing forthcoming.

No problems with the food production section, in fact I find it very well done. Large snails is weird but this is fantasy you get bonus points for weird. Kudos.

:)

Okay where did this come from? Socialism is the result of centuries of theorization and experimentation, these guys figured it out early why? Also bluntly guilds don't work that way, they're not unions and they don't do civic duties. They're not going to shell out the money for welfare, socialized medical care and etc.

To put it simply I was trying to describe a government system that to my knowledge has never been tried let alone named. IE. the vocabulary was somewhat lacking and I went with the closest analogue I could find to put it into a nut shell.

Government by union might work as a nutshell description. But criticism taken and edit forthcoming to be more clear.

As for Jade, I could pick any semi precious stone.

Reworking of religion in progress. Though to clarify

There are two ways to look at a river spirit. You can look at it as something outside of nature, supernatural if you will. Or you can look at them as a part of it. "If it exists it is by definition natural". The later route is the way these guys look at it. Spirits are beings at least similar to them. They have wants, desires, they can be bargained with etc.

Expect we've established that magic is a decidedly non-natural force. Look CT, magic in a fantasy setting as to be consistent or you bucking SoD. You know this better then the vast majority of people so why are you breaking ranks?

What they view it as, and what it is are different things. I was describing their perception. Not how magic actually works.

There are probably a shit-ton if different magical traditions in this universe, each one makes claims about how magic operates and these traditions probably argue. In this case, magic is considered the sum total of the elements, which includes a 5th element like Life or something. So we have air, earth, fire, water and life.

Instant spell casting!?! NONONONONONONONONO! Overpowered and vastly at odds with the setting! Even the Demigod I wrote up can't do this.

This is linguistic misunderstanding. I was referring to spells of extremely short duration. For example a quick effect that knocks an arrow or volley of arrows off course. As opposed to a ward against arrows which lasts for an hour or more. Not that the spells are cast at the speed of thought.

Additionally when I refer to mathematical abstractions or metaphors, I refer to it not in how magic actually functions, but how they deal with it. They memorize an equation that describes the effect, not the underlying process. So if a mage needed to case a spell that blasts sound in a cone from his hands, his spell would consist of the mathematical description of a cone, plus a sine wave for the sound. He would lay out the angle with his arms, describe the length of a side with a sweep of the tail or a hand motion, then do some move from The Robot to represent the sine wave. All the wh

In other words there is "something" going on in the background that they dont understand. But they conceptualize what they do in this fashion and it works.

I am not sure how they would deal with spirits. But they do so, I just dont know exactly how yet. Probably via some sort of ritual hunt or separate mystic tradition.

On the fly...

Basically they are beyond having the memorize spell-formula.

Think of it like how a skilled mathematician no longer has to memorize equations by rote to do math, but can describe new things he observes with math. It can take a while to figure out what they need to do, but at this point they know enough that if they think about something for a while they can either write their own spells, or think of an effect they want to perform and do it.

They still have to be able to channel the power through their own bodies or through some sort of conduit. If they try a spell that takes too much out of them, they could... you know... die (spell backlash)

[Charon]

Question, I just thought of this and didn't think there was an answer to this yet. Is there a horse/horse substitute in the world? If so, are there several? One native to each inhabited continent? Only native to one continent, if so has it been shipped to other continents or is it jealously guarded for it's advantages in war and transport?

[Comrade Tortoise]

I would imagine that each civilization that has some sort of cavalry would have a species native to their region. At least initially.

[frigidmagi]

Is there a horse/horse substitute in the world? If so, are there several? One native to each inhabited continent? Only native to one continent, if so has it been shipped to other continents or is it jealously guarded for it's advantages in war and transport?

Why reinvent the wheel?

[Charon]

Is there a horse/horse substitute in the world? If so, are there several? One native to each inhabited continent? Only native to one continent, if so has it been shipped to other continents or is it jealously guarded for it's advantages in war and transport?

Why reinvent the wheel?

