I'll just post some pics to get us started.

>>17179910
The Siege Turtle was a mechanical oddity once used the Benaloria army. During it's expansion, the Benalorians had come across giant turtles with impenetrable shells. Seeing this as a sign, many engineers had begun to find ways to incorporate these creatures into the local militia and Benalorian army. These experiments ranged from caring supplies to handling heavy weaponry.

The results were more than often met with failure as various obstacles hindered the project from the reflectance of the turtles to the limited numbers of the creature found roaming the lands. It seems this plan was dropped as soon as it began as records show that not one turtle was ever used in battle.

>>17179990
So many typos.

>>17180040
Travelers near the Phrennoack and Uralaya Forest will eventually come across a local folktale that talks about the musician of the forest. The tale goes that once a young musician had gone against his father's wishes of becoming a hunter and had gone into hiding deep within the forest. He would play his instrument day after day, loving his time spend with nature and never once thinking of his life back home. His music was so enchanting, it is said that various animals around the region started mimicking its sounds. These animals ranged from birds to wolves. The boy was responsible for giving the animals the gift of sound in the guise of music.

This fabrication was meant as a way to explain the reasoning behind why animals seemed to sing during various times in the day. The myth originates from Vashial.

bumping. Come on /tg/, where are your writefags at? I'm sure you can fluff the hell out of this.

>>17179874
Hunters are found all over the western forest. There appearance and clothing differ from wearing homemade protection made from their prey to hardly wearing anything at all. Many travelers looking to traverse the forest are encourage to hire a hunter as they are vary knowledgeable of the dangers and obstacles that surround there the place they call home. Should you choose to do this, be advised, these hunters are often freelance workers with most of them often living of the land. Your safety will be determine by the individual you choose as your guide. Any and all incidents that occur can and often will lead to your demise.The use of common sense is encourage when employing these crafty individuals.

>>17180703
The Red Bear makes it's home in the forest near the Rustwater Delta. It's first distinguishing feature is its remarkable ability to walk in a by-pedal fashion. This ability has contributed to it being able to catch its most favorite of prey, the golden salmon. Red Bears are social creatures, often being seen with a group consisting of up to 20 members.

The empire has given the species the status of creature of interest. As such, it is illegal to hunt them.

Dumping some maps.

Tabula Gloria has been fleshed out enough, I say this as one of the writefags of the last two threads.

Add more information and it'll simply end up crazy and over-saturated.

Oh ho ho, it returns! Personally speaking, I'm gonna back off of doing any more writing in these threads and focus some more on editing the wiki and trying to work the clusterfuck of lore together into a coherent piece.

It may take a while.

Also recovering from a long game session yesterday, so my brain is still... mush.

>>17180941
I think it has a lot left unfinished. Particularly the eastern continent.

>>17179882
I was looking for a good knight image, and this did the trick. Wound up smudging off that emblem like so, wound up a bit off but it works well enough.

Animar sounds like it should have a Middle Eastern look to it. It'd be cool.

You know what, I'm bored witless so I'll contribute in my own crazed way.

Random Encounter Charts.

For'Channar Wilderness:
01-09: 1d6 Boars
10-18: 1d6 Wolves
19-30: 1d6 Bandits
31-35: 1 Cloacamera
36-40: 1d6 Wretches
41-50: 2d6 Bandits
51-60: 1 Bandit Leader and 2d6 Bandits
61-64: 1 Rogue Apprentice, 1d3 Vile Slimes and 1d3 Rippers
65-66: 1 Rogue Apprentice and 2d6 Bandits
67-70: 1 Bandit Leader, 1 Rogue Apprentice, 1d6 Bandits
71-75: 1d6 Drakonid Rebels
76-80: 1 Drakonid Shaman and 1d3 Drakonid Rebels
81-86: 1d3 Bandit Leaders and 5d6 Bandits
87-90: 1 Rogue Mage, 1 Bandit Leader and 2d6 Bandits
91-92: 1 Rogue Mage and 1d6 Rogue Apprentices
93-94: 1 Rogue Mage, 1d3 Rogue Apprentices, 1d6 Vile Slimes and 1d6 Rippers
95-96: 1 Rogue Mage, 2d6 Vile Slimes and 2d6 Rippers
97-98: 1 Rogue Mage and 1d3 Ghost Wargs
99-00: 1d3 Rogue Mages

How's that for a start? I imagine that the heartland of the empire is pretty tame with not too many wild or magic threats - the primary problem is bandits, malcontents and rogue wizards who desire dat delicious unlimited power.

>>17181684
Nice start!

How about a little thought assignment. It's clear that the Imperial House of Servitude was designed as a sort of legislature for the day-to-day functions of the Empire, as well as a governmental archive. I don't know how it would run though, if it serves in both of those functions. Would we do something unicameral, bicameral, or something else entirely?

Oh sure, not like I have anything to do. Brb, readin wiki.

>>17181853
The wiki doesn't have all the info. Check out the threads for all the info thus far. Wiki's very WIP.

>>17181805
Guy who wrote 'bout the House of Servitude here and I admit, I was pretty vague. I'll copy and paste for those who cba to find it.

"This painting, known as Mother 'mongst the Masses depicts the hustle and bustle of one of the most important buildings in Tabula Gloria. No matter how beautiful or decorative it may appear, the Imperial House of Servitude does not play a ceremonial role but rather a functional one. It is a truly colossal structure and host to the vast majority of administration and Imperial logistics.

Every official Imperial shipment, trade agreement, acquisition of goods or military movement is recorded and stored away in the House of Servitude. A common boast is for everything a man buys or sells in his life, there is a sheet of parchment stored away in the dusty depths of that building. Almost a third of Tabula Gloria's citizens are employed by the House of Servitude and either work within it or in one of its many branches, holding up the bureaucracy of their nation."

From my description, it seems far more orientated towards archival than anything else, simply on a massive scale. It records practically everything that goes on in the Empire. Records of almost every building sanctioned by the Empire, almost every official citizen of the Empire, almost completely accurate tax records, everything. I guess the idea was a place where every last detail about anyone or anything in the Empire could be found, a beaurocratic labyrinth on an impossible scale.

Of course, some stuff wouldn't be recorded there. "BOB O'BALLZAC SOLD TWO APPLES AND A PEAR OF DUBIOUS QUALITY TO JOHN O'PORKER FOR THIRTEEN PENCE AT HIS STORE AT TWENTY-THREE ALWICH AVENUE OF THE BAZAAR DISTRICT OF TABULA GLORIA, AT TWENTY-SIX MINUTES PAST TWO IN THE AFTERNOON ON THE NINTH OF THE THIRD EMPEROR, FIVE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-SIX POST-FOUNDING" would be going a tad too far, just to give an example, but I hope you get the general idea of it.

>>17182151
I do remember that, but I think some of us have also further fluffed it also as a governmental building. Probably mostly me, but that's just based on my memory of it.

Though to be honest, a bureaucratic labyrinth would be a VERY interesting adventuring spot. Looking for the tax records of a certain Chancellor who has been framed for tax evasion, trying to save his or her hide...

>>17182192
Oh god, I mucked up that spelling so bad. Screw you, google.

That's exactly the sort of thing I was planning for it; but I suppose it could also operate as a governmental organisation. After all, where could it be easier to handle logistics than from the heart of a nation's archives?

"The Emperor's son is launching an expedition for a far-off land? Well, he'll need as many experienced seamen as possible, Gerald, could you go fetch a record of privateers with over ten years of experience? Good show, old boy. They'll also need rations, a lot of citrus to fight off the scurvy... Margaret, could you be a dear and gather lists of lemon, orange and lime farms in the Gloria region? Wonderful. Once we have the information, we can send couriers to call in the troops and demand a surplus of fruit in the Emperor's name."

It just seems so much easier to arrange and organise things when you have all the information of the Empire at your fingertips.

>>17182373
True enough. Definitely need to rethink things. Maybe there can be the old building of the House, which used to hold the archives until it got too large. Emperor after emperor, new levels are being added underground to house more and more documents. As for the original building, it could have been converted to become the legislative arm of the government, though still distinctly separate from the Archives?

>>17182415
Sounds perfect to me. Go where you like with the idea or in the direction of whatever seems logical, at least.

>>17182550
Thanks. I suppose I would just like to keep it a collaborative project and not steal it from under y'all.

How much do we know of Animar? For what I'm seeing, the world is mostly focused in the western continent. I kinda like the idea of this guy >>17181071 or do you have a place like that already?

>>17182689
Not much really. I detailed the basics about Animar in the wiki here: http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Tabula_Gloria#The_Nation_of_Animar

I originally saw them as a Asian-esque sort of place with colorful and unorthodox styles, but I didn't provide a lick of cultural information other than the Nation's governmental system. Feel free to fill in the blanks!

>>17182713
Well that could work as well. Are there any deserts in the Eastern continent?

>>17182735
There's a sliver of desert on the eastern part to the north of the Earth's Cry. Bear in mind that the eastern part of the continent is largely uncivilized, or at least to the knowledge of the Western peoples and Animar.

