They also sound like any number of ancient peoples whos ruins people would pick through.
Architects of the Great Plan - Warhammer Fantasy Old One Quest
- Thread starter Fission Battery
- Start date
- Location
- in between
Fair. I'm just not interested, if I'm honest.
The Orphaned Failures and Lanternkeepers
[]Plan Lanternkeepers
- [] [BAS]Moths
- [] [SER] Non-Servant
- [] [TRA]Wings
- [] [TRA]Amicable
- [] [TRA]Attuned to a Wind (Hysh)
- [] [TRA]Keen Senses
- [] [TRA]Long Lived
- [] Name: Linternapixqui
- [] Description:
-- [] Modified to walk as a biped on the ground, with their forelimbs being converted into passable hands. Due to their increased size, Linternapixqui are not capable of independent flight, although they can glide fairly far from branch to branch to stay in the relative safety of the canopy.
-- [] Despite, or perhaps because of their habitation in deep, foreboding forests, the Linternapixqui are obsessed with light and the safety it provides. In the day time, they prefer to reside in the canopy, closer to the light of the sun without being intolerably bright, only descending to the forest floor to forage, plant, and generally tend to the ground-dwelling components of the food gardens. At night, they continuously maintain small fires at the center of their encampments and channel Hysh for light on the move. In time, they would adopt torches, tallow candles and lanterns, being less taxing than continuously channeling Hysh.
-- [] By coincidence, a Linternapixqui vaguely resembles a cloaked hominid when 'standing' with wings folded, especially in the dark lit only by their lantern. Likewise bristles resemble the lining of a fur coat. Some who wish not to startle hominids they meet exploit this by donning a wide-brimmed hat, hiding their face beneath shadow and furthering the resemblance under casual observation.
-- [] Black Forest Linternapixqui predominately inherit the black-orange color scheme of the Death's-Head Hawk, while Everwood Linternapixqui have the white-grey-pink color scheme of the White-Lined Sphinx, in both cases matching the predominate bark color of the local trees. These are purely phenotypic and the two are capable of interbreeding.
- [] Location: Deep in the Everwood, which they maintain and cultivate in their own imitation of the axolotl's food gardens.
[] Plan: They Shall Remember
-[] Reptilian (Turtle).
-[][SER] Non-Servant
-[][TRA] Long Life
-[][TRA] Hardy
-[][TRA] Gifted Spellcasters
-[][TRA] Gigantic
-[][TRA] Lightning Absorption
-[][TRA] Semi- Aquatic
-[] Description: They are Gigantic turtles who roam the shallow shores and shorelines around the coast of the world often having there backs stay on the surface for large period of times leading to them becoming home for other creatures. They are wise and gentle giants who have been around as long as the world has been...they claim at least
-[] Location: Inland sea of Warhammer Ulthuan
- [] [BAS]Moths
- [] [SER] Non-Servant
- [] [TRA]Wings
- [] [TRA]Amicable
- [] [TRA]Attuned to a Wind (Hysh)
- [] [TRA]Keen Senses
- [] [TRA]Long Lived
- [] Name: Linternapixqui
- [] Description:
-- [] Modified to walk as a biped on the ground, with their forelimbs being converted into passable hands. Due to their increased size, Linternapixqui are not capable of independent flight, although they can glide fairly far from branch to branch to stay in the relative safety of the canopy.
-- [] Despite, or perhaps because of their habitation in deep, foreboding forests, the Linternapixqui are obsessed with light and the safety it provides. In the day time, they prefer to reside in the canopy, closer to the light of the sun without being intolerably bright, only descending to the forest floor to forage, plant, and generally tend to the ground-dwelling components of the food gardens. At night, they continuously maintain small fires at the center of their encampments and channel Hysh for light on the move. In time, they would adopt torches, tallow candles and lanterns, being less taxing than continuously channeling Hysh.
-- [] By coincidence, a Linternapixqui vaguely resembles a cloaked hominid when 'standing' with wings folded, especially in the dark lit only by their lantern. Likewise bristles resemble the lining of a fur coat. Some who wish not to startle hominids they meet exploit this by donning a wide-brimmed hat, hiding their face beneath shadow and furthering the resemblance under casual observation.
-- [] Black Forest Linternapixqui predominately inherit the black-orange color scheme of the Death's-Head Hawk, while Everwood Linternapixqui have the white-grey-pink color scheme of the White-Lined Sphinx, in both cases matching the predominate bark color of the local trees. These are purely phenotypic and the two are capable of interbreeding.
- [] Location: Deep in the Everwood, which they maintain and cultivate in their own imitation of the axolotl's food gardens.
[] Plan: They Shall Remember
-[] Reptilian (Turtle).
-[][SER] Non-Servant
-[][TRA] Long Life
-[][TRA] Hardy
-[][TRA] Gifted Spellcasters
-[][TRA] Gigantic
-[][TRA] Lightning Absorption
-[][TRA] Semi- Aquatic
-[] Description: They are Gigantic turtles who roam the shallow shores and shorelines around the coast of the world often having there backs stay on the surface for large period of times leading to them becoming home for other creatures. They are wise and gentle giants who have been around as long as the world has been...they claim at least
-[] Location: Inland sea of Warhammer Ulthuan
===
The Orphaned Failures and Lanternkeepers
===
The Committee could not reach a consensus. It was a vicious debate with multiple rounds of voting over several long years, until a tie was reached between two options.
The first was the creation of giant spellcasting turtles that'd live in and around the floating continent. The inner sea would be safe, fertile feeding grounds for their young, while the coast facing the ocean would provide more than enough food for adults. They would live eons, nearly a thousand years, if not longer with proper care. A wise people, strong in body and mind, capable of guiding other children of the Old Ones in trying times. They would be like dragons of the sea, hunters of merwyrm, waves would break upon their mighty backs and storms would bend to their wills.
There were detractors of course. The turtles were more like beasts than people, bestial in shape and proposed life style. What society could they construct? How would they aid the Great Plan? What purpose did they truly serve? These criticisms were unrelenting. If the Old Ones needed teachers to guide the lesser races of the world that was what the slann or axolotl were for. Did the world need more leviathans roaming its seas? These were countered by the proponents in favour of the turtles. The turtles would be wise beyond their years, educated by the Old Ones themselves. They would act like living libraries.
The other proposal was the creation of moths attuned to Hysh. They'd guide other species into the metaphorical light as reserved, friendly philosophers and mages. The nature of the oncoming threat was unknown, but Hyst was adept at burning back the corruptive nature of Dhar through various spells. Their kindness would usher others into following the Great Plan, perhaps even converting natives on the world to follow the Old Ones without requiring Committee action. They were rightfully called one note, unable to call upon any other wind of magic, and unable to even fly; they could only glide. It was seen as unambitious, if cohesively designed. Its defenders were adamant that the moths would serve as fine children and champions.
In the end, Tlazcotl sided in favour of the moths over the turtles, pushing it over the edge to affirm it as a binding majority decision. The forty nine percent who favoured turtles did not take the decision laying down. Tlazcotl was first among equals of the Committee, but he was not the sole dictator of every decision. The Turtle Clique took half of the Committee's resources to devote time to producing their pick, while the rest under Tlazcotl focused their efforts on the moths. It was not the end of the council nor was the temporary split done on bad terms. They would rejoin in due time once their respective work was complete.
===
In the design phase of the turtles there had been a slight oversight that nobody had caught. Templates with instructions were carved onto golden tablets and fed into spawning pools to begin the iterative work on fine. It required fine tuning to shape life into a new desired form, which at times became trial and error as mistakes were not realized until the new creature was birthed into the world.
