[ooc=Smoothie Setting]So this is my big "mash everything I can fit" setting. I've actually copy/pasted text from some settings, so I apologize for any rereading you end up doing, but I've rewritten most of it. If something was lifted completely, unmodified, from another one of my settings, I've stuck it in a spoiler block so you can easily not re-read it if you don't want to. Enjoy. The phrase Smoothie Setting is something I stole from ElDo in IRC because it perfectly describes what I want to do – put all these various elements together to create a new, interesting flavor as opposed to a dull paste.[/ooc]
Overview
Keldora is where the Gods rule mortal life, where the spawn of the previously defeated Titans and their makers, the Elders, threaten the world, in the wake of a massive war between Gods and their greatest creations, the Dragons, the Gods have grown fat and arrogant, believing themselves to be the ultimate masters of creation. How could they not be? Where the Elders and Titans failed, they did not – they overthrew their creators and controlled their Children. Truly, they are supreme among all life. Under their watchful, cautious eyes, mortals have developed new tools, and some have begun to speak in hidden, secret places of the Tyranny of the Gods. War brews, a fact to which the Gods remain ignorant, and mortals must chose between the Gods and Themselves, while keeping an eye out for awakening First Ones, the remaining Titanborn, the new Terrors spawned of Zhoatech, and the hateful Dragons – and the Drachkyn, some of whom seek common cause with the Mortals. A new Era of Divinity has begun to stir, and only time will tell if the Gods were truly able to suppress the Cycle of Creation.
Tones/Themes
[Note]For comparison to DND, since that's an easy way to make it clear to everyone, the Elders are as above classic stat DND gods as DND gods are above level 15ish characters, the Titans were as powerful as Gods are in the classic DND setting, and the Gods are on par with Demon Lords and the like in the "classic" DnD/Pathfinder stats.[/note]Horrible and Awesome Keldora is full of the weird, the macabre, the horrible, the strange. These are woven into the setting and gives it an element of grimdark I'm not going to try and pretend isn't there. However, these weird, horrible, strange things are also used to create awesome. A twisted monster ravaging through the countryside is meant to be frightening in the "oh god, it's grotesque and dangerous" sense, not in the "it fills you with paralytic dread" sense. That twisted monster is supposed to be horrifying so when you eventually do stop it's ravaging through the countryside by splattering it across said countryside, it's all the more satisfying. The response to killing that monster should not be "Oh god, what horror!" but "Did anyone see that?! I am the most badass person alive! C'mon, it rocked!!"
Help, I'm Being Oppressed! Everyone is being oppressed by someone, even if you sit at the top so only the Gods are oppressing you. Slavery is a real thing, as are racism, sexism, nationalism, and, well, pretty much every other 'ism.' Characters, at best, are only subject to dealing with the prejudice of others and, at worst, share them. This is supposed to be carefully balanced against the above – if it becomes too oppressive, it should stop being fun. The oppression is to keep things somewhat dark, and to make it so oppressing the PCs makes their inevitable bassassery all the more oppressive.
The Gods are Not Your Friends: At best, the Gods have a patronizing view of Mortals, much like a small child that is too damaged in the head to ever mature past their current age, and at worst regard them as little more than tools to be worked with and then discarded. A God will provide powers to a mortal, but will do so out of a desire to keep that mortal from seeking power sources the God does not control, or to accomplish a specific end, or to give other Mortals something to envy and aspire towards.
New Fantasy There are major recognizable fantasy tropes running through Keldora, and I'm not going pretend otherwise, but I'm going to do my best to mash them up and twist them around where they are vastly different from what they were before. If it becomes unrecognizable, however, I'm going to just completely rename it and not try to tie it to an existing fantasy thing through awkward force.
On Virtue, Vice, Good, and Evil Virtue is not Good. Vice is not evil. Someone who is Just can still be cruel, someone who is Lustful can still be good. Evil and Good are subjective terms, depending on who you are and how you look at the situation and how it impacts you. Virtue and Vice are not – they are part of the system of control the Gods have put into place on Mortals and are clearly defined. The Judeo-Christian roots of myself show here, with the Seven Vices and Seven Virtues pretty much being directly lifted from Catholic theology. I'm not 100% on system yet, but if this becomes a DnD/Pathfinder setting, Good and Evil will be replaced as game terms with Virtuous and Sinful, and the mechanics would change to reflect this as well. (Detect Evil becomes Detect Sin, for example).
Sufficiently Advanced Magic A reversal of Clark's famous line, inspired by numerous previous discussions here and elsewhere, I'm going to be using magic to fill the role of technology – to a point. I still want to have the setting fantasy – I don't want to make armor, swords, castles, etc obsolete, but I also want to make sure the fact that magic exists known. Zhoatech is the primary way this is expressed: however, Zhoatech is not electricity. Zhoatech is not modern technology. I'm trying very hard to keep close to sword and sorcery fantasy without making Zhoatech bland and unoriginal. So dudes with swords in armor are still a thing, but the sword is powered by Zhoatech for supernatural sharpness and leaves behind a horrid curse, and the armor is a semi-living suit that aids you as you fight. Also, Zhoatech ships are not meant to replace land-based transport.
Size Matters The world of Keldora is huge compared to Earth, and the floating islands expand even further. Above them sit the Inner Spheres, and beyond them are the Outer Spheres. This also allows for creatures that just wouldn't work – dragons, giants, and other huge creatures – to exist: with much more ecosystem to feed on, megafauna can exist. Larger land-based creatures, such as Giants and Kaiju, are native the the Wastes of Urd, which also contains the largest bodies of water.
Arcanopunk
[ooc]Copied directly from Keldora 1.0[/ooc]
[spoiler=Arcanopunk]Arcanopunk: What it means for Keldora
The whole "BLANK-punk" Phenomena is one that's been discussed and rediscussed and analyzed to no end, so I figure it's best to explain what I mean by Arcanopunk and how it relates to the overall setting of Keldora.
The "Arcano" part of that word relates to the fact that everything depends on mystical elements to work. Zhoatech is not powered by steam, oil, electricity, gears, or any other construct of pure science. Corpus, the flesh of dead Titans, is used to power it. (Corpus could also be gained from dead Gods or Dead Elder Things, but Godflesh is hard to come by and very, very illegal, and Zhoatech powered by the flesh of dead Elder Things tends to take on an aspect of the Elder Things, making it dangerous to use for the wielder's sanity and for reality. Unlike the Titans, the Elder Things cannot truly die, only slumber, so their "Corpus" contains a bit of their nature imbued into it. Dragonflesh Zhoatech is something I debate on, so I may be adding it or not as I ponder) As such, Zhoatech is strange and weird and intended to seem and feel that way at all times; a Zhoatech tool is powered by the flesh of a divine being that has died. Think about that for a second. If it was a classic DND world, Zhoatech would be classified under Necromancy most likely. As such, Zhoatech has a unique, vaguely dark/dystopian look to it as well as a magical look; I considered calling it Necropunk, but that invoked too many images of bones and skulls, and any other kind of "punk" wouldn't get the right feel.
As far as the Punk part, this one is justified if you are at all familiar with Cyberpunk. The massive cities of mashed together people that exemplify Cyberpunk are found in the Ziggropoli. Xhan-Gi fills the role of Cyberspace as a realm of information and a pivotal part of daily life. The various religions of the Gods take on the role of Cyberpunk corporations; even the most benevolent of them are totally driven by desire to gather more worshipers (similar to profit for a corporation) and stamp out any competition, but adds a religious element of zealotry to their security forces. The people who fight against the Gods and live on the fringes of society, struggling to make the best they can of a crappy world, are Dhaeva, "False-Gods", who don't have any powers beyond normal mortals other than their Zhoatech, taking the place of Cyberpunk's Runners. Part of the reason the various new terms in Keldora are given a vaguely Cantonese/Mandarin/Japanese sound to their names is to attempt to evoke the feel of some of Cyberpunk without bastardizing actual real-world cultures too much.[/spoiler]
Landscape
Keldora is divided into "layers" that have their own distinct properties. From bottom to top, the Layers are – The the Pits of Shubboph, The Wastes of Urd, The Grand Canopy, The Great Isles, the Inner Spheres, and the Outer Spheres.
