Re: Emoria: World-Building OOC

[Chainlinc3]

Yes, it's just a matter of forming the bond, it doesn't matter what form they're in. Although, if a Fae is pretending to be a human, it's hard to form a real bond with someone if you're deceiving them the whole time. So possible, yes, but tricking the mortals isn't likely to help.

And yeah, they could become ludicrously overpowered, but the Ring keeps them under control. I *did*, however, leave a loophole within the rules regarding the Fae specifically to allow a possible scenario regarding a faction of "free" Fae, but I'm not planning on using it unless I get approval; it's just one more thing that could, hypothetically, make life more difficult in Emoria.

And hoorah for being accepted! Do we have to wait for Ryona to approve us too? I asked... I forget who, but I asked someone in the chat earlier and I wasn't clear on if only one of you two needed to approve new people or if you both needed to.

[Guest]

No, not really. I ask that the character sheets are put up here so that everyone has a chance to read them and approve/disapprove them, but that is in an ideal world. I kind of doubt that every players read others' character sheets. Even I put them off for a while sometimes... But at least this way there won't be any arguments weeks down the road that result in you having to rewrite something in your character sheet.

As far as the character sheets I read today, there is no technology that doesn't fit in with the world of Emoria. The magic system of the Fae comes close, but I'm willing to accept it because with the variety we currently have, who's to say that particular type wouldn't fit? Anyone can argue this point, but thats how I see.
There aren't any over-powered world-spaces, which is something I primarily look for. Everything seemed well-balanced.
That's really primarily what I look for, and based on those factors I've approved the character sheets. Other people tend to look for more specific things than me and can come up with issues I never would have seen, so just give them time to read over it.

[Bird of Hermes]

I want a Fae following me around too. Nice job on the new world everyone.

[Chainlinc3]

Rofl...
Well, since the Fae are hitting it off so nicely, I'll just say that (assuming nobody raises objections to them) anyone who wants a Fae character (particularly one to associate with their existing character(s)) only needs to ask. Unless you're spinning the concept in a way that diverges from the Fae as I have them outlined, or just have no reason for your Fae character to bother getting to know your other character(s), I see no reason to prevent anyone from having one. >.>

[Guest]

My people the shienienarans are planned to have gunpowder for primitive cannons that will be mounted on their trade/warships. I put the slash because their big trade ships double as their warships. I plan to get a post fully explaining their navy up some time this week but it has come to my attention that I should inform everyone that they have primitive cannons and gunpowder that they use for their warships and that they sell to lady's nation as a religious item.

[Chainlinc3]

I'm just going to throw out some stuff that the chat believes I need to make explicit.

Arie asked the extent of power for and average adult Fae, I responded that, if they used every ounce of their power (sacrificing themselves) they could hypothetically wipe out a town/small city.

Yes, this is ludicrously powerful, but I'm going to list all the many reasons why it's almost definitely never going to happen.

1. I'm not stupid. If I want to wipe out a city, I'd ask the person first, not just barge in all entitled saying "Oh, it's their innate abilities!" If the person can't afford me to wipe out some random settlement, then that's fine.

2. There's too few Fae. 500-ish exist, about 30 are too young to leave the citadel, and another 50-ish are not yet to maturity. Then there's about 250 Fae who are powerful to the extent that they spend most of their time in the Fae Ring, supervising things. That leaves about 170 Fae who are actively involved in the world, and you'd probably need to sacrifice at least ten of those to wipe out a large city. Which means you'd first need to convince a bunch of quasi-immortals to collectively commit SUICIDE.

3. This isn't something that happens just by killing them. They have to WILLINGLY end their own life with the INTENT of destroying the surroundings.

4. The Fae back far too many factions, mobilizing them towards a particular target is near impossible because there are always Fae backing both sides and their laws make it IMPOSSIBLE to harm each other.

So, in summary, a decent portion of the population would need to convince each other to collectively commit suicide, lure non-involved Fae out of the target city, and then commit SUICIDE for this to happen, thus reducing the Fae population by a dramatic amount. Along with the fact that I can't really use it without clearing it with the other person, I didn't even consider the scenario plausible enough to mention. The chat felt differently, so now you have it all.

[quakernuts]

I seem to have a problem here...

The whole Citadel thing just seems a little unfair to me right now. I mean, even if a Fae were to get into a fight they couldn't win, they could teleport back to the Citadel, and rest up and start over. No one would be able to get to them because it is highly improbably for you to get there on your own. Add that to the fact that some nations or races don't actually have boats of their own to use, and you have an invincible base.

The solution I find to this is to put it on land, plain and simple. Make up another reason to figure out why it is protected and such, but the whole 'riding the ocean' thing has me truly backstepping.

[Eternity]

Talking about that... I see a slight problem with the fact that they can't be hurt by physical weapons without enchantment. They just marked out being injured by a good deal of Emorian races. Plus because they explode the radius of 3 meters or a grenade blast upon impact of magic or an enchanted weapon, if you are close to them when killing one, you are injured. The only real way to attack one and kill it or even injure it without being worried of being bombed on, is to attack with enchanted arrows or ranged magic spells that they cannot counter- which from what the sheet said, they can summon powerful magic instantly and counter most indirect spells.