The initial design made the turtle far larger, over eighty feet in length, adapted it to living a semi-aquatic life style, and shaped its soul to be gifted spellcasters like the axolotls and channel lightning like the varanus. Its immune system would be unbeatable, making it resistant to nearly any toxin or illness. It's forelimbs would retain their bestial shape, save for the addition of an opposable thumb to its webbed claw. Its mind too would be a vault of knowledge, absorbing information and retaining it for centuries.
It didn't have scales.
They forgot about its skin and shell.
The axolotls in attendance threw themselves to the floor and wept tears of terrible agony as they gazed upon the dishapen fleshy mass that resembled a turtle. The pool was stained red with blood as it oozed bodily fluids from its skinless body. It gurgled pleas of aid to ease its unending pain, wishing for death upon the moment of its creation. It was a horrible sight to behold. The axolotl healers attempted to ease its pain and grow its scaly skin, but couldn't, and with terrible sorrow they were forced to euthanize it to end its suffering.
It was a slight oversight.
The next didn't have its shell and wheezed terribly as it attempted to breath, slowly suffocated by the weight of its paper thin skin pressing down on its collapsed lungs. The size of the creature confounded the issues. It was euthanized too.
The Turtle Clique was unwilling to go back to the drawing board. They'd staked their time and egos on completing the project they had pitched initially. Redesigning it by reworking its morphology was seen as admitting defeat to their colleagues. An unacceptable compromise if they'd ever seen one.
By the tenth iteration they'd mostly restored skin and shell to the poor creature, though it was weak, soft, and fragile. It had a tendency to tear frequently during puberty too, even if it was paced out over a longer period of time. Its immune system was sturdy, but frequent blood loss and open skin wounds forced it to fight hard against simulated viral attacks. It could do less against parasites introduced into observation pools. One specimen was eaten alive by enough of them.
The process of slight improvements continued, until they'd reached their thirty ninth iteration. Its skin was sturdier than the previous ones, its shell could roughly hold its shape, its bones wouldn't buckle under its own weight, and it would swim at full power without degloving itself. Truly an innovative creation. Many of its bones were cartilage, and its skin still suffered from several weaknesses. The species universally developed arthritis at a young age. They sunburned easily and struggled to survive on land for long. Their leathery skin and soft shell was still delicate and easily susceptible to parasites. Spellcasting helped ease their constant aching pain. The rejuvenating effects of lightning also helped, though it only did so much. It could heal them and extend their lifespan, but it could not fix a fundamental flaw in their morphology.
The Turtle Clique did not admit defeat. That was beneath them. They merely euthanized the few surviving previous iterations and placed the final template specimens in the inland sea of the floating continent. The few thousand or so turtles in various stages of growth had known only the safe waters of the moon and were given little instruction or guidance when placed in their new homes. They were told that they would have to fight to survive to make it their domain, then promptly left.
Having successfully orphaned the creatures on the Fated World, the Turtle Clique returned to the Committee to pretend that nothing went wrong at all. Their counterparts politely played along, pleased that their project had gone better.
===
Sizlu the Eldest among the archelon, had guided his people across the Black Sea to their new home in the Great Bay. Their gods had gifted them an untamed land for them to shape as they saw fit, blessing them with an untouched coastline and safe nesting grounds. Though the gods could not remove the pain that plagued all archelon, they blessed them with gifts that could make life easier for them. He established their sacred traditions to ensure their continued survival in their new home.
Xadi the Wisest taught others the ways of magic, like the servants of the gods had taught him so many centuries ago. He knew how to split the winds apart and rejoin them on a whim, stretching a clawed hand across the sky as he spoke to his assembled class. Youths and adults hung on his very word, mimicking the mutterings to invoke the power within their souls. Lights burst from their tongues and claws as they bent the winds to what the servants of the gods had taught him.
Ibok the Titan led the floaties in great hunts across the Great Bay. Tested by the gods against predators of the Fated World they had captured, her body was covered in scars from her countless battles and victories. She was unstoppable as she tore apart packs of merwyrms and tracked down leviathans to their dens deep beneath the ocean. The underside of the Silver Sands Island was scoured of predators to make its waters safe. Others learned how to hunt and fight in packs from her.
Together the Triumvirate of the Elder, Sage, and Hunter formed a council that would guide the archelon. Their people were magically gifted hunters that fiercely defended their territory. They delighted in the cool soothing waters of the Great Bay, leisurely preying upon vast schools of fish, jellyfish, and marine mammals. The kelp forests were plentiful, providing hiding spaces and food for hatchlings who greedily gulped down the waving greenery. While on land they had luck with deer, sea birds, unicorns, and even white lions that dared approach the shores. Whales began to steer clear of the Great Bay, leading experienced hunters to leave the bay for new hunting grounds.
It was more glorious than they ever could have imagined. Truly the gods had blessed them with a buffet! Leviathans fell by the dozens as epic battles raged beneath the waves! Flotillas of archelon hunted the great beasts of the Feasting Sea! It was at the straits of the Great Bay Ibok met her greatest foe: Amanar the Wave Breaker. The slumbering gargantuan merwyrm dwelt in caves near the straits, and had been awoken by the great migrations of archelon. Its bestial cunning had failed it when it tried to fed upon them.
It was Ibok who led the charge with her champions. Gigantic creatures they may be, they were merely one tenth the size of Amanar the Wave Breaker, but they did not cower. They had known pain their whole lives but fought every day to continue onwards. They did not fear death nor would they allow such a foul beast to live so close to their nesting grounds. Spells rented flesh from bone and tore apart Amanar's soul piece by piece. Thousands perished in a ferocious battle that lasted days, until at last the final blow was struck: the Wave Breaker and Ibok were dead. She tore the still beating heart from the beasts' chest before succumbing to her wounds.
The body of Amanar was dragged ashore by hundreds of archelon in a great effort, denying its bounty to the scavengers at the ocean floor. They alone would gorge themselves on its enchanted flesh. It cemented their dominion over the Silver Sands Island.
Beyond, the Ringed Shores held even more food. It had many coastal lagoons for them to bathe in and thick forests and fine mists to provide shade along the water's edge. Ocean currents brought great shoals of aquatic life to the Silver Sands Island. As time went on, adults migrated outside of the Great Bay to hunt in the Feasting Ocean so that there would be more food for the youth adolescents and their elderly caretakers. Only the greatest swimmers and mages among them braved the deepest depths of the oceans, where they spotted dim lights further down below them, though none could investigate without risking drowning.
Sizlu and Xadi guided their people for centuries afterwards. Companions of Ibok continued hunting other predators to protect their waters in her name. Xadi's many apprentices became expert mages in time and soon magical education became widespread across many of the archelons. Kru, the scholar, developed the art of ritual scarring to weave stories into the backs of themselves, adding to the tapestry of life. He further developed their spiritual beliefs; archelons must not hunt wild sea turtles; disputes between archelons must be resolved through either trial by combat or deliberation by wise folk; archelons must manage the oceans to ensure food for generations.
Creatures wise enough to understand the might of the archelons paid tribute to them by sharing kills, clearing their bodies of parasites, and protecting their hatchlings. Dolphins earned their right to hunt in the reefs and waters of the Great Bay. Their larger cousins whales too were fortunate too. They were filter feeders that were no threat to the archelon's youth, though their large size made them favoured prey by some hunters.
