The Campaign Builder's Guild

Quote from: Sdragon1984

Quote from: JokerThe South America thing is great - you're one of, if not the, flagship setting for the CBG with that kind of backdrop. The feel is very much what I expect for a setting of this type considering my limited knowledge of the cultures.

Wow! That's a huge compliment, no matter who it comes from! Thanks!

QuoteThe only thing I can really bring up that bothers me right now is the lack of things that players seem to be able to do and get involved in. I'd like to see more extensive adventure hooks, monsters, organizations (if any), important locales, etc.

I'll try to work on these as soon as I can. At least I know what to do next.

By the way, what about the colors, man? :p

Orange overtone. Grey, green, and red are the predominant colors. The kind of grey we're seeing here is a sort of mystery-unknown type. Green is the color of the backdrop, which seems to be a fair amount of jungle (the most obvious one, maybe). Red is for the war, sacrifices, and similar traits you'd expect to see in a South America-themed setting.

Thank you very much!

A small update to the story of Sun and Moon (see if you can catch it!), an entry about the Mount of the Fist, and another plothook have all been added.

As promised, a quick look at some Xiluh-scious work.

I just wanted to give you some kudos for the Undead bit.  Many of us (myself included) have universities and schools, and research, so magic and myth is a little less wondrous, but this little tidbit, where the folk find their expectations of the afterlife are at odds with their finding of undead evokes feelings that one rarely finds in a setting.  A good bit, and a feature to push for often.

I like the Sun and Moon myth, and your tying it to the five day week.  I was thinking after reading it that eclipses must be feasome events in Xiluh, as it must look like Moon is attacking Sun again...

I also wanted to point out the adventure hook with the competition for food.  Without screaming it out, this makes clear the fragility of existence in Xiluh.  My online PC's just finished a fight with some huge birds, way out from civilization, and one character (Dogife Snowson) took the time to dress the meat, since he is worried about the food levels.  I can only imagine the importance of food in Xiluh, and that possibly, like many rain forest areas, that meat is a luxury item.

Quote from: LordVreegAs promised, a quick look at some Xiluh-scious work.

Thank you :)

QuoteI like the Sun and Moon myth, and your tying it to the five day week.  I was thinking after reading it that eclipses must be feasome events in Xiluh, as it must look like Moon is attacking Sun again...

I want everything to eventually have an explanation. Everything should be tied to something else, and in many cases, things will tied to a few other things. This story is an example of that.

Since this isn't the first time eclipses have been brought up, I put an official note. In short, you'd be right, if such a thing were to happen, but fortunately for the people, these things don't happen. Your gaming storylines, however, may vary.

QuoteI just wanted to give you some kudos for the Undead bit.  Many of us (myself included) have universities and schools, and research, so magic and myth is a little less wondrous, but this little tidbit, where the folk find their expectations of the afterlife are at odds with their finding of undead evokes feelings that one rarely finds in a setting.  A good bit, and a feature to push for often.

I'm a little flattered that you think Xiluh exceeds in this area, but also quite a bit confused. I've always thought that the whole point behind undead is that the very idea is at conflict with what we know. We know for a fact that everybody eventually dies, and that death is the final note. Once dead, always dead, and ohmygod is that a corpse trying to chew the back of Jim's head?! What in unholy Hell is going on?!

And to me, that's what makes them scary. All I really did was point out that the obviously existent undead don't compute.

QuoteI also wanted to point out the adventure hook with the competition for food.  Without screaming it out, this makes clear the fragility of existence in Xiluh.  My online PC's just finished a fight with some huge birds, way out from civilization, and one character (Dogife Snowson) took the time to dress the meat, since he is worried about the food levels.  I can only imagine the importance of food in Xiluh, and that possibly, like many rain forest areas, that meat is a luxury item.

Hrm. Interesting interpertation, and I guess it's just as valid as any other. I've always figured food was fairly abundant in Xiluh, since it's literally walking all over the place. The problem is that it's just as likely for the food to come to you as it is for the food to leave you. I think the issue here is not that life in Xiluh is fragile, but that it could be fragile.

