- Location
- Georgia
Yes they do have some hands i'll fix that.
The God Equation
- Thread starter billymorph
- Start date
- Sci-Fi Fantasy
Yes they do have some hands i'll fix that.
- Location
- UK
Vote Closed!
Winner: Continued
By a landslide. Given there was little uptake on the races thing I'll work on the assumption that there are humans in this setting and add the suggested races and a few of my own.
Winner: Continued
By a landslide. Given there was little uptake on the races thing I'll work on the assumption that there are humans in this setting and add the suggested races and a few of my own.
Prologue 3: The Gods
- Location
- UK
Prologue 3: The Gods
The gods looked upon their creation and were pleased, but not yet satisfied. A creature of flesh with a soul was a triumph, but also limited in a way that the gods struggled to understand. After much discussion they tried again, and again, and again, searching in the infinity of forms for one that was just like them.
They never found it. Dozens of different races call the Skylands, from the chattering Vex to the distant and unknowable Singers, but not one was the cousin that the gods so dearly sought. Disappointed, diminished and tired beyond mortal reckoning the gods:
Rank in order of preference:
[]Departed
-The gods left the Skylands for other climes. Perhaps they began again, perhaps they died, all we know is that they no longer answer our prayers.
-Innovation ++, Cohesion -
[]Died
-One by one the gods succumbed to their exhaustion. Their bones can still be found in the skylands and possess a terrible power.
-Exploitation ++, Curiosity -
[]Slumbered
-Succumbing to sleep the gods left their mortal forms in our care. Their power is almost gone, yet their dreams can still shape our lives.
-Innovation -, Cohesion +, Mastery +
[]Retreated
-The gods left for their own realm within the Skylands. They guide and empower but do not interfere.
-Innovation --, Mastery ++, Cohesion +
[]Endured
-The gods remain alive and active to this day. Their power is a fraction of what once was but is still staggering compared to mere mortals..
-Innovation ---, Curiosity -, Reach ++, Cohesion ++, Prosperity +
The gods looked upon their creation and were pleased, but not yet satisfied. A creature of flesh with a soul was a triumph, but also limited in a way that the gods struggled to understand. After much discussion they tried again, and again, and again, searching in the infinity of forms for one that was just like them.
They never found it. Dozens of different races call the Skylands, from the chattering Vex to the distant and unknowable Singers, but not one was the cousin that the gods so dearly sought. Disappointed, diminished and tired beyond mortal reckoning the gods:
Rank in order of preference:
[]Departed
-The gods left the Skylands for other climes. Perhaps they began again, perhaps they died, all we know is that they no longer answer our prayers.
-Innovation ++, Cohesion -
[]Died
-One by one the gods succumbed to their exhaustion. Their bones can still be found in the skylands and possess a terrible power.
-Exploitation ++, Curiosity -
[]Slumbered
-Succumbing to sleep the gods left their mortal forms in our care. Their power is almost gone, yet their dreams can still shape our lives.
-Innovation -, Cohesion +, Mastery +
[]Retreated
-The gods left for their own realm within the Skylands. They guide and empower but do not interfere.
-Innovation --, Mastery ++, Cohesion +
[]Endured
-The gods remain alive and active to this day. Their power is a fraction of what once was but is still staggering compared to mere mortals..
-Innovation ---, Curiosity -, Reach ++, Cohesion ++, Prosperity +
Random Member
Gardener of Human Happiness
- Location
- Behind You
[1]Departed
[2]Died
[2]Died
Astra Myst
Do you want a wish?
- Location
- Milky Way Galaxy
[X] Died
[X] Endured
[X] Endured
- Location
- Georgia
[X] departed
- Location
- Earth
Suggestion: A race of bat people capable of short-range flight (not long-range, this is a short-term burst ability and they get tired if they do too much flying in too short a timespan), native to an area with multiple small islands floating very close to each other in the Paradise zone. They are nocturnal and have excellent night vision and sharp hearing, but suffer problems with bright lights and loud noises. They have their own form of speech that involves ultrasound (meaning that humans kind of have issues understanding it due to biological incompatibility), but can talk normally with a little training.