The Pits Shubboph are the bowels of the world, a realm of fire and ash lit only by molten rock. Little life dwells here and the air itself is both toxic and caustic – and many of the Elders and Titans that survived are imprisoned within. However, treasures going back as far as the First Age are hidden here, as are great deposits of minerals and gems. While inhospitable to mortal life in the extreme, Immortal life can find a dwelling here – and the waves of Titanborn and First Ones that occasionally emerge from the Pits are proof enough of the fact that they still do thrive here. Some Dragons also make their homes within the Pits of Shubboph.
Shubboph is what the Elders called the world before the Titans rules, and it was buried when the Titans remade the world, so the name remains as testament to what once was.
The Wastes of Urd are the land that sits below the Great Isles. Barren and covered for extended periods of darkness as the Great Isles block the sun, life in the Wastes of Urd is hard, made more difficult by the presence of higher numbers of Titanborn and Drachkyn – and actual dragons. However, the Wastes of Urd are beneath the notice of the Gods – quite literally, given their geographic location – and in Wastes of Urd, the Cults of Mortals begin to gain traction.
Out of the Wastes, which are the edges of where Mortals hold sway, there is the Deep Urd, the Titanwastes. The best source of the Corpus, Titanwastes are transformed by the Titan who's flesh infuses the land: the Waste of Sangoth, for example, constantly creates creatures mutated by his perverse desires and are blanketed in the Blood Mists, while the Obsidian Seas' brackish waters hide the body of Maliden the Lost, and the creatures that live within are twisted reflections of her horrid grief. The Jungles of Unknown Sekrith, an Elder One that sided with the Titans until he was laid low during the War of the Divine, teem with the Ophiapods, his tentacled fusions of serpent and octopus.
The largest realm of the Wastes of Urd is Sreth. Once the breadbasket of Urd, corruption and madness overtook those tied to the Titans as Sreth the Gatekeeper was slain and the madness of an Elder was let loose. Plants and Animals found their forms twisted into unnatural beings, and Mortals and the remaining Titanborn found common cause, forced to huddle in fortress cities or beneath the ground or wherever they could find refuge - waiting in vain for the madness to end or at least abate. There they have begun unlocking the powers of mind and body, powers untouched by the Taint. Zhoatech Alchemists has unlocked great secrets of chymistology and mutology, working with the Artificers to create weapons to wield against the First Ones that roam Sreth, and the Taintwalkers learned to harness the magics of the Elder of old without completely succumbing to madness - sacrificing decades of their own lives to fight for a future that may never come, guarded and watched by the Purifiers who have tapped into the lingering power of the Titan War, the corpses of the Gods, and even the might of the titans themselves to wield a powerful force against the Taint and the Rot.
Urd was what the Titans called the World when the ruled it, so like the Pits of Shubboph, it retains that name as the gravestone of the Second Age.
The Great Isles of Keldora, [note=Size]I'm picturing the Great Islands ranging in size from the Hawaiian islands to Australia[/note]which float above the Wastes of Urd, are where Mortal life thrives under the eyes of the Gods in their Zigguropoli. Held aloft by Gethren Crystal, great glowing stones used by the Gods to elevate the masses of land that became the Great Isles and is known as Keldora proper.
The Great Isles are ruled by the Gods. The smaller Isles may only have one or two Gods, while the larger ones are ruled by Pantheons, multiple gods that at times work in tandem and other times squabble amongst each other. Sometimes Pantheons work so closely together they form a unified Empire across that Isle and even spread to others. Other times they are so busy fighting each other that it seems as thought that Isle will never know peace. Mortals form the primary foot soldiers in these conflicts, of course – it's rare for a God to fall to violence from his peers.
The Gods rule from massive city-citadels known as the Zigguropoli. They are centers of commerce, communication, culture, information, and Zhoatech. Each one is governed by some sort of Theocratic government, no matter how benevolent the God is, ranging from the compassionate Scions of Habyela to the sadisticly enforced necromantic quasi-hivemind of the Nelodimos-Is. Clergy form the bulk of the inner workings of these Zigguropoli, and to be a member of a God's priesthood is to be in the upper echelons of society. It's actually one of the quickest way for an individual to move out of poverty, so even among those who resent the gods the Clergy can be a viable path if one is careful. Not all of the clergy receive power from the Gods – only the truly favored do. Then there are the Ur-Priests, who syphon powers from the Gods without their consent. A discovered Ur-Priest has a very short lifespan.
Within the Great Isles are the Lowerlands, is a region that sits below the surface of each Isle, a vast interconnected network of tunnels and caverns lit sporadically by bioluminsenct fungus and veins of magma flowing through quartz tunnels. However, those features do not have the biggest impact on the races that live and venture into here - upon entering the Lowerlands, closer to the Gethren that holds the Great Isles aloft, gravity becomes much more...flexible. In particular, it becomes subjective - whatever surface you are standing on is "down", something that is often very disorienting to people unaccustomed to it's effects. This leads to some confounding structures - caverns where cities are built on all surfaces facing inwards, homes that use all 6 surfaces as living space, paths that curve and spiral around a tunnel to avoid obstructions, and even stranger still. Creatures and Gods that dwell within the Lowerlands make the most of these unique landscapes.
Travel between the Great Isles is accomplished on the backs of flying beasts or on great ships powered by Zhoatech.
The Inner Spheres [note=Distance and Size]the Inner Spheres are the size of dwarf planets and planetoids. Distances between them is much smaller than space – we're talking Earth-Moon distances at most, with the furthest Inner Sphere's having distances similar to those between the Jovian moons. Don't try and apply real world gravity to their orbits. It doesn't work.[/note] Sit above the Great Islands in the Aether Above, the Inner Spheres are smaller worlds where strange types of life and Gods – as well as some still living Titans and many Dragons – rule. Vastly different from each other, the Inner Spheres are too diverse to easily make blanket statements about. Here are some sample Spheres or multi-Sphere empires:
Gaunt World: The creatures of this world are known only across the Aether as The Gaunt Raiders, and while they appear as tall, slender, almost frail humanoids, they are powerful and possess strange devices that seem like Zhoatech but are beyond what Zhoatech can accomplish. They emerge from the skies with their strange weapons and strike without warning, retreating after obtaining whatever mysterious goal they sought...never once uttering a word. Their home Sphere a barren waste of spires of sickly gold dotting the ruins of what appears to have once been a great civilization, the ruins teeming with the Raiders – and defended by strange towers that shoot fire and lightning at any who approach.
The Hiveworld and Expansions 1-7: Whatever these worlds once were, they are now ruled by the Hive, a race of insectoid creatures that combine features of bees and ants with humanoid intelligence and expansionist tendencies. The Hive are not mindless automatons – each has an individual personality – but they are mostly loyal to their lesser Queens, who are loyal to the Great Queen on the Hiveworld. The exception is Expansion 7, where the members of the Hive met and bred with a native arachnid race and declared independence. On every hiveworld besides the Prime World, the natives mount a resistance against their conquerors. It is rumored the Great Queen is something strange, an Elder or Titan banished, but none who have seen her have survived to tell it.
The Verdant Expanse – This vast rainforest is actually five Inner Spheres connected by vast vines that grow into the depths of the Aether, and some fear these Sphere-Spanning Vines may eventually grow to threaten Keldora itself. Mad druids of these Spheres seek to spread these Vines deliberately across all of Reality, bringing about a Verdant Apocalypse. The central world is actually the Corpse of Slynveni, the Tree Mother Titan, and it's rumored that her Expanse will eventually lead to her Awakening.
Travel between the Inner Spheres is much like travel between the Great Isles, accomplished on creatures that can breath the Aether or massive ships powered by Corpus.
