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[OOC] The Fading Light of V'landriel (Closed for Soft Reboot)
- Large Group
- Historical
- Fantasy
- 18+
- Nation
- Advanced
- Steampunk
Join Status:
Full
GM
Meiyuuhi Her Divine Grace
Member
Seen
4 yrs ago
@Voltus_Ventus
In case you're wondering, yes, this is totally happening again.
Your presence reminded me to credit you, I was going to lol
In case you're wondering, yes, this is totally happening again.
Your presence reminded me to credit you, I was going to lol
Voltus_Ventus The Voltusiest Ventus
Member
Seen
1 day ago
@Voltus_Ventus
In case you're wondering, yes, this is totally happening again.
Your presence reminded me to credit you, I was going to lol
Nah, this is all you. Kinda reminiscent of my old ones. But I was never GM material. XD
GM
Meiyuuhi Her Divine Grace
Member
Seen
4 yrs ago
There's a beautiful central idea in there I desperately want to make work, because it exists almost nowhere else in fiction.
Voltus_Ventus The Voltusiest Ventus
Member
Seen
1 day ago
What, the industrialized/industrializing fantasy genre? It was the stuff of my day dreams for a long time, Ventium and its Heroic Tsar Voltus Ventus for just as long. It was good stuff, that I occassionally surf through and cringe at my mistakes and past writing style.
1x Laugh
LordZell The Zellonian
Member
Seen
4 yrs ago
Big question stats or story?
I am a sucker for both steampunk and nation roleplay...I shall knuckle down to some CS work in the morning :) .
1x Thank
GM
Meiyuuhi Her Divine Grace
Member
Seen
4 yrs ago
Big question stats or story?
Story. You're free to use as much stats as you like, though.
Quetzalcoatl Mildly Interesting House Plant
Member
Seen
3 yrs ago
Before I do more on this sheet, can I get your feelings on the basic idea @Mihndar?
Type of Government:
The Old Forest has never had an official government, rather whenever a decision was to be made which affected all the forests denizens the so called Greater Beings, the most ancient and impressive examples of their respective spaces, would gather. This, often, resulted in petty argument and endless compromise. While the seemingly almighty power of the forest in ages past meant this slow and contentious decision making process was tolerable given how uncommonly a united front was needed, the pressures of the modern day have revealed its weakness.
Head(s) of Government:
It could be said all the Greater Beings are heads of Government in the forest, certainly none would admit to being anything less, but in reality only a few among them hold real power. These notable entities include Shatarae of the Dryads, Gerume of the Great Weavers, Keera of the Harpies, Tokar of the Grand Ursine and on the rare occasion they deign to exert their influence, Ooash of the Shadows.
Economy:
Until recently the Old Forest had little in the way of industry, and there is little doubt not a one of its denizens would willingly engage in the economics of the so called 'ephemeral ones'. Of course, the Forests denizens don't have the choice to refuse any longer. After the first sundering of the forest the Great Beings were forced to make concessions, and today they, begrudgingly, provide the world with materials of the forest once considered mythical. Magical heartwood from the old trees, the silk of the weavers, the deep ice of the old mountain. The forest is forced to give away much of its wealth, and as for what it receives in return? Well, the Great beings cannot be said to have been ignorant of the circumstances of their subjugation. Deep within the forest the hiss of steam rises and furnaces burn hot, ostensibly to process the resources of the forest within the forest. Of course, industry has many uses.
Primary Species:
Countless species live within the forest, but few if any are those that might be seen elsewhere. The thinking beings of the forest are in order of their numbers, the Great Weavers, the Harpies, the Grand Ursine, the Dryads, and finally the enigmatic Shadows.
Population:
Ten to fifteen million.
Culture:
WIP
Religious and Other Beliefs:
WIP
Location/Territories:
(The Green Territory)
Climate:
WIP
Military:
WIP
Magic Prevalence/Usage and Elemental Alignment:
WIP
History/Background Info:
WIP
The Old Forest
Type of Government:
The Old Forest has never had an official government, rather whenever a decision was to be made which affected all the forests denizens the so called Greater Beings, the most ancient and impressive examples of their respective spaces, would gather. This, often, resulted in petty argument and endless compromise. While the seemingly almighty power of the forest in ages past meant this slow and contentious decision making process was tolerable given how uncommonly a united front was needed, the pressures of the modern day have revealed its weakness.
Head(s) of Government:
It could be said all the Greater Beings are heads of Government in the forest, certainly none would admit to being anything less, but in reality only a few among them hold real power. These notable entities include Shatarae of the Dryads, Gerume of the Great Weavers, Keera of the Harpies, Tokar of the Grand Ursine and on the rare occasion they deign to exert their influence, Ooash of the Shadows.
Economy:
Until recently the Old Forest had little in the way of industry, and there is little doubt not a one of its denizens would willingly engage in the economics of the so called 'ephemeral ones'. Of course, the Forests denizens don't have the choice to refuse any longer. After the first sundering of the forest the Great Beings were forced to make concessions, and today they, begrudgingly, provide the world with materials of the forest once considered mythical. Magical heartwood from the old trees, the silk of the weavers, the deep ice of the old mountain. The forest is forced to give away much of its wealth, and as for what it receives in return? Well, the Great beings cannot be said to have been ignorant of the circumstances of their subjugation. Deep within the forest the hiss of steam rises and furnaces burn hot, ostensibly to process the resources of the forest within the forest. Of course, industry has many uses.
Primary Species:
Countless species live within the forest, but few if any are those that might be seen elsewhere. The thinking beings of the forest are in order of their numbers, the Great Weavers, the Harpies, the Grand Ursine, the Dryads, and finally the enigmatic Shadows.
Population:
Ten to fifteen million.
Culture:
WIP
Religious and Other Beliefs:
WIP
Location/Territories:
(The Green Territory)
Climate:
WIP
Military:
WIP
Magic Prevalence/Usage and Elemental Alignment:
WIP
History/Background Info:
WIP
GM
Meiyuuhi Her Divine Grace
Member
Seen
4 yrs ago
Before I do more on this sheet, can I get your feelings on the basic idea @Mihndar?The Old Forest
Type of Government:
The Old Forest has never had an official government, rather whenever a decision was to be made which affected all the forests denizens the so called Greater Beings, the most ancient and impressive examples of their respective spaces, would gather. This, often, resulted in petty argument and endless compromise. While the seemingly almighty power of the forest in ages past meant this slow and contentious decision making process was tolerable given how uncommonly a united front was needed, the pressures of the modern day have revealed its weakness.
Head(s) of Government:
It could be said all the Greater Beings are heads of Government in the forest, certainly none would admit to being anything less, but in reality only a few among them hold real power. These notable entities include Shatarae of the Dryads, Gerume of the Great Weavers, Keera of the Harpies, Tokar of the Grand Ursine and on the rare occasion they deign to exert their influence, Ooash of the Shadows.