Long ago, they had resource shortages and went off to look for more stuff. Unfortunately language barriers and their not-that-pretty appearances lead to diplomatic efforts failing. So they ended up taking advantage of their nocturnal habits, flight, and good senses and launched raids to get the stuff. This has lead to an old stereotype about them being evil pirate raiders, though they aren't actually evil. It does lead to chronic struggles with racism later down the timeline, though.
In frontier times, they have gotten better at dealing with other races, serving as couriers, scouts, and spies (the last one is kind of an open secret). Unfortunately this position in society is kind of fragile since technological developments (ie airships) threaten to make their roles obsolete. In the future, issues may get worse since they're not designed for city life, and changing their circadian rhythms to match everyone else's is taking a toll on their health (also, pollution). Still, there is hope that things will get better.
I haven't decided on a race name yet.
Long ago, they had resource shortages and went off to look for more stuff. Unfortunately language barriers and their not-that-pretty appearances lead to diplomatic efforts failing. So they ended up taking advantage of their nocturnal habits, flight, and good senses and launched raids to get the stuff. This has lead to an old stereotype about them being evil pirate raiders, though they aren't actually evil. It does lead to chronic struggles with racism later down the timeline, though.
In frontier times, they have gotten better at dealing with other races, serving as couriers, scouts, and spies (the last one is kind of an open secret). Unfortunately this position in society is kind of fragile since technological developments (ie airships) threaten to make their roles obsolete. In the future, issues may get worse since they're not designed for city life, and changing their circadian rhythms to match everyone else's is taking a toll on their health (also, pollution). Still, there is hope that things will get better.
I haven't decided on a race name yet.
Last edited:
[1]Died
[2]Slumbered
[3]Departed
Sentient, and active, just no longer capable of going anywhere.
[2]Slumbered
[3]Departed
Sentient, and active, just no longer capable of going anywhere.
Last edited:
Addendum: Peoples of the Skylands
- Location
- UK
Addendum: Peoples of the Skylands
Major
Humans
Generally considered to be the first people the gods created, humans are adaptable and quick suiting them to all climates in the Skylands. Ranging from small and stocky to tall and lanky, humans a pair bonded and form large societies with relative ease. They are also infamous for holding grudges longer than any other race and have a mixed history in getting along with others, even their own kin. Despite this (or perhaps because of this) humans are one of the most successful races in the Skylands, controlling a large fraction of the farmland and many of the richest cities.
Florets
A curious race, the florets have three distinct phases in their lifecycle. The last of these is a great tree that can live for many centuries and continuously produces new florets at a rate of about one a year. These nymphs florets live within the tree for up to six years, suspended in an amniotic sack and learning continuously from the consciousness of their parent. Once developed, they will then emerge into their dryad stage where they will stay for some sixty years, slowly growing until they reach the point of transitioning to that of a tree.
Because two thirds of these stages are literally rooted in place, most of the interaction with society is done in the dryad stage. Dryads resemble human females but with plantlike skin and, when they are young, with dandelion like fluff that can allow for limited gliding on low gravity skylands. For the first ten years of so of this stage they are small, less than a meter in height and primarily tend to their parent tree and others in the glade. Past ten years florets will go out into the world to seek their fortunes with the intention of building up useful skills to teach their children, acquiring new land for new glades or at least gathering enough money to buy their way into an existing glade.
Due to competition for good soil and the cost of paying young florets to tend to their tree forms before their own children are born, relatively few florets ever reach the final stage of their lifecycle, and the unprepared rarely survive more than the one year. As such, florets have a reputation for risk as only the smart and lucky will survive long enough to join the glades. Their society considers this cutthroat attitude a feature, not a bug.
Psola
Large, bipedal and somehow reminiscent of both lizards and wolves at the same time, the Psola hail from the Tundra worlds where even the laws of nature work against them. They are harsh creatures of a harsh land, quick to anger and prone to war. Their society places hunters and warriors on a pedestal, followed by crafters and lore masters, followed last by farmers. Indeed, farmers are generally a thrall caste that is only replenished by raiding their neighbours for warm bodies.
Psola are natural tunnellers and live is large, multitiered warrens that can stretch for miles. These warrens are dark and oppressive by the standards of other races, but to their own eyes they are bright and airy with many modern amenities. Psola that travel beyond their islands tend to be either rulers or outcasts and they have a reputation as mighty, but dim, warriors. This impression is a combination of culture and their limited lifespans, which rarely last more than forty five years.