The Outer Spheres: The distant realms to which many of the Elders were banished, travel is nigh impossible save for rare gates that open to them. Madness lies here, and the Elders sleep for Countless Aeons as legions of First Ones plan for that Count to reach it's completion.
Races
[ooc]I'm avoiding culture notes here to instead focus on species-wide traits. This list is, of cousre, by no means complete.[/ooc]
Humans: Humans are, well, humans. They're various autumnal shades, fond of decorating their bodies with clothing, and are bipeds with bilateral symmetry. There is no "human culture," any more than any major races has a "racial culture," but humans do stand out in a few ways, the primary of which is how rapidly they breed and how hardy they are. They make favored servants of the Gods for those two traits alone – ease of replacement and durability.
Blooded Another thing that makes humans stand out is they have a more related species than any other race, owing to their ability to breed with many creatures that most races could not/would not try to. Collectively called the Blooded, these half-breeds and bastards probably outnumber their fleshy forebearers. Most common among them are the Nephilim, humans that have bred with the Divine, and the Rephaim, humans infected with the blood of Titans. While they are inclined to Virtue and Vice, good and evil seem to be as common among these races as they are among humanity. Other, stranger Blooded exist – which will be explored later.
Urog Calling the Urog a race is somewhat disingenuous. The Urog were once other Mortals, of all walks, but they sided with the Dragons during the Dragon Wars. As punishment for their betrayal, they were were warped into the race that plagues Mortals to this day. The Urog are tall, lanky humanoids of sickly yellow and green skin tones with thick, fat tails and sharp, tusked teeth. While the initial breed was weak, the Gods did curse them to breed so that they would stand as a permanent testament to the price of betrayal. Somehow, between the initial curse and now, they gained tremendous strength and cunning – a mystery the Gods would love solved. Now, most Urog fall into two camps – those who strike at other Mortals at any chance, and those who would die to redeem themselves to the Gods.
[ooc]More Coming Soon![/ooc]
Mythic History
In the Time Before, there were the Elders, beings beyond nightmare and comprehension, who created the First Ones and shaped the world to their mad whims. Their greatest of their begotten were the Titans, immense beings whose size was surpassed only by their might and will, and the Elders were pleased with what they had wrought. However, the Titans were still tools of the Elders, and grow frustrated with their servitude - Eventually, the Titans rebelled against their progenitors, and the Elders were banished from this plane to Distant Spheres, where they slumber and await their return.
Now the masters of creation, The Titans began to reshape the world, driving many other of the First Ones to extinction or banishing them to the Outer Spheres. To replace them they introduced their children, the Titanborn. Beings of form recognizable to modern mortals but still strange and bizarre, the greatest of the Titanborn were the Divine, known now as Gods. Seeing how powerful their greatest children had become, in time, the Titans were determined to avoid the fates of their fore bearers and began to ruthlessly bind the Divine to their will – a wise effort, perhaps, but it only ensured that the cycle began anew when the Gods rebelled against the Tyranny of the Titans. Legend has lost how vicious the wars between Elders and Titans was, but it is difficult to believe that it matched the ferocity of war between Gods and Titans.
The Gods outnumbered the Titans, as the Titans had outnumbered the Elders, yet the legions of Titanborn were endless, and so the Gods created their own soldiers, whom they called Mortals, for they were the first creatures born to known death. Since they were born to know death, they were given a sliver of something new, something called a Soul. After two hundred years, the war ended. The titans were butchered, shattered, or bound as they had done to the Elders before them, their essences seeping back into the world.
The Divine, now much pleased with themselves, began refining their Mortals as the Titans had once done with their children, and once again began remaking Keldora in their image. The Great Isles were lifted into the sky, the World Trees were cultivated, and their creations were encouraged to go forth and propagate and prosper. The greatest of these were beings of immense power and ferocity, the Dragons, who began to outnumber the Gods and began looking at their creators in jealous desire to claim their seat. Having seen the mistakes of the Titans and having heard of the follies of the Elders, the Gods did not attempt to repress or control the Dragons – but instead began a warm of extermination. Drachkyn, the children of the Dragons, were created in this war – abominations molded to mock the forms of Mortals.
And thus was the cycle broken, for the surviving Dragons were defeated, killed and bound or forced into the deep, hidden parts of Keldora. No longer would they fly among the great isles, never again would they dance among the stars. They took their Drachkyn and fled beneath the earth or to the Inner Spheres – some even as going so far to dwell among the Elders in the Distant Spheres. Denied the sky that was their birthright, they forsook the name the Gods had given them and renamed themselves Wyrms, vowing to reclaim their name when they could reclaim the sky.
[ooc=Celestials, Fiends, and other Outsiders]The Gods do not create immortal life – death and soul are part of how they planned on controlling their creations. Other, non deific Outsiders are First Ones or other Titanborn, and they are both threats and allies for Mortals. Some seek to curry favor with the Gods, others resent and want to overthrow them.[/ooc]
On the Nature of Gods
[note=Gender]Gods are not strictly male, even though I am using the masculine term largely because I am a lazy writer and it means 4-5 less key presses and I don't have to remember to correctly use him or her. The Divine really transcend gender, given their powerful shapeshifting abilities – while those that prefer a male form are called gods, and those that prefer a female form are called Goddesses, mortal genders are a purely optional concept for them, and they can switch between the two or simply operate as an androgynous entity as they wish. When referring to specific Gods, I will address them per the gender they most typically present[/note]Beings as diverse as the Gods are difficult to quantify as an organized group. Each of the Divine is a totally unique entity that is distinct from every other God in appearance, personality, and powers, except in rare cases of Divine Families – and even among them, each God is unique. Yet there are a few common threads among them that can be quantified:
Taboos and Grotesques: Every God has two things that they impose on their followers: taboos and grotesques. A taboo is something the followers are forbidden from doing – it may be eating a particular type of food, doing certain tasks on certain days, or similar restrictions. It can also be stranger – it depends entirely on the will of the Divine. These are always codified in law, and breaking a taboo results in extremely harsh punishment – at times even so extreme as exile or death. Clergy and others who receive divine power will find them immediately stripped if they violate a taboo – with the exception, obvious, of Ur-Priests, who have far more to worry about than the taboos. Oddly, given their distrust of it, most Gods to not make Zhoatech in any way taboo. A common theory is that Taboos are semi mystical pacts a God makes with their followers, and since Zhoatech is so new a true Taboo against it is difficult. Others argue that most of the Divine are simply to pragmatic to forbid a tool their rivals' followers would still use against them.
Grotesques, on the other hand, are depravities of the divine, rituals that utterly debase mortals in performing them. Every God has one or more grotesque they favor, from elaborate torture sessions to blood sacrifice to orgies – all twisted by their nature into something depraved made Divine. Grotesques are sometimes referred to as Holy Fetishes, by those that do not fear the phrase reaching Godly ears, and the phrase is accurate in some ways. Typically a grotesque is preformed as part of holidays or momentous events, and are always at least annual events. It is theorized by heretical scholars that the Gods derive some measure of power from these events, though it is unsubstantiated.
Power: While the nature of each of the Divine's power varies, the scope of it is often very similar. Gods wield immense but not limitless power, and while they inspire awe and wonder they are not beyond mortal comprehension. In general terms, a God can wield magic a step above even the most powerful mortals, reshaping areas to suit their whims and purpose – although such a task does take time. A God can create life, though it is typically limited to life suited to its nature – unless the significant amount of time and energy is invested required to create a True Mortal, as opposed to base plant and animal life. They do not tire doing mundane tasks, able to travel, drink, fight, and fuck without need for stopping. Only the heaviest of Divine tasks truly tire them – raising a new Great Isle, establishing a Zigguropolis, creating or reshaping a True Mortal, or anything that requires a similar exertion. Such tasks are rarely undertaken in the pre-Dragon War era, as the Divine worry about leaving themselves weak and exposed to each other and Mortals.
