[OOC] World Building Project

[rush99999]

@rush99999I think what Raineh means is that it needs to be a bit more in-depth, since just having them emerge from mud is... A bit too barebones, if that makes sense.

@Rin

Point taken

[JGBPhone]

Does anyone want to look into different sights and resources for making a map. I think that now we've got some preliminaries down, it would be a good time to get that figured out.

[Raineh Daze]

Does anyone want to look into different sights and resources for making a map. I think that now we've got some preliminaries down, it would be a good time to get that figured out.

@JGBPhone

Crappy paint drawings! :P

Really, we need to work out if this is yet another oddly left-justified fantasy map, whether the land continues off-screen, and possibly stuff about inland seas, natural borders...

That and we still need two elf write-ups and the dwarves. Work out who goes where.

[Rin]

@Raineh DazeWell, if they're soviet dorfs they'd probably be to the north-east-ish I guess?

...I still need to write up the wood elves I guess. ^^;

[Rin]

@Raineh DazeWell, if they're soviet dorfs they'd probably be to the north-east-ish I guess?

...I still need to write up the wood elves I guess. ^^;

[Rin]

@Raineh DazeWell, if they're soviet dorfs they'd probably be to the north-east-ish I guess?

...I still need to write up the wood elves I guess. ^^;

[Rin]

...I still need to write up the wood elves I guess. ^^;

@Rin

Whee~

Welves

In the deepest, darkest forests of Marduk dwell a sinister people, wild and unfettered; a race whom the humans tell cautionary tales of to their children to get them to behave, and who the elves consider to be backwards savages. Venerators of the old ways and following the example of nature for good or for ill, these capricious beings are known by many names. They are the Fair Folk, the Dwellers in the Forest, the Slyvan... To elves both dark and high they are the Wild Elves, but the human empire know them as the Wood Elves.

To speak of Wood Elf "civilization" is a bit of a misnomer; for they are wild and to the outside observer rather anarchic, and are seperated into numerous tribes that dot the forests and woods of Marduk. Each tribe has slightly differing traditions, as well as more wildly differing views on outsiders; some may trade peacefully with the folk outside the forest, whilst for some, anyone who even mistakenly enters the unmarked borders of their territory will be greeted by numerous arrows fired by unseen watchers amongst the green. One thing that seems to be shared amongst all of them, however, is how secretive they are of their settlements; only under very rare circumstances will any Wood Elf allow an outsider into their hidden villages, and even then they will be kept under a constant watchful eye. Their isolationism should not be mistaken for peacefulness, however, as Wood Elves are incredibly territorial and even the most peaceful amongst them will quickly turn against an outsider who they believe has outstepped their bounds. Due to the Wood Elves having a different set of morals than humans, as well as possessing the typical elven arrogance coupled with a more passionate, emotional streak than their more civilized cousins, they have a reputation for being wildly unpredictable and willing to raze an entire town for some minor insult unintentionally delt by a single representative.

Whilst their origins are lost in the mists of time, its safe to say that the Wood Elves are in fact the oldest elven culture to exist in Marduk. They shunned the advances of the nascent High Elves, considering them traitors; for they turned their back on the old ways, on their culture and (in the eyes of the Wood Elves at least) on the forests they once revered. It would be inaccurate to say that the Wood Elves hate the High Elves for this, however; the truth is that they utterly despise the High Elves, and would love nothing better than to tear down their beloved civilization and see them burn for their transgressions. They are on somewhat better terms with the Dark Elves, mostly due to a large percentage of them being almost completely unaware that the Dark Elves even exist; most of their settlements are too far south to have regular contact with their northern kin, although their more northernly settlements seem to at least tolerate them. As can be expected, the Wood Elves share a deep kinship with dryads, ents and other forest spirits; they are also rather fond of deer and giant eagles, often using them as mounts.

