My suggestion for the 'turn length' reality wise [AKA how long WE control it] be a single post in a cycle [which we can reorganize/restructure often if you guys are up to that sort of pseudo-randomization]
As for the setting? Let's set it up in a simple fantasy kingdom. I would prefer a smaller one myself, but if you guys are feeling up to ruling a massive kingdom then yes.
I say we start as a prince/princess [Race open to interpretation, the only thing really denied to us is Halfling/Hobbit due to their lack of monarchal nature, etc. A mayor perhaps? Run for Mayor as our intro...Could be interesting, eh?], and through the course of our actions become the ruler [Whether it be assassinating our parents, or simply going through the paces and becoming honest and proper rulers, etc]
Magical capacity? I vote a no on 'us' being capable of doing it, but I'm flexible and can work with it. I like the concept of being outmatched in situations and us needing to be on our toes.
The kingdom itself? That's where I start to split my preferences and would like to see you guys' input a bit before I can solidly form my own ideas.
There are plenty of initial conflicts and driving points we can do once we get the general setting nailed out.
Saltborn coloration on the map - A very dark purplish-pink color, or a very dark light blue..er...a very light dark blue?
"The Saltborn have no great origin story, nor do they have great gods and higher powers...They have the ocean, which in itself is all consuming and all powerful."
How the Saltborn came to be is a truly uncertain affair. Even the eldest amongst the Saltborn themselves are unsure of their origins, but one thing that they all agree on is that they came from the oceans. The Great Old One, if his words can be trusted at his deteriorated state, even claims that they came from the union of sky and sea; the heavens striking down upon the salt and brewing life in the brine. The Saltborn are a slow and deliberate people, however, and the concept of them having an origin is one that some simply refuse to acknowledge-- claiming that the Saltborn have simply always existed, and that was that.
But regardless of their origins, the Children of the Salt flocked together as those who share the same race and ideals tend to do. At first, a handful appeared on the island. Then, as time went on, dozens. Eventually, the Saltborn numbered so highly [comparatively speaking] that they all, more-or-less, agreed that a governing force was needed. Nobody agreed on who should lead them however, and they were far too impartial to elect a council...thus the randomized Demarchy was elected, and the council constantly restructured.
The Great Old One, by this time, was already a lump of salt on the beach, threatening to be swallowed by the sea. His wisdom and advice was often asked for, and willingly imparted, but with the Children of the Salt being long lived, the advance of the tide was almost swift in their eyes as the beaches eroded away.
And so a settlement was born; dubbed Ocean's Breath by the Great Old One, and maintained by all other Saltborn.
It is a simplistic settlement, made especially so by the Saltborn nature. The most defined structures within a Saltborn settlement are the Storm Shelters, which are further inland than the settlement itself, and are extremely solid buildings that the Saltborn retreat to in fear of lightning. The settlement proper, however, is quite organic; it consists primarily of high tents and interconnecting roofways to form a sort of singular entity on the beaches. Crafstman have their own space and work area, and there is apt space for storage and growth within the settlement, but the land-based buildings seem to be of minimal concern for the Children of the Salt...
The Saltborn ships and dockyard are where these people's efforts have been focused. Where their homes and landed settlement seems to be organic and simple, their ships are solid and excellent. They are devices that Saltborn master craftsman, people who dedicated their entire lives to the study and structuring of ships, have labored for decades to perfect and expand upon.
The docks themselves are solid and wooden, and extend a fair distance along the beaches to accommodate the ships the Saltborn create.
The Greatest ship in the fleet is far more solid and strong than any building these people have created thus far, and its deck is primarily used as a meeting place for the Council of Salt when not at sea. This ship is called 'Home', and serves as a sort of iconic structure of the Saltborn.
Home is a great ship, wide rather than narrow and tall rather than deep, and solidly built- an extremely sturdy and strong ship. Being tall rather than deep and wide rather than narrow makes it so that this ship is capable of going up and down rivers should there be no prevailing tree line and a wide enough avenue, and that a large quantity of people can be housed aboard the ship in the event of a powerful storm destroying the tents that dominantly populate Ocean's Breath.
The rest of the fleet is primarily a handful of fishing ships, and other smaller ships that the craftsman are experimenting with.
"These are a people bred upon the ocean's back, whose demeanor is as calm as the tide upon a clear harvest-time's night. Their ire is as powerful as the crashing of waves upon a sandy bank, however."
