Fantasy World Cultures Questions Thread

The deepest relevant place on Gaia is probably the bottom of Apotheosis Tower.

Apotheosis Tower is one of the great mysteries of Gaia. It's ten kilometers wide at the base and extends ten times that high. It extends the same distance down into the earth. Not much is known about the tower and no body, god, elemental, or mortal, has ever stepped foot at the top of the tower for all of recorded history (and yes, I'm aware of the redundancy).

A key thing to know about the tower is that it concentrates huge quantities of mana from all over the planet. Most people know this, the feel of mana inside the tower is so intense that even the untrained will notice. What people don't know is that at the tips the mana density is so high that things like entropy, electromagnetism, and strong and weak electrical forces tend to take a backseat as Reality Is Out to Lunch.

Describe the seven wonders of your world.

The Great Acropolis - The entire City is considered a wonder, as it was said to be built in one day, using the same material, a single, superstructure. In reality, it is just VERY similar looking, but legends are legends.

The Great Canyons - A scar in an otherwise flat plain - there is no river, no tectonic plate activity, no real reason why it's there, but it is a large, curving wound in otherwise green plains. In reality it was created by the trull-kin, using their acidic blasting devices, to create a mine, a mile deep. However, it now serves as a prison. Touring visitors journey to gaze down into the dark depths and use it as a lesson to their children "Behave, or you'll end up in The Canyon."

The Fortress of Solace - part of the "Razormen" homeland, this grand fortress sits astride a narrow pass between jagged mountains. It is an intricate mix of defensive fallbacks, killzones and mechanical traps, designed by the "giants". All set amidst the Razormen aesthetic for curving lines and beautiful mosaics - you will die in style.

The workshops of the Giants - due to their size, many of their structures are pretty immense anyway, but the grand workshop, built beyond the Great Acropolis, it is a huge forge, a vast series of halls and towering lecture rooms. The giants prize mechanical engineering and take great joy in tiny intricate mechanisms - the halls are full of rooms and open to any Citizen of the Great Republic to visit.

The Temple of the Ostermen - The grand hard-glass spire that is a veneration of the light, sits in the center of the Great Acropolis - one of the few buildings not constructed out of the white marble that makes up the majority of the city. It stands two hundred feet tall, a single molded piece of hollow glass, with intricate stairways rising inside, allowing the faithful to bask in light at any point within.

The Graveyard of Al-Gualin - one of the grand necropoli that dot the Razormen homeland, this one houses the warriors of their grand war of Unification - that which created the great Republic of the Conclave. It is said that each of the one thousand and one tombs was hewn from a single granite block each by the retainers of each warrior, who then committed ritual suicide within each seal crypt to forever be with their lords in death. The Necropolis sits on a low hill, with the general's crypt at the top and each ring of tombs showing the rank and file down to the honoured pikemen at the fringes, forever guarding the flanks of their fallen comrades, even in death.

The hives of The southern plains - a natural wonder, these grand rocks are actually gigantic hives made of wax, sat in the middle of arid plains. The creatures that made them have long since vanished, but these grand edifices serve as homesteads for the nomadic traders of the south and as waystations for travelers and expeditions into the resource rich plains, which are hostile to any long term attempts at colonisation.

How many nations make up your world and how do they interact, if at all?

3 major civilizations with a ton of much smaller civilizations:

the southern theocracy, the eastern empire and the northern republic; the ocean nomads, the abyssal folk, the united demon clans, the airstalkers, the fae, the natives of the western continents and the feral demons of the north, plus a whole ton of smaller nations which no specific identity yet.

• The Northern Republic is a very divided nation that is at odds with the majority of its neighbors, and has an extreme loathing for the southern theocracy (and a mild distaste for the eastern empire and the united demon clans that stand in the way between them). its secrecy regarding its technology puts it in ill repute among the rest of the world, though they fail to completely prevent technology from leaking out to the surrounding nations.