One day a great white baleen whale of impossible size appeared before Kru, revealing itself as Mathlann, god of the seas. It was a cruel mercurial god that threw violent storms down upon all those that dwelt in his waters, but had found himself impressed by the archelons. They bathed in lightning unphased, braved its waters with wild calculated abandon, and struck as coordinate units against the colossal beasts of the depths, proving that only they were worthy of his direct acknowledgement. He told Kru of lands far beyond the Silver Sands Island, how to safely navigate the oceans by charting the stars, how to ride the ocean currents, and instructed them in proper worship of him and their ancestors. Awed and humbled by meeting the god, Kru agreed to spread Mathlann's teachings to his people.
Kru returned to Sizlu and Xadi adorned in corral and blessed by Mathlann. The gods that had birthed them had not returned, but a new one had and it had taken them as his chosen people.
Soon it was known by all that the ocean's bounty existed for their taking. It was their divine right to plunge its depths and feast upon all life that dwelled within its waters and along its shores. Unaware of the existence of other intelligent life, they believed themselves to be utterly alone in the world as the great migrations began…
===
The majority of the Committee, by one vote, focused their attention on the moth project. Specimens taken from their future homes were chosen for their size, population, and health. Fluffy, colourful moths met the required criteria. The work was much less slapdash than their colleagues in the Turtle Clique. The elevation of insect into intelligent creature was trivial to the Old Ones. It was merely an iterative process done over a long period of time.
It was the attuning to Hysh that took effort. The moths souls had to be closed off to all other winds, while retaining the ability to use magic in the first place. It was a delicate matter that faced no complications, thankfully. The increase in body size as it was reshaped went off without much difficulty. The moth's interior organs were subtly reworked to sustain its new, larger size, and physiology fine tuned further to increase its lifespan. Their minds were tweaked to have increased empathy to temper their attunement to Hysh. They would be kind hearted, gentle souls that'd use their magic to heal and protect the world.
Attuning a creature's soul to a specific wind would have serious consequences. Their emotions and thoughts would be guided by the base impulses of the wind. It'd form a major core of their instincts and base level emotions, even limiting or dampening their capability for other feelings that fed the other winds. Hysh was the white wind of purity, light, and enlightenment. It healed the body, mind, and soul, and pushed back the darkness literally and figuratively. It by itself however had no sense of morality. It simply was antithetical to Dhar and its corruptive effects. The hope was the sense of empathy would temper any side effects of wind attunement.
The final iteration was developed and stepped forth from the spawning pools with their eyes faintly glowing, shining with a halo around its head. Antenna softly flicked back and forth as it took in its surroundings. Its wings wrapped around it like a cloak, giving it a poised air of confidence. It was perfect. The process had succeeded. They were dubbed Linternapixqui, though Laternkeepers was the other name used.
Thousands more were spawned then housed in a special warden on the moon. Axolotls interacted with them to make sure the mental imprinting had worked on the first generation. They didn't lack basic skills. They knew how to take care of themselves and function as social creatures, though were aloof and ethereal in their interactions. Hysh came to them as easily as breathing did, illuminating their temporary homes with countless glowing lights.
Upon being deemed healthy and functional the Committee rejoined to prepare for the next phase of the plan. The sulking Turtle Clique returned without word, ready to contribute to the moths that they had so vehemently disapproved of. The Laternkeepers would receive an education to give them a culture perfectly shaped to them. Once again, that was the goal, and once complete they would be transported to their new homes in a grand oak forest on the Fated World…
===
Culture
I've gone back and forth over this process since it's a bit more complicated than species creation. Initially I'd envisioned using a simplified system of ethics and civics similar to Stellaris for the sake of convenience. That way it was straightforward if awkward to use and didn't require putting a lot of work onto players. However after seeing how excited people have gotten I think more open ended write-ins will work.
Warhammer Fantasy is very over the top, even more toned down editions are often exaggerations of real life peoples. This is for comedic purposes and to facilitate its nature as a war game, since any given battle should be considered plausible canon. It makes it more engaging. It also relies heavily on stereotypes, cultural references, and running jokes mixed with genuine historical knowledge. The Tomb Kings are obsessed with slavery, despite the fact in real life many of Egypt's monuments were built by very skilled labourers that were paid for their work. There were some workers providing labour as a tax, though they weren't slaves.
We're going to go with more toned down interpretations of factions, rather than over the top self destructive versions. Don't feel obligated to copy a real life culture nearly one to one when writing a plan. Though it would help me to at least give a reference for stuff like names and architecture. That way I have something to work off of when writing. Feel free to take inspiration from other works of fiction, even other fantasy settings.
These are a few questions to keep in mind when creating a culture. What's their political organization? How is their military run? What's life like for the average person? Who is the ruling class? How do they enforce their rule? How is food produced? Who controls the means of production? How is their religion organized? How does magic fit into their world view? These are basic questions that any society and state have to grapple with.
Remember that the Old Ones will play a role in their education, so they will feature in their history and likely in creation myths. Don't let that restrict your creativity though. It's valid for a people to have creation myths about the world outside of the Old Ones. Maybe something in their mythology led the Old Ones to the world. What's some stuff the Old Ones might teach their creations too? In canon they had the slann teach elves how the eight winds of magic worked, and likely played a role in teaching dwarfs about mechanical principles.
Also consider where the culture is located and how that will affect them. That will affect what materials are available for construction, the growing season for crops, what food is available, etc. People that don't live on the coast or near rivers probably don't have experience sailing or a lot of seafood in their diet, unless they trade with someone else. People who live in a desert build their houses very differently than people who live in tundras. Climate may influence building design, but isn't the sole indicator of style. Don't feel obligated to put Nordic style buildings only in the cold north or Roman style buildings only in a Mediterranean climate, outside of the aforementioned "materials available and heat management" issues. Put Rome in a jungle if you want or Indian Buddhist temples in temperate forests.
Also consider the physiology of the species receiving the culture. Humans living in cold tundras wouldn't appreciate open air buildings, but maybe bear people with thick fur wouldn't mind it so much (as long as there was still a warm den available).
There's also always the option of orphaning a species. This will dump them onto the planet without receiving any sort of culture from the Old Ones. They'll be left to develop their culture organically over time.
The plan with the most votes will be the majority culture, while the second and third place plan will be minority cultures that are likely syncretized with the majority. That's to give some diversity to starting cultures. Keep in mind that a society will grow and develop even after they've been put onto the world. The elven tradition of phoenix kings didn't start as a tradition until Chaos invaded the world. Dwarf ancestor gods emerged after the Old Ones moved on from the dwarfs.
There will be a limit on votes too. People can only vote for 3 plans.
The limit on write ins is 400 words. It can be split up into as many planks as you want, so stuff like religion, government, and economy can be easier to read. Remember that society is interconnected, systems feed into each other to reinforce each other and themselves.
Here's an example of a write in plan. Please include culture/people name, names, and architecture in a plan. Otherwise go nuts breaking it up however you want.
[ ] Plan: Example
-[ ] Culture/People Name: Cyrodilic
-[ ] Names: Roman/South Slavic
-[ ] Architecture: Classic Fantasy Elves
-[ ] "Stuff": Literally the Imperials
For people who want to make a plan, but aren't sure what to write up, the Stellaris method of civics works fine. Civics are two or three words, maybe an idiom, that sufficiently describe a political and/or cultural idea. They're meant to be abstract, so feel free to try to reduce any complex topic into a three word descriptor. Here's some examples:
Elf:
Citizen Soldier - all members of society are expected to take up arms in defense of it when the need arises. Nearly everyone has some level of martial training equivalent to a full time soldier.