As previously stated, the Wood Elves venerate nature. They follow what they refer to as "the Old Ways", living by nature's example and paying tribute to the many spirits of the natural world. Throughout the year they celebrate many festivals, each dedicated to a certain aspect of nature or a notable event in the year such as the first days of spring. These festivals are often raucous and rowdy events filled with singing, dancing and great feasts, all presided over by their spiritual leaders, the druids. Most important of all these festivals, of course, is the Harvest Festival, the centerpiece of which involves a tribute to the spirits to ensure a bountiful harvest. Said tribute involves someone worthy... Maybe the daughter of a chieftain, or the strongest male in the village, or even an outsider who somehow caught the eye of the Wood Elves, being annointed with various oils and daubed with ceremonial paints... And being placed inside a giant wooden effigy dedicated to the spirits. And as the elves dance and sing around the effigy, the elder druid of the village sets it ablaze, and there is much feasting and merriment in anticipation of the coming harvest.

Physically, Wood Elves are rather similar to their High and Dark kin, albeit often more tanned and muscular. They mostly tend to wear the furs of whatever animals live in their respective forests, as well as a few natural cloths and on rare occasions clothing that they received in trade with outsiders. Many of them possess tattoos representing wild beasts, although some tattoos are little more than abstract shapes representing a certain spirit. If the need ever arises for them to take part in a mass battle, they will daub their bodies in mystical warpaint intended to garner the spirits' favour and protect them; other than this they tend to fight naked, armed with spears, bows and their deadliest weapon, a brutal cunning and extensive knowledge of their forest homes. In some parts of Marduk, "fights like a Wood Elf" is used to describe those who resort to dirty tricks and unscrupulous methods to achieve their ends, and it's not hard to see why.

[Rin]

Also, um, triple post but I just want to make a list of all the stuff I need to write up at the moment. ^^; Let's see...

• More setting specific Ky-Ree
• Aztec Goblins
• Neutral-aligned Undead Kingdom
• Soviet Dwarfs? If no-one else does at least. ^^;

...I am worried it seems like I'm hijacking this since I'm planning to do so much work for it. ^^;

[mattmanganon]

I love Worldbuilding and this looks pretty cool. Any chance I could help out?

[Joegreenbeen]

Also, um, triple post but I just want to make a list of all the stuff I need to write up at the moment. ^^; Let's see...

• More setting specific Ky-Ree
• Aztec Goblins
• Neutral-aligned Undead Kingdom
• Soviet Dwarfs? If no-one else does at least. ^^;

...I am worried it seems like I'm hijacking this since I'm planning to do so much work for it. ^^;

@Rin

No problem, I should really be stepping up more.

About the Ky-Ree, I am unable to access the info you have on them. I'll still link the post to the list, but I can't give any info.

[Rin]

@JoegreenbeenI'm... Not sure how you can't, especially since one of the links is not only on this very same site, but is in the same thread as the stuff about the Nem.

Going to try and write up a more setting-specific version of them anyways, but I'm honestly confused by this.

EDIT: Actually since all it really needed was changing "orcs" to "high elves", uh... Here we go!

Ky-Ree

BIOLOGY: Physically, Ky-Ree are rather similar to humans, enough so that they are capable of producing viable (yet sterile) offspring together. Their most obvious differences are their green skintone and unusual (from a human perspective) hair colours, although they also only have four digits on both their hands and feet, and their long ears come to points. On average, they are usually shorter than humans (the tallest Ky-Ree only being about 160cm/5'3"), and their average lifespan is about the same length. Ky-Ree musculature is more efficient than that of humans, leading a Ky-Ree to be somewhat stronger than a human of similar build would be assumed to be. Their green skin is also notably tougher than that of a human, allowing them to endure greater physical hardships. In fact, it is their strength and hardiness that led to them initially being used as a slave race. The Ky-Ree seem to be inherently unmagical; they have no magic users amongst their ranks, and possess a small degree of magic resistance. Ky-Ree age at roughly the same rate as humans, and live about the same length.

CULTURE: The Ky-Ree are, simply put, a race of warriors. Their culture glorifies honourable combat, warfare and strategy, and every Ky-Ree is trained to fight from as early as possible. They are not a barbaric race of raiders, mind you; they approach the subject of warfare and battle almost philosophically, treating it as the ultimate test of ones abilities. Battle scars are seen as not only a symbol of pride but of experience; Ky-Ree children are known as "Ihclynnat" or "Unscarred", as one who has not gained any scars is thought to have not seen true battle yet. Despite their obsession with war, however, the Ky-Ree do not wage war for frivolous reasons; mostly war is declared due to some unforgivable insult from another nation, or aggression from their neighbours, or from a need to expand their territory for various reasons. They admire the cultures of other races and nations, and although they have more interest in their views on warfare and military tactics they will happily listen and learn about other subjects too, even if they will inevitably find some way to link it back to warfare.