• 'The Eastern Empire has largely existed in a tense stasis, actively avoiding getting any larger, but acting as the "police" of the continent, actively interfering in conflicts that could lead to states unifying and becoming a threat. they ally with the united demon clans, though its not the most trusting of relationships given that prior to the clans unification, the empire raided them for slaves (as did the republic, who continue to do so). it also allies itself with the theocracy, mostly due to the close relationship of the extreme rulers of both nations, though the rest of the ruling class only officially accepted an alliance after the theocracy provided some much desire intel on barrier magic, which allowed them to continue holding their own against a mounting technological threat from armies originating within the republics chaotic sphere of influence.

• The Southern Theocracy is large and insidious, but does not exactly excell at relations; while they get along with the empire, tensions remain over religious differences (with most of the hostility coming from the theocratic citizens). they've inserted themselves into the chaotic power struggle between the natives on the nearest western continent, and inadvertantly caused the unification of several tribes into a legitimate threat/nation. in addition to this, they're not well liked by coastal nations of the eastern continents due to suspicion that the theocracy uses piracy to control the central oceans (due to its allies notably avoiding any hassle from pirates); this was a practice started by an attempt to keep the (very antagonistic) republic from colonizing the western continents and piling on the pressure they were receiving from the natives.

• The Abyssal Folk largely do not interract with anyone other than the sea nomads, who trade goods with them to allow them to avoid leaving their depths (which they've largely become uncomfortable with since migrating there).

• The Sea Nomads themselves interact with all coastal nations and are generally affable, though they've caused offence to some in the past due to their tendency to "pick and match" clothes from the various cultures, some of which is sacred in some way or another. they largely do not interact with each other, only interacting when they inadvertantly come across each other's group during their travels around the world.

• The Airstalkers are in a very bad way. they're hated by nearly all of the eastern continents, they're actively raiding the western continents most of the time for food, so they're naturally seen as enemies over there. they're also despised by the nomads, who have on several occasions been accidentally preyed on by airstalkers looking for fish to eat, or had some of their cargo stolen. the one nation they get along well with is the theocracy, mainly due to religious compatability, though largely they try to avoid eachother. the airstalkers are often conflated with the north demon raiders, though the airstalkers generally see them as "challenging prey"

• The Fae are pretty much loners. originally they were part of the united clans but eventually left due to difficulty living among careless beings who are several times their size and entirely capable of accidentally crushing them underfoot; they migrated to a deserted island in the central seas, where they only interact with a few small groups of people from the theocracy.

what kind of geography does your nation have?

edited 17th Mar '15 6:08:41 AM by Tarsen

The geology of the setting is a vast area inside a bowl shaped valley, like Switzerland but far larger. There are several rivers that feed an inland sea, and terrain runs from forest to grasslands to hardpan desert.

There are nine sub-nations that make up the Empire. The Human Kingdom, Elven Conclave, Dwarven Collective, the UBSR, Kobold Tribes, Nekomata Clans, Orck Dominion, Ghoul Necropolis and the Church all form the citizens of this mighty overnation, each banded together against the depredations of Dragonheim, the nation of dragons living in the mountains surrounding the Known World. The Unknown World seems to be home to the nomadic Dark Men and the territorial Klanden. And the Lands Beyond the Sun (a rather theatrical way of meaning "other planets") are home to the space empires of the Vulpitorex and Dysonians.

What popular movies or books are there?

Now everyone pat me on the back and tell me how clever I am!

In the Iron Imperium, a popular form of entertainment are pulp adventure stories in penny dreadful form. The longest running and most popular comic of this kind is Voyages Beyond the Sea, which is basically Star Trek as an Odyssey or Gulliver's Travels style sea voyage, with the part of The Kirk played by an elven Allan Quartermain, a dwarven engineer as The Spock, and an amazon mystic as The McCoy.

Who is the most prominent trickster figure in your world's myths and folklore, and what is the most told story about him or her?

The most prominent trickster is, in fact, a Christian saint, and his name is Saint John of Wilmington, more commonly known as Saint Johnny. The most told tale about him was immortalized in catchy song format, and can be heard here.

