For the record, this project is not dead. It's been on hold during a lengthy hospitalization and recovery, but I'm starting to think about it again and hope to have some updates soon.
Cheers,
Chris
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Friday, July 20, 2012
The old ways
"The world has abandoned the old ways. We have not. We will be raised up, proven, when all else fails."
"Proven to who? The gods are dead, the world is doomed by it. What ways?"
"They will return. We are being tested. We remain strong."
"You're mad. All geb are fucking mad and you'll doom us."
Monday, July 2, 2012
Ignore the names...
Living ships - controlled by a shipspouse. Left over from the days of the gods. Engineered from whales, semi-sentient, huge ships, originally warcraft but adapted to fast cargo hauling through rough and dangerous waters. Imagine a corrupted one..
In the days of war, some of the gods crafted certain enormous marine animals into living warships. Leviathans are something between a whale, a giant squid and an immense nautilus. The warships that were made from them are called Galleathans.
They are immense creatures the size of galleons, with decks covered by a transparent crystalline nautilus shell, and weapon ports covered by gill-like flaps. They lack any control schemata, instead each is mentally bound to a particular family of sentients. More specifically, they are bound to one person, and on the death or incapacity of that person the bond will pass to the most genetically similar person, usually a child. They can either be forced to obey, or trained to build a bond of trust and obey voluntarily. The Galleathans are relatively strong willed, so forcing obedience is difficult for most.
Pilots must be magically active and trained in order to create the bond in the first place, although they need not be trained to accept a bond passed from another. An untrained person who suddenly finds themselves bound to a Galleathans can actually be taught and trained by the beast itself
Because the nature of the bond is at its heart magical, the Galleathans may be corrupted through the bond to their pilots. Along the same lines, a corrupted ship whose pilot dies, whose bond then passes to another, will in turn corrupt that person.
Sava cannot be pilots, and cannot be bound by a Galleathans. In fact, Galleathans generally will not tolerate having a Sava on board, as their anti-magical field interferes with the bond and causes them pain.
Galleathans are affected by the will and personalities of their pilot. A pilot who is laid back, generally happy, and works with his ship rather than forcing obedience will generally have a playful, happy ship that may stretch its commands but will no seek to break the bond. A brooding, angry pilot who forces it's will on his ship will have an angry ship, difficult to control, that constantly seeks to break its bond or pervert it's pilot's intent.
In the days of war, some of the gods crafted certain enormous marine animals into living warships. Leviathans are something between a whale, a giant squid and an immense nautilus. The warships that were made from them are called Galleathans.
They are immense creatures the size of galleons, with decks covered by a transparent crystalline nautilus shell, and weapon ports covered by gill-like flaps. They lack any control schemata, instead each is mentally bound to a particular family of sentients. More specifically, they are bound to one person, and on the death or incapacity of that person the bond will pass to the most genetically similar person, usually a child. They can either be forced to obey, or trained to build a bond of trust and obey voluntarily. The Galleathans are relatively strong willed, so forcing obedience is difficult for most.
Pilots must be magically active and trained in order to create the bond in the first place, although they need not be trained to accept a bond passed from another. An untrained person who suddenly finds themselves bound to a Galleathans can actually be taught and trained by the beast itself
Because the nature of the bond is at its heart magical, the Galleathans may be corrupted through the bond to their pilots. Along the same lines, a corrupted ship whose pilot dies, whose bond then passes to another, will in turn corrupt that person.
Sava cannot be pilots, and cannot be bound by a Galleathans. In fact, Galleathans generally will not tolerate having a Sava on board, as their anti-magical field interferes with the bond and causes them pain.
Galleathans are affected by the will and personalities of their pilot. A pilot who is laid back, generally happy, and works with his ship rather than forcing obedience will generally have a playful, happy ship that may stretch its commands but will no seek to break the bond. A brooding, angry pilot who forces it's will on his ship will have an angry ship, difficult to control, that constantly seeks to break its bond or pervert it's pilot's intent.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Quick idea to be expanded later...
Living ships - controlled by a shipspouse. Left over from the days of the gods. Engineered from whales, semi-sentient, huge ships, originally warcraft but adapted to fast cargo hauling through rough and dangerous waters. Imagine a corrupted one..
Monday, June 18, 2012
A meeting
A long vertical stone chimney, smooth walls, leading deep into the ground. At the bottom is a spherical chamber, the bottom third of which is filled with a pool of gods blood, a viscous red liquid so dark it is almost black, and which radiates a faint purple glow that illuminates nothing but the blood itself.
Hovering above it is a humanoid in hooded light saffron robes, sitting it a lotus position in mid air. The robes are stained with blood, also glowing faintly. Her blood occasionally drips into the pool, the only sound in the chamber. The chamber has a single other entrance, a hidden door leading to a narrow ledge high on the wall, facing the back of the floating figure.
A group of adventurers enters the chamber, tensely and silently. The figure pulls back it's hood to reveal the rent and eyeless face of a Weeping . The creature's split and bleeding lips turn gently up in a small, sad smile. It's lips do not open, but each member hears its beautiful and hypnotic voice directly in its mind, each in their native language. "Welcome, my children. You are weary. Please take your ease. Be warmed. Be one, and at peace." The four hardened treasure seekers feel their eyes start to close, their attention wandering and their bodies relaxing, while in each, the core of their beings wails first in fear, then in despair, then in ecstasy.
Hovering above it is a humanoid in hooded light saffron robes, sitting it a lotus position in mid air. The robes are stained with blood, also glowing faintly. Her blood occasionally drips into the pool, the only sound in the chamber. The chamber has a single other entrance, a hidden door leading to a narrow ledge high on the wall, facing the back of the floating figure.
A group of adventurers enters the chamber, tensely and silently. The figure pulls back it's hood to reveal the rent and eyeless face of a Weeping . The creature's split and bleeding lips turn gently up in a small, sad smile. It's lips do not open, but each member hears its beautiful and hypnotic voice directly in its mind, each in their native language. "Welcome, my children. You are weary. Please take your ease. Be warmed. Be one, and at peace." The four hardened treasure seekers feel their eyes start to close, their attention wandering and their bodies relaxing, while in each, the core of their beings wails first in fear, then in despair, then in ecstasy.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Ammadhur city sections
1) Scholar's Quarter - universities (private and public), Mage guilds, archaeological societies. Homes of wealthier scholars, mages and some wealthy families with academic pretensions.
2) trade quarter - docks, trade houses and merchant's guilds, League of Guilds meeting house, Customs House, guard house for League Watch. Many of the moderately powerful merchant families have homes here. Some residential neighborhoods, lower and middle class.
3) Tyrant's quarter - Tyrant's palace and wealthiest citizens, including estates for those powerful merchant families who do not choose to live outside the city walls. Guard houses for Tyrant's Watch.
4) government quarter - Great Council buildings, bureaucratic buildings, guard house for Council Watch. Some homes for council members and upper bureaucrats.
5) various residential areas. Middle class home and apartments, poor quarters and slums, multiple small racial ghettos/neighborhoods.
The Khevan Vestments
A few scraps of half rotted cloth, named for the city in which they were found, and where they are being studied. The Vestments are believed to be portions of the ritual garments of a Geb priest-king from the age of the gods. Any Geb coming near them without powerful magical protections is filled with a powerful urge to touch them, but actually doing so causes immediate and powerful headaches in most and throws others into a coma. Non-Geb feel nothing, and oddly enough the Blooded also feel nothing from the scraps. They are kept ringed with protective circles in the University of Kheva Rhak and are being studied.
The Iron Word
An ancient Geb artifact, believed by many to be the item used by one or more of the Geb's gods to speak with and convey directions to their people. A fifty foot high tower composed of striated and seemingly random patterns of various metals fused somehow into a single piece with no visible seams. The top of the tower is ringed with large purple crystals inset into the metal, and irregular rays of the various metals used in its construction, resembling tree roots, spread out from its base. The tower has four circular openings, each about ten feet in diameter, spaces evenly around it, about five feet of of the ground. The openings lead to a single spherical chamber composed apparently of the same purple crystal as the stores around its crown. All of the crystals glow faintly, the brightness of the glow pulsing regularly in very slow intervals, each pulse taking about a week to complete under normal circumstances. The pulses speed up marginally if magic is used near the tower. Any attempt to use magic within the tower has proven to immediately infect the wizard with the blood of the gods.
