Sinister Illusions and Hidden Magic

[Stargate525]

Due to inquiries of late, I present to you all the most polished of my pieces as of now.  It's a geographic region ad the accompanying culture which has been in development for a few months now...

Gothica

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[Working Title]

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*snip*

It sounds like a fun place to adventure. Reminds me alot of Uberwald from TP, a very good thing. So are these power games actually in ernest? I mean are they actually trying to eliminate each other, or just for the hell of it?

[Numinous]

So are these power games actually in earnest? I mean are they actually trying to eliminate each other, or just for the hell of it?

The power games are in earnest, per se.  The Lords Noctum follow the policy of "keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."  When fighting for power, a defeated foe keeps his title and land holdings, but loses prestige and owes tribute to his conqueror.  This can leave him poor, and exposed to other attacks if he is seen as weak.  If he goes bankrupt or is killed, a member of the upper nobility is anointed as member of the Lords Noctum.

[Numinous]

So, I launched the content thread and it's finally got some information on it.

In other news, I have some ideas I'd like feedback on.
[spoiler=More Ideas]
A desert land, vast wastes of sand.  I'm debating that the desert was created by deforestation as the men of ages past ripped nature to pieces.  Maybe the giants used an entire forest to build a fleet with which to escape the people?  Not sure about this yet.

One thing I know is that Giants in this world will not be separated by the D&D varieties, but are a race of larger, wiser, but less numerous people.  I'm thinking that they might have taught the art of metal-working to the people who live in the mountains adjacent to the desert wastes.

A black-skinned folk who live in the mountains, crafting weapons from the naturally abundant ore in the region.  Their hands are red as a sign of their permanent shame.  After the giants taught the men in the region to work metal, the people used the technology against them and forced an exodus of the titans from the area.  I'm thinking a forge-god explains their black skin, as they will have forgotten their past.  Maybe a legend saying that they crawled from the ashes of the creator's forge, and then struck him down out of jealousy.  their hands bear the mark of their shame, and their bodies bear the black tone of their birth-place.

I need ideas for the people who live in the desert.  I know water must have some sort of importance, and I think the giants should also have affected their history.  I see dancing as a religious and cultural element, and maybe a dependence on some sort of animal, like camels in the middle-east.  Giant bones are used as a material of construction for temples and homes.  i like the idea of veins f gunpowder being found in the sands, leading to conflict as prospectors rush to mine it, intruding upon the natives' livelihood.[/spoiler]So, anyone want to help me out?

[Matt Larkin (author)]

I like the deforestation by giants idea.  It's out there, a little epic, and unusual.

Your giants sound a little like the Basque Jentilak (giants), minus the physical description.  Nice touch on the mark of shame.

Other than permanent settlements at major oasis, I see desert dwellers often as nomads, wandering from oasis to oasis, stopping at outside major cities to trade.  In addition to dancing and exotic music, stories are probably a main (and important) form of entertainment.

[Numinous]

Bloodthirsty spirits require sacrifice, and those who serve them are desperate to please their masters.

A forest with a mind of it's own.  Malicious intent emanates from it's tangled boughs, and it seeks to obliterate the plague which mankind has become.

Beasts of all sizes.  They are an inspiration to man, and he seeks to imitate them.  The followers of the Beast stalk the night.  will you be predator, or prey?

The Sea is an endless horizon, a great blue mass of mystery.  From it rise dangerous things, terrible things, and it is unwise to attempt travel over the deep.

Man has forgotten them.  The spirits of the land, the giants who taught them, the angels who gave them life.  Left too long in their own company, man has become a danger.  What happens when that which was thought to be only myth returns to wreak vengeance for ancient wrongs?[/spoiler]

[Xathan]

Man has forgotten them. The spirits of the land, the giants who taught them, the angels who gave them life. Left too long in their own company, man has become a danger. What happens when that which was thought to be only myth returns to wreak vengeance for ancient wrongs?

I love this idea, and would love to know more about the spirits, giants, angels, etc. Sounds awesome.