[Guilty Carrion]

So, call me what you will, but I'm just going to say this.

It's pretty much a species of Morgarath and Alos power level beings. Two of those guys, are enough.

And frankly, if the Fae ever got it in their heads that "Oh hey, we're more powerful than everything in existsance" that they'd truely just keep on trucking the way they have been is...not likely in the slightest. All of the...drawbacks are easily fixed the fact that, they're quasi-immortal, so they don't die unless you violently butcher em, which half of us can't DO. (Since not everyone instantly accepts the help of a glowing ball of light. I know mine wouldn't.) So, their limited population, which could easily be forced to grow through any sort of breeding program(all it takes is one simple law change).

So, worst case scenario or not, it's ALOT, ALOT, ALOT of power stuffed into a singular species to the point that, if they got it in their heads, we'd all be royal screwed without a snowballs chance in hell.

I mean, hell, Danger got a four page battle for single shot primative PISTOLS, which can't do crap againest armour and jam half the time. This, to me, is just a massive gathering of unlimited power into a single player and it's just too much.

Sorry, Chain. That's my views on the matter.

[The_End]

Jumping in here, now. This has all been very over-whelming, and I hope I'm doing this right. I'll continue what I have now sometime tomorrow.

Here's my thing. Let me know what needs improvement...

Username: The End (underscore key is broken, can't be bothered to Character Map it.)
Character Name: Randall Garth
Species/Race: Quaidendra ("Elf of the Snow" in their native tongue)

Physical Description: Randall stands at four foot seven -- average height for one of his kind. He has a wiry, yet muscular build, and weighs around 145lb. His eyes are a mint green, and he sets his silver hair into a tall warrior's stripe (mohawk) to show his status as a capable fighter. Like all Snow Elves, Randall's skin is a ghostly pale shade of blue. Randall can be spotted on the battlefield from his armor, which has been tempered from the finest Quaidendra steel, and is constantly polished so that it may reflect the holy clouds for luck. When not in battle gear, he typically wears white clothing that features wiry blue embroidery, as well as a pair of fur-lined boots, and more often that not a lightly colored fur-lined cape as well.

Character Bio: Randall was born on the sacred first day of the Quaidendran New Year: Sixteenth of Orathis (April 2nd, human year). He was brought into this world 123 years ago by the baron Lady Vilvesind Garth to an uncertain father. From a young age, Lady Garth instilled into her son a reverence for the holy snows and skies that Raethgild made when his heart melted, and he began to love to his blessed Quaidendra. His first talents were musical in nature, demonstrating that he was a virtuoso on the piano, as well as being quite capable on the violin. His first failures were academic in nature; from his childhood until today, Randall has held an all-consuming contempt for the nuances of arithmetic, particularly its more advanced forms.

During his formal education by the barony's finest, he showed a great amount of skill with combat. His love for battle sports would soon surpass even his love of music, although he has continued to refine his talents with the violin even to the present day. On his ninety-ninth birthday, he recieved his very own Handerfathin, a type of Snow Elven battle axe, designed for disarming opponents. On his one hundredth birthday, he enlisted in the National Militia, where his natural abilites were refined. He quickly rose through the ranks, due more to his status as the son of a noble than for his skills on the battlefield.

In his 110s, He fought many battles and was faced with several hard decisions in the two-year Civil War. It was here that his heart was hardened as he saw his own countrymen kill one another. And for what? Politics. It was in this war that he saw the death of his mother. He watched from outside, looking into her window from a parapet, as a group of rebel assassins broke into her chambers, and poured boiling oil onto her. He rushed to her aid, but by the time he reached her chambers she had already died, the assassins fled. He requested and recieved a dishonorable discharge, and currently holds the deed to a modest home in the temple's district of Prosdendra, capitol city of Quaidrolme.

Age: 123
Gender: M
Occupation: Unemployed, living on his inheritance

Skills: Violin, piano, most string instruments for that matter; he is well-versed in both close-quarters combat and marksmanship. Randall also enjoys whittling, and knows how to fletch his own arrows. He has also developed an extreme proficiency with the chessboard. He has some magical abilities, but mostly just dabbles.

World-space: Quaidrolme, snowy lands of the Quaidendra, is situated far to the north. It is a mountainous region covered in heavy snow and evergreen forests. The people there make their living on hunting, as well as growing their own crops, unique to their area: The Kis'lanbis, or Winged Fruit, and the Prelrant, or Heaven's Treat. These are a vine bearing orange-sized blue berries and an evergreen that bears a lime green fruit, similar to a pomegranate in appearance but more akin to a salted orange in flavor. The mountains feature natual flat plains built into their sides and at their tops; it is upon these that cities are typically built. Waters that run from mountains never freeze, and remain warm to the touch; the actual reason for this is unknown, but the Quaidendra attribute it to the many blessings of Raethgild.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rest is not mandatory to start with, though you may want to add to it as the story progresses. You may also fill it out beforehand, if you have ideas and your neighbors collaboration.