>>17181684
Tabula Gloria, Sewer Encounters:
01-06: 1d6 Dire Rats
07-10: 1d6 Dogs
11-20: 1d3 Bandits and 1d3 Dogs
21-22: 1 Glutmouth
23-24: 1 Cloacamera
25-28: 1d6 Monch-S'rrtep Refugees
29-30: 1 Cinder Shade
31-40: 1d6 Bandits and 1d6 Dogs
41-42: 1 Doppelganger
43-44: 1d6 Cloacamera
45-46: 1 Rot Thief
47-48: 1d6 Wretches
49-50: 1d6 Rippers
51-54: 1 Bandit Leader, 1d6 Bandits and 1d6 Dogs
55-56: 1 Rogue Apprentice and 1d6 Bandits and 1d6 Dogs
57-58: 1 Rogue Apprentice and 1d3 Vile Slimes and 1d3 Rippers
59-60: 1 Bandit Leader, 1 Rogue Apprentice, 1d3 Bandits and 1d3 Dogs
61-64: 1d6 Glutmouths
65-68: 1d3 Cinder Shades
69-70: 1d3 Rot Thieves
71-74: 1 Rogue Mage and 1d6 Vile Slimes and 1d6 Rippers
75-76: 1 Rogue Mage and 1d3 Ghost Wargs
77-80: 1d6 Rot Thieves
81-84: 1d6 Cinder Shades
85-88: 1d6 Rot Thieves
89-90: 1 Chaerim Witch and 2d6 Rippers
91-92: 1d6 Red Tumor Victims
93-94: 1d3 Schröeded Men
95-96: 1 Schröeded Man and 1d6 Cinder Shades
97-98: 1 Bone Keeper and 3d6 Depth Grotesques
99-00: 1 Flesh Mage, 1d6 Cloacamera, 1d6 Wretches, 1d6 Rippers, 1d6 Rot Thieves and 1d6 Glutmouths

In case it's not obvious, the higher the numbers go, the crazier things become. It starts off with you just finding the standard scum of the earth in the sewers, and ends with you finding the secret lair of the most deranged, depraved creatures in the world, in the darkest depths of the Tabula Gloria sewers, or perhaps deeper.

>>17182754
Interesting, You can put some crazy-powerful monsters in there. I'll see if I can find some eastern art after all, this is still a fluff thread.

>>17181012
You miss the fourteen here.

>>17182790
Well, I did, didn't I? Fix't now.

How do you folks see adventuring in this setting working?

>>17182949
It can possibly start as an expedition into unknown lands, given the Imperial University's penchant for commissioning them. There is also the possibility of being part of a group of merchants looking for treasures and goods to sell at Tabula Gloria, or perhaps the market town of Kelebrae if you want to start somewhere smaller.

>>17182975
It seems like a fairly interesting universe to run an adventure in, although they would likely revolve almost entirely around Vashial, Benalor and Weylos as the primary lore hubs. Outside of that, the universe just seems fairly scant and in the end, although they're three different types of ruins, they're still all ruins, whether magical, technological or martial.

What the options for folks who do not feel like playing Indiana Jones?

>>17183053
Well, you can start in Animar if you wish. There are also other towns in which you can start if you don't want to play in the Empire itself.

Triolas in the west of Vashial
Port Endeavor in the east of Weylos
Winterlight in the east of the Iotold Homelands

And there's always the Iotold people themselves who have a skyborne civilization upon flying whales: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/17051756/#17057512

>>17183093
It's not starting locations that worry me, it's just the variety of locations to explore, it all seems centralised in ancient ruins.

>>17183230
Maybe you can add some. Like a floating palace or a enchanted forest.

>>17183230
Ah, well, I can't argue with you there. Do you have any suggestions that we can add in there? I guess we were taking it in a direction where there used to be many different nations which did themselves in and not many of them exist.

>>17183241
Well, something better than ruins is active antagonists, who are actually doing stuff rather than brooding in dark corners of the world.

Only ones I can think of the Yatoka Tribe, who sound like they've uncovered some ancient Vashial secrets or are under the thrall of the Progenitor. Then there's of course the Drakonids, who could be rebuilding a new offensive despite having previously been smashed - twice. Then there's a few groups with almost no background to them, the Raptorlords of the North Sea and the Alkhani Tribes of Uralaya Forest. What's their deal? Are they friend or foes? Oh, there's also the Wodamen of Vosagar too, although they're a bit too distant to be worth-while. Perhaps the prophecy of the Vos comes true and they lead the Wodamen to war, by boat or even across the Narsum Cas'shren if they have to?

>>17183347
Well, there ya go. They're people who definitely need some fluffing outside of the basic idea we gave them. I think you know what to do now, fair anon!

In any case, I'm done here for the night. For those who know how to write in the wiki, by all means put some stuff on there. I'll keep the thread up and see where it is tomorrow. Good night folks, and keep on getting shit done!

>>17183364
I'll start with the Raptorlords then.

Much like the Wodamen, the history of the Raptorlords is shrouded in mystery. Are they related to the Stormlords? Unlikely, judging from their homeland. Do come from the same origin as the Elytain Tribe, what with their affinity with psychopomps? Anything is possible, but yet again, this seems unlikely. Living in an uncivilised and barbaric society, the Raptorlords haven't developed written language and their sagas and legends are so muddied with superstition and ego that it is difficult to discern right from wrong.

Living on the string of islands North of the old Vashial Empire, the Raptorlords call their homelands Aeva, a frigid, cold landscape, of craggy hills, tough shrubland and unforgiving tundra. They're seperated into seven extended families known as Cairns, mostly due to the mound of skulls that marks the heart of each group's territory and they all at eternal war with each other, to please Aeva and leave her with only the strongest people. This is their religion, their faith. Naturally selection from the benefit of the world itself, beneath their feet.

If one thing about the Raptorlords is true, their society is full of odd traditions. All Raptorlords treature their hair and braid it in complex ways, always maintaining a careful length under the superstition that those hair too long are slow of mind and those with hair too short are morally bankrupt. Another tradition is that they must collect the skulls of rival Cairnsmen to their cairns, but only once they are dead. If a Raptorlord slays one of his kind only for them to be brought from the brink by one of the Alkyr, they are to be spared and respected, as they are no longer bound to their Cairn; they are Secondborn.

>>17184952
Perhaps their strangest tradition is their respect of winged creatures. Aeva is a land full of crows, ravens and other intelligent corvids. Killing a bird brings a man a year of bad luck, while consuming one is a great sin, enough to make a man a pariah and an outcast, no longer accepted by his Cairn or even the Secondborn soothsayers, damned to live in the wilderness forever alone. Each Raptorlord owns several birds in his lifetime, cherishing each one and using them as his eyes in the sky and his constant companion. Each Cairn has their own pedigree, training their breed as excellent scouts and treating them almost as spirit guides, trusting them to show the way in dire situations. Surprisingly, in most circumstances, they do. This spiritual union with their corvid allies is what has earned this tribal people the name 'Raptorlords.'

One of the biggest mysteries of the Raptorlords is perhaps their connection the Lord of the Tempest or as they know him, the Ulpaka, or the Forefather. In their oldest legends, they speak of Ulpaka, in the days when the world was young and the Itol ruled the seas, before the time of the Raptorlords. He was such a grand warrior that Aeva herself fell in love with him. Manifesting herself as a beautiful woman, she laid with him and bore him four daughters and three sons.

Hateful enemies of the land, the Itol wanted the world to be covered in ocean and conceived a cunning plan when they discover Aeva's mortal form. Stealing her away to their homeland, they began to maim her body and as she was forever scarred, so was the world, entire regions falling into the sea. In his rage at his loss, Ulpaka ran after the Itol until the earth fell away beneath his feet and then he swam, with unmatched fury. Unable to escape him on water, the Itol ascended to the air, forfeiting Aeva to Ulpaka.

>>17184963
Weeping at what they had done to his lover, his rage only burned brighter and he was consumed by the desire for revenge, raging across the ocean after the Itol, forever reaching up to the sky to try to bring them down and punish her for what they did to his love. Terrified of mortality, Aeva abandoned her human form and became one with the earth again, forever changed by the evil of the Itol. Lost without their father, Ulpaka's seven children faught amongst themselves for leadership, over who was Aeva's favoured child, and formed the Cairns. So ends the story of the Forefather. It is clear that the Itol in this story are the Iotold of today, but they deny this story as savage idiocy whenever they speak with Imperial scholars on the subject. Still, there may be some element of truth on the topic, for Raptorlord boats have never been targetted by the Lord of the Tempests, nor his servants. In fact, Stormrays have often been known to assist them in naval warfare, often turning the tide of the battle.

Which brings us to how they interact with the Empire. While the Raptorlord Cairns are obsessed with fighting one another, it isn't unknown for them to sail the Northern Sea, not only fighting each other when they meet but also raiding Imperial fishing fleets and even warfleets. While the Emperor's vessels are far more durable and have far greater firepower, the Raptorlord's speed is unmatched. Their slender, bird-headed vessels may be designed for boarding each other but the sharp iron beaks are just as effectively at rending a hole in an Imperial galleon simply by ramming through it.

>>17184974
Only the Alkyr Secondborn lack any sign of hostility. Not only that, but they are happy to tell us about their people. It is through them that we have discovered everything that we have. In the end, however, the Raptorlords are not an important nation in this world. Despite their colourful stories, songs and sagas and their many unique traditions, they are nothing but primitive pirates, harassing Imperial fleets and undefended coastal villages simply for primal pleasure, when they're not fighting one another for Aeva's love.

