Some elements and substances produced or devised by the dear inhabitants of Kherennem and its surroundings. Feel free to comment as usual; there'll be more at some later point in time.
Advanced Alchemy
Phlogiston:
An invention which breaks down the verge between alchemy and physics, this wild, luminescent fluid is pure liquid energy; a concept of physics in an aqueous solution. It has nearly unlimited uses, many of them quite dangerous to a careless scientist. It is, to no surprise, a volatile substance with even small amounts capable of reducing a room to a flaming husk. Although not a quality without uses, there is more: untouched, the phlogiston will slowly evaporate into heat, melting or charring surfaces quickly. Propelled at something with sufficient velocity, the phlogiston will only partly translate into heat; the rest will be instantly consumed in a kinetic burst capable of knocking an iron-shod door off its hinges. Of course, one could also take advantage of its luminescent quality, but most alchemists would consider this both a waste and somewhat of a folly.
Imbibed (in very low concentrations!) phlogiston will flush the system with adrenaline and energy; a very powerful and terribly expensive high society drug. Sadly it will quickly burn out a person's system with just a few doses, leaving him a lazy and catatonic wreck as he becomes incapable of amassing energy by himself.
The process of creating phlogiston is immensely complicated, and is kept as a close-guarded secret by the alchemy masters of the world. But it is safe to say that it involves difficult procedures and rare ingredients. The liquid can only be safely stored over time in a very diluted state or in vials formed entirely out of malglass.
Malglass:
A nasty type of glass shaped from rare minerals from the Boreal Mountains, this material is highly valued by alchemists for its unique properties.
The glass is a powerful anti-catalyst which stills almost all chemical reactions, making volatile liquids in contact with the glass virtually harmless. It maintains an eerily cold temperature no matter how warm the ambient temperature is, and combined with its other quality this makes it extremely uncomfortable to handle.
The glass is clear when first made, but the surface oxidizes over time which makes the glass matted and inert. To restore the glass, it has to be treated with a vinegar solution which seems to be the only thing that works. Of course, it doesn't become inert if kept airtight. Even though the glass doesn't heat up physically, it eventually melts and becomes malleable if treated in a furnace.
If ground into a fine dust and inhaled, or if shards of shattered malglass pierce the skin the anti-catalyst can wreak havoc with the human body. It can cause asphyxiation, strange reactions or gangrene. This was put to extensive use during the last Corsair Wars, to the horror of many of the soldiers who saw the direct consequences of the attacks.
Ambrosia:
The spice of the gods it's said. No one can quite settle on what ambrosia tastes like. Some say it's sweet, others call it strong, aromatic, mild or any of a hundred other things. All anyone can ever agree on is that it is the most marvellous taste ever to touch their tongue. A single pinch of this stuff will turn a drab dinner into a culinary masterpiece. In its pure form it takes the shape of a granular paste, but it is refined to a dark blue powder before use. It's a very covetted substance, and as all delicacies it has strange origins. This particular thing is found in a small cavity found in the skulls of the Bulk Whales of the White Sea, typically hunted by the whispermen who derive much profit from this trade. The small cavity is filled with about a fist's worth of the thick paste, which is then processed until there is powder equivalent to a bit more than half the mass of the paste. Some rich people gorge themselves on the stuff, and they soon become addicted. They are known as taste-gluttons and are spotted easily as they have bluish tongues and delirious eyes. If deprived of the Spice, they will go to great lengths to achieve the same heights of taste. They will douse their food in chili without taking notice, feed on raw meat, and some even fall so far that they forsake their own and feed on the flesh of their kin.
Malglass is a brilliant name. What sorts of uses are you imagining for it?
Between this and Kolyaev, I think I may be developing a slight infatuation with the Broken Verge. Well done :)
Is Malglass clear or colored? What happens if it breaks? Would it be safer to handle if placed in an airtight container?
Does Ambrosia have any effects/uses other than being so tasty and addictive? Does it spoil if kept in storage too long or exposed to moisture?
Malglass is clear in its current incarnation. Do you think it would look better if it was slightly smoky or is perfectly clear eerie enough?
If it breaks one should be careful not to inhale the glassdust (because of its asphyxiating properties), but otherwise it just becomes small pieces of malglass with the same qualities. An airtight container wouldn't really have any effect, but having a layered vial so that the malglass itself is protected from breaking would be safer.
Malglass is commonly used to hold volatile or dangerously hot substances such as phlogiston. If you feel particularly malicious you could also shove a vial down someones throat and watch him asphyxiate to death on the tiny shards. Brittle one-time weapons could possibly be fashioned from the glass.
