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No, I mean Markov looks like a Wraith with the Wraith's Game Face on.

Markov's face is something closer to a "Problem?" face, most of the time.

Mura: -flips the bird to veterinary science with one hand and Euclidean geometry with the other-

That brings up something else that I couldn't quite put my finger on it, even though Sorin Markov is not an example: We need a Single Drao In Leather Pants villain. Nearly every setting seems to have one as a villain.

That'd be a fan trope, not something any sane writer would ever intentionally undertake.

Mura: -flips the bird to veterinary science with one hand and Euclidean geometry with the other-

Lord Hrod strikes me as shaping up to be The Dragon to (Evil). Or more likely, The Starscream.

And since every Yin has a Yang:

____, God of Good (Celestial god)

(Seriously: name suggestions, please)

Like (Evil), (Good) came to existence when the first sentient minds associated all beneficial things together. Unlike (Evil), (Good) is very aware of this fact and has no self-delusions (delusions are bad things) though it CAN be mistaken, especially when it comes to having faith in people. It also tends to be too merciful with foes; for all that most heroes respect it, the most pragmatic ones know that sometimes you have to kill to save more lives later.

As a Celestial, it has no set form but looks like whatever the (unconscious) consensus of all sentient beings think it should. Lately, its looked like a Lady In White [1]◊ but like (Evil), can take any form as needed.

Good opposes Evil, of course, because that's what its supposed to do, and because it sincerely loves all life. It doesn't hate Evil, however- hate is not a good feeling. At most, she pities it.

Good is not directly in control of anyone, though there's plenty of beings, mortal and otherwise, that'd do anything for her. (Which, ironically, is not always a good thing.) Its influence has decreased over the world, both due to the fall of magic, and people simply being more greedy and cynical.

edited 30th Dec '11 6:49:50 PM by Sijo

Hrod seems to me to be more of an anti-villain; working for the supreme evil would betray his ideals, unless he was doing it just to betray it.

Mura: -flips the bird to veterinary science with one hand and Euclidean geometry with the other-

The Knights of the Wreath

The Knights of the Wreath are not your average knights, they don't carry broadswords, they aren't enshrined in chain-mail, and they are not public about their membership. When the Knights of the Wreath attack, they subvert from within using tactics that range from getting everyone black out drunk (Attack upon the Reiugn Port) and burning down the city while they slept, smuggling explosives inside of their bodies and "disposing of them" in a method that destroyed the city's plumbing system just as another army attacked them with a siege (The siege of Bombast). The Knights of the Wreath have been called assassins before, they've been called brigands, thugs, and other tasteless things.

The difference between the Knights of the Wreath and the assassin's guild is that while the assassins are completely okay with killing people, the Knights are only concerned with larger targets. They take down cities, hamlets, countries, in the name of taking civilizations down. They are a paradoxical group, with some of their members being those that would be most harmed by the destruction of their safety nets. Stock brokers, merchants, kings, have all held the Wreath aloft for the destruction of cities. In the end, no one knows what the Knights of the Wreath are about.

They kill merchants and they leave the gold and goods, they burn down cities and leave the people unmolested afterwards, they sneak into Hrod's castle and place flammable laurels over every fireplace. The Knights are a strange bunch, and some have even decided that they are workers for the empress, forcing people to either live in her domain or be unable to actually live in cities. The Knights have "______", the Celestial god of advancement's ire.

Okay, an antagonist with as many men and resources as the GM wants, and with a plot that centers around destroying cities, things that heroes tend to like.

Fnord.

Dragons are in fact bigger than Drakes. Drakes tend to be colors such as gray, brown, black, green and red, always in dull shades, while dragons are much more brightly colored and varied, gold, silver, a vivid shade of green or red, a stark black, white, blue, yellow, purple, etc.

I definitely expect Hrod to pretend to work for (Evil), but really just be planning to find a way to get rid of it; it's one of the few adversaries he can't simply overpower, and its goal of world destruction definitely don't fit in with his.

