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White Seeds

White seeds are a common item, that any novice mage can craft. Originally devised and used by nature focused mages they are black seeds which can be placed into the ground. These seeds absorb the nutriment in a 10 foot radius around them for several months, often leaving the area void of nutriment. After the months pass they pop back up smaller, pure white and with a hard shell around them.

These white seeds can be placed into the earth and will reinvigorate tired land, and even cause crops to grow out or seed unhindered by extreme heat or frostbite. In addition to being used to reinvigorate crops, they can be boiled up in teas and the seeds last for several weeks in a teapot. Said teas often boost energy, reduce hunger, and enhance the flavors of the other ingredients in the tea.

they can also be eaten, if a person can break the shell with their teeth (which is as hard as a popcorn kernel). when eaten it boosts energy and healing ten fold, often farmers and workers to recover from broken limbs in a few days instead of several weeks.

They have fallen out of favor among nature mages due to their destructive potential, and because most nature mages can just boost the earths ability to grow crops just by pouring aether into it, but they are still common place in lands we're mages are scarce as any farmer can planet one and reap it's benefits.

Golden seeds

A variant of the white seeds, they are enhance by alchemy and spells which gives them a golden metallic looking hue. They are often 10 to fifteen times more Efficient, and about one hundred times rare and harder to create than normal white seeds as well as having a rock hard shell. They are often used to allow lands ravaged by fire, frost or dark magic the ability to grow corps again.

More to come.

edited 14th Jan '12 7:14:26 PM by Vyctorian

Say less power and more efficient.

???

Power refers to raw energy. Efficiency is how well it actually gets shit done.

Okay fixed that bit.

Also what are we doing for Druid type characters? *

I'm guessing some sort of mystic. Exchanges with a nature spirit, etc. dopoelgangers could fulfill he shapeshifting thing.

I'm a big druid player in table top games so the fact that we hadn't really touched on this bothered me. And mainly since I'm a huge druid player I've ideas brewing for a while so I wanted to figure out whats what so I could see what ideas fit best and propose them. :D

Oh! Primordials. I made them with Druids in mind.

edited 14th Jan '12 7:32:05 PM by Exelixi

Link I don't see them on the main page?

Under "werewolves".

Thank you. Okay so, were they like the first druids or did they popularize the art? Or Are they just mostly made up of druids and shamans?

edited 14th Jan '12 8:07:20 PM by Vyctorian

-Shrug-

Druids strike me more as more 'Mystics' type.

Pact with a powerful nature spirit, maybe?

Elena, Goddess of nature-

Elena is the celestial embodiment of that natural earth, from the dirt to the plants to the animals and even man she watches over all things that occur naturally.

She is often repented as a tree, and often takes the form of one. Though she has been known to be found of bushes, flowers and even Elf forms when the idea of a talking plant is too much to handle.

She even has some relations to the forces of nature and elemental forces, but they are not her domain. She primary takes care off all complex organisms that grow. She naturally opposes progress that hinders or seeks to control nature, though she does understand the needs of living creatures and is fine with people taking from nature as long as they give back to nature.

Mystics seeking to be closer to nature often seek her out, and if not her one of the spirits she has birthed into the world. She has created many powerful spirits which these mystics often call on for power and guidance.

Elena's symbol is a tree with three flowers (commonly roses) beneath it and shrines of her are often made by simply finding a tree and placing three flowers under it to pray. Creating a makeshift shrine is considered a great act of devotion especially if it is done within a city or area of progress, though very few of her followers know this.

Her spirits often have natural stomping grounds though their attention can be summoned by creating special shrines, whether or not they will listen or help depends on their moods and the offerings.

Gift Trees

A Gift tree is a powerful plant usually a tree that has become an icon among those who worship Elena they often act as temples, and often have Elena's aether infused into them, creating the nature spirits who mystics draw their powers from.

It's said the first trees to ever bear fruit were gift trees, and that all fruit bearing trees are descents of those. These original trees do exist, but have been moved away from mortal lands by Elena as their fruit has far too much of the aether in it.

• Gift Tree: Variant/Gifted ones:

Sometimes she has infused her aether in patches of lands and even creatures, creating non-plant gift trees. These were patches of land which were either extra fertile or creatures who adapted quicker than the others, these creatures and lands are often legendary. The pieces of land often act as miniature nodes apart from leylines, and the creatures tend to be harder to kill and ageless so that they can spread their adaptive lineage.

Making both targets of those who would either seek to use their power in the case of the lands, and hunters who want the ultimate thrill and bragging rights of killing a progenitor creature.