World Police - Instilled with a sense of powerful sense of duty, this society has taken it upon itself to take an active role in protecting the world from whatever threatens it. They will be protective in stomping out crises before they can escalate.
Naval Tradition - they are extremely skilled sailors and shipwrights that travel the world with ease.
Secrets of Magic - they know how the winds of magic work.
Put together you have a society where nearly everyone knows how to fight, they're deployed across the world, and take it on themselves to defend it from any threat. It's a militarized society that values teamwork, self sacrifice, and discipline. The navy is as important as the army with its own proud traditions. Magic is well known, easily taught, and the basis for much technological innovation.
Dwarf:
Heart and Home - Society is extremely dedicated to familial structures of clans as the basis for society. Everyone is expected to show loyalty to these groups.
Master Craftsman Guilds - Commodity production is organized by a series of guilds that dominate their crafts. They possess meticulous skills that can create wondrous treasures out of even basic items.
Oaths - Social ties are formalized by complex oaths that are unbreakable. Kings owe their subjects as much as they own their kings.
Stubbornly Conservative - the old ways are best. If change is to happen it will happen very slowly, inch by incremental inch. In peace there is some strength, less so in times of chaos.
Here you see a society that values close, tight knit relationships with their family, clan, and guild. Artisans own the means of production to guarantee quality at the cost of secrecy to protect the guilds' secrets. Betraying these bonds is almost unthinkable. Innovation is a scary word. New things must be tested thoroughly before they can be trusted.
Citizen Soldier - all members of society are expected to take up arms in defense of it when the need arises. Nearly everyone has some level of martial training equivalent to a full time soldier.
World Police - Instilled with a sense of powerful sense of duty, this society has taken it upon itself to take an active role in protecting the world from whatever threatens it. They will be protective in stomping out crises before they can escalate.
Naval Tradition - they are extremely skilled sailors and shipwrights that travel the world with ease.
Secrets of Magic - they know how the winds of magic work.
Put together you have a society where nearly everyone knows how to fight, they're deployed across the world, and take it on themselves to defend it from any threat. It's a militarized society that values teamwork, self sacrifice, and discipline. The navy is as important as the army with its own proud traditions. Magic is well known, easily taught, and the basis for much technological innovation.
Dwarf:
Heart and Home - Society is extremely dedicated to familial structures of clans as the basis for society. Everyone is expected to show loyalty to these groups.
Master Craftsman Guilds - Commodity production is organized by a series of guilds that dominate their crafts. They possess meticulous skills that can create wondrous treasures out of even basic items.
Oaths - Social ties are formalized by complex oaths that are unbreakable. Kings owe their subjects as much as they own their kings.
Stubbornly Conservative - the old ways are best. If change is to happen it will happen very slowly, inch by incremental inch. In peace there is some strength, less so in times of chaos.
Here you see a society that values close, tight knit relationships with their family, clan, and guild. Artisans own the means of production to guarantee quality at the cost of secrecy to protect the guilds' secrets. Betraying these bonds is almost unthinkable. Innovation is a scary word. New things must be tested thoroughly before they can be trusted.
As you can see it's a bit limiting to work this way compared to writing in. They also have a 400 word limit.
===
Please vote by plan. There is a moratorium.
===
- Location
- California
Damn, the Old Ones are calling out the Thread for our meme plans.
- Location
- in between
............ I want to find the in universe Turtle Clique and punch them in the face. Many times. Our poor gentle turtle bois reduced to this... and they still manage to win a fight against Amanar! So much potential all wasted because of a few idiots going off without checking their work first....
- Location
- California
It also highlights the callousness of the Old Ones. They threw millions of their servants to genocide. What's the ego of a Craftsman for their vision?
Strange9
hdellaverson@gmail.com
- Location
- Los Angeles, CA
I think making entire species homages to other Warhammer quests is an extremely cursed road to start down on. Also not super Hysh-y.
I think I'll write up a Hollownest inspired Moth civ in a bit? At least for the architecture it's pretty solid inspiration. Naively I'd think of drawing from like... Śramaṇic traditions for a culture, and maybe the reputation of Greek Sophists as a cultural failure mode?
wasn't a meme plan
anyway regrading the turtles I have no regrets upon leashing a new apex predator and civilization upon the sea they did so well that a god of the sea took them upon as the new chosen that how good they are! My turtles bois are the best and I have no regrets
edit: other than forgetting about scales my bad
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- Location
- New York
- Pronouns
- He/Him
This owns so hard; all love for the wise and glorious Old Ones, most beneficent of creators. Truly, we could not ask for more loving gods!
Anyway - where exactly did we put the moths? I'm feeling a vaguely South East Asian inspired vibe. Chinese, Indochina, maybe Indonesian?
Anyway - where exactly did we put the moths? I'm feeling a vaguely South East Asian inspired vibe. Chinese, Indochina, maybe Indonesian?
Strange9
hdellaverson@gmail.com
- Location
- Los Angeles, CA
Man architecture inspired by e.g. the temple of Angkor Wat would be absolutely kickin. Would you mind if I nab that for a write in later?
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- Location
- Your pantry
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I'm honestly feeling a Ancient Persian vibe for the moths, with their equivalent of Ahura Mazda vs Angra Mainyu (Chaos). It sets up an obvious enemy in their faith which Chaos can be easily inserted into. It's also fitting that their culture feels ancient, considering they're one of our first races.
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- Location
- Sweden
So... I may have spent a few weeks writing/cobbling together an over 2000 word list of cultural stuff for my Halflings. Is that bad?
[] Plan: Hardy Halflings, The Unlikely Heroes
-[][BAS] Hominid
-[][SER] Non-Servant
-[][TRA] Dexterous: Agile, swift, nimble, all words to describe the basic idea that this species will be quick on their feet. They have more muscles suited for quick movements and improved reflexes to match. They could go into battle half-naked and not immediately die.
-[][TRA] Hardy: A robust metabolism and immune system that makes them resistant to poison and diseases. Their diet will be widened, capable of eating a variety of foods others might consider inedible, and improve their body's rate of healing to recover from injuries easily. Extends lifespan.
-[][TRA] Keen Senses: Excellent eyesight, can see in dim lighting without issue, and overall strong hearing without being too sensitive. They can see further, hear more details, and process all of it without being easily overwhelmed.
-[][TRA] Magic Resistance: They can't use magic, but are very resistant to its effects and mutations related to magic. That doesn't make them immune to spells, especially harmful ones, but gives them an edge in surviving them and any harmful effects magic might have on a creature. Incompatible with Attuned to a Wind, Capable of Magic, Gifted Spellcaster, and Universal Spellcaster.
-[][TRA] Short: Less than five feet tall they'll be creatures of diminutive stature. Incompatible with Large, Huge, and Gigantic.
-[] Name: Halflings. (Maybe the name is not purely based on their height, but also actually based on their lack of magic, which makes them "half" people to the Old Ones? Old Ones are jerks.)
-[] Description: Like this 1 2 3 4. Basically short Humans but with big feet and maybe thicker legs? Canon Halfling appearance minus the stereotypically bad ones.
-[] Location: Mountains of Mourn/Heaven
-[][BAS] Hominid
-[][SER] Non-Servant
-[][TRA] Dexterous: Agile, swift, nimble, all words to describe the basic idea that this species will be quick on their feet. They have more muscles suited for quick movements and improved reflexes to match. They could go into battle half-naked and not immediately die.
-[][TRA] Hardy: A robust metabolism and immune system that makes them resistant to poison and diseases. Their diet will be widened, capable of eating a variety of foods others might consider inedible, and improve their body's rate of healing to recover from injuries easily. Extends lifespan.