Interesting idea. At first it didn't make much sense to me, but then I realized there's plenty of beings in this setting (like the god of chaos) that would be behind them.

Curious will are setting be open to the idea of dead gods or demi-gods?

—-

Amorou, God Of Love

Amorou is the celestial god of all things love, it is a pure manifestation of love. It has existed since the first spark of romance and is there in every spark since then whether it be love for a partner, a child, an object or a cause, Amorou is there un-judging and watching over the love, nurturing it, embracing it and even mourning it when it fades.

It should be noted that Amorou, is different from the God of lust though the two are often confused to the fact that they're concepts are very often intertwined. Love is not against Lust whoever and in fact Amorou is incapable of being against anything, Amorou even loves it's opposite Hate though the feelings are never mutual.

Couples often ask for for Amorou blessing, though rarely other will ask for it do anyone who feels passionate love toward something will be gifted Amorou blessing. As long as love is in their heart.

Amorou often takes the form of a giant yellow bird with a red chest, people who worship Amorou regular often where a piece of red fabric over their hearts in tribute. The reason why Amorou often time takes the form of a bird is because it was the birds who first felt the emotional attachment known as love, though this has been mostly forgotten in this day and age even though birds remain as a symbol of romance.

Rarely active, try DA/Tumblr Avatar by pippanaffie.deviantart.com

As we noted before, their will be different gods of love besides the main one. In fact, the main one may be the collective will of the little one who themselves are the collective will of littler ones and so on.

IE,

Amorou Dias, Goddess of Familial Love

Amorou Dias Sire, Goddess of a Parent's Love

Amorou Dias Sire Pargonili, God of a Father's Love

Amorou Dias Sire Pargonili Motauna, God of a Father's Love To His Daughter

Some of these are very small, barely sentient gods and may operate under totally different and much smaller names over regions.

~

Hobbits, Brownies, Kender (All those names? One of them?)

Short child-like humanoids, about half the height of the average human. They are possessed of a keen hearing and smell, but short eye-sight. They're possessed of thick body hair that almost seems like a layer of fur, a tail, dexterous feet and a generally chimp-like anatomy. Because of their short sight and total of five possible gripping appendages, they are known to grabs things so they may not bring them up to their face for a closer look. What they do it with it afterwards depends on cultural disposition.

~

Overgods

Sometimes, you don't have a single concept, you have an entire philosophy encompassing several concepts. From the belief in the combination of those concepts rather then the concept itself, a Celestial Overgod is born, made from the combined reflections of those concepts and shaped by the dogma of the philosophy's faith. Sometimes the worship of this deity supplants the philosophy as the primary focus of the faith, the philosophy simply expected to out pour from it while other times the deity is merely respected as an honored patron of the faith and philosophy.

~

Oblivionism Enlightenment in Suffering 'Annihilightenment'

A faith and philosophy that can be summed up by these tenants and beliefs:

• Life is suffering
• Souls are reborn into life after they die, or eventually will be
• Souls willingly reincarnate despite life being suffering because they are deluded by the false promises of goodness and happiness
• It is our duty to educate these souls so they will shake of the shackles of reincarnation and embrace Enlightenment.

The followers of Oblivionism believe in causing suffering, extravagant evils, in the hopes that the marring upon their souls will break the chains of delusion that brings one back into life when they die. The power hungry do not seek it, it is the angry and vengeful, the insane and absolutely nihilistic. Their patron Overgod is Annihilis, who is actually partly made of a reflection of the God of Evil, since Goodness is a lie. The 'saint' of Oblivionism is Nihil, a man every generation said to be possessed by their Overgod and a focus of worship himself into Terrestrial God, with no end game but pain and misery.

I was wondering when someone was going to bring up Hobbits. Personally, I prefer the term "halflings" because that's how I first heard of them (In D&D.) "Hobbits" (and Kender) sounds too setting-specific, and Brownies are like Smurfs (except not blue.)

I like the fact that the Oblivionists actually have a motivation beyond "destruction for everybody". It's like a sinister version of Buddhism.