One thing that all Gods share in common is the ability to shift form. Every God has a true form, their Visage, and then a Mortal form, their Masque – the former of which is often used when attempting to overawe mortals or at war, the latter of which they most commonly wear when interacting with their subjects. However, the Divine are not limited to those two forms – though some rarely bother beyond that – and commonly take the form of animals, new mortal shapes, or stranger things to suit their goals or intrigue. Many Nephilim owe their origin to a Mortal woman who was visited by their beloved, only to learn later that their beloved was elsewhere the entire time.
The Masques of the Divine always appears as a Mortal with unique features that hint at their Visage – if a God's Visage is that of a four winged falcon that stands on leonine legs with serpents for arms and a scorpion's tail, their Masque may have feathered hair in the color of their plumage, retain the leonine legs, have scaled arms that hiss when waved, or even fully retain their tail – or some combination thereof. The purpose of a Masque is not to blend in with their subjects, but to interact with them without them being fully exposed to the divine glory of their Visage, which many mortals have difficulty standing before and not being paralyzed with awe or fear. Visages are always impressive to behold and, while they often have root in concept or creature Mortals are familiar with, combine or twist the elements in ways that no mortal would have seen.
Emotional: The Divine are not dispassionate, analytical beings. They are governed by the same emotions they gave to their children, the Mortals; fear, anger, lust, joy, sorrow – these are all parts of the Divine state. What makes them different is the scope at which the Divine feel them. An angry mortal may shout and rant, may even become violent – an angered God may stop there, or may destroy the source of their anger, those connected to the source of the anger, those near the source of the anger, and then curse any survivors unto the sixth generation. A grieving mortal may become withdrawn and insular. A grieving Divine may block out the sun with perpetual rains, dull all colors in their ZIgguropolis, and may even change into an aspect of grief. That is not to say that the Divine are not in control of themselves – but they act and live much larger than Mortals do, and their actions always make sense to them. Mortals rightly fear the moods of their Gods, and act carefully less they provoke them.
One emotion of particular note for the Gods is Arrogance: before the Dragon Wars, the Gods were (according to rumors) much more concerned about the repercussion of their actions. They knew of the Cycle of Divinity and knew that if they were not careful they would suffer the same fate of the Titans. Now, in the modern era, the Gods believe they have broken the Cycle, and are sure that they will remain the uncontested masters of Keldora for the remainder of time. As such, they have become much more arrogant; they believe that the only threat are other Divine and maybe, perhaps, an incredibly lucky group of Mortals who catch them when weak and exposed. The result of this arrogance is often apathy at best and cruelty at worst – individual Mortal concerns are clearly beneath them. A God may, rarely, intercede on behalf of a Mortal to improve some difficulty they face, but such incidents are rare and often serve a deeper, underlying goal.
A side effect of this arrogance is a simple, unfortunate fact of life on Keldora – a Mortal has no legal recourse and often no physical recourse against a God and the Divine cannot commit a crime against a mortal. Murder, theft, rape, experimentation, torture – should a God wish to, there is nothing to prevent them from doing so. That's not to say that it happens frequently – typically, there is little to no reason for one of the Divine to bother – but every Mortal is aware that the Gods master their life in the basest of ways should they chose to do so. A more typical manifestation of this is in the actions of the Nephilim, who are often protected by similar clauses to the Divine, depending on an individual God's decrees, but have much more reason to exercise that right.
Servitors In addition to the common Mortal breeds - Humans, Nephilim, Rephaim, and others - that are more universally found, all Gods also has at least one, and often more, Servitor race that is unique to that God. While they are still Mortal, and thus in possessian of a soul and free will, they are rarely found outside their God's Dominion.
Temples, Zigguropoli and Dominion
Very few Gods are without these two structures and only a handful lack at least Temples. A Temple is a combination of a house of worship, a house of governance, and a place of business for the local area. Temples for the Divine serve several purposes. First and foremost, they house the Clergy, including the local High Priest/Priestess that serve in mayoral roles for individual cities. They are a nexus for the Divine's power – it is heightened within their temple, and any prayer spoken with the proper incantation in a Temple will always reach that God's ears. They are community hubs in many ways, and typically the local market takes place outside the temple's doors if not inside (depending on the edicts of that Divine). They are also where Divine depravity is often manifested – the grotesques an individual Divine favors take place within the Temple's wall.
Zigguropoli are the temple-cities of the Divine, the ultimate testament to Divine presence and arrogance. Typically built as massive pyramids, with the God dwelling in the topmost layer, Zigguropoli are cities and temples wrapped into one. They are centers of Divine power and Divine might, and are always located on the "best" - as determined by the God's desires – location that the God controls. Zigguropoli can take non pyramidal forms, but their name comes from the most common shape they share.
A Dominion is the sum of the area a God rules. From a tiny corner of an Isle to an empire that spans multiple Isles, the Dominions of the Divine are jealously defended from interlopers and, within, the God's will is strictly - often brutally - enforced.
Temples and Zigguropoli can and often are constructed in the Lower Lands, but no Temple or Zigguropoli is constructed on the Wastes of Urd or the Pits of Shubboph. Temples do exist on some Inner Spheres, but only a few Gods have claimed any of the Inner Spheres as their Dominion, so Zigguropoli are rare among them.
[ooc]Anything marked with an asterix desperately needs a better name...which is pretty much all of them.[/ooc]
Zhoatech In the Wake of the Dragons Wars, the Gods slumbered for a time, regathering their expended energies so they might heal their wounds. During this time, mortals uncovered many new tools, not the least of which was Zhoatech.
Powered by Sarx, the cast off bits of the Titans, Zhoatech tools are strange, almost insane creations that could be held in hand, grafted to living beings, or even create new, non-life. Zhoatech is fairly pervasive; transport is accomplished as often by beasts of burden as it is by scuttling, spider-limbed walkers, lights that glow with the perversely strange colors of the Zhoa illuminate the night, weapons and armor (both worn and grafted) are used by the military, and the Zhoatech has opened the Xhan-Gi, a realm of information, ideas, and dreams that connects millions in the Zigguropoli of the Divine, while millions more live in the Wastes of Urd, which is any part of the world that exists beyond the Zigguropoli.
Zhoatech is pervasive and strange, and typically emulates something that could already be done by organic life but more so. Zhoatech transports have legs and move quicker than a beast of burden. Zhoatech weapons are swords infused with the power of the Sarx, or bows that fire shards at blinding speeds. Armor enhances and adds to what the wearer can do, from as simple as increasing their strength to as fantastic as allowing the wearer to fly.
The rise of Zhoatech and demand for it lead to the rise of the Syndicates. No single artisan could keep up with demand for the goods that Zhoatech produces, so they began to band together and work their apprentices even harder while taking on more. Eventually the apprentices began to take on neophytes to keep up with the work, and something new was born - the Temples of Zhoa, massive collections of wealth and hard work, which produce many of the wonders of Zhoatech. True innovation, however, is still mostly found among individual artisans, who produce some wondrous and terrifying creations - and then must either join the syndicates or struggle to keep control of their creations and their lives. The Gods, for their part, tolerate the syndicates for the same reason they tolerate Zhoatech - that is too say, possibly out of pragmatism or, perhaps, for more esoteric reasons. Meanwhile, the Blackguard Triumvirate, Skybound Sarx, Zhoa Solutions, and others flourish, often coming into conflict with the guilds of old that they take much of their structure - and business - from.
Zhoatech ToolsFor the common person, Zhoatech is most often seen in the various tools that it creates. Most of these are quality of life additions, that make routine tasks easier or quicker or safer. The examples below are just a small amount of the wide variety of tools made from Sarx.
*Crawlstars One of the simplest and yet most important tools Zhoatech has spawned are Crawlstars. They are small globes of light that, as their name suggest, crawl constantly to provide the best lighting possible, linked through Xhan-Gi to constantly check if they are maximizing illumination in an area. Virtually useless outdoors, where they will just move away from each other constantly, Crawlstars are massively important in the homes of the upper classes and the halls of Zigguropoli, where they have removed the tyranny of the day/night cycle. A recent improvement to Crawlstars by Zhoa Solutions allows them to recognize if someone is sleeping or attempting to do so and dimming their light, ending the tedious task of collecting them every night.
