Tephra: a World of Collisions

[Jharviss]

[blockquote=Reviews Wanted]Thanks for stopping by.

If you're looking for things to review, here are the top three things we'd like feedback on right now:

*The overall feel of Tephra.  Does it feel consistent, or does it feel loopy?
*The technology of Tephra.  It's different, so we need feedback.
*The races of Tephra.  They're something else!

[/blockquote]

World of Collisions

Tephra is a world of collided memories and the ash left in their wake. Tephra is the world of a dying god being reawakened.  Tephra is a world where birth only comes from death.  Tephra is a world where body and spirit fight for supremacy.  Tephra is a world where technology and magic mate in sinful delight.  Tephra is a world of collisions.

Tephra is utilizing the CBG Wiki, where our information is kept up to date.  Please feel free to look over our information there, where it is organized: Tephra at the CBG Wiki

[ic=Organizational Note]Tephra is being co-designed by Jharviss and the Mad Hatter.  This will be the discussion thread, so feel free to post here.[/ic]
[spoiler=Design Ideology]Design Ideology
When we began creation on Tephra, many core beliefs helped to shape the world.  Tephra is a D&D world, but it is designed to disregard and recreate the D&D system.  All races, all classes, all magic, and everything within has been radically changed.  Up is down, down is up, you've fallen into the rabbit hole now.  Ideas from the common D&D world have been taken and rebuilt.

There are eight races in Tephra, and each one is playable.  There is no black vs. white theme in Tephra: we believe that the idea of a creature being born evil is ridiculous.  No creature is born sinful -- it is learned from society.  In Tephra, no race is evil.  Some races may sound familiar, but the only race that has not been radically changed is (you guessed it) humans.

Magic has been streamlined.  D&D had too many branches and types.  Now there are only a few disciplines and only one type of magic: the magical kind.

Furthermore, technology plays its part.  In this world, civilizations develop and technology grows.  But one cannot pin down Tephra to "Medieval," "Victorian," "Modern," or "Futuristic."  We linger between the lines.

Finally, our most telling design goal: the flames will be used to cook our ramen.[/spoiler]
Table of Contents[note=Pronunciations]Please be aware that all names in Tephra are designed to be pronounced exactly as they appear.  They should be as easy to understand and read as possible, and they should stick to the core values of the English alphabet.

Thus, according to the English alphabet, when you see an "ae," it is pronounced like an "ee."[/note]

Introduction to Races

Resurrection

The Daemon World

World Map

Technology

Aeonium

The Fortress Ray

The Haudi

Main Continent - Political Map

Elves & Farishtaas

Lifespans

Fifteen Common Daemons

The Life Force Theory

Magic

Gnomes

Satyrs

Izedans

[spoiler=Review Badge]A special thanks to LordVreeg, for all the reviews!  

If you want to use Tephra's review badge, just copy and paste the following code:

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[Jharviss]

Introduction

Tephra is a dying god, sleeping in the core of a planet.  Long ago, a planet named Aeon collided with Tephra, leaving Aeon in pieces, caught in Tephra's gravity.  The goddess, Aeon, found herself on Tephra, her planet now forming the rings around Tephra and a small moon lost in the rings.  Aeon, no more than a child among deities, saw Tephra as a playground.  She created and destroyed, her chaos shaping Tephra even while Tephra lay dormant at the core of the planet.  Aeon brought with her many things.  The inhabitants of the planet Aeon were daemons, invisible to the sight of Tephran mortals, who now surround Tephra's surface.  Aeon also brought with her magic, an energy that saturated her world and its inhabitants, the daemons.

The world of Tephra is surrounded by rings of Aeonium, iridescent and prismatic.  Aeonium can be found on Tephra, and sometimes large chunks of it will be pulled down to the ground, leaving large craters on the world's surface.  Aeonium fuels magic, but is also a stone with unique magnetic properties.  It is useful in both technological and magical pursuits.