Elena in fact a bit of a Frenemy with the Gods of hunting for this reason, as they often she her gifted ones as fair game. Though gods of the hunt have more respect for nature outside of the hunt, so they unite with each other more often then they fight.

—-

I figure this is a good base to build from.

edited 14th Jan '12 11:43:43 PM by Vyctorian

That would set Druids as clerics, basically.

Basically druids are mystics that specialize partly in non-magical science of outdoorsiness and the pseudo-politics of natures spirits.

Well that's just one way Nature mystics could be worked in, I have ideas for something more raw and more pact based as well.

Mystics of Nature-

Not all nature mystics draw from the goddess of nature and her spirits, some draw from the nature forces around them in within themselves. Pulling at their own primal and natural instincts and using it to gain knowledge of nature and strength.

These people are usually free-spirits who tend to exist outside the order and laws of men, thought this doesn't mean they go out of their way to disobey them, they just march to the beat of a different drummer.

By tapping into primal knowledge, they can control the natural aether around them to some extent often creating amazing and often flashy spells, they also tend to use this knowledge to develop close relationships with the animals most others find as unintelligent. Each understanding each other on a deeper level. A common insult is to call them "animal minded" but to them it is not insulting at all.

Theses mystics seem to fall into two groups, both drawing form the same forces but using them in two different ways.

Those who seek the knowledge of nature: These are the types of mystics you'll find working along side society, the type of mystic who spends as much time among books as they do the trees they were made from. They are often farmers and can even be found in colleges and cities, though this is not always the case.

Those who seek the power of nature: These are the mystics more focused on allowing their primal nature to run free, they learn through trial and error and are often more wild, finding the company of animals and those like them more comfortable than with normal humans. These tend to be the more destructive and impulsive of the mystics though not all of them are like this.

Both are commonly wanderers, and not all of them fall into these two groups.

Pact users-

Pact users are a form of nature mystic who forms a contract with a powerful natural being, many pact users draw their power from one of Elena's spirits but this may not always be the case. Not all nature spirits were created by Elena and some of hers are rouges from her as well. They may not be spirits at all, some Pact users draw from collective clans of nature mystics or from other powerful creatures, who may or may not even be natural but instead draw from natural energies.

Pact users do not even need to be aligned with nature which puts them at odds with most other mystics but it all depends on who they make their pact with.

Pact users tend to focus more on spells that boost their natural abilities, but they can also use the aether the way their mystic cousins do. This choice makes them easy to mistake for juggernauts.

Pact users are bond by their pacts, usually given the power as a form of alliance with some kind of goal in mind. Strengthening relations, spreading some kind of word, or even commit some kind of misdeed it depends on who their pact is with.

Pact users operate on the same principle as the Law of Association be it a very much weaker version. These are also the type most likely to pull off a summoning, usually an underling of the owner of the pact.

edited 4th Apr '12 1:50:09 PM by Vyctorian

I am having problems with my computer (it cannot access the Net- this is posted from a friend's) which is why I haven't been on this weekend. I hope to fix it today, will let you know soon.

Great work with the Druids and mystics btw. :)

Good luck, Hope it gets fixed soon :)

And thanks

edited 16th Jan '12 11:33:01 AM by Vyctorian

Hm. You guys mentioned doing something freaky-how does a semi-incorporeal species that reproduces through mitosis sound?

edited 16th Jan '12 5:33:04 PM by Exelixi

Eh, I'm not really into the whole getting too freaky thing. We already have High Fantasy, Steampunk and Dungeon Punk with sci-fi elements, adding in too much Cosmic Horror will bog down the setting.

Though it could work if it was pushed more into fantasy than cosmic horror.

High-Beasts-

High beasts are normal animals who have breed within nodes for generations. After several generations of exposure to high levels of aether these animals change, often becoming stronger or smarter. Their coats are often shinier and off-colored as well.

Some even develop complex languages and understandings though they can be misunderstood due to the rest of their kinds limitations and are often loners as a result.

They are different from the creatures Elena gifts because Elena gifts creatures which change naturally without major influence from the aether. Though many non-mystic people don't know the difference.

Some who learn they ways of humanoid beings often become legendary. One such become such a legend that rumors of his gifts spread so far and wide that he began to shift the aether.

Baton, Wolf-God of intelligent animals and human beasts

Baton began his life as a farmers pet, this farmer breed and trained wolves and was legendary for it. Baton didn't realize he was different from another wold until he began to read over his trainer's shoulder. Learning letters and words recognizing complex areas of the human language, that none of his fellow wolves did.