Vex
A diminutive race that shares many of the features of a flying fox, the vex are bipedal mammals that rarely exceed a meter in height. They are fast, favour the hot and wild regions of the Skylands and live in clans that have bewildering genealogies that every member will know by heart. They have a bad reputation among the other races as thieves and pirates, but this is an unfair generalisation for the most part. The vex primarily inhabit in large colonies built into extremely small skylands, generally less than a kilometre in length, where the gravity is so weak they can fly with relative ease. These skylands are retrofitted with sails and the so called roks travel slowly along the tradewinds. They act as a combination of city, bulk hauler and roving port and are the nucleus of vex society.
Individual roks vary greatly in size and wealth, with the two usually being closely related and are generally ruled by a number of small, interrelated clans. The rest of the population will be in vassalage to one of these great clans and, for this reason, the vex are somewhat infamous for having truly vicious civil wars. More often they will split into multiple roks if things come to a head, however.
Individual vex are rarely seen, generally travelling in their family units for protection. By far the least physical of the races, vex are big fans of anything that can even the odds and are, for that reason, sneaky fighters. Getting a vex clan angry at you is generally a good way to waken up with a knife in your kidney.
Sined
The sined are a race of large, hexapedal lizards. Their forward two limbs are dual purpose, allowing for either locomotion or manipulation and they can rear up their forward body to a limited degree. This curious arrangement brings them up to a man's height, and they can use their considerable bulk both on the hunt and in a variety of physical pursuits. They are natural climbers and favour lands that are rich in forests, much to the annoyance of the Florets who were once considered a delicacy.
Sined are solitary creatures, preferring their own company and tend to hate each other on sight. Curiously, this does not extend to other races whom they tolerate with a varying level of grace. Sined are, therefore, the most subsumed by other cultures. They maintain an aloof and fatalistic attitude despite this, and to this day the sined claim to be the ones that caused the shattering of the world. They will not explain how they did so, however.
Minor
Singers
There are many tales of the singers, maybe more than there are singers. Titanic beats with the heads of lizards the and body of a snake, they are so vast that they can eat a sky ship whole. Unilaterally they wear small skylands for protection, with only their head and long, membranous tail emerging from the earth. Singers possess an unearthly song that can be heard for a thousand kilometres and will destroy the will of any who listens for too long. Singers refer to themselves as rememberers or teachers, but they consume and destroy as much as they teach.
More to be added as they appear.
Major
Humans
Generally considered to be the first people the gods created, humans are adaptable and quick suiting them to all climates in the Skylands. Ranging from small and stocky to tall and lanky, humans a pair bonded and form large societies with relative ease. They are also infamous for holding grudges longer than any other race and have a mixed history in getting along with others, even their own kin. Despite this (or perhaps because of this) humans are one of the most successful races in the Skylands, controlling a large fraction of the farmland and many of the richest cities.
Florets
A curious race, the florets have three distinct phases in their lifecycle. The last of these is a great tree that can live for many centuries and continuously produces new florets at a rate of about one a year. These nymphs florets live within the tree for up to six years, suspended in an amniotic sack and learning continuously from the consciousness of their parent. Once developed, they will then emerge into their dryad stage where they will stay for some sixty years, slowly growing until they reach the point of transitioning to that of a tree.
Because two thirds of these stages are literally rooted in place, most of the interaction with society is done in the dryad stage. Dryads resemble human females but with plantlike skin and, when they are young, with dandelion like fluff that can allow for limited gliding on low gravity skylands. For the first ten years of so of this stage they are small, less than a meter in height and primarily tend to their parent tree and others in the glade. Past ten years florets will go out into the world to seek their fortunes with the intention of building up useful skills to teach their children, acquiring new land for new glades or at least gathering enough money to buy their way into an existing glade.
Due to competition for good soil and the cost of paying young florets to tend to their tree forms before their own children are born, relatively few florets ever reach the final stage of their lifecycle, and the unprepared rarely survive more than the one year. As such, florets have a reputation for risk as only the smart and lucky will survive long enough to join the glades. Their society considers this cutthroat attitude a feature, not a bug.