Civilization name - Children of The Salt
Colloquialism - Saltborn
Government type - Demarchy [AKA, rule of the 'randomly selected' - A governing council is constantly reorganized and restructured [Numbering Sometimes 9, sometimes 13, sometimes 11] so that there is no central ruling figure or government and that all Saltborn maintain neutrality in regards to affairs and issues]
Race - Child of Salt [Negatives] -Very low reproduction [The Saltborn themselves are as infertile as the salted earth, and the growth of population is almost stagnant, with but a few children being born amongst hundreds of saltborn every few years]
-low physical strength -low magical capacity [Skewing towards nonexistant] -Slow to act and change [Penalty to technology advancement and military reactions, and can apply to select diplomatic situations]
-Agriculturally deficient [Due to the Saltborn's nature, the concept of farming is rather far-fetched; salted lands are infertile, after all, and growing plants would be immensely difficult for them to do]
-Ocean-dependent [The Saltborn rely on the ocean for their primary sustenance and resources]
[Positives] -Skillful [A saltborn dedicates their life to their craft. What few soldiers the Saltborn possess are truly elite, for instance, and those who work in crafts are masters at their art]
-Long lifespan [The original Saltborn still lives, although withered and eroded away; lifespan averaging out at ~300 years, with 'elders' being classified as those above 400. Lifespan is relative and dated at Saltborn efficiency rather than Saltborn life cycle, as at the higher ages they deteriorate and fall apart rather than die out]
-Seafaring people [Being born of the sea, the Saltborn seek to master the ocean's power and are naturally inclined to be skilled with naval crafts and navigation]
-Low Maintenance [Saltborn require minimal sustenance and rest in order to function at full and comfortable capacity]
--The Ocean's Children--
The Saltborn are curious creatures, at best. They are bipedal, and for all intensive purposes can be classified as 'humanoids'.
The average saltborn is a thin, tall, creature who rises up to the height of 7 feet. They can hardly be called large, however, as their bodies hardly weigh enough to bring truly impactful force behind their tall stature. They don't have hair, and their skin is waxy [in the sense that water would run right off of them]. The distinct lack of dominant facial structure is possibly the most eery of the Saltborn's traits, as their faces are fairly uniform amongst them...
A Saltborn's face is mostly smooth, with clear spheres for eyes. The rare saltborn has coloration in its iris. The mouth is hard to distinguish from the rest of the face until one witnesses a Saltborn eat or speak, making them appear to simply have no defining structure until these actions take place. Telling the Saltborn genders apart is almost impossible without the assistance of the Saltborn themselves.
--The Heaven Forged--
Since the rise of the saltborn long ago, when the ocean's breath first brought life to the shores, it is only natural that the heavens have struck down upon the shores of the oceans from time to time, and that a Saltborn fell prey to lightning due to their tall stature.
Most Saltborn die from this, their bodies too frail to handle the heat and power.
The rare Saltborn, however, survives; the Heaven Forged.
The Heaven Forged typically renounce whatever lifestyle that had before and transition into a hunter/soldier life.
The physical transition between a Saltborn and a Heaven Forged is extremely apparent; the Heaven Forged lose the waxy seal upon their person, and seem to be made of an almost glass-like material in its stead. They are hardier than the average Saltborn, marginally, but the key difference is that the Heaven Forged are much faster, physically, and also bear natural weaponry such as warped limbs and jagged edges, turning their bodies into lethal tools.
90% of population - Fishers, Artisans and craftsman, philosophers/great thinkers, etc
The Saltborn call the island to the far southwest, which is solitary, their home; "Ocean's Breath" being the term they refer to their home as
I had this immensely curious idea pop into my mind and decided to throw together basic information about it and slap it down here to see how it was received. I may have gotten a bit too far-fetched with it, but this is how everything fell together in my head. Since it is a custom race I did need to post it here regardless, so my timid nature had better go sit in its corner!
I am fond of magic being something truly special but something to be feared/respected. So since the census seems to be towards that medieval king orientation, I place my vote for the concept of magic that it be something rarer but acknowledged and respected rather than common, or the other extreme of magic being hunted down and squashed.
In regards to the idea of fantasy races- I say we at least include the typical elves/dwarves/halflings, and anything else be a bonus we add in to make things more interesting/diverse.
There are infinite possibilities, especially if we leave a lot of the world open to the current 'author's input.
If we went with the king idea, for instance, there are limitless possibilities of things that could happen. Court intrigue, dealing with individual issues and audiences with the commoners, warfare and political squandering- quite literally everything could happen.
I can work with whatever you guys decide to pinpoint as our setting and character though, so let's hear some ideas, eh?
The king/possibly-fantasy/medieval angle would be simplest in some ways and more complex in others, and yet something as simple as the day-to-day life of an ordinary human could suddenly become interesting as we create the social hierarchy and web around them and warp things into this complex social story. Science Fiction/Science Fantasy? Also incredibly worthwhile to delve into!
I can see this working out no matter what, dependent on our efforts, so I can be completely honest when I say 'I have no preference' in regards to the topics of settings and character xD
I was staying silent mostly to see how things played out myself- so I do apologize for any apparent lack of interest. I was just sidelining myself due to my character's sideline nature for the now to see how the IC played out.
I would love to see this continue, and should nobody else appear to play that part I would toss my lot in to do it.
Don't worry about it, work is understandable.@The Narrator
If Zaresto comes back or if anyone else appears to do it, then huzzah!
Oh, huzzah! I shall spend my free moments catching up on it then, and then pitch my own civilized idea into the mix...er...civilization idea. Most likely quite uncivilized in hindsight.
[Edit]
Oh wow that is a lot. Skimming mode initiated, in-depth reading delayed for longer-term-spacing.