Allies: His pet huskie, Basziret.
Enemies:
Religion/Deity(s): The Promises of Raethgild is the most popular religion, which holds that the Quaidendra were created to protect and inhabit the Sacred Realm of Raethgild. This territory is the entirety of the Quaidendra nation. Quaidendra believe that Raethgild is the source of their magical power, as well as the reason for its limitations.
Governing Body: Quaidendra is split into baronies, with each barony having the burden of protecting and patrolling their lands. The whole of Quaidrolme is governed by the Bekrat, who is also the head of The Promises of Raethgild. Each Bekrat is said to be chosen by Raethgild himself, and Raethgild punishes any Bekrat who abuses their power as executive power.

[Guest]

@Chainlinc3: Due to concerns brought up here in this thread and PM’s, I’m going to ask you to tone down several things for the Fae. I have a few requirements if you would like to leave them as much as is as possible. Otherwise, you can try redoing it however you want.

1. Give the Citadel a permanent location. No one in Emoria has the luxury of having their home unassailable. The Fae are competent magic users, so they have as much of a chance of defending their home as anyone. I don’t want to say you can’t have it out in the ocean, however if you do I think you should reconsider teleportation.

2. Tone down their resistance/damages. As they are, they are more powerful than any other race in Emoria. I know they are physically impotent, and they are small, but they are still quite powerful. I also know that you have laws that keep them in line, but as Plague has stated, that can change. The factions can unite and change their outlook entirely. It wouldn’t be unheard of, particularly with human history as an example. The concentration of magic that would devastate entire towns is just too much. Their small size already makes them rather hard to hit with pretty much anything, they don’t need to be nearly invincible as a side note.

3. The Fae having indirect control over powerful figures across Emoria would be completely up to the discretion of those who have created that world-space and involved culture. I’m sure you already understand that, but I think it needs to be stated. Combined with their already massive magical powers and their unassailable location, they are already the most potent force in Emoria without having to invade or physically control anyone, indeed without any other players consent.

Pretty much, take into account what the others have said here. Keep in mind that balance is the most important factor in Emoria because of the number of players that are involved. If it helps, read through other players character sheets to get an idea of what they are capable of. I’m sorry if I sound hypocritical from my earlier acceptance of your CS, but as I said others catch things that I don’t.

[Guest]

Uhm hi. -waves nervously- I am very sorry for having taken so long to get anything done. -sad face- I managed to come over to raptor's house this morning for long enough to post this before we both go to school. -smiles- I am not finished but this should be a start. -happy face-

Username: Lady_Despair
Character Name: Rya De-Solarius
Species/Race: The Flamte are a sub-species of humanity who are different in a few ways. The flamte are all pale with reddish hair. Most have greenish eyes but a few that are changed by the Deceiving Reflection have white eyes and silvered hair. The Flamte have fragile bones that break easily when struck and they are a cautious race because of that. They have a physical and magical reaction to the sun and moon. -nervous face- That will be talked about later if it is ok.

Physical Description: Rya is of average height for a Flamte at 5'6. She has red hair and large green eyes. On her head she wears the feathered headpiece of the priests and priestesses of the Ever Burning One. Rya has the normal pale skin of a Flamte. Her hands and feet are small and delicate. Rya wears orange and red mottled silk gloves on her hands and finely made coverings for her feat of the same color and make. She wears the normal mottled orange and yellow robes of a flamte priest or priestess.

Character Bio: Rya was born to a loving upper middle class family of Flamte. Her family was a part of the Church of the Ever Burning One. Custom is that the children of priests and priestesses would become the same themselves. Rya was not forced into her life though, she was a born priestess it seemed. Rya was always interested in the worship of the Ever Burning One, and she was always kind and helpful to others. When Rya was 15 she was sent to the Great Church in the city of Solaria to be given her education in the finer points of the faith. Rya loved it there and flourished in her training. In the last few years Rya has felt a stirring to take the news of the Ever Burning One to new places. -smiles- I hope this is ok too. I feel like it is too short.

Age: 30

Gender: Female

Occupation: Priestess Missionarius (Missionary Priestess) of the Ever Burning One.

Skills: Rya is skilled in the innate magic of pyromancy that Flamte possess. She is a skilled negotiator and her calming demeanor helps smooth over fights. Rya also can sew and cook. She does not cook very well.

World-space: Solaria is a beautiful place. Much of Solaria is made up of gently inclined semi-forested hills. Here and there throughout there are larger patches of forest as well. Solaria has 1 great city, the City of Solaria. The nation and city share a name. The city is made from a yellow stone that is found throughout Solaria. It is fire resistant. Since the Flamte use so much fire it is their most common building material. The Great Church of the Ever Burning One is the heart of the city.