Economy:
Until recently the Old Forest had little in the way of industry, and there is little doubt not a one of its denizens would willingly engage in the economics of the so called 'ephemeral ones'. Of course, the Forests denizens don't have the choice to refuse any longer. After the first sundering of the forest the Great Beings were forced to make concessions, and today they, begrudgingly, provide the world with materials of the forest once considered mythical. Magical heartwood from the old trees, the silk of the weavers, the deep ice of the old mountain. The forest is forced to give away much of its wealth, and as for what it receives in return? Well, the Great beings cannot be said to have been ignorant of the circumstances of their subjugation. Deep within the forest the hiss of steam rises and furnaces burn hot, ostensibly to process the resources of the forest within the forest. Of course, industry has many uses.
Primary Species:
Countless species live within the forest, but few if any are those that might be seen elsewhere. The thinking beings of the forest are in order of their numbers, the Great Weavers, the Harpies, the Grand Ursine, the Dryads, and finally the enigmatic Shadows.
Population:
Ten to fifteen million.
Culture:
WIP
Religious and Other Beliefs:
WIP
Location/Territories:
(The Green Territory)
Climate:
WIP
Military:
WIP
Magic Prevalence/Usage and Elemental Alignment:
WIP
History/Background Info:
WIP
That's a very interesting idea, I absolutely approve. I'd love to see what you do with it.
It brings a mystical element which should really be present in this RP, even if it is driven to the depths of the forest.
Quetzalcoatl Mildly Interesting House Plant
Member
Seen
3 yrs ago
@MihndarIn that case here's an expanded NS.
Type of Government:
The Old Forest has never had an official government, rather whenever a decision was to be made which affected all the forests denizens the so called Greater Beings, the most ancient and impressive examples of their respective spaces, would gather. This, often, resulted in petty argument and endless compromise. While the seemingly almighty power of the forest in ages past meant this slow and contentious decision making process was tolerable given how uncommonly a united front was needed, the pressures of the modern day have revealed its weakness.
Head(s) of Government:
It could be said all the Greater Beings are heads of Government in the forest, certainly none would admit to being anything less, but in reality only a few among them hold real power. These notable entities include Shatarae of the Dryads, Gerume of the Great Weavers, Keera of the Harpies, Tokar of the Grand Ursine and on the rare occasion they deign to exert their influence, Ooash of the Shadows.
Economy:
Until recently the Old Forest had little in the way of industry, and there is no doubt not a one of its denizens would willingly engage in the economics of the so called 'ephemeral ones'. Of course, the Forests denizens don't have the choice to refuse to participate any longer. After the first sundering of the forest the Great Beings were forced to make concessions, and today they, begrudgingly, provide the world with materials of the forest once considered mythical. Magical heartwood from the old trees, the silk of the weavers, the deep ice of the old mountain. The forest is forced to give away much of its wealth, and as for what it receives in return? Well, the Great beings cannot be said to have been ignorant of the circumstances of their subjugation. Deep within the forest the hiss of steam rises and furnaces burn hot, ostensibly to process the resources of the forest within the forest. Of course, industry has many uses.
Primary Species:
Countless species live within the forest, but few if any are those that might be seen elsewhere. The thinking beings of the forest are in order of their numbers, the Great Weavers, the Harpies, the Grand Ursine, the Dryads, and finally the enigmatic Shadows.
Population:
Ten to fifteen million.
Culture:
Every species within the forest has, in one way or another, its own culture and traditions. The most numerous species huddling in the undergrowth are the Great Weavers, colossal intelligent spiders that in ages past lurked among the trees feeding on wildlife and the unwary alike. The Weavers are perhaps the species that, for all they are misunderstood and loathed outside the forest, have most easily adapted their culture to the new world.
For example, while the Weavers once prized and jealously guarded their silk, a material nearly as durable is it is lustrous, they quickly leveraged the humiliation of having to surrender the wealth of their own bodies into great power in the forest. Under the guidance of Gerume, the oldest of their kind to survive the sundering of the forest, the Weavers constructed great looms. Rather than stew in the shame of their new circumstances the Weavers turned the material they once guarded into a source of incredible wealth.
Likewise the Weavers have adapted in other areas. In the past the spiders were reclusive, outright refusing to consider outsiders people and certainly not worth their time. At best, an elf or human was a somewhat mediocre meal. Nowadays, for all that it’s unsettling, the Weavers are the most talkative species in the forest, always engaging with outsiders where the other denizens would refuse to do so.
The Weavers, as a people, were once uncomplicated. They ate, they fought when the Greater Beings among them demanded it, and otherwise kept to themselves. Their family units were nonexistent, rather ‘friends’ would merely set up webs near each other and on occasion engage in contests of skill in weaving or hunting. Now... Things are shifting for the forest as a whole, and nowhere is that more obvious than with the Weavers.
Of course, in perhaps a great irony, where the inhuman Weavers have adapted to their circumstances the human-like, seemingly approachable Harpies have fought any effort to have them change their ways. Perhaps the difference of opinion is less striking, when one gets a look at a Harpies smile. Predators like the Weavers, the difference between the two is that the Harpies never regarded the outside species as poor meals, but rather rich delicacies with vital ceremonial meaning.
Indeed, the consumption of elves, humans, dwarves, and their ilk was once an important part of Harpy religion. The predatory bird folk worship, fittingly, the spirits of the wind. While everyday worship is simple, rarely going beyond a prayer before meals, on sacred days the Harpies once descended upon communities beyond the forest in great hunts, displaying their prowess before the spirits in hunting the most dangerous prey. Those who were most successful consumed their kills ritually with their families, earning the blessings of the Sky-Witches who were said to hear the spirits of the wind directly and who possessed incredible magic.
Such a blessing was what made one an attractive bachelor, a respected leader of the community, or even what permitted one to marry their beloved regardless of any feuds or grudges between families. Ever since the sundering of the forest the hunts have ceased, and in their absence the Sky-Witches have become reclusive. The Harpies as a whole fear the displeasure of the spirits for the species failure to honour them, and it has been said some have gone about... Illicit activities to avert what the Harpies see as the wrath of the wind.
Not all the denizens of the forest have such... Colourful histories and practices though. The Grand Ursine, enormous bears often seen as the kings of all beasts, have never predated on the ‘ephemeral ones’ and have had little to reason to change their habits after the sundering of the forest. Certainly, they resent the basic labours demanded of them, but in truth it is not like they have not worked before. In ages past the Grand Ursine were the strong hand of the Dryads, so few truly loathe the labours that have become their new duty.
The Ursine, creatures with strong families and simple lives, spend their days working, hunting in the forest, or tending to the berry crops they have so painstaking maintained in the undergrowth of the forest. They are standoffish to outsiders, but the Ursine have no great hatred for outsiders and if one manages to gain their trust they have much to offer in what is perhaps some of the oldest oral history in the world. For if anything, the Ursine love stories. Fiction, truth, a blend of both, the Ursine spend much of their recreational time speaking and listening, remembering and constructing. If anything, the rapid rise of literacy among the Ursine is what sets them apart.
