Lesbarian
There's a flaw in reasoning, there. Namely, the statement assumes that anything a werewolf attacks would survive. Considering that they're pack hunters the size of hominids. . . That's usually very unlikely.
Mura: -flips the bird to veterinary science with one hand and Euclidean geometry with the other-
Their is something wrong with that logic, I can't tell what.
Edit: Okay, I got it. It implies that lycanthrope are incapable of retaining enough control when transformed to purposely leave people alive or even go out of their way before hand to set something up that will ensure it.
Which... I guess could be how it is.
edited 16th Mar '12 6:15:21 PM by God_of_Awesome
Lesbarian
Not really. Think about it, what kind of predator allows wounded prey to escape, Komodo dragons aside?
edited 16th Mar '12 6:15:16 PM by Exelixi
Mura: -flips the bird to veterinary science with one hand and Euclidean geometry with the other-
Okay, I got it. It implies that lycanthrope are incapable of retaining enough control when transformed to purposely leave people alive or even go out of their way before hand to set something up that will ensure it.
Which... I guess could be how it is.
Lesbarian
Pretty much, yeah. When fully transformed, the werewolves are creatures of instinct, Primordials aside.
edited 16th Mar '12 6:18:32 PM by Exelixi
Mura: -flips the bird to veterinary science with one hand and Euclidean geometry with the other-
Which might be the original Lycanites who infused themselves to be a weapon of terror. It is meant to leave survivors who will rise up again as brutal beasts. These spawn have less potent venom which makes men less transformed but still ravenous until you just have people with rabies.
Actually, how about they be separate creatures entirely. Your Werewolves were either later or earlier creations and one is based of the research of the other. I did say that was possible.
Edit: I even have an idea to explain it.
edited 16th Mar '12 7:08:31 PM by God_of_Awesome
Lesbarian
Dire Lycanthrope Exelixi's Werewolves
There was a breed of lycanthropes made different from the originals, the essence used in their creation was not regular wolves but direwolves. This breed was much larger and stronger then the original, just like it was intended by using direwolves. However, dire genes are recessive and the biourgical venom was weaker then the norm in reflection; those bitten would not die of it but were not guaranteed to become dire wolf lycanthropes and they would not even fully transform for some time. This allows that the victim even survive the encounter, as dire wolf's greater rage and mind would overwhelm the humanoid mind. This happened even with those who did not inherit the physical power of the dire and perversely those who did become dire wolf lycanthrope were more likely to master it, later to be called as the leaders of these particular lycanthrope, the Primordials.
The usage of dire beasts for the essence in lycanthropy was an isolated incident limited to a single island-continent although likely one would have the same results with other dire beasts. The ritual was a mostly mystical one done under the light of a full moon, calling upon Elena as well as the Nobles of Conflict. This was done by more militaristic minded people. The full moon was used specifically, instead of the moon as a whole, hence why this breed transforms under the full moon, and the Nobles lended to them the transformation of rage as well as their internal instinct to gather together, an army gathering for war. The end result panned out a little differently then they expected.
Lesbarian
I actually left the werewolf origin out on purpose. It's scarier if you have no clue how the thing tearing off your friend's face exists.
Mura: -flips the bird to veterinary science with one hand and Euclidean geometry with the other-
>:X
Well then I dunno what else to say.
Lesbarian
Eh. I'm rather opposed to redundancy anyway. Everything in the setting has a thing it does, a purpose, even if that purpose is just to provide fluff. Having two different things that function in roughly the same way and occupy the same space strikes me as pointless.
Mura: -flips the bird to veterinary science with one hand and Euclidean geometry with the other-
While I don't think it's redundant and that trying to figure out these elements that seem like they should mutually exclusive exist together is fun.
Also, we have two different kinds of vampires and their is nothing wrong with that.
Lesbarian
Nosferatu and Nightkin take up different design and ecological spaces, though. If you have a situation in mind that would use one, you know which one to use. With these things, you'd get situations like
"You hear howls in the distance, almost wolf-like but distorted somehow, as though a man were screaming through a canine throat. Shadows appear over the hill, one by one. The sound of paws hitting the ground, while muffled by the wet foliage, still rings clear in your ears. As the light of your improvised bonfire reaches to greet the creatures, you see them for what they are. Werewolves."
"What kind of werewolves?"
"Goddamnit Tim, I was trying to be all spooky and shit. 'What bloody kind of werewolves' indeed."
Mura: -flips the bird to veterinary science with one hand and Euclidean geometry with the other-
They could use different names then?
Lesbarian
But then how would the characters know the difference? They are essentially the same thing. Look the same, behave mostly the same, proliferate the same way. . .