Ambrosia is simply tasty, which is more than enough to make it extremely valuable. It would spoil after some time if not kept properly, but like most powdered spices I imagine it can keep from spoiling for quite a while.
Quote from: Cataclysmic CrowBrittle one-time weapons could possibly be fashioned from the glass.
Ambrosia is simply tasty, which is more than enough to make it extremely valuable. It would spoil after some time if not kept properly, but like most powdered spices I imagine it can keep from spoiling for quite a while.
that would be great on the end of a crossbow bolt for assassins and what not.
Are there ever any ambrosia-centered drug wars?
If you don't go all crazy with it, it's pretty safe to eat occasionally when you feel like eating some expensive food (if you can afford it that is). So it is not generally considered a drug and is not illegal. Also, there is only really one nation that is qualified to collect it so there is not a lot of competition on that field.
Quote from: Cataclysmic CrowAn airtight container wouldn't really have any effect, but having a layered vial so that the malglass itself is protected from breaking would be safer.
Do you mean that it can suck oxygen from air even if it's not in contact with the air? That's pretty interesting, and scary.
A rather nasty use of Malglass could be making large quantities of fine sand from it, storing it in ceramic vases and flinging those containers with catapults. Would make a terrible siege weapon, although it'd be quite difficult to clean up the mess afterwards.
It pretty much just sucks up oxygen near you. Bringing a vial with you when the dungeon you're in caves-in would be a bad idea.
The malglass sand weapon sounds terrifying. Pretty cool idea! But yes, it would be a terrible mess to clean. You would basically have to pour vinegar on everything : p
I wanted to do more of the various pieces of voltaic technology in this post, but it's late, and I have lessons tomorrow, so i thought I'd just post what I had written. Enjoy.
[spoiler=How to handle a secret?]As you might note, there is a pretty big "secret" in the entry below. Originally i wanted to keep it less obvious and just hint at it, but that would give me less of a chance to implement it the way I wanted to, so at last I saw no option but full disclosure. Do you think that is for the better, or have I revealed too much?[/spoiler]
Voltaic Technology
Developed in and controlled by the the Remnant Empire, electricity in Kherennem is a powerful and unstable technology. Powered by cumbersome Voltaic Receptacles, the various voltaic apparatuses can give the humans handling them control over heat and light.
The Voltaic Receptacles
In modern voltaic science, it all comes down to the receptacles. About the size of a large barrel, these heavy, durable objects are fashioned from light metal and ceramics and are vaguely egg-shaped. From their dark metal/ceramic skin sprouts various features of complex tecnology, from dials and gauges, over vents and tubes, to hinges and gears, giving the entire device a motley and arcane appearance. Where the metal plates of its surface meet,soft electrical luminescence permeates into the open atmosphere, adding to the mystical appearance of the receptacle.
The common people know little about the internal workings of the devices; only the Keepers know all their secrets. What is known is that Ozmael Voltar came to the conclusion that the only thing that could provide the steady kind of power he wanted was the power of life itself, and he desired to build a mission that would emulate the functions of life. What is not known is that he failed in this endeavour, and that he in his frustration instead created a machine that would exploit life. In truth, the presumedly magnificent biotechnology of the receptacle amounts to little more than a glorified sarcophagus; a cage which can suck out and intensify the electrical power in living creatures. A mere human is not enough to run the machine though; only a Marut will do. While the Remnant claim that they only capture these half-humans to protect the populace from their destructive powers, this is actually the primary reason of their incarceration. Their bodies are filled with drugs meant to preserve and pacify, and their body is put to sleep in the foetal position while the mind is kept horribly awake in a series of lucid nightmares which agitate the body thus producing the power that the machine amplifies. The Maruts who escape their prison are but hollow rage-filled shells of their former selves; mad, artificially preserved, lightning-throwing creatures known as electrical mummies.