The tower, which lies about 100 miles to the northwest of Ammadhur, is perpetually surrounded by mages and students of the Reevan School, a university of magic that has been studying it for centuries. They study the Word and keep strangers from entering it and possibly harming themselves and others. Despite hundreds of years of study, they have yet to definitively prove its purpose.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Another monster without a name. I'm bad at names.
Small, flying creatures with sharp features suggestive of a young aelth. They fly, and sing a strange, warbling song. Their song is psychoactive. Targeted creatures that hear the song will become fascinated by the creatures, hold them, pet them, and feel intense pleasure. with longer exposure, or exposure to multiple creatures' songs, victims will essentially freeze in place, paralyzed with ecstasy. At that point the singers will begin to feed, flaying strips of flesh and eating them. They feed in groups, but take their time.
Singers are roughly humanoid, about one foot high, with bat like wings. Their skin is silvery, with shimmer and highlights that range through a rainbow of colors. Enormous pearlescent eyes, tiny and viciously sharp teeth, and long razor-sharp claws. They nest in forests, in groups of a dozen or so.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Big fantasy tropes...
So I've been trying to sort of re-skin a lot of the standard fantasy tropes and give them an interesting (to me anyway) personality. So what to do, if anything about some of the bigger fantasy tropes?
And I mean that literally, BIG tropes, specifically giants and dragons.
A dragon equivalent would e way enough to explain - there was life on the world before the gods got there, there could easily have been a large, smart, dangerous, flying predator of some type. Easy enough to assume that some god or other tinkered with them, made them even bigger and smarter, and gave them access to magic. The latter would be necessary if the whatever was to be truly draconian in scope, as a creature that big would need magic to fly, at the very least.
But how to do it without just making a dragon, or something that screams "this is supposed to be a dragon, yet is kind of stupid"?
Wyvern would be easy enough to explain. Birds or local bird-like organisms that were boosted by the gods, or just mutated by exposure to the blood.
Maybe just have someone doodle something, and figure out what it is afterwards...
And I mean that literally, BIG tropes, specifically giants and dragons.
A dragon equivalent would e way enough to explain - there was life on the world before the gods got there, there could easily have been a large, smart, dangerous, flying predator of some type. Easy enough to assume that some god or other tinkered with them, made them even bigger and smarter, and gave them access to magic. The latter would be necessary if the whatever was to be truly draconian in scope, as a creature that big would need magic to fly, at the very least.
But how to do it without just making a dragon, or something that screams "this is supposed to be a dragon, yet is kind of stupid"?
Wyvern would be easy enough to explain. Birds or local bird-like organisms that were boosted by the gods, or just mutated by exposure to the blood.
Maybe just have someone doodle something, and figure out what it is afterwards...
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
Just a random thought...
Magic is finite, the corruption is not. The well of magic was kept full by the gods, until their death. Now that they are no longer there to refill it, it is a limited resource, and will eventually run dry. It may take 1000's of years, maybe longer, but it will run out eventually. However, the corruption is alive and self-perpetuating. As long as there is life in the world, the Blood will be there, and will be a path to power. This eventually, all magic will be corrupt, and some time thereafter the entire world will succumb to the blood.
DOOMED! DOOMED I TELL YOU!
Don't know if I actually want to use this or not, just a thought...
DOOMED! DOOMED I TELL YOU!
Don't know if I actually want to use this or not, just a thought...
Notes on the nature of magic and sacrifice
Though the gods made constant war on each other, up until fairly close to the end they were surprisingly civil as to how they went about it. They chose a battleground together, and they reached a mutual agreement about many of the tools and weapons they used, such as the well of magical power that they created for their worshippers to wield against each other.
Magic is a power source. Discounting the corruption that now festers in its depths, it is value neutral. It is a source of energy that was designed to react to the will and desire of its users, and to conform easily to structure imposed from outside. Thus, rituals used by those with a firm purpose in mind will draw power from the well and cause it to shape itself into different forms.
There are those that say that magic itself has a kind of sentience, a rudimentary intelligence that responds to and communicates with those that try and use it, that consciously shapes itself in conformance with the desires of the mages wielding it. This has never been widely accepted or proven, and if true, nobody knows what effect the corruption has had on that mind.
While there is no consensus as to whether or not magic is alive in and of itself, it is clear that magic reacts to life, and is tied to life force in some way. Natural plants and animals will draw up and store a small amount of magic by themselves, and can even use it in rudimentary ways. Thus shamanistic mages have found ways to use plants and animals as intermediaries between themselves and the raw force of magic, sacrifices of plants, animals and people can give access to a sudden burst of power, and natural ingredients can aid mages in the casting of their spells.
Some shaman have found ways to use sacrifices to place a barrier between themselves and the corruption at magic's heart, or at least they believe they have. The idea is to use another person or being to cast a spell through, allow the corruption to infest that person, and kill them at the height of the spell, this gaining both an extra boost of power and a filter for the corruption and it's effects.
Magic is a power source. Discounting the corruption that now festers in its depths, it is value neutral. It is a source of energy that was designed to react to the will and desire of its users, and to conform easily to structure imposed from outside. Thus, rituals used by those with a firm purpose in mind will draw power from the well and cause it to shape itself into different forms.
There are those that say that magic itself has a kind of sentience, a rudimentary intelligence that responds to and communicates with those that try and use it, that consciously shapes itself in conformance with the desires of the mages wielding it. This has never been widely accepted or proven, and if true, nobody knows what effect the corruption has had on that mind.
While there is no consensus as to whether or not magic is alive in and of itself, it is clear that magic reacts to life, and is tied to life force in some way. Natural plants and animals will draw up and store a small amount of magic by themselves, and can even use it in rudimentary ways. Thus shamanistic mages have found ways to use plants and animals as intermediaries between themselves and the raw force of magic, sacrifices of plants, animals and people can give access to a sudden burst of power, and natural ingredients can aid mages in the casting of their spells.
Some shaman have found ways to use sacrifices to place a barrier between themselves and the corruption at magic's heart, or at least they believe they have. The idea is to use another person or being to cast a spell through, allow the corruption to infest that person, and kill them at the height of the spell, this gaining both an extra boost of power and a filter for the corruption and it's effects.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Need to put a few new things together soon, here's a few notes:
- Lightbringers - they are to mages what the cherubim were to the gods. Beings of light created as servants, now mostly wild an corrupted.
- want a new race, something small and quick. Possibly an airborne race as well.
- need to describe the current Tyrant and a few others in the Ammadhur government
- need to add a second animals an beasts post, set out some domestic animals.
- Lightbringers - they are to mages what the cherubim were to the gods. Beings of light created as servants, now mostly wild an corrupted.
- want a new race, something small and quick. Possibly an airborne race as well.
- need to describe the current Tyrant and a few others in the Ammadhur government
- need to add a second animals an beasts post, set out some domestic animals.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
I need maps
I need some maps, and I can't draw for fuck all. I know Ammadhur should be visually based on Mantua in about the early 17th century, with guard towers along each bridge, and the bridges separating parts of the city. Don't have a clue what the surrounding landscape should look like. Would any of my lovely and talented friends like to help me create the geography of the world of Maeleff, and possibly draw me a map or two?
Monday, April 2, 2012
Cherubim/Blood Wisps
Called "blood wisps" by most, or "cherubim" by scholars that study the dead gods and their creations, these creatures are invisible and silent, and only semi material (to most). Only way to tell where it is is that anywhere it touches anything (including the ground) it leaves a bloodstain. It's blood is poisonous, but not a power source, having been extremely degenerated from the original source of its power.
They are degenerate forms of what amounted to angels, spirit servants of the gods. Originally they were pacifistic, body servants and sex slaves for the gods and their chosen servants. When the gods died, they were affected as well, being composed of something like the same stuff. But as they, like the servitor races, are only similar to the gods physically, rather than identical, their numbers were drastically reduced but not utterly destroyed.
The few that are left are somewhat inbred and highly aggressive, cunning rarher than truly intelligent, unlike their ancestors.
Visible and audible only to those that have been corrupted. To them, they appear as androgynous creatures of unearthly beauty, naked and alluring despite being covered in blood. To the uncorrupted their blood is a powerful poison, to the corrupted it is a powerful euphoric. The creatures seek to kill the uncorrupted and seduce the corrupted.