Emperor Margurim par'Channar IX is infamous for his lack of patience with the Raptorlords. In his eyes, the "bird-worshipping savages were more of a threat than the Lord of the Tempest ever could be." In one of the largest military blunders in Imperial history, he sent an invasion force that rivalled that of the response to the Second Drakonid Incursion, with the hope of wiping out the Raptorlords forever. He failed. Every last ship was wrecked and over half of the soldiers who went on that journey were never heard from again, lost to the watery depths. Traumatised survivors slowly began to return over the course of a decade, the wreckage scattered all across the coast of the North Sea, each one with their own tale of how the tides decimated the fleet.

In recent years, new tactics have been adopted to evade the Raptorlords rather than to defend against them or to counter them. With the recent truce with the Lord of the Tempests, no one wants to risk gaining his ire once more by attacking his favoured sons and daughters. In some cases, they're forced to, but most of the time when a sailor spots a raven through the mist in the North Sea, he knows to turn and run, for the Raptorlords are coming.

>>17183053

Resurrecting the tread because I love the setting.

If you don't want to do Indy-style quests, there's always the classic Renaissance exploring. Be a party of naturalists (including bodyguards and such) cataloging wildlife in newly explored lands, for instance. Then there's intrigue and politics in the Empire of For'Channar - it's described as a peaceful place but I like to think there's lots of stuff brewing under the surface. Hell, you could probably run a campaign where the party are investigators of the Tabula Gloria city watch, solving crimes with magical CSI methods and old-fashioned sleuthing.

Or you could be members of the Special Investigations Branch of the University: all those mages and tinkerers out in the country, doing research and creating stuff - someone has to police them, or we'll end up with another doomsday scenario like the ones that offed the 3 Empires. There's also the fact that the University was established in a civil war, because there used to be many Colleges spread around the country before Magurim III decided to create a single University, and many of the mages and scholars did not go quietly. Separatists still exist and they often try to establish clandestine schools of magic and technology in remote locations.

I also think the setting lends itself well to high seas privateering and piracy campaigns. Prey on the juicy trading fleets that run back and forth between Animar and For'Channar! Or protect your merchant convoys from raider predations.

>>17187448

Also, even though a lot of lore has been detailed, I think there's still a lot to do in terms of fleshing out the organizations and people of the world. Notable NPCs could be added, for instance. I'll work on that later when I have the time.

>>17184963
>>17184952
>>17184974
>>17184988
Definitely loving the fluff here! It's giving me some ideas about the Iotold as well, but that will come later after I work on the wiki some more.

>>17187448
Ooooh, I like that idea. The College of Truthseeking, perhaps?

>>17187552
Can't wait to see what you can conjure up when you get the time!

>>17188071

The Imperial College of Inquiry was established during the earliest years of the University. Based in the ominous Obsidian Quarter in Tabula Gloria, the College of Inquiry was a College unlike the others. For one, it was founded by decree of the Emperor rather than as a voluntary association of scholars. And secondly, it was tasked with a very specific mission - to ensure that research and development of natural and supernatural topics that have destructive potential would be overseen, restricted and controlled.

Emperor Magurim III, known as Magurim the Secretive among the populace, was a philosopher-king who, like many Emperors of For'Channar, endulged in the study of history. He pored meticulously over the tomes detailing the falls of the 3 Empires that preceded For'Channar, hoping to understand the reasons for their demise so that his own Empire would not suffer this fate. And eventually, he came to believe he knew this reason. It was a simple enough idea - the Empires of old fell because they would not stem the inexorable tide of progress.

Magurim III decided he would ensure that technological development would not run rampant in Channar, like it did in Benalor. Nor would study into the magics of the world lead his empire to ruin as it brought devastation to Vashial. No one charismatic leader would cause his people's demise in the fashion of Weylos. For this purpose, the College of Inquiry was created.

>>17188551

From their headquarters in Tabula Gloria, the College of Inquiry sends out Truthseeker parties to inspect and control magical workshops and laboratories. Charismatic preachers and orators are thoroughly investigated by Truthseekers in order to establish that they pose no threat to the Empire's established order. Expeditions to wildlands and uncharted regions usually have a Truthseeker or two seconded to them, "so as to ensure that the stability and welfare of the Domains of For'Channar are not threatened by the unearthing of secrets best kept hidden", as the official wording in Magurim III's decree goes.

To be a Truthseeker is to be feared and shunned, but also respected and honoured. The arrival of a Seeker inspection is usually seen as an annoyance by mages and scholars, but the common folk of the Empire admire the inspectors as heroes. Many ballads have been written about particular Truthseekers, such as the famed Inquaestor Thaddeus Mox and his trusty assistant Abel (the most famous one being The Fall of Remmington Manor, about how Inquaestor Mox uncovered the truth of Lady Remmington's experiments into the nature of the magical plague that harrowed her estate). Truthseekers are seen as champions of truth and justice, and crowds are always eager to pelt apprehended rogue mages with rotten vegetables and dead vermin when prisoners are dragged through the streets of Tabula Gloria in chains, awaiting trial and Sanctioning.

>>17188551
>>17188603
I was thinking of more of a legal sort of thing, but hey, we can come to a compromise of sorts. Here's what I have for the Truthseekers.

>The College of Truthseekers
A later addition to the Imperial University under the apologetic reign of Alexius II, the College of Truthseekers serves as a fact-finding and verifying body separate of the military and the policing forces of the Empire's holdings. The College trains students wishing to enter the world as detectives and prosecutors, teaching them how to find information that cannot be found in either the Empire's libraries or even the Archive of the Ages. Students who graduate from this program tend to stay with the College, becoming known for intense and tenacious investigative work. However, this College is not without controversy. It had once accused Emperor Margurim IX himself with responsibility for sending an Imperial invasion force to their doom when they were dispatched to eliminate the Raptorlords of the Northern Sea. Though the Emperor ended up avoiding conviction, the proceedings in the Royal Judiciary divided the people in the duration. Truthseekers today toe a very fine line between acceptance and controversy for the sake of justice as a result of that investigation, sometimes making them more feared than even the military within the Empire.

>cont'd

>>17188612
>The Department of Detection
The Department serves as the first phase of an investigation. The Detectives of the Department use a variety of methods to scrounge up information, including detailed searches for physical evidence, interrogation of witnesses and other people of interest, and deductive reasoning to tie the two together. They also work with other institutions to accomplish this task. They have been known to request official findings from the policing forces to determine collusion of testimony, as well as bringing evidence to the College of Magical Arts to pick up magical signatures which may lead the Detectives to a suspect.

>The Department of Prosecution
The Department serves as the liaison between the accuser and the Royal Judiciary. The Prosecutors of the Department compile the findings of the Detectives to present a case to the Judiciary. As the Detectives find information, it is up to the Prosecutors to find the truth in them. They do this by getting to know the people involved in the case, including the victims, the suspect, the witnesses, and experts if the case has precedent. They also have a mastery of the Imperial language, which they use to convey their case. Their job is a psychological one, trying to glean more information from the people involved and then trying to convince the Judiciary of their correctness in the matter.

>How can we reconcile this?

>>17188612
>>17188619

Well, I have described magical law enforcement and you've got regular law enforcement for non-magical or science-related crimes, so I think my College works as a sort of subset of yours. A specialized division, if you will. It figures that since magical crime will probably involve larger-than-life stuff, so the cops that have to catch mad scientists, rogue mages, fleshwarper cults, ancient artifacts or bio-experiments gone berzerk and other stuff like that would also be more hardcore. A Fringe Division, if you will.

>>17188647
Perhaps put it as the Department of Inquisition? I would have to peg the creator of the whole College of Truthseekers as Margurim III to keep with your story (which I do like, by the way). Would also make sense to call them all Truthseekers collectively, allowing the Inquisitors to act covertly until the investigation is complete and they can thus be identified.

>>17188654

I associate "Inquisitor" with 40k, which is why I made up the title "Inquaestor" to replace it, but I guess it could work. I suggest something like this:

The Imperial Department (ministry?) of Justice is tasked with enforcing Imperial law throughout ForChannar. The College of Inquiry assists the Department with magical and scientific means of investigation, as well as has its own Inquaestor corps that investigates magic and science-related crimes.

>>17188673
Methinks that would work. Gonna plug that into the wiki right now. May take a while.

>>17188677

There's also something called the Lawman's Guild, which I think is a kind of "sheriff-for-hire" type of operation where people can take commissions to patrol and secure lawless areas, post and collect bounties for criminals, and bring suspects in for trial at local Justice offices.

>>17188711
Alright, editing the wiki, but here's some organizational ideas. First of all, the House of Justice was created by Margurim II to fill in a hole left over by the Founder. Margurim III would then create the Ministry of Inquiry within the House of Justice. Margurim III would also establish the College of Truthseekers within the Imperial University to help with the legwork in non-serious criminal investigations, whereas the MoI would deal with the whole process of investigating serious crimes. Also, I like the idea of the Lawman's Guild, which would help with the distribution of policing responsibilities in specific areas of the empire.