Mura: -flips the bird to veterinary science with one hand and Euclidean geometry with the other-
Well, the way I set it up, they were the same. You did earlier suggest having one as an off-shoot of the other.
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proliferate the same way*
Change this aspect and you could easily have them be two separate creatures. Maybe easily mistaken for each other but that could add into the horror.
Person get's bitten but survives; maybe it was the first bite when a sliver wielding archer shows up with a fistful of arrows. The creature gets scared off, and runs away but the archer gets a look at in in the shows and mistakes one for the other.
Now when the person recovers they find themselves locked in a cell, their friends and family debating with and against the town which wants to kill him before the next moon passes. Meanwhile the victim is confided to a cell.
The PC's after hearing rumors of a non-contagious beast from a near by town convince the city to delay execution a week. If they can bring back proof it's not a contagious beast, the man is free to go.
edited 17th Mar '12 4:54:41 AM by Vyctorian
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Alright... what to change and to what.
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Dropping a ton of world building:
Flash blades -
Created by the Empire of Desortus for the First great conflict around 175 years ago. These blades were each created from a mold and specially enchanted. 355 were made and given to officers, each with a number X/355 . As they came to be destroyed or disenchanted the 2nd number dwindled down. Currently only 119 still exist.
The blades are black and look like a cross between a katana and a bastard sword. They are made from a rare material known as Obesiditum. They are called flash blades because they allowed it's wielder to flash toward the blade. They were designed to be thrown over wall or even shot with specially made bows into war zones. The wielder would then teleport directly to the blades location, there hand wrapped around it's hilt.
The blades chooses it's wielder, inscribing a set of sliver runes into their arm. which match a set of runes on the blade. It is not merely a sliver color but actual sliver. The wielder instantly knows how to use the blade, and they are the only person who can use the ability of that blade. There have been cases of the blades choosing a new wielder before it's current wielder has died.
Oddly if the chosen wielder is a were-beast the sliver will not harm them. Though other were-beasts are affected. If they were to come to blows with another were-beast with another blade they would still be affected by the other blades sliver. They are only immune to the sliver on their blade, and arm. The symbols on the blade go from the hilt to about 6 inches up, so unless a were-beast was fully impaled the sliver would not effect them.
To prevent the blades from being copied, a kill switch was created which caused the blade to disenchant if anyone tried to learn it's secret. Though similar blades have been made since then none have been as reliable and effective.
Baron Crim -The blood flash
Baron Crim was a well-built Hardened human officer who was given a Flash Blade. Baron Crim loved the heat of battle, and used his flash blade in ways other users couldn't. Due to his increases strength and durability he would often toss his blade hundreds of feet into the air, and then teleport to it and swing down with it adding the weight of his body to the edge of the blade. He called this move the Falcon Talon drop.
He began to wear red clothes as his infamy grew, when asked why he wore such a flashy color into battle he said: "Because it's no fun when they don't have a chance to run."
When throwing the blade into battle wouldn't work and he had to fight sword to sword he'd often teleport when locked with someone, causing him often times to appear on the other side of the blade. He also did this to avoid blows which could have killed him by teleporting so that he was holding the blade from another position.
Many years and titles later, he was a general. He retired around age 50 and To this day there stands a 21 foot stone statue in his home town. Where he was the elected and appointed mayor until his death. His blade is sealed inside a massive seven foot replica, which his statue is holding. This was to prevent it from finding a new wielder while he still lived but who knows maybe a young adventure might find themselves chosen to take up the helm and become the new blood flash.
Obesiditum - is a rocky glass-like ore that is only found deep beneath the Empire of Desortus's black deserts. When melted down and allowed to harden it forms a cold metal which does not reflect light the way other metals do. It is also very hard to break or even melt down again though years of wear and tear can finally break it. Finally it is highly enchantable making it a favorite a enchanters.
Empire of Desortus - Is a ancient empire, which has craved it's mark into the Black deserts and the Stone woods. They are less an empire and more band of collectives town and city states with one tax system and one army much like the Eastern dominion but unlike the dominion none of theses towns or cities had much structure before it's creation. Another thing that is different is a universal law code.
The empire is lead by Empress Machi, who has been ruling for the last 165 years, She was imprisoned for 20+ years and before then she had been ruling for 257 years.
The empire despite being made up of mostly small villages and towns is highly fortified and advanced. Due to the empires rich ore veins, many metal workers and enchanters have immigrated to Desortus. Their very pro-immigrant stance has helped in that matter as well.
These smaller villages and towns are often well fortified by stone walls and built into levels, warriors usually taking the bottom, the top being workers, the outer ring of the middle being the civilians, and the inner ring being the leaders. The cities share much the same structure.
