Lord Souls - A Souls series antithesis

They say that the best way to make enemies is to try and change status quos. They say that the fastest way to lose respect is to do something shameful and out of the ordinary. So, what makes ordinary people so detestable when they do so, yet 'lords' among people so acceptable when they do instead?

Some people here may know how MUCH I can hate something when it pisses me off. Usually, when I hate a story or setting, I often come up with ideas in my head on how it could be 'tweaked' to be better than what it was. Of course, I usually get my fair share of 'Don't fix what ain't broke', and I did, but anyone who says that are usually people who aren't willing to think about flaws.

With that aside, I present to you the world, setting and scenario of Lord Souls. It's an idea that can be made into a game on its own, but can really be done in other forms of media as well. It's not going to connect to the games directly, but you can speculate and get the same results. It works as a standalone premise, while also in conjunction with Dark Souls series.

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The world takes place on planet Terbium. It's the 3rd planet of the system that's on the verge of orbit derailment. Originally, the planet is a Single-Biome Planet neighboured by the 2nd and 4th planets of its solar system and has a slow revolving moon compared to Earth's, but about a million years after, the 2nd planet was knocked off course by a powerful asteroid. After the planet in question was destroyed by the sun due to the distance, the destruction causes Terbium to veer closer and closer towards the sun in orbit.

What was originally a fog covered world was gradually changing. The incredibly cold and largely inhospitable world of Terbium, filled with only subterranean and gigantic reptiles, started to bear different forms of life. A thousand years later, out come the humans. The setting takes place a couple thousand years after their rise.

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In Terbium, due to its early development of humanity and culture, science is comparatively primitive while magic and worship are leading sources of belief, practice and faith. Much like the world of Dark Souls, nations found on this planet are of medieval age of steel state of progress and are barely progressing into actual research. For some reason, the humans and some creatures on this planet can channel a manifestation of power widely known as magic. However, there are also other abstract forms of power.

It is due to how 'practically existing' these forces and powers are that science isn't given a second thought. But every power has to come from somewhere, and that's the theme of this setting. Unlike Dark Souls however, this isn't about a world that's thrown into disarray by a spontaneously formed curse that turns people into ever reviving zombies that will eventually become corpses. This setting poses question and scenario: what if one day, you are somehow given a power that's too good to let go, only to know that you can't let go while your very grasp of it is causing damages to everything around?

Tell me what you think. I will add more details later.

Explaining mystical by science...bleh

lol, wtf are you doing, it's like you're trying to inject a star wars midichlorians-style explanation into a studio ghibli film. it's just sad.

I'll have you know that it's not a completely scientific setting by any measure. If astrological movements tick you off, I don't know what else can please you (Duke's Archives have astrology apparatuses. Don't tell me you couldn't link scientific research to the setting all this time) . Anyway, moving on.

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The world of Terbium is that of harmony, but one that doesn't last. There's a saying that 'Lords' powerful enough to perform feats of beyond mortal measure were saviours of humanity. A great king led a crusade of expedition to free up the lands from reptiles for other humans to settle; A witch and her covenant harnessed magical flames to produce embers and propel industry; A leading innovator and his elite guard write books that can fill up many libraries. But as these once mere humans continue to use their powers, there's a decay somewhere in the planet, called the Abyss.

Prevalent in this setting are these forms of art and craft.

Forging - The most basic of all medieval arts, given a twist. In the planet of Terbium, the forms of metal and iron are not identical to ones on Earth. As a result, there are various nations exploring the possibilities, like infusing magic and elements into the forging process with various degrees or success and failure. Weapons that can carry magical properties are highly sought after and essential for defeating monsters.

Sorcery - An art that most regard only the most 'intelligent' can master. Believing that the ethereal power is superior than mortal flesh and corporeal, sorcerers use wands, staves or physical medium to channel a power to make it manifest as various forms of direct harm or application. There is 'Cast Light' for exploring the dark, there is 'Induce Silence' for removing movement noise, and there is 'Force Arrow' for casting a beam of light to deal a powerful blow. Casting these sorceries require two things: a state of mind that can perpetuate the logics and workings of each given spell, and a durable catalyst that can see a lot of use.