No particular reason, but I decided it should be pointed out simply because in our world a full half of our continents had no horse substitute until they got spread about by the Europeans. So are we going to use horses or make up a few new ones as well?

[Dark Silver]

I'd say a horse-equivilant, or even Horses themselves, should suffice. The planet has Earth-like Gravity, and tempurature bands...no reason why a horse-like creature couldn't have evolved...

[speaker-to-trolls]

Hi, I know I'm a lowly newb here, but can I offer a suggestion for this project?(honest question, I don't mind if you'd prefer not)

I think that having local differences between mounts would help to add variety to the setting. Horse equivalents would be widespread if there's some way for them to get spread from place to place easily (as they were across Eurasia and America post-colonisation) but in other places you could have, I don't know, larger but rarer animals, like elephants and mahuts in southeast asia, or smaller animals that can carry equipment and maybe pull chariots but not people.

[frigidmagi]

Tell you what Speaker (welcome to the board by the way, glad to see you), why don't you design such a creature for me? Then we can have something in front of us to make a call with.

[speaker-to-trolls]

Capital idea, and thank you, it's good to be here.

Now, I apologise for the florid prose, I was inexplicably compelled to write about these creatures in character (not any particular character, of course, just a character).

The Arlu, which is called the horse of the east* is a stately and noble beast. It is very slim and graceful in its limbs, with a coat that is longer and thicker than that of a horse, but not so thick as to be like the wool of a sheep. Its colour is most often a fine white shade among those beasts belonging to the civilized tribes, whereas the less refined tribes make use of beasts that are of darker and more yellowish colour, and also in general more rugged. Also the beast has a very long and high neck, that has about it a somewhat thicker fur than the rest of its body that is darker in hue, and holds always its head high over the rest of its body. Its head being thin and graceful with very large eyes, attentive ears and a pair of horns that, unlike the horns of other beasts, are flat and like blades set lengthwise into the beasts skull.

The largest of these beasts is around four feet tall from its shoulders to its hooves, and its head can rear some two feet above this point. But as it is very slim it is not so heavy as a horse, nor is it as strong, and it is said that its legs cannot support a man to sit upon its back for a great period of time. However, I have seen that the beast is strong enough to carry a goodly weight in baggage for many miles. I have also seen that those breeds of the beasts bred for war are stronger still than this, and their shoulders are much enlarged compared with other breeds. By this trait, the beasts of war are able to more easily pull the war carts which are used by the eastern tribes in battle. The drivers of these carts are very skilled in their direction, for their beasts are not so courageous as our own horses. Yet their drivers may make them charge towards their foe at great speed, that the archers within the carts may loose their arrows with greater precision. To see the war carts of the east engaged in battle with one another is a most beautiful and artful sight.
-(a western explorer with a romantic view of warfare)
*Name subject to change based on relative location of the creatures and whether or not horses exist.

This idea is essentially a kind of plains-dwelling llama, it's not as big or strong as a horse, and neither is it as aggressive(I can't actually back that up, I simply think that being bred for cavalry action requires more aggression than chariot action, since chariots don't have to make contact with the enemy). It could be more durable over long periods or better over difficult terrain than a horse, though, llamas are related to camels, after all.
This is just an example and perhaps not a very imaginitive one, though I do think llama chariots have a strange charm.

*Edited height to correspond with the fact that height IS generally measured from the shoulder*

[Charon]

Minor note, heights of animals are generally measured to the top of the shoulder.

[frigidmagi]

I like it and approve now saddly I must give you another challenge, you have hinted at a power or powers that use this creature... Write them.

That reminds me, does anyone have anything against the stuff I've written or is it all in?

[frigidmagi]

Since no one has said shit, I'm assuming all my crap is not only good and canon but that my poop smells like roses and y'all are collecting it for sale.

Anyways god suggestion:

Names: The Soft Walker. The Chain break. The Red Hand

God of: Anarchy, freedom, overthrow of oppressors, rebellion, slave uprisings.

Symbol: A broken chain or a bloody handprint.

