Terra Macabre Discussion-Culture and Creatures

[Xathan]

Technology Discussion

Right now I'm looking at the technology for Terra Macabre, the first part of this setting to give me a headache – and one that's so critical to everything I do next that it's vital I establish it in some manner so I can move along. Instead of getting into a big debate with myself in the setting thread, I've decided to open the discussion here and get everyone's thoughts, so we can weigh the pros and cons of each.

First, I need to outline what the technology can do, and the best way to do this is define the highest point technology has been able to reach. Once established, then we can work our way down – but first and foremost, I have to answer one question for consistency of the setting:

How did we get into space? (In this case, the Aether, which is easily converted into breathable air, so we don't need super-advanced "sealing" systems and such that modern day spacecraft have.)

While I'm not going to answer right now, keep in mind that all the technology ideas discussed below must be able to achieve that goal in a reasonable way.

The second question, important but one I regard as slightly less so than the above:

How does it work with the tone? (Terra Macabre, despite it's name, is not meant to be a gritty-dark horror nightmare madness setting – if you want that kind of setting, look at CE or Plaguelands, because they've turned that style of setting into an artwork. Instead, the horrific cosmic nightmares are meant to be a backdrop for everything else – so I have to walk a careful line on the tone, making the fact that horrific cosmic nightmares exist not something that overpowers the setting, but I also don't want to make these cosmic horrors "ho-hum, there's a tentacled monster from beyond space and time. It's early for our tea and biscuits today." As such, technology is important because the look and feel of it, even more than what it can do, will influence tone.)

Looking at all this, plus drawing stuff I can mash out of my previous settings (I swear my new design policy has become "Take whatever you can and mash it together," and I've come up with the following technological routes that Terra Macabre could work, and weigh some of the immediately obvious (to me) pros and cons of each.

CLOCKWORK:
The original intent of this setting was a Clockwork Tech setting – spring powered thises and thateses and whatnots, analytical engines, airships which were hung from balloons, etc. Initially I loved the mental images that created, but as the rest of the setting grew it seemed to fit less and less.

First of all, the Pros: It keeps the setting cohensive for the time period – if I were to go to more advanced technology types, I might have to move the setting into the 19th or even early 20th century. It also limits humanity's technology in many significant ways, giving the world the 1700's feel I first liked – and allows for melee weapons to still be commonly used.

Second, the Cons: It's the most limiting of any of these ideas, forcing me to logically think about what something spring powered could actually do – and unfortunately, there's only so far I can stretch my brain before my suspension of disbelief makes like an overwound spring and snaps, and my knowledge of what you could reasonably do with torque is limited. Second, it traps me in the time period – I can justify 17th century steam or diesel or OTHER tech, but going past that to the future it becomes harder and harder to justify why we haven't switched to steam or diesel at the very least. Finally...it feels silly. No matter how I describe it, or picture it, it's hard to take clockwork-based technology seriously, and I can't find a way to do it without it detracting from the overall tone too much – pushing me over that balance of "Cosmic Horror" and "Silly Cosmic Horror" that I'm having so much trouble managing already.

STEAMPUNK:
I don't need to explain what this is. Seriously. If there is a single CBGer who is surprised by this term, I may die of shock.

Pros: Established and well defined but still flexible – most people won't object to steam-powered BLANK, and it can fit in most anywhere – especially if I upped earth's history into the 1900's where we actually had the basics of this. It also keeps some major limits on humanity's technology, but allows more flexibility than Clockwork. Plus, it's full of smog and groaning and clanging that helps eliminate much of my problems with Clockwork's technology.

Cons: There's nothing new I can do here. At all. I mean, sure, I could maybe nudge things here and there to make them kind of unique, but steamtech has been done to death that I almost feel like I might as well throw in elves and call it a day. From Day 1, Terra Macabre has been a setting that I've felt was very unique from all others out there – and I fear that adding in Steampunk technology would ruin this feel. While "how does it get into space" is a vital question to make the technology work for the setting, "How does it impact the overall setting" is another vital one – and I'm worried steampunk would cheapen it, ruin the charm it has.