*Mass Scribe Another device that completely revolutionized life on Keldora, the Mass Scribe is a huge, false eye attached to an apparatus made of hundreds of tiny mechanical hands holding pens. It can look at written documents and the hands can reproduce it with near perfect accuracy, although the writing is always strangely imprecise, and a strange flaw in the process causes them to occasionally insert random words into the text from time to time. Nevertheless, it has allowed the written word to reach the masses, and this change has been so drastic no one minds that texts will occasionally contain such utterances as "The End is Nigh", "They Burn," "Dusk Will Fall," or other such nonsense that are clearly artefacts from other documents.
*Clutching Constructor Known by those who use it as a *clutch, is a simple apparatus – a large box with two holes the operator places their hands within. The box serves two functions: first, it monitors the hand's movement, and translates that into a pair of massive golem arms that are used to move and build heavy machinery or buildings, and secondly, it provides tactile feedback to the operators so they know how hard they are grasping their subject. Some rebel groups have seized a clutch or two and balanced them into giant walkers, or mounted them on top of largerSkittering carriage and turned the arms into makeshift weapons. Officially the syndicates denounces this use of their technology. Unofficially, the more recent models of clutch have made this particular use much easier.
*Clawbow While nowhere near as revolutionary as the above, the clawbow nonetheless is a common tool among theives and adventurers. A simple design externally, a clawbow looks like an egg attached to a cylinder with a handle. When squeezed, the egg unfurls into a five spaced claw and is launched from the cylinder at phenomenal speeds, attached to the base cylinder by a rope or chain. Once it impacts something, the claw attempts to grab on, and then quickly reels in - pulling either target to user or visa versa. Used most frequently to reach higher places or across chasms, clawbows are also are also used to grab items through open windows and even by some as a weapon to draw an important target out of a protective position.
Zhoatech VehiclesIn some was the most phenomenal of the wonders of Zhoatech, the vehicles that are powered with Sarx are incredibly striking. Used by many to denote wealth and status, Zhoatech Vehicles have not yet completely replaced animals as the primary means of transportation on Keldora, although some suggest that is coming one day soon.
*Skittering Carriage: The most commonly used
*skit on Keldora, the Skittering Carriage is designed with personal use in mind. It's size and inelegance belie the fact that it is able to move three times the speed of a horse on its four spindly legs – spread wide from the center for greater stability. The body of the most common models are a simple flattended cylinder with tapered ends and a depression in the middle for passengers (it can house two). The driver and passengers are almost completely exposed, with only a simple canvas dome that can be stretched overhead on rainy days. Despite the simple appearance and weak canvas dome, On many isles, owning a Skit as opposed to a horse is what clearly establishes you as something greater than the common peasant below.
*Hawkskiffs: The simplest flying vehicles, a hawkskiff is a simple glider held aloft by kinetic energy put off by its Sarx core. Lean and able to carry only a small pay lode, hawkskiffs still are revolutionizing travel and warfare. Smaller models actually flit within the larger halls of some Zigguropoli, while larger ones are used to travel the spaces between isles. A common tactic has been mounting a shardbow (see below) to the frost of a hawkskiff as a crude military vehicle, while others are equipped with massive clawbows (see above) to hunt aerial creatures.
Zhoship: Much larger than hawkskiffs, Zhoships more closely resemble sailing ships with wide domes over their tops and the sails set to the side. Used to travel between isles, to the Wastes of Urd, and even among the Inner Spheres, Zhoships are impressively large, some surpassing even the largest sailing vessels. One of the few pieces of Zhoatech that the gods have adopted, some are even small Zigguropoli in their own right. Most famously is Khyndriel, the Mother of Nomads, who's Zhoship The Lost Path can darken the sky above some of the smaller isles.
Zhoatech WeaponsWeapons forged with Zhoatech far surpass anything possible by their more mundane counterparts, and while they can always trace their origin to a particular mundane weapon, their function often goes far beyond what one could imagine by looking upon it. As before, this is just a small sample of what's possible.
Melee
Bihlash The bihlash uses technology borrowed from the Clawbow to create swords with incredible reach. Worn more as guantlets than held as weapons, bihlash respond to their wearers thoughts to a degree - they are short swords on the end of long chains that expand and retract as their wielder needs in a fight. a skilled bihlash wielder will dance to keep her enemies at a distance, out of reach of their weapons, which both plays to their inherent strength and the fact that bihlash are poor weapons to have when defending yourself.
Keldmohr The keldmohr is a terrifying weapon to behold, a sword that is often as large as its wielder. The Zhoatech engine within manipulates the density of the sword during a fight, making it light when being manoeuvred but bringing its full force to bear when striking. It is a difficult weapon to master given the constant adjustments that must be made to its weight, but the immense damage it can do makes it worth the effort of learning.
Spunclub A brutal weapon, the Spunclub is composed of a series of interlocking gears that grow smallter towards the handle. In addition to the immense weight of the gears, as they spin they make every strike pinch, grab, and rend what the blow. Bladed Spunclubs exist, but break far to often to be a practical weapon.
*Arcstaff A large metal rod ending in two forked poles, lightning dances between the blades of the arcstaff, making it shock as it strikes. Skilled users will trap their foes between the forks, holding them in place with paralyzing bolts of electricity.
*Pincer Sword As the name implies, the Pincer sword can split in two at the middle, making it a massive sissor that can either rend in twain (for the bladed models) or be used to grasp individuals between the two shears (for the blunt models). Either one is terrifying to see used on a human, as the blunt models can squeeze hard enough to crack bone.
*Humaxe The humaxe is so called because of the name it makes when it is activated, a low humming noise. When it strikes a target, it unleashes a powerful kinetic strike, deeping the wound and sending the target stumbling away.
Ranged
*Autobow The autobow is a fairly simple creation of Zhoatech. Zhoatech limbs reach into a back placed magazine of darts and hurl them with a force similar to a crossbow's bolts, able to launch between 20-50 a minute. Depending on the model, the autobow can outpace the rate of fire possessed by entire squads of archers manned with traditional bows.
*Diskbow The diskbow, instead of firing arrows, launches bladed metal disks at its targets. What makes it so threatening is that each disk is guided by the sarx is the bow, actively seeking out targets to bite into.
*Wandgonne One of the most impressive weapons of war, a Wandgonne doesn't launch bolts or arrows, but busts of energy that vary depending on the exact make of the weapon.
- Fire shoots a ball of flame that clings to whomever or whatever it strikes. Other versions maintain heat to melt metal armor or set flammables alight
- Ice can shatter metal and crack the skin of enemies
- Lightning can either deal damage, or cause the target to convulse and be unable to move
- Other options will exist
*Shredder This cruel device fires glass shards at incredible speeds, slicing into anyone in their way. Although less effective against armored targets, they can completely shred a crowd of unarmored or lightly armored individuals. A more sadistic version instead fires a cloud of glass ground into dust, shredding eyes and lungs.
Explosives and Grenades
Coming Soon
Zhoatech ArmorOf course, the creation of Zhoatech weapons mandates the creation of armor to defend against it. Zhoatech armor is intended to boost the abilities of its wearer significantly in addition to protecting. Zhoatech armor responds to the thoughts and insticts of its wearer.
Living Carapace Living carapace armor is closer to plate mail in apperance, but moves with its wearer. In addition to providing superb protection, anyone wearing living carapace is faster and stronger than they were before, augmented by the armor's strenght. It does come at a cost to mobility, however, as fine movements are delayed as the armor catches up to its wearer.
Half Carapace Favored by those who desire agility, Half Carapace armor provides some of the strenght benefits of Living Carapace but less protection for the arms and legs, allowing them to move more freely at the cost of protection.