Pyromancy - The art of controlling fire, which is vastly different from rubbing sticks along animal bones to produce it. Originating from underground, pyromancy works by using the bodies as a base of catalysm, and the souls of selves as a form of power. The principles of such art is said to be harder than sorcery, and even if it can be spread from one bearer to another, it takes time for one to properly control the flames one can muster. Pyromancy is sought after by metal workers, to the surprise of few.

Aquamancy - The art of manipulating states of water. Unique to this setting, a 'Lord Soul' made it possible for this form of power to manifest. The most basic application of this art is for one to travel underwater for extended periods of time, or create moisture out of air. Much more taxing than pyromancy, this art requires the use of one's liquids inside the body as a base of catalysm, from high pressure water jets, to shards of piercing ice. Experts of this art can use moisture from around to do so, to the effect of rendering the surroundings dry. Usually refered to as Water Mages, Aquamancers use water urns as their medium.

Prayers - Known as miracles, prayers are utterings aimed towards deified entities. Deities exist in the ethereal, which grant their strength through only the most devout. The faithful and determined first memorize scriptures that emphasize and or praise of a deity or deities' lore, and then abscribe them as the deities' powers. Through this process of faith, the ethereal entities grant them temporary uses of their powers.

Curses - Known as hexes, curses are utterings aimed towards the supposed end of deified entities. In various forms, curses require both the capacity of mind, and the knowledge of deity lore. As curses are mostly dark in purposes, it's the most abhorred form of art, though correct uses still exist, such as using them against dinosaurs and dragons.

Since the dawn of 'lord souls', humans had gained the abovementioned skills and have been using them to further the development of civilization. However, as they continued, the abyss also spreads from under the earth, causing new monsters to be born and humans to gradually lose their minds. To ensure that there is enough power for the planet to produce 'lord souls' any further, the bits and pieces of souls of humanity are forcefully pulled into the abyss in a process called 'diminishing'. Once fully diminished, a person becomes a threat to everyone nearby except for one's own newly gained breathren: a Husk.

Unlike Dark Souls, in this setting, the social mechanics as well as the mechanics for the spread of 'diminishing' are largely different. No character on Terbium knows what's actually going on, as all they know is that random people are inflicted with loss of speech or thoughts day by day. Unlike Dark Souls' process of 'hollowing', monsters attacking citizens can speed the process up, especially ones born from the abyss.

More coming up when I have time. Responses and questions are welcomed, but there's a limit to how much inconstructive banter is allowed.

edited 21st Mar '14 5:43:49 AM by Culminus

So you think this is better then the setting of dark souls eh? Sorry to say it pal but it really isn't .

3x& 4x It's just an explanation for a sudden climatic change that kickstarted the development of the world, not necessary for the reader but nice to have. The deal about the midichlorians was that an established set of rules was replaced with another for the sake of realism without actually achieving any. Something like that can't happen in Culminus' setting for now because it just establishes it's rules.

I can see how the randomness of these empowerings hinder the spread of a scientific mindset. What other explanation would make sense than that some gods give and take these powers as they feel like? I am curious how this influences social structures. I can hardly imagine a king justifying his rule with "god XYZ wants it" when anytime some random guy might show up and say: "XYZ wants me to rule now, see this nice new power he gave me".

Prayers and Curses seem to be the same technique from what you showed. The main difference seems to be at which deity a prayer is directed. So different societies might view certain practices as good/bad depending on what they think about the god involved.

I suggest you merge pyromancy and aquamancy as they seem very similar in technique. You can describe them as magic that uses the life of the caster as an energy source. Use the symbolic "flame of life" and you can keep the title pyromancy. Aquamancy seems to work only thanks to a Lord Soul, so maybe it's an extension of a pyromancer's abilities? If so, it might work only in vicinity of that specific Lord Soul. Maybe this Lord Soul was split like the Dark Soul amongst the humans. Pyromancers might collect these shards to increase their powers.