Allies: The Shienienaran trading Confederation
Enemies: I do not know yet
Religion/Deity(s): The Flamte worship the Ever Burning One (also known as the sun). They believe that their ability is a gift from their god that marks them as chosen people. Their power does come from the sun but there is no evidence that it gave the power to them. The church preaches that all will come to know the holy fire. The church also knows that things take time so they preach but they don't try to force others to convert.

The Flamte also recognize another entity as a being of power. The Deceiving Reflection (the moon) is to them the source of evil. The light from the Deceiving reflection is believed to be corrupting and to change the flamte who use it in any reasonable amount.

Governing Body: Theocracy, the High Priest or Priestess is the ruler of Solaria.

[Chainlinc3]

@Chainlinc3: Due to concerns brought up here in this thread and PM’s, I’m going to ask you to tone down several things for the Fae. I have a few requirements if you would like to leave them as much as is as possible. Otherwise, you can try redoing it however you want.

1. Give the Citadel a permanent location. No one in Emoria has the luxury of having their home unassailable. The Fae are competent magic users, so they have as much of a chance of defending their home as anyone. I don’t want to say you can’t have it out in the ocean, however if you do I think you should reconsider teleportation.

2. Tone down their resistance/damages. As they are, they are more powerful than any other race in Emoria. I know they are physically impotent, and they are small, but they are still quite powerful. I also know that you have laws that keep them in line, but as Plague has stated, that can change. The factions can unite and change their outlook entirely. It wouldn’t be unheard of, particularly with human history as an example. The concentration of magic that would devastate entire towns is just too much. Their small size already makes them rather hard to hit with pretty much anything, they don’t need to be nearly invincible as a side note.

3. The Fae having indirect control over powerful figures across Emoria would be completely up to the discretion of those who have created that world-space and involved culture. I’m sure you already understand that, but I think it needs to be stated. Combined with their already massive magical powers and their unassailable location, they are already the most potent force in Emoria without having to invade or physically control anyone, indeed without any other players consent.

Pretty much, take into account what the others have said here. Keep in mind that balance is the most important factor in Emoria because of the number of players that are involved. If it helps, read through other players character sheets to get an idea of what they are capable of. I’m sorry if I sound hypocritical from my earlier acceptance of your CS, but as I said others catch things that I don’t.

Sounds good. The first point I was kinda assuming I'd need to change, so I was a little surprised when you didn't bring it up. I'll work out something for the second point in Calculus today and toss it up here tonight, and... I don't think I really need to address the third point, since I wasn't particularly planning on having Fae be involved with people without their permission. >.>

@Plague&Eternity--
I think both of your objections will be satisfied if I address point two on Silvone's list, right?
Also, Plague, it would take more than a breeding program to boost their population. They literally only have the ability to have one new Fae being formed at a time, and the process takes over a year. It's not a law; they just don't have the resources. Look over the reproduction section, if you haven't already.

@Anyone else who is taking issue--
I just wanted to pre-empt anyone else going down the "Fae are too strong" path. I'll admit that the physical resistance is too high for any sort of balance, but if you still think I need to tone it down, then I ask that you keep in mind that the Fae are ludicrously rare. Five hundred exist, and they have less than one birth a year. They would likely be able to overpower most people in one-on-one combat, but when you take into account that most other races have dozens of soldiers and/or mages for every Fae I possess, it doesn't seem unreasonable (to me at least).

[Gadreille]

Well the truth of it all is Silvone and I are far more trusting than others, and in the end that was a major issue in this thread, and why we state that everyone needs to OK the character.

I'm assuming Crazy Hobo's character is fine? Also, I read The_End's character, and I'd like to know a bit more about the magic use. Also, from The_End and Chainlinc, I'll be needing your exact location on the map.

Raptor, I'll get to adding your area on the map, I kind of forgot about it. Gunpowder? Ok. Cannons? Fine. Cannons on a tradeship? Possibly...but you will have very limited ammunition. You need seperate warships, if you want to have any decent amount of ammunition on board. Also, what are the limitations of these cannons? Bringing up the four page pistol battle, and considering that deadeye's cannons were extremely rudimentary, its fair to ask for some limitations to this technology.

[Guest]

Raptor, I'll get to adding your area on the map, I kind of forgot about it. Gunpowder? Ok. Cannons? Fine. Cannons on a tradeship? Possibly...but you will have very limited ammunition. You need seperate warships, if you want to have any decent amount of ammunition on board. Also, what are the limitations of these cannons? Bringing up the four page pistol battle, and considering that deadeye's cannons were extremely rudimentary, its fair to ask for some limitations to this technology.

Yes i do understand that there must be limitations. Allow me to first address what you said about cannons on a trade ship, the Shienienarans build massive ships. An example of a similar size ship to an actual shienienaran trade/warship is that of an ancient chinese treasure ship. I will not deny that a ship that focuses on trade and guns would mount less guns than a ship that focused on simply guns and would carry a bit less trade materials then one that focused on just trade materials. However given the size of the ships there is an ability to balance between the two. Also admittedly there are different classifications of those ships, some of which are more based upon war and some of which are more based upon trade. Even if half the ship's cargo space is filled with ammunition and such -which it isn't- there would still be a considerable amount of space left for the trading goods and wares.

