[ooc=Work In Progress]This thread and this setting are both very much a work in progress. The setting started out as a few random ideas that came to me one day. From there, I have built upon those ideas very slowly.[/ooc]
Pride's Wake is a fantasy world, inspired by worlds such as those created by JRR Tolkien and George RR Martin. It is meant to appear as a traditional fantasy world, only with more thought behind it than you would usually find. It is a world that is so old, no living mortal can even comprehend its age.
This world has seen its glory days come and go. The thing that sets it apart is that the golden age was brought to an end by the hubris of mortals and it can not be undone.
In this setting there are humans, elves, and dwarves. They will be largely what you would expect them to be, though there are likely some differences. These three races are all decedents of a common ancestor, though they have physically changed a great deal over the centuries to reach their present state.
[ooc]This is far from complete. I will eventually have much more detail and it will be written in a way that is more enjoyable to read. Also, I plan on introducing each section with in-character writings of historians and scholars from different races and cultures. One of the major things that I want to do with this setting, eventually, is to show everything from many different points of view. Most things will even have different names, depending on who is talking about them.
Right now, I just want to lay out the basics.[/ooc]
The Veil
The Veil, as it is usually called, is a sort of barrier that exists between at least two worlds, dimensions, or planes. It is intangible and cannot be seen. On one side is the normal world of the mortals. On the other side is the place where the gods once lived. There may be more veils and more worlds beyond but this is all that is known for certain. Since the Sundering of the Veil, it is believed that the whole of the Veil is weaker than it once was.
Magic and The Veil
Long ago, when the gods granted powers to their most devout followers, it was done by somehow passing an amount of their own power to the individual. It is thought that the Veil was somehow used as a conduit in this process but the details and, in fact, the truth of the matter is not fully known. In that long ago time and even now, magic is performed through careful and precise manipulation of the Veil. Though magic was once heavily studied, it has never been completely understood as no one truly knows exactly what exists of the other side. It is believed that elements may be grouped together on the far side and many spells are cast simply by allowing those elements to pass through the Veil in very precise ways.
The Sundering of the Veil
Over 2000 years ago, an act of extreme and terrible hubris was performed which changed the world forever. Most commonly called the Sundering of the Veil, the center of this event was a powerful and complex magical ritual. It was decided by a small group made mostly of elves, and supported by many of the world, that the time had come for mortals to meet the gods. A ritual was devised that would allow a single mortal to cross the Veil. It took years of magical study to accomplish this task.
When the ritual was performed, a single mortal did cross the Veil and the results, though not fully understood, were devastating. In the mortal world, there was heavy fallout centered around the point where the ritual took place. This fallout caused great destruction those that it did not kill were forever changed. The changes varied greatly depending on the individual. Some were granted a form of limited immortality. Many others were mutated and became terrible monsters. Most died. These magical effects were not limited to humans, dwarves, and elves. Even common plants and animals were changed. At the same time, similar effects occurred in different places, though to lesser extent. Most of the world was left untouched but there still exist many places today that are scarred by the Sundering.
Timeline
[ooc]This is still very much a work in progress.[/ooc]
0
Sundering of the Veil occurs.
Dwarf King is killed in by fallout from the Crossing of the Veil.
Dwarven capital abandoned.
New Dwarf King 1 takes the throne, declaring himself the first of a new age.
Much civil unrest among dwarves.
4
Dwarf King 1 assassinated.
Dwarf King 2 (the assassin) takes the throne.
Attempt to retake old dwarven capital from creatures created by the Crossing of the Veil.
New, temporary, dwarven capital established.
New Dwarven Archives established at temporary capital.
12
Efforts to reclaim the old dwarven capital officially abandoned.
Dwarf King 2 steps down, making his son Dwarf King 3.
Temporary dwarven capital becomes not temporary.
New dwarven archives begins the long process of cataloging what was recovered from old archives and adding it to the new archives.
Factions begin to emerge among dwarves, divided on the subject of retaking old capital.
23
Dwarf King 3 assassinated.
Assassin of Dwarf King 3 attempts to take the throne. His power is not recognized and civil unrest ensues. Assassin eventually becomes known as Lost Dwarf King 1.
24
Dwarven civil unrest mostly ends.
Son of Dwarf King 3 takes the throne, becomes Dwarf King 4.
Dwarf King 4 makes decree, declaring the dwarven archives to be the only truly important thing to racial and cultural heritage. This opinion divided many dwarves but causes no true unrest.
40
Dwarf King 4 dies of natural causes. He was the final Dwarf King to have been born before the Sundering of the Veil.
Dwarf King 5, son of Dwarf King 4, takes the throne.
58
Dwarf King 5 dies naturally.
Dwarf King 6, advisor to Dwarf King 5, takes the throne with permission from sons of previous king.
64
A son of Dwarf King 5 attempts to kill Dwarf King 6 and claim his father's throne. Assassination attempt fails, would-be assassin in killed. This causes the other sons of Dwarf King 5 to turn against Dwarf King 6.
67
All but one of the sons of Dwarf King 5 have been killed. The single survivor succeeds in assassinating Dwarf King 6 but dies shortly after from injuries. Dwarven civil unrest ensues.
68
Head archivist becomes Dwarf King 7, in honor of Dwarf King 4.
72
Dwarf King 7 abdicates the throne, dwarven civil unrest ensues.
Reserved for future use.