Psola
Large, bipedal and somehow reminiscent of both lizards and wolves at the same time, the Psola hail from the Tundra worlds where even the laws of nature work against them. They are harsh creatures of a harsh land, quick to anger and prone to war. Their society places hunters and warriors on a pedestal, followed by crafters and lore masters, followed last by farmers. Indeed, farmers are generally a thrall caste that is only replenished by raiding their neighbours for warm bodies.
Psola are natural tunnellers and live is large, multitiered warrens that can stretch for miles. These warrens are dark and oppressive by the standards of other races, but to their own eyes they are bright and airy with many modern amenities. Psola that travel beyond their islands tend to be either rulers or outcasts and they have a reputation as mighty, but dim, warriors. This impression is a combination of culture and their limited lifespans, which rarely last more than forty five years.
Vex
A diminutive race that shares many of the features of a flying fox, the vex are bipedal mammals that rarely exceed a meter in height. They are fast, favour the hot and wild regions of the Skylands and live in clans that have bewildering genealogies that every member will know by heart. They have a bad reputation among the other races as thieves and pirates, but this is an unfair generalisation for the most part. The vex primarily inhabit in large colonies built into extremely small skylands, generally less than a kilometre in length, where the gravity is so weak they can fly with relative ease. These skylands are retrofitted with sails and the so called roks travel slowly along the tradewinds. They act as a combination of city, bulk hauler and roving port and are the nucleus of vex society.
Individual roks vary greatly in size and wealth, with the two usually being closely related and are generally ruled by a number of small, interrelated clans. The rest of the population will be in vassalage to one of these great clans and, for this reason, the vex are somewhat infamous for having truly vicious civil wars. More often they will split into multiple roks if things come to a head, however.
Individual vex are rarely seen, generally travelling in their family units for protection. By far the least physical of the races, vex are big fans of anything that can even the odds and are, for that reason, sneaky fighters. Getting a vex clan angry at you is generally a good way to waken up with a knife in your kidney.
Sined
The sined are a race of large, hexapedal lizards. Their forward two limbs are dual purpose, allowing for either locomotion or manipulation and they can rear up their forward body to a limited degree. This curious arrangement brings them up to a man's height, and they can use their considerable bulk both on the hunt and in a variety of physical pursuits. They are natural climbers and favour lands that are rich in forests, much to the annoyance of the Florets who were once considered a delicacy.
Sined are solitary creatures, preferring their own company and tend to hate each other on sight. Curiously, this does not extend to other races whom they tolerate with a varying level of grace. Sined are, therefore, the most subsumed by other cultures. They maintain an aloof and fatalistic attitude despite this, and to this day the sined claim to be the ones that caused the shattering of the world. They will not explain how they did so, however.
Minor
Singers
There are many tales of the singers, maybe more than there are singers. Titanic beats with the heads of lizards the and body of a snake, they are so vast that they can eat a sky ship whole. Unilaterally they wear small skylands for protection, with only their head and long, membranous tail emerging from the earth. Singers possess an unearthly song that can be heard for a thousand kilometres and will destroy the will of any who listens for too long. Singers refer to themselves as rememberers or teachers, but they consume and destroy as much as they teach.
More to be added as they appear.
- Location
- UK
Heh, looks like great minds think alike as the Vex seem to fill a very similar niche. Still, no reason there can't be another flying race in the lower altitudes.
As a side note, there's no true night in the Skylands. You can be in shade with a skyland between you and the sun, but there's so much scattering from the atmosphere that this is still at twilight levels of brightness.
- Location
- UK
Vote Closed!
Winner: Slumbered
Going to be honest, the ranked/single split is proving really problematic for my tally. Probably going to switch to a single option as that seems to be the forum default.
Winner: Slumbered
Going to be honest, the ranked/single split is proving really problematic for my tally. Probably going to switch to a single option as that seems to be the forum default.
Prologue 4: A Glimmer of Magic
- Location
- UK
Prologue 4: A Glimmer of Magic
One by one the gods slipped into a quiescence, their physical forms folding in on themselves into unbreakable shells that form the nucleus of our civilisation to this day. There are many myths and legends that prophesise their return but as of today the gods slumber seems to be eternal. Perhaps, when the sun dies and the Skylands become frozen husks then they will awake and begin anew, but for now their power is a faint ember of what they once were.