Even in times of war, unless their opponent is truly despicable they will treat them with the utmost respect and honour; they favour head-on tactics, and are rather loathe to use subterfuge and sneaky, dishonourable tactics. Due to their emphasis on culture and honour, even and especially in regards to war, the Ky-Ree look down upon anyone who would treat their soldiers as expendable; to them, each and every warrior is a valuable resource, and must be treated with respect and dignity. The Ky-Ree's view the orcs as an ancient enemy due to their history with them, and they are the only race with which they will immediately drop all pretenses of honour against. As far as they are concerned, the orcs are a menace that need wiped out entirely. Also because of their history with the orcs, the Ky-Ree are highly opposed to slavery; they see slavers as the worst kind of scum, and will treat them no better than they would the High Elves.

Ky-Ree warriors are trained in many forms of combat, although many prefer either the scimitar or the bow. In battle, many Ky-Ree ride atop mighty saberfangs, large tiger-like creatures with long, knife-like canines. Saberfang calvary are are the shock troops of the Khaganate's armies, and many a foe has fallen to the combination of Ky-Ree arrows and swords and the mighty cats' fangs. Whilst most Ky-Ree serve the army of the Khaganate, there is a sizable number of them that have spread out into the wider world, seeking fame, fortune and above all glorious battle as mercenaries. It is noted that they tend to lower their prices dramatically when hired to fight High Elves.

The Khaganate is a meritocracy, where anyone, no matter their gender, age or social status, can gain great reknown, wealth and power as long as they can prove themselves. Each of the Khans who command the armies of the Khaganate have proven themselves through countless battles to be mighty warriors and great tacticians, and they are presided over by the greatest of them all, the esteemed Dasi-Zeh Khagan, the Great Khagan and supreme warlord and ruler of the Khaganate. Dasi-Zeh Khagan is a rather progressive leader, and her policies revolve more around making allies and offering military support to others than they do with waging war against their neighbours. At least, as long as the hated orcs aren't involved...

The Ky-Ree are not a religious people, and put no stock in the works of gods or spirits. The closest thing they have to a religious text, the Ynduv-Fyn, is roughly one-quarter philosophy text, three-quarters a treatise on tactics and strategy. The original Ynduv-Fyn was, according to tradition, writen by Fyn-Sycdan Khagan in the blood of orcs, and is kept in the grand palace of the Khagans to this day. This original copy is the closest thing the Ky-Ree have to a holy relic, and in fact Fyn-Sycdan Khagan is the closest thing they have to a god, as he is venerated as the Prophet of Freedom and the First Great Khagan.

TERRITORY: The Ky-Ree Khaganate is a vast empire that takes up a sizable chunk of the north-eastern continent of the world, and is one of the largest non-human civilizations in the world. It is a land of mostly flat plains and rugged mountains, savannas and shrublands, and to the south the occassional desert.

HISTORY: Once, millenia ago, the ancient Ky-Ree were little more than a slave race to the High Elves. This went on for centuries, until eventually one Ky-Ree proclaimed "No more!" and stood against their oppressors. For this act alone Fyn-Sycdan would be remembered forever by the Ky-Ree, but he went further and managed to rally the Ky-Ree into a mighty rebellion. The High Elvess who had looked down on them were soon put to the blade, and those that weren't slaughtered were sent running far away from the Ky-Ree lands. The Ky-Ree gave chase, not willing to let any of their hated former masters live, leading them to rather quickly conquer the land that would become the heart of the Khaganate in a mad frenzy. Despite many of the High Elves escaping their vengeance, Fyn-Sycdan proclaimed that they need not live in bondage any longer and that they were now free to carve out their own destiny. And the destiny they chose was to be forever prepared in case the High Elves ever came back to reclaim their former slaves. Warfare and military training became the central focus of the Khaganate, and eventually a culture of honour and strength arose and was quickly embraced by the Ky-Ree.

