Kishar

[Tybalt]

Phoenix I really like how you've made the Fae more cohesive, I'll have to be humble and take a page from your book since I wasn't sure how to present such thoughts, if that's okay. Also I really like how you just bluntly called all dragons children of Tiamat. That's similar with me but then as you know I'm using Babylonian mythology in my game. BTW, I like that you have included the Lindworm, which was always one of my favourite of the odder type of dragons.

[Matt Larkin (author)]

Thank you.  Of course it's okay :)

Yeah, you can see the history of Tiamat and the dragons in the first chapter of the History section.


I like lindorms, too.  Good old Scandinavian serpent dragons.  For those not familiar...

[Matt Larkin (author)]

For today's update to the site:

First, some may have noticed I dropped the gradient background in favor of plain white.  Someone said it was distracting, so I'm going with this.  After all, I do have a lot of text, and want to be as reader-friendly as possible ;)

Today mostly saw more fae updates.
I added a minor detail to the svartalfar (that their kingdom is called Svartalfheim...really).

We also now have information up for brownies, elementals, hobgoblins, satyrs, selkies, and kappas.  So yeah, mostly Seelie today.  I'll probably get a bunch of Unseelie tomorrow.  Maybe.

The usual minor updates to glossary and cast as I think of new characters or terms that should be included.

I also added a short quotation for aeons (they didn't have one), as well as restructuring the list to make it clear which emanation they were in, as well as clearly pairing the syzygies.

And that about covers it for today.

[Matt Larkin (author)]

For today's update, we have yet more fae.  The list is now relatively complete.  While there are certainly more fae-like races I can (and eventually will) pull from other cultures, I'd say about ready to move to another category of work for a while.  Plus, most of the big names are done.

The new ones include Adhene, Aziza, Huldra, Leprechaun, Nix, Pixie, Bogle, Glaistig, Kelpie, Kobold, Powrie (redcap), Puca, Spriggan, Tengu, and Yara-ma-yha-who.  Not too bad for one day's work, right?

The bogle (also known as bugbears, bugganes, and a dozen others), is one of my favorites of the new batch.

Also, a minor update to merfolk to note that it is indeed the same race as merrow (the Irish name for them).

And another minor cast update to include a few more animas and important characters from history.

Let me know what you think.

[Tybalt]

Out of curiousity can a player play any of the fae types in your game? You are putting together a very comprehensive 'monster manual' that appears to have a strong contextual basis for the existence of all these creatures.

[Matt Larkin (author)]

Well, really I'm more working on background for novels at this point than games.  If I were to run another game in Kishar, I would discourage a player from playing a fae or any anima.

I think it's important to realize that all animas are gods compared to humans, and generally are worshipped as such.  Even something like a goblin is more than a human soldier is prepared to deal with.  In the case of fae (and most animas) this is because of magical powers possessed by these creatures ranging from superhuman strength or speed, to enchantments, and so forth, in a setting where humanity does not really have access to anything like that.

But it would depend on the game.  If I were running The Riddle of Steel, I could see, in certain games, allowing it while requiring a high priority for Race.  In D&D, you could assign a level adjustment.  I'd suggest most fae level adjustments ranging from +3 to +6, but that's just a guess.  Some are obviously more suitable than others, however.  For all their powers, many have strange disadvantages (besides not fitting into human society) - iron burns some fae like acid.  Others turn to stone in sunlight (like dvergar).  And generally the fae are not well-liked on most of Kishar (see the history for examples and reasons).

While I had not thought of it in those terms, I am indeed putting together a "monster manual" for my world.  That is, I'm collecting every creature I can find from any real world mythology or folklore and working them in.  Rather than randomly throwing in bunches of stuff kind of hectically, I'm trying to creature a universal mythology for the setting.  So yeah, maybe tengu (Japanese) would not have been part of the traditional Unseelie Court (Scottish); but they fit well enough.