While abundant in ores, very few areas in desortus are good for growing corps with the exception of the areas near Mt. Zenith but that carries it's own hazards. Creatures that have adapted to survive in this waste land are the main source of food, thus the ability to hunt and survive is coveted even though with modern technology and magic that is a lot easier.
The culture of desortus revolves around two things hunting and fighting. While other aspects of the culture exist they found their origins in combat. Blood sports and hunting games are common even among peasants, to achieve the title of warrior in this society is a feat. While they are not a monoculture of warriors, every member can hold their own in brawl. Male, Female, child, mage, even pacifists have learned how to fight hand to hand if need be.
The past 100 years have been a bit of a golden age for them, though they had their hardships before thenNote now they have several powerful contracts with other nations, providing ores and magical secrets.
Ruins - Desortus is covered in them, some are small just out cropping of rock which people just built around or into. Others are large and covered in runes. They seem to be placed along ley-lines and point toward nodes. Their made of the black stone of the black deserts, and the runes inside are from another a dead language. Some of the same runes are found in Spireroc City but others are different some even appear to be lettering. While most of these locations are best used just to point people in the direction the closest node. Others have power to them, some even act as false nodes, other simply give gits or in some rare cases curses to whoever passes through them.
The Black deserts -
These deserts have normal colored sand on top of them but the sandy layer is only a few feet thick, The desert floor is black stone which is basically just normal stone but charcoal black. These deserts make up about 60% of the empire's land and are were most of their resources come from. Oddly the climate is not that one would except of a desert, They have an average seasonal cycle. Yet the land is mostly barren, and has been that way since the people who originally came to that area 1000's of years ago found it.
Stone forests-
These make up about 30% of the empire, they are standing forests filled with nothing but fossilized wood,the ground itself is made of dirt but the dirt isn't fertile. People have also found that theses forests seem to have no ley-lines passing through them but they do tend to pass very close by to them.
Mt. Zenith-
Is a massive active volcano in the south east of desortus and one of the few fertile areas in the country. While the area is fertile the volcano is very much active often spewing flaming rocks from it's peek, and has had a history of violent eruptions, though most of the time it just a small flow which cools before it reaches the base.
First great conflict-
A massive war that dragged almost every single nation into it, and result in the Eastern Dominion becoming the seven country alliance it is todayNote, and the creation of the Weaponized slimes.
Desortus caused the war after Mt.Zenith' had it's most violent eruption ever, spewing blackness into the air that hung over Desortus way into the war. The fires effectively killed off of their farm lands and soon the black clouds from it's peek cut off the sun thus dooming that years crops in the areas that didn't get blasted with flaming rocks and burning ash.
Empress Machii tried to ease her people will and solve the problem through rational, science and magic but those just below her felt that the last two values had better application. More war-like applications. So in a people supported coup they sealedNote her away.
In desperation they attacked what would become the Dominion Empire, occupying it's tip and several places along the coast, eventually making it to an island to the south.
There they meet Caveborn fighting a losing war with the Dominion they made a regretfully dark alliance. In exchange for his services and support they would seed unrest into the dominion and establish contacts for him during their conquests. They agreed and in turn were granted many magical items.
After securing at least two more potions within the dominion for themselves, they mounted a False Flag Operation using those of the dominion ethnicity under the flag of the dominion they traveled across the lands to attack The Black Empire.
The Black Empire eventually became wise to this tactic, and turned on their true enemy but buy that time the remaining forces of the Dominion wanted revenge. And us for a short time during the war the dominion was split into three factions.
This all eventually ended when Hrod as well as the dominions conscience objector faction found out about Machii's sealing. In a mission they set out to free Machii from her prison, the people more open to a peaceful solutions after two decades of war. And Machii being the perfect person to give it too them. Even though Desrtous was free of clouds and the farm land was able to be used again, the leaders had either gone mad with power or were too afraid what might happen to them if they stopped. Slowly dissent was sown into the people from both sides, and within a few months their were anti-war riots. It was time, a group made up of members from all sides of the conflict broke into the ruins were Machii was sealed and freed her.
Machii lead a charge forward with her people behind her, the Black Empire behind that to the capitol where she took back her throne with little objections. In the textbooks everything was paved over nicely after that and to this day Desrtous, the dominion and the black empire are friends but that was never the case. Machii was reduced to a figure-head, and control of Desortus is a tug of war between The Eastern Dominion and The Black Empire. People say that Desortus is in a golden age because of all the money they're making these days from their resources but in reality their slowly begin strip mined. The reason they're so open to immigrants is because both sides want to get a foot hold of their own people into the country in case the other side tries to take it from them.
This golden age is just a cold war, and these aren't even all the pieces in play.