And here's what I got for the MoI:

Amended into the House of Justice under Margurim III, the Ministry was tasked with acting as the policing force, judiciary, and possibly the executioner in serious criminal cases. The Emperor knew from the growing collection of history surrounding the Old Empires that the common bond between the different Empires and their eventual destruction was a case of unbridled ambition and unchecked progress. He was not willing to let For'Channar end in a similar way if he could help it. To stem both of those factors, the Ministry was created to look into matters such as advanced magical and technological research, as well as the rise of public figures whose messages deviated too far from official Imperial policy. The members of the Ministry, the Inquaestors, act covertly and report directly to the Emperor and his immediate counsel until an investigation and subsequent resolution is complete. To retain the secrecy of the organization, the Inquaestors are hand-picked based on the case in which they are to be assigned. They are then dismissed from the Ministry afterwards to prevent any possibility of those holding a grudge against the Ministry from finding out more about them. This also allows the former Inquaestors to publicly announce their former position (at their own risk, of course), a position which may hold them in high regard if they wish to enter the Judiciary or the various law enforcement groups in the Empire later in their careers.

Sounds good?

>>17188831

I think it's a bit extreme to have them retire after one case, since it seems like a waste of talent. Some Inquaestors will work clandestinely, sure, but I think many of them would opt to use their fame (infamy, even) and reputation. Think a Holmes or Poirot, or even Loyola.

Also, I think Inquaestors would be the topmost rank of Truthseeker rather than a part of the MoI.

>>17188873
Hmmmm, a considerable rewrite would be in order then. I personally want to see the non-serious and serious crimes in separate organizations. The CoT as I saw them served as an apparatus separate of the official governmental line, as a pseudo-third-party. The MoI would seem to be more of a Imperial investigation force, which would conflict with the mission of the CoT.

>>17188886

I see the separation in terms of "magical-nonmagical" rather than "serious-nonserious". Well, that's a bit of a misnomer since a Benalor-type scenario also falls under the CoT's domain in my classification, but you get the point. To illustrate the difference, and example.

Say a noble is getting uppity and won't pay his taxes. Standard procedure is to have the MoI hire a few Lawmen, form a party with some Knights and a scribe and go apprehend him. But if it turns out the noble's been up to some illegal fleshcrafting or biomancy, well, then you call in the CoT since they have experience dealing with that sort of thing. Now, the MoI handle all "mundane" crimes, ranging from a street mugging to an anti-Imperial revolt. The CoT would then handle all "non-mundane" crimes, whether it be artifact smuggling or full-on communing with the Godless or making an unlicensed transdimensional donut teleporter.

>>17188935
Ooooooh, I see now. I would think that magic would be commonplace enough now that the emphasis would be between serious/nonserious rather than magical/nonmagical. Gimme some moments and I'll edit those sections in the wiki.

>>17188935
If you want to use technobabble, I think an interesting way of looking at that distinction would be the mundane and the transmundane.

>>17188949

It's common enough, but having this arrangement ensures that people have less of an incentive to mess around with "transmundane" (love that word, >>17188952 btw) stuff. A smuggler would agree to haul drugs or weapons, but artifacts from the Three Empires? What are you, crazy? You wanna get the Truthseekers on our ass?

So again, just to reiterate before I make the big changes, the MoI to you is just the standard police and investigation force, while the CoT, under the Imperial University, deals with the transmundane stuff. (that word DOES have a ring to it...)

>>17189070

Yep, that's about the gist of it. I wonder if there are mages and scholars that freelance for the Guild of Lawmen and get commissioned by the CoT...

Also, I think a great way to develop this setting further would be as a quest thread.

>>17189131
I suck at quest threads sadly enough. None of them ever catch on, that and I tend to get pulled away by errands or other real life shit.

>Being the Op of the ancient thread.
>Loving doing monster for the rpg games ,but with awful english.
>Discover 4chan /TG/, loving it.
>Being awkward as fuck, worring if this post I was thinking will be trolled or ignored, but decided do it.
>All goes right, posting pictures and doing some shameful fluff, people contributing. Feelsgoodman.jpg
>My grandmothers dies after a long disease.
>Being totally nihilistic for a few weeks, getting drunk with my friends and lot's of autodestructive behavior (I loved my granny a lot).
>Getting off of some problems, and conecting in 4chan /tg/ again.
>See this.

I will only say than I love all of you. With manly tears dropping off my face.

>>17189156
Well shit man, glad we could be of service. I suppose it would be appropriate to dedicate this setting to your grandmother?

Alright, both the Ministry of Inquiry and the College of Truthseekers are updated:

http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Tabula_Gloria#The_Ministry_of_Inquiry
http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Tabula_Gloria#The_College_of_Truthseekers

>>17189168
I'm very touchy, but fuck no, that it's more your work and the rest of namefags and anons. But that was epic. That board it's great. I don't have the word, Only keep posting and get that setting epic. Thanks to all.

>>17189227
Fair enough, hence why I asked. Glad you're pulling through this though.

Well folks, break time for me. Hope to see more here when I get back.

Uralaya Forest is not like its Northern cousin, Phrennoack. The trees are denser and tightly packed, crafting a maze of tangled vines and branches. The earth is covered by snaking roots and hardy shrubs rather than a layer of dead leaves. In Uralaya Forest, life is cruel and unforgiving and stopping to worship it would mean the death of the Alkhani Tribes. They cannot be compared to the Elytain or the Yatoka Tribes for their lives are so much more difficult, forever haunted by woodland spirits dedicated to nothing but protecting their land. They are nomads in their own land.

The Alkhani have mastered the art of communicating with the land not out of respect for it, but fear. The Forest of Uralaya is full of dire secrets and convoluted laws, that can only be gained from the gnarled trees of the woodland. In return, the only thing that the forest desires is blood. Whether it is the blood of a tree, a man or an animal, blood is the currency of this dark land. In exchange for it, the woods offer many things. For example, one might tell you which trees you can cut down without angering the Ingwey, although they often take advantage of this opportunity to eliminate their rivals - the trees of Uralaya hold many grudges, and they hold them forever. They could also tell you of where the Titans and other dangerous creatures of the forest walk, so the Alkhani can avoid them.

>>17189695
While the reason for it is unknown, only the trees of the Uralaya can be spoken with in such a way. It is an odd process, involving drilling a small hole into the bark of a tree, tapping into its veins and drinking of its sap. Through a hallucination or a vision, the imbiber of the sap is informed of the blood that the tree desires. Once its thirst has been quenched by splashing the red nectar on its roots, the ritual is conducted a second time, in which the tribesman is told that which he desires to know. After this, it is tradition for the one conducted to ritual to chew a wad of wood pulp and seal the opening with it, so the tree forgives him for the wound he made.

The more powerful trees of Uralaya, tall, ancient and gnarled, can tell those who drink from them far darker, greater secrets and favours but in exchange, they demand more exotic blood. The blood of an unborn child, the sap of a Greeman and even more extreme, esoteric tastes. The Uralaya Forest is home to a court of intrigue that is perhaps even more elaborate than that of the Empire, home to thousands of trees using the Alkhani Tribes as their messengers and minions. Whether it is to eliminate a rival, or fulfil a grudge, or gain the protection of the Ingwey, Greenmen or other folk of the forest or simply taste new and exotic blood, they are highly intelligent and manipulative, turning the dark, tangled jungle into a battleground of vast, alien intellects.

>>17189706
In the end, the Alkhani Tribes are happy to serve the trees of the forest. They are divided into many camps not out of grudges for each other, but simply due to the trees that their ancestors served. They would rather not lose the favour of the ancient giants, out of fear of being the subject of a grudge and the target of their supernatural servants. When they can, tribesmen of the Alkhani get along happily and respect one another with pride, but this peace is easily broken whenever the forest demands it, with one old oak demanding that its servants feed it the blood of the ones who cut down its child, for example. Whenever conflicts like these break out, the Alkhani always mourn the dead, whichever side they were on and they forgive one another, knowing that they were simply obeying the demands of their immobile masters.

They are, however, quite xenophobic. They feel no attachment to those not of their own kind. Anyone who enters Uralaya Forest is considered to have forfeited their blood to the Alkhani Tribes, as an offering to feed to the wooden overlords of the land. In fact, when the Alkhani do not desire to feed their own blood to the trees of the forest, it is not uncommon for them to wander outside of their land, stalking the steppes of the Stormlords, the comparatively tame woods of Phrennoack and the plains of the Empire for unsuspecting victims, who they may drag back to Uralaya to have their throat slit upon the roots of a hungering tree. Thankfully, this is not a common occurance and the Empire sees no reason to waste resources in retaliation, instead simply warning travellers to avoid both the forest itself and the men and women of the Alkhani Tribes, with skin like bark, hair like dead grass and eyes like amber.

>>17189710
Despite their servitude to the land, however, the savage tribals of the Alkhani have their moments to shine. Among their kind they possess keen astronomers, capable of climbing atop the highest trees - with their permission, of course - and gazing into the heavens, mapping the stars of sheets of slate, recording celestial events with intense interest. For each solar eclipse is an event to be remembered. The land slumbers, the trees fall into deep sleeps and their servants close their eyes to rest. This is the one time when the Alkhani are unshackled and the forest loses all of its danger. When the moon covers the sun, they rule Uralaya and they gather in a massive festival, in the dark heart of the forest, illuminating it with fire and dousing the land with pilfered alcohol, filling their bellies with food and drink and enjoying a moment of freedom, united and bursting with joy. Even outsiders are welcome to these festivities, the only time when Imperial scholars have spoken to Alkhani tribesmen outside of captivity.