How do your Lord Souls work? I imagine the creation process like an eruption. The power that culminated in the abyss reaches a limit and is "thrown out", whoever gets it can develop a Lord Soul.

What determines the power of a Lord Soul? Gets Bob just a " Great Soul of Toast" because reasons, or is he given "power" that transforms his soul into a great soul of toast because Bob really, really likes toast?

Who has access to the power of a Lord Soul? The one who holds it, every one nearby, those who hold a part of it, the entire race of the holder, everything on the whole world?

What happens when the original holder of a Lord Soul dies? Does his soul become a tool, usable by everybody? Does it go out of control and makes strange things happen, Lost Izalith style?

I think your "diminishing" is actually very similar to the curse of Dark Souls. It hits people seemingly random. So does the darksign and then those people start for sure hollowing.

I would assume that husk are weak as their power is drawn into the abyss, I can't see them as a danger the way your world seems to work. From what I get, the process of hollowing, creating of monsters and Lord Souls works like this:

Power is drawn from the souls of people into the abyss. The power concentrates and shoots back into the world. If a living being is hit, it gets a Lord Souls. If there is no suitable host for the power it manifests as a monster of the abyss.

I like the idea because that way having a Lord Soul could bring the danger of being turned into a monster.

In the long run mankind would become a bunch of husks with most of the power/souls concentrated in monsters or Lord Souls that might become monsters.

But I might have totally misunderstood you, so feel free to correct me.

edited 21st Mar '14 10:49:01 AM by Serox

Finally, someone with the spirit for proper Q&A

Ok, here I go.

The deal with Dark Souls as a setting is that it's inherently anti-social where everyone looks out for themselves for maximum efficiency, and it doesn't help that the Darksign curse is poorly understood and work on pretty much everyone. In Lord Souls, it is true that a king cannot rule by saying "because God XYZ wants it", because as he is a holder of a lord soul, yet still a human at the same time, he can be deposed or taken over by another holder of a lord soul. When a person is infused with a lord soul, one has the immortality part of the equation to rule over people, but in time this is seen as a curse by bearers themselves.

Prayers and Curses work the same way, but only in game. In here, they are casted with different methods, and behind them are different core tenets. Think of Faith stat for a minute. Faith is how much one's mind is devoted to the 'high above', so what's its opposite? Curses require both the lore and intelligence for a good reason: so that the user isn't consumed by the very damnation one is trying to invoke upon one's threats. In the setting, it is possible for prayers to fail midway for wavering, and it is also possible for curses to backfire without a stable state of mind.

The reason why I made Aquamancy as a unique school of skills is, behind it all, to cement a conflict between faiths. In Terbium, some say 'the flames below' is the source of life, while some say 'the waters around' are the source of life. It just so happens that both lord souls of flames and waters respectively came into existence, and proved both correct, but humans and their conformity mindset makes it hard for the fact to be taken kindly. So on one corner, Pyromancers (both the allegory to Witches of Chaos and Firebenders) are a bunch of offsprings of flame lord soul's power, and on the other corner, Aquamancers (the allegory to Waterbenders) are a bunch of offsprings of aquatic lord soul's power. Both of them can't agree on each other, and both end up having polarizing sets of powers.

Now, lord soul as a term is thrown around a lot by now, so how does it work? The 'creation process is like an eruption' is a very accurate guess. To be precise, the discovery of lord souls happened like discovery of flying saucers. It only happens to few, but those few become empowered. Relatively few compared to thousands of people in nations and castles. Unlike the world of Dark Souls where the souls all came from underground, lord souls in Terbium can come up in unexpected ways. Sometimes from the skies, sometimes in an alley, while sometimes in moment of greatest need. However, lord souls are concentrations of Terbium's power. When something is given from the planet, it leaves a vacumm. The vacumm is the abyss.