Still, from embers do great fires start. There is still magic to the slumbering gods, gifts that they grant us even in their repose. They are subtle things; the bounty of the land, the wind in the sky, the waters of life, but still powerful enough to shape our lives. Their priests and prophets wield these subtle arts in accordance to the dreaming gods' will, and not always to the benefit of all.
This magic, though it kept us alive through the early days of survival, was not enough to build a true civilisation. For that, we searched the sky for a power that we could truly call our own and found:
Choose one:
[]Nothing
-Our only gifts were ones the gods gave us. We instead turned to science and technology to shape the shattered world
-Science with just a touch of magic.
-Mastery +, Industry ++, Freedom --
[]Ourselves
-Under great pressure we could kindle the light with our souls. An individual's power is unique and unchanging, but powerful.
-Great personal power but little commonality to build on.
-Mastery ++, Reach +, Freedom +, Industry --, Cohesion -
[]The Elements
-Using our knowledge we mastered all four elements; earth, air, fire and water. United they are unstoppable but they rarely get along.
-Strong but focused abilities, readily divided.
-Mastery +, Industry +, Cohesion -
[]Runes
-Runes possess barely a glimmer of power on their own but put them together and you can build wonders. Put too many together and you can build monsters.
-Magic as code, scaling with complexity.
-Mastery -, Prosperity +, Industry +
[]Arcane Power
-Almost anything is possible with magic, but it can take many years of intense study before it produces more than a candle flame.
-Magic as a skill, requiring mastery.
-Mastery --, Innovation -, Curiosity +, Industry +, Reach +
[]Bindings
-There are many creatures of magic in the Skylands, by binding them to our will we can reap great benefits.
-Magic from slavery.
-Mastery -, Freedom --, Prosperity +++, Exploitation +
[]Mathematics
-It turns out math is magic and equations can affect the physical world. Performing such tasks is arduous but potentially unlimited in scope.
-Mathamagics!
-Mastery ---, Industry -, Curiosity +++, Innovation +, Reach +
Author's note: Due to my tally software not playing nice with ranked and single votes I'm switching to a single (x) votes only. Please do not rank choices going forwards.
One by one the gods slipped into a quiescence, their physical forms folding in on themselves into unbreakable shells that form the nucleus of our civilisation to this day. There are many myths and legends that prophesise their return but as of today the gods slumber seems to be eternal. Perhaps, when the sun dies and the Skylands become frozen husks then they will awake and begin anew, but for now their power is a faint ember of what they once were.
Still, from embers do great fires start. There is still magic to the slumbering gods, gifts that they grant us even in their repose. They are subtle things; the bounty of the land, the wind in the sky, the waters of life, but still powerful enough to shape our lives. Their priests and prophets wield these subtle arts in accordance to the dreaming gods' will, and not always to the benefit of all.
This magic, though it kept us alive through the early days of survival, was not enough to build a true civilisation. For that, we searched the sky for a power that we could truly call our own and found:
Choose one:
[]Nothing
-Our only gifts were ones the gods gave us. We instead turned to science and technology to shape the shattered world
-Science with just a touch of magic.
-Mastery +, Industry ++, Freedom --
[]Ourselves
-Under great pressure we could kindle the light with our souls. An individual's power is unique and unchanging, but powerful.
-Great personal power but little commonality to build on.
-Mastery ++, Reach +, Freedom +, Industry --, Cohesion -
[]The Elements
-Using our knowledge we mastered all four elements; earth, air, fire and water. United they are unstoppable but they rarely get along.
-Strong but focused abilities, readily divided.
-Mastery +, Industry +, Cohesion -
[]Runes
-Runes possess barely a glimmer of power on their own but put them together and you can build wonders. Put too many together and you can build monsters.
-Magic as code, scaling with complexity.
-Mastery -, Prosperity +, Industry +
[]Arcane Power
-Almost anything is possible with magic, but it can take many years of intense study before it produces more than a candle flame.
-Magic as a skill, requiring mastery.