They are degenerate forms of what amounted to angels, spirit servants of the gods. Originally they were pacifistic, body servants and sex slaves for the gods and their chosen servants. When the gods died, they were affected as well, being composed of something like the same stuff. But as they, like the servitor races, are only similar to the gods physically, rather than identical, their numbers were drastically reduced but not utterly destroyed.
The few that are left are somewhat inbred and highly aggressive, cunning rarher than truly intelligent, unlike their ancestors.
Visible and audible only to those that have been corrupted. To them, they appear as androgynous creatures of unearthly beauty, naked and alluring despite being covered in blood. To the uncorrupted their blood is a powerful poison, to the corrupted it is a powerful euphoric. The creatures seek to kill the uncorrupted and seduce the corrupted.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Animals and beasts (pt. 1)
Thisp
Mammalian snake like creature covered with "fur" which is really a symbiotic algae colony. The photosensitive algae colony provides chameleon like properties, shares it's photosynthesis with the animal when hunting is scarce, and shares the snake's caloric intake at night. The snake has a euphoric venom, which is in fact plant based. 2 - 3 feet in length, brown skin with a "fur" that changes color with the leaves.
Karr Hound
Quadrupedal mammal, powerfully built, 5 to 6 feet from nose to hindquarters, with a long tail.
Resembles a large, powerfully built hyaena in basic form, though longer of limb and with feet that resemble rudimentary hands. Hairless save for a strip of fur that runs down their backs. Climbing pack hunters that live in hilly and mountainous terrain.a
Need:
[swamp dragon]
[plains ape]
[desert cat]
Mammalian snake like creature covered with "fur" which is really a symbiotic algae colony. The photosensitive algae colony provides chameleon like properties, shares it's photosynthesis with the animal when hunting is scarce, and shares the snake's caloric intake at night. The snake has a euphoric venom, which is in fact plant based. 2 - 3 feet in length, brown skin with a "fur" that changes color with the leaves.
Karr Hound
Quadrupedal mammal, powerfully built, 5 to 6 feet from nose to hindquarters, with a long tail.
Resembles a large, powerfully built hyaena in basic form, though longer of limb and with feet that resemble rudimentary hands. Hairless save for a strip of fur that runs down their backs. Climbing pack hunters that live in hilly and mountainous terrain.a
Need:
[swamp dragon]
[plains ape]
[desert cat]
Some thoughts on corruption in the natural world
Need to consider what effect the corruption has on the natural world. The gods came to a world already full of life and merely modified some of it to fit their dneeds, so it's not like all life in the world was inextricably intertwined with them. But I've established that there are "natural magics" so there must be some connection.
Shamanistic magic is a slow and gradual accumulation of power to subtly manipulate the natural world. As such it is relatively safe, much like alchemy and enchantment. But of course the corruption is insidious, and even the most careful use of power has the potential to become tainted.
Occasionally, in areas where a lot of magic directed at the natural world has been practiced, a thread of corruption will affect a plant or animal. Usually, this ultimately leads to blighted areas devoid of life and radiating sickness. Every now and then, the plant, creature or area is merely changed, warped and mutated. This is how rothounds are created, but they are not the only such creature.
When entire areas are so affected, becoming twisted and corrupt parodies of nature, they are often inhabited by a Lotho Defiler, who will become its protector.
Shamanistic magic is a slow and gradual accumulation of power to subtly manipulate the natural world. As such it is relatively safe, much like alchemy and enchantment. But of course the corruption is insidious, and even the most careful use of power has the potential to become tainted.
Occasionally, in areas where a lot of magic directed at the natural world has been practiced, a thread of corruption will affect a plant or animal. Usually, this ultimately leads to blighted areas devoid of life and radiating sickness. Every now and then, the plant, creature or area is merely changed, warped and mutated. This is how rothounds are created, but they are not the only such creature.
When entire areas are so affected, becoming twisted and corrupt parodies of nature, they are often inhabited by a Lotho Defiler, who will become its protector.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Started to put a character together in my head. A black-skinned Geb shaman, who had touched Blood and decided to embrace it, still alive, but on his way to transforming into a blessed, and gaining considerable power from the blood. Tall, with a row of small horns across his forehead. Jet black skin, broken by patterns made up of glowing veins of red blood. Carries a staff. After I pictured this in my head, I realized that I had just made Darth Maul...
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Some brief notes on tone.
Okay, so the vast majority of what I've written here so far has been very dark in tone. And I'll admit, this is pretty much intentional. Plagues of undead, the blood of dead gods, malevolent blessed, fairly heavy stuff overall, and a pretty dark world outside the city walls.
But I don't want to leave the impression that it's pretty much pure doom and horror. I mean, a fair amount of doom and horror, but unrelieved blackness is boring, and needs some contrast. There are steampunky elements, commercial intrigues, piracy, and plain old interspecies conflict to provide breaks in background foundation and narrative tone. In the end I want portions of the world - the city of Ammadhur and its environs, other similar places - to be beacons of enlightenment and civilization, and provide opportunities that are less survival horror and lovecraftian vision and more swashbuckling, urban, investigative, and noir.
Okay, kind of schizophrenic in tone, but that's in part why I want to make this a group effort and an open/mosaic fictional world, to allow these conflicting tones and backgrounds to find a way to mesh and play nicely together...
But I don't want to leave the impression that it's pretty much pure doom and horror. I mean, a fair amount of doom and horror, but unrelieved blackness is boring, and needs some contrast. There are steampunky elements, commercial intrigues, piracy, and plain old interspecies conflict to provide breaks in background foundation and narrative tone. In the end I want portions of the world - the city of Ammadhur and its environs, other similar places - to be beacons of enlightenment and civilization, and provide opportunities that are less survival horror and lovecraftian vision and more swashbuckling, urban, investigative, and noir.
Okay, kind of schizophrenic in tone, but that's in part why I want to make this a group effort and an open/mosaic fictional world, to allow these conflicting tones and backgrounds to find a way to mesh and play nicely together...
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Some random collected notes on magic and the blood of the gods
Alchemy is a subset of Enchantment, and is a blend of magic and science, Alchemy is the safest of the magical disciplines. It's slow and methodical, skimming the top of the well, and the corruption can (generally) be effectively filtered out and avoided. Enchantment is used to create magic items and objects, including all of the techno magical stuff in the rich parts of Ammadhur. The items you end up with can be quite powerful, but enchantment in and of itself has no direct combat or improvisational use. Basically engineering, for all intents and purposes. Enchanters' guilds tend to be quite politically powerful in Ammadhur.
A sorcerer who embraces the corruption and delves deeply into the Gods' blood can use it to create a variety of effects, almost anything imaginable, limited only by the skill and strength of will of the caster. However, how easy it is and the effect it has on the caster will vary depending on where the effect falls on a scale from corrupt to pure.
It can create poison, rot, darkness and corruption effects quite easily, and casters are "rewarded" (so to speak) for doing so. Fire, and mental domination are slightly more difficult. Healing and purification are nearly impossible, and would exert a terrible toll on the caster if attempted.
If performing tasks that are evil and fitting in with the corruption theme, the caster either is either unaffected or moves one step closer to "transcendence", turning into one of the more powerful and intelligent undead. Attempting more "pure" effects brings the caster closer to death, or to transforming into a mindless undead. Willpower and discipline can slow or mitigate that change, but cannot eliminate it. Destructionor transformation are inevitable.
A direct attack that poisoned it's victim's mind and body would be a fairly straightforward use of god's blood. Drawing someone else's strength and life force into yourself would be more difficult, but still possible, as it has a balanced affect - harming another while benefiting yourself. Healing wounds on another would be impossible or nearly so. Any beneficial effect must generally be at least balanced with a harm.
Once one has physically touched a pool of gods' blood, one can draw on it from anywhere, with some limitations that I don't know yet. Merely touching it causes pain, damage and corruption, but creates the link. Immersing oneself in it entirely will either destroy one utterly, or immediately transform you into an undead.
Note that one need not eve physically touch or even see a Blood pool to draw on or utilize the Blood, or to feel its corruption. Any use of magic has a chance of opening one to the Blood, the more power used or expended the higher the chance. However, drawing on that much power without physical contact takes a tremendous amount of magical skill and/or willpower. However, the weakest minded person, with no magical skill or training at all, can find themselves possessing tremendous power if they actually physically touch Blood.