One day while being trained, he spelled out with his paw, Yes instead of barking when told to answer. Just to see what would happen. the farmer was amazed, after several hours of testing Baton. The owner concluded Baton was intelligent at least as intelligent as a older child (7-9).

From that day forward, Baton slept inside the house, had his own bed and even a small collection of books picked up from the Library, and then he amazed him again. One of the books left in Baton's study was a novice wizardry guide, while out in the field Baton cast a spell, just a simple light show but after this it was decided that he do better with the local mage than on an old farm.

He took Baton to the local wizard that scoffed at the idea until Baton cast the light show. Several years past and finally the King's high wizard came to see this amazing dog-mage. Within an hour, he had convince Baton had convinced him of his abilities and he had convinced Baton to join the kings high court of wizards.

Baton, the arch-mage; learned translation spells there as well as learning alchemy and several highly powerful spells. He made several rivals even, but he made friends too like the prince who would often take him on hunts when he wasn't studying, in fact Baton tutored the prince in wizardry and tactics when the high-wizards and the kings generals were busy.

He even added during one of the king's wars and was named Warmage, this is when the aether began effecting him. The news that the king's warmage was an actual wolf quickly spread and soon the entire kingdom was a buzz about the oddity.

Soldiers praised his name saying they stood beside him and the prince, bards sang of his glory, satirists mocked the king as a madman but everyone had one name on the mind Baton.

Baton had ascended, into godhood, where he seeked to understand the forces that brought him into being. He soon began to find other animals like him and other humans like animals and he knew his propose these were his kind, his people, his kin, they were different and not all as lucky as he was. So he used his powers to protect and guide them, as if they were is own children.

He gathered them up and created the first High-Beasts clans, the five houses of animal-kin. The house of wolves, the house of lions, the house of unity , the house of lizards, and the house of beast-men. Which act as his agents in the world and churches. Also the houses names come from the houses first leaders but are not restricted to those creatures.

Baton's symbol is a pentagon with five circles in it. It's worn by many nature mystics, farmer, travelers and even hunters. Even wizards, Baton's biggest church was built by his Father the human who raised him and his first mentor, within the node and town where he was born. They acted as his first priests.

• More info: Baton's father is not biological so no powers though he was blessed and lived into his hundred twenties as a result as did the mage. The prince spent quite a few years by the church and fronted the cost to build it, from stone after it was first constructed from wood. The stone was built around the wooden church and added two towers and library.

The father's name was Hagar Wolfkin, the Wizard was named Douglas Masonkin. The King was named Abeland, King Abel for short, and his son was named Charles, or Prince Charles later King Charles the 2nd.(The first was his grandfather.)

King Charles the 2nd's great grandson, believing his great grandfather to be mad outlawed Baton's worship by humans when he became king, and went to have the church destroyed but found it was too well protected*

Though worship was banned, offering still found their way to the statue of Baton which stood in front of the church, due to most of the guards being raised with the idea that Baton protected their village, when the king was too busy.

The five houses each cater to a different view of the relationship sentient animals, human-beasts[[hottip:lycan, ectra]] and humanoids play in each others lives.

The House of the wolf, believes that intelligent creatures should live among humanoids.

The house of the lion, believes that intelligent animals should live within nature and that if humanoids wish to join them they are welcome.

''The house of unity, is the meeting ground between these two beliefs. Believing that humanoids and animals should live mutually in humanoid societies and in nature and that men and animals should be able to pass freely between these two.

The house of the lizard, believe intelligent animals should isolate themselves from humanoids.

The house of the Beast-men, believe best-men should live within nature and form their own societies made up only of beats-men, druids, and animals.

• Baton watches over each of these houses and believes them all to be valid view points in his eyes.

—-

That was long.

edited 16th Jan '12 9:41:15 PM by Vyctorian

The Prophecy That Wasn't

Their is a Sealed Evil in a Can that was put their a millenia or two ago. The prophecy left behind by its jailers stated it would be free When the Planets Align. Thing is, that happened not too long ago, so most people believe that prophecy to be debunked and they stopped paying attention to where the Eldritch Abomination is supposed to pop out of.

Here's the hitch: Those thousands or so years ago, when those ancient heroes sealed the great evil away, their wizard predicted that eventually their seal would deteriorate under the weight of the evil's power. He punched in the numbers and gave them an estimated point within a time frame of a year in about two thousand years and the mystic pointed out that would be a few years after the next planetary alignment due. So they wrote a note for future generations and hoped it didn't get smudged, mistranslated or incorrectly rewritten over the generations.. It did.

So is this like something the gods wish they hadn't made?

I think it's more "Big Bad out of nowhere."