Dead gods sounds epic, but likely only minor terrestrial gods will die (as they still have material forms) and only after mighty efforts are done to kill them. And even then, they might just ascend into the Aether.

Celestial gods, on the other hand, probably will only "die" if the concept they represent is ever forgotten. (The God of Magic may be worried these days.)

edited 31st Dec '11 12:52:12 PM by Sijo

If everybody is destroyed, then all that will happen is that the world will be recreated, everyone will be reborn and the great truth of Enlightenment will be lost. Although some Oblivionist may disagree. Oblivionist offer a great villain group because whatever evil plan they have going, it can be anything and it's bad just because. Why are they blowing up an orphanage? To make orphans sad.

Of course, then this lead to them coming up with extravagant and simply Squicky plans, like mind controlling people into rape armies forcing them to bring misery to the land as they must ride helplessly in the back of their head watching as they defile their loved ones in a And I Must Scream scenario.

Artifact: the Treasures of Nuada

At the height of the Prometheans' influence over the world, there lived a king called Nuada. He was an incredibly talented Artificer, and while many of his creations were spread throughout his kingdom, he hid the most dangerous away, for a time when the world could better cope with them. There are three artifacts, which have become scattered throughout the planet.

The Sceptre: A dull silver sceptre with a flat cap, unassuming in appearance save for a series of runes running along one side. The runes have yet to be translated, and appear to be a cypher. . . of another cypher. . . of a dead language written in the alphabet of another dead language. One who holds it can see the patterns in the concentration of magic in the area, and will instinctively know the best time and place to perform any given type of spell.

the Medallion: A simple, round piece of silver, slightly larger around than a coin. It taps into the root of language itself, allowing one who holds it to communicate effectively with any sentient being. If one were to bring the two together, they would notice that the medallion fits onto the top of the sceptre as if by design.

the Throne: Nuada's only artifact which has never moved, and the only one known to the general public. Whosoever sits upon the throne finds their mental aptitude for the acquisition and use of all forms of knowledge enhanced by a noticeable degree. Leaders of men seek to claim the castle in which the throne is held, but, due to the constant turf war raging over it, none hold it for long.

There is a hole at the very centre of the throne, just large enough for the sceptre to fit into. If the sceptre, crowned with the medallion, is placed inside the throne, Nuada's final design will be executed. The depths of the castle will part, revealing a huge armoury, with enough equipment made of the odd silver metal of the artifacts to supply an army. More importantly, there is an army. Silver golems slightly larger than a human, which will be activated upon Strauss' treasures' contact, number at three hundred and sixty seven. They are all but impervious to normal forms of attack; only heavy-duty firearms or powerful magic could have any effect on their solid metal bodies. They will remain loyal to the heir of Nuada- that is, the one who brought his artifacts together.

Nuada's hope in creating these was that, some day, a wise ruler would unite the treasures and use the Silver Legion to usher in an era of peace. Whether this happens, of course, remains to be seen.

Ordu De Airghid

Literally, "The Order of Silver." Before Nuada died, he entrusted much of his knowledge, and the last of his reserves of the alchemically created silver metal (Truesilver), to a dozen people that he felt he could trust, tasking them with a rather broad mission, the specifics of which are unknown. The descendants of the twelve, along with new blood occasionally indoctrinated upon a show of skill, bravery, and commitment to a good cause, perform many tasks, all apparently part of an overarching plan, and all apparently to make the world a better place (or at least prevent it from deteriorating). In other words, They Fight Crime! In a fantasy setting!

The Ordu has had in service every race from Human to Sylvan, every creature from Wraith to Werewolf. They have contacts in dozens of organisations, large and small, though none outside it know their true purpose.

Those of the Ordu who are not acting as sleeper agents in other regimes have a piece of Truesilver worked into their bodies somehow, be it as a tattoo-like carving, a tooth, or even a limb. The metal synchronises perfectly with the physiology of all humanoid races, even going so far as to connect magically with their nervous systems.