-Mastery --, Innovation -, Curiosity +, Industry +, Reach +
[]Bindings
-There are many creatures of magic in the Skylands, by binding them to our will we can reap great benefits.
-Magic from slavery.
-Mastery -, Freedom --, Prosperity +++, Exploitation +
[]Mathematics
-It turns out math is magic and equations can affect the physical world. Performing such tasks is arduous but potentially unlimited in scope.
-Mathamagics!
-Mastery ---, Industry -, Curiosity +++, Innovation +, Reach +
Author's note: Due to my tally software not playing nice with ranked and single votes I'm switching to a single (x) votes only. Please do not rank choices going forwards.
Last edited:
- Location
- Earth
Another idea: Gnomes. They are native to a large skyland in the upper Paradise/lower Temperate area (the exact categorization depends on the person in question) that is relatively suitable for development, but also a little dangerous with the odd unexpected strong wind current coming every now and then (to encourage growth, since as the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention). This piece of land is called Zylwe (ZIL-way) by the locals. Gnomes are short and small, though slightly larger in size than the Vex. The gnomish lifespan is slightly shorter than a human's, with 70 years on a gnome being considered the equivalent of 80-90 for a human. A child is considered to be an adult at age 15.
Gnomish culture is split between the progressive, factory-building Industrialists, which makes up 70-80% of the species, and the traditionalist and agrarian Pastoralist movement, which accounts for almost all of the rest. There is the occasional Renegade who treads their own path, but those are few and almost all of the gnomish population can be sorted into one of the two big factions.
The combination of abundant (for a given value, since this is the Skylands) resources and occasional dangers has lead to rapid development of their industry and a crazy ton of inventions among the Industrialists. The capitol of Zylwe is the megapolis of Dunir (DUN-neer). While it appears to be a thriving, bustling place at first glance, Dunir's underbelly has quite a few unsavory things hiding in its depths, and the upper crust has a significant corruption problem as well (think Gilded Age crossed with steampunk). Duniri (DUN-neer-ree) government is theoretically a representative democracy, but in practice the elections are rigged and we have a lot of oligarchs' patsies holding office. Since Pastoralists are isolationists, generally when the word "gnome" is referred to without a specific faction, the speaker means to say "Industrialist gnome".
Gnomes are stereotypically viewed as enthusiastic inventors who are either hard-working, determined, and doing their best to contribute to society (positive) or absentminded and prone to neglecting safeties and having their stuff blow up in your face (negative) to other races. This isn't fully accurate (as with all stereotypes), but the gnomish race has produced many great inventors in the past. For instance, the first airship was built by gnomish hands (not surprising, since gnomes are on average lighter than humans). Gnomes' small size and flexibility (and rather nimble fingers) make them good at working with machines (ie getting into tight spaces a human would struggle to fit in).
The Pastoralist faction was born when the race began its tinkering habit. These individuals were unhappy with the way things were going, wanting to continue living as farmers and gatherers the way their ancestors had. They believed that industrialization would lead to their race's fall, pointing to the corruption and suffering in Dunir as evidence. Unhappy with the urbanization on Zylwe but unable to do anything about it due to being a minority, the Pastoralists left Zylwe and founded the settlement of New Arcadia (they call Zylwe Old Arcadia and believe it to have been lost with its urbanization). New Arcadia is a previously uninhabited skyland in the middle of the Paradise zone. The capitol city of New Arcadia is the particularly large hamlet of Senele (Sen-NA-lee), though given the lack of any proper city infrastructure it's kind of misleading to call it one. The Council of Elders guides their people from here. Pastoralists are largely insular and isolationist, preferring to live their own lives in peace and are generally uninterested in outside affairs if it doesn't affect them. They're also pacifists, and think that the Industrialists' use of natural resources to fuel their industry is a form of unprovoked violence towards the gods' creation. Their technology level is low, since they prefer to do the whole in-harmony-with-nature thing instead, and scientific careers are strongly discouraged (they still have meteorologists, because skipping out on that would be tantamount to suicide). Basically they're Amish.
Recently, with the industrialization and development of the other races, a group of radicals has emerged from the Pastoralists. Calling themselves the Conservators, these gnomes take a more hands-on approach to industrialization than traditional Pastoralists. They actively go about damaging infrastructure and destroying machinery. Bombs are a perennial favorite, as are magic EMP-equivalents. Conservators are giving regular Pastoralists a bad image as a result of their actions, but the two groups should never be mixed up. Yes, I know, Conservators are bloody hypocrites.