[Joegreenbeen]

@Joegreenbeen

Dark Elves-Perfect
Orcs-Needs a makeover.
Humans- Needs Improvement
Grey Orcs- Needs a makeover.
Edes Athran-Perfect
Soul Contract-Needs Improvement
Chupacabras-Needs Improvement
The Nem- Perfect
Wood Elves- Perfect

[Joegreenbeen]

@JoegreenbeenI'm... Not sure how you can't, especially since one of the links is not only on this very same site, but is in the same thread as the stuff about the Nem.

Going to try and write up a more setting-specific version of them anyways, but I'm honestly confused by this.

EDIT: Actually since all it really needed was changing "orcs" to "high elves", uh... Here we go!

Ky-Ree

BIOLOGY: Physically, Ky-Ree are rather similar to humans, enough so that they are capable of producing viable (yet sterile) offspring together. Their most obvious differences are their green skintone and unusual (from a human perspective) hair colours, although they also only have four digits on both their hands and feet, and their long ears come to points. On average, they are usually shorter than humans (the tallest Ky-Ree only being about 160cm/5'3"), and their average lifespan is about the same length. Ky-Ree musculature is more efficient than that of humans, leading a Ky-Ree to be somewhat stronger than a human of similar build would be assumed to be. Their green skin is also notably tougher than that of a human, allowing them to endure greater physical hardships. In fact, it is their strength and hardiness that led to them initially being used as a slave race. The Ky-Ree seem to be inherently unmagical; they have no magic users amongst their ranks, and possess a small degree of magic resistance. Ky-Ree age at roughly the same rate as humans, and live about the same length.

CULTURE: The Ky-Ree are, simply put, a race of warriors. Their culture glorifies honourable combat, warfare and strategy, and every Ky-Ree is trained to fight from as early as possible. They are not a barbaric race of raiders, mind you; they approach the subject of warfare and battle almost philosophically, treating it as the ultimate test of ones abilities. Battle scars are seen as not only a symbol of pride but of experience; Ky-Ree children are known as "Ihclynnat" or "Unscarred", as one who has not gained any scars is thought to have not seen true battle yet. Despite their obsession with war, however, the Ky-Ree do not wage war for frivolous reasons; mostly war is declared due to some unforgivable insult from another nation, or aggression from their neighbours, or from a need to expand their territory for various reasons. They admire the cultures of other races and nations, and although they have more interest in their views on warfare and military tactics they will happily listen and learn about other subjects too, even if they will inevitably find some way to link it back to warfare.

Even in times of war, unless their opponent is truly despicable they will treat them with the utmost respect and honour; they favour head-on tactics, and are rather loathe to use subterfuge and sneaky, dishonourable tactics. Due to their emphasis on culture and honour, even and especially in regards to war, the Ky-Ree look down upon anyone who would treat their soldiers as expendable; to them, each and every warrior is a valuable resource, and must be treated with respect and dignity. The Ky-Ree's view the orcs as an ancient enemy due to their history with them, and they are the only race with which they will immediately drop all pretenses of honour against. As far as they are concerned, the orcs are a menace that need wiped out entirely. Also because of their history with the orcs, the Ky-Ree are highly opposed to slavery; they see slavers as the worst kind of scum, and will treat them no better than they would the High Elves.

Ky-Ree warriors are trained in many forms of combat, although many prefer either the scimitar or the bow. In battle, many Ky-Ree ride atop mighty saberfangs, large tiger-like creatures with long, knife-like canines. Saberfang calvary are are the shock troops of the Khaganate's armies, and many a foe has fallen to the combination of Ky-Ree arrows and swords and the mighty cats' fangs. Whilst most Ky-Ree serve the army of the Khaganate, there is a sizable number of them that have spread out into the wider world, seeking fame, fortune and above all glorious battle as mercenaries. It is noted that they tend to lower their prices dramatically when hired to fight High Elves.

The Khaganate is a meritocracy, where anyone, no matter their gender, age or social status, can gain great reknown, wealth and power as long as they can prove themselves. Each of the Khans who command the armies of the Khaganate have proven themselves through countless battles to be mighty warriors and great tacticians, and they are presided over by the greatest of them all, the esteemed Dasi-Zeh Khagan, the Great Khagan and supreme warlord and ruler of the Khaganate. Dasi-Zeh Khagan is a rather progressive leader, and her policies revolve more around making allies and offering military support to others than they do with waging war against their neighbours. At least, as long as the hated orcs aren't involved...