[blockquote=SD][blockquote=lv]'¦I also wanted to point out the adventure hook with the competition for food. Without screaming it out, this makes clear the fragility of existence in Xiluh. My online PC's just finished a fight with some huge birds, way out from civilization, and one character (Dogife Snowson) took the time to dress the meat, since he is worried about the food levels. I can only imagine the importance of food in Xiluh, and that possibly, like many rain forest areas, that meat is a luxury item.[/blockquote]


Hrm. Interesting interpertation, and I guess it's just as valid as any other. I've always figured food was fairly abundant in Xiluh, since it's literally walking all over the place. The problem is that it's just as likely for the food to come to you as it is for the food to leave you. I think the issue here is not that life in Xiluh is fragile, but that it could be fragile.[/blockquote]
DOn't sell yourself short.  There are things that are very interesting and magnified in a culture closer to sustenance level.  And having to worry about your place on the food chain places Xiluh a little closer to that.  I wonder what that would do to casting?

Just as a reminder, the wiki has a page for the Xiluh timeline. Since I doubt I'll be able to post all Xiluh material up by myself, other members are welcome to Wiki-ize more of Xiluh. If you don't feel like starting a new page, you can add some of the events missing from the timeline.

Quote from: LordVreegThere are things that are very interesting and magnified in a culture closer to sustenance level.  And having to worry about your place on the food chain places Xiluh a little closer to that.  I wonder what that would do to casting?

Sustenance level? I like the pun ;0

If SD is still using D&D rules, unfortunate spells like create food hamper a lot of potential economic plots for the PCs. On the other hand, if food is scarce but magic can be invented, then inventing a spell to create food becomes a higher priority. And there is president for divine manna.

 

Some minor updates:

the Races section has been reorganized, and there's a little extra on the timeline. There's certainly more brewing, though!

I really like your concept.  It seems like you are tracking a calendar like the tzolk'in so you mght consider how the 5 days extra of the mayan calendar are dreadful days and how they affect the populace... 5 days of trying to avoind the consequences of the moon swallowing the sun.  I like that there is an explanation of the extra five days, but that 3 of them are because that's how long jaguar waited doesn't seem to have a lot of umph... just my opinion of course.

I love the level of technology and that it is consistent. Also, the insertion of the undead in a world that has no afterlife... that creates a mystery as to why some people disappear and some stay... very intriguing.  I'd like to get more story though... your descriptions of the world that portray your vision.

That their bodies had been rotting for three days before they were found doesn't have "umph"? I guess I can see what you mean, though. Those three days are kind of tacked on.

Thanks for the compliments on the rest, though!


By the way, there's a new region up, Xiluh fans! Take a wild guess what race I hope to work on next :p

This setting looks great. I have my own jungle setting, Tersnia, if you ever want to check it out. But it is radically different from this, as all the races are homebrewed other then humans, and it has more of a Indonesian/African jungle theme. Great job on the setting! I'm thinking that you really should consider what people are saying about chocalate beans as currancy. I love how animals have a certain intelligent aspect, and of course the great eagles and myths of the sun and the moon. It is very original, and this is one of the best homebrewed settings i've ever seen. Of course, i'm just a noob on this site, and to making settings.

"Noob" or not, that's still a big compliment.

The cocoa bean issue has long since been resolved. It just seems too weird for me, and I'm not going to include it. I do congratulate you for taking the time to read the entire thread, though. Pretty much everything that's needed to be known is in that first post, but I'm sure you saw that there's a few points of clarification.

Animals don't exactly have much more of an "intelligent aspect" then they do here in the real world, but they are aspects of the gods (as is everything in Xiluh), and the gods are, indeed, very intelligent. In this way, everything in Xiluh is "intelligent", in a way.

Anyway, thanks for the compliment. I hope you enjoy it as it continues to grow and develop.