-[][TRA] Keen Senses: Excellent eyesight, can see in dim lighting without issue, and overall strong hearing without being too sensitive. They can see further, hear more details, and process all of it without being easily overwhelmed.
-[][TRA] Magic Resistance: They can't use magic, but are very resistant to its effects and mutations related to magic. That doesn't make them immune to spells, especially harmful ones, but gives them an edge in surviving them and any harmful effects magic might have on a creature. Incompatible with Attuned to a Wind, Capable of Magic, Gifted Spellcaster, and Universal Spellcaster.
-[][TRA] Short: Less than five feet tall they'll be creatures of diminutive stature. Incompatible with Large, Huge, and Gigantic.
-[] Name: Halflings. (Maybe the name is not purely based on their height, but also actually based on their lack of magic, which makes them "half" people to the Old Ones? Old Ones are jerks.)
-[] Description: Like this 1 2 3 4. Basically short Humans but with big feet and maybe thicker legs? Canon Halfling appearance minus the stereotypically bad ones.
-[] Location: Mountains of Mourn/Heaven
Created by the Old Ones paranoid about the future Great Uncertainty and the belief that the disaster would be magical in nature. The Halflings(name pending) were created as a race that could thrive without any sort of magic whatsoever.
The Old Ones realize the Halflings won't be what the Old Ones need them to be, great warriors, and abandon them slightly unfinished before starting work on the Ogres.
One of the Old Ones is an exception as she had grown very fond of "Her" little ones, and she vows too finish them as well as she can.
She finishes (reducing some of canon halflings worst traits and giving them the Hardy trait) and spends a little time teaching the Halflings before she dies protecting them from the Great Disaster (Coming of Chaos).
The Canon Halflings (minor) Endless Hunger trait is replaced by Nervous Habit/Urge of Chewing trait.(Explanation below in culture stuff)
The Old Ones realize the Halflings won't be what the Old Ones need them to be, great warriors, and abandon them slightly unfinished before starting work on the Ogres.
One of the Old Ones is an exception as she had grown very fond of "Her" little ones, and she vows too finish them as well as she can.
She finishes (reducing some of canon halflings worst traits and giving them the Hardy trait) and spends a little time teaching the Halflings before she dies protecting them from the Great Disaster (Coming of Chaos).
The Canon Halflings (minor) Endless Hunger trait is replaced by Nervous Habit/Urge of Chewing trait.(Explanation below in culture stuff)
When a Halfling is feeling stressed or uncertain they will get the urge to chew on something, indulging this urge will greatly calm them down and all but remove any stress or panic they are feeling. Halfling soldiers use this fact to remain calm in even the most chaotic or stressful of battles.
In early Halfling history, the most common way to deal with the urge was to eat something, but this caused food supplies to lower faster and occasionally led to food shortages during particularly stressful times. Later on they would figure out how to create a special type of chewing meat that was incredibly tough and could last quite a long time while also having a pleasant taste. Some Halflings will carry around meat like this in thin containers (like a thin rectangular box)
Another way they found was the smoking of certain plants and such could have similar effects.
Halflings are basically soft anarchists. They wont call for the death of the statists or anything, but will nevertheless not care much for authoritarianism or people getting to big for their breeches.
All Halflings are held to the same standard. A wealthy clan head will for example receive the same community service sentence for a crime as a poor miner would. A Halflings status will rarely shield them from the consequences of their actions.
Due to the dismissal of their worth by the arrogant holier-than-thou peers of She-Who-Stayed, She-Who-Stayed would go on to nurture the humble and down-to-earth spirit of the Halflings so that they would never fall victim to rampant pride and arrogance.
Extremely rural, Halflings tend to avoid urbanization whenever possible. When they do make cities, they only do so in highly important locations and tend to fill them with the odd and weird Halflings that don't quite mesh with the rural folk.
Halflings favor matrilineal succession, charting their lineages through the mother's side. This means that when a Halfling child is the product of two different clans, the infant is deemed to belong to the mother's family.
While Halflings almost always know who their mothers are, not all Halflings possess the desire, or skill, to serve as parents. Thus, the responsibility for raising the child lies with the clan as a whole, rather than with any one individual. Childcare and education are handled communally, with the local clan elders acting as de facto parents, doling out wisdom and discipline in equal measure. This social upbringing instils the values and traditions of the clan in their youngsters, meaning each Halfling clan possesses a distinct character, and many are predisposed towards certain roles and professions.
Halflings favorite dwelling is the Burrow (Hobbit-hole/Smial) and if there are no hills in which to build the Burrow, they will build a Burrow above ground and cover it in dirt. These "artificial" Burrows are often seen as not being as good as a genuine one, but is still considered to be better then a "normal" house.
Burrows tend to hold from a dozen Halflings up to hundreds in the biggest cases and are usually restricted to clans due to the costs.
Halflings love parties and good cheer. They will frequently find whatever excuse they can to throw more festivities.
Halflings like circles and round shapes. They dislike sharp edges and "rigid" looking shapes.
Halflings love colour. Their buildings, clothes and other such things tend to be very colorful.
The Halfling alphabet uses a mix of circles and lines (looks like the Unown alphabet from pokemon, minus the eyes).
In early Halfling history, the most common way to deal with the urge was to eat something, but this caused food supplies to lower faster and occasionally led to food shortages during particularly stressful times. Later on they would figure out how to create a special type of chewing meat that was incredibly tough and could last quite a long time while also having a pleasant taste. Some Halflings will carry around meat like this in thin containers (like a thin rectangular box)
Another way they found was the smoking of certain plants and such could have similar effects.
Halflings are basically soft anarchists. They wont call for the death of the statists or anything, but will nevertheless not care much for authoritarianism or people getting to big for their breeches.
All Halflings are held to the same standard. A wealthy clan head will for example receive the same community service sentence for a crime as a poor miner would. A Halflings status will rarely shield them from the consequences of their actions.
Due to the dismissal of their worth by the arrogant holier-than-thou peers of She-Who-Stayed, She-Who-Stayed would go on to nurture the humble and down-to-earth spirit of the Halflings so that they would never fall victim to rampant pride and arrogance.
Extremely rural, Halflings tend to avoid urbanization whenever possible. When they do make cities, they only do so in highly important locations and tend to fill them with the odd and weird Halflings that don't quite mesh with the rural folk.
Halflings favor matrilineal succession, charting their lineages through the mother's side. This means that when a Halfling child is the product of two different clans, the infant is deemed to belong to the mother's family.
While Halflings almost always know who their mothers are, not all Halflings possess the desire, or skill, to serve as parents. Thus, the responsibility for raising the child lies with the clan as a whole, rather than with any one individual. Childcare and education are handled communally, with the local clan elders acting as de facto parents, doling out wisdom and discipline in equal measure. This social upbringing instils the values and traditions of the clan in their youngsters, meaning each Halfling clan possesses a distinct character, and many are predisposed towards certain roles and professions.
Halflings favorite dwelling is the Burrow (Hobbit-hole/Smial) and if there are no hills in which to build the Burrow, they will build a Burrow above ground and cover it in dirt. These "artificial" Burrows are often seen as not being as good as a genuine one, but is still considered to be better then a "normal" house.
Burrows tend to hold from a dozen Halflings up to hundreds in the biggest cases and are usually restricted to clans due to the costs.
Halflings love parties and good cheer. They will frequently find whatever excuse they can to throw more festivities.
Halflings like circles and round shapes. They dislike sharp edges and "rigid" looking shapes.