As for the cannons themselves they are rather crude and there is a risk of them exploding when used which on a ship is always a hazard. They shoot iron cannon balls that can travel about 200 yards? I admit to not knowing much about ancient cannons so tell me if that number is too far.

[Chainlinc3]

I've made a number of changes to the Fae, and I'm going to post them up here for review before I go back and merge them into my original sheet.

Firstly, I needed to lower their physical resistance. Now, logically, I couldn't figure out how they could have moderate physical resistances-- either they have all or nothing, at least in my mind. So, as of now, the Fae contain a physical anchor for their enchantment. This anchor is a fairly fragile crystal, and if you smash it (by physical attacks, obviously) then it kills the Fae and causes the little mana-splosion that always happens when they die. Side note: If a Fae can be somehow dispelled without destroying the crystal (possible, but very, very difficult), said crystal is an extremely powerful vessel for enchantments and general magic use, and thus fetches a pretty penny.

On the Citadel issue, it's now stationary. I'd LIKE to keep it in the middle of the ocean, but the most I feel I can concede on the teleportation is a couple points that I'd mentioned last night: It is limited to traveling to/from the Citadel, and most Fae can only safely teleport two people (of average size) besides itself. Trying to teleport too many runs a high risk of killing the Fae, but will typically leave the people they were trying to teleport unharmed. Ryona, I assume that getting you a precise location on the map would be unnecessary if Silvone considers these concessions to be enough?

Now, on a personal note, I'm feeling that 500 is too many Fae. My original idea of them was that they were the stuff of stories and legends; most people would go their entire life without seeing one of the Fae or even hearing of a sighting in they're area. My personal opinion is that 500 existing Fae is too high for that vision to work; I'm reducing it to 150, and elongating the reproduction process to two years instead of one. To make up for this dramatic drop of numbers, I'd like to include "Lesser Fae," which would essentially be Fae who, for one reason or another, did not develop correctly during the reaction part of their creation, and thus have barely a fraction of the power of a "True Fae." The Lesser Fae would be much more numerous than the "True" Fae, numbering maybe 250-ish. They also do not have the power of teleportation or shapeshifting, and do not explode when they are killed. The extent of an adult Lesser Fae's power is hurling a fireball or other elemental attack. Finally, they're enchantment is so weak that they WILL eventually die "of old age" after about 400 years, because their enchantment destabilizes and they just kinda... vanish.

Lastly, you may note that the Fae are not allowed to use most of their power outside of the Citadel. I'm keeping this true, but seeing as there are only about 150 Fae who would be limited by this, I'm making a small exception. With a 90% vote, the Fae Ring can use the Crystal Crown to create a Beacon at a location they decide, and determine it's area of effect, with a maximum of a ten mile radius. These Beacons allow the Fae to use a higher extent of their power outside of the Citadel, but only within the Beacon's range of influence-- it would only really effect maybe 20 or 30 of the most powerful Fae, but the rest wouldn't be powerful enough to exceed it's limits. The Beacon itself is very fragile and could easily collapse from a single attack. Finally, only one Beacon can exist at a time. Out of character, I will state that the Fae are never going to come anywhere close to a 90% vote unless you do something that they literally can't ignore, like if you attack and fail to seize the Citadel, and possibly not even then. I really can't think of a situation where they would definitely employ a Beacon, it's considered a very "last resort" action because its whole intent is to violate the laws. Regardless, I can still see this freaking people out, so if anyone's not comfortable with it, I'll just drop it. I mean, I don't even know when it'd ever be used, so there's no point in fighting about it.

So, in overview, we have numerous nerfings in power, numbers, and a little bit on the Citadel. All that I've added is the Lesser Fae, and the Fae Beacons (although I suspect I'll lose the Beacons, but that's not really a big deal).

Anyway, with these changes in place (possibly excluding the Beacons) is everyone cool with the Fae now?

[Guest]

As long as we have a general area where the Citadel could be, a place we could perhaps circle and label "Fabled Fae Lands" or something, and as long as a dedicated search could in fact located the Citadel, then I am fine with it. At the moment, the Fae are like a legend, as you said. Most people, if they accept that the Fae are actually real, likely doubt they have some towering stronghold out in the middle of the ocean. However, if it came to the circumstances where the Fae became a very real problem (and I'm not saying they will, but better safe than sorry), I want the players to have the option of searching for and attacking the Citadel. Whether or not they succeed is a different matter, and one we'll worry about should it ever come to pass. I just want a general location (like between the two continents or north of one of them or whatever) and I want assurances that it can in fact be found.

As for the rest of what you changed, I believe those are rather generous changes. But I'd like to wait and see what the others think before accepting it or not.

[Chainlinc3]

Works for me.