All lord souls start out as equal, and by default, they bestow immortality, ability to absorb souls, and capacity to convert faith to the bearers. Bearers of lord souls can become lords among humanity, but not any bearer can immediately do so. When you ask that what determines the power of lord souls, this is what: As a literal lord, when a bearer's soul receives the lord soul, two souls become one as an embodiment of being and power. Popularity Power is a major mechanic here: a lord's reputation is often the foundation and basis for one's power, as reverence and faith is drawn to become the fuel for lord soul's embers deep inside the body. So theoretically, the bearer of "Great Soul of Toast" can be the King of Toasts when he just so happens to make really damn good toasts and share them with everyone.

There are other ways to become powerful as well. Besides (the above) converting belief to become one's power, one can kill to take in the essences of life, just like Undead. There are no Bonfires in this setting, and there are no Darksigns, just to remind you. A bearer of lord soul can draw in the souls of fallen, often monsters, to fuel the embers of the lord soul. By doing so, one can seperate oneself from other bearers, by either becoming physically or mentally endowed, just like how 'levelling up' works. But bearers are in danger of their own world, much like how humans are in danger of the monsters and each other. Some bearers may aim for other bearers for their own lord souls, and taking in a vacant lord soul brings a slew of benefits.

For now, let's cover what happens when a bearer dies. When a bearer is killed, either by other bearers or by monsters, one becomes depowered until souls (or belief) is fueled to the soul once more. The more a bearer dies, the more one loses powers until life is cut abruptly by the abyss, returning to the planet and await for next formation.

When it is asked that who has access to the power of a lord soul, there's only one answer: the bearer oneself. But the knowledge, skills and shreds of power of the bearers can be 'shared'. This is the core reason of civil progress in Terbium, and why schools of belief were formed.

Diminishing works differently than 'hollowing'. In this setting, there is no Darksign, so there's no Undead, and 'hollowing' is exclusive to Undead. So where do Husks come from? Just a bit earlier, it is said that lord soul bearers can introduce their powers and skills to others, so that those without lord souls can use them. However, unknown to them, the more they use their powers, the more they 'owe' them to Terbium. The payment is fragments of their own souls. It's not immediate, and some people last longer than others, but they will eventually get there. And it's on normal humans.

When a human is fully 'husked', in the place of how many lord souls are used by people, dark souls inhabit them instead. Lord souls and dark souls are counterexistences, and when a dark soul resides within a soulless husk (which is uncurable), mutations happen. Some husks, when left long enough, may become beasts. Some become skeletal. Some become hideous and ravenous monsters, all the more to become threats to ordinary humans and bearers of lord souls. Lord souls originate from the planet, and dark souls originate from the abyss, aka the decay of the planet.

So in a sense, by having a lord soul, and add all the above, danger is indeed brought to everyone around eventually. But you can't stop progress or tell people to stop working. The best measure is to ensure that the less people use lord skills, the better. In time, as long as people do not borrow too much from the planet, the abyss is kept in check by the planet itself. You can say that the core of the planet waxes and wanes like a moon.

Anything more?

edited 21st Mar '14 4:08:49 PM by Culminus

Now, I'm wondering, would it be right for me to describe this setting using a gameplay-like style, or do everything as-is from a narrative standpoint?

No answer? Here I go then. Let's start with some random descriptions. Dark Souls players should loooove some descriptions.

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Essence Flask - A flask made of steel that doesn't rust over time, which can store ethereal beverage that revitalizes Lord Soul bearers. The origins of the carbonated beverage itself is a greater mystery than the craftsmanship of such rustless steel, and its only link is between places where lords can rest and recompose.

Harsh Gaze - A solidified eye of a Cerulean Toad. Crush it within grasp to damage all nearby entities magically. It is said that when Cerulean Toads perish, their eyes would be the only remains left behind. Their eyes had captured lifetimes and movements of living things, and any lord that crushes one can damage others via time distortion.