This moment of peace and tranquility to enjoy themselves is all that the Alkhani ask for and frequently enough that at least one shall happen in every tribesman's life-time. When the forest reawakens, the Alkhani resign themselves to running once more from the Titans and the Ingwey and the Greenmen and the Order of the Patch and resign themselves to serving their sky-obscuring masters once more.

>>17189720
The Uralaya Forest is a dark, unforgiving land, full of savage beasts and darkness that can only be countered by swearing alliegance to the land itself and wetting its endless thirst for blood. Its people are just as primitive and primal as the land that they come from, a testament to a forgotten age, to a time before time, when all men were beneath nature, before they climbed out of their primordial slavery and grew to dominate the world. It is no wonder that many scholars refer to Uralaya as the cradle of humanity and the Alkhani as the first of our kind. It is a land to be both protected and avoided, kept safe from the threats of the outside world, a timeless treasure, forever preserving the origins of sentient life.

The Collegial Civil Wars

During the first breathless days of the For'Channar Empire, when the Channarian peoples began to venture outside their homelands to find themselves surrounded by dead and dying empires, fallout from the Three-Way War still lingering in the earth, sky and waters, the time was ripe with dangers and opportunities. Free from the yokes of the Fallen Empires, the Channarians could forge their own destiny amidst fires and ruins. These were the days when the first Colleges were established all around the lands of Channaria. The proud College of Shapers, occupying the formerly Benalorian citadel at Canis Falls. The dark College of Biomancy, settling in a Phrennoack stockade. The wealthy College of Transmutation and Chymistry, rising above the Garvenus Steppes, its chymeras marching with the proud peoples of Bardia. And many others, all flying their banners, all home to scholars and mighty mages.

All, according to the wisdom of Emperor Magurim II, a threat to the Empire and the unity of its peoples. Magurim II was a wise ruler with great foresight. He knew that the Colleges were amassing wealth and power, and that they would come to take control of the lands that housed them. He knew the Colleges would split the Empire in a myriad of fiefdoms, warring amongst themselves like the Channarian tribes of old did, during the time of the 3 Empires. Weak and divided, Channaria would fall to any invader. Thus did the Emperor Magurim II, in his infinite wisdom, decree that all Colleges be unified into one single University, where all manner of scholarship on mundane and transmundane topics be joined for the benefit of all the Empire.

The Colleges did not go willingly, and the Empire went to war with itself. Towers burned. Proud mages cast themselves to the ground as their centres of learning were demolished, libraries ransacked and taken away to Tabula Gloria.

>>17189853

Many Chancellors, such as Achmun Daltares of the College of Battlemagic, chose to die in the field of battle or burned within their towers and keeps rather than submit to the University's authority. Some, like Zelaya Varqest of the College of Forging elected to surrender, in order that the wealth of knowledge and research within their keeping would be passed on to the Empire rather than be lost in fire. Some others, like Guyle Bezier of the College of Shapers, were taken to Tabula Gloria in chains and forced to toil for the Empire ingloriously as prisoners within the University cellar laboratories.

We paid a high price for unity, for the vision of the Emperor. But the yield of that unity is visible even today. Look upon the walls of our marvelous University, behold its splendor. No other nation can match it! So join me as I raise this cup in tribute to the Emperor and his wise councel. Hail Magurim! Hail For'Channar!

- Chancellor Alberecht Vesht, inaugural address to the newly-founded College of Navigation, Fourth Year of the Hound, Second Harvest.

Just performing a count of the existing culture in the modern era of Tabula Gloria:

Imperial For'Channar, a baroque nation formed by balance between magic, technology and the mundane. Set in a tame, domesticated countryside, with crude villages, might forts and a single glorious city, the jewel of the Western world.
The Elytain Tribes, a primitive, druidic nation born in the wild Phrennoack Forests, protected by Eltya, a deity of life and fire and the psychopomps that serve him. They believe in living alongside the nature world and remaining equal to it.
The Stormlord Faithful, a proud and savage people found on the Gavenus Steppes that have lived since the time of the Old Empires. They worship the Sky Devourer as a deity of protection and destruction and live hard, nomadic lives.
The Animar, a distant race from another continent in the East, with a history seperate from that on the Western land's three empires. They are a walking mystery, an example of a functional nation not born from the ashes of others.
The Shialar, the old remenants of the Vashial people who inhabit the wastelands of their former empire. They are a peaceful people, who seek redemption and the rebirth of their ancestral homeland, slowly returning it to a livable state.

>>17190684
The Iotold, an enigmatic race of merchants and wanderers who once sailed the seas but now travel the skies after an ancient calamity caused by the Lord of the Tempest. They wander the clouds, occasionally selling exotic trinkets and secrets.
The Alkhani Tribes, savage and primordial tribals that inhabit the sentient jungles of Uralaya Forest. Dedicated to survival in this strange ecosystem, they serve and feed the malevolant trees of the land in exchange for guidance.
The Raptorlord Warriors, a hardy folk split into seven clans called Cairns, who war for supremacy over the homeland they worship. With the aid of their bird guides and the Lord of the Tempest, they are infamous for raiding the Imperial coast.
The Yatoka Tribes, once one with the Elytain Tribes but having recently seperated themselves after a clash of philosophies. They believe in controlling and mastering life, in shaping it and perfecting it and have set out to dominate Eltya himself.
The Wodamen, brutal barbarians and pirates who live in the distant desert of Vosagar, raiding the Southern coast of the continient. At the heart of their nation lie two volcanoes, where their gods, the Vos live, preparing the Wodamen for war.

Hell, that seems varied enough to me.

>>17190693
Actually, make that eleven, not ten, since I forgot this one.

The Drakonids, a primal race of beastmen, bipedal reptiles with the gift of flight and a powerful affinity with the element of fire. Although they are extremely powerful warriors, they lack the intellect to create a true civilisation.

>>17190793

In the East you also have the Chaktari, a tribal people who were forced to migrate by the Animar and in the island of Espartum you have the trading city-state of Bythene.

>>17190834
Christ, this is quite a diverse world, from the looks of it. I take back what I said about it being good for nothing but Indiana Jones adventures.

>>17190945

Yeah it's quite diverse. There are still loads of unfluffed places though, working on them now.

And back. Jumping back into the wiki to get some more stuff put into there. Nice job so far folks!

>>17190962
List a few, I'll try and lend a hand, although from what I've done so far, I think I've enjoyed fluffing out cultures far more than locations.

>>17190985


The southern and northern seas (specifically the archipelagos) and the eastern part of the eastern continent.

>>17191020
I've done the island group North of the Vashial Wastes when I handled the Raptorlords, so that's sorted there. Although the Iotold Homelands are surrounded with archipelagos, as is some parts of the Southern Ocean. I wouldn't think they need to be fluffed out too much, perhaps that gigantic chain of islands in the Souther Ocean could be made significant, but other than that, they don't need that important or heavily detailed. Not in my opinion, at least. They're open enough for you to have a wee bit of fun with them though.

>>17179907

Berthold Maertz, drill sergeant of the Second Watch Regiment, Fort Deeanday.

The Watch of Deeanday is not a knightly order. Rather, it is a regiment that originated as a conglomeration of tribal militias, brought together under the banner of the Empire. Even today, the Watch remains true to its roots, eschewing complex rituals and garish armor for hardy, robust plate and leather, enchanted with durability charms and armor mutagen. Drill Sergeant Maertz is responsible for training the new recruits, usually volunteers from farmer and craftsmen families.

>>17180629

There is one man permanently residing in the Earth’s Cry, claiming it as his territory. Those who trespass, whether they be beast or man are hunted down by him. He is known by the local legends as ‘Glav’ and most people consider him a myth. Glav is cold and stubborn, refusing to be bought off. Yet in a way Glav is the protector of the continent, culling the dragon population that would otherwise spill out and wreak havoc. Glav’s favor could be won by slaying the Mother-Beast, a monstrously sized dragon that spawns more beasts to scavenge the land, only then would he consider his life complete and let the travellers move along.

>>17180223

Guz Aragq, Shialite fleshcrafter and explorer, nomad

A soft-spoken and well-versed creature, Guz is a frequent visitor in Imperial border towns close to the Vashial Wastes. Once a Shialar tribesman, he (or she, it's impossible to tell at this stage) was exiled from the tribe for using forbidden mutation and grafting magics to give himself an edge in combat. Guz takes a keen interest in research of ancient Vashial fleshweaving and lifewarping magics, and frequently joins Imperial exhibitions as a bodyguard and guide. Some say Guz has been as far as the Vashial Necropolis and seen its heart and the terrors within it. A shriveled husk, hardly recognizeable as a human, Guz is a terror in combat, lightning fast reflexes combined with a durable, tough hide that is very difficult to wound or pierce.