Gnomish culture is split between the progressive, factory-building Industrialists, which makes up 70-80% of the species, and the traditionalist and agrarian Pastoralist movement, which accounts for almost all of the rest. There is the occasional Renegade who treads their own path, but those are few and almost all of the gnomish population can be sorted into one of the two big factions.
The combination of abundant (for a given value, since this is the Skylands) resources and occasional dangers has lead to rapid development of their industry and a crazy ton of inventions among the Industrialists. The capitol of Zylwe is the megapolis of Dunir (DUN-neer). While it appears to be a thriving, bustling place at first glance, Dunir's underbelly has quite a few unsavory things hiding in its depths, and the upper crust has a significant corruption problem as well (think Gilded Age crossed with steampunk). Duniri (DUN-neer-ree) government is theoretically a representative democracy, but in practice the elections are rigged and we have a lot of oligarchs' patsies holding office. Since Pastoralists are isolationists, generally when the word "gnome" is referred to without a specific faction, the speaker means to say "Industrialist gnome".
Gnomes are stereotypically viewed as enthusiastic inventors who are either hard-working, determined, and doing their best to contribute to society (positive) or absentminded and prone to neglecting safeties and having their stuff blow up in your face (negative) to other races. This isn't fully accurate (as with all stereotypes), but the gnomish race has produced many great inventors in the past. For instance, the first airship was built by gnomish hands (not surprising, since gnomes are on average lighter than humans). Gnomes' small size and flexibility (and rather nimble fingers) make them good at working with machines (ie getting into tight spaces a human would struggle to fit in).
The Pastoralist faction was born when the race began its tinkering habit. These individuals were unhappy with the way things were going, wanting to continue living as farmers and gatherers the way their ancestors had. They believed that industrialization would lead to their race's fall, pointing to the corruption and suffering in Dunir as evidence. Unhappy with the urbanization on Zylwe but unable to do anything about it due to being a minority, the Pastoralists left Zylwe and founded the settlement of New Arcadia (they call Zylwe Old Arcadia and believe it to have been lost with its urbanization). New Arcadia is a previously uninhabited skyland in the middle of the Paradise zone. The capitol city of New Arcadia is the particularly large hamlet of Senele (Sen-NA-lee), though given the lack of any proper city infrastructure it's kind of misleading to call it one. The Council of Elders guides their people from here. Pastoralists are largely insular and isolationist, preferring to live their own lives in peace and are generally uninterested in outside affairs if it doesn't affect them. They're also pacifists, and think that the Industrialists' use of natural resources to fuel their industry is a form of unprovoked violence towards the gods' creation. Their technology level is low, since they prefer to do the whole in-harmony-with-nature thing instead, and scientific careers are strongly discouraged (they still have meteorologists, because skipping out on that would be tantamount to suicide). Basically they're Amish.
Recently, with the industrialization and development of the other races, a group of radicals has emerged from the Pastoralists. Calling themselves the Conservators, these gnomes take a more hands-on approach to industrialization than traditional Pastoralists. They actively go about damaging infrastructure and destroying machinery. Bombs are a perennial favorite, as are magic EMP-equivalents. Conservators are giving regular Pastoralists a bad image as a result of their actions, but the two groups should never be mixed up. Yes, I know, Conservators are bloody hypocrites.
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- Location
- Vancouver, WA
[x] Runes
I'm in favor of the scientific approach to magic, it pleases me to mix both. Magi-tech golems and airships, runic monks created by tattooing runes into their skin, spells encoded into objects by crystallizing the rune within an object, etc.
As a secondary, Ourselves and/or Bindings would be fine also.
I'm in favor of the scientific approach to magic, it pleases me to mix both. Magi-tech golems and airships, runic monks created by tattooing runes into their skin, spells encoded into objects by crystallizing the rune within an object, etc.
As a secondary, Ourselves and/or Bindings would be fine also.
- Location
- UK
Would that be marking more than one option? Lets try yes and see whether my tally throws another tantrum! :lol