Mobile Closet - A pocket watch crafted by Lord Signaleigh of Eternum, this was one of his creations, and only few such pocket watches exist. Lord Signaleigh is known as a punctual man and sharp dresser. It would only come as reasonable for this pocket watch to act as a gateway for one's selection of garments.

Aedehn Herb - A fragrant young offshoot of Aedehn Trees, which are known to be plants of realms of the gods. These shoots are always sought after for their wonderous medicinal properties, but attempts to cultivate them had met with little success. Restores Stoke.

Green Blossom Ring - An alchemical creation, this ring bestows its wearer an increased recovery of stamina and vital rejuvenation. This ring was stolen from Lady Melentia Of Alchemy, who had claimed that she was being assassinated for her talents by other Lords.

Green Sign Chalk - Use this item to engage in trade with other players, or to begin a co-op session for Item Hunt. Green chalks are a symbol of goodwill and trade. When lords use them, they can project their spirits across worlds to the spots where the signs are written, or explore the fissures of one another's worlds for things that were lost in time.

White Sign Chalk - Use this item to be summoned by other players to assist them in their endeavors. White chalks are a symbol of attention and clarity. When lords use them, they allow other aspiring leaders in need to call for help. But Terbium is a harsh world, for when more than a single lord is in the same path, the obstacles in front of them may become more perillous.

Red Sign Chalk - Use this item to be summoned as an enemy in combat against other players in Fissure Realm. Red chalks are a symbol of hostility and strife. Lords who seek to prove their strength may use these chalks to open an invitation - to be defeated by or defeat others in fair combat in the frictions between worlds.

Gekkougatana - A katana that is Entou in design but whose origins unknown. Forged with great magical powers, the extent of damage that can be caused by this blade is not due to its sharpness, but its blue sheen and powerful magical release with a determined swing. Favored weapon of Lord Katsuda of Blue Moon, this blade helped him in becoming a tyrant beyond measure.

Gold-hemmed Black Robe - An ornate looking black robe that is furnished with golden linings. The very fabric of this outfit seems impervious to most elements such as poison, flames and moisture. It is no wonder that this is a standard outfit for the Witches of Chaos, who are still in conflict against Aquamancers.

Sculpting Knife of Ariamis - Lord Ariamis of Heidenavia is an ambitious artist whose sole motivation is to produce art for the sake of getting away from his nearly inhospitable homeland. Also a sculptor, Ariamis made his knife cold and hard, so that it wouldn't be replaced anytime soon.

edited 26th Mar '14 5:37:48 AM by Culminus

MOAR item dump!

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Cancer Ring - Boosts counter strength of slash weapons and changes counter attack movesets. One of the 12 Astrological Rings, this one was given to Knight Sierra the Fruitless, known for her ruthless efficienty in combat and trusted blades. Her keen approach to combat had made her distant from her royal lineage, as she's kept being sent to fight against brigands of the continent opposite of Faravia.

Aquamancy Jug - Catalyst used in casting aquamancy. Can be reinforced through souls and water crystals. Aquamancers use water and moisture for their powers, and their method of harnessing the powers of aquamancy lies within the health of mind. Water is essential to all life on Terbium. These jugs are handed down to not only the faithful, but also the most resourceful in use of water.

Mithril Ore - Rare material from deep earth, used to create weapons of high durability and ease of reinforcement. When it comes to metal rarity, mithril outclasses titanite, and it is said that the only specimen of a mithril forged weapon lies in the hands of Lord Frodo of Eclipse, king of expedition against gigantic reptiles.

Mithril Slab - Rare material from deep earth. Transforms a +10 titanite weapon into a new mithril weapon, or reinforce a mithril weapon directly up to 5 levels. When it comes to metal rarity, mithril outclasses titanite in both use and quantity. No one knew how exactly this fine, slab-like form of mithril came to be.

Copper Bar - A pure material from deep earth, used to create weapons of low durability but high magical induction properties. Copper has long been the evident material used by churches. It is said that copper in the hands of faithful is like waiting for a miracle to happen.