Halflings love colour. Their buildings, clothes and other such things tend to be very colorful.
The Halfling alphabet uses a mix of circles and lines (looks like the Unown alphabet from pokemon, minus the eyes).
The Halflings are very practical about their religion; in fact, some observers have commented that they are more superstitious than religious.
The Halflings have no real priests nor temples, but shrines to the various Halfling deities, nature spirits and prominent ancestors are common, and village elders are willing to beseech the gods on behalf of their communities, should the necessity arise.
One notable exception(sort of) to the no priests or temples "rule" is the final resting place of She-Who-Stayed. This extremely important spiritual location exists under the careful watch of the Great Gardener who maintains the resting place and the Great Garden that surrounds it with a team of the greatest Halfling gardeners and architects in all the lands. The Great Garden is said to be the most vibrant and beutiful garden in the world, surpassing even those of the Elves(assuming Elves exists in this reality).
She-Who-Stayed's body is not actually located here as Halfling onlookers say the body simply evaporated/disappeared into thin air when She died.
Halfling Polytheism is as a polytheistic and (very mildly)shamanistic religion containing elements of ancestor worship and animism.
There is no official holy text or book for any of the halfling beliefs, as the Halflings consider such things to be unimportant nonsense that simply drives Halflings apart.
As a result, the exact method of worship can vary greatly between different Halflings but certain aspects tend to remain almost universal.
Like the belief that no matter what disagreements the different Halfling gods/spirits and their worshippers may have with eachother, when the times are tough, they will put aside their issues and come together for the good of Halfling kind, like a true family.
Individual Halfling gods/spirits are usually very weak and can only really achieve great things when working together in a large group (if they exist that is)
There are a very large number of gods in the Halflings pantheon with many Halfling individuals and clans having their own personal favorite, usually a famous direct/semi-direct ancestor.
How many gods there are total is unknown, as they have never been counted.
For example a militarised clan may give extra thanks or more prayers to their own ancestor who invented the first Halfling sling.
Prominent Deities/Spirits/Ancestors
1.Long after the death of She-Who-Stayed, stories of Her would lead the Halflings to worship Her as their benevolent Creator, protector and teacher.
2.The sun itself is frequently given praise by farmers and the like who thank the sun for providing their crops with the energy they need to grow and provide the Halflings with sustenance.
3.The first Halfling to build a Burrow(Hobbit hole/Smial) is seen as the patron of Halfling architects and properly built homes
etc,etc.
Afterlife:
Judgement Hall is where all newly deceased Halflings first find themselves after their passing.
Here they wait in line for their judgement, with the waiting time depending on how good you've been. A good person may find themselves at the front in short order, while those nastier sorts get to wait what must seem an eternity with (almost) any attempt to cut in line extending the wait even further.
After you finish waiting for your turn you get judged for your actions and intentions in the realm of the living. Halflings can never quite agree on who does the judging exactly and say it's probably either spirits of some sort (of justice perhaps?) or all the people you've met and done good or bad by, including those not yet dead(somehow).
The Bad Place/The Featureless Plains/The Wasteland (name TBD)
This the place where bad Halflings goes after judgement. Though their stay is never really permanent, and after they've been punished enough they either get sent to The Good Place or, in the case of particularly bad people, straight through the final door with only a glimpse of The Good Place, if only to show you what you could have had, if you only had even a glimmer of a good person in you.
The lands are barren and empty of color and joy.
The land only provides you with just enough food as to not starve but you have to work hard for it and it's never enough to be full.
You only get enough water to live but true satisfaction is always just one gulp away.
It's never the right temperature, and the weather is always depressing or annoying.
A land of never-enough and not-quite-right.
The Good Place/Arcadia/The Once And Future Shire? (name TBD)
"This... is Just... Right......"
Words spoken by the elderly Golden Locksmith, member of the Three-Bears clan (known for their porridge and carpentry) on her deathbed.
The Good Place is a land of plenty, where the good Halflings of the world goes to rest and spend the remainder of their existence.
The Food is plentiful, the soil as fertile as can be, and the water is pure. Everywhere you look there is color, life, joy and contentment. Even the clouds are so fascinating you can spend a small eternity watching them, occasionally taking a break to eat something nice, spend time with friends or read any book ever written (except BAD books, like Chaos books of course) while watching over your descendants and relatives.
Many a Halflings believe this is where their gods reside and where She-Who-Stayed ended up after Her death.
Everything Is Just Right, Forever.
The Final Door:
This Door, an unassuming, round, wooden thing is located in the heart of The Good Place and exist to grant a Final, True death to whomever wishes it. It exists to prevent The Good place from becoming a gilded cage, an eternal prison, no matter how perfect and good it may be.
The Halflings have no real priests nor temples, but shrines to the various Halfling deities, nature spirits and prominent ancestors are common, and village elders are willing to beseech the gods on behalf of their communities, should the necessity arise.
One notable exception(sort of) to the no priests or temples "rule" is the final resting place of She-Who-Stayed. This extremely important spiritual location exists under the careful watch of the Great Gardener who maintains the resting place and the Great Garden that surrounds it with a team of the greatest Halfling gardeners and architects in all the lands. The Great Garden is said to be the most vibrant and beutiful garden in the world, surpassing even those of the Elves(assuming Elves exists in this reality).
She-Who-Stayed's body is not actually located here as Halfling onlookers say the body simply evaporated/disappeared into thin air when She died.
Halfling Polytheism is as a polytheistic and (very mildly)shamanistic religion containing elements of ancestor worship and animism.
There is no official holy text or book for any of the halfling beliefs, as the Halflings consider such things to be unimportant nonsense that simply drives Halflings apart.
As a result, the exact method of worship can vary greatly between different Halflings but certain aspects tend to remain almost universal.
Like the belief that no matter what disagreements the different Halfling gods/spirits and their worshippers may have with eachother, when the times are tough, they will put aside their issues and come together for the good of Halfling kind, like a true family.
Individual Halfling gods/spirits are usually very weak and can only really achieve great things when working together in a large group (if they exist that is)
There are a very large number of gods in the Halflings pantheon with many Halfling individuals and clans having their own personal favorite, usually a famous direct/semi-direct ancestor.
How many gods there are total is unknown, as they have never been counted.
For example a militarised clan may give extra thanks or more prayers to their own ancestor who invented the first Halfling sling.
Prominent Deities/Spirits/Ancestors
1.Long after the death of She-Who-Stayed, stories of Her would lead the Halflings to worship Her as their benevolent Creator, protector and teacher.
2.The sun itself is frequently given praise by farmers and the like who thank the sun for providing their crops with the energy they need to grow and provide the Halflings with sustenance.
3.The first Halfling to build a Burrow(Hobbit hole/Smial) is seen as the patron of Halfling architects and properly built homes
etc,etc.
Afterlife:
Judgement Hall is where all newly deceased Halflings first find themselves after their passing.
Here they wait in line for their judgement, with the waiting time depending on how good you've been. A good person may find themselves at the front in short order, while those nastier sorts get to wait what must seem an eternity with (almost) any attempt to cut in line extending the wait even further.
After you finish waiting for your turn you get judged for your actions and intentions in the realm of the living. Halflings can never quite agree on who does the judging exactly and say it's probably either spirits of some sort (of justice perhaps?) or all the people you've met and done good or bad by, including those not yet dead(somehow).
The Bad Place/The Featureless Plains/The Wasteland (name TBD)
This the place where bad Halflings goes after judgement. Though their stay is never really permanent, and after they've been punished enough they either get sent to The Good Place or, in the case of particularly bad people, straight through the final door with only a glimpse of The Good Place, if only to show you what you could have had, if you only had even a glimmer of a good person in you.