The Ky-Ree are not a religious people, and put no stock in the works of gods or spirits. The closest thing they have to a religious text, the Ynduv-Fyn, is roughly one-quarter philosophy text, three-quarters a treatise on tactics and strategy. The original Ynduv-Fyn was, according to tradition, writen by Fyn-Sycdan Khagan in the blood of orcs, and is kept in the grand palace of the Khagans to this day. This original copy is the closest thing the Ky-Ree have to a holy relic, and in fact Fyn-Sycdan Khagan is the closest thing they have to a god, as he is venerated as the Prophet of Freedom and the First Great Khagan.

TERRITORY: The Ky-Ree Khaganate is a vast empire that takes up a sizable chunk of the north-eastern continent of the world, and is one of the largest non-human civilizations in the world. It is a land of mostly flat plains and rugged mountains, savannas and shrublands, and to the south the occassional desert.

HISTORY: Once, millenia ago, the ancient Ky-Ree were little more than a slave race to the High Elves. This went on for centuries, until eventually one Ky-Ree proclaimed "No more!" and stood against their oppressors. For this act alone Fyn-Sycdan would be remembered forever by the Ky-Ree, but he went further and managed to rally the Ky-Ree into a mighty rebellion. The High Elvess who had looked down on them were soon put to the blade, and those that weren't slaughtered were sent running far away from the Ky-Ree lands. The Ky-Ree gave chase, not willing to let any of their hated former masters live, leading them to rather quickly conquer the land that would become the heart of the Khaganate in a mad frenzy. Despite many of the High Elves escaping their vengeance, Fyn-Sycdan proclaimed that they need not live in bondage any longer and that they were now free to carve out their own destiny. And the destiny they chose was to be forever prepared in case the High Elves ever came back to reclaim their former slaves. Warfare and military training became the central focus of the Khaganate, and eventually a culture of honour and strength arose and was quickly embraced by the Ky-Ree.

@Rin

Woops. I accidentally hit the deviant art links. XD

---

I'll take on the neutral aligned undead if no one minds.
---
I've added a link to the list on the first post.

[Rin]

@JoegreenbeenI actually had some vague-ish ideas about them, but... Hmmm. ...Like I said I'm worried about accidentally hijacking the thread but hmmm. I could always work on the dwarfs right now instead since I also have some ideas for them but hmmm. Also... Is DeviantArt blocked on your connection? Because that might make things a bit difficult from my side. ^^;

Also...

Dark Elves - Perfect
Orcs - Needs improvement
Humans - Perfect
Grey Orcs - Scrap it
Edes Athran - Perfect
Origins - Scrap it
Soul Contract - Scrap it
Chupacabras and Mammoths - Needs improvement
The Nem - Perfect
Wood Elves - Uh... Not sure if I should be voting on my own stuff. ^^;
Ky-Ree - See above.

[Billsomething]

@Rin can i help out with the undead kingdom

[RomanAria]

Oh god, okay. I can't keep up with this anymore... I'm sorry. I'm going to have to drop it. I'm sorry to go, it's just, I have no idea what's going on anymore.
@mattmanganon has expressed interest above; let him take my place. @Joegreenbeen @JGBPhone

[Rin]

@JoegreenbeenI actually know someone who's been very interested in this project since the beginning, but missed the initial signups. ...And it seems like she forgot to post interest when I asked her to since she mentioned that she still wanted to take part a few days ago. Hum.

But yeah, um, I know she'd be more than willing to take part and contribute, so um yeah.

[Blubaron45]

I'm going to drop out of this. I wish you all luck.

[Rin]

@Joegreenbeen@Raineh Daze@Billsomething@rush99999@VitaVitaAR
...Are you all still okay with working with what we've got? And, um, anyone want to discuss any of the stuff listed so far? Like the stuff that we've voted "needs work" for? ^^;

[VitaVitaAR]

I'm very much willing to work with what we have as well as add more.