Milk Carton - A carton of magically pasturized, freshly produced milk. Temporarily boosts defense against crushing attacks. Studies from Dragon Scholars suggest that the link between knights and their tall, imposing physique is not due to acts of god, but to their eating habits and available provisions. Milk is known for cultivating strong bones.

Ring of Thrones - Maintain all Level stats and Stoke upon death, but the ring itself will be lost in oblivion. Velka, the goddess of pardoning, granted these limited quantity rings to the world below, and their powers available to only those worthy to wear them, guilty or otherwise.

Book of Disasters - A strange book detailing various deaths and calamities that happen to only fictional figures yet in unnervingly realistic accounts. To provoke the ire of Terbium, any lord needs only to destroy the book, and the world will be much more eager to claim the soul of the destroyer of the book.

Manual of Orlandu - A book enscribed and written by royal authors, concerning techniques and principles of Master Swordsman Orlandu from Keynia. To use this moveset for Sword type weapons, Attune it and select. Replaces all animations for Sword type weapon attacks when selected.

Manual of Leo - A book enscribed and written by Londonian authors, detailing the exploits and techniques of Lion of Dragonslayers. To use this moveset for Spear type weapons, Attune it and select. Replaces all animations for Spear type weapon attacks when selected.

edited 26th Mar '14 6:37:32 AM by Culminus

So, just a question about chalkstones. Why exactly do they exist?

I mean: in Lordran, people use soapstones to communicate with each other because time is distorted within that country, so most people are living in different particular instances of the same timeline (the so-called "worlds") which may or may not overlap with others. Soapstones are magic items whose markings spread across the timeline, appearing in other people's worlds, allowing communication between people who are not able to physically see each other.

In Terbium, unless I skipped it, there's no such thing as paralell worlds, so why would you even need magic chalk to trade with someone who can just talk to you normally?

Of course, it does make gameplay sense, I'm just wondering if there's any world-building reason for these.

edited 26th Mar '14 9:38:38 AM by 2Zak

Well, it's not like the Souls series isn't guilty of that particular handwave. The characters may say 'worlds', but it's still a glaring handwave for online play.

My vision of Lord Souls is that chalks exist as much as they do in real life, but there's a catch. In the world of Terbium, Lords are the ones who have most power (at the time), and they have the ability and knack to turn mundane items into divine applications. Take note when the descriptions all said 'when lords use them' or 'lords' blah blah blah. This implies that ordinary people can't use them the way lords can.

In the world of Terbium, the timelines are not convoluted because of overlapping, but because the past, present and future are ever merging. This becomes a plot point. If this were a game, chalks can be used even when offline, and they allow you to engage in specific NPC related activities. You need to trade with certain lords, fight against certain ones, or help certain ones. In a way, the convolution of past and present is what justifies the existence of different lords being in the same quest.

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Meanwhile, MOAR item dump!

Aqua Ring - Restores Stoke with each hit on enemies. One of the 12 Astrological Rings, this was given to Ubequerr the Aquamancer. Despite being only a disciple, he is a bearer of Lord Soul and this ring allows him to maintain the embers of his being.

Life Troches - Troches with a sweet smell and taste. Gradually restores HP. Sold by the aspiring girl Maylia, daughter of an apothecarist, these help people recover their footing and regain health after disease.

Unfinished Bath - Aquamancy that soaks the entire body in water. Increases fire defense, also increases freezing risk. Some say that this aquamancy was devised by a clumsy practitioner who forgot to wipe himself clean after escaping from women's bath.

Branch of Aedehn - Catalyst crafted out of a branch of an Aedehn Tree. Catalysts for magic come in different ways, and this one was from a plant of divine origin. With this branch, one can cast both sorceries and prayers, just as Lord La'Zar of Blazing Dunes did. Cannot be reinforced.

edited 26th Mar '14 4:47:59 PM by Culminus

Of course, I'm not saying that Dark Souls wasn't a handwaving online play; I just wanted to know if there was an equivalent in your own setting so the magic chalks made sense. I see there is, so everything's okay.