DEISELTECH:
It's Dieselpunk. Again, this term is pretty self explanatory.

Pros: Again, well defined and flexibile – but not as defined/well known as Steampunk, so less cliched and trite. It has the smog and groaning and whatnot to help preserve tone, but could be streamlined more than steampunk to make it so not everything is a twisted mass of pipes and clogs and such, making it easier to "adjust" the tone based on how the technology looks. Plus, it's the technology that is closest to Lovecraft's actual writings, so it would help with the "Lovecraft Overtones"

Cons: At this point, melee weapons that don't stem from crazy technology or old one technology become largely irrelevant compared to guns and harder to justify. Travel is much faster around the world, though not super-fast. Humans get access to huge numbers of tanks and iron battleships and such that are reliable and could make them a much greater threat than I'm sure I want them to be. And...while not as overdone as Steampunk, Dieseltech is very Pulpy (not a bad thing)...except I'm working on a FATE based game, and worry if I add Dieseltech it'll become Spirit of the Century...BUT WITH LOVECRAFT!

BIOTECH
Humans have learned how to reproduce old one's biotech and now use it the way they do.

Pros: LOOKS AWESOME. It's not a car, it's a beetle-like being bred to seat people inside it and cover them. It's not a plane, it's a smei-transparent dragonfly battlesuit that spits acid. Gives a huge degree of flexibility, but I could still reasonably limit human travel because we're no where near as advanced as the G.O.O's are with it, so our travel isn't that much faster than it was back then.

Cons: LOOKS LIKE THEIR TECH. It reduces the alieness of Great Old One's tech from "it's made of living things what the hell?" to "It's made of better living things than ours, what the hell?", and makes it much more commonplace, reducing the impact. Also, tone control could become a nightmare here, the reverse of the problem Clockwork Technology had.

MODERNTECH/SCIFI-TECH
Setting the tech level to either present day or slightly after, cyberpunk style.

Pros: Most of the advantages of Steampunk in terms of preexisting notions, not to mention that players are already extremely familiar with it, since they use it on a daily basis.

Cons: Makes things too easy – the internet, travel, and such are huge changes that could easily destroy tone. Added to that...nukes. I'm pretty sure I don't want that kind of power in humanity's hands.

WEIRDTECH
This is a lump all for stranger technology – stuff based on crystals found in the World Below or mined in the Aether after initial meteors were used to jumpstart us, Aether, Phlogiston, Quintessence, or something stranger – all the way straight up to Magic.

Pros: Complete flexibility and minimal trappings. I can essentially create whatever I want and have it fit the setting, and impose any limits I need because it's a substance of my own definition, and therefore I am not limited by existing conceptions, can make it work as well as I want it to in a given area and as poorly as I want it to in another area and only need minimal explanation without bumping up into preconceived notions, and can give it any design I want to make the tone whatever I want from appearance.

Cons: I'd have to start from the ground up, make the system internally consistent for me to like it and for players to grasp it, and wouldn't know until I had don a ton of work if it was actually an improvement over the other areas.



That's where I am right now. Thoughts would be hugely appreciated, because right now technology is what's holding the entire setting back. Thank you in advance!

[Steerpike]

Personally I'd go with mostly clockwork tech with a healthy smattering of biotech (rarer, more expensive, more elite, the sort of things nobles and the very wealthy have access to) and weirdtech to fill in the gaps and handwave the problematic stuff.  This can hugely help to justify why dieseltech/steamtech hasn't been developed.

Dieseltech is cool (and not done enough) but you'd lose the 18th century feel which I figured was pretty central.

Why is space breathable?  That feels (to me) like it has the potential to undermine the realism underpinning the historical aspects of the setting.  Can't outer space just be called the aether?

Here's an alternate idea, though: just develop several optional time periods to set Terra Macabre in - different modes of play.  You could start by focusing on the 18th century one, then do a dieselpunk one later, or something like that.