Who is your world's most infamous figure? Villain or not doesn't matter, only infamy.

edited 18th Apr '15 7:42:50 PM by Tojin

“Not a promise, not an oath, or a malediction or a curse. Inevitable." - Taylor Hebert

That would be "The freak" some weird figure who have the power of madness, using ilusion to drive people insane, he already have a long list of victim and because of this EVERYONE wants him dead

if there any ancient ruin in your setting, how it end that away and why people go there(if they go)

"My Name is Bolt, Bolt Crank and I dont care if you believe or not"

The Ruins are the remains of an ancient city in the Human Kingdom. The area is heavily restricted; and only archeologists sanctioned by the Emperor himself are permitted to go. This is due to the vast ammount of weapons found there, fantastic devices based on hard magic. Apparently, the civilization living there destroyed itself through its weaponry, and it's people devolved into the humans known today.

What animals are kept as pets?

Now everyone pat me on the back and tell me how clever I am!

to the Dakhory that would be birds and fish, considering their hability to alter the biology of others, they like to morphed their pets

if there any "exotic art"? what is consider fashonable to noble of your setting?

"My Name is Bolt, Bolt Crank and I dont care if you believe or not"

Well seems like that one had people stumped for a while.

Anyhow art is valued differently among cultures (duh). The Tekons and the Clommish make elaborate charms and bracelets out of silver. They also decorate their houses extensively. As the main industry is woodcutting, almost everyone knows something about it and most houses from those regions are covered in elaborate carved wood paneling, built up over years.

On much of the rest of the continent "fine art" is something reserved exclusively for the nobility and wealthy craftsmen and guilds given the cost and time involved in making a painting or statue. Smaller works such as the Clommish jewelry, is considered provincial and backwards. There's a steady trade in stained glass and good stonework for various building projects, but most people are too busy with their peasantish profession to care much about art.

Theater grows in popularity the farther south one goes. Whereas in Koring a play would be held indoors out of the constant cold rain and attended only by a few hundred people of means, a play in Earm would be outside and could easily be attended by several thousand. They are substantially more rowdy, of course, and some actors don't like it.

Elvish relics are prized by everyone and sometimes used in hilarious ways. One southern princess famously incorporated a broken-off sword hilt in her elaborate hairdo. Others, though, are content to just hang them above the mantel. Actual elves on the mainland (mostly Rangers or exiles) find it hilarious.

Question: What kinds of transportation is there in your world?

Trains, zeppelins, and walking. There's also Mini-Mecha, but those are exclusively military.

What is the most common fashion in your setting?

edited 23rd May '15 10:15:54 AM by dvorak

Now everyone pat me on the back and tell me how clever I am!

The most common fashion is devil-made clothing, with a leaning towards bright, almost blinding colors. Occasionally they clash hideously (Hell needs to learn that highlighter yellow and dark purple don't go together), but that doesn't matter, only how bright they are.

Which real-world culture does/do your nation/nations most resemble?

edited 23rd May '15 5:33:52 PM by Tojin

“Not a promise, not an oath, or a malediction or a curse. Inevitable." - Taylor Hebert

The human side of my world is heavily based on Spain and Italy (Both in language, food and fashion) with a bit of Portugal thrown in (From the 1600s-1700s). There is also a northern section based on Russia.

The Lizard Folk side is less inspired on just one country/culture and has things from everywhere (weapons from India, landscape similar to Mexico, architecture similar to Spain, a few tribes based on Native South Americans, and military organization similar to 1700s Germany) as to avoid Unfortunate Implications.

What is the most common political organization of your countries/cultures?

edited 31st May '15 9:23:53 AM by DeisTheAlcano

Monarchy, with the occasional dash of theocracy. (Standard Medieval European Fantasy Setting, duh)

• The Elven Houses (formerly united as the Elven Empire under the now-defunct Imperial House) are associations of cities each ruled by a noble family.
• The Draconic Kingdom is... well, a feudal kingdom.
• The Warg Clans are usually ruled by a single individual, or less frequently a family.