The concept of racial pride and no racism is nice, something fresh if it's somewhat unrealistic, but still no lesser for that.

The yuma seem like a orc analogue, brutish but strong race. Nothing really wrong with that, though aside from the hairlessness I wonder what they look like? I'm picturing them like hairless Great Apes.

The elves have a nice twist, with their bones being orange-ish, I also like how you made some quick cultural notes, the note about the crushed berries used as a sort of make up is something that's normally ignored :D  You also mention that Elves get sacrificed, who exactly do they sacrifice to? What for? How?

Now the Dwarves, the development of a zen like attitude due to their fortified home I think is excellent. It makes such good sense I don't understand how all dwarves with similar back stories have turned into this.

From the class descriptions it seems that there are no true Gods in Xiluh, just the totemic animals? Are Sun and Moon actual divine beigns? From reading the thread I seen that all snakes are Snake etc.., so if there were lycanthropes, would a were-eagle be a demi-god kinda thing? You mention Yuan-ti several times, are they seen as a divine race due to their Snake-like attributes?

You mention Moon is that which is water; that which can be pierced, but not harmed. Seems kinda ironic since he had his heart ripped from his chest :p

Now I don't understand how clerics see wizards as taking a short-cut to power, since wizards study easily as hard as a cleric, gaining there power through knowledge alone. The sorcerer being weird is nothing new, but your sorcerers don't seem to gather any suspicion from naturally being able to do what takes others years to do?

The Undead are really neat in that their the bodies of people who aren't affected by the normal afterlife. Now I would imagine that there are only a finite amount of undead since once all the Kunahites have been killed, whats left to become undead? Also what about a half-Kunahite, would it become undead? or reincarnate? or something inbetween? Finally where do the spirits of the Kunahites?

From reading the thread it looks like a large amount of the metal comes from the Seven Invasions, would these weapons be considered unlucky or cursed? Or perhaps metal in general is seen as unlucky or cursed due to its association with the Seven Invasions.

About the seven invasions, each of the invading forces are completely separate entities with no prior knowledge of each other? Also, I gather that they are from the same planet? Finally, which group are Kunahites, or are they all/multiple groups Kunahites?

I like the currency system, however who is in charge of minting coins? Also while the elaborate patterns would make forgeries more difficult and time consuming, I don't see how this would deter people, especially those with access to materials for higher denominations.

For Coualts, I gather they're still the same giant flying winged snake monster. The real question is, the feathers, if they're a dragon replacement I imagine they would be hard to kill. How hard are the feathers to get? Is it possible to kill a Coualt without coualt feather armor and other extremely strong items? Do they shed feathers? Making a suit of armor from shed feathers would be pretty hard if they rarely shed feathers, so would some people be Coualt trackers shadowing Coualts hoping to get some shed feathers. Maybe even finding the motherload, a dead Coualt corpse?

Alright, I read the discussion thread and the main post, I did not however take a look at every link in the bibliography, so if I asked something that's already been answered, sorry my bad.

Okay, since my Firefox crashed last time I wrote a response, I'm going to quote your review, and then add in my response piece by piece in edits. I hope you don't mind?

Anyway, lots of new thoughts here. That's good, because most of the older member have already posted their thoughts, so they have little in the way of new thoughts, and a lot of the newer members seem to be a bit shy with mentioning their thoughts. Let me put it plainly: new thoughts increase my interest in the setting, and get me thinking about it. These factors help me stay in the mindset to continue developing. In short, new thoughts mean new material.

Anyway, on to those new thoughts:

Quote from: LlumThe concept of racial pride and no racism is nice, something fresh if it's somewhat unrealistic, but still no lesser for that.

Thank you, but I don't see it as unrealistic as everybody seems to. Personally, I think it's more of a different aspect of culture.

Quote from: http://www.wrestlingclassics.com/wrestlingppv/images/0904tt/bigelow-side.jpgBam Bam Bigelow[/url], you might know something is off, but if your first glance is quick enough, you might not notice that he's bald. You might not notice his flame tattoo, either. Since his flame tattoo covers his scalp, you may mistake it for very short hair, with only his "widows peak" as a tipoff that something isn't quite right. That's how I picture the yuma's hairlessness.