[Superfluous Crow]

I vote dieseltech. Even though your world is more about adventure than horror, the aesthetic will give you a nice bleak background to play around with. Admittedly, my grasp on this genre is tenuous at best, but off the top of my head it seems like the best fit.
If you are afraid of guns becoming too popular you can perhaps emphasize how little effect they have on some of the weirder creatures? 

[Xathan]

Personally I'd go with mostly clockwork tech with a healthy smattering of biotech (rarer, more expensive, more elite, the sort of things nobles and the very wealthy have access to) and weirdtech to fill in the gaps and handwave the problematic stuff.  This can hugely help to justify why dieseltech/steamtech hasn't been developed.

I suppose if I up the level of weirdtech, I could sufficiently fill the gaps...the problem is with handwaving. I'm trying to do as little of it as possible...largely because how space is now set up is one gigantic handwave, and to many of them in my own setting bother me - even if I never explain why in a post, I have to at least understand how most things work or I don't enjoy it.

Dieseltech is cool (and not done enough) but you'd lose the 18th century feel which I figured was pretty central.

That's the problem I'm having, which you solve neatly in a later post...

Why is space breathable?  That feels (to me) like it has the potential to undermine the realism underpinning the historical aspects of the setting.  Can't outer space just be called the aether?

I suppose I didn't explain this right. Space is not, inherently, breathable. However, it's also not a vacuum - it's filled with Aether, which  can easily be Made Into breathable air, making longer voyages much easier since you don't need to worry about air supply/filtration, pressurization much less of an issue because there is stuff outside as opposed to nothingness (though you still need it to be sealed otherwise all your air leaks out) and, most importantly, allows various life forms a plausible way to live in space - their lungs can convert Aether into something their body can use. Humans and most Nascent Things cannot - in the Aether, you'll suffocate just as quick as you would in real space - but it's pretty easy to design a machine that can do so almost indefinitely.  Also, this allows me to put life on Pluto, the Moon, various moons of Jupiter and Saturn, even Mercury with impunity - but humans still need helmets with filtration systems built in. Kind of a "Best of both worlds" for me scenario. :P

Here's an alternate idea, though: just develop several optional time periods to set Terra Macabre in - different modes of play.  You could start by focusing on the 18th century one, then do a dieselpunk one later, or something like that.

Bingo. Going to make two Terra Macabre's - 1790 and 1920, one clockwork one deiselpunk. I might work on both of them simultaneously, as inspiration strikes, or focus on 1790 until I have it hammered out better.

I vote dieseltech. Even though your world is more about adventure than horror, the aesthetic will give you a nice bleak background to play around with. Admittedly, my grasp on this genre is tenuous at best, but off the top of my head it seems like the best fit.
If you are afraid of guns becoming too popular you can perhaps emphasize how little effect they have on some of the weirder creatures?

You're right, and I'm going to use Steerpike's suggestion to do both. And then I don't have to worry about guns - guns can be rarer in 1790 and more common in 1920. :D Though I'll still likely make swords and melee weapons needed for dealing with the weirder creatures of the world, since putting a bunch of tiny holes in one isn't as useful as putting a huge gaping wound in one. :P

[Xathan]

Okay, put a preliminary re-write of technology on the main thread. Let me know what you all thing - though I will say I'm much more comfortable with it now than I previously was. :) Thank you for the help!

[spoiler=Archive, Old Tech, Just for Storage]
[ooc=Technology]
Again, another topic that demands an OOC overview, because the people of this world cannot "compared to real 1700s" or "This works like (modern day device X) with these differences,", so the overview is needed to give players context they can understand before i delve into the IC details. I swear, once I get done with Tech, I should be able to move back into the IC posts outside of the system thread, though I might be wrong about that. *crosses fingers because the IC posts are both more fun to read and write.* (Actually, will probably need one more to address the use of Lovecraft's races, and one more "vocab" post that doesn't address IC slang but rather general words I throw about that need definition, but that should be it.) Since I'm on limited time but want to keep posting, this post will initially just explain the upsides and downsides of each type of power source, and then be expounded into details of specific devices.[/ooc]

[note=Nascent Things]Outside of humanity, Nascent Things not spawned from humanity rarely use the more advanced technology, though they have some unique stuff of their own. However, this unique stuff is comparable to primitive tech that was known of in the 1700's, so can be handled in an IC post - just keep in mind that, except for the Nascent Things that have had extensive peaceful interactions with humanity, they won't much of this tech. That's not because they can't grasp it, it's just because they haven't had the time to develop it in only 400 years.[/note] Technology comes in 5 categories - Military, Commerce, Private-Life, Travel, and Old One Tech. The basic premise behind the first 3 is clockwork, the 4th mixes airpower and actual engines that run on phlisophen (which I really need to look up an accurate spelling for at some point), and the final is based on biotechology.