Magic is seperated into four disciplines: creation, flux, mind, and summoning.  Each one has its own spells and its own methods in casting such spells.  Magi are the praciticioners of magic.

Technology is advanced on Tephra according to its resources.  Necessity and the magnetic nature of aeonium has caused many unique advances in technology on Tephra.  Explosive magnetic mines, weapons that use sound waves to damage buildings and creatures, and other items have dominated warfare.  The printing press has been invented, and so have many other industrial age agricultural developments.  

Flight is common on Tephra.  The aodin, dominating the sea, spurred mortals on land to find other means of transportation.  Fliers -- flying gliders with propellors fueled by two magnets on the opposite sides of metal propellors -- have become common on Tephra.  A giant flying ray, much like the type that lives underwater, flies in the air, living on raw magic.  When gnomes magically "grow" them, they become enormous, easily 500 feet in winglength.  Other mortal races build giant fortresses on and inside these creatures.  These fortress rays, though less than fifteen of them exist, have become the crowning ornament of many militaries.

Religion plays an unusual role in Tephra.  The true gods, Tephra and Aeon, grant nothing to the very few mortals who worship them.  There are several daemons who have risen to such powers that they are known as daemon gods, and they are worshipped by priests.  But daemon gods do little beyond unifying people under certain banners and beliefs, though some daemon gods take a very active role in mortal lives, protecting them as far as their powers can.  Upon death, a creature's spirit joins the daemons and loses its sentient thoughts, becoming like the millions of planktin-daemons roaming Tephra.  

[Jharviss]

Introducing...
Races

There are eight core races in Tephra.  They are all playable races.  Yes, they will look like they will be impossible to stat as normal D&D races without giving them a level adjustment -- ignore that fact for now.  Just read the fluff.

[spoiler=Aodin]Aodin
The aodin are an aquadic race, almost solely claiming the the oceans.  The aodin can turn their bodies to liquid.  If they are within a larger body of water, they can move about it in their liquid state, but if they turn to liquid on land they are immobile until they revert back.  Only their body can change to liquid.  Their bodies are pale blue, almost sea-green.  They have gills on their abdomens, right under their lungs, and can breath both in open air and in water.  They are humanoid, just under five feet.  They have large fins attached to their backs, like wings, that fold up against their backs.  When their fins are folded up, they jut over their head and make them over six feet tall.  Their bodies are really light, and their fins are translucent like a jellyfish's.  But the fins have a chemical running through them that allows the aodin to stiffen the fabric of their fins, making it like steel.  They often use the fins as shields when in fights.  

Their bodies are otherwise similar to a human's.  Their fingers are longer and thinner, and they come to a sharp point.  They do not have fingernails.  Rather, their fingertips have a poisonous touch to them that feels like a small electric jolt.  They have ears that are long, but go downwards, opposite of an elf's.  They have two fins on their head which slopes down to their back.  The two fins typically just lay flat on their head, but they stand and move about according to the aodin's emotions.  The aodin's emotions are very expressive because of this.

Aodin control the seas.  They have gained almost complete domination over the seas, only allowing people to travel the waves with their permission.
[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Elves]Elves
Elves aren't your typical fallen angels.  Ancient murals depict them as upstanding individuals towering over all other races in holy white, with great feathered wings and halos.  Elves were rejected from Aeon's favor long ago, and without her blessing they grew warped and mutated.  Large black and purple boils cover their skin.  They are hunched over, strong and feral.  Their eyes are dark and their ears are over a foot long.  

Elves are beasts.  They have a culture, but it cannot be discussed first without understanding the farishtaas.  The farishtaas are daemons who permanently possess elves, giving them their own blessing.  A possessed elf "returns to Aeon's favor," as the elves believe.  The farishtaa regains its composure, its boils disappear, and it becomes a more angelic visage.  But when a farishtaa possesses and elf, it kills the elf's spirit and replaces it within its body.  The elves, however, see this as an honor.