In order to provide a specific location though, I'd need to know how the major trade winds/currents flow. I mean, the Fae obviously wouldn't make their secret Citadel in the middle of prominent lanes of trade. Assuming that the trade winds/currents flow in a relatively circular pattern, I'd put the Fae Citadel basically in the middle of them, where it would require opposing the regular direction to travel.

Also, I might include some subtle magics to cause random wanderers to wander in... some other direction (if that's ok), but nothing that could stop an intentional search.

[Dax]

I personally have no objections with Chains changes.

Very good. I love it when people agree so quickly.

[Gadreille]

I would say somewhere south of Arcona, or perhaps south directly in between the two continents, would be somewhere that might have passerbys but none to close. This is based off of existing trade routes and not necessarily cyclical weather patterns, considering we have none set in stone and there is no reason to believe that Emoria's weather patterns must work in such a fashion.

[Fluesopp]

So, I finally "finished" Selton and the Vangara. (Changes may occur, but nothing big)
You can read all about it here(it's over 2000 words long so take your time )
And, my character. It's short, because most is covered in the Vangara section.
If there is something I need to add, please say so. (I will add history after I've conversed with those who thought about the past wars with Selton. Can't remember who that was now, so please speak up)
Also, I like very much the idea of a wiki. It would be awesome if we could put one of those up.


Name: Caret Vanung

Race: Vangara

Physical Description: See the Vangara section for the general look of a vangara.
Caret is 24 years old, stands at 7’2, and weighs about 220 pounds. His hair is black and wiry, reaching his shoulders and is usually kept loose. He is strong and flexible, as all monks are, and usually don’t wield any other weapon than his trusty staff. Usually, he wears a vest of black leather and shorts, also made from the same leather. In addition he wears battle sandals which reinforce his feet, making him more agile, and a red loincloth, for no particular reason. His tattoos denote his rank and family, the Vanung.

Gender: Male

Occupation: Warrior Monk in the Seltonian national army.

Character Bio:
There is not much to say about Caret. He is a skillful warrior with a great potent in blood magic, he got a great sense of righteousness, but is cynical, and he knows how to follow an order.
Caret was born in the Vanung family, a Noble family. He was, after showing himself promising in blood magic, enlisted in the army as a warrior monk. And that’s about it. He has always been a Warrior Monk, and has therefore never been outside of Selton, as there have not been any wars in the last years.

Skills:
Caret is proficient in many types of blood magic; Blood crafting, blood weaving and blood mastery. He is also a very good staff fighter and can easily stand ground against several sword wielding opponents. His staff was made by a master Blood Smith, who enhanced its strength to that of steel. He then proceeded to weave it himself, to greatly increases his blood crafting.

[Chainlinc3]

Saw that a little bit ago, actually. I just had one question: how resilient are the dragons? Because in some fiction it's like, "YOU CAN'T FUCKING HARM THEM" whereas in others their scales are only mildly stronger than a lizard's. So, just kinda curious there.

[Hello Danger]

As far as gunpowder, guns, and cannons go, I'm working on details about them now. It'll be up tonight or tomorrow.

[Gadreille]

We've got a lot of activity, and I hope that I have addressed everyone accordingly. Remember that you may post your information in the information thread, or if you would rather you can make a character archive (Such as Fluesopp has). I need these to be posted so that they may be linked to the character sheet section. Also remember to put in your request for your avatars, its going to take a long while because there are so many to make but they are vital for this role play, considering it is they that are the inspiration.

[Fluesopp]

Saw that a little bit ago, actually. I just had one question: how resilient are the dragons? Because in some fiction it's like, "YOU CAN'T FUCKING HARM THEM" whereas in others their scales are only mildly stronger than a lizard's. So, just kinda curious there.

Perhaps a little stronger than in the fairytales. I'd say it would take a bunch of good knights to kill one.
Perhaps I might put some in about their scales.. Their belly scales are extremely strong. But they overlap, so a lucky stab with the spear can kill it. And their body scales are weaker (and thus can be cut), but doesn't overlap. But they are large (look at the size differences between the already large vangara), so don't expect it to be simple. A dragon is the ultimate challenge for a warrior.
In another word, there is a reason for why there are so few dragons left.

So no, they are not unkillable, but they are stronger than a lizard. And they can't use magic, even though they are strongly magic. Only firebreathing and flying.

[Crazy Hobo]

Raptor, I'll get to adding your area on the map, I kind of forgot about it. Gunpowder? Ok. Cannons? Fine. Cannons on a tradeship? Possibly...but you will have very limited ammunition. You need seperate warships, if you want to have any decent amount of ammunition on board. Also, what are the limitations of these cannons? Bringing up the four page pistol battle, and considering that deadeye's cannons were extremely rudimentary, its fair to ask for some limitations to this technology.