A sorcerer who embraces the corruption and delves deeply into the Gods' blood can use it to create a variety of effects, almost anything imaginable, limited only by the skill and strength of will of the caster. However, how easy it is and the effect it has on the caster will vary depending on where the effect falls on a scale from corrupt to pure.
It can create poison, rot, darkness and corruption effects quite easily, and casters are "rewarded" (so to speak) for doing so. Fire, and mental domination are slightly more difficult. Healing and purification are nearly impossible, and would exert a terrible toll on the caster if attempted.
If performing tasks that are evil and fitting in with the corruption theme, the caster either is either unaffected or moves one step closer to "transcendence", turning into one of the more powerful and intelligent undead. Attempting more "pure" effects brings the caster closer to death, or to transforming into a mindless undead. Willpower and discipline can slow or mitigate that change, but cannot eliminate it. Destructionor transformation are inevitable.
A direct attack that poisoned it's victim's mind and body would be a fairly straightforward use of god's blood. Drawing someone else's strength and life force into yourself would be more difficult, but still possible, as it has a balanced affect - harming another while benefiting yourself. Healing wounds on another would be impossible or nearly so. Any beneficial effect must generally be at least balanced with a harm.
Once one has physically touched a pool of gods' blood, one can draw on it from anywhere, with some limitations that I don't know yet. Merely touching it causes pain, damage and corruption, but creates the link. Immersing oneself in it entirely will either destroy one utterly, or immediately transform you into an undead.
Note that one need not eve physically touch or even see a Blood pool to draw on or utilize the Blood, or to feel its corruption. Any use of magic has a chance of opening one to the Blood, the more power used or expended the higher the chance. However, drawing on that much power without physical contact takes a tremendous amount of magical skill and/or willpower. However, the weakest minded person, with no magical skill or training at all, can find themselves possessing tremendous power if they actually physically touch Blood.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Random story/stories idea
The city of Ammadhur is a huge commercial shipping hub, and is largely run by mercantile concerns. But the city extracts taxes and tariffs, and struggles to prevent smuggling and piracy. To that end, customs police and customs inspectors would b a huge power.
I know this is extremely tropey, but: The customs police types have a team made up of former smugglers and pirates, caught and given powerful motivation one way or the other to work for the Tyrant and the city government. They also, for all intents and purposes, and the Tyrant's secret police. at least as to policing the merchant houses. Could form the basis for a series of short stories. Having them run afoul of a Skinwalker who had integrated himself into a merchant house could be a good introduction to the Blessed.
I know this is extremely tropey, but: The customs police types have a team made up of former smugglers and pirates, caught and given powerful motivation one way or the other to work for the Tyrant and the city government. They also, for all intents and purposes, and the Tyrant's secret police. at least as to policing the merchant houses. Could form the basis for a series of short stories. Having them run afoul of a Skinwalker who had integrated himself into a merchant house could be a good introduction to the Blessed.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Race: The Lotho
Giants, eight to ten feet tall, heavily built, with long fur that they wear in elaborate braids. The Lotho are based on a creature that is the local equivalent of prehistoric giant ground sloths.
Most believe that the Aelth are the first race, though in fact they are not. The Lotho came first, but were considered a failure by the gods that created them, and were abandoned. They lived alone in an isolated area for years, with no contact with the other races until well after the death of the gods.
Thr Lotho were made to be simple - near mindless - warriors. Instead, the giants became philosophers and deep thinkers, with deep a connection to nature, and little or no interest in warfare or gods. The Lotho are herbalists and thinkers, Druidic in nature, and are generally pacifistic. They are not at all defenseless however, and if they or their love ones are attacked, they can transform into powerful and terrifying beserkers.
Huge and powerful, with a deep natural wisdom. They have an incredible understanding of and communion with nature, are skilled herbalists and alchemists, and their natural magic is as powerful as that of the Aelth, though more focused on healing and protection then that of the Aelth, which is more aimed at stealth and the savagery of nature.
It is exceedingly rare for Lotho to embrace corruption, but the very few that do are terrifying creatures to behold. Defilers are huge beastial savages that warp nature around them into twisted and diseased living weapons.
Most believe that the Aelth are the first race, though in fact they are not. The Lotho came first, but were considered a failure by the gods that created them, and were abandoned. They lived alone in an isolated area for years, with no contact with the other races until well after the death of the gods.
Thr Lotho were made to be simple - near mindless - warriors. Instead, the giants became philosophers and deep thinkers, with deep a connection to nature, and little or no interest in warfare or gods. The Lotho are herbalists and thinkers, Druidic in nature, and are generally pacifistic. They are not at all defenseless however, and if they or their love ones are attacked, they can transform into powerful and terrifying beserkers.
Huge and powerful, with a deep natural wisdom. They have an incredible understanding of and communion with nature, are skilled herbalists and alchemists, and their natural magic is as powerful as that of the Aelth, though more focused on healing and protection then that of the Aelth, which is more aimed at stealth and the savagery of nature.
It is exceedingly rare for Lotho to embrace corruption, but the very few that do are terrifying creatures to behold. Defilers are huge beastial savages that warp nature around them into twisted and diseased living weapons.
Blessed: Rothounds
Generic term for undead animals, which gather in packs whatever their original animal. Hunters whose howl can paralyze and whose bite putrifies flesh.
Blessed: Warchildren
Mindless, as far as anyone can tell. The rotting body of a child (fetus through pre-pubescent) floats in the air, in fetal position, surrounded by a semi-translucent spherical shell of crystallized Blood. They instinctively draw the life force from nearby creatures. It is possible to magically bind yourself to a Warchild and draw off some of the power that it draws from the living around it, and use that power. Some Blessed and Blooded mages use them as pets, guards or attack dogs, sometimes fixing them in place in their lairs to draw out the life force of invaders and kill them, or sometimes they will have the Child floating over their heads, and use them as a weapon.
Found normally, they drift over the landscape, seemingly at random, attacking any people, animals or even plants if there is nothing else available, that they happen to come near, drawing out their life energy to sustain themselves. They live essentially like a jellyfish or man o'war.
Extremely resilient, their Blood shells take a tremendous amount of force to shatter, which is the only way to destroy them. Note that when the shell shatters, it returns to liquid Blood, and could spray those around it. Touching the solid shell will not open one to corruption, but it will increase the rate at which the Warchild draws out your life. Shattering their shell and destroying them however is obviously extremely dangerous.
Found normally, they drift over the landscape, seemingly at random, attacking any people, animals or even plants if there is nothing else available, that they happen to come near, drawing out their life energy to sustain themselves. They live essentially like a jellyfish or man o'war.
Extremely resilient, their Blood shells take a tremendous amount of force to shatter, which is the only way to destroy them. Note that when the shell shatters, it returns to liquid Blood, and could spray those around it. Touching the solid shell will not open one to corruption, but it will increase the rate at which the Warchild draws out your life. Shattering their shell and destroying them however is obviously extremely dangerous.
Blessed: The Bound
Undead Shar. Females are stark white and silent, and control groups of undead males, who are deep black and make a constant high pitched keening sound that disorients the living, causing hallucinations and euphoria. Males are semi-incorporeal, fading in and out of materiality seemingly at random. At rest, they cling to the much larger females and feed off their blood , but they prefer the blood and flesh of the living, and bring the brains and organs to their female mates for them to feed. Females are silent, but possess powerful magic. Males are bound to the female, and will vanish into nothingness if she dies.
Blessed: Shadekin
Undead Kin. Like the Kin, but more so. They are composed partially of shadow, and can disappear into shadows and teleport from one shadow to another. Almost always come in groups, that are in constant telepathic contact, and coordinate their actions perfectly. See the entry for the Kin for more.
Blessed: Wraiths
Incorporeal creatures of unnatural cold and pain. Any sentient being whose body is destroyed or utterly unmade by the corruption of the Blood has a chance of coming back as a wraith.
Blessed: The Fallen
Powerful undead Duer who seek to bring their former family and clanmates into the blood. They resemble pale, drawn duer with red, wet sunken eyes, usually wrapped in heavy robes. They are usually silent except for a sad and mocking laughter which causes suicidal despair in those that hear it.