QuoteThe elves have a nice twist, with their bones being orange-ish, I also like how you made some quick cultural notes, the note about the crushed berries used as a sort of make up is something that's normally ignored :D

exactly[/i] why I decided to add it. There's more details to a world then those that directly impact potential adventures. To me, this adds a degree of mundane realism.

QuoteYou also mention that Elves get sacrificed, who exactly do they sacrifice to? What for? How?

Now the Dwarves, the development of a zen like attitude due to their fortified home I think is excellent. It makes such good sense I don't understand how all dwarves with similar back stories have turned into this.

after[/i] the idea of zen-like dwarves, I'm incredibly flattered to hear this. Honestly, I decided on this sort of calm, serene sort of dwarf simply because it isn't the typical dwarf. The rest is the result of worldbuilding philosophy based off something Luminous Crayon said years ago. The main idea behind this philosophy is that the most important questions aren't who what when or where, but instead, why and how. Your response tells me that I've taken a radical view, and answered 'why' well enough to be convincing. Goal Achieved, apparently.

QuoteFrom the class descriptions it seems that there are no true Gods in Xiluh, just the totemic animals?

Are Sun and Moon actual divine beigns?[/quote] From reading the thread I seen that all snakes are Snake etc.., so if there were lycanthropes, would a were-eagle be a demi-god kinda thing? You mention Yuan-ti several times, are they seen as a divine race due to their Snake-like attributes?[/quote]You mention Moon is that which is water; that which can be pierced, but not harmed. Seems kinda ironic since he had his heart ripped from his chest :p[/quote]Now I don't understand how clerics see wizards as taking a short-cut to power, since wizards study easily as hard as a cleric, gaining there power through knowledge alone. The sorcerer being weird is nothing new, but your sorcerers don't seem to gather any suspicion from naturally being able to do what takes others years to do?[/quote]The Undead are really neat in that their the bodies of people who aren't affected by the normal afterlife. Now I would imagine that there are only a finite amount of undead since once all the Kunahites have been killed, whats left to become undead?[/quote]Also what about a half-Kunahite, would it become undead? or reincarnate? or something inbetween? Finally where do the spirits of the Kunahites? [/quote]From reading the thread it looks like a large amount of the metal comes from the Seven Invasions, would these weapons be considered unlucky or cursed? Or perhaps metal in general is seen as unlucky or cursed due to its association with the Seven Invasions. [/quote]About the seven invasions, each of the invading forces are completely separate entities with no prior knowledge of each other?[/quote] Also, I gather that they are from the same planet? Finally, which group are Kunahites, or are they all/multiple groups Kunahites?[/quote]I like the currency system, however who is in charge of minting coins?[/quote] Also while the elaborate patterns would make forgeries more difficult and time consuming, I don't see how this would deter people, especially those with access to materials for higher denominations.[/quote]For Coualts, I gather they're still the same giant flying winged snake monster. The real question is, the feathers, if they're a dragon replacement I imagine they would be hard to kill. How hard are the feathers to get? Is it possible to kill a Coualt without coualt feather armor and other extremely strong items? Do they shed feathers? Making a suit of armor from shed feathers would be pretty hard if they rarely shed feathers, so would some people be Coualt trackers shadowing Coualts hoping to get some shed feathers. Maybe even finding the motherload, a dead Coualt corpse?[/quote]Alright, I read the discussion thread and the main post, I did not however take a look at every link in the bibliography, so if I asked something that's already been answered, sorry my bad.[/quote]

That's alright. That's more for completeness then anything else, and there really isn't much in the way of practical value in the bibliography. In fact, some of the links are dead *coughShadowfellBoardscough*. If you're interested in seeing various stages of development of Xiluh, then by all means, check out the bibliography. Otherwise, it might not be worth your time.