>>17183052
>>17183080

The southern islands are home to a society of aeronauts, much like the Iotold people to the north yet quite different in the way air travel is mastered – for the southern islanders, who call themselves Kardosairs fly by using gravitational stones created by the Alchemist Cult, which mines the islands for marble which is fashioned into circular stones and then imbibed with various chemicals and potions that give it gravitational qualities. The islands themselves are sparsely populated with scattered Alchemist villages, though some parts of the land has begun to fly due to the sheer amount of gravitational stones the alchemists have made. If any one group, traveller or empire gains control of such an air-ship the continents could be traversed in a matter of weeks rather than years.
These people are introverted and more concerned with mastering the air-stones than exploring the seas, yet some of these men are more piratical, rogue air-ships have been spotted off the southern coasts of the continent.

>>17180298

Some men undertake a life of hunting monsters. Brother Valtar was such a man, occupying the position of Guardian of the Bythenian Catacombs, regularly performing cleansing rites and in extreme cases smiting the various monsters that reside in it. Yet the Aquean threat has forced Bythene to call its best to stamp out the menace. On one fateful hunt for an Aquean hideout Brother Valtar’s ship was caught in a storm the likes of which have never been witnessed during his lifetime. The ship was wrecked and most of the crew dead when the storm subsided, the survivors finding themselves to be out in the open ocean with no means of return. One by one the remaining crew died of starvation, yet Brother Valtar had exceptional willpower that allowed him to survive, a skeleton of a man to reach Port Endeavour, where he now resides, teaching cleansing rites and how to master one’s will.

>>17179837
What program was that map made in?

>>17191508
Photoshop, actually.

>>17191120
Titled "The Highlands Door," that is exactly what this painting depicts, a door hidden against the slopes of the Benalor Mountains in the Drakonid Highlands. These doors are sparsely scattered amongst the continents, with only eleven recorded. While the mere fact they exist spits in the face of physical laws, so does the location that they lead to. The Depths Below.

It is quite difficult to access the Depths by mundane means. The process usually requires travelling to a cave system deep enough to delve into that part of the world and then spend a day walking that distance, braving fickle slopes and twisting, rushing underground rivers and horrific beasts that make those craggy tunnels their homes. The most commonly accepted theory is that either an ancient progenitor species created these doors to access the Depths Below for whatever reason, or the doors are actually a product of the Depths itself, or an unknown species that lurks there, capable of using such reality-distorting magic.

Nonetheless, these doors exist, static locations both on the surface and within the Depths Below, connecting the two places and often allowing their ecosystems to blend, with beasts venturing beneath the world through these gates, only to become prey to the horrors of the Depths, and also allowing creatures from the Depths to drag prey back into their home, kicking and screaming.

Most terrifying of all is the rumour lurking in the Empire that such a door can be found in the heart of Tabula Gloria itself, although no one can agree exactly where.

>>17189361

The regular For’Channari peasant tends to be forcefully conscripted into the army. Most duties tend to deal with border protection and castle garrisoning though at times they can be the only force of the Law in the countryside. Without the thousands of such regulars For’Channar would have crumbled a long time ago. They tend to be proficient at using the bow from hunting (or poaching) local game, deployed en masse they can be quite effective. The various knight orders are famous for their martial prowess yet it is the regular conscript that fights the majority of the battles.

>>17191272
Not all the beasts of the ocean are terrifying. In fact, the Glass Eels are quite friendly, with many considering the curious little fellows to be the manifestation of sailors' wanderlust. Each one easily five ship-lengths long and as wide as a house, they almost match the Stormrays in stature. They make their nests in the depths of the Crater Gulf, but they wander the entire Eastern Sea in schools, gliding through the water with unmatched grace.

It isn't uncommon for these odd, immortal beasts to swoop out the water in the presence of a vessel and fly over it, only to dive back in on the other side. It's almost some sort of game to the Glass Eels, who are known to loop around ships in packs, swirling over them and them playfully, but never placing them in danger. In fact, the splashes they create are famous for giving ships a boost of speed, creating waves that carry the sailors to their destination all the faster. To the privateers of the Eastern Sea, nothing brings good luck like a school of Glass Eels.

>>17182988
Panel from Vashian Necropolis, dated to 200 years prior to the Vashian Collapse.

The unknown woman pictured here is believed to have been Ansha Calix, an ancient Vashian commander previously serving at the Guardian Spire. More important than her identity is the sterling example of common Vashian armour and weaponry that would not have survived the centuries. While the arcane armour used by Vashian battlemages is often still in good repair, common soldiers used a form of enchanted ceramic lamellar that would typically lose its enchantment after several years, decaying rapidly after the death of its wearer.

The tomb did clearly belong to a Vashian commander, however, as it did include details about their army's structure. Primarily based on infantry with heavy magical support, the Vashian army had the ability to cross great distances rapidly but was poorly maneuverable on the actual battlefield, relying primarily on spear formations to hold the enemy in place while mages bombarded the enemy or used their magic to enable rapid strikes to the flanks or rears.

This effective method of battle earned the Vashial many early victories in the Three-Way War until their foes escalated in the use of technology, magic, warbeasts and constructs, prompting the Vashial to develop Dreadnoughts and worse.

>>17191337

Catherine Laurentze, Bythenian privateer, Seeker's Rock

While the Bythenian army is primarily concerned with containing the Aquean infestation, the task of defending the borders of the island kingdom and securing its trade routes falls on the many privateer captains of the nation. Captain Laurentze is such a captain. Commanding the fast and maneuverable "Storm's Grace", she is an expert on the northern trade routes. This portrait was done by an Imperial painter and scribe when the Storm's Grace was chartered for an expedition into Iotold-held territory.

>>17191699
The egalitarian magicks spread through the Vashian people did mean that every soldier was a mage. This did not mean, however, that all mages were equal-- the more powerful magicians were often used as support troops, living artillery or logistics officers, enabling rapid deployment, healing the wounded, or bombarding the enemy with fireballs. The infantrymen would typically specialize in a combination of defensive spells and offensive spells-- it was common for the Vashian infantry to launch firebolts at the enemy as they closed before drawing up wards to prevent effective retaliation.

Alright, got more done on the wiki, and given how you all are adding even MORE lore to things, this task is going to take a very very long time to get it edited and put on there. I'm gonna take a break for now and y'all are more than welcome to fire up an account on 1d4chan and contribute.

>>17191894
Vola (or the originator of the Vashial Wastes) here. I like adding more details about Old Vashial and the Shialar. My bebbeh.

>>17181805
Eventually, humanity's reach shall extend over every part of the world, even deep beneath it. Already, this is what some men are trying to do. Just as the rule of Emperor Magarium XI was about to end, he expand the Empire beneath the surface of the Earth, into the Depths Below. He sent an expedition to a cave system at the Southern edge of the Benalor Mountains that has come to be known as the Path to Dominion, and ordered them to refine the route through it to the Depths Below and to construct a village at its borders.

This was painted just over a year ago, depicting the progress so far with the construction of the village they have affectionately come to call Dominion. The only original members of the expedition left alive are foremen, usually lacking an arm or a leg, crippled in some significant way. The subterranean settlement is hardly practical as anything other than a research site but the survivors and their new recruits are eager to see the project finished. It is a testament to the strength of humanity, that even in the face of the most horrific adversaries, they shall conquer. They refuse to let this symbol crumble due to their own cowardice, and stoically work on to try and complete the project, despite the hostile environment surrounding them.

Remember, folks, that Vashial, Weylos and Benalor lore is practically complete and there's little more that needs to be fleshed out regarding them.

>>17192082

>>17192092

>>17192102

>>17192107

>>17192092
Vol Rathran is an ancient city to the northwest of the Empire, unique in that it is built into a long-dead volcanic caldera, near a waterfall fed by a north-running tributary of the Shial River. This city was constructed by the Vashial during their brief occupation of the lands now composing For'Channar, and the city itself stands as a unique example of standing Vashian architecture.

Vol Rathran is most significant as a major outpost of the College of Antiquities, its staff still eagerly plumbing the depths beneath the city for archaeological finds. It also has a commanding view of the Northern Sea just some miles away, with several prosperous port towns having sprung up in the foothills beneath the caldera. The College of Antiquities post is a frequent destination for scholars and travelers coming from the ports.

>>17192118

"Aradis in Autumn", Guiserre Athon, acrylic

This painting, by Bythenian master Guiserre Athon, depicts the Animar city of Aradis. Second only to the Animar capital in terms of wealth and population size, Aradis is the home of the Animar counterpart to the Imperial University: the Great House of Study and Contemplation. Primarily, the House of Study is devoted to scholars of history, but there is also a sizeable contingent of Assessors, tasked with ensuring correct meritocratic recruitment to Animar government branches, as well as the famed Deathspeakers, practitioners of necromancy and gravesight, both banned in the Empire by ancient decree. Reanimated servants, retaining some or all sentience, as well as bone constructs suitable for menial labor, are a common sight within the Animar Kingdom, but nowhere are they as common as here in Aradis.

>>17192102
The Rathran Lighthouse (and its coastal sister spires) lie just north of Vol Rathran, watching over the North Sea. Peculiarly, these structures are of Animari style despite their great age, suggesting Vashian contact with the Animari centuries ago. These lighthouses are of vital use guiding Imperial ships through the rocky coastline of the Northern Sea.