Of course, some of the denizens of the forest haven't had to learn their words from the outsiders. Apart from the common species of the forest there are the Dryads, truly powerful and enigmatic beings once feared and considered myth. They are few in number, some say less than a hundred thousand live within the forest, but all hold tremendous authority. Some have compared them to masterful statues of women carved from living wood, but even that falls short when one stands in the presence of such a venerable and august creature as a Dryad. Their skin is incongruously soft to the touch, warm, and impervious to all but the most vicious attacks. Their features are as lively as any other races and their vine like hair almost seems to glow as to remind those around them of the tremendous latent magical power within every one of the rare forest women.
The Dryads are perhaps less of a distinct species as an extension of the forest itself, and indeed this is reflected in all their practices. While they disclose little, being intensely secretive beings, the Dryads often care for the forest, killing woodsmen, protecting saplings, and projecting immense authority while doing so. Such is their presence that the Dryads would likely have been the uncontested rulers of the forest in the ages past if it were not for their... Cousins.
The Shadows. The name itself seems melodramatic, excessive, but in truth it falls short of what dwells in the darkest reaches of the Old Forest. For countless centuries the Shadows were only rumours, the only living word of them coming from unusually kind Dryads warning travellers, but when the forces of the outsiders came to tame the forest they learned the Shadows were no legend.
Beings as real as they are fairy tale, the Shadows are... Difficult to describe. Even after coming into conflict with them, even after speaking to them directly when it came time to make peace, outsiders struggle to find the words. This is not surprising, seeing as no Shadows ever fell in the sundering of the forest, and moreover the mere presence of a Shadow invokes an illusory magic that disguises the creatures form. Only those rare and powerful mages who have seen through the all but impenetrable darkness that wreaths the creatures have produced a reliable account, calling them twisted reflections of Dryads.
Those few have described the Shadows as creatures of the forest like Dryads, but with no seemingly mortal form. They describe static faces of wood permanently twisted in expressions of horror covering every inch of the vaguely humanoid Shadows, carved eyes looking out in every direction begging for help. Some use these accounts to condemn the Shadows as soul thieves, living demons. The Shadows themselves dismiss such accusations when they are summoned officially, but the suspicion remains.
All that is truly known of the Shadows is that their relationship with the Dryads is contentious, and that in ages past the two mystical species have kept each other in check.
Religious and Other Beliefs:
There exists no unified religion in the Old Forest. The Great Weavers may have a peculiar reverence for the Shadows, as do the Ursine for the Dryads, but rarely does this reverence translate into worship. Perhaps the only true religion in the Forest is the Harpies veneration of the wind spirits. Then again, the Dryads and Shadows have never spoken on the subject. Given the almost ritual activities observed in the Dryads most suspect they have a connection to one god or another. As for the Shadows, well, none ask them the question.
Location/Territories:
(The Green Territory)
Climate:
The Old Forest is a land of many climates, but by and large it is a temperate land. Warm summers, cold winters, none within have trouble weathering the conditions even when seemingly impossible rain or snow storms emerge from the old mountain that towers over the forest.
Military:
The Old Forest has no formal military, indeed this was its downfall in the past, but there are rumours this is changing. Given the already staggering casualties it took to tame the forest to begin with such rumours are almost certainly unwelcome to all with an interest who hear them.
Magic Prevalence/Usage and Elemental Alignment:
Magic is everywhere in the Old Forest and nearly every intelligent species under the trees practises it to some extent. The Harpies have Sky-Witches, the Great Weavers have the Gifted, the Grand Ursine have the Grey Ones, and indeed it is said every Dryad and Shadow is a creature as magic as it is physical.
Great Weavers have an affinity with Mind magic, Harpies have an affinity with Gas magic, Grand Ursine have an affinity with Solid magic, and as usual Dryads and Shadows refuse to say.
History/Background Info:
((I need to talk to everyone about this!))
Tell me if you, or honestly anyone reading this, has any questions!
Also I need to collaborate with people on the continent for history, even if I have an idea of it.
The Old Forest
Type of Government:
The Old Forest has never had an official government, rather whenever a decision was to be made which affected all the forests denizens the so called Greater Beings, the most ancient and impressive examples of their respective spaces, would gather. This, often, resulted in petty argument and endless compromise. While the seemingly almighty power of the forest in ages past meant this slow and contentious decision making process was tolerable given how uncommonly a united front was needed, the pressures of the modern day have revealed its weakness.
Head(s) of Government:
It could be said all the Greater Beings are heads of Government in the forest, certainly none would admit to being anything less, but in reality only a few among them hold real power. These notable entities include Shatarae of the Dryads, Gerume of the Great Weavers, Keera of the Harpies, Tokar of the Grand Ursine and on the rare occasion they deign to exert their influence, Ooash of the Shadows.
Economy:
Until recently the Old Forest had little in the way of industry, and there is no doubt not a one of its denizens would willingly engage in the economics of the so called 'ephemeral ones'. Of course, the Forests denizens don't have the choice to refuse to participate any longer. After the first sundering of the forest the Great Beings were forced to make concessions, and today they, begrudgingly, provide the world with materials of the forest once considered mythical. Magical heartwood from the old trees, the silk of the weavers, the deep ice of the old mountain. The forest is forced to give away much of its wealth, and as for what it receives in return? Well, the Great beings cannot be said to have been ignorant of the circumstances of their subjugation. Deep within the forest the hiss of steam rises and furnaces burn hot, ostensibly to process the resources of the forest within the forest. Of course, industry has many uses.
Primary Species:
Countless species live within the forest, but few if any are those that might be seen elsewhere. The thinking beings of the forest are in order of their numbers, the Great Weavers, the Harpies, the Grand Ursine, the Dryads, and finally the enigmatic Shadows.
Population:
Ten to fifteen million.
Culture:
Every species within the forest has, in one way or another, its own culture and traditions. The most numerous species huddling in the undergrowth are the Great Weavers, colossal intelligent spiders that in ages past lurked among the trees feeding on wildlife and the unwary alike. The Weavers are perhaps the species that, for all they are misunderstood and loathed outside the forest, have most easily adapted their culture to the new world.
For example, while the Weavers once prized and jealously guarded their silk, a material nearly as durable is it is lustrous, they quickly leveraged the humiliation of having to surrender the wealth of their own bodies into great power in the forest. Under the guidance of Gerume, the oldest of their kind to survive the sundering of the forest, the Weavers constructed great looms. Rather than stew in the shame of their new circumstances the Weavers turned the material they once guarded into a source of incredible wealth.
Likewise the Weavers have adapted in other areas. In the past the spiders were reclusive, outright refusing to consider outsiders people and certainly not worth their time. At best, an elf or human was a somewhat mediocre meal. Nowadays, for all that it’s unsettling, the Weavers are the most talkative species in the forest, always engaging with outsiders where the other denizens would refuse to do so.
The Weavers, as a people, were once uncomplicated. They ate, they fought when the Greater Beings among them demanded it, and otherwise kept to themselves. Their family units were nonexistent, rather ‘friends’ would merely set up webs near each other and on occasion engage in contests of skill in weaving or hunting. Now... Things are shifting for the forest as a whole, and nowhere is that more obvious than with the Weavers.