Scorpion Carapace Similar to living carapace, scorpion carapace adds a long tail that will strike at the target of its wearer with every attack. The power to control these attacks means it offers almost no increase to brute strenght or speed, however. It is available in a half carapace version, as well.
Mutlicleaver Breastplate Taking the Scorpion Carapace to its logical extreme, a Shredding breastplate only protects the torso and head of its wearer, but adds four bladed arms to the user that can fight independently of its wearer. Those who wear Shredding breastplate are advised to not stand too close to allies, as the armor can have trouble distinguishing friend from foe.
Omnishield Breastplate The converse of the above, the extra arms added by Omnishield Breastplate end in sheilds as opposed to blades, and rapidly react to deflect incoming attacks, even if the wearer is unaware of the attack. In a pinch, the shields will attempt to bash a foe that is proving difficult to strike.
Thoughtfield For those who desire mobility above else, the thoughtfield armor is the best option. Composed of a simple vest, bracelets, anklets, and a headband, the thoughtfield armor generates a kinetic field that protects the wearer's entire body. While not as strong as most armors, it provides zero hindrance to movement. Of course, it has a cost - powerful blows against the barrier hit the wearer with psychic feedback.
Archangel Pack Appearing as a half-oval attached to the wearer's back, Archangel packs can be activated to spread wings that contain sarx powered gliders similar to a hawkskitter, allowing the user to fly short distances. More complex versions allow the wearer full control of the wings and include bladed feathers, making it a weapon as well as a mobility tool. Archangel packs offer little to no protection, so are often combined with another armor.
Spider Mail A suit of mail that also includes gloves and boots, spider mail allows the wearer to climb any surface as if it were level ground, while offering decent protection in the form of a heightened awarness to danger.
Not There A not there armor provides absolutely no protection, covering them in head to foot with cloth, but instead makes the user incredibly hard to focus upon, fooling even advanced Zhaotech sensors. While it doesn't make the user invisible, eyes want to slide off it and look somewhere else. Fighting someone in a not there suit is nausea inducing, and the fact that it provides no protection against your blows is little comfort when you cannot focus well enough to strike.
Dozeneye Helm While offering little protection, a Dozeneye helm allows the wearer to see in all directions at once. For those not used to it, it's a sickening experience, but once adjusted to it gives you unparalleled ability to avoid attacks from all directions.
Xhan-Gi (The more I look at it, the more I consider cutting Xhan-Gi as being too sci-fi ish, so this is left blank for now)
Zhoatech LifeComing soon.
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BTW, wanted to post this separately:
A long time policy of mine is if you review something of mine, I return the favor, making sure my review is at least equal in detail to what you left me. If you have something you want reviewed, then just let me know when you post here or via PM. :) (don't feel like you have to post here for me to review your stuff, I just guarantee a review if you do.)
This setting is insane, in a good way. I'm a huge fan of dungeonpunk and the like, but your take on it is by far the best example I've seen of really combining classical cyberpunk themes with high fantasy tropes. The world feels massive and bizarre in a visceral way traditional cyberpunk could never hope to achieve without straining disbelief; I'd urge you to never actually define its scale, because it's unreality definitely contributes to the sense of human insignificance. Super-involved, profit-driven gods running their religions like corporations with little regard for individual mortals was an inspired decision. In most mythologies, the gods reshape the world into something more hospitable after they've destroyed the titans; that they only created the Isles of Keldora (assuming it as their creation) to build their enormous temple-arcologies on and left the rest of the world as a polluted wasteland is so brilliantly dystopian I could cry.
Quote from: Superbright
This setting is insane, in a good way. I'm a huge fan of dungeonpunk and the like, but your take on it is by far the best example I've seen of really combining classical cyberpunk themes with high fantasy tropes. The world feels massive and bizarre in a visceral way traditional cyberpunk could never hope to achieve without straining disbelief; I'd urge you to never actually define its scale, because it's unreality definitely contributes to the sense of human insignificance.
This may be the single most positive review I've ever gotten for a setting in my history of the CBG, thank you. :) The fact that it comes from you in particular makes me happy - your crazy dystopian worlds were one of my inspirations as I was writing this.
And I'm glad I captured exactly what I was going for - worry not, I never intend on actually defining the full scale of the world or the scope of what could happen. I'll be focusing on some more overall things to help better reveal the shape of things, and then narrowing in to look at regions, individuals, etc to highlight sections of the whole.
QuoteSuper-involved, profit-driven gods running their religions like corporations with little regard for individual mortals was an inspired decision. In most mythologies, the gods reshape the world into something more hospitable after they've destroyed the titans; that they only created the Isles of Keldora (assuming it as their creation) to build their enormous temple-arcologies on and left the rest of the world as a polluted wasteland is so brilliantly dystopian I could cry.
Thank you so much. I'm glad it hits exactly that cord. The traditional cyberpunk corporate head is damn near divine in the level of power he or she wields, I just decided to make it more literal. :) A pet peeve of mine is that, in standard DND and most standard fantasy - two words which deserve a rant of their own - the gods have very mortal mindsets, are provably real, and can literally bounce over to the mortal plane at a moment's notice - but they never do, because reasons. I thought it would be fun to turn it on its head.
Mind if I steal the phrase temple arcologies? I like it as an alternate term and it's very fitting.
Anything in particular you'd like to see more of, or just want to sit back and enjoy the ride with me?
A bunch of information on the gods added. Sorry about formatting, I'll fix when I'm on a PC.
Formatting fixed!
So right now one big struggle I'm having is with other races. I'm trying to decide if A)I should include other widespread races at all, or just leave each race as an individual God's creations and B) If I do include other races, should they be the fantasy standards (with some spins to make them unique to Keldora), or totally unique creations? Or some combination? So that's where I am at the moment, and it's been a bit of a headache to figure out. Hopefully will decide and post that answer later on tonight!
Dude. This setting is off the proverbial chain, and the hook too! Seriously, you've done such an awesome job of melding and mutating various sci-fi and fantasy tropes. I like how you've left a lot to the imagination too, though I would love more details. The Gods as the "new rich" of the setting is a stroke of genius; though I wonder, are there perhaps more "abstract" Gods, or those whose concerns are at least not quite so petty? You have them in the Titans and the Elder Things, but maybe some of the Gods are a little closer to their parents, and some are closer to their children? And as for races, my vote is for a combination. What if the basic human form is the "template" all or most of the Gods used, and the "demi-humans" or their equivalents are the result of each God "customizing" their respective people? Of course, some probably went a little further in their alterations, but they'd probably be less common...
Quote from: MysterMe
Dude. This setting is off the proverbial chain, and the hook too! Seriously, you've done such an awesome job of melding and mutating various sci-fi and fantasy tropes. I like how you've left a lot to the imagination too, though I would love more details.
Details are coming! Glad to hear you're liking it so far. :D I've been stuck on some details that have been making it hard to go into depth yet, hence the massive overviews as I work things out, but hopefully can power through those in the next few days.
QuoteThe Gods as the "new rich" of the setting is a stroke of genius; though I wonder, are there perhaps more "abstract" Gods, or those whose concerns are at least not quite so petty? You have them in the Titans and the Elder Things, but maybe some of the Gods are a little closer to their parents, and some are closer to their children?
My ego is going to get huge from the comments like this. :) I've gone back and forth on more abstract Gods and ultimately decided against it - I feel with three different types of divinities, I'll water it down too much if I start blending their roles. That being said, there are Titans that sided with the Gods (and one Elder that sided with the Titans and then again with the Gods) that will appear - though those are in the minority.
Quote
And as for races, my vote is for a combination. What if the basic human form is the "template" all or most of the Gods used, and the "demi-humans" or their equivalents are the result of each God "customizing" their respective people? Of course, some probably went a little further in their alterations, but they'd probably be less common...
I like the idea of the humanoid biped being the most common form the gods have used ever since the Dragons rebelled, but I don't want to make Humans the baseline because it's one of those tropes that annoy me. But that basic form being common is going to be a theme, absolutely. Appreciate the thoughts there. And yes, since each God - of which there are 100s, and I'll never define them all - has their own servitors, some have deviated quite a bit from that baseline frame...