A quick overview of the benefits and downsides of clockwork:
Benefits: Reliable, no large fuel tank needed, usable in handheld devices, and much more lightweight than a steam-powered variant would be, quieter than many other forms of technology would be.
Downsides: Limited run time - one the spring runs out, it gradually slows down and then stops, since you can't wind it too tight. Must be prepared in advance but not to far in advance - in combat, you rarely have time to sit and wind a clockwork device, but if you leaved it coiled for too long the spring looses tension. (In game mechanics, this represents an aspect the GM could invoke to give a player a fate point - otherwise, it's assumed that the device will lrun for the duration of a scene.) Some devices, such as the rapidfire cannons, avoid this by being manually cranked to continue running as opposed to springs, but that works less well for a gyrocopter or a handheld weapon. Finally, when they do actually break (a gear snaps, the spring looses tension, etc) it's never a simple fix - you have to find the broken part, buy the replacement, and then get a specialist to replace it without throwing other gears out of whack.

That may seem like so many downsides it'd be easy to adapt a "why bother" viewpoint, but really, since the major downside is something that will only occur if the DM invokes that aspect of the weapon and you accept the FATE point, it only comes into play when allowed, which minimizes how crippling it can be in mechanical terms.

For phlosphogen, the upsides and downsides are easy - an phlospogen engine is reliable, powerful, achieves speeds of up to 30% the speed of light, and can make fuel from Aether so never runs out - but it only works in the Aether, so has absolutely zero terrestrial use except for the occasional weapon that needs a power cell drawn the Aether to be charged, which makes them almost impossibly expensive expensive and typically used only by Special Ops type military branches.

I don't think I need to get into the upsides and downsides of wind power - if you're at all familiar with the benefits and downsides for sailing ships, the same applies.

Biotech is one of the most reliable types of technology out there, and it has the benefits of adaptability, mutability, can be used to replace or agument human natural abilities, and the only downsides is it can be impacted by diseases and other flaws of organisms, including death and needing replacement, and for "higher order" tech, often has a degree of intellect (dog level at best) so needs to be "tamed" to be usable. Other than that, though, Biotech trumps all other kinds of technology, and is the most powerful out there - which it is rare to see it in PC hands.

Next: details of particular kinds of technology

[ooc=Technology Overview]I've decided that describing each individual peace of technology would be tedious and boring – instead, this is going to be a broad overview of technology in these categories and general devices. I'm not going to describe every gun by every manufacturer, but instead describe different categories of firearms. Also, this list is written in water as I adapt and build the setting – any suggestions for technology are quite welcome. Also, I very well may decide to tone this down or up or alter it altogether – of all the elements of the setting, it's the one that's the most fluid.[/ooc]

[note]As I'm doing this, a large part of me is debating switching to Steampunk or Deiselpunk style technology. I'd appreciate any thoughts on the matter – is clockwork doing it for you? Would Steampunk or Deiselpunk style technology be a better fit?[/note] Military
Military technology, as can be expected, is pretty much exclusively limited to ways to make killing people easier and more efficient, and prevent people from getting killed. Vehicles that have military and other purposes are covered under Travel – just assume that the military variant of it is going to be armed and armored.

-Guns
Guns come in several flavors and varieties, slightly more advanced than they actually were in the 17th century in reality. The revolver was invented, using precession caps, and that became the most popular way to outfit weapons – many military guns have large "clips", giving them a somewhat tommy-gun style appearance, which allows them many shots before being reloaded – though anything like automatic fire is impossible. Other guns would look fairly at home in the wild west, or variations thereof – a long-bore rifle with a revolver clip, for example, or a shotgun (called sprayguns) with the same.