Of course, in perhaps a great irony, where the inhuman Weavers have adapted to their circumstances the human-like, seemingly approachable Harpies have fought any effort to have them change their ways. Perhaps the difference of opinion is less striking, when one gets a look at a Harpies smile. Predators like the Weavers, the difference between the two is that the Harpies never regarded the outside species as poor meals, but rather rich delicacies with vital ceremonial meaning.
Indeed, the consumption of elves, humans, dwarves, and their ilk was once an important part of Harpy religion. The predatory bird folk worship, fittingly, the spirits of the wind. While everyday worship is simple, rarely going beyond a prayer before meals, on sacred days the Harpies once descended upon communities beyond the forest in great hunts, displaying their prowess before the spirits in hunting the most dangerous prey. Those who were most successful consumed their kills ritually with their families, earning the blessings of the Sky-Witches who were said to hear the spirits of the wind directly and who possessed incredible magic.
Such a blessing was what made one an attractive bachelor, a respected leader of the community, or even what permitted one to marry their beloved regardless of any feuds or grudges between families. Ever since the sundering of the forest the hunts have ceased, and in their absence the Sky-Witches have become reclusive. The Harpies as a whole fear the displeasure of the spirits for the species failure to honour them, and it has been said some have gone about... Illicit activities to avert what the Harpies see as the wrath of the wind.
Not all the denizens of the forest have such... Colourful histories and practices though. The Grand Ursine, enormous bears often seen as the kings of all beasts, have never predated on the ‘ephemeral ones’ and have had little to reason to change their habits after the sundering of the forest. Certainly, they resent the basic labours demanded of them, but in truth it is not like they have not worked before. In ages past the Grand Ursine were the strong hand of the Dryads, so few truly loathe the labours that have become their new duty.
The Ursine, creatures with strong families and simple lives, spend their days working, hunting in the forest, or tending to the berry crops they have so painstaking maintained in the undergrowth of the forest. They are standoffish to outsiders, but the Ursine have no great hatred for outsiders and if one manages to gain their trust they have much to offer in what is perhaps some of the oldest oral history in the world. For if anything, the Ursine love stories. Fiction, truth, a blend of both, the Ursine spend much of their recreational time speaking and listening, remembering and constructing. If anything, the rapid rise of literacy among the Ursine is what sets them apart.
Of course, some of the denizens of the forest haven't had to learn their words from the outsiders. Apart from the common species of the forest there are the Dryads, truly powerful and enigmatic beings once feared and considered myth. They are few in number, some say less than a hundred thousand live within the forest, but all hold tremendous authority. Some have compared them to masterful statues of women carved from living wood, but even that falls short when one stands in the presence of such a venerable and august creature as a Dryad. Their skin is incongruously soft to the touch, warm, and impervious to all but the most vicious attacks. Their features are as lively as any other races and their vine like hair almost seems to glow as to remind those around them of the tremendous latent magical power within every one of the rare forest women.
The Dryads are perhaps less of a distinct species as an extension of the forest itself, and indeed this is reflected in all their practices. While they disclose little, being intensely secretive beings, the Dryads often care for the forest, killing woodsmen, protecting saplings, and projecting immense authority while doing so. Such is their presence that the Dryads would likely have been the uncontested rulers of the forest in the ages past if it were not for their... Cousins.
The Shadows. The name itself seems melodramatic, excessive, but in truth it falls short of what dwells in the darkest reaches of the Old Forest. For countless centuries the Shadows were only rumours, the only living word of them coming from unusually kind Dryads warning travellers, but when the forces of the outsiders came to tame the forest they learned the Shadows were no legend.
Beings as real as they are fairy tale, the Shadows are... Difficult to describe. Even after coming into conflict with them, even after speaking to them directly when it came time to make peace, outsiders struggle to find the words. This is not surprising, seeing as no Shadows ever fell in the sundering of the forest, and moreover the mere presence of a Shadow invokes an illusory magic that disguises the creatures form. Only those rare and powerful mages who have seen through the all but impenetrable darkness that wreaths the creatures have produced a reliable account, calling them twisted reflections of Dryads.
Those few have described the Shadows as creatures of the forest like Dryads, but with no seemingly mortal form. They describe static faces of wood permanently twisted in expressions of horror covering every inch of the vaguely humanoid Shadows, carved eyes looking out in every direction begging for help. Some use these accounts to condemn the Shadows as soul thieves, living demons. The Shadows themselves dismiss such accusations when they are summoned officially, but the suspicion remains.
All that is truly known of the Shadows is that their relationship with the Dryads is contentious, and that in ages past the two mystical species have kept each other in check.
Religious and Other Beliefs:
There exists no unified religion in the Old Forest. The Great Weavers may have a peculiar reverence for the Shadows, as do the Ursine for the Dryads, but rarely does this reverence translate into worship. Perhaps the only true religion in the Forest is the Harpies veneration of the wind spirits. Then again, the Dryads and Shadows have never spoken on the subject. Given the almost ritual activities observed in the Dryads most suspect they have a connection to one god or another. As for the Shadows, well, none ask them the question.
Location/Territories:
(The Green Territory)
Climate:
The Old Forest is a land of many climates, but by and large it is a temperate land. Warm summers, cold winters, none within have trouble weathering the conditions even when seemingly impossible rain or snow storms emerge from the old mountain that towers over the forest.
Military:
The Old Forest has no formal military, indeed this was its downfall in the past, but there are rumours this is changing. Given the already staggering casualties it took to tame the forest to begin with such rumours are almost certainly unwelcome to all with an interest who hear them.
Magic Prevalence/Usage and Elemental Alignment:
Magic is everywhere in the Old Forest and nearly every intelligent species under the trees practises it to some extent. The Harpies have Sky-Witches, the Great Weavers have the Gifted, the Grand Ursine have the Grey Ones, and indeed it is said every Dryad and Shadow is a creature as magic as it is physical.
Great Weavers have an affinity with Mind magic, Harpies have an affinity with Gas magic, Grand Ursine have an affinity with Solid magic, and as usual Dryads and Shadows refuse to say.
History/Background Info:
((I need to talk to everyone about this!))
Tell me if you, or honestly anyone reading this, has any questions!
Also I need to collaborate with people on the continent for history, even if I have an idea of it.
GM
Meiyuuhi Her Divine Grace
Member
Seen
4 yrs ago
Yeah, I wanted to wait on history to accomodate and work with everyone else. I'll probably set out a general outline today though.
Something of a work-in-progress, but here we go:
EDIT: 6/11/18 00.10 - Location changed to the island East of Fibor, as original location taken by Zealossus
EDIT: 6/11/18 00.10 - Location changed to the island East of Fibor, as original location taken by Zealossus
Nation Name: Vershellen Principalities
Flag: Sable, a phoenix ascendant Or and three mullet imperial Or.