No one knows this of course, except for the aforementioned Keepers. The Keepers are the guardians and the caretakers of the technology, the machines, and the fragile bodies within. Most stay in Kolyaev, watching over the repository of receptacles which fills the city with light and heat, but for every receptacle distributed to the rest of the world, along comes a keeper. They are mostly women, their nurturing skills rededicated to the living machine, and they are all intelligent and trained in the arts of combat if anyone should try to acquire the device. They feed the machine the nutritious gruel it runs on, and administer the drugs as signalled by the gauges and dials. They are secretive and prefer solitude, and are ready at a moment's notice to destroy the machine if it is ever about to fall out of their control.
very creepy, very cool. I like the matronly/psychotic Keepers that watch them. One thing though, I don't think having them be made of wood works that well. For one, it's not that creepy, and I'm no scientist or whatever so I could be wrong, but wouldn't/couldn't the wood start on fire? Maybe having them be made with opaque glass or even ceramics (both good insulators, I think)
Hmm, true. I'm not much for glass; becomes too crystal-techy. But ceramics might work! I'll change that.
I don't see the problem with wood... I mean, it's a fantasy setting, so if you don't want it to burn, it can just not burn. Maybe electricity just works differently in the Broken Verge. And I think wood could be VERY creepy... like some kind of dubious 19th-century device, all tarnished brass and knotted, warped mahogany... just my thoughts :)
I am partial to the ceramic aesthetic myself. And I don't think letting out the secret was that bad. Secrets are useful for storytelling (whether literary or RP), oftentimes only if they are to be revealed at some point. They are less useful for actual world building.
The Keepers come out as a very dedicated and disciplined group. I'd like to read some more about them - do they have uniform dress, code of conduct, common skills (other than what's already mentioned), etc? How are they trained for their task and selected for training? How do they ensure that each Keeper (especially those sent out to the world) remains faithful to their duty? Can Keepers have family/children, and could this interfere with their work?
The Keepers are selected by the Censors at a fairly young age, with the Censors mainly looking for high intelligence and a patriotic or loyal nature. They have uniforms; robes in grey, black and purple. They are given a thorough education in modern science (of course focussing on their chosen field) and combat training. They serve some time in the repository before being allowed to venture out. Keepers can't legally marry or heirs as long as they keep their title.
I redid the Keepers to become more unique and independent, and generally creepy/weird.
Keepers of the Coil
Wherever electricity is found, there is a Keeper. To them electricity is not just a force of nature, it is a force of reality itself. A manifestation of the divine force that animates us, and a direct proof of a metaphysical reality beyond our own.
They are guardians and caretakers of Voltaic Receptacles and the fragile drug-fuelled bodies they contain, and their duties are to feed and maintain the machines and to draw the power from them as needed by employers or the Sovereign. To them the living machines are everything, and they protect them with their lives no matter what and worship the Electrical Spirits that they are symbols of. They know all the secrets of electricity known to man and often seek to uncover more.
Although they are servants of the Sovereign, they have the power to act as an autonomous entity and have their own agenda. The control of the Repository and the many hundred of receptacles is left in their hands alone. They are also the driving force behind the ongoing witch hunt to find and capture maruts, whom they see as gifts from the gods; gifts to be bound, examined, and harnessed by their skilled hands.
The Keepers are all female, and are clad from head to toe in rubber and other insulating material. Not a patch of flesh is left bare. Over this they often wear heavy ceremonial robes signifying their order and rank. They wear a peculiar high headdress, and often complement this with shaded goggles and a rubber veil. They are bound by oath never to touch or wield conductive metal, an oath which carries a complementary sentence of poverty as they can't handle coins (which matters little as the Sovereign will give them anything they ask for).
Keepers are really creepy, good job. I'm having flashbacks to Bioshock here, with the cobbled together technology that is oddly ahead of its time.
How are the keepers replaced? It seems like it would be very bad if the secret of electricity got out, or the secret of what powers the receptacles. Someone's going to get curious, kill a keeper, and find out what's inside.
Oh, and I love the alchemical entries, especially the "liquid energy". Will the malglass continue to absorb oxygen if it is kept inside of a regular glass vial (I think this was asked earlier, but the answer seemed to be a misunderstanding)?
It will only absorb oxygen from the "system" it's part of. If you place a small malglass marble in an airtight container it will suck out the air in the container, creating a vacuum. I'm thinking you could make layered bottles with a layer of glass, a layer of liquid vinegar, a layer of glass again, and then a layer of malglass containing some unstable liquid, so that if you throw it and it breaks the malglass is dissolved.
I'm also thinking that I might make it so that Malglass simply has anti-catalyst properties, in addition to its other qualities. That would be a substance with many uses.
Otherwise it'd be difficult to throw liquids kept in malglass without risking malglass dust.
The Repository in Kolyaev continually take in clever orphans to be indcotrinated so that they have enough Keepers. I'd say it's difficult to become a keeper by choice unless you prove your dedication somehow.