Glad to hear it ^^ Well, now that I have a bit of time, it's time for all of us to explore more of the thematic aspects of this setting.

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The act of ruling over one another is neither good nor evil. It is as inherent as nature itself in life. While the Dark Souls games focus on the darknesses of humanity and its will, Lord Souls provokes a broader series of perspectives, by challenging the concepts of leadership, civilization, and value of existence.

Lord Soul bearers, upon being lords, become beacons of humanity and figureheads, but in becoming so, they are doomed to many kinds of ends, one less avoidable than the other. Just like in real life politics, a leader is subjected to jealousy, greed, cover ups, workarounds, right down to backstabbing, shady dealing, swindling and so on. Regardless of whether or not this is gonna be a game, this sort of perspective is far more exciting (to me) than just being a struggling straggler that can only move in 2 dimensions and take every threat face on.

There are some things that need to be said first. Unlike cursed beings, Lord Soul bearers are not cursed by a debt, but by the circumstances they make for themselves and the various things leadership entails. When a bearer comes to form, one is no longer human. One's body is sustained by only the very flames of one's own soul. The intensity of the flames is called Stoke. Of course, the mortal coil itself is important as well and without it, the soul would have no body to move with. The integrity of the body can be referred to as HP or Health.

Lords must strive to acquire as much Stoke as possible. The flames of the soul, which in return power most of their abilities and newfound positions, die down little by little depending on what they do. Use of powers, sharing of them, lack of lordship acknowledgement, they all reduce the intensity. When a lord's Stoke is completely gone, it's game over. Too much game over and your save file will be gone and you have to start from scratch! When a lord dies, all of one's abilities, skills and Stoke are also gone. There's no other way to regain them other than to do it all over again, including killing enemies, raising faith, etc.

Throughout the setting, one lord or another would go either the diplomatic path or the agressive path. Sometimes both. No matter what they do, the Stoke they gain has to come from somewhere. Now imagine that the world of Terbium itself is also a massive Stoke / bonfire, in need of fuel. Non-lords using special powers means the fuel is plucked and borrowed. You can quickly see what's gonna go wrong. But not for our poor medieval inhabitants. Things are taken for granted until it's all too late.

Lord Frodo claims to have found a way, however, to curb the progression of Terbium's decay. He proposes for multiple lords to serve under him, and those who do so are allowed titles of dukeship to his newly conquered, reptile-free lands. Of course, not all lords are going to comply and just let go of their own followings, but it's all natural. One person's superior may just be yet another person's underling. Rank and file and all that.

The next step of his plan is to feed the reptiles he slain, of their souls, to the planet itself. It's all a show, or is it actually bearing fruit? Up to you. However, the very meddling of the planet's very lifestream kicks off another set of problems: the merging of timelines. Timelines of different people and different possibilities taking place in less stable lands, and fissures begin to form in some places. Confusion sets in to throw the already messy political formula into another bunch of mess that would make Blight Town jealous.

So there's room for anything for this setting. Platforming, stealth, dialogue choices, alliances, action, swashbuckling and tomfoolery. To do all that, any and all lords need to rest in special places. They can't just sleep anywhere, like Undead with bonfires. They have to 'respite' in placed where lords are protected by certain dimensions of room or surroundings. If this were a game, these 'checkpoints' are visible in the form of magic circles. Once a magic circle is used, there's no refilling of HP and saving the game file. You have to go to a different one.

How surviving Terbium works -

If this were a game, I would compare this idea to several things at once: Dark Souls 2 itself, Onimusha, and Soul Calibur series. Some of the familiar mechanics are going to be present, while the fluidity of combat and evasion like Onimusha is implemented, and Soul Calibur for the broad array of movesets associated with lots of weapons. Plus, as said before, there's jumping involved as there's platforming.