One thing that guns feature that they did not commonly see in reality are add-ons beyond bayonets. Most guns have the ability to attach a variety of objects to them – shields, different variety of bayonets, (some of which nearly turn the gun into a sword, though those guns cannot have the revolver clip and must be single shots, other bayonets that make better sword-breakers than they do stabbing implements), phosphorus canisters which can be used to flash light in an opponents eyes...they've gotten quite ingenious at things they can stick on the barrel of a gun and still have it work.

Melee Weapons
Despite the advancement guns have reached, melee weapons remain common, partially because the lack of a need to reload is a huge advantage, partially because you do not want your only weapon to be a gun – even with a bayonet – when something twice your mass with tentacles and claws attempts to remove your face, and partially because guns are often illegal in areas where melee weapons are not. While most melee weapons haven't advanced, there some exceptions, one of which is the shudderblade.

A shudderblade looks like a normal sword with serrated edges like a saw and an unusual large handle. When wound and then activated, the shudderblade does exactly what it's name implies – shudders up and down rapidly, giving it a chainsaw effect. While this is less effective against hardened armor, against the thick skins many Elder and Nascent Things have, it's a much better option than a typical slashing or stabbing motion.

Other Ranged Weapons
While guns have replaced most ranged weapons for humanity, there are some specialists who prefer clockwork arrows – arrows with an effect that's triggered by a spring upon impact, an effect that cannot be duplicated with bullets. These effects can be very varied, from the simple "trigger the gunpowder that fills the shift" to "ignite to mark the target" to "create a piercing whistle noise for several seconds upon impact."

Explosives
Clockwork is really only used here to give timers to bombs, replacing the less reliable fuses. As such, handheld grenades are a viable tool, and bombs are more easily launched from cannons – although the cost of the clockwork components and chemical components makes them less common than they are in modern day warfare.

Vehicles: While many vehicles are used both for travel and for the military, there are a few that are uniquely military.

One of these are tanks: often called "Turtles" due to their shape, a tank is a rolling fortress that resembles a turtle shell on treads. Covered in armored plates and propelled by a clockwork engine, a tank cannot move very quickly – most people can easily outpace one on foot. What they lack in speed, however, they make up for in firepower – most have a forward-facing heavy-revolver cannon, two side mounted quickfire-cannons, as well as slots where soldiers within can shoot at external targets. Their slow speed (plus the mutation of some domesticated beasts, to be covered later) means that mounted combat still exists, but Tanks are the primary power on the battlefield. Advancements to increase their speed have proven to be ineffective, as the engine size increases to rapidly.

The other piece of vehicular technology that's pretty much exclusive to the military is the Gyrocopter. It has the unique distinction of being the only aircraft that is capable of flight purely on the power of it's spring, with no use of wind or hot-air lifts. This is advantageous because they can be made extremely small and lightweight. The downside is they can only fly as long as their spring holds up, giving them a relatively short, fixed flight time – making them perfect for military uses, but ineffective in any personal usage. They are typically launched from more classic airships or sea-ships, and return before their spring runs out.

Armor/Defense:
[ooc]This space lacks any good ideas right now.[/ooc]

Commerce
There is, right now, exactly one piece of technology that is used exclusively for commerce: The Analytical Engine. Capable of calculating prices to a degree no human could have managed before, in addition to making predictions based on past trends when given data, the size these devices require and cost it takes to make them is still more than worth the effort for the benefit it gives any companies that have access to one. The sciences, also, find their computational power exceptionally useful, and the measure of how good a university is for science is now measured on if they do or do not have an Analytical Engine. Note that while these are computers, they're very, very primitive ones – they're really just hyper-advanced, massive calculators. Incredibly revolutionary in the 1700's, but at the same time not yet world altering the way personal computers eventually became.

