Arga discussion thread.

[O Senhor Leetz]

Also, here is the latest, and hopefully last, Arga map. I still have to add the names of the lands and oceans as well as make it sexy, but all the cities and trade lanes are up. I went with a color scheme heavy with red, white, and black (which I would like to be Argas general color scheme). I also made the oceans much larger to further drive home the maritime vibe of the setting.

[Llum]

Are there any limits on what Ilix magic can? Is size the only limiting factor?

[O Senhor Leetz]

I would like there to be, but Phaen already has the side-effects of madness, and both Phaen and the magic of the Aethemar come with physical decay, so I would like to avoid that. Maybe the more the Shadow-fey is used, the greater the chance of some kind of malevolent shadow-being slipping through, maybe possessing the sorcerer?  

[Llum]

Hmmm, maybe just using it allows shadow-beings to slip through? At first it's only the shadow equivalent of pests, but as you use it more and more powerful shadow-beings "home-in" on users and start to come through?

[O Senhor Leetz]

oooh. that's nice. And I feel like a good dose of paranoia would come along with that. Except this creates the problem of what does Ilix do with these rogue shadow-beings that its sorcerers bring over? Imprisonment? appeasement?

[Ghostman]

They could have some sort of repellent device that randomly banishes the things from the city, scattering them across the world.

[O Senhor Leetz]

hmm, but that creates even more questions, like how does the machine work, where do the shadows end up, and what do the shadows do when they end up somewhere else.

I was thinking about instead of silhouettes magic (which could maybe be part of the magic of Arga forth coming "sea Gypsies") that Ilixian Shadow-fey is all based around the sorcerers own shadow. His shadow makes the bridge, his shadow forms a tunnel or creates a door, his shadow takes the form of some dark creature.

Perhaps the cost would be less than other types of magic, especially Phaen, considering it's less FLAMING FIREBALL OF DOOM and more outside combat magic. Maybe it's just fatiguing.

[Superfluous Crow]

New map looks interesting. Has a slightly more compressed look than some of the former editions, but I'm pretty sure I only noticed that because I mentally compared it to the others. It does have the effect that many of the continents seem smaller than they used to, especially the southern one, and the map loses a bit of the rugged feature-richness which also added to the greekpunk atmosphere. A couple of interesting new cities, although I suspect you have removed quite a lot as well. Or maybe that's just my memory playing tricks. Wandergate, Lonely Syril, Eastmost Urza and Sea-meet give a wonderful tone of being far, far away across the sea. Sea-meet is perhaps a bit weird name considering it seems to be far removed from anywhere anyone would meet. Also, Karza-in-Mourning is misspelt; i reckon you want to fix that before you finish the map.

Now, on to the shadow-sorcerers. This is just brainstorming for you to use or throw away as you wish.
 Since shadows are created by real objects, you could argue that there is a connection between an object and the shadow it throws. Building upon your silhouette ideas, one could consider a magic where forming a silhouette which throws a shadow similar to a certain object created an eldritch link between the silhouette and the object; a link the sorcerer could then manipulate. They might create a silhouette of a door, then break down the silhouette and see the very real door splinter before them. As opposed to your current idea this would be a magic more about transmutation and control rather than conjuration, where the shadows become a gateway rather than the subject by themselves. I'd argue that this is better in many ways since it keeps the "mysteriousness" of the shadow intact. If the shadow is turned to matter, it will be a thing like so many other things; something you can hold and touch and mold rather than something to fear or wonder about.    
As to the cost and the idea about shadow-beings you could hold that there is a certain taboo amongst the shadow sorcerers of creating silhouettes of living things since those shadows will themselves come to life (a shadow of something that moves will also be moving). Shadowmancing living things is thus a difficult thing requiring much control where the sorcerer risks the shadow tearing free and running loose, taking a part of the sorcerers shadow with them. I imagine shadow sorcerers will cast ragged and pitted shadows, with large holes torn out of them and the oldest of them may not cast any shadows at all. The beasts themselves may not be terribly dangerous, perhaps merely manifesting as half-seen spectres and dreaming nightmares. Or they might be terrible predators which can only be burned out of the world with light the strength of the midday sun. Whether the ragged shadow has any effect on the sorcerer is up to you; maybe it makes sunlight more dangerous in some arcane way?
Hope you can use it.    

[O Senhor Leetz]

on the map, I was thinking that myself too (how it was less rugged), but I was also trying to get more ocean-mass involved, considering. Right now I'm toying with a extremely vertical map (1000x5000), which was at first a bit jarring, but it's quickly growing on me, and it looks damn unique too.

I'll still have to digest your thoughts on Ilix shadow magic, but sounds cool.

[Superfluous Crow]

The Salsurel-continent seems to be very sparsely populated in the northern end (read: not populated at all). Possibly intentional, but seems like a lot of land that goes unused. The same goes for an entire western landmass; the one you can barely see an edge of on the map.

In this Arga 3.5 are there only city-states or are there nations? Based on the map, I'm guessing Voy Moros and Voy Vasa are under the same government and most of the cities near Ilix would be under their rule as well. Black Naray I reckon belong to the piratocracy of Ib and Dravos, Thousand-bells (cool name), Iron Fel and possibly Thane must be part of the Gorr lands. But those are the only overt alliances I can think of.

I do like this Arga 3.5, even if the map does seem quite sparse (most notably in the Salsurel sea area). Maybe you should insert some windbeaten rocks here and there to break the monotony of the ocean? Or sea monster :p

Another (very small) problem in your quest for great seas might be the natural appearance that the continents were once together. This is quite nicely done, but it gives the appearance of a chain of islands from south to north which inherently shortens the distance between the individual islands in the minds of most viewers. Perhaps it would work to increase the distance between continents and compress the oceans ever so slightly to keep the scale. But you're the map master, I'll leave it to you.  

[TheMeanestGuest]

I think the map looks great as is. It has a very unique feel to it. Just because there are no major population centers doesn't mean the area isn't populated. I've always hated those little picture things that people put in oceans, you know, like ships and monsters and stuff. But that's just my preference.

[Superfluous Crow]

To be honest, I'm not especially fond of them either TMG... mostly because they are damn ugly. We have a print of an antique map of Iceland at home where every single inch of sea has some kind of sea monstrosity; so many that they have small letters denoting them, probably in reference to some kind of map legend. http://www.helmink.com/Antique_Map_Ortelius_Iceland/

[O Senhor Leetz]

Waif 2. Something found and unclaimed, as an object cast up by the sea.

is that not the coolest definitionever? Sea of Waifs is so happening.

[Superfluous Crow]

Getting any closer to how your shadowmancers are going to work?