The lands are barren and empty of color and joy.
The land only provides you with just enough food as to not starve but you have to work hard for it and it's never enough to be full.
You only get enough water to live but true satisfaction is always just one gulp away.
It's never the right temperature, and the weather is always depressing or annoying.
A land of never-enough and not-quite-right.
The Good Place/Arcadia/The Once And Future Shire? (name TBD)
"This... is Just... Right......"
Words spoken by the elderly Golden Locksmith, member of the Three-Bears clan (known for their porridge and carpentry) on her deathbed.
The Good Place is a land of plenty, where the good Halflings of the world goes to rest and spend the remainder of their existence.
The Food is plentiful, the soil as fertile as can be, and the water is pure. Everywhere you look there is color, life, joy and contentment. Even the clouds are so fascinating you can spend a small eternity watching them, occasionally taking a break to eat something nice, spend time with friends or read any book ever written (except BAD books, like Chaos books of course) while watching over your descendants and relatives.
Many a Halflings believe this is where their gods reside and where She-Who-Stayed ended up after Her death.
Everything Is Just Right, Forever.
The Final Door:
This Door, an unassuming, round, wooden thing is located in the heart of The Good Place and exist to grant a Final, True death to whomever wishes it. It exists to prevent The Good place from becoming a gilded cage, an eternal prison, no matter how perfect and good it may be.
Halfling business tend to be run in 3 different ways:
As cooperatives, family/clan business or simply run by a single halfling starting their own little thing.
Those businesses run by singular individuals usually don't make it very long if they grow to big, as the Halfling owner sometime have the greed and power get to their head, leading to poor decision making and angered employees who promptly usurp the business and transform it into a coop. Many Halfling business owners making this mistake try to regain control by complaining to the authorities, who usually end up laughing at the Halfling after getting the full story and telling them they brought it upon themselves.
The cities tend to be centers of what little industry the Halflings possess, usually military industry run by the more militarized clans that need to stay modern or ahead of the curve to compete with the Halflings taller, stronger neighbours and are also havens for researchers who feel stifled by their more "down-to-earth" peers in the countryside.
As cooperatives, family/clan business or simply run by a single halfling starting their own little thing.
Those businesses run by singular individuals usually don't make it very long if they grow to big, as the Halfling owner sometime have the greed and power get to their head, leading to poor decision making and angered employees who promptly usurp the business and transform it into a coop. Many Halfling business owners making this mistake try to regain control by complaining to the authorities, who usually end up laughing at the Halfling after getting the full story and telling them they brought it upon themselves.
The cities tend to be centers of what little industry the Halflings possess, usually military industry run by the more militarized clans that need to stay modern or ahead of the curve to compete with the Halflings taller, stronger neighbours and are also havens for researchers who feel stifled by their more "down-to-earth" peers in the countryside.
Eating Humble pie is a common punishment for smaller crime in Halfling lands that involves the criminal being forced to eat a really nasty pie and then apologizing for what they did wrong. The pie is not a must though and if one is unavailable, something else can be used. As long as it tastes foul and won't hurt the Halfling(except for their tastebuds).
Most of Halfling politics is settled by a Small Council, an informal process where every village has a collection of Halflings who make judgements on law and policy, with larger issues or appeals handled in the Big Council or at the Biggest Council in whatever capital there may be. Councils are usually composed of odd numbers so they have no ties in votes. Once appointed, membership lasts until the people think they're doing a poor job and replace them, or they simply quit. There is no age — nor gender — requirement to join the councils. But they do tend to be composed of older Halflings as they have the most experience and time on their feet. Ambitious halflings must be nominated to join by an established member of the Council or by a majority vote by the people. Councils are held at most once a month(barring emergencies), but sometimes only once a year, for most of the time Halfling society believes in a live-and-let-live approach, leaving folks to settle their differences primarily on their own.
Punishment tend too be rather light compared to other peoples. For example, a Human caught stealing in Human lands might have a hand cut off, where as a Halfling caught stealing in Halfling lands may simply be forced to pay or get some community service.
Do keep in mind that possessions are frequently shared amongst many Halflings and "borrowing" things are quite common among Halflings, making actual true theft quite rare (and usually involving food in some way).
Most of Halfling politics is settled by a Small Council, an informal process where every village has a collection of Halflings who make judgements on law and policy, with larger issues or appeals handled in the Big Council or at the Biggest Council in whatever capital there may be. Councils are usually composed of odd numbers so they have no ties in votes. Once appointed, membership lasts until the people think they're doing a poor job and replace them, or they simply quit. There is no age — nor gender — requirement to join the councils. But they do tend to be composed of older Halflings as they have the most experience and time on their feet. Ambitious halflings must be nominated to join by an established member of the Council or by a majority vote by the people. Councils are held at most once a month(barring emergencies), but sometimes only once a year, for most of the time Halfling society believes in a live-and-let-live approach, leaving folks to settle their differences primarily on their own.
Punishment tend too be rather light compared to other peoples. For example, a Human caught stealing in Human lands might have a hand cut off, where as a Halfling caught stealing in Halfling lands may simply be forced to pay or get some community service.
Do keep in mind that possessions are frequently shared amongst many Halflings and "borrowing" things are quite common among Halflings, making actual true theft quite rare (and usually involving food in some way).
The small size of Halflings have given them quite the disadvantage in combat and the Halflings have done their best to deal with this problem any way they can.
The most common solution, coming about due to the Halflings habit of gardening and growing all kinds of plants is poison.
Halfling possess some of the most extensive poison (and medicinal) knowledge in the world making even the tiniest of cuts from a tiny Halfling blade deadly to their often larger enemies.
Primarily though, the Halflings prefer to kill their enemies at range with their incredible aim without ever engaging in close quarters unless absolutely necessary. They also make frequent use of supply raids, sneak attacks and ambushes.
In summary, Halflings will excel at the defence with attritional/guerilla warfare, but struggle on the offence into core enemy territory.
Halflings make frequent use of tunnels which are usually too small for their enemies to use.
Halflings constantly push the boundries on their military tech to have the best (or atleast most modern) stuff available, for if they don't, they will fall behind, lose everything they have, and die. "Necessity is the mother of invention" after all.
Cavalry wise they make use of deceptively speedy ponies for scouting purposes and mobile Pony archers. Specially bred Giant Rams are used for cavalry charges.
Sidenotes;
1.Ramming speed originated as a Halfling term used to describe the speed which the Giant Ram accelerates to when it's charging at the enemy.
2.Ponies are almost synonymous with the Pony Express, the first and still running Halfling postal service. They are famous for always delivering their packages even if they are often a bit late because the courier decided to stop for several snacks along the way while taking in the sights.
The most common solution, coming about due to the Halflings habit of gardening and growing all kinds of plants is poison.
Halfling possess some of the most extensive poison (and medicinal) knowledge in the world making even the tiniest of cuts from a tiny Halfling blade deadly to their often larger enemies.
Primarily though, the Halflings prefer to kill their enemies at range with their incredible aim without ever engaging in close quarters unless absolutely necessary. They also make frequent use of supply raids, sneak attacks and ambushes.
In summary, Halflings will excel at the defence with attritional/guerilla warfare, but struggle on the offence into core enemy territory.
Halflings make frequent use of tunnels which are usually too small for their enemies to use.
Halflings constantly push the boundries on their military tech to have the best (or atleast most modern) stuff available, for if they don't, they will fall behind, lose everything they have, and die. "Necessity is the mother of invention" after all.