Type of Government: Constitutional Monarchy
Head(s) of Government: Her Effulgent Majesty Aurelia II, by grace of the gods Queen of Vershellen, Duchess of Pyroborea, Marquess of Sairland and the Rathing Sea, Countess Orielle and Mistress of the Opal Court
His Radiant Grace the Duke of Manticore, Julian Rigo-Ruthven, by grace of the Crown Chancellor and First Lord of the Treasury of the Star Chamber Parliament of the Vershellen Principalities
Economy (Main imports, exports, industries, technology level, etc.)
Imports:
Silver
Tea
Lumber
Fruit
Textiles
Dyes
Exports:
Magical Devices
Machinery & Tools (Finished Goods)
Gemstones
Building Stone
Copper
Gold
Financial Services (Banking)
Munitions
Industries: Vershellen is the cradle of imperial industry. Its volcanically-active landscapes are rich in metals vital for the Industrial Revolution, and the elves of the Principalities have eagerly adapted their magic to the new, technological age. Teams of sorcerer-engineers work tirelessly to build and maintain forges, factories, foundries and smelters that draw power straight from the molten heart of the earth, taking in vast quantities of raw materials and turning out exquisitely-finished goods by the ton, and the great gross of tons. Most of the tremendous output – however much the Vershellese increase production – goes in tribute to supporting the Yllendyr, supplying both the burgeoning imperial middle classes and the colonization efforts in the New World.
Technology: Vershellen pioneers the fusion of magic and science, rejecting neither and embracing both. Forges powered by the volcanic fury of the island, electricity drawn from their mastery over the very quintessence of fire, machines given life and purpose by arcane power…the sorcerer-engineers of Vershellen continually blur the boundaries between the arcane and mundane. As a consequence, Vershellese weapons are just as likely to hurl lead shot and high explosives as they are to project searing toroids of stellar plasma, and their ornate buildings are just as likely to have been raised from the earth with a word as they are to have been built by sheer physical toil.
Primary Species: Vershellese – elves.
Population: 103 million
Culture: Cultured and urbane, many of the outward trappings of Yllendese culture have been adopted by the Vershellese. The great families are arranged into noble Houses, each with their representatives in the House of Blood in the Parliament, vying with one another for power and position at both local and imperial level, leveraging their wealth and racial closeness to the dark elves into ever greater influence.
The Yllendyr are happy to let the Vershellese play with their Star Chamber Parliament, with their noble Houses and their figurehead Queen, seeing in this their political energies spent more in domestic disputes rather than focused on their imperial liege lords. The froth and fury of the debating chamber, though, hides many Vershellese projects from the oversight of Yllendyr advisors and interlocutors, and that suits the Principalities and its government right down to the ground. After all, one never knows when something might bring the whole institution down around their ears.
Religious and Other Beliefs: Their gods abandoned them or were defeated and subsumed when the Yllendyr came – or so the prevailing thinking goes. The Vershellese learned many a harsh lesson as a tributary state of the Imperium, although they avoided most depredations by dint of their timely request - not surrender, never surrender, the elves of Vershellen are far too proud for that - for admittance to the empire, and now believe that it is only by the labour of hand and brain they can drag themselves up from the mud and into a bright and gilded age of their own making. Worship and reliance on numinous gods availed them naught when Yllendyr darkened the seas around the Red Isle. Pyroil projectors, lightning casters, heavy artillery, plasma gatlings, ironclad dreadnoughts and golem legions, now…they might yet keep the Principalities inviolate, come what may.
Location/Territories: The northernmost island of the Old World.
Climate: Lush, wet and tropical, the Principalities experience little in the way of seasonal variation – it is always summer, fuelled by the abundance of volcanic activity across the isle. Hot springs, sulphur-crusted fumaroles, lava lakes and towering volcanoes dot the landscape, and keeping them under control is a never-ending task for the armies of sorcerer-engineers that Vershellen’s academies turn out in their thousands.
Military: The Principalities prefer devices over flesh when it comes to war. They are also an island nation, and as such the Vershellen Fleet of the Imperial Navy is one of the largest and most advanced, boasting thirty ironclad dreadnoughts of the latest pattern, with all their attendant crusiers, destroyers, frigates and supporting elements. On land, the Principalities provide their sorcerer-engineers to the Imperial Army, serving as artillerists, gunners, mechanics, logisticians and sappers. However, again, the Principalities have turned to metal and magic in an effort to save fragile elven flesh themselves – and to stockpile military might against the day when the Imperium’s attention might be distracted. On the Red Isle itself, a hundred thousand steel golems have stepped forth from secret forgeworks dotted amongst the foundries and taken up positions throughout the island’s cities, shipyards, ports and fortresses. Decorative and utterly silent until called upon, the imperial advisors think them nothing more than baroque decoration.
Magic Prevalence/Usage and Elemental Alignment: Magic is universal; every Vershellen elf has the spark dancing in their soul, and it is integrated into their society in a way that few can match. They have a particular affinity for the quintessence of fire – plasma – but welcome with open arms the study and practice of all the disciplines. Plasma magic drives the developing industrial colossus and brings abundant light and energy to the province, but the other magics are important too. Solid, to raise cities and vast factory-cathedrals against the elements and have them stand strong forever; Liquid, to make and mould the miscellany of industrial chemicals, to power the transition between states and to control the thousand springs that rise across the Principalities; Gas, to keep the air free from industrial pollutants and to ventilate the sprawling mines beneath; and lastly, Mind, to animate the great presses, the conveyors, the digging machines that labour in the stygian darkness of the depths, and – most critically and secretly – the war-golem legions.
History/Background Info: In the depths of history, the Vershellese were tribal, supported by the extreme abundance of the Red Isle in their internecine conflicts over a thousand petty ideologies, philosophies and doctrines. Scores of gods and hundreds of tribes rose, mixed and fell amid the fecund and kindly rainforests. Over time, these tribes divided the island between themselves, intermarrying and trading more than fighting - the Red Isle provided more than enough for everyone. Over it all, there loomed the volcanic heartlands: hot springs, fumaroles, lava flows and the towering volcanoes themselves, dominating and shaping the landscape and the elves that lived within it. Magic in these times was a sacred thing, to be used only in ritual appeasement - or condemnation, calling upon the ancient flame deep within the earth.
Magic slowly unified the Vershellese over centuries, tying them together with bonds of doctrine and theology, a pantheon of burning gods for each of the great volcanoes, all ruled by the Unconquered Sun - an arrangement that became echoed in the developing aristocracy rising out of the blurring, settling tribes. Safe and secure in their volcanic home, the Vershellese paid little attention to the outside world, raising stupendous cities from volcanic rock and harvesting the bounty of the rich, ashy soil. Ancient and decadent, the solar elves of the Vershellen Principalities have long revelled in the abundance of their island home.
The coming of the Yllendyr sent shockwaves through Vershellen society. The gods that had seen the Principalities through for centuries failed and faltered against the dark iron tide approaching across the sea, and into the vacuum of power left by the clergy of the Sun there stepped the nobles. Powerful socially, masters of soft power - the only sort they'd been permitted under the Solar Church - they seized the reins and the main chance, recognizing a far superior power and the need to preserve as much of Vershellen as possible.