Exceptions include :

• The Draconic Exiles city-states are either plutocracies (ruled by the richest) or limited democracies (only draconics can take part in politics, despite the cities being quite cosmopolitan)
• The Elven Houses are governed by a council of representatives of each ruling family. (So it's a collection of monarchies forming a "democracy").

What weapons are favored by each people of your setting ?

edited 31st May '15 10:12:01 AM by Aetol

Worldbuilding is fun, writing is a chore

Everyone uses guns and swords; although which gun one can use is based on one's rank in the Church Militant.

---

The Empire is divided into eight sub-nations:

• Humans are a feudal kingdom, with several feuding noble houses.
• Dwarves are a communist republic.
• Orcks are a Dominion; which is more or less like American politics but the representative has to be a good fighter on top of silver tongued.
• Elves are ruled by a Conclave, which is a Not-So-Omniscient Council of Bickering formed of all the house's Matriarchs despite the representatives assertations of infalliability.
• Ghouls have a necrocracy; wherein the Dead King runs all of the politics (and a damn sight better than the human one too)
• Kobolds have tribes, semi-nomadic micro-nations run by an Alpha Female.
• Nekomata have clans; which, like the human kingdom, is divided into city states.
• The UBSR is a nation of Kobolds, Nekomata, and Orcks who left their own countries and adopted the dwarves communist practicies.

The Empire itself is a democracy, where the Emperor/Empress is elected for a term of four years; the Imperial Canditate from the sub-nation that won last time isn't allowed to run to prevent the country from being run by any one race for decades on end.

---

same

edited 31st May '15 10:39:48 AM by dvorak

Now everyone pat me on the back and tell me how clever I am!

• Judrel Fässer ost te Kozenshen, is a theocratic hegemony, with the fire god Käffer giving the orders; the council- which consists of self elected members of those who meet the requirements among each of the noble families (Käffer's own descendants are forbidden from joining)- doing much of the legwork. the only other political force is the royal family, which oversees training of the nation's armed forces (barring the fire corps) and general war efforts at the fire god's behest.

• the eastern empire is an absolute monarchy of sorts. whoever is emperor at the time has total control, though the nobles have the ability to influence who becomes the next emperor. every generation, several candidates to become emperor are raised, with each one given an education decided by the political faction they're chosen by. upon the candidates all coming of age the high empress, the founding mother of the nation, who rules in the downtime between emperors decides which one is appropriate for the throne. in the process, the political factions whose interests each candidate represents are given the chance to convince the high empress of their candidates suitability.

• In the north, there is a collection of city states that are the remnants of a theocracy long gone. its since been replaced by a...particularly divided democratic federal republic. meaning each state is largely self-governing but united by a central federal government with representatives from each state. who rules and how on the smaller scale varies from state to state; at least one state is a merchant republic, with 21 noble families and the representative sent to the senate belonging to the family with the highest profits that year. the frequently changing representative effectively leads to that city state being considered somewhat of a wild-card among the rest of the senate.

• the United demon clans, north of the empire and south east of the republic; a confederation that came together in order to defend the peninsula the clans live on from the slavers and raiders that previously came from every direction (though the empire, their immediate neighbors, put an end to their raids and slavery shortly before that), and decide general foreign policy. aside from that, its largely ineffective, with each state pushing back at any policy the central oligarchy tries to enforce that they dislike. tension is high and whether the confederacy will crumble and the status quo will return, or if it will strengthen and become a true federal government remains to be seen.

• the sea nomads are a nomadic meritocracy. they travel in small communities that dont often interact with each other, usually who leads and who follows is decided by who is more capable. there are a few occasions of a nomad who's sheer charisma and force of personality manages to allow them to form a community that centers around their whims and comfort.