As there is precious little of the metal left in circulation, each implant may take decades to finish, working small amounts of recycled Truesilver in at a time.

When a member of the Ordu dies, his or her closest friend or kin removes the Truesilver from their body and ceremonially bestows it back to the brotherhood. As every ounce of the metal is precious and irreplaceable, agents of the Ordu will travel to the ends of the world to reclaim the bodies of their fallen.

edited 31st Dec '11 1:55:38 PM by Exelixi

Mura: -flips the bird to veterinary science with one hand and Euclidean geometry with the other-

So Artificers make Devices, Wizards make Artifacts

iamokwiththis

edited 31st Dec '11 5:54:31 PM by God_of_Awesome

The Dedicated

We have two men, both of whom are absolute beasts of hand-to-hand combat. One has the Gift of the Martial Arts Paragon, one is not. This man has through utter dedication made himself the equal of his Gifted rival. The utter insanity one must go to sometimes makes some believe it has to be a Gift that suppresses normal reactions like 'Maybe letting this old woman throw giant boulders at me so I can learn to make them explode isn't such a good idea'.

The Lucky

Then we have this third man. He didn't get a Gift nor the utter insane Dedication to learn the art. He fell down a whole and found a magic martial-arts book that downloaded the information into his brain. When he went on an adventure with his new found abilities, he stumbled upon a pair of magic nunchuks in a dungeon. It was like their was some over master to his life, setting things up to get him out in the world and rewarding him like it were a game, like some kind of Game Master. Whatever, he just got Lucky.

Was that inspired by Hellboy: The Golden Army (great movie) or rather, was the movie inspired by a Celtic legend? And why is the Truesilver added to people... are they just living containers? In any case, nice to have an *unambiguously* good organization in this setting.

I'll only accept The Lucky if yes, someone or something is behind their Luck (at the very least, a Gift.)

edited 1st Jan '12 9:26:36 AM by Sijo

Sijo: The "big unstoppable golem army" bit is inspire by Hellboy, yes, which was in turn inspired by a metric tonne of other myths, legends and folk-tales, many of which were Irish or Welsh in origin.

Ah, I forgot to mention. Truesilver is borderline indestructible, and holds/channels magic really well.

edited 1st Jan '12 11:35:20 AM by Exelixi

Mura: -flips the bird to veterinary science with one hand and Euclidean geometry with the other-

It's just a term meant to describe the hero who got a magic sword. "Oh, he's so lucky."

Orihalcum God Gold, Sun Gold, True Gold

A gold based alchemical metal that, while still soft, amplifies magic in a literally exponential way. Every 'mote' of magical power is multiplied by exponent of its own self up the number of 'bits' (127 mL) of orihalcum an artifact has. So rare is such a metal that it can only be practically used in small amounts.

Mithril Fae Silver, Moon Silver, True Silver

A silver based alchemical metal known to be extremely hard and to harness magic like a fiberglass wire harnesses light. Magic simply zips through it without any 'hiccups', perfect for more delicate workings.

Adamant Titan Iron, Star Steel, True Iron, True Steel

An iron based alchemical metal known to be nigh unbreakable. It's magical properties are such that it stabilizes any magic extremely well. Spells set into adamant are harder to modify or negate.

All those legendary metals would be in demand by magicians in our magic-reduced setting (possibly by Artificers as well.) And let me guess: there are untapped lodes... in the New Lands!

They're artificial, actually. You don't mine them but you do mine their base material. However, the process to make them requires pure material and is extremely hard to not screw up. When you do screw up, you end up with useless material.

The best material to use though is iron, silver and gold that has been heavily saturated with magic.... so.... yeah.

edited 1st Jan '12 3:55:51 PM by God_of_Awesome

Artifact: The Helm of True nature.

The Helm of true nature was crafted in the early days of man, on the base of the helmet in a dead Sylvan dialect is a small quote craved into it by it's creator. Though it has been translated:

"Man needs heroes."*

The helm is odd in that it only accepts wearers of a certain nature, people who are brave, honorable and righteous: People who would be described as good *

Though when others try to wear it who lack such traits find themselves feeling as if the helm had set their head a blaze with the heat of heavens fire but remove the helm to find no damage done.