Private-Life
For everyday life, technology is not extremely different. Horses and carriages are more reliable and much less expensive than a clockwork automobile would be, personal flying machines and Analytical Engines are beyond the reach of all but the super-rich, and most of it just doesn't influence day-to-day life. However, it impacts it more subtly – roads are better, houses are sturdier, glass is more common, advances in science has made disease less prevalent, the increased need for knowledge has improved the education system – minor alterations that make a huge difference. One big change – hand-cranked fans are available in summer, and ones that can be used to blow hot air from a fire in winter, and it's a sign of status to own one or both of these.

Travel
[ooc]Coming Soon! Want to get this posted right now, will update this tomorrow[/ooc]

Biotech
[ooc]Coming Soon! Want to get this posted right now, will update this tomorrow[/ooc]
[/spoiler]

[Xeviat]

Well I got to this a little late. I do like your new conclusion about separating two settings. Have you considered making time travel an important component of the adventures? What if something TERRIBLE (more terrible than just G.O.O.s coming to Earth) happens in the intervening two-hundred years, and the adventurers have to stop it. I would be excited by a premise like that.

[Xathan]

Well I got to this a little late. I do like your new conclusion about separating two settings. Have you considered making time travel an important component of the adventures? What if something TERRIBLE (more terrible than just G.O.O.s coming to Earth) happens in the intervening two-hundred years, and the adventurers have to stop it. I would be excited by a premise like that.

Time travel is definitely possible, as the Yith prove in the mythos (they can at least psychically time travel), so I won't discount other Time Travel possible - but I'm not going to build it too hard into the setting, leaving that more in the DM's hands - but I could see such an adventure being a ton of fun, and completely possible within what the system will do, so I'll at least include a sidebar on ways to do it - because that would be a blast. I do know that travel back to before G.O.O.s arrival is impossible - and any Yith that traveled to that time are stranded, which is the source of most Yith characters in the game. That, and I don't want the plot to be "go back to stop the G.O.O's"

Also, what do you think of the tech that's up? I'm about 90% sure on it, but would love your thoughts. :)

[Xeviat]

I don't have a whole lot of input on the technology, other than to say it is nice and cohesive on the surface. The technologies fit together nicely, and they create a unique atmosphere of weirdness (with the clockwork and springs) that we have lost with the recent resurgence of steampunk faire. I really like your use of Phlogiston and your willingness to alter the stuff of reality to achieve your tone (Yes, space is really filled with the Aether, I don't care what we've discovered post 1960's). Your explanation for why phlogiston rockets aren't used to propel balloons was especially amusing.

[Xathan]

I don't have a whole lot of input on the technology, other than to say it is nice and cohesive on the surface. The technologies fit together nicely, and they create a unique atmosphere of weirdness (with the clockwork and springs) that we have lost with the recent resurgence of steampunk faire. I really like your use of Phlogiston and your willingness to alter the stuff of reality to achieve your tone (Yes, space is really filled with the Aether, I don't care what we've discovered post 1960's). Your explanation for why phlogiston rockets aren't used to propel balloons was especially amusing.

Cohesion was my biggest concern, so I'm really glad to hear that first comment especially! I was going for that weirdness and I'm really glad to hear I pulled it off.

Yeah, I decided that since I was already adding Old Ones of Lovecraftian nightmares there's no need to adhere to the rules of reality - once you have Cthulhu, physics is crying enough as is.

Thanks for the feedback! It's much appreciated, and makes me more confident I'm going in the right direction. :)

[beejazz]

Late to the party, but consider Frankenstein dirty-feeling "meat tech" if you need delineation between Theirs and Ours biopunk. Especially for the 1920s setting. Continental meat moss, shapeshifters, and things that disobey the law of conservation of mass will feel different than a guy with one ridiculously strong arm, or a guy whose life was saved when his head was grafted onto another guy's torso.

I like the "intelligent and willful grafts" idea too.

Also consider for the GOOs: Telikinetech. They warp physics directly. Euclid's nightmares and all that.

And revolvers are nice, but if you stat this game up, let me play with a concealed pepperbox if at all possible.