Elves act as the feral slaves of the farishtaas.  The elves -- stupid, ugly, and brutish -- see it as an honor to become a farishtaa.  They are fascinated with becoming what they once were and view the farishtaa as gods.  Elves are ferocious and and quick to anger.  They work as per the farishtaas' demands and fight for them as well.  Very rarely does an elf come along that is intelligent enough to see their situation as anything but perfect (and when that happens, they are typically killed and possessed to become a farishtaa).  Elves are very emotional and love bright colors (the farishtaas believe that colors corrupt, and keep themselves clean, utilizing only blacks and whites).  They live in deep jungles and tend to be quite unclean.
[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Farishtaas]Farishtaas
A farishtaa is a possessed elf.  A deamon permanently possesses a chosen elven specimen, a process that kills the elf, and uses its body to act in a non-ethereal state.  Farishtaas are not evil, but the only way they can be brought into this world is through the death of another.  They see elves as the perfect specimen to use, since the body of an elf requires a daemon spirit to complete it.  When a farishtaa is created, the farishtaa leaves behind the warped parts of the elf.  Its body becomes upright, its boils disappear, leaving pristine white skin, and its ear thicken and become more regal.  Farishtaas take great pride in ensuring that their bodies are kept perfect, for, more so than any other race, farishtaa see their bodies as temples.  If a farishtaa's body dies, so does the daemon possessing it -- once possessed, a daemon cannot leave the body.  Farishtaas are very regal and their society controls the elves' society.  
[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Gnomes]Gnomes
Gnomes are a small race that is characterized for painful optimism.  A pessimistic gnome does not exist.  That is not to say that they are all happy and perfect all the time, but they always speak in optimistic tones.  Gnomes can see at amazing distances, tenfold that of a human.  However, their vision is always blurry up close.  Thus, gnomes almost all wear specialized goggles to help them focus on nearby things.  They are the only race that can use advanced divination magic, and even they cannot forsee the future.  Gnomes are a cross between master inventors and master magicians.  They long ago learned a flux ritual that allows them to rapidly increase the size of a creature, making squirrels, crickets, rats, and various other small creatures large enough to serve as mounts.  Gnomes are the only race that can increase the size of the giant flying ray to be of such size that it is capable of being a fortress ray.
[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Haudi]Haudi
The haudi are a race of humanoids that have, over many centuries, consumed a huge amount of calcium.  They have thick bones and tight, knotty muscles.  The haudi are much stronger than other races, and their bones are very strong.  Their nails grow at least an inch per day, so haudi continuously file them.  Their teeth are long and sharp, and they have eight fangs for the human's four.  They have flat faces and stand tall at almost seven feet.  The haudi live in the mountains or near coastlines, and have very dark skin.  Their feel themselves superior to all other races.  They find it good manners to speak through clenched teeth.
[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Humans]Humans
Figure it out.
[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Izedans]Izedans
Izedans are known, even among races such as the satyrs, aodin, and farishtaa, as a bizarre race.  They are only barely above five feet and have thick, stout bodies.  They all have pronounced underbites and very wide chins.  Along their jawline is a frill, much like a fish fin.  Their bodies are entirely white and their eyes are beedy and black.  Their bodies regenerate much faster than a human's and they can withstand amazing amounts of pain.  They can even regenerate lost limbs over the course of a couple months.  They can eat almost anything, from rocks to bones to animals, and can unhinge their jaws to take enormous bites.  They use the sunlight as a food source, their albino skin absorbing the sunlight and converting it to fuel.  They live in the desert and, if they go long times without sunlight or are exposed to too much cold, grow sluggish and tired.  A gnomish scientist once jokingly commented that the izedans were likes plants; the body of that scientist was found, half-eaten, a few days later in the desert.  

Izedan are cruel to their own bodies.  Their pain receptors are mutated and izedans feel pain almost as a sexual experience.  They are proud of their battle scars and they celebrate death as the ultimate ecstasy.  That is not to say, however, that they seek death -- they are more reasonable than that.  Still, izedans are not sensitive to each other or other races because of how they view pain.  Because of this, izedans are typicaly seen as cruel and uncaring.  

