[OOC] World Building Project

[Rin]

@BillsomethingUm... Depends what it is, I guess? ^^;

[Billsomething]

@Rin its nothing graphic. i just want to see you draw a male and female dark elves with an akhlut (also i want there mouths to look likes Mileena's mouth for reference)

[Rin]

...When did we decide they look like Mileena?

...Also when did Mileena stop looking completely hideous without the mask? That seems to kind of go against the point of the character. ^^;

[Raineh Daze]

Uh what. No. Just... no. That looks ridiculous, as well as pointless.

[Billsomething]

@Raineh Daze@Rin just a suggestion but i do feel like they need sharp teeth (perhaps maybe not the Mileena's levels of sharp)
on an unrelated note i came up with the idea that the most common eye color for Dark-Elves would be green (Like night-vision) also that they really good Dark-vision (say sixty to eighty feet)

[Joegreenbeen]

Okay... hmm... Does anyone want to do an idepth write up of one of the races? (I know there have been some before, I'll take a look.) I'm thinking we could vote on that then knock some more out in a similar fashion. If you've got a write up to be voted on, say the word.

[Raineh Daze]

Okay... hmm... Does anyone want to do an idepth write up of one of the races? (I know there have been some before, I'll take a look.) I'm thinking we could vote on that then knock some more out in a similar fashion. If you've got a write up to be voted on, say the word.

@Joegreenbeen

I'll do the Dark Elves. Not really invested in the other races and I'd start doing Roman history if I went near the humans. XD

[Rin]

@JoegreenbeenHmmm... I might take a shot at writing up wood elves, I guess. Probably going to make them very fair folk, and take some inspiration from stuff like the Wild Hunt, Thomas the Rhymer and Tam o' Shanter... So basically celtic-ish I guess? Hmmm. We'll see how this turns out, I guess. XD

...The Ky-Ree are basically written up anyways, aside from maybe a few minor details so yeah. XD

[Raineh Daze]

Living, for the most part, on an island far to the north of Marduk, the dark elves are one of the most isolated races in the world. Given their relatively unsettled lifestyles, it is generally assumed that the dark elves and wood elves are closer to each other than either are to the high elves.

The choice of ‘dark’ is rather a misnomer, as they are—if anything—paler than the other elves, referring more to the way that their large island spends much of its time in darkness, or alternately the tendency to build downwards (or utilise natural caves) and consequently spending a lot of time in the depths of the earth. This has given them a vision in darkness equal to the subterranean dwarves, though the prevalence of green eyes is an unrelated oddity.

Due to the climate and geography, agriculture would be effectively impossible—especially without effective ploughs. Instead, the dark elves derive sustenance almost entirely through animal sources—either hunting the large game that can survive on the grasses, ferns, and other vegetation that manages to survive; fishing in the cold waters for everything from mackerel up to whales and giant squid; or the odd mix of domestic livestock and used for other uses than meat. This mostly animal-derived diet is supplemented by an array of cave-grown fungi, along with honey from the bees that somehow managed to survive the winters.

Due to having few easily-available natural resources other than furs and whale by-products, the dark elves often find themselves as traders, comfortable with navigating river systems to reach more populous lands, or outright raiders at times. Some choose to instead become mercenaries—many forming the human emperor’s elite guard, uninvolved with their politics.

[rush99999]

If we're still taking suggestions for races, I have 1. I don't think the orcs have been suggested yet, so there's that.

[Rin]

@rush99999Y'know, I think you're right. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with for that! :D

[Billsomething]

@Raineh Daze wow this really fucking good and thought you guys had ignored my suggestion for the dark elves to have green eyes

[Rin]

I am all for dark elves having green eyes because green eyes are sexy.

...I mean um what.

[Raineh Daze]

I have a bad habit of not mentioning something if I have nothing negative to say about it when it comes to worldbuilding.

[Billsomething]

@Raineh Daze you're such a Negative Nancy

[VitaVitaAR]

@Raineh Daze: That looks good!