And I'm thinking the Receptacles are made to be very unstable if handled by someone who doesn't know what he or she is doing. Basically electrocuting anything in the vicinity and turning the electrical mummy inside into dust unless certain failsafes are taken care of. But of course it is not impossible. The keepers will of course do most anything to silence spies and retrieve their rightful property.
Some adventurers might want to rescue a marut family member, and thus invade the Repository which could prove an interesting adventure I think.
Anti-catalyst properties would be interesting. Probably wouldn't want to breathe that in, but you wouldn't end up killing everyone in the world by leaving a piece out in the open air for millennia.
Hmm, yes, the oxygen will of course have to be replenished somewhere... Maybe anti-catalyst is better? If you got it into your lungs it would probably still keep the oxygen from bonding to the blood.
Or perhaps it oxidizes to a certain point, then it becomes largely useless and it needs to be cleaned of the oxidation. That way it could be mined as "malglassoxide" and it needs to be refined into pure malglass. Then if it's made into a vial, only the outside would oxidize and the inside would keep its unique properties.
Hmm, yes, that's not bad. Like if a thick layer of fog/dew accumulates over time. But how do you clean it? Should vinegar still dissolve it, or should I remove that part now that it becomes inert eventually.
Vinegar should be the only thing that removes the oxidation. That would be cool. Something else could rapidly oxidize it if you need a safe counter mechanism.
EDIT: This list is not canon
A small list of some of the potential thaumaturgies in my setting. Some thaumaturgies are very odd, while others have a more ambivalent relationship to the whole magic vs. reality thing. They are not derived from the same source and manipulate very different things. Most of them are in fact derived from no source at all.
Inherent Thaumaturgies
These gifts are either inborn or somehow acquired through some event (usually something bad)
Muses - Bred bloodlines infused with the blood of songbirds capable of amazing displays of aural and sonic control and force. Both performers and weapons.
Deathtellers - Near-death experiencers with an uncanny ability to predict deaths and derive uncanny knowledge from it
maruts - Humans overflowing with, and often destroyed by, unbridled life and bio-electricity.
Happenmen - Although taught, it requires talent. Setchian Happenmen control coincidence and chance and you don't want to play games with them (literally)
Practical Thaumaturgies
Reification - controlled reification of abstract ideas which are then controlled and bound by the reifier who can access the strange and diverse powers of the living concepts.
The Immanent Word - Just like certain sensations can call up feelings of repulsion or attraction, the scholars of the Immanent Word have found the most basic and powerful symbolics that speak directly to our subconsciousness, evoking a variety of reactions.
Thymic Science - How to make ensouled machinery and artificial souls.
Essence Distillation - An extension of homeopathy, this vile art exsanguinates animals to distill and bottle their essence; that disincarnate thing that defines everything they are. Results haven't been overwhelmingly convincing yet.
Preternatural Disciplines
While not really magic, these skills are not especially mundane either.
Tychoestimology - Statistics-based combat relying on observation and calculation.
Obliviation - Enforced forgetting which locks the memory in the sages Oblivion Archive, to be retrieved later. They can remember much, but not at the same time.
I have tried to stay away from particularly flashy magic, in the vein of DnD evocation. Muses can cause destruction, but mostly deafness or destruction of objects with their harmonic vibrations. Otherwise they are set up to be tricksters mostly.
Maruts are dangerous, but just as dangerous to everybody else. I'm still considering whether I want to have an option that gives you more control as a player. But it seems out of key. I'm also afraid they come of us a bit too pure/clean even if they are basically just waiting to spontaneously combust and electrocute everyone.
I haven't quite decided how Thymic Science will work yet, and likewise I only have basic ideas for some of the others but most of them I have some idea of how work.
If I were to separate them into "domains", these guys would deal with life, death, instinct, thought, similarity, coincidence, language and other similar concepts.
EDIT: do any of them seem contrived, unneccessary or uninteresting?
Revised malglass entry up in the first post (also below so you don't have to scroll too much).
[spoiler=Revised Malglass]
A nasty type of glass shaped from rare minerals from the Boreal Mountains, this material is highly valued by alchemists for its unique properties.
The glass is a powerful anti-catalyst which stills almost all chemical reactions, making volatile liquids in contact with the glass virtually harmless. It maintains an eerily cold temperature no matter how warm the ambient temperature is, and combined with its other quality this makes it extremely uncomfortable to handle.