• the abyssal folk are largely anarchic in nature, with no ruling government. at best, it has a source of power- a kritarchy, rule of judges, who oversee disputes and mete out punishments in order to provide some degree of order and cooperation in a nation largely stuck in a hunter-gatherer stage due to its location on the ocean floor. these same judges are the ones who interact with the nomads in order to trade vital resources unavailable in their location, which is then made available to all provided they are not being punished.

• the airstalkers are perhaps the smallest group of people on the planet, and among the smallest nations. constantly on the brink of collapse it doesnt have much in the way of ruling government, with a lot of their people doing what they wish and raiding and plundering what they can. a group of elders does however enforce limitations on certain actions (via a small group of warriors they control)- actions that may destroy relations with Kovenshen, the one ally in the world they have, for example. they imprison those they deem guilty of whatever limitation that was breached, and mete out punishment if they can. the elders have attempted to convince their people to take up aggriculture, though progress is slow and often set back by famine that then leaves crops and such unattended for too long.

thats more or less it, for now.

---

does your culture partake in slavery? what are the specifics of it? what is the range of targets for slavery, and how does your culture perceive it?

One Elven House and half of another still keep Warg slaves. Wargs being Werewolves Not Using the "Z" Word, they mostly serve as bodyguards (when owned by individuals) and city watch (when owned by the city), or as heavy-duty workers. In wartime they can be drafted to form a militia.

Wargs cannot own money, so their owners are required to provide them with what they need to live and work (including armament). Most cities will forcibly buy mistreated slaves at lowered prices. Wargs born in slavery are not bound to the owner of either parent, and are free to seek "employment" from any Elf they want. As it is illegal for an adult Warg to have no owner, the owner of the mother is always required to accept them. An adult Warg can also change owner if they find one willing to buy them. Of course, this is theory and a lot of owners will forbid their slaves (unofficially, of course) to engage in such procedures.

In cities that practice this form of slavery, this is seen as the normal organization of society, and Wargs don't seem to complain too much of their status, though desertion is a constant problem. The other Elven Houses see this as an outdated and borderline barbaric practice (as well as hazardous : you are trusting Wargs with your safety ?) ; the Empire was in the process of banning it before it collapsed.

EDIT : Oh, Crap!, I forgot the question. My bad.

edited 31st May '15 6:28:21 PM by Aetol

Worldbuilding is fun, writing is a chore

No question? I'll answer the previous one then.

The Dragon Kingdom practices slavery; and usually targets Orcks, Dwarves, Kobolds, and Nekomata; races noted for work ethic and hardiness. One of the main reason the Empire was formed was to protect people from being enslaved by dragons. Whenever they can, Imperial forces will attempt to liberate these captives.

what animals are kept as pets?

Now everyone pat me on the back and tell me how clever I am!

Cat sized insect-like creatures that reproduce sexually (Like sea slugs, they are hermaphrodites). They are commonly used for underground fights, wich are illegal in most countries. There are bigger species that can withstand extremely cold temperatures and that are used as sled dogs, though they are not as cute as said dogs.

There is also yet another unrelated species (though this one barely qualifies as a pet) a bit bigger than a horse with natural bone "helmets" and thick fur, used for transportation and commonly ridden by light cavalry.

How are the different funerals of your world?

In the Dakhory case, their is a division between noble family and the rest, the first ones have tombs that preserve their bodies very well, if you are not a big house your destinty of your body is to be burn an being used for the state for whatever they want it, the only diferent if is you work with a big house and they decided to put there with their own, it dosent happen that ofter...but it happen and is a great honor.

what was the bloodies war in your setting and why? also how many life get lost there?

"My Name is Bolt, Bolt Crank and I dont care if you believe or not"

Two big wars in recent history. (I haven't fixed the timeline yet, so I don't know how long ago, or which one happened before the other).

The draconics' war on religion

The religion of the Five Virtues, introduced by the ill-known Southerners, proved wildly popular in the Dragon Kingdom. This did not sit well with the Church of the Three Gods, who cracked down on the new-coming faith. Thousands of "heathen" draconics fled south to the more tolerant elven lands. Other chose to stay and fight.