[Raelifin]

Okay, how about the name "Drowning in Blood"? The symbology of the blood is humanity (life and death) and we are being drowned by our tainted mortality. Drowning also evokes hopelessness and a fall into darkness. That and the name sounds cool, though I'm not sure how a non-noun name will come across at first glance.

[Kalos Mer]

Nat, I'm going to agree with LC when he says that tooooooo much misery and human nature being the greatest evil can get, well, a little depressing.  Reading your stuff, I get blasted with it over and over again.  On the artistic side, of course, this works out just fine, after all an artist is entitled to his bleak vision.

As a game, however, I'd be worried that it might not come off just right.

All that being said, however, I like what you've got set up with Gothica.  The idea that many of the rebels are themselves criminals and might be dangerous themselves is a great variation on the old "Good Rebellion / Evil Empire" dichotomy.  I guess my first question is - how are the rebels 'organized'?  Cellular organization seems to be popular with anarchist groups...

Idea - what if the rebels have their own version of the 'Great Game', so to speak?

[Numinous]

Idea - what if the rebels have their own version of the 'Great Game', so to speak?

In my world, belief is a powerful force.  So, with organized religion comes organized belief, and this is what has led to the gods.  As more people follow a belief-system, entities form from the raw energy of the world.  These entities draw power directly from the devotion of their followers, and thus are proportionate in strength to those who would follow them.  After such an entity gains form through worship, it is often capable of establishing itself in the world and pursuing it's own agendas.  Planting dreams, making miracles, and even manifesting physically are all progressively more exhausting acts a god can partake in.  It is also important to remember that a god is shaped into what it's believers want, and thus s no more or less than what the people see.  Although it may have it's own agenda, it's mannerisms and very nature is the product of those who called it into being.  Due to this interdependent relationship, a total lac of belief can result in the death of a god.[/spoiler]

[DeeL]

There is dark, and then there is dark...

The darkness of mystery can be as dark as that of malice, and it can be far more seductive.  To that end, I have this recommendation - emphasize the fact that no player can know for a fact what class or even race an NPC is.  Heck, if possible, keep the players from knowing *each other's* class and/or abilities.  One or two surprises along those lines, combined with the ongoing implication that other such surprises are waiting in the wings can make a campaign fearsomely memorable.

How to apply that principle to the setting is a different question, to which I have no useful answer.  But that's my one-and-a-half cents.

[Lmns Crn]

Taking another look at this world tonight. First thing that occurs to me is that you might want to edit the first post of this thread to include a link to the content thread, so that it's a.) easy to find and b.) less likely to be overlooked by new readers.

Okay, how about the name "Drowning in Blood"?

The Cerulean Maiden serves as the patroness of the Blue Star Rebels. A lesser noble of Gothica, she is known for her magical expertise and her family's affiliation with the ...[/quote]You trail off here, so I don't know what comes next. But why do the Lords Noctum tolerate the presence of this dissident noble among them?

I get the feeling that the Blue Star folks are not exactly Robin Hood and his Merry Men. They don't sound like much nicer people than the Lords and their Knights. What's their angle, what's in it for them? Do the people think they'd be better off with the Blue Star in charge?

Keep this up-- it's very interesting.

[Numinous]

So, I was sitting around today chatting with ElDo, and in a stroke of completely accidental brilliance, I stumbled upon the name of my world.  Ladies and Gentlemen, I now present E.D.E.N.

E.D.E.N. stands for Ephemeral Days and Endless Night, which in itself is the basis of my world.  An endless and ultimately futile struggle against the oppressive darkness.

Now to address feedback...  To DeeL, I am intrigued by the ideas of using mystery, because as we all know, man's greatest fear is that which stems from the unknown.  In any game I run, I fully intend to manipulate player and character knowledge to ultimate effect.  Hopefully once my world is done, I can release a sort of "Player's Guide" to accompany the DM's thread for the setting.