Blessed: Souleaters
Undead geb. The look like geb that have been horribly burned to death, and they glow with an inner fire. Their skin is blackened and flaking, showing wet red muscle beneath. Inside their mouths is a burning hot white vortex of energy, which can actually project outward and snake out like a burning white-hot tentacle to constrict and stab its victims, burn them and draw out their life force.
Blessed: Skinwalkers
Skeletal undead, highly intelligent, they kill and skin their victims, eat their brains and wear the skin, and masquerade as them. They can preserve the dead flesh for a period of weeks or months before it begins to rot and they must move on to a new victim. When they eat a victim's brain, they gain its knowledge, and can mimic them nearly perfectly.
Only humans can become skinwalkers.
Only humans can become skinwalkers.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Blessed: Revenants
Revenants look like ragged and emaciated members of their base race, with skin that has a faint golden sheen and eyes that glow faintly. They can fly, and their gaze will fascinate and hypnotize the living, off of whom they then feed. Revenants are referred to by many as "the blessed", al though technically that is a generic term for all intelligent undead. Also called "angels" by some.
Blessed: The Weeping.
Weeping are blessed formed from Aelth who fell to the Blood. They are thin, with hard alabaster white skin which is covered in deep slashes and rents which constantly trickle blood. They are eyeless, and their empty eye sockets also constantly weep venomous blood.
Like the blood of the gods, a Weeping's blood can grant great magical power to those who taste it. Unlike the gods' blood, the Weepings' tears have seemingly been purified of the corruption, and will not destroy or transform those who partake of it. However, those who do taste a Weeping's blood are forever subject to the will of that Weeping. They partake in some of its power, but knowingly or unknowingly, they are subject to its mental influence.
The Weeping are very smart, and very powerful. They speak in riddles and have been known to deal and bargain with people for power. They can feed mortals some of their blood and grant them power, but they will always exert a subtle influence over that person from then on. Usually found alone in the wastelands, but they usually have vast webs of telepathic influence over people - especially mages hungry for power without the risk of corruption - all over the world. Their actual goals are usually long reaching and opaque.
Note that Aelth will stalk a Weeping endlessly. Aelth who learn of the whereabouts of a Weeping will do anything and everything in their power to destroy it. They will never admit why they are doing it, and will even claim not to see the creature they are fighting, to deny even that they are fighting anything, while they battle it to the death.
I haven't decided what happens to its slaves when a Weeping is destroyed. Either they are renderd suddenly powerless, or the blood that they tasted reverts to the blood of the gods, and renders them corrupt.
Like the blood of the gods, a Weeping's blood can grant great magical power to those who taste it. Unlike the gods' blood, the Weepings' tears have seemingly been purified of the corruption, and will not destroy or transform those who partake of it. However, those who do taste a Weeping's blood are forever subject to the will of that Weeping. They partake in some of its power, but knowingly or unknowingly, they are subject to its mental influence.
The Weeping are very smart, and very powerful. They speak in riddles and have been known to deal and bargain with people for power. They can feed mortals some of their blood and grant them power, but they will always exert a subtle influence over that person from then on. Usually found alone in the wastelands, but they usually have vast webs of telepathic influence over people - especially mages hungry for power without the risk of corruption - all over the world. Their actual goals are usually long reaching and opaque.
Note that Aelth will stalk a Weeping endlessly. Aelth who learn of the whereabouts of a Weeping will do anything and everything in their power to destroy it. They will never admit why they are doing it, and will even claim not to see the creature they are fighting, to deny even that they are fighting anything, while they battle it to the death.
I haven't decided what happens to its slaves when a Weeping is destroyed. Either they are renderd suddenly powerless, or the blood that they tasted reverts to the blood of the gods, and renders them corrupt.
Blessed: Lich
Lich in BoaDG are Fallen magi who voluntarily extend their lives to gain greater power, continue their studies or further their private goals. Non race specific, lich can only come about by the conscious choice of a very knowledgable and powerful Mage.
The Blessed
The corrupted power which fell to earth after the death of gods caused a huge plague of undead. Some are mindless or nearly so, zombies and skeletons, shells of bodies animated by pure corruption. Some however are not.
When one who touches the Blood embraces its potential, knowingly uses the corrupt power it can provide, and properly prepares oneself for the changes that are to come, it is possible to survive the corruption by enduring a tremendous transformation, and becoming one of the intelligent undead, called "blessed" because of their connection to the blood of the dead gods.
There are some common patterns to the blessed, physical types that members of specific races tend to fall into, but some blessed are unique, the result of a particularly focussed will and drive. For example:
Wenner Farmass was a mercenary and duelist, and recognized by many as one of the finest swordsmen in the region. Bipolar in nature, he was constantly alternating between drunken depression and a manic obsession with testing himself against every swordsman in the land. When he touched the Blood, and realized what had happened, his manic focus on becoming the greatest swordsman of his age turned him into what he is now, the Bloodblade.
The Bloodblade is a tall thin humanoid, with mottled brown and red skin. His head lolls to the side, his eyes rolling, and he constantly hums, sings random snatches of song, mutters and drools. His body however moves with incredible grace and speed. With a flick of either wrist, he can call a sword into being, drawing it out from the ever bleeding wounds on his hands. The sword is mottled black and red, appears somewhat crystalline, and the edge of it constantly bubbles, smokes and drips fluid. Wounds from the sword fester and rot immediately.
When one who touches the Blood embraces its potential, knowingly uses the corrupt power it can provide, and properly prepares oneself for the changes that are to come, it is possible to survive the corruption by enduring a tremendous transformation, and becoming one of the intelligent undead, called "blessed" because of their connection to the blood of the dead gods.
There are some common patterns to the blessed, physical types that members of specific races tend to fall into, but some blessed are unique, the result of a particularly focussed will and drive. For example:
Wenner Farmass was a mercenary and duelist, and recognized by many as one of the finest swordsmen in the region. Bipolar in nature, he was constantly alternating between drunken depression and a manic obsession with testing himself against every swordsman in the land. When he touched the Blood, and realized what had happened, his manic focus on becoming the greatest swordsman of his age turned him into what he is now, the Bloodblade.
The Bloodblade is a tall thin humanoid, with mottled brown and red skin. His head lolls to the side, his eyes rolling, and he constantly hums, sings random snatches of song, mutters and drools. His body however moves with incredible grace and speed. With a flick of either wrist, he can call a sword into being, drawing it out from the ever bleeding wounds on his hands. The sword is mottled black and red, appears somewhat crystalline, and the edge of it constantly bubbles, smokes and drips fluid. Wounds from the sword fester and rot immediately.
Locations: Kheva Rhak - the Iron City
A Geb city built into the side of Mount Riva, in the Khem's Horns range. The city sits astride one of the major passes though the range, and its outskirts dig deep into the mountain, winding trough the extensive iron mines that give it its name.
The Geb miners have recently breached a mind bogglingly huge underground chamber, that once held an underground Duer city, with huge and extensive temples that may once have been the home of an actual god or gods. The city is now drenched in gods blood, and overrun with seemingly endless undead. The Geb have been fighting the undead incursion ever since they breached the city wall, and have been collapsing tunnel after tunnel. Despite this, the undead are now starting to dig their way up into the mines and the city's lower reaches.
The Geb miners have recently breached a mind bogglingly huge underground chamber, that once held an underground Duer city, with huge and extensive temples that may once have been the home of an actual god or gods. The city is now drenched in gods blood, and overrun with seemingly endless undead. The Geb have been fighting the undead incursion ever since they breached the city wall, and have been collapsing tunnel after tunnel. Despite this, the undead are now starting to dig their way up into the mines and the city's lower reaches.
Locations: The City-state of Ammadhur, Republic Eternal (Part 2)
Ammadhur is surrounded by farms and smaller towns that are loosely associated with the city-state. They pay taxes to the city, in exchange for being guarded by the Tyrant's troops. There are also a handful of large estates of rich and powerful folks that fall outside the city walls. Most have their own troops to keep them safe, some even contract with one or more of the schools of magic - which operate as guilds on their own right - for magical protection.
One of the biggest holidays celebrated in Ammadhur is the Day of the Falling of the Gods, usually just called The Falling or Falling Day. It's a chaotic day that falls between the last day of one year an the first day of the next. Nobody works save the absolute necessities. By tradition it is a day associated with reversals of fortune. For 24 hours, servants rule over their masters, peasants command soldiers, and children command their parents. The Tyrant traditionally spends the day a a common laborer somewhere in the city. The day ends with a "rain of blood", when thousands of gallons of red wine are sprayed over crowds of people all over the city.
