Arga Redux (see other Arga thread)

[Superfluous Crow]

Hmm, i liked your previous Merluna pictures better. Are the Ashai inspired by the race from the Sandstorm 3.5 supplement?

[O Senhor Leetz]

@ CC

yeah, I did too and put it back on. It's of the annual Festival of the Lovely Knives, where the city celebrates the rise of the Honored Matrons. and what's the Sandstorm thing? does it have a race called Ashai? they were actually inspired by the African Maasai more than anything.

-Added a picture of a giant siege automaton and new, better pictures of the Athemancers and their Hall of Hushed Screams

how is everything coming along? still trying to work out a few more magic systems.

[Superfluous Crow]

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/sand_gallery/87600.jpg
They are called Asherati; the description just sounded vaguely similar and the same for the names, but it is hard to make something truly original nowadays :)
The Asherati are mainly special because they can swim in sand, so as long as you keep away from that you should be safe ^^
Also, i love the new picture of the Athemancer. That's just awesome. I must admit i could never quite figure out why you thought the very first picture fitted in. It's not bad, just no very inspiring either.

[O Senhor Leetz]

haha, nope. I've never heard of the Asherati. i'm taking it that Sandstorm is one of WOTC's supplements? And yeah, the new picture of Merluna captures the feel of the city much better as well as the new Athemancer (the old one kinda looked like emo kids on halloween.)

on another note, I LOVE the picture I found that I used as one of the Old Duran automatons. it gives an incredible sense of size and grandeur as well as that dirty, anachronistic, dying world vibe.

but I'm trying to finish up the basic ideas for the magic users based on illusion and dreams - the Sorcerers of Illix. in some ways the opposite of the Athemancers, they're all about hedonism, emotions, dreams, and tricks. any suggestions?

[Superfluous Crow]

I was thinking the Ram picture, not the first Merluna picture. Not counting that weird guild war slum, i liked the other two Merluna pictures (one of them being the current).
As for the sorcerers... I gave some ideas in your other thread that might still be viable (although those were more dream-focused).
Maybe they consider humans to be little more than biological mechanisms endowed with a free will; so if you rob them of logic they become machines that can be manipulated. By putting them under some type of emotional duress (stress, arousal, sorrow, wrath etc.) you strip them of this protective layer of consciousness, unveiling the inner workings of the person. The sorcerer can then create a link and influence his mind; creating illusions, reading wants and desires, planting dreamseeds or ideas, or changing his personality all together. But only as long as the person has lost a degree of control. So the sorcerer will have to use ordinary guile to intimidate, enrage, seduce, and trick his victims before he can use his magic.
This might be a bit too pragmatic; I'll see if i can come up with something else if you want something different in style.  
Also, you might consider having them use non-magical means in addition to their magical tricks; mentalism (as performed by stage magicians and as seen in the tv show the mentalist) can do lots of trickery things.

[O Senhor Leetz]

oooooook. added a table o contents with links to each respective "chapter". i think it's neat. hopefully posting won't get confusing. added information on the Seven Saints.

[LD]

Duran Gear-Breaker - To you and your family's great honor, you have been anointed as a Gear-Breaker, a Khaza Drum as it is said in the old tongue. After decades of physical and mental training you have been found worthy and prepare to be sent out into Arga to do battle with the metal demons that once murdered your people. You have booked passage on a Merlunan trade-cog and you leave the Holds within the week. While you have little experience with the outside world, you are confident that your training, your Duran equipment, and the blessing of your gods you will succeed and survive.

I like this a lot.

[Superfluous Crow]

Could you find room for your map somewhere in this thread? Now i have to go back and figure out where Penda is :p
EDIT: not sure i like the name Piratua, but a city under siege by zombies sounds lovely.

[O Senhor Leetz]

aaaaaaaaand done. map's up.

i still have to flesh Piratua out a bit more, but it's basically this - the city is one single ziggarut that is absolutely immense. the city proper rests on the outer most layer, while the innards of the city are ruins, catacombs, and necropolis's of earlier Piratua (like layers on an onion, or an ogre.) So the city is under siege by the undead, but from the inside out. It's gonna have a serious Caribbean/jungle/voodoo/exotic vibe to it since its the gateway city to the mysterious lands and empires south of Arga. I have some rad art lined up for it though. and the name will grow on you, because I'm not re-editing ma map ;)

[O Senhor Leetz]

add a BIT about the Norsunders, but its kinda thin at the moment. more this weekend when I have time.

[O Senhor Leetz]

alright, forum question - I finally got around to doing some stuff with the races, but nothing is posting. is it possible that the post is too long? and in that case, should I wiki this?

[Steerpike]

Sometimes there seems to be some kind of length issue.  Here's how I got around it: post a small chunk of the post you want to make, then edit that post, and incrementally add chunks to it in order to get the entire post.  There's still an upper limit, but its around 10000 words or so, I think.

[O Senhor Leetz]

first off, thanks steerpike. unfortunately, the stuff wouldn't fit in one post, so hopefully the link system I put in place isnt too confusing.

edited the Dura and Vorr and further fleshed out the Temple of the Seven Saints -  also check out the quick note near the table of contents, I hope getting around this forum won't be too confusing.

[O Senhor Leetz]

put in some stuff about Old Duran artifacts under Serious Sundries. comments on any of the newer stuff?

[Ghostman]

I have some trouble understanding how the Cog-fists work. If they are supposed to increase strength mechanically (rather than magically), shouldn't they cover the entire arms up to the shoulders? A mechanized gauntlet would only enhance movements of the wrist and fingers, which isn't terribly useful.

Also, why is Steam-armor called by this name if it's not actually powered by a steam engine?