LC, I took your advice and linked to the content thread in the first post, and I'll put another link in this post as well.

this post[/url] by Salacious Angel to get an idea of what I have in mind.

1.) What is the Lords Noctum? Why did it form, and how? What drives it? It is just the aristocratic equivalent of the Country Club, or what?

You trail off here, so I don't know what comes next. But why do the Lords Noctum tolerate the presence of this dissident noble among them?

I get the feeling that the Blue Star folks are not exactly Robin Hood and his Merry Men. They don't sound like much nicer people than the Lords and their Knights. What's their angle, what's in it for them? Do the people think they'd be better off with the Blue Star in charge?[/quote]Precisely what I had hoped for.  The Rebels are in it for many reasons, some feel an honest desire to free the people of the 7 Valley's from oppression, while others hope to be amongst those who pillage the treasury of the Lords when they are overthrown.  As I've mentioned, the organization isn't as small as Robin Hood's band, and bears much more resemblance to a terrorist organization than a band of locally supported vigilantes.  To address your second question, many of the people are too afraid to stand against the Lords, and some are are even against the Rebels sheerly because a change int he balance of power will surely disrupt the stability the people have enjoyed for the past ages.

[Numinous]

[spoiler=New Ideas]Humans are certainly the "people" of the world, but are they the protagonists?  Perhaps the greatest evil lives in the hearts of men, and not the shadows of the night.

A forest where men hunt like beasts, and in the most secluded groves foul rites of power take place.

Angels wander the land, seeking to purify what was once beatiful by any means necessary.

Nymphs live in the last bastions of nature, and will do all that it takes to hold on to the last pieces of a once thriving world.

They look like us, they talk like us, they walk among us, but they're not human.  They are observers, infinitely wise and immortal, who have been here longer than we can rmember, and will remain after we have passed away.  If humans were a sketch, then they are the masterpiece.  They learn from our mistakes, and after man falls, machine will rise. [Simulacrum]

Not sure about this one...  The muses are protectors and lovers of man, devout believers that despite their darkness, they have a potential to create beauty, as evidenced by art.  To destroy them would be a waste, all they need is a guiding hand.[/spoiler]

[Stargate525]

Humans are certainly the "people" of the world, but are they the protagonists?  Perhaps the greatest evil lives in the hearts of men, and not the shadows of the night.

A forest where men hunt like beasts, and in the most secluded groves foul rites of power take place.

I like it. Makes the humans something to be interested in other than just background noise.

Angels wander the land, seeking to purify what was once beatiful by any means necessary.

Should I be more scared of these guys than I am of the darkness? Because I am. I think it's the whole 'any means necessary' thing.

Nymphs live in the last bastions of nature, and will do all that it takes to hold on to the last pieces of a once thriving world.

No opinion on this, except that it seems similar to the angels.

They look like us, they talk like us, they walk among us, but they're not human.  They are observers, infinitely wise and immortal, who have been here longer than we can rmember, and will remain after we have passed away.  If humans were a sketch, then they are the masterpiece.  They learn from our mistakes, and after man falls, machine will rise. [Simulacrum]

Can this be true? The borg have finally managed to assimilate the Q contingency?! FLEE!

Not sure about this one...  The muses are protectors and lovers of man, devout believers that despite their darkness, they have a potential to create beauty, as evidenced by art.  To destroy them would be a waste, all they need is a guiding hand.[/spoiler]

the misguided and deceived grandfather to the spoiled kid that is the Humans? I wonder what it would take to get them to surrender that belief?

[Raelifin]

I'm not sure what the muses are about, really. Maybe coming at it from a different angle would help. Who are the muses, and what do they do?

I like the angel idea. You need to beat diablo II so I can reference Tyriel. :P

Nymphs seem like they should be a category of angel.

The Simulacrum are a big sore point to me. As written, they seem like baggage. If there was as setting where cthulhu was sleeping in the world's core, but he never woke up or did anything, would it make sense to mention him? Why are the Simulacrum there? What do they add?