>>17192121
Antheon's Door Ward.

A peculiar artifact, a relic of the magus Antheon of the old College of Biomancy, this so-called Door Ward was a metal plate that could seal off a door or gate. The grotesque face set in its surface was animated and could converse with a would-be entrant, either barring them entry or allowing them in based on identity, a password, or even performing a simple task for the Door Ward.

Since the sacking of the College of Biomancy, the secrets of creating Door Wards was thought to be lost, though a few of the artifacts still remain throughout the Empire.

>>17192536

Alright folks, I got a bunch of entries on the wiki just ready for y'all to start hammering out there. I know that I cannot edit and write all of this myself, so by all means go ahead and join in on the fun there. As for me, I'm done with the wiki for tonight and may be able to pay some more attention to the thread here.

Good job on the lore so far! Can't wait to see what else comes out of it.

One more thing though, got the thread up on sup/tg/ now: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/17179837/

>>17194117
Yes!

bump

While things are winding down, I have a question. We mentioned the Heavens Above and the Depths Below. Using that idea, we can neatly fit in the World Itself between the two. How would you explain that cosmology to someone who's visiting the world of Tabula Gloria?

>>17195385
I though that the Depths Below was a system of caverns or something similar. Of course you can say it's hellish but that's entirely up to you.

>>17195417
Well yeah, but I mentioned the Heavens Above as an analogue to outer space. But I'm sure that the descriptions of either could border on the heaven and hell as we know them. Also, there is the supposed god that is the Cornerstone of Creation in the Depths, as well as the Wight which foretold Benalor's doom in the Heavens.

>>17195441
Maybe you can make people venture to outer space. Or maybe fill both realms with heavenly bodies or deities trapped in for all eternity.

>>17195473
Perhaps. Maybe there's the physically explorable portions of each and then beyond a certain point in each direction, the realms mesh into each other, kinda creating a possible infinite spatial loop. Maybe with the loop, the World Itself happens to be a junction as at the other side of the loop is a more ethereal junction... I'm liking where this is going.

So would ninja-esque characters be part of the Animar kingdom?

>>17195539
Yeah. Also bear in mind that multiple Kingdoms make up the Nation of Animar as a whole. Go nuts!

>>17195544
This pleases me greatly. So where should I start with Animar? Any off-limit places?

>>17195574
Well, let's see. Conchra, Paserna, and Aradis have been mentioned. There could be kingdoms which border the tribal Chaktari lands to the southwest of the continent. Also, the Earth's Cry and the entirety of the eastern part of Animar's continent is more or less wilderness.

>>17195544

It does appear that Animar has a sort of Far East crossed with Middle East vibe. Makes me wonder whether the assassins of Animar would have an order like in Assassin's Creed or somesuch.

>>17195587
Is Espartum part of the Eastern Continent as well?

>>17195605
FUCK YEAR

>>17195605
I wouldn't be surprised. Given how long Animar has been around, there's sure to be tension among the various Kingdoms it's made up of. But you can't overtly kill someone, given the harmonious image they want to project to For'Channar.

>>17195624
For all intents and purposes, yes. Espartum is clumped in there with the Eastern Continent.

>>17195385
Well if the world can neatly be fitted in between the two, it's easier to view this world as a flat plane rather than a sphere.

One thing that seems to be clear regarding the Depths Below is that physics in weaker. Perhaps the deeper you go, the thinner the distinction between madness and reality becomes, until there is nothing but raw madness? Then looking at the Heavens Above, I can think of two possibilities. Either it's just as magical and strange as the Depths Below, just using a strange, opposite energy, with the world between acting like a buffer or a balance between the two, or it is the opposite of the Depths Below entirely, a realm of purely physical law, and it is the presence of the world between the Heavens and the Depths that creates this balance of the two. Then again, that doesn't fit the idea that certain species exist up there, like the Solid Photonics or the Wight. Not to mention the whole idea of this world just being a disc or a flat square seems silly.

Elaborating on the second possibility, one way of looking at it is that this world is simply a planet in a universe, rather than a flat plane between two oceans of energy. Perhaps the world was built around a seed of magic by a people who had mastered time and space, seeking to explore the phenomena of magic by inserting it into a newly born world and placing it in its heart. Of course, this has the potential to turn the setting into shitty planetary romance and that isn't what I want.

So another way of looking at it is that perhaps this universe is rather the product of two interacting dimensions, an entirely physical world and an entire magical world, with places and locations where the two bleed together, gates or doors that allows this physical to ooze into the magical. Of course, yet again, this would mean that there's some sort of colossal gate at the heart of the world, the source of the planet's magic, but perhaps it wasn't placed there, perhaps it was sheer coincidence. Perhaps this is even what all celestial objects are? Doors between the two dimensions, that gather the detritus of both universes to form stars, moons, planets and more.

This is just me theorycrafting.

>>17195488
Actually, this loop idea works much better than anything I've said so far. Fuck theorycrafting, I'm just gonna dump pretty pictures. Thankfully, some of them are relatively Eastern, which should be fun for the Animar-lovers.

>>17195605
>>17195624

Hmm.

The Order of Shadows

Of all the secretive customs and traditions of the Animar nation, none are as well-guarded as those surrounding the so called Order of Shadows. It is difficult to get Animar officials to even acknowledge the existence of such an order, much less describe how it operates and what function it serves. The brief account given here has been meticulously gathered from rumors, scraps of hearsay and oblique references in literature of dubious veracity, thus I cannot vouch for its usefulness to the Empire.

The Order of Shadows appears to be a vast, sprawling organization, at least as old as the Animar Kingdom itself. Its purpose is allegedly to serve as an equalizer of sorts - noble houses and vassal states of the Animar Kingdoms constantly wage a low-level war for influence and power in the Court, a war that is bloodless for the most part but that occasionally erupts into violence. As the vassal states are forbidden to possess standing armies or militias of any kind, the Order of Shadows is the primary means of fighting the war for the Court's attention. Assassination, spying, and the deliberate planting of misinformation is the Order's forte - which is why I cannot be certain that I am not merely disseminating another lie of their making.

>>17195834

>>17195850

The Order appears to be comprised of Chapters, lesser cells that operate in specific areas or specialize in particular tasks and modes of warfare - Shadow Arts, as they call them, seem to be specific techniques or entire schools of espionage and assassination. It appears that the primary target of many Chapters are other Chapters that have been employed by rival clans or houses. Thus, it would be extraordinarily difficult to establish whether the Order as a whole pursues a specific agenda or goal. Furthermore, I have been unable to determine whether or not the Order has a head or leader of any kind; whispers of something called the "Shadow Den" yield no conclusive evidence. I have also been unable to determine whether the Shadow Order is operating within the borders of our own Empire. However, given the information I have already acquired, it seems certain that agents of the Order are active in For'Channar - what I do not know is how many they are, and what their intent is.

I intend to continue my investigation and will inform the Embassy of further developments.

- Last communique of deceased Inquaestor Andres Methiil, former Animar resident.

>>17195878

>>17195902

>>17195928

>>17195958

I don't know about you guys but if the Shadow Order is as old as you say, it should have and alternative name. Like, give it something that means Shadow Order but keep it in the old tongue of Animar. It mite b cool.

>>17195973

>>17195982

I figure Shadow Order is a rough Channarian translation of the Animari term. I just don't know if we have any existing examples of Animari language detailed in the threads, so I didn't just want to make something up only for it to sound wrong.

>>17195982
Agreed.

To be fair, I cringed at the inclusion of the word "shadow" but then again, that has been given unfair treatment by the hideous roleplayed antiheroes of recent years. Still, it does bring to mind horribly, corner-lurking brooders. Shifting the focus from cool, shadowy assassins to their influence as such an ancient order born from all the kingdoms of Animar might be very interesting; if they're as old as you say they are and originate from no one kingdom more than any other, perhaps they have had something to do with the nation's formation? Is this order some secret society that goes back to the earliest days of that continent's history, seeking the creation of one world order?

>>17196008
Maybe we could combine some words together. If not there's always captcha!

>Ukruirg ishaad
>Urtypet
>Orumns hennen

Just some examples.

>>17196047

>>17196047
Maybe they were a major part of forming the current empire. I can definitely see some secret war going on amongst them that decides the fate of major Animari events.

>>17196049

"Orumns", eh? I like the sound of "Orumnae" as a compound word, meaning something like "hidden/obscured" + "agency/organization" so let's go with that.

>>17196047

There are several legends regarding the inception of the Orumnae. Some say the order was founded by the first king of Animar when the realm was unified and the fiefdoms laid down their arms, in a secret meeting with clan chiefs where the laws of the kingdom were first determined. Some say the Orumnae actually predate the Kingdom, and that they are a secret society formed to unify and strengthen the Animar people in preparation for a coming apocalyptic battle or world domination. Some say they are just the remnants of feudal militia and the armies of old clan-lords that refused to demilitarize when the Kingdom was formed, still fighting their old wars and enacting ancient grudges. The truth of the matter? Well, as they say in Animar, truth is like snow - breathe on it and it melts away.

Something has come to my attention: will the magick in Animar differ from that of For'Channar? Will there be a different view on it as something of a forbidden talent? If not, I think it would benefit both places if they had some distinguishing features. Say For'Channar Mages use more of the typical type of magick like conjuring and healing, the works. Animar can have more of an elemental feel to it, like summoning fire or using the environment around them. That's not to say they are restricted to learning that specific type of magick.