Status: Outlawed in most states and cities. Even in places where his worship is not formally outlawed it is distinctly unwelcome by authorities and the wealthy and not the done thing.

Organization: There isn't one (God of Anarchy Hello!?!). His worshipers work in cell structures led by a priest and his chosen students. Wandering Prophets are also common and are considered harbingers of upheaval and chaos. The god has a close relationship with his clergy, visiting them in dreams and whispering to them in omens.

Rituals: Cells and cults are to meet once a month at the time and place chosen by the leading priest. Passages are read from the Book Unchained, there are several versions of this book and every priest claims to have had his (or her) copy dictated by the god and plans are made to strike at those deemed oppressors. Interestingly enough the copies that have been found and collected show differences, some minor and major. The main themes remain the same however.

Worshipers dance and chant hymns working themselves into a frenzy in order to experience a trance like state where they may experience anything from possession to an audience with the god.

The most famous ritual takes place as often or as rarely as the leading priest feels is needed. An oppressor is selected and worshippers chosen by lot to accompany the priest in a covert raid to butcher the target in a rather messy fashion (the two most used weapons are chains or saw toothed knives, shovels are growing in popularity for some reason however). The body is never hidden and each killer leaves at least one hand print from a hand dipped in the victims blood on a nearby wall or door usually at eye level. Loan Sharks, Crime Lords, Secret Police Men, Slave traders and Owners, Feudal Overlords, Tax Collectors are all favored victims.

Copy cat killings have occurred and this will spur the local cell or cult to start hunting for the fakes to revenge themselves on. It is generally agreed that it would be better to take your own life then get caught.

Beliefs: The worshipers of the Red Hand are in the main the downtrodden, the low and oppressed. They believe in the god aides them not only to survive their mistreatment but to strike back at those who lay burdens upon them. Only by destroying the systems of laws and government can they be free and safe. The lack of organization makes the relationship between god and worshiper an intensely personal one. Anyone can become a priest if he believes enough and is willing to sacrifice enough. Anyone can call on the power of the god to give them the strength to free and revenge themselves if they call loud enough...


Okay, top that.

[Charon]

Alright, finally got off my ass and finished these guys up. Kainan will be up soon-ish.

The Marad

Physical Characteristics: The Marad range in height from 4 to 5 feet tall, and live, on average, up to 80 years. Humanoid in appearance, they are normally fair-skinned with green eyes. The majority of Marad are entirely bald, though a rare few have eyebrows and a sparse head of hair. The Marad have prominent eyebrows, short bodies, and longer limbs, with their fingers and toes being especially long. They have six fingers, each with four digits and six toes, each with three digits.

History: The Marad were the first of the living sentient creations of the Teleran. Before them there had been automatons and near mindless sterile drones, but the creation of the Marad was the stepping stone towards godhood. The Marad were built as a servitor race, naturally submissive, slow to anger, and slow witted though very bright. They served as lab assistants, secretaries, servants, and menial laborers for the Teleran. Two centuries later, about the time the Kainan were created, the Marad began being bred to be more ruthless and stronger. By the time the empire shattered into kingdoms the Marad were serving as the lower command structure of the armies. Shortly before the empire collapsed a number of Marad revolted against their masters, resulting in the deaths of dozens of high-ranking officials. Many of the rebellious Marad were executed, more were exiled to the shore of the Southern continent. It was in this way that the Marad survived the conflagration that swept the Teleran from the face of the world.

By the time the Teleran were wiped out, the exiled Marad had managed to build for themselves a Republic, having banded together, using their knowledge they had gained from their former masters to build towns that slowly turned into grand cities with a powerful military. Using some of the knowledge of magic they learned from the Teleran, the Marad turned to the gods for guidance and the Republic grew from these efforts. Though they had a small population, the Marad were intensely unified, allowing them to stand above the natives who were fractious tribes.