EDIT TO ADD: Are you familiar with the Tripods trilogy? Deals with post-invasion (by Wellsian aliens) Earth, so it might be interesting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tripods

[Xathan]

Late to the party, but consider Frankenstein dirty-feeling "meat tech" if you need delineation between Theirs and Ours biopunk. Especially for the 1920s setting. Continental meat moss, shapeshifters, and things that disobey the law of conservation of mass will feel different than a guy with one ridiculously strong arm, or a guy whose life was saved when his head was grafted onto another guy's torso.

...Oh god. I had totally forgotten about Herbert West: Reanimator. Yes, that totally works for Human Biotech, and I'm honestly ashamed I forgot about it - thank you so much for jogging my memory there, Beejazz (though you didn't mention it, that's what Frankenstein-tech would look like/come from in Lovecraft's work."

Thanks!

I like the "intelligent and willful grafts" idea too.

Grafts that won't always obey you? Or may work to defend you of their own volition? Can I say yes strongly enough?

Also consider for the GOOs: Telikinetech. They warp physics directly. Euclid's nightmares and all that.

LD and I were talking earlier tonight about giving the GOOs and Elder Things more than just biotech as their sources of technology, what I'm calling Weirdtech. Telikinetech is not something I had considered, but the idea is too interesting mentally to not at least examine - once I figure some more details, there's a good chance I'll work that in.

And revolvers are nice, but if you stat this game up, let me play with a concealed pepperbox if at all possible.

In the stats thread, I included a holdout pistol - what exactly shape that takes is up to you. :P

EDIT TO ADD: Are you familiar with the Tripods trilogy? Deals with post-invasion (by Wellsian aliens) Earth, so it might be interesting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tripods
[/quote]

[Steerpike]

An idea for aether: maybe it's "dark matter."

[Xathan]

OH! Oh damn, my brain just flipped a shit with that, Steerpike! Aether = Dark Matter, that's why it's everywhere, doesn't change the way space looks, and...well, solved pretty much much every other problem I was having with Aether in my head. WIll probably make it a bit denser to allow things like Mi-Go wings to work in it and such, but still, you're a damn genius!

[Xathan]

[ooc]Moving the IC post on the Chriopetri here for achieve purposes, it's a bit out of place in the current setting thread.[/ooc]
[spoiler][spoiler=Headshot (ignore eyes)][/spoiler]
[ic=Benjamin Franklin]
Of those intelligent races that we are now aware of, most are divided into two categories: the Nascent Things, those who's history stretches back less than a million years (which, much as many of us are loath to admit it, puts humanity in this category, though we have the unique status of being the Eldest of the Nascent Things in our Solar System.) and the Elder Things, thous with histories of millions of years long. To begin, I shall focus on the biology of the Nascent Things, since those are the ones we interact with on a more frequent basis.

The first Nascent Thing that was not an offshoot of humanity that we noticed were the Chiropetri, called by some the batfolk and by others believed to be the vampires of legend. Their bodies are large, reaching a height that puts them to human sizes even with their stooped posture, and completely devoid of hair. Their title of batfolk can be seen from the design of their head, which shares the upturned nose, elongated ears, and musculature commonly associated with bats. However, their face are rendered different from bats first by the complete lack of occular organs of any kind, forcing them to rely entirely on their senses of hearing and scent, and secondly by their teeth, which are far fewer (only seven on top and 9 on the bottom) than those of most mammals, and all of which are 2-3 inches in length. Their posture shares much in common with the apes of Africa and the Orient, their legs being significantly shooter than their arms. The arms, in particular, provide their final noteworthy feature: they serve three functions – limbs for locomotion, claws for grasping and manipulating objects, and when unfurled, wings capable of flight. When not in use, the wings are retracted back into the arms, giving them the appearance of loose, hanging skin, but when extended give them an impressive wingspan of, on average 5.5 meters.