All of this is necessary to portray the extent of capabilities of both the lords and their threats. Unlike in all the Souls games, you can only use what you have equipped on your body. You can't suddenly unequip or equip something, even if that something's found on the field. Whenever lords find something, they put it into a belt bag made with a spell, that transfers collectibles and weapons (one way) to a hammerspace that can only be accessed from a resting place. Mobile Closet can also be used, but only when there are no enemies nearby (for clothes only, no weapons). Also the change of wear and equips don't get saved.

With that said however, lords can bring as much or few as they want, and there are benefits for both. Bring a lot, you can grab stuff out of a bigger bag and do more, like using arrows to hunt or distract, toss bombs like usual and stuff, plus the more your total weight, the more effective tackles become. Bring few, the body weight becomes favorable for exploration. Jumping, climbing and even swimming can all be affected by how much you wear. That's right: swimming is a thing!

An average lord can carry up to 2 weapons, a bow and quiver or a crossbow and bolts, a prayer catalyst, a sorcery catalyst, a jug of water, and a belt of consumables. Every item has weight, including what can be worn on the body. Body wear includes headgear, neckgear, ear gear (no piercings fortunately), body gear, four rings and foot wear. But choose carefully if you're a lord, because you can't change them midway.

By default, an average lord can perform more actions than the usual Undead protagonists. The things lords can do in this setting are: jumping, attack in mid jump, dodge stepping and dodge rolling are mutually exclusive and possible, effective blocking with only weapons and no shields (at the expense of weapon durability), automatic dual wield upon holding right weapon combinations, automatic two hand attacks for only a single held weapon, chargable single hit strikes, magic infused special attacks, and last but not least, blocking and parrying being combined together.

Also, the way lords do things are different from Undead as well. As lords are key parts of human society, they can have two kinds of currency carried with them. One is Soul Points, which are gained by squashing enemy souls, and money, which gets heavier the more you carry them. Having Soul Points is necessary for maintaining Stoke, the figurative MP of lords and fuel for their being. There are two ways for getting each currency.

To gain souls, lords can just kill monsters and Husks to obtain them. However, instead of just sucking them in, every soul obtained is stored in the heart, as complete souls. Just like lost souls of fallen Hollows in Dark Souls 1 and 2, souls of every entity are accessed in the inventory. You can then check the descriptions of each soul for detail, explanation and understanding. However, as they are being maintained, they won't give you the Soul Points or keep your Stoke up. To achieve that, select any enemy soul, or multiple at once, to crush them.

The more souls you keep in preservation, the less likely a given type of enemy appears until they are just gone and replaced by tougher variants. This is in line with Dynamic Difficulty so that enemies are neither neverending nor in static difficulty brackets.

Money can be looted from certain enemies, most likely from Husks and mutants that still carried coins when they died. It can also be earned by running your town and territory, managing taxes and policies. With the ability to attack completely removed, you can explore your own fortress and city to watch life bustle. Treasure it, because it may not last. Money can be used for services and goods. Services such as smithing, learning and information, and goods such as items, food and commodities.

There are also some deals which require both cash and souls. Just to keep the pressure up and souls pumping. And if you get killed when you're carrying a lot, let it be a painful lesson there. All your money and souls, points or otherwise, are all gone. An added harshness, your attire and weapons will also be left in limbo, waiting for you to pick them up.

Random irrelevant point: the ability to manipulate water is usually called "hydromancy" rather than "aquamancy" because the prefixes "hydro" and "pyro" match, and "aqua" and "ignus" match. It's the difference between Latin and Greek. Thought I would point that out in case anyone finds it at all interesting.

Thank you there. I only thought they both sounded cool, and didn't realize they didn't come from the same vein. Hoohoo.

though perhaps that is the logical extension of the contrast between the two, it works in a metaphorical logic that because the power for the two come from different places, that the names would also come from different places.

Also aquamancy sounds nicer to me than hydromancy, but that point isn't very helpful or relevant :)

I like the addition of the milk carton.

Thank you. I personally like the more mundane touch.

Speaking of this, is it appropriate to make textures based on this setting? I'm talking about icons, slides, things like that.

edited 24th Apr '14 6:21:09 AM by Culminus