[ooc]This post, at least for now, is just for my notes. They are not formally written up but they should get the ideas across. As this is still largely conceptual, the descriptions of the races are very general and do not take into account differing cultures and such...yet.[/ooc]
[ooc=Themes]One of the main themes of the setting is the interaction of different social/political ideologies on a macro scale, when these ideologies follow the standard fantasy trope of being applied more to races than to cultures or individuals. The ideologies will be very much generalized. In some cases they will be lax while in others, they will be taken to an extreme. Which way things go depends mostly on what provides the best feel for the race and for the setting as a whole, both in creating conflict and making sense.
The ideologies and their related races are as follows; Elves = Libertarian to nearly anarchy, though mostly ordered in nature. Dwarves = Conservative and pretty straightforward with it. Humans = Liberal to a great extent, including elements of communism and socialism. Mutated creatures/aberrations/"monsters" = Anarchy, pure and simple, many individuals to which a group label cannot be applied.[/ooc]
[ooc=Elves]Elves, in a very loose sense, could be considered the libertarians of the world. They retreated into the forest after the Crossing of the Veil.
Elves, as a race, have lost their confidence. They are ashamed of the past arrogance of their people and of the damage that it caused.
Elves are mostly a people in recovery from long wars fought after the event. They are scattered with no unified government.
Each enclave of elves operates more or less independently with the elders of that settlement serving as leaders, when needed.
For the most part, elven society follows no strict laws. People are allowed to do as they please as long as no harm comes to others through their action. When law is required, it is enforced by the local elders. Offenders are to repay victims or be banished.
What few elven settlements remain are known as enclaves. Most are in ancient elven territory or even elven settlements of old, though the whole space is rarely used as the elven race is dwindling in number. Most elf enclaves are within forests.[/ooc]
[ooc=Humans]Humans are the liberals of the world. Their way of life borders on communism.
Humans serve a greater good. They believe that all must work together to create a better life for all individuals.
Humans want all races to not only peacefully coexist but to help each othe create a better world.[/ooc]
[ooc=Dwarves]Dwarves are the conservatives of the world.
"Our way of life has always worked for us, why should we change?"
"Anyone that is not able to earn or create a certain way of life for themselves does not deserve to have it."
Dwarves had no part in the elven plans to join the gods and did not support them. They are bitter because they lost contact with beyond the veil the same as everyone else, though they feel they did nothing to deserve it.
Isolationist, feeling that if outsiders can't interact with the dwarves, the dwarves can't be harmed by outsiders. Will only interact with outsiders for trade and only then at great profit - dwarves that deal with outsiders are never again treated the same by most of their own race.
Like ants - live underground and always have. Found nearly everywhere and most of their underground lands are connected.
Worship/worshipped the Earth Father. The Earth Father is a masculine representation of the earth itself, also related to strength, endurance (both toughness and over time), and pride (to a lesser degree).
Great crafters of stones and metals. Great miners.
Dwarves are united under one government, ruled by the Dwarf King. Dwarves measure time in terms of the time a Dwarf King spends in the throne. The title is inherited but it is acceptable to take the title from the individual that holds it, if possible. In reality, not all are truly loyal to the Dwarf King and are simply following tradition. The Dwarf King is aware of this and avoids overstepping his boundaries and provoking any sort of revolution.
Dwarves favor those willing and able to take what they want.[/ooc]
Updated.
The modern ideologies so prominently overlaid on the races certainly begins to distinguish this setting from traditional fantasy.
Do all the races still have similar magic users, or have their sorcerous traditions evolved along different paths?
Thanks!
The "science" behind the use of magic will be pretty much the same for everyone. Different cultures likely have different philosophies and methods, though.
You've got a very solid foundation here - I hope I can help this setting develop more!
My first question is my most basic, what I ask in pretty much every fantasy setting thread: What, to you, distinguishes your setting from the fantasy norm?
Quote from: Black Market XathanMy first question is my most basic, what I ask in pretty much every fantasy setting thread: What, to you, distinguishes your setting from the fantasy norm?
The big thing, to me at least, is that the gods are (most likely) dead and the hubrris of mortals is to blame.
Also, the timeline I'm designing this doesn't place the world in a golden age or anything like it. There are no great empires. Technology is stagnant. Trade is almost nonexistant, except on a very small scale. This is very much a world in decline. I'd like to think of it as a different take on post-apoc traditional fantasy or D&D. It's just done differently and less extreme than something like Dark Sun or Cadaverous Earth.
Finally, as pointed out above, there are the fairly modern ideologies given to different factions of the world. I want all of them to be perfectly reasonable from their point of veiw. There are no exaggerated good or evil organizations. One purpose and goal of this setting is to show an entire world from different perspectives.
I added the start of a timeline. It's only about the dwarves so far.
Sorry for the delayed review here, things have been crazy with holidays.
First of all, since those are the things that make your setting unique, I'd like to see 2 and 3 played up more - the Sundering makes point 1 very clearly, but I don't get a feel for point 2 very strongly and point 3, while I understand it, is really just a matter of labels - I'd like to see more of your interpretation of what those labels mean in context of Pride's Wake.
Also: Why has technology stagnated? What keeps people from progressing in over 2000 years? Is it something malign? Is it apathy/cultural depression due to the gods' death? Something more sinister? Simple "Death of god of innovation = stagnation?
(Brief aside: every time I see the name of this setting I can't help but expect a setting that takes place in a Savannah of some sort. I get that it refers to the Sundering of the Veil due to hubris, but just felt the need to point that out. :P )
As for your time-line, it looks solid...but are those years? Decades? Are years in Pride's Wake much longer than ours? Are Dwarves in constant turmoil? If 2000 years happened since the Sundering, are you going to plan out the remaining 1978 years of Dwarven history?