Izedans love pets and are known for having cheetahs, enormous snakes, and other creatures native to the desert living with them.  They tend to treat their pets better than they treat themselves. They also love arena battles, and can be found daily having scorpion fights.  Despite all of this, if they get hungry, izedans are known for using their pets as convenient food sources.
[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Satyrs]Satyrs
Satyrs are humanoids with the lower torso of a goat and with horns like a goat's or ram's.  Satyrs often lives in mountains or vast forests.  They are playful and roudy, known for procrastination.  However, satyrs are hard workers and doing a good job at whatever they put their minds too.  Satyrs enjoy alcohol, and their bodies react to it like a stimulant rather than a depressant.  Satyrs make strong leaders, for they take special responsibility when put in charge.  Satyrs have beautiful, naturally colored eyes and their horns grow in various shapes, typically according to the ethnicity of the satyr.

Many satyrs and humans used to be the slaves of the haudi, and since then the satyrs and the haudi have seen each other as bitter enemies.  Satyrs and humans, however, are very close and treat each other like brethren.  
[/spoiler]

[The Mad Hatter]

Tephra is the body
Aeon is the soul
:D

[Jharviss]

Defining...
Resurrection

In Tephra, resurrection is rare and, in many societies, either looked down on or illegal.  Resurrection is a ninth level spell from the creation discipline.  Note that most healing magic is from the flux discipline.

When a person dies, the marriage between body and spirit is cut.  The essence of the person joins the daemon world.  The essence, the spirit, carries nothing with them.  No memories, no thought -- it is simply a daemon spirit, akin to planktin.  This is not an accepted belief among most people in Tephra, but it is the mechanical reality.

Resurrection is a creation spell because it creates a new person using the memories of others.  Resurrection is a ritual that requires several of the people closest to the deseased to gather for the ritual, and, upon casting, the resurrection creates a new conscious within the body formed from the pure, unbiased memories of the people gathered.

This resurrection is far from perfect.

Death is cleansing.

A person's memories are stripped from them.  They remember very little of themselves.  Their mechanical skills remain in tact -- they can still fight, cast spells, and do other things they did in life.  But if they carried secrets with them that only they knew, those are lost.  If none of the people grew up with them, their childhood would be lost.  Many resurrected people take on new names, develop new personalities from their jumbled memories, and begin to resemble entirely different people.  

Many people who feel that their lives are threatened but know that resurrection is possible keep journals.  Royalty often keep invaluable journals filled with their secrets, and these documents are kept more precious than national artifacts.  An eighth level creation spell, Memory Clone, can duplicate a person's memories for a nearly flawless resurrection.  The costs and dangers associated with this spell cause it to be one rarely even used by royalty with seemingly endless resources.

Gnomes and satyrs are often in favor of resurrection.  They believe that life is precious, and, even if the resurrection is imperfect, a new beginning is better than a permanent end.  The izedans abhore resurrection.  The izedans love pain, and they see death as the ultimate pain, the final orgasm of life.  But when a creature is resurrected, recreated according to other people's memories, the resurrected person can no longer remember how their death felt.  This, izedans believe, is the ultimate disgrace.

This version of resurrection is a more flavorful form of resurrection than the type used in D&D, and is also significantly more rare.  It proves to have more long-lasting penalties than normal D&D resurrection magic, and makes death a thing more to be feared.  Furthermore, with this form, not every important person in the world effectively becomes immortal.  That said, this form is perfect for an adventuring party, because all of the people that would have the necessary memories to resurrect a person are all adventuring together.

Memories are our most valued treasures.

[Jharviss]

Random thought:

In almost every fantasy world humans form the foundation of the world and all other races create little bubbles within the larger human world.  This is written off because humans are more ambitious and breed faster than other races, so are more likely to trade with other races and to create numerous and widespread nations.  