In the power vacuum that arose from the death throes of the Teleran, the Maradian Republic was one of the kingdoms that rose to prominence, absorbing other cultures into their own. They saw themselves as the lone light of civilization, and felt they must share. Several smaller kingdoms acquiesced, others did not and were absorbed by force. Everything was going well until the Marad re-discovered the Kainan on a series of islands. Seeing their younger brothers had fallen into a barbaric state, the Marad sent envoys to convince their brothers to join the Republic, their advances were rebuffed. A second set of envoys were sent, and returned as headless corpses. Enticed by this display of brutality the Republic went to war, expecting the fighting against unorganized fractious savages to be over quickly. For the first few months this was true, but the risk of annihilation galvinized the Kainan and the deaths of several chieftains removed competition for leadership, the Kainan came together behind one ruler and the war changed. Slowly the war turned against the Republic and under internal and external pressure the Republic shattered as client states split. The Kainan ravaged their brothers' lands for several years before they returned to fighting one another.

In the aftermath of the fall of the Republic the Marad have been divided into two kingdoms, one still holds onto the old Republic, the other is a republic in name only and is in truth a dictatorship.

Society: The government is often the most important part of a Marad's life. They live and die for the continuation and prosperity of the State. This fanatical devotion can be traced back to their origins as servants of a highly organized government. The Marad have, as such, built a giant sprawling bureaucracy that eight out of ten employed Marad work at. Almost all aspects of life are somewhat controlled by the state. All property is owned by the state and loaned out to individual Marad based upon money they pay to the state. The second most important part of a Marad's life is their community, for without a community how can there be a state? Two out of ten employed Marad work within the community. Each States is divided into Regions, each Region into Townships, each Township into Villages. A distant third for Marad is the family, which defers to the opinion of the state. The image of the self has little value in Marad culture. Great heroes are venerated for their contributions to the state but in the end they live for the state.

Military: The Marad maintain a semi-professional army. Military service is required of all citizens, to be served sometime between the ages of 15 and 30, serving for 5 years. The army is generally divided into five sections.

The skirmishers make up the first section of the army and is composed primarily of convicts. Those who choose to serve are granted release once their 15 years of service are done. Not all convicts have the choice of commuting their sentence with service to the military. Those who do not have sufficiently long enough sentences are not allowed, nor are those who have committed crimes considered to be too heinous by the State. Those who are not physically fit or mentally sound are also not allowed to serve. Any skirmisher who attempts to escape are hunted down and brutally executed to serve as an example. New skirmishing units are often led by a skirmisher that is nearing the end of his term. In battle, the skirmishers are rarely counted upon to hold the line against an enemy. They are meant to harass the enemy with ranged weaponry.

The second section is the light infantry, which makes up nearly a third of the army. This section is made up of the poor citizens of the State. Generally these people serve at a younger age and are used to shore up the battle lines, serve as reinforcements, and running down the enemy after battle. The third section is made up of spearmen from the middle-class citizens. These troops are also generally younger and serve as the second line after the skirmishers and light infantry have weakened the enemy. The fourth section is the cavalry, made up of the rich citizens of the State. Well armed and armored, these troops are rarely used directly against enemy infantry, but serve to destroy enemy cavalry, threaten flanking maneuvers, and running down the enemy after battle.

The backbone of the army are the professional soldiers. Armed and armored with the best the State has to offer these soldiers serve for twenty years and are rigorously trained. Many professionals come from the lower class, though several rich military families have sprung up. The professionals are treated as a commodity and generally only thrown into the fight when nothing else has worked.

Religion/Magic: The Marad follow a pantheon of strictly structured deities. Eight deities serve as the major gods, which are headed by Harat, the god of law, order, and the sun. Numerous minor deities serve specific roles, but do not have large followings. The Marad have one of the most structured magical systems with precise rituals and chants as they channel their magic through the power of their gods.

[Cynical Cat]

Just a couple of notes.

One, larger and wealthier guilds often did support charitable causes and contributed to the support of their community. There was, of course, prestige involved in that and it was usually only a small fraction of their wealth but they did do that.

Secondly socialism as an ideology but variants of communism as a way of living is ancient. It usually small scale, like an isolated village or tribe, but it does exist and work.