Cavalry wise they make use of deceptively speedy ponies for scouting purposes and mobile Pony archers. Specially bred Giant Rams are used for cavalry charges.
Sidenotes;
1.Ramming speed originated as a Halfling term used to describe the speed which the Giant Ram accelerates to when it's charging at the enemy.
2.Ponies are almost synonymous with the Pony Express, the first and still running Halfling postal service. They are famous for always delivering their packages even if they are often a bit late because the courier decided to stop for several snacks along the way while taking in the sights.
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OK so what is a good relationship with Hysh? Keep in mind that we have to channel the effects of the winds and temper them. Hysh makes healers and paladins, it also makes self-righteous fanatics so I think questioning one's own 'truth' is going to be very important to them.
I like the enthusiasm. The limit may be increased, but I wanted to put a cap on it to keep things concise for now. I'd advise against getting too invested in creating an entire faction yourself, since people can vote on culture too so your initial designs might not win and be a minority culture.
- Location
- barking
Like I said before its most likely athel loren and the great oak mentioned just proves it cause it kinda implies the oak of ages
- Pronouns
- He/Him
A cursory look at the wikipedia page on Śramaṇa seems to indicate that it would emphasize some of the worse impulses of Hysh.
I think any culture we teach for the Lanternkeepers should play more on their empathy, illumination of the mind, and on healing.
Everwood. Between what would be the Empire and Bretonnia.
That seems a good start, albeit I'd be careful about falling into a us-versus-them trap. An emphasis on reason, self-illumination and healthy skepticism seems indicated.
Also note what was argued for them in committee:
So probably some sort of Older Sibling for our other creatures. Playing diplomat and advisor for them.
So probably some sort of Older Sibling for our other creatures. Playing diplomat and advisor for them.
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so the turtles will develop organically unless we revisit them...should we revisit them? at least to inform them that there's are brother and sister races created by the old ones that will exist, like the Saurus, Axolotls, Varanus, Slann, Linternapixqui and others the Old Ones will create.
- Location
- in between
I think my idea for the Fenrir is mostly a fairly nomadic society. They're meant to wander around wilderness and deep forests, hunting for most food but being capable of herding. They're carnivores, so agriculture won't encourage sedentary living the same way for them. I was thinking to have them value hunting and combat skills a lot, with equal emphasis on how to fight individually and as a group. Is that acceptable as a basis, or should I try to get more detailed?
- Pronouns
- He/Him
How about a Yin-Yang set up:
-[]Light is the Tree: structure emerging from the formlessness of the Earth. But Light, too much of it, overshadows new growth, ossifies the mind and withdraws it from the imperfect world.
-[]Darkness is the Earth: a formless mass, hatred and terror, seeking to submerge the mind in doubt and suffering. But also skepticism, a necessary pruning, and the base from which new Light arises.
-[]Everyone has the Tree and the Earth in them, Linternapixqui included. No being is perfectly of the Tree or of the Earth. Imperfection is not only omnipresent but a necessary prerequisite.
-[]One harnesses the Earth by channeling it through well-developed reason, giving the doubt shape to cut at old conceits without mindlessly attacking the whole. One harnesses the Tree by nurturing it, letting accident of wind and rain twist it into novel and useful shapes, and pruning it back when it threatens to overshadow new growth.
-[]Light is the Tree: structure emerging from the formlessness of the Earth. But Light, too much of it, overshadows new growth, ossifies the mind and withdraws it from the imperfect world.
-[]Darkness is the Earth: a formless mass, hatred and terror, seeking to submerge the mind in doubt and suffering. But also skepticism, a necessary pruning, and the base from which new Light arises.
-[]Everyone has the Tree and the Earth in them, Linternapixqui included. No being is perfectly of the Tree or of the Earth. Imperfection is not only omnipresent but a necessary prerequisite.
-[]One harnesses the Earth by channeling it through well-developed reason, giving the doubt shape to cut at old conceits without mindlessly attacking the whole. One harnesses the Tree by nurturing it, letting accident of wind and rain twist it into novel and useful shapes, and pruning it back when it threatens to overshadow new growth.
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All of this is genuinely interesting! I hope we can have the Hardy Halflings see the light of day
- Location
- Your pantry
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[ ] Plan: Praise Be! [DRAFT]
-[ ] Culture/People Name: Mithran/Mithranites
-[ ] Names: Ancient Egyptian/Babylonian/Persian
-[ ] Architecture: Ancient Egyptian/Babylonian/Persian (they're very fond of making HUGE temple complexes)
-[ ] Religion: The Mithranites are Monolatrists, which means while they acknowledge the existence of other gods, they will only worship theirs. This god's name is Mithra. He is their patron and creator. He is the god of enlightenment, justice and purity. He is in fact the personification of Hysh. He has one great enemy, Darya, he is corruption, and evil incarnate. He is the personification of Dhar. Mithra and Darya are locked in a neverending struggle, one of Good vs Evil. Sentient beings in the world, by doing good acts, strengthen Mithra in his fight against Darya, while evil acts do the opposite, and strengthen Darya. The religion is organized, with a Pontiff leading the priesthood. Once a Pontiff dies, another is chosen from the priesthood. Said priest must also go through a trial to take up the role.(similar to how Phoenix kings are crowned, just with a hysh bent to it.)
-[] Government: Mithran government is a theocracy, plain and simple. The Pontiff is the head of state, and priests lead the country.
-[] Society: Mithran society is one that is very moralistic, in part due to it's huge focus on religion. Good, kind acts are to be praised, evil ones should be condemned. Mithran society also puts an emphasis on learning and education. Mithran cities have many repositories for books and scrolls. Most of these are accessible to your common Mithranite. It is also fairly meritocratic, though to rise up in the ranks, one must necessarily become a priest. 'Nobility' of any sort is a foreign concept to Mithrans.
How does this look so far?
-[ ] Culture/People Name: Mithran/Mithranites
-[ ] Names: Ancient Egyptian/Babylonian/Persian
-[ ] Architecture: Ancient Egyptian/Babylonian/Persian (they're very fond of making HUGE temple complexes)
-[ ] Religion: The Mithranites are Monolatrists, which means while they acknowledge the existence of other gods, they will only worship theirs. This god's name is Mithra. He is their patron and creator. He is the god of enlightenment, justice and purity. He is in fact the personification of Hysh. He has one great enemy, Darya, he is corruption, and evil incarnate. He is the personification of Dhar. Mithra and Darya are locked in a neverending struggle, one of Good vs Evil. Sentient beings in the world, by doing good acts, strengthen Mithra in his fight against Darya, while evil acts do the opposite, and strengthen Darya. The religion is organized, with a Pontiff leading the priesthood. Once a Pontiff dies, another is chosen from the priesthood. Said priest must also go through a trial to take up the role.(similar to how Phoenix kings are crowned, just with a hysh bent to it.)
-[] Government: Mithran government is a theocracy, plain and simple. The Pontiff is the head of state, and priests lead the country.
-[] Society: Mithran society is one that is very moralistic, in part due to it's huge focus on religion. Good, kind acts are to be praised, evil ones should be condemned. Mithran society also puts an emphasis on learning and education. Mithran cities have many repositories for books and scrolls. Most of these are accessible to your common Mithranite. It is also fairly meritocratic, though to rise up in the ranks, one must necessarily become a priest. 'Nobility' of any sort is a foreign concept to Mithrans.
How does this look so far?
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I like it! It has a very Zoroastrian vibe to it, it would fit the Lanternkeepers well.