Their gambit paid off and saved the Red Isle from the darker fates which befell many other nations under the imperial yoke. In the sun elves, Yllendyr recognized kindred, and many of their heavier-handed demands passed the vassal Principalities by. Even so, the Principalities have changed beyond all recognition - the gods have vanished from Vershellen devotion, replaced by the Crown and nobility, and magic has been entirely unchained, producing an unprecedented flowering of technique and power. At the forefront are the sorcerer-engineers of the Isle, backed by the power and money of the great trading Houses that now eagerly look beyond the island borders to the wide blue vastness of the sea, and all the lands beyond.
Flag: Sable, a phoenix ascendant Or and three mullet imperial Or.
Type of Government: Constitutional Monarchy
Head(s) of Government: Her Effulgent Majesty Aurelia II, by grace of the gods Queen of Vershellen, Duchess of Pyroborea, Marquess of Sairland and the Rathing Sea, Countess Orielle and Mistress of the Opal Court
His Radiant Grace the Duke of Manticore, Julian Rigo-Ruthven, by grace of the Crown Chancellor and First Lord of the Treasury of the Star Chamber Parliament of the Vershellen Principalities
Economy (Main imports, exports, industries, technology level, etc.)
Imports:
Silver
Tea
Lumber
Fruit
Textiles
Dyes
Exports:
Magical Devices
Machinery & Tools (Finished Goods)
Gemstones
Building Stone
Copper
Gold
Financial Services (Banking)
Munitions
Industries: Vershellen is the cradle of imperial industry. Its volcanically-active landscapes are rich in metals vital for the Industrial Revolution, and the elves of the Principalities have eagerly adapted their magic to the new, technological age. Teams of sorcerer-engineers work tirelessly to build and maintain forges, factories, foundries and smelters that draw power straight from the molten heart of the earth, taking in vast quantities of raw materials and turning out exquisitely-finished goods by the ton, and the great gross of tons. Most of the tremendous output – however much the Vershellese increase production – goes in tribute to supporting the Yllendyr, supplying both the burgeoning imperial middle classes and the colonization efforts in the New World.
Technology: Vershellen pioneers the fusion of magic and science, rejecting neither and embracing both. Forges powered by the volcanic fury of the island, electricity drawn from their mastery over the very quintessence of fire, machines given life and purpose by arcane power…the sorcerer-engineers of Vershellen continually blur the boundaries between the arcane and mundane. As a consequence, Vershellese weapons are just as likely to hurl lead shot and high explosives as they are to project searing toroids of stellar plasma, and their ornate buildings are just as likely to have been raised from the earth with a word as they are to have been built by sheer physical toil.
Primary Species: Vershellese – elves.
Population: 103 million
Culture: Cultured and urbane, many of the outward trappings of Yllendese culture have been adopted by the Vershellese. The great families are arranged into noble Houses, each with their representatives in the House of Blood in the Parliament, vying with one another for power and position at both local and imperial level, leveraging their wealth and racial closeness to the dark elves into ever greater influence.
The Yllendyr are happy to let the Vershellese play with their Star Chamber Parliament, with their noble Houses and their figurehead Queen, seeing in this their political energies spent more in domestic disputes rather than focused on their imperial liege lords. The froth and fury of the debating chamber, though, hides many Vershellese projects from the oversight of Yllendyr advisors and interlocutors, and that suits the Principalities and its government right down to the ground. After all, one never knows when something might bring the whole institution down around their ears.
Religious and Other Beliefs: Their gods abandoned them or were defeated and subsumed when the Yllendyr came – or so the prevailing thinking goes. The Vershellese learned many a harsh lesson as a tributary state of the Imperium, although they avoided most depredations by dint of their timely request - not surrender, never surrender, the elves of Vershellen are far too proud for that - for admittance to the empire, and now believe that it is only by the labour of hand and brain they can drag themselves up from the mud and into a bright and gilded age of their own making. Worship and reliance on numinous gods availed them naught when Yllendyr darkened the seas around the Red Isle. Pyroil projectors, lightning casters, heavy artillery, plasma gatlings, ironclad dreadnoughts and golem legions, now…they might yet keep the Principalities inviolate, come what may.
Location/Territories: The northernmost island of the Old World.
Climate: Lush, wet and tropical, the Principalities experience little in the way of seasonal variation – it is always summer, fuelled by the abundance of volcanic activity across the isle. Hot springs, sulphur-crusted fumaroles, lava lakes and towering volcanoes dot the landscape, and keeping them under control is a never-ending task for the armies of sorcerer-engineers that Vershellen’s academies turn out in their thousands.
Military: The Principalities prefer devices over flesh when it comes to war. They are also an island nation, and as such the Vershellen Fleet of the Imperial Navy is one of the largest and most advanced, boasting thirty ironclad dreadnoughts of the latest pattern, with all their attendant crusiers, destroyers, frigates and supporting elements. On land, the Principalities provide their sorcerer-engineers to the Imperial Army, serving as artillerists, gunners, mechanics, logisticians and sappers. However, again, the Principalities have turned to metal and magic in an effort to save fragile elven flesh themselves – and to stockpile military might against the day when the Imperium’s attention might be distracted. On the Red Isle itself, a hundred thousand steel golems have stepped forth from secret forgeworks dotted amongst the foundries and taken up positions throughout the island’s cities, shipyards, ports and fortresses. Decorative and utterly silent until called upon, the imperial advisors think them nothing more than baroque decoration.
Magic Prevalence/Usage and Elemental Alignment: Magic is universal; every Vershellen elf has the spark dancing in their soul, and it is integrated into their society in a way that few can match. They have a particular affinity for the quintessence of fire – plasma – but welcome with open arms the study and practice of all the disciplines. Plasma magic drives the developing industrial colossus and brings abundant light and energy to the province, but the other magics are important too. Solid, to raise cities and vast factory-cathedrals against the elements and have them stand strong forever; Liquid, to make and mould the miscellany of industrial chemicals, to power the transition between states and to control the thousand springs that rise across the Principalities; Gas, to keep the air free from industrial pollutants and to ventilate the sprawling mines beneath; and lastly, Mind, to animate the great presses, the conveyors, the digging machines that labour in the stygian darkness of the depths, and – most critically and secretly – the war-golem legions.
History/Background Info: In the depths of history, the Vershellese were tribal, supported by the extreme abundance of the Red Isle in their internecine conflicts over a thousand petty ideologies, philosophies and doctrines. Scores of gods and hundreds of tribes rose, mixed and fell amid the fecund and kindly rainforests. Over time, these tribes divided the island between themselves, intermarrying and trading more than fighting - the Red Isle provided more than enough for everyone. Over it all, there loomed the volcanic heartlands: hot springs, fumaroles, lava flows and the towering volcanoes themselves, dominating and shaping the landscape and the elves that lived within it. Magic in these times was a sacred thing, to be used only in ritual appeasement - or condemnation, calling upon the ancient flame deep within the earth.