The glass is clear when first made, but the surface oxidizes over time which makes the glass matted and inert. To restore the glass, it has to be treated with a vinegar solution which seems to be the only thing that works. Of course, it doesn't become inert if kept airtight. Even though the glass doesn't heat up physically, it eventually melts and becomes malleable if treated in a furnace.
If ground into a fine dust and inhaled, or if shards of shattered malglass pierce the skin the anti-catalyst can wreak havoc with the human body. It can cause asphyxiation, strange reactions or gangrene. This was put to extensive use during the last Corsair Wars, to the horror of many of the soldiers who saw the direct consequences of the attacks.
[/spoiler]
I totally dig the new Malglass. I want a shotgun that fires buckshot made of Malglass.
One of the pseudothaumaturgic disciplines of my setting, this monastic order serves the now largely defunct nation of Setch. Don't know if I emphasized the superstition and faith enough, but it should at least give a good idea of their ability.
The Happenmen
The eye of the storm
born by the Winds of Fate
This is where we stand
- The 1st mantra from the Sekaric Prayers
The elite order of warrior-monks serving the kings of Setch and the Murmuring Tongues, the Happenmen are also called the twice-Cursed-twice-Blessed. Their births predicted years before it takes place by the king's Augurs in their mathematical prophecies, they are taken in and trained from a young age in isolated monasteries. Said to be chosen by the Setchic gods, the children are frequent victims of coincidences already from birth, but after years of training under the Augurs this ability is cultivated to the degree where they become veritable avatars of the unlikely.
Subject to both good and bad in equal measures, both the Augurs and the Happenmen know that every choice could have disastrous results. The monks protect themselves with both prayers and apotropaic amulets, and are taught how to contain their ability to some degree, but ultimately their most powerful tool is the Halcyon Eye. A supernatural intuition which develops after suffering as the subject of the uncontained and fully manifested ability for a year or more, it allows the Happenman to intuitively feel the lingering residue of future outcomes surrounding him.
With this ability the monk can surrender himself to the winds of fate and let his hand be guided by the Halcyon Eye, which allows him to navigate around the lingering miasma of bad luck and reach out to grasp every good possibility handed to him by providence, allowing to embody luck rather than misfortune.
Wielding their abilities in this way, the Happenmen have been known to always appear at the right time, gain entrance to the most secure of fortresses, kill skilled enemies with a single lucky strike and defy death on innumerous occasions. The most powerfully gifted of the Happenmen are even storied to have taken their gift beyond this; they are said to seemingly bend events in their favor, suddenly shift location, or even manifest multiple possible outcomes at once. That said, when a Happenman finally fails, it is often with disastrous outcomes.
In addition to their mystical training, the monks receive extensive training both in the teachings of the church and in more wordly matters. Yet they are also soldiers, and as such the last part of their training prepares them for war. Given basic physical training in the time before the year-long and often fatal Meditation on the Auspicious Eye, the years after are often occupied by training with the traditional weapons of the order: the Sekaric Blade, a slim longsword, and crescent throwing knives. Although they also learn traditional fighting styles, the style known as the Blade on the Wind is unique to the Happenmen. The style is unpredictable and ultimately ineffective in classical combat, but the flailing almost amateurish strikes with the blade is especially susceptible to the probability-bending effect of their ability - the style is thus useless in the hands of even the most proficient swordsman, yet destructive when wielded by a Happenman.
During the days of the kingdom of Setch the Happenmen served as elite agents of the crown, often acting as spies in other countries. Some of those who escaped Setch in time now live mercenary existences or use their luck for their own sake, but most seek to help, guide, or otherwise fight for the Setchic Diaspora and their homeland.
Very cool... they feel like something out of Bas-Lag, a bit. So the Happenmen are intrinsically attuned to coincidence and fortune, then, and the training just refines their natural talent??
"like something out of Bas-Lag": major compliment. Gracias.
And yes, they are basically "born under a lucky star", but unrefined he would just be a common lucky person, not an unnaturally lucky person. Of course, in their worldview the Happenmen are blessed (and cursed) by the divine, and not just ordinary people.
This was one of the origins I could have gone with. I already use breeding with the Muses, and didn't think it would work that well if it was substance-based (liquid luck... I have too many liquid [something]s already!)
Psuedoscience would have been an option, but then I'd have had to develop some kind of "luck field" science which didn't really suit the feel of it. So I went with a combined anomaly/training origin with a religious twist. I'm not sure if there was a better option I just hadn't noticed yet, if you have any good ideas please let me hear them :D
Being born under a certain star actually really fits with them, since their origins are based around fortune rather than breeding.