So it is gratifying to hear I have a strong contextual basis for the existence of all this stuff.  While an enjoyable labor, I did have to think a great deal about how I wanted everything to inter-relate.

[Matt Larkin (author)]

Today's update: Giants! (with the usual minor cast updates for important giants).

Animas are slowly but surely being filled out.  That should actually be about all the giants I need in the world.

I haven't yet accounted for fitting in Argus, but I may see he's a freak gigantes or something.

Most other generic giants are ogres.

[Tybalt]

Again, kudos for consistency. I like how you use classical ideas rather than conventional D&D ones. For instance 'ettin' to cover the Norse types of giant. Your descriptions are succinct, easy to read and clear.

[Matt Larkin (author)]

Again, kudos for consistency. I like how you use classical ideas rather than conventional D&D ones. For instance 'ettin' to cover the Norse types of giant. Your descriptions are succinct, easy to read and clear.

Thanks, I really appeciate it (especially knowing I have a regular reader :)).  The biggest part at each stage has been doing lots of research.  Wikipedia is a great resource, as are several online sources, and a number of hard-cover books I already had.  

Actually, ettin was an interesting decision.  I was kind of torn between using it in the traditional sense, where it was a slightly later name for "jotuns", and the much later English folklore where The Ettin was a three-headed giant.  Obviously, I decided to stick with the alternate for jotun.  Besides, jotuns could have multiple heads anyway.  Norse giants were an interesting project in general.

As for today's update: dragons!

It actually took a lot less time than giants to get all the research and so forth done, and certainly less than the fae.

Though now I will need to expand on the idea of the Celestial Court at some point (mentioned in long dragons).

I guess daevas will probably be next.  I have been putting off the genii because I expect them to pretty complicated, except for maybe the types of nymph.

[~Kalin~]

I know i need to do another reveiw of Kishar, but there is so much information now i dont know where to start :), not that thats a bad thing, you wouldn't happen to what something specific you might want reviewed

[Tybalt]

I really like the entry for the dragon section, it's quite vivid. I noticed you added the structure for oriental dragons. In general it is evocative and clear. The classification at the start clarifies the relationship between such seemingly different creatures as say hydras, lindworms and cloud dragons.

[Matt Larkin (author)]

I really like the entry for the dragon section, it's quite vivid. I noticed you added the structure for oriental dragons. In general it is evocative and clear. The classification at the start clarifies the relationship between such seemingly different creatures as say hydras, lindworms and cloud dragons.

history[/url].  But, uh, cloud dragons?  I don't recall any such beast :?: (I suspect you meant wyrms, my take on European dragons).  As I mentioned previously, I am fond of lindworms, too.

Edit: uh, I must have hit the fortune button when typing.  That was weird.

[Tybalt]

Sorry, I know you didn't, I was actually thinking about them because of my campaign...I meant Long Dragons.

[Matt Larkin (author)]

Sorry, I know you didn't, I was actually thinking about them because of my campaign...I meant Long Dragons.

Ah, well that makes more sense then.  I didn't remember seeing them in New Edom.  Have you mentioned them before?

Anyway, for today's update: daevas.

Daevas are my version of non-cosmic demons.  That is, true demons are like what you imagine in the Exorcist.  They cannot be killed, and are normally not even physical entities.

Daevas are closer to what you except from demons in a game like D&D.  A mortal could theoretically kill one, though it would be hard.  This includes rakshasa and oni, probably my favorites.

Those of you paying lots of attention may notice I replaced the ophidians with the lamiae.  This is because I had invented ophidians to be a gerneric snake people, sense it seemed to fit well in both Egypt and South America.  But I prefer to stick with all creatures from mythology, and lamiae were close enough.

Anyway, that's not a huge update, but it may be all I can get done for today.  We'll see.

[Matt Larkin (author)]

For today's update, I have: genius loci.

These spirits of place include nymphs, lares, leshy, and so forth.  Generally, they are created by and in service to a gean.