In Tephra, I can easily see gnomes forming the connecting foundation between several races.  Gnomes are the least likely to go to war, very ambitious, and other races see them as very useful for their technologies and magical abilities.  The lifespan of a gnome's is only about 120 years, and they breed about as fast as humans.  

I would see gnomes being a connecting race in Tephra rather than humans.  Humans and satyrs would also be connecting races, but less so than gnomes.  

That's my thought of the hour.

[Jharviss]

Defining...
The Daemon World

Daemons are creatures akin to spirits that share the world with the mortals.  Most daemons are known as demis, or planktin daemons, and just wonder aimlessly through the air.  They are invisible to mortal eyes, requiring a sixth sense to see them.  Demis typically cannot interact with anything solid, being completely ethereal.  For those who can see them, they almost always look like small, semi-solid wisps of black smoke, sometimes with glowing holes for eyes.  Demis never grow larger than house cats.

Daemons are the children of Aeon.  When the planet of Aeon collided with Tephra, the daemons made their home on Tephra and have lived alongside mortals.  Mortals rarely interact with daemons directly, but daemons have a very profound effect on them.

Demis cover the entire world.  Only the farishtaas, daemons themselves, are capable of seeing them.  Demis typically fuel summoning magic, and most summoners learn how to see daemons with training.  But demis are just one type of daemon, the lowest kind.  Many daemons exist: the demi-daemons, daemons with sentient thought, daemons that can possess mortals, and powerful daemons that interact with mortals, being able to switch between their ethereal and corporal state as they will.  The strongest of these are known as daemon gods.

In Tephra, daemon gods have become leaders of the mortal world.  People worship daemon gods and the daemon gods give their blessing to them.  None know how daemon gods are formed -- often, they are sentient daemons that have grown beyond logical power.  No two daemon gods look alike, and their powers differ greatly.  Some look as angels, others as truly diabolic creatures, but some look like clouds, mortals, demis, animals, or oozes.  Daemon gods take on different roles in different areas, and people worship them differently based on how the daemon god presents itself.  Not all daemon gods are worshipped, and not all of them can grant blessings upon mortals.  Some of them just like to take the shape of mortals and move about as mortals.

Daemons die.  Some live for centuries, some for days.  The smallest of demis won't even live for more than a few hours.  When a daemon dies, it disappears into a puff of black smoke.  This, people believe, is why the daemon world looks cloaked in shadows, for it has been saturated with dead daemons.  A demi is released whenever a mortal dies, and that demi roams around for a while before it, too, dies.  Sometimes a mortal will die and it will release a sentient daemon, but this is exceedingly rare.  Most daemons, however, just seem to sprout out of nothing.  Demis have been observed splitting into pieces and their pieces growing into full demis.  But no other daemons been observed undergoing the same process.

Dragons, too, are daemons.  Released upon the mortal world by Aeon during the Magi Rebellion, dragons are powerful daemons given the ability to move through the air or seas and interact with the mortal world.  They are long and snakelike, looking like Chinese dragons.  Dragons are not color-coded as in D&D, but they do come in different shapes, sizes, and intelligences.

[Jharviss]

Showing...
The World

This image is far from a final project nor is it accurate.  It vaguely shows the continents and where mountains, forests, and deserts are.  The world is roughly 16,000 miles around, while the Earth is 25,000 miles around.  It shows the equator and the two tropics.

[spoiler=A World Map][/spoiler]

[Jharviss]

Exploring...
Technology

The technology level of Tephra cannot be compared to that of any age on Earth.  Aeonium, the necessities of time, and several other substances have caused technology to develop differently on Tephra.