Empress Machii - Leader of Desortus for much of the last 500 years, she was discovered by the previous emperor sealed in a stone inside one of the ruins, at the time he was still a prince. Her origins before that are unknown and when she was unsealed she was an infant. He raised her as his own, naming her using the runes in the ruins as a guide: Thus she became Machii.
Her race/species/creature is unknown, what is known about her is what can be seen and what she has shown. She looks to be mostly humanoid and in her late 20's despite being several centuries old. Her skin is green-ish aqua and her eyes are yellow and silted. She has several thick flexible plates of skin on her head instead of hair.
She aged like a human until age 26 when she stopped physical, while she never appeared to be fully human. She also didn't appear to be anything special other than the Princess. By the time she was 30 however she had gained a miraculous regeneration ability that rivaled that of a Hardened, and perfect night vision as well as heat-vision. This only grew with age by age 50 she was able to keep speed with a race horse, lift as much as two war-horses could carry, and punch her way through stone if needed, she also had an aura that mimicked the effect of a small nodeNote.
In her late 50's her father passed on having never had any other children she inherited the title. A diplomatic ruler she tried her best to build relations through trade but at the time of her taking the helm all they knew about as stone and lacked the real tolls to properly gather the ore; at least to to the amount that would warrant trade partnerships.
Despite this she always remained peaceful and understanding, she was very forgiving and even considered radical for her time: She banned capital punishment, and even allowed prisoners to get off with good behavior if the crimes they committed were minor. Despite theses traits calling her soft would be out of line, she is a boisterous warrior who loves both blood sports and hunting games, and like her father she has been known to explore ruins.
But that's what got her into the mess to begin with. Shortly after the eruption, she advisers told her that they found a solution at her birth place, the one place she was weakest. She rushed to the birth place only to find out it was an ambush. While she was off doing hunting games and PR to boost morale her own advisers were conspiring to betray her.
They did not lie however, they discovered a "solution" a way to seal her back within the place she came from. Trapped they sealed her away within the ruins, and locked the ruins down when they left. While they could have destroyed the seal, when it feel once and a small chip came off a large chunk of land in the north became very brittle and exploded decided that sealing her would be the next best thing.
After 20+ years of being sealed alone she lost a bit of her forgiveness, she became more bitter,it could be said that she finally "grew up" but it's more like she grew cold and ruthless. When she returned she put capital punishment back into place and had all the people who betrayed her executed, as well as all the adviser they had put into place. She then decreed that any action to dethrone her empire would be meet with swift punishment, though death was only open to those who were in government.
She also began requiring schooling up to age 26 for all those deemed intelligent by a state board. She made it so that spell casters and warriors must register with the state, and be approved to practice magic. Those who are not approved either have their weapons taken away or are magically branded and not allowed into cities (towns and villages may take them)Note.
Machii also has been studying more magic over these last few decades, and has taken to calling herself "Grand mage Machii" in the third person. Though nobody really knows if this is who she is now or if this craziness is just being played up.
edited 17th Mar '12 7:09:09 PM by Vyctorian
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Lesbarian
To. . . Shounen-y, those first parts.
edited 17th Mar '12 7:18:33 PM by Exelixi
Mura: -flips the bird to veterinary science with one hand and Euclidean geometry with the other-
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You act as if that's a bad thing, also pretty much very Dn D campaign I've seen that breaches lv 15 is shonen-y power wise.
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Lesbarian
When I say "shounen-y," what I'm really saying is "that makes the swordsman in me cry."
Due to the way human beings, swords, and common sense work, a teleporting sword would not be remotely helpful for anything aside getting past walls, not even getting into the "cross between a longsword and a katana" thing, which would instantly remove the advantages of both swords.
And then, the dude. Jumping in the air? Flashy. Know what doesn't win fights? Flashy moves. Telegraphing from twenty feet in the air would serve no purpose but to allow the other guy to step out of the way and laugh. Then the whole binding thing. Binden do not work like that. A blade-lock lasts maybe two seconds, maximum, if both fighters are very slow and very inexperienced.
Mura: -flips the bird to veterinary science with one hand and Euclidean geometry with the other-
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Yes, but in most RPG systems blade locks last several turns, much longer than in real-life and for that matter most anime.
Also I've handled a sword as well, blade locks can last a while. Plus most people on a battle-field in a war aren't swordsmen their drafted peasants, who have handled two things before the sword and axe and a cooking knife.
Also most people don't run they freeze.
edited 17th Mar '12 7:46:07 PM by Vyctorian
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I was just remembering Dresden Files, paraphrasing: "If all a werewolf needed to do was to bite someone to turn them into a werewolf, the Earth would be over run with them."
edited 16th Mar '12 2:02:01 PM by God_of_Awesome