So since I'm coming back, I thought I'd share some brief overview of what I'm working on:
Yaggerveld, the Impaling Coast. The domain of Nytherac, the Spined King, Yaggerveld is a violent isle home to all manner of quilled and spiked creatures. Everything from the mountains that ring the coast, jutting spines into the air, to the tall narrow homes of its people, to the thorny plants and deadly grass, to the Singular Spire (the Zigguropolis of Nytherac), Nytherac proves himself to be as god that is every bit as brutal as he is unimaginative.
Starhusk, the Fetid Corpse. Domain of Dholma. A necromantic goddess that, instead of raising earth for her Isle, partially ressurected a partially dead Elder Thing that is dozens of miles long and shaped like a Starfish built around a giant brain. Dholma hollowed out the brain and built her Zigguropoli, the Zeitgeist, within. In addition to humans and Blooded inhabitants, many undead make their home on Starhusk, harvesting the fungus that feeds upon its flesh for food and working its bones for stone.
Enpurgmut - A society that revolves around carnal pleasures, ruled by a Goddess that was once a Titan and known only as the Quivering Mother, who requires that every childbirth go through her - something which occurs quite literally. Her Children, as she calls the inhabitants, are noted for a particular caste - the Moatain, twisted mutants that often despise their "mother," and the Deitrus, a slave race spawned by the Moatain out of genetic castoff.
Also coming: more races, more details of the surface, more gods, more cultures...more everything!
I do loves me my smoothie settings. I'm especially tickled when I don't recognize something at first, but then I go "Hey, that Gaunt World thing sounds like the Gith" and I feel smart.
I like the tone you're shooting for. Strange and horrible without being a horror setting. It seems like players will focus on making their character's awesome (not statistically speaking, but through their achievements and deeds) rather than dealing with the mind warping psychology that is present in a true horror setting.
You've also succeeded on creating a world that is truly fantastical. A massive world, encircled by floating islands and further encircled by floating moons is an impressive thought. And while every environment under the sun can likely be found there, there's a cohesive system to them so that they don't feel out of place. Bravo.
Some things that particularly stand out to me:
Horrible and Awesome
As I said before, this is pretty damned cool. I see a monster, and it's horribleness is meant to encourage me to take my companions and go kill it, rather than make me cower. It's evocative and fantastic without changing the play style of the game away from the "classic".
Help, I'm Being Oppressed!
Definitely an evocative feel. I'd be quite bothered by it personally, but this would strive me to greater acts of heroism as I sought to bring it down. I can imagine playing a Paladin in such a world, biting off more than she can choose, fighting against oppression of all kinds even as it becomes more and more clear it's a fruitless quest. It does make the world feel real, and adds to the darkness without it being hopeless.
The Gods are Not Your Friends
Very interesting. I think your gods will feel fleshed out and realized. Their simultaneous distance from people and control over people makes them a present aspect of the setting. The fact that their power is within the bounds of potential PC power is interesting too. The Cult of Mortals intrigues me too.
New Fantasy
As evidenced by my own setting, I'm a big fan of "the same, but different". Too much energy can be devoted to making something unique, sometimes to the point that it becomes unrecognizable, too complex, or just plain strange. Tropes are useful, and I know you know how to use them.
On Virtue, Vice, Good, and Evil
While my own take on alignment is slightly more classical, I find this appealing, codified, and less apt for arguments and debate. The seven sins and seven vices are fairly easy to interpret, and if you steal a bit of World of Darkness, they can work as a good way to incentivize play decisions that are in character yet are tactically unsound (Yeah, I'll duel the taunting dragon, my sin is Pride).
Sufficiently Advanced Magic
Definitely interesting. It feels medieval yet is still quite advanced. What form does the Corpus take? Is it earthy, or still fleshy?
Size Matters
As I said before, the fantasy level of the environment is a huge selling point. There's so much to explore, and I do loves me some exploration.
Without calling out all the planes you mentioned, I just have to say how cool it is. I especially like the Wastes of Urd, partially because I love kaiju and giants.
I'm also tickled by your description of humans (it makes me think there's going to be a lot of decidedly unhumanoid races around). Your blooded human-halfbloods sound cool (variant tiefling and aasimar?). Are the Urog your Orcs, or something else?
As for your mythology, I love the cyclic nature of it. The theme of oppression even runs through it to this day. I like how the gods at first seemed to have transcended the cycle, and are now falling into it full force.
Quote from: Xeviat
I do loves me my smoothie settings. I'm especially tickled when I don't recognize something at first, but then I go "Hey, that Gaunt World thing sounds like the Gith" and I feel smart.
I'm glad someone caught that! Yeah, the Guant World is meant to be a mashup of the Gith and the Etherguants from...I think it was the Fiend Folio? Must have been, that book was full of awesome races and monsters that never got used again and are often overlooked.
QuoteI like the tone you're shooting for. Strange and horrible without being a horror setting. It seems like players will focus on making their character's awesome (not statistically speaking, but through their achievements and deeds) rather than dealing with the mind warping psychology that is present in a true horror setting.
Glad you like it. I'm trying to be very careful to avoid getting too gritty and maddening and horrible, because A) I have some problems with that long term. We actually discussed that in general in IRC last night, and it boils down to the fact that it's hard with either super happy everyone loves each other settings (A la the way the Federation is depicted in early Star Trek) or super duper grim and gritty settings to maintain a suspension of disbelief. And B) at the point where I cross the line into too dark is the point where Keldora just becomes a bad knockoff of many of the excellently done gritty settings here on the CBG. Good to know I'm keeping it rightly there so far.
QuoteYou've also succeeded on creating a world that is truly fantastical. A massive world, encircled by floating islands and further encircled by floating moons is an impressive thought. And while every environment under the sun can likely be found there, there's a cohesive system to them so that they don't feel out of place. Bravo.
That's exactly what I was going for. :) My biggest problem with my fantasy settings is that I so often end up killing them because I turn a logical eye to my work and realize that the whole thing isn't cohesive and doesn't make sense. I have no idea how 90% of the CBG is able to do geography, meteorology, and zoology to the point where it doesn't shatter disbelief, but since I'm not one of those, I decided to completely break the rules to go with fantastic and bizarre.
QuoteHorrible and Awesome
As I said before, this is pretty damned cool. I see a monster, and it's horribleness is meant to encourage me to take my companions and go kill it, rather than make me cower. It's evocative and fantastic without changing the play style of the game away from the "classic".
Again, I'm glad someone else likes this idea. :)
QuoteHelp, I'm Being Oppressed!
Definitely an evocative feel. I'd be quite bothered by it personally, but this would strive me to greater acts of heroism as I sought to bring it down. I can imagine playing a Paladin in such a world, biting off more than she can choose, fighting against oppression of all kinds even as it becomes more and more clear it's a fruitless quest. It does make the world feel real, and adds to the darkness without it being hopeless.
Oh man, that got me wanting to talk about the Paladin types that I have intended here, because I think you'll love it. It's broken down into 3 main archetypes. Zealots are the traditional "Fists of God" types that permeate most fantasy settings. It is believed that they draw their power directly from the god they serve, but that's not entirely correct. They draw their power from the worship of that god and the ideals that god represents. This means that some Zealots can and do actually oppose the gods they "serve" because that god has become in some way heretical in the Zealots eyes - if a god claims to stand for justice but acts fairly unjust, they may find their own Zealots turning against them! [note]Yes, Zealots were inspired by Captain America's idea of "I stand for the ideals that America represents, not its government" that I love so much[/note]
Actual Paladins devote themselves to the more classic paladin idea of the weak and the helpless, or in opposition to tyranny, which strives right into the what you you were describing there - but they aren't divinely powered, instead drawing upon their inner strength in a manner similar to ki. (I'm going to get crunchy with Keldora. When I do, Paladins will have what is essentially a "limit break," that comes up the more outnumbered or out gunned they are.)