Here are some examples of technology:

*The Printing Press
*Bicycles (though they are rarely used)
*Ceiling Fans (powered by lodestones, to be explained later)
*Ironclads
*Candles and Torches
*Cement
*Ink Pens
*Mechanical Clocks & Watches

Flyers
About a century ago a human scientist named Yugik Veolichstin invented a moving propeller by placing powerful positive and negative loadstones on propeller and then starting to spin it.  With just a little momentum the propeller began to pick up momentum until it was moving faster than the eye could keep up.  Not long after flyers were being invented, placing these propellers on lightweight gliders.  Friction applied to the propeller slowed it down, and an unencumbered propeller allowed the flyer to go at top speeds.  Inventors quickly developed appropriate wings for steering and the mechanics to allow a pilot to fully maneuver a flyer.

Various shapes and sizes of flyers have since been created.  In most cultures, pilots are known as cloudriders.  Aviators often accompany cloudriders, keeping the flyer in top condition and working any armaments on the flyer.  Flyers are typically kept small: normally large enough for a cloudrider and an aviator, along with either a couple passengers or cargo.  Flyers built for aerial combat never have more than enough room for a cloudrider and aviator.  There are few mechanics necessary for flyers, so they are often built as lightly as possible to allow them amazing top-speeds.  

Flyers can be equipped with numerous armaments.  Crossbows were tried early on and found entirely ineffective.  Instead, various wands were created for flyers.  Wands are long, lead cylinders with aeonium in the center.  Magi place combat spells in the wand and inscribe it with an arcane word that activates the wand.  Wands most commonly shoot gouts of flame, but sometimes launch bolts of ice, acid, or even electricity.  Almost all wands are created by creation magi, though some are flux magi.  

Some flyers are equipped with thunder cannons, though these are various dangerous, especially on a flyer.  Nonetheless, many armies employ thunder cannon-equipped flyers because of how devastating they are to land artillery.  

Large flyers with more than three propellers is typically known as a skygalleon.  Skygalleons are rather rare because of how unstable they are and it has been found more viable to use flyers in combat.  Some skygalleons, however, are coated in very light metal - an amazing expense - and thus prove practical.  These are very rare.

Thunder Cannons
Thunder cannons are among the most dangerous non-magical weapons in existence, and can be deadly to users when operated incorrectly.  Thunder cannons have cannon barrels that released an incredible sonic blast out of its front, decimated all in front of it.

Thunder cannons appear like long cannon barrels (upwards to fifteen feet) with a large mallet on the back.  The inside of the barrel is hollow but has a long rod of metal in it.  The barrel itself has magnetic strips along the core.  When the thunder cannon is struck by the mallet on the back, the rod inside reverberates, pulled in several directions due to the magnetic strips, and causes a sonic boom. The sonic boom projects out the from of the thunder cannon, blowing apart wooden structures, ripping apart metal, and shattering bones.  

The cannon is soundproofed with foam.  Thunder cannon operators use a special instant-foam called ruthenfoam, invented by the gnome, Bilo Ruthen.  Ruthenfoam is a liquid kept in a small pump that, when exposed to air, expands and hardens into a white foam, similar to Styrofoam.  Operators, after the cannon is fired, pour ruthenfoam into the cannon and allow it to harden.  This stills the metal rod.  After hardening, they take the ruthenfoam out and the thunder cannon is ready to be fired again.  

Thunder cannon operators wear foam armor.  This armor is over six inches thick and made of foam.  It covers their body, protecting it from the thunder cannon's force.

Thunder cannons were originally designed to fight against aodin, but were found ineffective under water.  They were tried in ship combat with marginal success, and still most ships keep one or two equipped.  Still most thunder cannons are used in land battles now.

[Jharviss]

Defining...
Aeonium

Aeonium is the remains of Aeon's planet after it collided with Tephra.  Aeonium is a magical conductor.  Aeon uses it to keep magic at a reasonable level.  It inhales raw magic and releases stable magic.  Aeonium can also conduct magic cast into it.  When two or more magi cast a spell into aeonium, it can combine the results and create a more powerful spell.  Aeonium is necessary for all rituals.  When aeonium is used in such a way, it burns out.  Aeonium is prismatic and iridescent, shifting colors constantly.  Aeonium that is burned out turns a soft crimson and is referred to as lodestone.