Yes i do understand that there must be limitations. Allow me to first address what you said about cannons on a trade ship, the Shienienarans build massive ships. An example of a similar size ship to an actual shienienaran trade/warship is that of an ancient chinese treasure ship. I will not deny that a ship that focuses on trade and guns would mount less guns than a ship that focused on simply guns and would carry a bit less trade materials then one that focused on just trade materials. However given the size of the ships there is an ability to balance between the two. Also admittedly there are different classifications of those ships, some of which are more based upon war and some of which are more based upon trade. Even if half the ship's cargo space is filled with ammunition and such -which it isn't- there would still be a considerable amount of space left for the trading goods and wares.

As for the cannons themselves they are rather crude and there is a risk of them exploding when used which on a ship is always a hazard. They shoot iron cannon balls that can travel about 200 yards? I admit to not knowing much about ancient cannons so tell me if that number is too far.

From my experience with anciet cannons (which isn't much), a ship cannon that shoots balls and isn't rifled is accurate to about 150 yards, and "accurate" is a relative term. 150 yards is probably the farthest you could shoot a sphere with any hope off hitting what you are aiming at. I'm also being liberal because the most common use of ship cannons is for broadsiding and didn't really require very much range at all.

Now, if you're talking early siege cannon, which often times were a tad too heavy to carry on a ship, you are talking more along the lines of 200 yards and pluse they have much larger balls and thus require much more powder.

Just letting you guys know, my experience with cannons is limited to watching something like two documentaries, so don't expect me to be perfect, I'm just taking a stab at it with my small experience. This would also be the time to bring up my desire to use cannons. I wouldn't have very many because the technology would still be very experimental in my country, but I do feel that the ballistic mages would probably be putting a good deal of research into that area.

Ignore that last part, I, with a tad bit of help, realized that doing that would be a little conflicting with my race's fundamental views.

[The_End]

Hope I'm not too late for this!!

As far as Quaidendra geography, I'll take the seemingly free area near northeastern Arconia. The higher bits, since they seem ideal for a snowy climate and they're "to the far north".

And as far as their magic goes: The source is explained in the religious section, but the actual abilities that Raethgild grants his children are as follows:

Depending on your achievements in terms of defending his sacred realm, you will have access to small-scale manipulation of ice, wind, or electricity (byproduct of clouds, fits Raethgild's sphere) a number of times per day.

A new soldier would only be able to form a weapon made of ice one time in a day, whereas an (extremely) experienced warrior-wizard would be able to summon fifty such weapons, OR one full-blown blizzard once in a day. There are no set numbers. You just have a limited source of power that is restored to you on midnight each morning. What you can DO with said power is entirely dependent on your combat experience. Raethgild is also a fickle god, so if you don't use your power to the fullest, it slowly diminishes. Like bodybuilders keeping a good physique, ice mages must train constantly just to keep their powers on the same level.

As a further limitation, Raethgild only chooses one male and two females for every thirty Quaidendra born, meaning that only 10% of the population is even capable of using magic at all. AND not even all of those people are aware that they possess such powers.

To clarify, the blizzard-master in my example would have had to have survived immeasurable bloodshed to be able to use the kind of power that I mentioned. On the whole, their magical abilities are more supplemental to their melee and ranged combat. You probably wouldn't ever see a blizzard start raging mid-battle. Not because of a Quaidendra, at least. The Quaidendra mage would more likely use his a small part of his power for the day to change the direction of the wind to be in favor of the archers on his side, to stun (taze) a single foe, or to (as I mentioned earlier) replace a broken weapon with an ice replica. In extreme cases, they may call a bolt of lightning down, but this is typically something that only veterans are capable of, and it will usually take everything that they've got to deliver.

Seeing as how Quaidrolme is very far out of the way of other well-established nations, there are very few people to fight, meaning that there wouldn't be any mages capable of causing natural disasters, like blizzards. There are a few alive who were rewarded with the ability to use lightning, but this number barely scrapes a dozen.

[Gadreille]

Well, I like it, especially having a Diablo 2 blizzard Sorc for many years Of course, like I've said to everyone, give the group time to go over your character sheet in detail and raise any concerns that I might have missed. Also, you state clearly in your CS that they believe their god grants them power, but your description makes it seem like he is actually granting it. As long as you are clear that your deity is only believed to grant these powers, and is not actually doing it, you are in the clear. Sometimes OOC knowledge and IC knowledge gets a bit fuzzy, but we have a very clear no true deities rule.

Edit: I added your area to the basic map, keeping it more inland than on that extended penninsula area. Let me know if that is alright. Everyone should have their area updated, but those of you with solid lands may consider making a map of your area, or asking someone else to do so for you. We do have an extensive maps section.

[The_End]

By "no true gods" I assumed that you meant "no gods from real-world religions".

And the (actual) source of their magic comes from a fluid produced by an extra organ that they have. (I'll go into that below.)

I'm also splatting down some racial info for the Quaidendra, if that's okay. Let me know if any questions persist.