Magic slowly unified the Vershellese over centuries, tying them together with bonds of doctrine and theology, a pantheon of burning gods for each of the great volcanoes, all ruled by the Unconquered Sun - an arrangement that became echoed in the developing aristocracy rising out of the blurring, settling tribes. Safe and secure in their volcanic home, the Vershellese paid little attention to the outside world, raising stupendous cities from volcanic rock and harvesting the bounty of the rich, ashy soil. Ancient and decadent, the solar elves of the Vershellen Principalities have long revelled in the abundance of their island home.
The coming of the Yllendyr sent shockwaves through Vershellen society. The gods that had seen the Principalities through for centuries failed and faltered against the dark iron tide approaching across the sea, and into the vacuum of power left by the clergy of the Sun there stepped the nobles. Powerful socially, masters of soft power - the only sort they'd been permitted under the Solar Church - they seized the reins and the main chance, recognizing a far superior power and the need to preserve as much of Vershellen as possible.
Their gambit paid off and saved the Red Isle from the darker fates which befell many other nations under the imperial yoke. In the sun elves, Yllendyr recognized kindred, and many of their heavier-handed demands passed the vassal Principalities by. Even so, the Principalities have changed beyond all recognition - the gods have vanished from Vershellen devotion, replaced by the Crown and nobility, and magic has been entirely unchained, producing an unprecedented flowering of technique and power. At the forefront are the sorcerer-engineers of the Isle, backed by the power and money of the great trading Houses that now eagerly look beyond the island borders to the wide blue vastness of the sea, and all the lands beyond.
Willy Vereb The Wordy Engineer
Member
Seen
3 days ago
I might be seriously missing something, what this setting is about?
Second question, do you have a Discord?
EDIT: Wow, so my nation name is being used, huh?
Yllendthyr I mean. I just hope those peeps aren't speaking in Old Elvish.
Second question, do you have a Discord?
EDIT: Wow, so my nation name is being used, huh?
Yllendthyr I mean. I just hope those peeps aren't speaking in Old Elvish.
GM
Meiyuuhi Her Divine Grace
Member
Seen
4 yrs ago
I might be seriously missing something, what this setting is about?
Second question, do you have a Discord?
EDIT: Wow, so my nation name is being used, huh?
Yllendthyr I mean. I just hope those peeps aren't speaking in Old Elvish.
It's a fantasy steampunk/early modern setting about a half-century old empire that controlled most of the known world about to collapse and the fallout when half the country declares independence and have to come into their own as free and independent nations.
We do, I'm going to PM the link to everyone who's interested in a moment.
I may have appropriated like 75% of that name. It's a good one. :P Also the idea of a zenophobic, discriminatory elf empire.
@Red Queen Your requested location conflicts with Zealossus'.
@Mihndar - I read you still want/need a human subservient nation to your dark elves. I've had a human nation in mind in fact. Is the important role still open?
GM
Meiyuuhi Her Divine Grace
Member
Seen
4 yrs ago
@Mihndar - I read you still want/need a human subservient nation to your dark elves. I've had a human nation in mind in fact. Is the important role still open?
Sure thing. And actually, what I was looking for was one that would be the one remaining independent nation and have fought an on-off guerrilla war with the dark elves for the past 60 years since the Subjugation. If that works for you, then absolutely.
<Snipped quote by Legion02>
Sure thing. And actually, what I was looking for was one that would be the one remaining independent nation and have fought an on-off guerrilla war with the dark elves for the past 60 years since the Subjugation. If that works for you, then absolutely.
I will admit, that was not the idea I had mind. I also want to confess that I've never written such a thing so far. However, I certainly want to give it a shot! Feels like a good challenge. Are there any more specifics that need to be discussed?
GM
Meiyuuhi Her Divine Grace
Member
Seen
4 yrs ago
<Snipped quote by Mihndar>
I will admit, that was not the idea I had mind. I also want to confess that I've never written such a thing so far. However, I certainly want to give it a shot! Feels like a good challenge. Are there any more specifics that need to be discussed?
Alternatively, you could play a loyalist faction that wants to stay part of the Yllendyr. That's an option I hadn't considered, and also sounds very interesting.
We can talk it over in more detail if you have a Discord, let me just send you the link.
GM
Meiyuuhi Her Divine Grace
Member
Seen
4 yrs ago
@MihndarIn that case here's an expanded NS.The Old Forest
Type of Government:
The Old Forest has never had an official government, rather whenever a decision was to be made which affected all the forests denizens the so called Greater Beings, the most ancient and impressive examples of their respective spaces, would gather. This, often, resulted in petty argument and endless compromise. While the seemingly almighty power of the forest in ages past meant this slow and contentious decision making process was tolerable given how uncommonly a united front was needed, the pressures of the modern day have revealed its weakness.
Head(s) of Government:
It could be said all the Greater Beings are heads of Government in the forest, certainly none would admit to being anything less, but in reality only a few among them hold real power. These notable entities include Shatarae of the Dryads, Gerume of the Great Weavers, Keera of the Harpies, Tokar of the Grand Ursine and on the rare occasion they deign to exert their influence, Ooash of the Shadows.
Economy:
Until recently the Old Forest had little in the way of industry, and there is no doubt not a one of its denizens would willingly engage in the economics of the so called 'ephemeral ones'. Of course, the Forests denizens don't have the choice to refuse to participate any longer. After the first sundering of the forest the Great Beings were forced to make concessions, and today they, begrudgingly, provide the world with materials of the forest once considered mythical. Magical heartwood from the old trees, the silk of the weavers, the deep ice of the old mountain. The forest is forced to give away much of its wealth, and as for what it receives in return? Well, the Great beings cannot be said to have been ignorant of the circumstances of their subjugation. Deep within the forest the hiss of steam rises and furnaces burn hot, ostensibly to process the resources of the forest within the forest. Of course, industry has many uses.
Primary Species:
Countless species live within the forest, but few if any are those that might be seen elsewhere. The thinking beings of the forest are in order of their numbers, the Great Weavers, the Harpies, the Grand Ursine, the Dryads, and finally the enigmatic Shadows.
Population:
Ten to fifteen million.
Culture:
Every species within the forest has, in one way or another, its own culture and traditions. The most numerous species huddling in the undergrowth are the Great Weavers, colossal intelligent spiders that in ages past lurked among the trees feeding on wildlife and the unwary alike. The Weavers are perhaps the species that, for all they are misunderstood and loathed outside the forest, have most easily adapted their culture to the new world.
For example, while the Weavers once prized and jealously guarded their silk, a material nearly as durable is it is lustrous, they quickly leveraged the humiliation of having to surrender the wealth of their own bodies into great power in the forest. Under the guidance of Gerume, the oldest of their kind to survive the sundering of the forest, the Weavers constructed great looms. Rather than stew in the shame of their new circumstances the Weavers turned the material they once guarded into a source of incredible wealth.