A lodestone is a very powerful magnet.  Alchemists have learned how to make lodestones both positive and negative magnets, temporary and permanent magnets, and do many things with them.  These lodestones create fuel much of the unusual technology in Tephra.

[Jharviss]

Other pieces of technology to be explored...

Mines and remote explosive devices dealing with lodestones.  Reverse-magnetism mines could be placed to send metal armored units flying.  Two remote activated magnets could be placed on opposite sides of a wall and activated, bringing the two mines together at an amazing force and destroying everything in-between.  

Chemical weaponry, the haudi's favorite tactic.

Anti-projectile fields: reverse-magnetism fields raised over an army to protect them from incoming arrows with metal tips.  The field would be raised upon the enemy army releasing arrows and the arrows would be turned away before striking.

[The Mad Hatter]

How manta rays eat/ Aeonium in the sky:

-The planktin demis are eaten by the Giant Manta Rays as food (they also come in sizes small/medium/and normal large usually being 25ft). The manta rays also cleanse magic, like that fish that sticks to the tank and cleans it.

-Aeonium can be seen as kaleido scope of colors in the night sky.

[The Mad Hatter]

"Veolichstin"- Vee-ol-ich-stin right?

Some races and their parallels to certian cultures:

The Haudi- Indian

Aodin- Japanese/Chinese

the rest I can't remember right now :/ we'll put it up soon.

(I think the Satyrs were Irish...?)

[Jharviss]

Defining...
The Fortress Ray

High in the sky, floating among the clouds, fly enormous creatures that resemble manta rays.  Despite having wingspans as large as 50 feet, these rays, typically called fortress rays, have a white underbelly that blends in to the clouds and are rarely seen.  They fly along, feeding on all the demis that wander in their path.  

Gnomes, however, have taken a rather innocent creature and grown it.

Gnomes are the only race that knows how to "grow" a creature.  Typically they grow small creatures (such as squirrels, crickets, and lizards) large enough for them to ride them.  Larger creatures have a hard time staying fed and often die of starvation soon after being grown.  Two hundred years ago, however, a haud warlord brought a young fortress ray - then simply known as a sky ray - to the gnomish growers and asked for them to grow it.  Reluctantly, they complied.  

The result was enormous.  

Fortress rays have a wingspan typically 750 feet in length.  These enormous rays have a gaping mouth and a long tail that trails behind them.  Mind magi have found it easy to control them, using simple but secure magic to tame the creature and teach it to move according to the trainer's wishes.  Fortress rays, unlike most animals, feed on demis, which the world never seems to run out of, so do not starve no matter what is done to them.

These massive animals are then built upon.  Their mouths always stay slightly open, creating an opening roughly 15 feet tall by 80 feet wide.  People can build small buildings within the ray quite a ways into the mouth and create small walls along the mouth, since the ray will never close its mouth if there are things within and demis, being incorporeal, just go right through the walls.  People also build atop the ray, along the ridge of its back.  Large fortresses, most of the time squat but sturdy, are built along it.  The fortress ray flies slowly but softly, and is covered with small scales, a texture that is easy to build on and attach hooks to.  Most militaries that have fortress rays use them as mobile landing bases for flyers and as moving outposts for commanders.  

If a fortress ray feels truly threatened, something that is quite rare, it will start waving its tail around wildly.  Its tail, covered in small barbs, will never come too close to the rest of the ray, something that keeps all of the passengers on the fortress ray safe.  But flyers and those around the fortress ray will have to react quickly to avoid the chaotic tail.  Entire towns have been devastated when a grounded fortress ray gets agitated.  

There are few fortress rays in the world; it is believed that there are no more than a dozen.  Gnomish growers being the only ones who know how to create them have kept them rare, and sky rays of a normal size are nearly impossible to find in the first place.  

[The Mad Hatter]

I love the image of a Gnome riding a giant squirrel :]

Super fast!