Species Name: Quaidendra, Snow Elf
Lifespan: Up to 450 years
Height: 4'6" to 6 feet

Biology: There are a few differences with the internal systems of the Quaidendra as opposed to normal humans. The most important being that in place of a spleen, the Quaidendra have an organ that they call the raethijend, or "God's Magic", which takes excess sugar that the body produces and processes it into a fluid that is then sent through the veins. This fluid allows the Quaidendra access to their magic. All Quaidendra have this organ, and one of their greatest mysteries of their history is the question of why only certain people are able to actually use magic. The true cause or reason behind this phenomenon remains unkown, but the Quaidendra attribute it to their god, of course.


Cultural Aspects

Mating: Quaidendra observe modesty in the areas of mating. Though they may have multiple emotional lovers, every Quaidendra dedicates themself to only one proper mate, called a Reinisfarth ("Broodmate", though some mothers will jokingly tell you that it means "Burden bearer"). Like most mammals, Quaidendra produce via sexual intercourse and live birth. A typical pregnancy lasts one full year. If the baby is to be born a mage, the pregnancy lasts an additional four months while the raethijend finishes developing, and the mind grows to accomodate it.

Society: The society of the Quaidendra is, as one would imagine, a very religious one. They believe that their purpose in life is to fulfill their divine obligation to Raethgild. The most obvious means is to join the militia, but The Promises of Raethgild also state that it is a part of the promises to maintain the domain as well as protecting it, making even the dung shovelers and farm workers valued members of society.

Quaidendra are generally friendly towards outsiders who do not pose an immediate threat, and even allow non-Quaidendra to live in Raethgild's domain and practice their own religion. One of Raethgild's commandments is to respect all life that is not a threat to his domain.


Government: Quaidrolme is run by a theist council, creatively called The Divine Council. The leaders of the Promises of Raethgild are the major governing body; the council consists of five foreign ambassadors, each fluent in a number of languages, plus a Lord of Military Affairs, and finally a Master of Cultural Development. Each persons responsibilities are reflected in their titles. When a member is given their position, they choose their successor at random from a census of the nation's well-educated people, expecting Raethgild to guide their hand as they do so.

Religion: The Promises of Raethgild is organized into several Promise Houses. In a settlement, this building is built first, and also functions as a emergency stockpile. The "Promises of Raethgild" refer to the "divine obligation" to protect Raethgild's presence from invaders, as well as to use the land that He has (supposedly) granted the Quaidendra for the betterment of first the nation, then the world. The religion (and nation) are headed by the Divine Council, detailed above.

Magic: Most Quaidendra are born magically impaired, but three (one male and two female) for every ten infants are held within the womb for an extra four months, before being born with the ability to use magic. Depending on your achievements in terms of defending his sacred realm, you will have access to small-scale manipulation of ice, wind, or electricity (byproduct of clouds, fits Raethgild's sphere) a number of times per day.

A new soldier would only be able to form a weapon made of ice one time in a day, whereas an (extremely) experienced warrior-wizard would be able to summon fifty such weapons, OR one full-blown blizzard once in a day. There are no set numbers. You just have a limited source of power that is restored to you on midnight each morning. What you can DO with said power is entirely dependent on your combat experience. Raethgild is also a fickle god, so if you don't use your power to the fullest, it slowly diminishes. Like bodybuilders keeping a good physique, ice mages must train constantly just to keep their powers on the same level.

As a further limitation, Raethgild only chooses one male and two females for every thirty Quaidendra born, meaning that only 10% of the population is even capable of using magic at all. AND not even all of those people are aware that they possess such powers.

To clarify, the blizzard-master in my example would have had to have survived immeasurable bloodshed to be able to use the kind of power that I mentioned. On the whole, their magical abilities are more supplemental to their melee and ranged combat. You probably wouldn't ever see a blizzard start raging mid-battle. Not because of a Quaidendra, at least. The Quaidendra mage would more likely use his a small part of his power for the day to change the direction of the wind to be in favor of the archers on his side, to stun (taze) a single foe, or to (as I mentioned earlier) replace a broken weapon with an ice replica. In extreme cases, they may call a bolt of lightning down, but this is typically something that only veterans are capable of, and it will usually take everything that they've got to deliver.

Seeing as how Quaidrolme is very far out of the way of other well-established nations, there are very few people to fight, meaning that there wouldn't be any mages capable of causing natural disasters, like blizzards. There are a few alive who were rewarded with the ability to use lightning, but this number barely scrapes a dozen. It is actually possible to improve this ability without actively defending the realms, but most Quaidendra see this as disrespectful.

Language: Quaidendra language is simple and effective. It lacks multiple words for the same thing, making abstract concepts difficult to discuss. For this reason, more educated Quaidendra will usually learn one of the tongues of men to discuss their ideas. Every member of the Divine Council will generally speak in English (or its Emoria equivalent. Emorian?) during their meetings to discuss their plans.

[Gadreille]

I can see how it would be percieved that way, I'll adjust the rule so it is more clear. Basically it means that while your people can walk around stating that their god does this and does that, you cannot say that he/she/it actually does so, thus instigating a possible religious battle between worldspace users. To avoid it, we just say, the gods can't be officially real.

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