[Charon]

One thing I took into account is that both the Marad and Kainan are going to end up being slightly odd in the way they work for the simple fact that even if they've had several thousand years to get around some of it, they were still a created species that did not naturally evolve so some things that make sense to us might not come about with them.

[speaker-to-trolls]

OK months ago now Frigidmagi challenged me to come up with some llama charioteer states, I picked it up a few days ago and... well this is a bit rushed and disorganised. I'll try to come up with a more coherent and interesting followup later on.

The Yellow States and the Thanatocracy[/u]
-by Aramis Bluehands of the City of Quirinia

In the northern part of the great plains in the east of our continent the people are organised into many small tribes and nations and make extensive use of the beasts known as the Deer of the East, which are lithe beasts that are strong enough to pull upon chariots but not to bear the weight of a rider. It is a rule that the more civilised states occupy the more westerly portion of the plains, whilst in the more easterly regions where resources are more scarce the peoples become increasingly savage and disorganised.

The far eastern area is the hunting ground of peoples who are known as the brown tribes, who are mostly nomadic peoples and make use of brown haired beasts of low quality to draw their vehicles.

The peoples of these tribes are often prey to the Red States, who live further to the south, some of whom live in cities but many of whom are also nomads, these are a violent people who are named for their custom of decorating their chariots with the blood of their enemies when they ride into battle.
It is reputed that the people of the Red States have three eyes and that their third can clearly see the thoughts of other men, but I do not believe this to be true of any but the wisest of their holy men, whom I have heard also can look into the future and see the gods and spirits as clearly as they see base matter.

The Yellow States

At the western edge of the plains, towards the High Iron Mountains there are several nations of a more civilised type whose primary beast is of a slender yellow breed, these are known as the yellow states and are divided amongst themselves into several kingdoms, the number of which is not known to me. The government of each kingdom is different, in some it is said that the king has total power over his people, whereas in others it is said that the king has no power and is charged only with mediating the discussion of an oligarchy, and in some it is said that the power of the king is only ceremonial and that the true power of the nation is given into the hands of a council of eunuchs.

There are two races in the Yellow States, the first are said to resemble our own people but that they are somewhat stouter and of a more ruddy cast of skin, the second race is somewhat taller than ours and is of a grey cast of skin, and has four arms where ours has two.

The people of the Yellow States adore many powers and the religion of each nation is different. But among them five deities are universally adored. (*Names are working titles, will not stick with them*) These are Athena, who is goddess of the sky and heavens. Draco, who is the god of dark places, of the underground, of wild beasts, of fresh water and of death. Apollo, who has power over fire and volcanoes and whom is prayed to by kings and men of politics. Gaia, who is the goddess of forests and a protector of travellers, and Triton, who is the god of salt water and a warlike spirit, for the Yellow States have not much contact with the sea and thus they fear it.

The Thanatocracy

The Thanatocracy is a nation which exists in the north of the Great plains, it is a nation of a highly civilised but evil nature ruled over by a hateful ghost whom is known to his people as The Just Ruler.

The Just Ruler has been dead for over two hundred years, but lives on through the prayer and supplication of his people, as do certain members of his court whom he has permitted to remain active in the world after their deaths. He maintains his power among mortals by living in the bodies of his many descendants, the most beautiful and powerful of whom he takes to embody him, whilst he draws his power from all the others. The Just Ruler has a great many descendants and may choose to live on in any of them should the one in whom he resides die, which often happens before the mans time, for The Just Ruler has many enemies, and makes use of magics which endanger his mortal body, for which he has no concern.

His descendants are said to inhabit a palace known as the House of Children which they are not permitted to leave. The Thanatocracy is at war with many other states as its overlord seeks to bring new lands under his control so he may receive their supplication and worship.
[/u]

[frigidmagi]

Nice work there Speaker.

[Stofsk]

Can I ask what's going on with this? Who's contributing, what's decided etc?

[frigidmagi]

Well, I'm still here.

As has what's in, give me a bit to assemble a list.