The wearers motives must be selfless*

, pure, true to their nature*

No acting good but to having it be true to their nature.

, They also must require the drive to serve and protect with or without the helm's guidance . The wearer maybe of any race that could wear a helmet but they must not be a racial equal-ist.

Those who find themselves not burned by the helmet find that the helmet has increased their strength, speed, and durability 10 fold. In-fact the Helmet has turned them into a Juggernaut for however long it is worn by the wearer or for however long the wearer remains pure.

The helmets design is somewhat deceptive in nature, the front is made of transparent black crystals, which are clear when viewed from the inside by a good person, and appear as seer-ing fire flames to those who are not. Above this crystal visor is three black bone spikes which frame the helmet. They black of the helmet is appears to be made of iron but the iron itself is stained the color of blood.

The helmet also appear to have an illusion that effects all those who lay eyes on it when it's worn. Those who are not-selfish or evil at heart seem to be calmed or even inspired by the helmet. While those who seek to cause destruction or harm often see it with glowing yellow eyes behind the visor and a cape of pure smoke and fire trailing behind it's wearer.*

=================

Also I have an idea for this world moon but it might be a bit too Science Fantasy, but it boils down to could I make a moon based- race.

edited 1st Jan '12 5:28:35 PM by Vyctorian

Rarely active, try DA/Tumblr Avatar by pippanaffie.deviantart.com

Love the idea. And sure, hit us with the Moon race, then we'll decide if its appropriate for the setting or not.

Speaking of which: Ladies and Germs, we have Lands. We have races. We Have gods. I think it's high time that something happened!

EVENT: THE STAFF OF ULTIMATE POWER IS FOUND!!

Long ago, back in the days when magic was plentiful and the gods shaped the world at their whim, a great, evil wizard arose. His knowledge of dark magic was so great, he was able to create an artifact of unparalleled power: The Staff of Ultimate Power! Using its power, he subjugated nations and nearly conquered the world. Even the gods feared him, until finally, working together, they created a great hero to fight this menace.

The ground shook as the mighty beings clashed. The skies raged with lightning and wind. In the end, the Hero was victorious, and he slew the wizard. Fearing anyone, even him, might be corrupted by the power of the staff, he decided to shatter it. But! No matter how hard he tried, he could not destroy the Staff. So instead, he hurled it away with all his might, hoping it would get lost among the stars, where no one would ever find it again.

He was partially successful.

The staff ended up in orbit around the world. An orbit that slowly decayed over the centuries, until gravity finally brought it crashing down- yet no one in the Known Lands found it.

...Because it had landed on the other side of the world- in the New Lands.

The valley it fell in has only recently been discovered by explorers, who were quite amazed by their discovery. However, dangerous terrain and unknown monsters surround it. The explorers could not claim it for themselves, but the news of its location soon reached the Old Lands.

Now, what had been a slow, methodic, relatively peaceful exploration (for a fantasy setting anyway) has turned into a mad dash. Men, Dragons and Gods are after it- either to claim its power, or make sure no one ever misuses it. The very balance of power in the world might change forever!

Who will find it, and what happens when they do? YOU DECIDE!

edited 9th Jan '12 4:00:53 PM by Sijo

Ahem.

-Thrusts staff upon ground in an official manner-

I think we've got plenty of ideas for races down. As such, I vote that we have a period of one week for everyone to post any suggestions for new races they feel necessary, after which the race slate will be set, and we can focus on refining the cultures of existing races instead of making new ones.

All in favour?

Mura: -flips the bird to veterinary science with one hand and Euclidean geometry with the other-

The Staff of Lemtres

The staff of Armstine

The staff of Frajenhold

The staff of Nirjboch

The staff of Chulainn

An imaginary dollar for anyone who can find the link to Irish myths in one of these names.

edited 2nd Jan '12 10:42:01 AM by Slender

Fnord.