[note]I'd love to use the fictional writings of a historical biologist from the 14th century here that Franklin inserted, but have been unable to find a good example of one. Any suggestions would be appreciated.[/note]The Chiropetri were the first of the Nascent things not descended from humanity that we realized were, in fact, as intelligent as humanity. When they were originally first encountered by Europeans, they were viewed as dangerous and also extremely curious. While their night-time raids on human villages were feared, and their unique diet of endothermic blood was horrific even the wake of the Arrival, a number of them were captured and kept in menageries and as attractions in wandering carnivals. From those, suprising observations were made:[/ic]

[ic=14th century biologist]When the creature was First placed within the Enclosure, we eagerly awaited it's awakening. Upon arousing, it at first Observed it's enclosure with a degree of Curiosity. Unlike most of the aerial creatures we had Captured, it did not immediately attempt Flight from the cage we had Constructed to contain it. It turned its head towards us, Making a series of unsettling and Strangely rythmic snarling and clicking Noises, and then strode over to one of the Bars, examined it through Touch and more of that Clicking, though it lacked the Rhythm of the previous noises, and then wrapped its claws and Commenced pulling upon it with all the might it Could bring to bear. Upon that failing, it lifted a Rock from its enclosure and Struck the bar repeatedly – and we were suddenly most Grateful it had been wrought from the strongest Iron, embedded within thick Stone. After that failed, it moved on to the next bar and Repeated the reaction – which I hesitated to call Tests even then, until it had attempted every bar Surrounding it's enclosure. It spent a particular amount of time of its Efforts against the gate to its enclosure, as if Recognizing this represented a potential weak point. That failing as much as its other Efforts, it turned to the roof of its enclosure. Instead of flying to the top, it Climbed like a Spider along the bars until it reached the apex, which afforded it an easier means to grasp the Apex on its arrival than Flight would have. Once it had failed to use both its prodigious Weight and Strength to burst the bars there, it clasped its hindclaws to the roof and turned to Sleep.

The next day, and every day Thereafter for the next month, the cycle was Repeated, and we found it Necessary to occasionally reinforce its enclosure at times as the Damage from the rocks and repeated stress it put upon the bars. After a month, it Ceased these repetitions, and began to spend its waking hours with its Head turned towards us, and though it lacks Eyes as do all of its kind, I still found myself Fancifully imagining that it was giving me the most piercing stare I had ever Encountered from Man or Beast. During this period it was not even Making it's typical clicking sounds, as if it was Observing us merely though Scent and the Sounds we made.

One can imagine our Shock, three weeks later, During a private viewing for a Servitor of Queen Angelica, when it Turned to us and made Sounds that was Unmistakably a Complete Sentence - "From this release me and I swear I will Do no harm to you."[/ic]

[ic=Benjamin Franklin]This first of the Chiropetri to speak in any human tongue, who identified himself as Gruthik, revolutionized our view of the beings that had arisen in the wake of the Arrival. Gruthik was intelligent, and not an aberration: he explained to us the culture we had dragged him from. Among his own people, he was a warrior, defending them against other tribe's assaults and incursions from humans. We had encountered him during a return from an assault on a rival tribe that had encroached upon his tribes' territory, which he viewed as a vital measure to take for his people. The rest of his group had been extinguished, though they had achieved an overall victory, and attributed his capture to overall exhaustion from the battle. Those Chiropetri that had previously been in captivity were quickly taught the local tongue and Rlyhian and, upon extracting promises of non-violence, were released. Now, the Chiropetri are divided into two groups – those that live among humanity and those that remain in a tribal society.

Though the latter have advanced in some degrees technologically, they typically view their natural attributes as being sufficient to defend themselves – their primary technological advancement have been in the areas of architecture, creating more difficult to assault structures. These tribal groups are viewed, depending on the region, as menaces or savages that must be taught the benefits of society. Meanwhile, the Chiropetri that live within the cities do adapt to some human customs, wearing vests that do not inhibit their wings and specially tailored pants to cover their private sections, though they do draw the line at any footwear and gloves that cover their claws, nor do they wear hats, finding the concept ludicrous considering the ease in which they could be dislodged during flight. However, of all the non-humanborn Nascent Things, the Chiropetri have exhibited the easiest integration into human society.[/ic][/spoiler]

[Steampunk Knight]

Don't have anything really to contribute right now, but I am very impressed with how the setting has progressed.