Lacking support among the nobility, they were defeated by the Kingdom after years of bloody war and atrocities. The survivors fled by sea, called themselves Exiles and founded cities across the sea, where they quickly rose to wealth and power. Their navies now control the sea, but they don't seem intent on striking back at their homeland.

The collapse of the Elven Empire

The rule of the Empire had been gradually weakening, with the noble families becoming more and more loyal to their Houses (five alliances of families, bound by marriages and reciprocal favors) and less to the Imperial Family. The war began with a military expedition to keep one rebellious House back in line, led by the Imperial Prince (heir to the throne). He was killed in battle, and at about the same time the old Emperor was assassinated on the orders of a power-hungry relative. A Succession Crisis ensued.

Two Houses, including the one that started everything, immediately seceded from the Empire and consolidated their borders. The other three took side in the succession and a war ensued, fought both on the borders between Houses and on the Imperial Family's lands. The brunt of the war was not actually fought by elven armies but by warg mercenary clans, who had been hired from everywhere in the elven lands and even from the Dragon Kingdom.

When the dust settled, most of the Imperial Family was dead. Survivors were tracked down and killed over the next decades. The imperial capital was but a ruin. The real winners of the war were the warg clans who settled the imperial family's land, one of the richest regions of the former empire, and to this day resist the elves' attempts to evict them.

What sports exist in your setting ?

edited 2nd Jun '15 5:18:37 AM by Aetol

Worldbuilding is fun, writing is a chore

In Fortrìa, a form of soccer is generally played, and is becoming a national sport with various noble houses funding their own teams and forcing their sons to play in them (it's a good way to represent your house, and your physical ability, without getting potentially harmed in a tournament). Commoners like to play this too, but also favour a more rugby-like form. Some medium- or low-security sections of prisons even have their own playing fields, where convicts can let out their anger and frustration without getting someone killed. The upper class of Fortrìa also favour a bit of golf from time to time. Other people might entertain themselves with other forms of sport, such as the brawling for the commoners, or tournaments for the nobles. Also a bit of games akin to caber toss, and even sheep riding competitions. Also eating contests.

I haven't really fleshed out the sports of other countries yet.

Skip forward into the future a little bit, and eventually soccer becomes more popular, as well as equestrian sports.

Skip even further until a sport similar to cricket becomes extremely popular, with soccer still having a large foothold, and things like equestrian sports, martial arts, golf, etc. becoming more of a specialist thing.

Not really fleshed out yet, and I feel like I haven't really made it that original or added anything new to it, but I'm still working on it.

What sort of medical equipment does your setting use? How advanced is it? How available is it?

edited 2nd Jun '15 6:20:59 AM by Braigh

Gaia actually has an early 19th century level medical capacity despite being 16th century otherwise. Mostly, this is due to magic and the very widespread Venist church that favored healing magic.

Most plagues can be cured in short order and as long as the patient isn't dead when they get to the healer chances are they'll live. Necromancers are even experimenting with reattaching limbs but there's not much success as the limb keeps rotting.

Pick a major city in your world. When you walk down the main street, what does it smell like?

Walking down the street of Gunter's Rest; one would smell forge smoke, gunpowder, and inscense. Gunter's Rest is the Holy City of the Church of the Gun.

I like that question about What sports exist in your setting?, so imma ask it too.

edited 2nd Jun '15 10:24:24 AM by dvorak

Now everyone pat me on the back and tell me how clever I am!

Foot races are universally popular.

The peasants in the northern kingdoms have a dirty and violent version of soccer. The rules can vary widely from village to village but the balls are almost all the same: a sewn hide filled with grain, dirt or gravel. It will often be played the day after a holiday when celebrations are over but farmers still have time off. The number of players is whoever shows up, the playing field is as big as it needs to be.

Northerners prefer endurance horse racing, Southerners chariots. Wrestling, boxing and quarterstaff fighting are popular in cities and the Koring woods, especially.

What fantastic races does your setting have, if any?

edited 4th Jun '15 3:46:33 AM by PixelatedVolume