One of the biggest holidays celebrated in Ammadhur is the Day of the Falling of the Gods, usually just called The Falling or Falling Day. It's a chaotic day that falls between the last day of one year an the first day of the next. Nobody works save the absolute necessities. By tradition it is a day associated with reversals of fortune. For 24 hours, servants rule over their masters, peasants command soldiers, and children command their parents. The Tyrant traditionally spends the day a a common laborer somewhere in the city. The day ends with a "rain of blood", when thousands of gallons of red wine are sprayed over crowds of people all over the city.
Call for aid: items needed for Ammadhur
I could use people's help designing the following groups/societies/etc., for placement in Ammadur
- mercenary companies
- schools of magic
- travelers' societies
- guard companies
- merchant's guilds & shipping companies
- adventuring companies
- undead hunters
- thieves' guilds
- archaeological societies
- enchanters/alchemists' guilds
- mercenary companies
- schools of magic
- travelers' societies
- guard companies
- merchant's guilds & shipping companies
- adventuring companies
- undead hunters
- thieves' guilds
- archaeological societies
- enchanters/alchemists' guilds
Locations: The City-state of Ammadhur, Republic Eternal (Part 1)
Ammadhur was one of the first independent states formed after the Death of Gods. Refugees from all races came together in this sheltered coastal area and huddled for protection from the insanity raging across the world, and when things died down, they stayed, and built. Ammadhur grew, and grew, and is now an immense urban sprawl, spread out over a stretch of coastline and a number of small islands - some natural and some artificial. It is positioned at a perfect natural harbor, in an area where a number of major ocean currents and major rivers happen to come together, and has thus become incredibly wealthy as a trade center and gateway to the interior of the continent.
Politically, Ammadhur is a representative republic. It is led by the Tyrant, almost always an elder merchant, head of one of the greater trading houses. The Tyrant is elected for life, via an incredibly complex system, designed to prevent favoritism or nepotism. Thirty members of the Great Council, chosen by lot, were reduced by lot to nine; the nine chose forty and the forty were reduced by lot to twelve, who chose twenty-five. The twenty-five were reduced by lot to nine and the nine elected forty-five. Then the forty-five were once more reduced by lot to eleven, and the eleven finally chose the forty-one who actually elect the Tyrant. While the system may seem impossibly burdensome, it has now been in use for almost 1000 years, and serves the city well. The Tyrant has a fair degree of power in and of himself, but he is checked in many ways by both the Great Council and the League of Guilds, both of which groups are quite powerful in their own rights.
The Tyrant is invariably shrewd, intelligent, and very very careful to keep the best interests of the City in mind. While he is elected for life, this comes with the loophole that a general vote of no confidence can result in his removal or execution at any time. The traditional Tyrannical costume in fact comes with a noose which the Tyrant always wears, on the theory that it will keep him humble and in his place.
Physically, the city is breathtaking. Immensely rich, the city is famed for its densely packed but beautiful architecture, between and among which flow thousands of canals, and nearly as many roads. The city is also unusually multicultural, representatives of nearly every race and people can be found there, some keeping to their own neighborhoods and walled ghettos within the city, some intermingling. Peace is kept by a (typically for Ammadhur) complex system of watch forces, one answering to the Tyrant, one to the Counsel, one to the League, and smaller forces retained by the individual guilds and merchant houses.
There actually remain several standing temples in Ammadhur. All are maintained by the city as museums, to remind the people of the death of gods, and it's effects on the world. The names and faces of the gods have all been defaced from each temple. The temple museums are all heavily guarded and protected by the enchanters' guilds and schools, as they are by their nature storehouses of powerful items of corrupted magic.
Along with the merchant's guilds and various guard companies, the city is rife with other organizations vying for control. Competing thieve's guilds, mercenary companies, universities of magic, adventuring companies, etc. Archaeological relic hunters undertake expeditions into the wild. Bounties on undead and on the gods' blood cults lead to professional hunters making hunting forays. Travelers' Societies work to keep the roads safe.
Note that the various guard companies double as a standing army when necessary. On the rare occasion that Ammadhur has to go to war, the Tyrant takes overall control of all if the various guard companies, with the officers of those companies taking command roles in the resulting army. If necessary, the Tyrant may negotiate with the various mercenary companies that have their headquarters in the city.
The wealthier sections of Amadhur have an alchemically powered commuter rail, streets lit by magic globes, high buildings with magically run elevators. The wealthiest have cars, electricity (for all intents and purposes), many or most of the modern conveniences. Middle class and higher have good medical care (some magical, some merely good care).
The poorer sections of town of course have none of this, just a typical pre-enlightenment city. Little or no medical care, few conveniences, almost no available magical resources.
The other side of the equation of course, is the danger inherent in the heavy magic use in the wealthier areas of town. While all of the magical amenities and enchanted items are manufactured using the safesteans possible (which is in no small part why they are so imcredibly expensive), there have been problems in the past. It was not all that long ago that the power in a simple light globe turned out to be ever so slightly corrupt, and slowly over the course of a few years caused several shopkeepers in the area to go mad, and ultimately die slowly and in horrible pain in the mage guilds' isolation cells, after each killed their loved ones.
Politically, Ammadhur is a representative republic. It is led by the Tyrant, almost always an elder merchant, head of one of the greater trading houses. The Tyrant is elected for life, via an incredibly complex system, designed to prevent favoritism or nepotism. Thirty members of the Great Council, chosen by lot, were reduced by lot to nine; the nine chose forty and the forty were reduced by lot to twelve, who chose twenty-five. The twenty-five were reduced by lot to nine and the nine elected forty-five. Then the forty-five were once more reduced by lot to eleven, and the eleven finally chose the forty-one who actually elect the Tyrant. While the system may seem impossibly burdensome, it has now been in use for almost 1000 years, and serves the city well. The Tyrant has a fair degree of power in and of himself, but he is checked in many ways by both the Great Council and the League of Guilds, both of which groups are quite powerful in their own rights.
The Tyrant is invariably shrewd, intelligent, and very very careful to keep the best interests of the City in mind. While he is elected for life, this comes with the loophole that a general vote of no confidence can result in his removal or execution at any time. The traditional Tyrannical costume in fact comes with a noose which the Tyrant always wears, on the theory that it will keep him humble and in his place.
Physically, the city is breathtaking. Immensely rich, the city is famed for its densely packed but beautiful architecture, between and among which flow thousands of canals, and nearly as many roads. The city is also unusually multicultural, representatives of nearly every race and people can be found there, some keeping to their own neighborhoods and walled ghettos within the city, some intermingling. Peace is kept by a (typically for Ammadhur) complex system of watch forces, one answering to the Tyrant, one to the Counsel, one to the League, and smaller forces retained by the individual guilds and merchant houses.
There actually remain several standing temples in Ammadhur. All are maintained by the city as museums, to remind the people of the death of gods, and it's effects on the world. The names and faces of the gods have all been defaced from each temple. The temple museums are all heavily guarded and protected by the enchanters' guilds and schools, as they are by their nature storehouses of powerful items of corrupted magic.
Along with the merchant's guilds and various guard companies, the city is rife with other organizations vying for control. Competing thieve's guilds, mercenary companies, universities of magic, adventuring companies, etc. Archaeological relic hunters undertake expeditions into the wild. Bounties on undead and on the gods' blood cults lead to professional hunters making hunting forays. Travelers' Societies work to keep the roads safe.
Note that the various guard companies double as a standing army when necessary. On the rare occasion that Ammadhur has to go to war, the Tyrant takes overall control of all if the various guard companies, with the officers of those companies taking command roles in the resulting army. If necessary, the Tyrant may negotiate with the various mercenary companies that have their headquarters in the city.
The wealthier sections of Amadhur have an alchemically powered commuter rail, streets lit by magic globes, high buildings with magically run elevators. The wealthiest have cars, electricity (for all intents and purposes), many or most of the modern conveniences. Middle class and higher have good medical care (some magical, some merely good care).
The poorer sections of town of course have none of this, just a typical pre-enlightenment city. Little or no medical care, few conveniences, almost no available magical resources.