I'm not sure if I'll be doing any other races. ^^;

[rush99999]

Here's a description of the orcs of Marduk.

---

Brash, brutal, always looking for a fight. This is the mindset of an orc. There are many theories of how the orcs came to be. Some say they were 1st created by magical experiments on high elves. Others say that the 1st orcs were products of Edes Athran. There are too many origin stories to count, and asking an orc about it usually gets you punched in the face. But while their origins may be a mystery, their love of battle is not. Since records began, orcs have been known far and wide for their tendency to seek out the toughest thing then can find, then beat it into submission and/or kill it. This has led to the formation of hordes, massive armies of orcs that work together to beat entire kingdoms into submission...if said hordes can stop their troops from infighting 1st.

---

That's all I have come up with so far.

[Raineh Daze]

I'm willing to write up the humans too, if nobody else has a burning desire to do so.

[Raineh Daze]

Since no objections... I started with the original idea, but may have embellished things a bit. We have... let's see, elements of the ERE, HRE, the Empire from Warhammer more directly, Venice, and Holland.

---

Humans occupy a large, geographically varied area, touching on the lands of almost every other race in Marduk. They also have a considerable population advantage over essentially everyone else, though their attempts to present a united front are constantly brought down by internal strife. Still, the threat of so many people being united under one banner alarms their more militant (or paranoid) neighbours, especially those who still remember the old elven empire.

The most significant portion of the realm, in terms of both political and economic influence as well as geographic importance, are the lowlands leading to the coast, and the innumerable rivers that cross through them. Many of the lesser rivers merge into one vast swathe passing through the human’s capital, a trade nexus without peer due to the ability to head upstream to virtually anywhere—or downstream to the ocean and the opportunities therein. With substantial work alongside the dwarves, the original river system has been augmented by canals stretching the breadth of the realm, particularly in the capital—to the point that it’s generally more efficient to get around by boat than walking, though the bridges over the central river are a stand-out feature.

Politically, the empire couldn’t get any more disjointed. Though theoretically united after their first emperor broke free of the elves under the shadow of Edel Athran, the divisions of the numerous scattered tribes persist to this day as political divisions fighting in the realm, sometimes in open conflict, but more commonly in political scheming to get their puppet or actual ruler onto the imperial throne itself. More often than not, however, the original bloodline that ruled the capital and its surrounding lands finds itself at the top of the fragmented pile.

Militarily, humanity as a group favour a balanced approach, as well as adopting new ideas and technologies when they’ve been proven, but they aren’t entirely above a ‘drown-it-in-bodies’ solution. Though having the ability to fund a professional army, the already-fractured political landscape means that nobody is willing to trust a single person with that level of force, with only the theoretically-loyal heavy cavalry being standing forces. Instead, each of the various princes maintains their own troop organisation, whether carrying on their traditions under the elves, conscription, a feudal system, or simply funding mercenaries. Despite all forces ultimately having to answer to the Emperor, short of the high elves getting uppity again, they seem disinclined to answer a call to arms en masse.

In order to protect against a coup from the scheming political factions, one of the past emperors arranged a standing contract with the Dark Elves: they would provide an elite regiment with a size corresponding to the nominal force of the Empire, and alongside the pay, trade agreements with the north would be more generous than otherwise allowed. Said regiment has a terrifying reputation as agile berserkers with a preternatural ability to avoid taking an injury, capable of cutting down even a group of knights with nary a casualty. Whether due to valuing the original contract, inability to provide a better deal, or just taking the long view of things, this group has yet to betray anyone yet… though they’re hardly received well in high company, despite their captain holding a rank equal to any of the princes.

---

Minor point: the coastline mentioned isn’t the North. It’s probably the Western or Eastern, since I imagine that elven lands would be the closest to the actual dark elves. It also explains why they’re politically disconnected, due to distance. And that way it still has a Mediterranean climate.

[VitaVitaAR]

Um, think they should maybe be a bit more unified, at least enough that they're more willing to fund a standing military. If all they really have is a calvary then they miss out completely on some of the cool stuff we talked about before.