Dead Thread - Moved

[Hibou]

First Post = Themes  
Peoples of Haveneast  
The Way of Nightmares  
Kingdoms of Anselvar  
Religion and Spirituality  
The Lych  
The Nightmare, Part I  
Mythic Creatures of Haveneast  
Magic
 Alvanenia

Posted a bit on the different Justaic factions. They can be found at the end of  this post.

When writing them I tried to both base them off of qualities I had already decided and take from real-world religions as well. It seems that mixing and matching pseudo-Christian beliefs can be difficult, though.  

[LordVreeg]

I enjoy the justaic factions.  I always like when people's differences shows through in their belief sytems.  I can see this cleansing flame being easily given to zealots.
I see what you have done with the church: giving it a full panoply of saints and villainous fallen: though I become intrigued with how this will be evinved on the Nightmare side...
I find it interesting and very playable that the Denarthic church needs absolution through confession.  Church behavior and ritual is an important way to give a woerld versimilitude, especially in one where religion is an important part of daily life.
I love your more strict churches and the Alvenian chruch as well.  I'm not just thorwing empty praise, it is this attention to detail that keeps players around.

[Hibou]

Thanks for the support, LV :D. I added some more information in the Religion section (same link), this time for paganism and burial rites. The writeup there is very general so far; I'll be getting much more specific when I get to detailing regional paganism. Next up is probably Pagan Sacrifice/Rituals/Omens/Holidays/Taboos.

On that note, I'd also like to state that taking inspiration from pages about burial and different superstitions regarding it is friggin' hard. So much that is awesome, and so much that is available to use.

EDIT #2: I also tried to tidy up the Religion section a bit. It should be easier to browse.

[Hibou]

More updating, this time after a talk with Snargash Moonclaw that helped me realize how messy this setting was. I moved some stuff around so all information is on the first page. The old links won't work right anymore, but I've added new ones. I'm also putting these at the top of each page for ease of use.

First Post = Themes  
Peoples of Haveneast  
The Way of Nightmares  
Kingdoms of Anselvar  
Religion and Spirituality  
The Lych  
The Nightmare, Part I  
Mythic Creatures of Haveneast  
Magic

[LordVreeg]

You go into magic somewhat.  But I am wondering, where does the power that these casters shape in their forms and rituals come from?  I ask this often, but your setting has so much ready made power sources in the Nightmare and the places between that could plausibly be the sources of magic.
Far too often, magic just 'is' in a setting.  But your setting has a wonderful potential.
Also, is magic used differently when on is on the Nightare side?  Obiously, it is what allows one to bridge the gap, but does it behave differently on the other side?

[Hibou]

Magic on the other side (in the Nightmare) does function differently - sometimes radically so. It's not like D&D's "wild magic" (in most places, anyway) - but it's alive. It has a mind of its own. This is part of the philosophical dogma of the Order of the Seven (the largest of the orders of witches/warlocks, which will eventually be detailed).

Magic, in its essence, is part of the natural world. It exists in and permeates everything. This is also true for the Nightmare, but the magic taken from there, while more powerful and diverse, usually must be granted by spirits (many of which are evil - this is where bargaining for power comes in); as the Nightmare is more bizarre and unpredictable, so too is the magic that comes from it. Again, magic is seemingly alive when it comes from the Nightmare, and users suspect that it is in Haveneast as well. Magic is often said to function as it does because it has some unfathomable desire and purpose. Magic predates the gods (in most religions), but they are the ones who taught it to mortals.

Different kinds of magic use different specific forces regardless of their "sponsors", however. All spells have some effect on the caster's body, but some spells and even whole disciplines (necromancy, anyone? :D) draw more from the bodies of mortals (usually the caster's, but sometimes, as is to be expected, they'll drain life force from others to achieve their goals - sometimes they MUST do this). Likewise, manipulating the weather and nature involves the transfer of energy through that particular medium. Spellcasters often use foci to enhance and gain easier access to these abilities (staves are an example of weather manipulation and druidism; masks and talismans made of bones are useful for necromancy). Over time, practitioners who delve deeper can learn to be more conservative with magic, getting more out of their work than they must do.

[Hibou]

Updates on undead. I've done some corporeal undead descriptions up. You can find them in the "Mythic Creatures of Haveneast" section, at the bottom of the post.

[Hibou]

Undead are finished for the time being. I've added the Wayfarer and Ghost, making the total number of undead "forms" 10. Be assured however that there are more, and most of the ones given can apply to a rather wide range.

[Ishmayl-Retired]

Love it, especially the Wayfarer!  So with undead being immortal, does that mean that even skeletons' and zombies' (The Damned) bodies will not continue to rot and decompose after they have risen?

[Hibou]

They will continue to rot yes, but they reach a certain point where it can't really decompose anymore (a zombie Damned might eventually have all of its flesh rot off and bones turn a dull yellow, but it won't go any further). The unholy magic is that animates them does so until they are destroyed. The other ones for the most part (such as vampires) are sustained through various means or have no bodies to keep, so this isn't a problem. :D

[Hibou]

More updates in the Mythic Creatures section, this time on trolls! :D . Eventually (meaning after giants and demons at least, perhaps more), I'm going to do Fairies/Fae/Faeries, which is going to be absolutely MASSIVE. Until then, enjoy ze troll writeup :D

[Hibou]

Odd... I seem to have deleted Vail. Bleh.

I'll post a new copy of Vail as well as two more colorscapes, Aydoptz and Cholenorm, soon.

[Hibou]

Alfar up under Mythic Creatures. Say hello to Haveneast's elves and dwarves :D

[Ishmayl-Retired]

I think it's going to quickly become a CBG law that Haveneast has to be updated at least once a week....

I really like your take on elves being somewhat of a crossbreed between humans and faeries... I'm pretty sure that's the first time I've ever heard of such a distinction.  The name too, Alfar, is cool.  I used the same name back in an original version of Shadowfell - I love making as many fae links as I can! :)

[LordVreeg]

Looking forward to seeing how these reinvented races will be used in the setting.  Your elves and dwarves are certainly built to be 'creatures out of myth', more than other settings.

The dualves being considered dwarves to the Giants struck me as very clever and differecnt.  You kept the smith part, but added the patient, almost entish shepherding.  Very interesting.

The dokkalfar description was short (too short, because I like the way you think), but their madness (as always in your work) seems genuine.