The other side of the equation of course, is the danger inherent in the heavy magic use in the wealthier areas of town. While all of the magical amenities and enchanted items are manufactured using the safesteans possible (which is in no small part why they are so imcredibly expensive), there have been problems in the past. It was not all that long ago that the power in a simple light globe turned out to be ever so slightly corrupt, and slowly over the course of a few years caused several shopkeepers in the area to go mad, and ultimately die slowly and in horrible pain in the mage guilds' isolation cells, after each killed their loved ones.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Race: the Kin
Kin are short, wiry, and furry, with large slightly pointy ears and large sharp teeth. They stand about 5 feet tall, with dark colored fur that ranges from gray to black to dark red or brown in varying patterns that are usually extremely subtle and faint, difficult to see unless one is very close.
Kin are extremely adaptable. They generally live in live in small troupes, and may be found in any and every possible environment, some in hidden enclaves in an around major cities. They are naturally stealthy and sneaky, with a fair amount of skill in magic.
Kin form close and intense relationships with groups of other Kin, and they form what amounts to a simple telepathic or empathic connection with each other. This connection persists even when one Kin is corrupted by the Blood, and the changes expeienced by the corrupted Kin will actually pass through his bond to the others of his troupe. Thus, undead Kin almost always come in groups. The bond itself does not appear to be magical in nature.
Note that undead Kin (Shadekin, to be discussed later) are almost indistinguishable from their living brethren, save for being stronger both physically and magically, and with an uncanny ability to disappear into shadows and reappear elsewhere. Many Kin will in fact actively seek to fall to the blood purposely, and convert their troupe with them. The only physical difference between a Kin and a Shadekin is that the patterns in their fur - which are subtle differences in fur color/shade and difficult to see under the best circumstance - will change so that they form mystical patterns and writing, which move and shift constantly.
It is assumed that the Kin have their own language, but if so it is a secret carefully kept from other races. Hence the fact that the race is named in the human tongue.
Kin are extremely adaptable. They generally live in live in small troupes, and may be found in any and every possible environment, some in hidden enclaves in an around major cities. They are naturally stealthy and sneaky, with a fair amount of skill in magic.
Kin form close and intense relationships with groups of other Kin, and they form what amounts to a simple telepathic or empathic connection with each other. This connection persists even when one Kin is corrupted by the Blood, and the changes expeienced by the corrupted Kin will actually pass through his bond to the others of his troupe. Thus, undead Kin almost always come in groups. The bond itself does not appear to be magical in nature.
Note that undead Kin (Shadekin, to be discussed later) are almost indistinguishable from their living brethren, save for being stronger both physically and magically, and with an uncanny ability to disappear into shadows and reappear elsewhere. Many Kin will in fact actively seek to fall to the blood purposely, and convert their troupe with them. The only physical difference between a Kin and a Shadekin is that the patterns in their fur - which are subtle differences in fur color/shade and difficult to see under the best circumstance - will change so that they form mystical patterns and writing, which move and shift constantly.
It is assumed that the Kin have their own language, but if so it is a secret carefully kept from other races. Hence the fact that the race is named in the human tongue.
Race: the Sava
The Sava are a vaguely catlike people, and desert nomads. They are long distance runners, hearty despite their thin and graceful builds, which is vaguely cheetah-like in basic form.
In their tongue, the word "Sava" means simply "family". Sava as a rule are gregarious xenophiles who enjoy the company of other races, and famously will accept anyone into their families that can keep up with them, though of course very few actually can for any length of time. They do not possess much technology, and have no magic at all, in part because they rarely hold still long enough to build much of anything, but mostly because the Sava are uniquely resistant to magic.
No Sava has ever been known to fall to the taint of the Blood, as far as anyone knows. They actually seem to be oddly immune to the effects of the Blood, and in fact most forms of magic seem to just roll off of them. Especially strange is that members of other races who are welcomed into a Sava family seem to share some of the same resistance and immunity, at least for as long as they stay with their adopted family. Even simply traveling with a group of Sava for a short time will convey at least some resistance to magic during that time. Note that the Sava resistance to magic is additive - the more Sava in the area, the greater their resistance, and it builds over time. A single Sava, with no family members in the area, will be somewhat resistant to magic, but much more vulnerable then she would be if surrounded by family.
Along with being gregarious, Sava are notoriously omnisexual, and possess no cultural sexual taboos. They usually do not form lasting sexual or romantic relationships, they are both culturally and biologically bisexual in nature, and they will generally happily seduce members of other races, of their own family members, or just whomever happens to be about.
Children are raised collectively by the family group, and form no particular attachment to their biological parents - they do not generally know who their biological parents are.
Sava family groups are named for a single individual who the family chooses based on factors that baffle outsiders, and seem at times to be an inside joke of some kind that outsiders will not get.
The Sava average between 5.5 and 6 feet, and are thin and wiry of build. Lightly furred, light earth tones in color with varying patterns. They will often dye wild and colorful patterns into their fur.
As unlikely a match as it may seem, the Sava and the Duer are very close allies. The Sava insist that they taught the Duer to laugh and sing when they began to fall to their grief. The Duer differ, and say instead that the Sava were once more like them, but took the Duers' lessons in dealing with despair to ridiculous extremes.
In their tongue, the word "Sava" means simply "family". Sava as a rule are gregarious xenophiles who enjoy the company of other races, and famously will accept anyone into their families that can keep up with them, though of course very few actually can for any length of time. They do not possess much technology, and have no magic at all, in part because they rarely hold still long enough to build much of anything, but mostly because the Sava are uniquely resistant to magic.
No Sava has ever been known to fall to the taint of the Blood, as far as anyone knows. They actually seem to be oddly immune to the effects of the Blood, and in fact most forms of magic seem to just roll off of them. Especially strange is that members of other races who are welcomed into a Sava family seem to share some of the same resistance and immunity, at least for as long as they stay with their adopted family. Even simply traveling with a group of Sava for a short time will convey at least some resistance to magic during that time. Note that the Sava resistance to magic is additive - the more Sava in the area, the greater their resistance, and it builds over time. A single Sava, with no family members in the area, will be somewhat resistant to magic, but much more vulnerable then she would be if surrounded by family.
Along with being gregarious, Sava are notoriously omnisexual, and possess no cultural sexual taboos. They usually do not form lasting sexual or romantic relationships, they are both culturally and biologically bisexual in nature, and they will generally happily seduce members of other races, of their own family members, or just whomever happens to be about.
Children are raised collectively by the family group, and form no particular attachment to their biological parents - they do not generally know who their biological parents are.
Sava family groups are named for a single individual who the family chooses based on factors that baffle outsiders, and seem at times to be an inside joke of some kind that outsiders will not get.
The Sava average between 5.5 and 6 feet, and are thin and wiry of build. Lightly furred, light earth tones in color with varying patterns. They will often dye wild and colorful patterns into their fur.
As unlikely a match as it may seem, the Sava and the Duer are very close allies. The Sava insist that they taught the Duer to laugh and sing when they began to fall to their grief. The Duer differ, and say instead that the Sava were once more like them, but took the Duers' lessons in dealing with despair to ridiculous extremes.
Race: the Shar
Shar are a highly dimorphic lizardlike race. Females are large, tough warriors who enter battle with a stunning roar. Males are smaller and weaker, winged and snake-like, faster than the females, and possessing a venomous bite.
Most chieftains are female and most shaman are male, though this is not universal. Clannish and insular, these amphibious people live in semi-permanent villages that exist partly or mostly underwater, and can be moved to a new location if needed. They are not unskilled with magic, though without the sophisticated enchantments of humans and duer.
The Shar often revert to the worshipful ways of their ancestors, seek out the relics and blood of their old and dead gods, and as a result many fall to corruption of the Blood. Those that fall are highly dangerous creatures, but are secretly revered, even worshipped, by many Shar.
Females average about 5'6"', males about 4". Females are heavily scaled over thick hide, males have fine scales over thinner skin. Their necks are long and snake-like, with males resembling nothing so much as a winged snake with limbs. They have a wide range of colors and patterns, with males tending to be more brightly colored than females.
Most chieftains are female and most shaman are male, though this is not universal. Clannish and insular, these amphibious people live in semi-permanent villages that exist partly or mostly underwater, and can be moved to a new location if needed. They are not unskilled with magic, though without the sophisticated enchantments of humans and duer.