Finally are Crusaders, who devote themselves to a cause above all else. This can be as esoteric as is desired, but it almost always is something that is likely to never be accomplished in the Crusader's lifetime. They accept this joyfully, glad to know they are taking steps towards the ultimate fulfillment of their chosen cause. They draw power not from the gods or their own souls, but from the souls of others - in other words, they're powered by hero worship.
QuoteThe Gods are Not Your Friends
Very interesting. I think your gods will feel fleshed out and realized. Their simultaneous distance from people and control over people makes them a present aspect of the setting. The fact that their power is within the bounds of potential PC power is interesting too. The Cult of Mortals intrigues me too.
Unfortunately I've been having the biggest problem with getting individual gods right. Every attempt so far has either felt cartoonishly evil, stupidly non-threatening, or too nice where it just becomes "okay, this guy is a good patron for PCs." I'm gonna need to hammer some out, because there is only so much I can write about Keldora before I need to do so. And since they're kind of the main problem of the setting, keeping them within the bounds of PC power was a must - otherwise, it's impossible to make a game with a really satisfying resolution, unless you're fighting for one of the gods against other mortals.
I'll be fleshing out the Cult of Mortals soon - hope you like what you see!
QuoteNew Fantasy
As evidenced by my own setting, I'm a big fan of "the same, but different". Too much energy can be devoted to making something unique, sometimes to the point that it becomes unrecognizable, too complex, or just plain strange. Tropes are useful, and I know you know how to use them.
Thanks! :) I love taking a critical eye to tropes and trying to use them just enough where it's recognizable, but not where it's repetitive. (One of your strengths too, so I'm glad you're liking what I'm doing!)
QuoteOn Virtue, Vice, Good, and Evil
While my own take on alignment is slightly more classical, I find this appealing, codified, and less apt for arguments and debate. The seven sins and seven vices are fairly easy to interpret, and if you steal a bit of World of Darkness, they can work as a good way to incentivize play decisions that are in character yet are tactically unsound (Yeah, I'll duel the taunting dragon, my sin is Pride).
Exactly what I was going for here. My least favorite part of the classic alignment system is the endless series of debates as to what it means. I maybe go back and tweak the 7 to be a bit more specific to the setting, but using them as character motivation is something I absolutely love and will do. That also makes it inform character in a more detailed way than classic alignment, at least in my way of looking at it.
QuoteSufficiently Advanced Magic
Definitely interesting. It feels medieval yet is still quite advanced. What form does the Corpus take? Is it earthy, or still fleshy?
Thanks! What I'm trying to go for in terms of power for these devices is similar to what you get in the semi-schlocky B fantasy movies like Van Helsing or Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, which are guilty pleasures of mine through and through.
Corpus (which I have as of yesterday renamed to Sarx, and need to go back and modify the original posts to reflect this) varies depending on the Titan it comes from, but in general, it looks like unworked gemstones of some variety in terms of coloration - and typically with a slight shine of some kind - but it feels like flesh or warm leather when held. Some times, it even seems to pulsate slightly like a living thing. Needless to say, those that work with unrefined Sarx typically wear thick gloves - it's disturbing stuff to touch.
QuoteSize Matters
As I said before, the fantasy level of the environment is a huge selling point. There's so much to explore, and I do loves me some exploration.
If/when I run a game in Keldora, a significant portion of the game would have to take the form of a travelogue as people move from one place to the next, because I'd feel like I was cheating my own setting if I didn't explore that. Glad that you like it! :D
QuoteWithout calling out all the planes you mentioned, I just have to say how cool it is. I especially like the Wastes of Urd, partially because I love kaiju and giants.
Glad we agree on this. Part of the reason Keldora came in to being the way it is was to reconcile the major problems I have with giants and kaiju and dragons and the like with basic ecology, and the Wastes of Urd were a major part of my solution there. Plus...giant monsters and giant people are awesome, and more are needed in everything. :)
QuoteI'm also tickled by your description of humans (it makes me think there's going to be a lot of decidedly unhumanoid races around). Your blooded human-halfbloods sound cool (variant tiefling and aasimar?). Are the Urog your Orcs, or something else?
Un/nonhumanoids are definitely going to be a thing. I can't imagine the Gods to be so limited as to make all Mortals the same basic shape. It was fun to write, about humans like that!
Yeah, the Blooded are basically meant to be variant tiefling and aasimar - and other types of Planetouched - as well as a bit of half-elf (I need to write up elves, they're not what I imagine people would be expecting) and other half-[blank] races.
Urog are meant to be my Orcs, yes, with a justification for why they are the way they are. (Also, I'm taking off the tails, that's starting to hurt my brain when I picture it.) Classic Orcs will appear, but they have a very different mythology (I need to write those up too) than the standard and aren't nearly as widespread, so Urogs were made to fill that gap.
QuoteAs for your mythology, I love the cyclic nature of it. The theme of oppression even runs through it to this day. I like how the gods at first seemed to have transcended the cycle, and are now falling into it full force.
Thanks! I initially didn't have the gods look like they were transcending the cycle, and a lot of the feedback was "Why are the gods so dumb?" which I tried to handwave with some mystical "They cannot see the patterns of their own demise..." that sounded forced even to me. The fact that they looked like they beat it was my way of justifying why they would believe that they had.
Thanks for the feedback! I'll be hopping back to peruse more Xev20 stuff or anything else you want me to look at - probably not until after work tonight. :)
Zhoatech has been moved to its own post and greatly expanded upon, though it's still very much a WIP. Any name suggestions would be hugely appreciated here, in addition to other feedback. Also, I'd love any suggestions for Zhoatech I could add to this list.
EDIT: Added about a dozen and a half more items.
I've begun reading your setting a bit. I'd definitely enjoy playing a roleplaying game in your world. Some of the tones and themes of Keldora I feel a connection to; like the Horrible and Awesome, the "I can slay that gigantic, oozing centipede (or crimson-aura dark dragons with three heads) without using my hands! We bettin' buddy?" feeling is badass; The Gods are Not your Friends part really helps to set the tone as well, and is a nice touch; I'm not a fan of alignment, but if I had to play a game with an alignment system, yours seem like the one I'd use; and I'm not a fan of dragons, half-races and magic in such high quantities, but the way you included them seem interesting enough.
I've read your entry about Arcanopunk and I thought it was well described.
I'm definitely going to read the mythic story, about the gods and more about zhoatech at some point soon.
Quote from: Magnus Pym
I've begun reading your setting a bit. I'd definitely enjoy playing a roleplaying game in your world.
That is the best complement for a setting on here, period. :) I'm hoping once I get the setting more developed and my schedule normalizes to run an IRC game in Keldora.
QuoteSome of the tones and themes of Keldora I feel a connection to; like the Horrible and Awesome, the "I can slay that gigantic, oozing centipede (or crimson-aura dark dragons with three heads) without using my hands! We bettin' buddy?" feeling is badass;
That's exactly the reaction I'd hope to inspire in players. :D If a group ever actually took bets on a fight like that, I'd be thrilled.
QuoteThe Gods are Not your Friends part really helps to set the tone as well, and is a nice touch;
Much appreciated. :)
QuoteI'm not a fan of alignment, but if I had to play a game with an alignment system, yours seem like the one I'd use;
I was hoping to make a system that would appeal to people who aren't fans of alignment! The general "Good Vs. Evil" alignment system is something that has always bugged me - good to know I've pulled off something preferable.
Quoteand I'm not a fan of dragons, half-races and magic in such high quantities, but the way you included them seem interesting enough.
Thanks! I love those things, obviously, so I decided to make them integral to the setting as opposed to tacked on at the end like they often feel.
QuoteI've read your entry about Arcanopunk and I thought it was well described.
Excellent. I felt like the genre needed to be spelled out a bit better than just the name, so I'm happy to see it worked out.
QuoteI'm definitely going to read the mythic story, about the gods and more about zhoatech at some point soon.
Can't wait to hear what you think! :)