Likewise the Weavers have adapted in other areas. In the past the spiders were reclusive, outright refusing to consider outsiders people and certainly not worth their time. At best, an elf or human was a somewhat mediocre meal. Nowadays, for all that it’s unsettling, the Weavers are the most talkative species in the forest, always engaging with outsiders where the other denizens would refuse to do so.
The Weavers, as a people, were once uncomplicated. They ate, they fought when the Greater Beings among them demanded it, and otherwise kept to themselves. Their family units were nonexistent, rather ‘friends’ would merely set up webs near each other and on occasion engage in contests of skill in weaving or hunting. Now... Things are shifting for the forest as a whole, and nowhere is that more obvious than with the Weavers.
Of course, in perhaps a great irony, where the inhuman Weavers have adapted to their circumstances the human-like, seemingly approachable Harpies have fought any effort to have them change their ways. Perhaps the difference of opinion is less striking, when one gets a look at a Harpies smile. Predators like the Weavers, the difference between the two is that the Harpies never regarded the outside species as poor meals, but rather rich delicacies with vital ceremonial meaning.
Indeed, the consumption of elves, humans, dwarves, and their ilk was once an important part of Harpy religion. The predatory bird folk worship, fittingly, the spirits of the wind. While everyday worship is simple, rarely going beyond a prayer before meals, on sacred days the Harpies once descended upon communities beyond the forest in great hunts, displaying their prowess before the spirits in hunting the most dangerous prey. Those who were most successful consumed their kills ritually with their families, earning the blessings of the Sky-Witches who were said to hear the spirits of the wind directly and who possessed incredible magic.
Such a blessing was what made one an attractive bachelor, a respected leader of the community, or even what permitted one to marry their beloved regardless of any feuds or grudges between families. Ever since the sundering of the forest the hunts have ceased, and in their absence the Sky-Witches have become reclusive. The Harpies as a whole fear the displeasure of the spirits for the species failure to honour them, and it has been said some have gone about... Illicit activities to avert what the Harpies see as the wrath of the wind.
Not all the denizens of the forest have such... Colourful histories and practices though. The Grand Ursine, enormous bears often seen as the kings of all beasts, have never predated on the ‘ephemeral ones’ and have had little to reason to change their habits after the sundering of the forest. Certainly, they resent the basic labours demanded of them, but in truth it is not like they have not worked before. In ages past the Grand Ursine were the strong hand of the Dryads, so few truly loathe the labours that have become their new duty.
The Ursine, creatures with strong families and simple lives, spend their days working, hunting in the forest, or tending to the berry crops they have so painstaking maintained in the undergrowth of the forest. They are standoffish to outsiders, but the Ursine have no great hatred for outsiders and if one manages to gain their trust they have much to offer in what is perhaps some of the oldest oral history in the world. For if anything, the Ursine love stories. Fiction, truth, a blend of both, the Ursine spend much of their recreational time speaking and listening, remembering and constructing. If anything, the rapid rise of literacy among the Ursine is what sets them apart.
Of course, some of the denizens of the forest haven't had to learn their words from the outsiders. Apart from the common species of the forest there are the Dryads, truly powerful and enigmatic beings once feared and considered myth. They are few in number, some say less than a hundred thousand live within the forest, but all hold tremendous authority. Some have compared them to masterful statues of women carved from living wood, but even that falls short when one stands in the presence of such a venerable and august creature as a Dryad. Their skin is incongruously soft to the touch, warm, and impervious to all but the most vicious attacks. Their features are as lively as any other races and their vine like hair almost seems to glow as to remind those around them of the tremendous latent magical power within every one of the rare forest women.
The Dryads are perhaps less of a distinct species as an extension of the forest itself, and indeed this is reflected in all their practices. While they disclose little, being intensely secretive beings, the Dryads often care for the forest, killing woodsmen, protecting saplings, and projecting immense authority while doing so. Such is their presence that the Dryads would likely have been the uncontested rulers of the forest in the ages past if it were not for their... Cousins.
The Shadows. The name itself seems melodramatic, excessive, but in truth it falls short of what dwells in the darkest reaches of the Old Forest. For countless centuries the Shadows were only rumours, the only living word of them coming from unusually kind Dryads warning travellers, but when the forces of the outsiders came to tame the forest they learned the Shadows were no legend.
Beings as real as they are fairy tale, the Shadows are... Difficult to describe. Even after coming into conflict with them, even after speaking to them directly when it came time to make peace, outsiders struggle to find the words. This is not surprising, seeing as no Shadows ever fell in the sundering of the forest, and moreover the mere presence of a Shadow invokes an illusory magic that disguises the creatures form. Only those rare and powerful mages who have seen through the all but impenetrable darkness that wreaths the creatures have produced a reliable account, calling them twisted reflections of Dryads.
Those few have described the Shadows as creatures of the forest like Dryads, but with no seemingly mortal form. They describe static faces of wood permanently twisted in expressions of horror covering every inch of the vaguely humanoid Shadows, carved eyes looking out in every direction begging for help. Some use these accounts to condemn the Shadows as soul thieves, living demons. The Shadows themselves dismiss such accusations when they are summoned officially, but the suspicion remains.
All that is truly known of the Shadows is that their relationship with the Dryads is contentious, and that in ages past the two mystical species have kept each other in check.
Religious and Other Beliefs:
There exists no unified religion in the Old Forest. The Great Weavers may have a peculiar reverence for the Shadows, as do the Ursine for the Dryads, but rarely does this reverence translate into worship. Perhaps the only true religion in the Forest is the Harpies veneration of the wind spirits. Then again, the Dryads and Shadows have never spoken on the subject. Given the almost ritual activities observed in the Dryads most suspect they have a connection to one god or another. As for the Shadows, well, none ask them the question.
Location/Territories:
(The Green Territory)
Climate:
The Old Forest is a land of many climates, but by and large it is a temperate land. Warm summers, cold winters, none within have trouble weathering the conditions even when seemingly impossible rain or snow storms emerge from the old mountain that towers over the forest.
Military:
The Old Forest has no formal military, indeed this was its downfall in the past, but there are rumours this is changing. Given the already staggering casualties it took to tame the forest to begin with such rumours are almost certainly unwelcome to all with an interest who hear them.
Magic Prevalence/Usage and Elemental Alignment:
Magic is everywhere in the Old Forest and nearly every intelligent species under the trees practises it to some extent. The Harpies have Sky-Witches, the Great Weavers have the Gifted, the Grand Ursine have the Grey Ones, and indeed it is said every Dryad and Shadow is a creature as magic as it is physical.
Great Weavers have an affinity with Mind magic, Harpies have an affinity with Gas magic, Grand Ursine have an affinity with Solid magic, and as usual Dryads and Shadows refuse to say.
History/Background Info:
((I need to talk to everyone about this!))
Tell me if you, or honestly anyone reading this, has any questions!
Also I need to collaborate with people on the continent for history, even if I have an idea of it.
That looks amazing, accepted. Feel free to put it up on the char tab.
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