The Shar often revert to the worshipful ways of their ancestors, seek out the relics and blood of their old and dead gods, and as a result many fall to corruption of the Blood. Those that fall are highly dangerous creatures, but are secretly revered, even worshipped, by many Shar.
Females average about 5'6"', males about 4". Females are heavily scaled over thick hide, males have fine scales over thinner skin. Their necks are long and snake-like, with males resembling nothing so much as a winged snake with limbs. They have a wide range of colors and patterns, with males tending to be more brightly colored than females.
Race: the Duer
Unlike the other races, which were raised by the gods from baser animals, the Duer were made from the stone of mountains.
Duer were close to their gods, closer than most races. They were made to be the guardians of their temples, they were ruled by a tremendous priest class, and as such they were badly decimated by the fall of the gods, and the rain of their Blood. Today their numbers are small and their underground nations are plagued with both Blessed and the lesser undead.
Duer are generally dour and mournful, in character. However, they have a surprising tradition of responding to overwhelming grief with song and laughter to raise themselves out of their depression. Duer whose grief is so strong as to overcome their ability to laugh often find a deep pool of Blood and throw themselves into it, emerging as a powerful Blessed being of sadness and temptation.
Duer are tinkerers, and originated much of the alchemical and enchanting magic now used in wealthy cities.
They average five feet tall, have craggy features, are hairless, have stocky builds, with skin color ranging through all of the colors of stone. In fact, their skin is hard and stone-like, and will even grow moss or lichen if they allow it to.
Race: the Aelth
Forest nomads. Most believe tat they were the first raised, made by their gods from a strange animal call a thisp, a small tree dwelling predator that resembles a lightly furred snake, but which is actually a mammal and a colony of algae that live symbiotically. "Aelthan" means "eldest" in their tongue, as the aelth were the first race created by the gods. Stalkers, archers and masters of their own subtle natural magics.
There are aelth that taste the Blood and fall to corruption, but they are disavowed by others of their race, who will insist that those that fell are not of the Aelthan and never were, and that the Aelth race remains pure. The few (unacknowledged) Aelth who do fall to the blood can become beings of immense power.
Aelth look like exaggerated elves- long, narrow, pointed features, long pointed ears, very thin and long of limb. They average about 6.5 feet, but usually with a hunched posture due to a deeply curved and flexible spine, and by human standards they seem emaciated. Skin tones are mostly greens, ochres and browns.
Race: the Geb
Raised by the gods from a tough and tenacious mountain predator. Geb (both singular and plural) are tribal hunters, with a peculiar sense of honor and fair play, and a fairly sinister sense of humor. Not overly known for their skill at arcane magic, but their shaman have their own rites seated in blood (lowercase b) and nature. Many Geb shaman do in fact utilize the Blood and the power it can grant, but Geb shaman are tough and strong-willed, and can usually hold out against death or transformation for longer than most.
Geb are proud, tough, vicious, and honorable in their own way. They are humanoid, average 6.5 to 7 feet in height, and are powerfully built.Wide round eyes that see clearly in the dark, long pointed ears and a narrow strip of mane-like hair. They have underbites with upward-pointing tusks. They have from 2 to 6 small horns, always an even number, symmetrically placed across their foreheads. Skin tone ranges from pale white to deep black, through all of the shades of gray in between.
Game mechanic idea: corruption
Game mechanic idea: "Corruption" is a stat (0 - whatever) that measures the degree to which you have been affected by the blood of the gods. Corruption can be added to at least certain stat or skill checks, at the cost/risk of raising your Corruption. Once Corruption reaches a certain number, its addictive and self destructive nature begins to affect your mind, and you have to make a willpower check NOT to add it to all possible checks, and that willpower check gets harder as the Corruption score gets higher. Once it reaches a certain point, the character dies, or if certain preparations have been made, transforms
The nature of magic.
This is best described via a somewhat extended metaphor, so bear with me on this.
Think of magical power as a well, filled with a thick liquid that settles and gets denser and heavier as you reach further down into its depths, thinner and lighter at the surface. The denser the liquid, the more powerful the magic. Thus, the deeper you reach into the well, the denser the material you draw up, the more difficult to lift and hold it, and consequently the more powerful the magical effects you can create. While the heavier and denser magic is more difficult to handle in terms of the strength and willpower required to use it, using it is also faster and in some ways simpler than trying to create similar effects using the lighter power towards the top. The thinner stuff at the top must be hoarded slowly over time, drawn in and pulled together with rituals and tools, with great skill and patience, to create small effects. The stuff at the bottom is the very essence of power: draw it up, frame a purpose in your mind, hurl it away, and you can level mountains.
But, the well has been poisoned. Magic was inextricably tied up and tangled with the gods and their power, as they created it as a tool for their vassals to use. Thus the corrupt blood of the gods, when it was spilled, infected all magical power.
The corrupt blood, to continue the metaphor, is the deepest and densest power available. Thus, the bottom of the well - the strongest magic - is pure blood and corruption, and the corruption gets lighter and more sparse as one rises up to into the lighter and clearer power. However that corruption is not limited strictly to the bottom, some will always diffuse upwards. Any use of magic has at least a small chance of touching on that corruption.
There are ways of doing magic that are very safe, if never perfectly safe. Alchemy and enchantment, by working slowly and carefully, accumulate small amounts of power slowly, skimming the very top of the well over a long period of time, and minimizing the chance of corruption. Alchemists will say that their works are completely safe, but of course there is always some risk, however small. With great skill, and great patience, wonderful works may be created this way, with minimum risk, albeit slowly.
There are pools and rains of Blood that are physical manifestations of the metaphysical bottom of that well of power. That power is so great and so dense that it has an actual physical presence, manifesting in the physical world even when not being actively used.
It is technically possible to be a classical D&D style sorcerer, without touching the blood. But it requires tremendous skill and not a little luck. One must be deft in drawing power from the well, knowing how deep one may reach and avoiding the wisps of corruption that reach upwards. Some succeed and attain power without risk. However most such practitioners eventually pay for their daring. It is difficult to sense the Blood if you have not already been corrupted, and thus it is very difficult to avoid those thin wisps of Blood that rise up through the well for very long.
The metaphor of the well is so widespread that those who fall to the blood have long been said to have "drawn too deep". The phrase has been generalized over time, and now anyone who does something foolish and dangerous or self-destructive is said to be "drawing too deeply", "diving" or "swimming in it".
I want one thing to be completely clear: once one touches the Blood, even the tiniest amount for the briefest time, corruption is inevitable. That person is, in one sense or another, doomed, without any recourse and without any hope of redemption. The corruption can, with skill and willpower, be held back and repressed for a time, the process slowed, but it cannot be entirely stopped. The most one can do is hope to die by other means before the corruption kills them, as any other death they may have will surely be a kindness compared to the end that the Blood will give them. The effects of the Blood cannot be cured or undone.
Of course, the mage who finds that she has touched the Blood, be it accidentally or deliberately, with their hands or even just with their minds, does in fact have a choice as to how to face the consequences. She can fight the corruption, or she can embrace it.
The Mage who chooses to fight the inevitable will die, disfigured and mad, and in horrible pain. All she can do is delay the inevitable. She can try and ignore it completely, or try to fight the corruption, and either way she will descend - quickly or slowly, but inevitably - into madness and eventual death. Ignore it or fight it, the result will be the same in the end, though with willpower and self control, the descent may be slowed.
On the other hand, she may bow to the inevitable, embrace the corruption, use it consciously and deliberately, and she will transform eventually into one of the intelligent undead, the "Blessed".
The blood of the gods.
The grand fight between good and evil already happened, and nobody won. The gods were so evenly matched when they went to war that they utterly unmade each other.
However, the nature of gods being what it was, eternal in their power, while the gods themselves are dead and gone, their power is not. It's just changed, corrupted. Even the names of the gods are forgotten by most, though a few races hold on to their names, and some even continue to worship in secret, in the hope that they someday return.
The power and blood of the gods was irredeemably corrupted in their destruction and death. The final blow that destroyed all of the gods was a seed of corruption, essentially a magical virus of unbelievable power, that turned their own power and blood into poison and corruption that unmade them all. As a result, the pools and remnants of their power that remain are impure and corrupt to this day. There are those who use it, but they inevitably become a reflection of that corruption.
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