>>17195764
>>17195771
>>17195834
Memo from Worley Barlan, Master Researcher at the Imperial Library

There has been something that has been baffling me for quite a while now. The myriad of religions in this world are somewhat concurrent with each other, despite the different cultures they came from. At first, I passed this off as a possibility of cultural mixing over a period of time. However I have recently come across an ancient text dated before even the founding of Benalor which describes the world as part of a larger, self contained world. It took me some time to translate it, as the language was something before anything produced by the Old Empires, from a people we know as the Temratu.

We already know that the Temratu were the first to accurately figure out how time flows in our world by their model of the twenty-six hour day, as well as the fine tuning of the seasonal calendar. They managed to figure that out with primitive tools at the time, but what I didn't know until now was the extent of the research they did at their legendary observatory in present-day Vashial. In this text, the "Study on the Nature of the Cycle," its author made a rather interesting theory about the world's place on a larger scale.

Cup your hands and hold them apart from each other. Think of these hands as two forms of existence, the physical and the ethereal. Both of these existences are boundless and, for the most part, dead without the other. Now put them together. Where your fingers meet and thumbs meet are two junctions of a loop originating from these two opposite existences. One of these junctions is our world, the greatly physical world with the inalienable influence of mana. Following this logic, the world of the other junction must be an abstract world made of mana, but with physical constraints upon it. But at these junctions, the opposite forces feed on each other, bringing forth life and activity.

>cont'd

>>17196184
Sounds fair, in order to provide a clash of cultures, both schools of magicians viewing the other as far too specialised, as a shaper.

An Animar philosopher of wood might view an Imperial scholar of shaping as specialised because of his focus purely on the art of shaping, rather than balancing himself between the different aspects of an element, while the scholar would criticise the Animar for limiting his abilities simply to wood, rather than dominating all elements within his school of teaching.

Of course, both schools admire one another for their abilities. For example, there is no philosopher in the Animar lands who would be able to shape wood, metal and earth, while these are the basics of the science of shaping for the Imperial scholar. Then again, the scholar has to be in awe of the philosopher for being able to master the element of wood in all its aspects, defensively and offensively, inward and outward, possessing an incredible variety of abilities, however limited they are to that specific element.

>>17196316
This idea correlates well with much of the god-like beings that we have here. Beings like the Sky Devourer are summoned from an alternate plane of existence. The Lord of the Tempest rages against the people of the world for seemingly no good reason. Then there the stories of the fell creatures of the Depths Below which feed more on fear than physical meat as the Wight of the Heavens Above foretold a terrible fate upon Benalor. For purposes of this argument, we will call our world the "World Itself." Both the Heavens and the Depths are the parts of the loop closest and most observable to us from the World Within. The further out we go in the Heavens and the deeper in the Depths we go, the stranger the mechanics of gravity and physics, so it would make sense that things are being distilled into these pure forms of existence the further away from the World Itself one goes.

The theory can explain how mana seems to never be in short supply for all the magic that is cast in the world, as well as how some people can overcome their own barriers to perform great physical feats of strength and agility. The mana likely comes from the pure ethereal existence into our world as willpower may come from the pure physical existence on the other side.

>cont'd

>>17196319
Oh, and when I say wood, I went with the typical five Chinese elements, fire, wood, earth, metal and water. Seems like it would suit the Eastern ways of Animar, although perhaps we're taking this influence a little too far.

>>17196338
Given how the theory is stated, it wouldn't be any surprise that there is also another world on the other end of the circle, quite possibly a world of gods and their ilk, beings of immense magical power who are somehow constrained by simple physical barriers in which the beings of the World Itself - beings such as ourselves - could manage with little effort. Perhaps this would explain how, as people, we find it difficult to cast as the complexity and mana required increases, but we can summon god-like beings here with relatively little effort, as in the case of the dreaded Obsidian Leviathan, which is summoned when such an act is botched. Also, if you ask a mage to describe how the process of summoning is done, the usual response begins with the mage having a "talk" with the creature in which is supposed to be summoned. So how can a channel of communication, much less a channel of travel, exist between two worlds separated by barriers which are more or less inpenetrable by the denizens of said worlds?

If you kept your hands cupped, you can see that there is a space inside the circle. The author couldn't quite describe what could lie in that space - perhaps nothing at all - but the idea is that creatures from both worlds can travel back and forth through this space to bypass the pure existences on either side of the circle. This is the basic principle of summoning according to the author, facilitated by the concentration of mana which serves both an amplifier for the summoner's thoughts through the Empty Space, as well as a beacon to the god-like creature on the Other World. Perhaps the principle can also work in reverse, with the god-like being collecting some of the physical components in the Other World, creating a concrete image in a person's mind in which he or she can see and communicate with.

>cont'd

>>17196355
Though these ideas could make sense, more research needs to be done. While my associates will continue poring through the Library in search for more on the subject, I will tackle this theory directly. I know of a summoner who can teach me the ropes. Perhaps I can experience this communication myself and get more information from the beings on the Other World. They might know more than even the Temratu did about our place in the greater scheme of things.

>END

>>17196319

Another perspective could be that the Animar mages are first and foremost philosophers. They achieve their power through contemplation and insight, whereas the Channarian mages are scholars - they focus on manipulating and controlling the outside world. An Animar mage isn't interested in the element he's shaping as such, but rather in the way his personality finds its expression in interacting with the element. A Channarian mage would see the element as a tool to be molded and shaped as the task requires.

>>17196382
Interesting, so the philosophers, if you don't mind me using that name for the typical research types of Animar, are more introspective while the scholars of the Empire are far more extraspective.

>>17196091
Grabbing this pic to avoid conflicts. Bad Writefagging coming up for hte eastern wilds

>>17196316
>>17196338
>>17196355
>>17196378
Impressive. Perhaps you have already covered this, but it seems to me like the various god-like beings, the Obsidian Leviathan, the Lord of the Tempests, the Sky Devourer, perhaps even Eltya and other deities; maybe they're all powerful entities of extreme physical power who originate from this magical realm?

In a similar manner, could a powerful entity of extreme magical power who originates from this physical realm be summoned into the realm of magic, by unwitting spirits and beings of raw magic? Could they use their magic to break through the barrier of our side, their body to break through the barrier on the other side and then reside in this other plane as deities of their own kind? Have some mages perhaps gotten lost or trapped in this land at some point in the past?

>>17196521

You know, that could very well be the origin of the Godless.

>>17195840
>>17195898
>>17196047
>>17196135
Totally digging the idea of the Orumnae. Also, I would definitely put the quote about truth being like snow into the wiki!

>>17196184
>>17196319
>>17196342
>>17196382
>>17196419
Also, that would be interesting, especially with the cosmology I just provided. Enjoying the differing views on magic.

>>17196521
>>17196535
I left that part open for that very reason. There will more than likely be creatures here who want to ascend to godhood, through travelling to the Other World through the Empty Space. Or for the truly ambitious, try to figure out how to dominate either or both of the Pure Existences. I see god-like beings here could seem to be one of two things: a botched summoning in which the summoned creature is unable to return to the Other World; or a being who summoned up the willpower necessary to travel through the Empty Space by itself without a summoning partner and maintain its existence in the World Itself.

>>17196419

Exactly, even though "extraspective" isn't a word. But that's what I was going for, a fairly typical "east/west" split of philosophy/ontology. I also think it would be better to have a lot of magic specializations that interact and cross with each other, the way real scientific disciplines do. How is Biomancy different from lifeweaving? Well, how is biology different from medicine? Sort of like that. In Shaping you have many different subspecializations, like transmutation, matter teleportation, landshaping, and so on. Elemental magic of the Animar would have similar divisions, but more based on the individual practitioner. For instance, a Firewalker like Shunketh Bael here: >>17181071 would practice attunement to the element of fire, but only Bael has developed a martial art based on applying fire magic through the arms.

>>17196535
Maybe. I did design them on a level of power perhaps equal to the deities, but ultimately limited in their abilities. They are only capable of binding themselves to individuals who catch their fancy, who commit their respective sins and they interact with the world alongside them and in a way, through them, possessing them in the oddest manner. However, like a parasite, the Godless feeds on their sin, slowly draining it from them and feeding upon it, ripping away their life with it. It's a compulsion to feed, something that they cannot resist, however much they may like to remain in the World Itself.

Perhaps the deities of the setting feed in a similar manner, on their home plane?

>>17196620
Well, I did mention that the summoner tends to create a sort of metaphysical beacon for the summoned creature. Perhaps for those who try to come through the Empty Space without a summoner to guide the way may end up losing their way. Once in a while, they will make their way into either World until the Empty Space pulls them back in.

>>17196604
Extrospective, sorry. Fucking brain. Also, that seems interesting, although it does make me wonder the rest of Animar would look upon the introspective actions of their philosophers. I suppose it must have encouraged this sort of behaviour in order for it to become the primary school of teaching in the nation, but perhaps things are changing? Maybe the Animar want to industrialise, to expand and embrace the Empire's practical, expansionist drive, while some members of the Empire might desire to explore inwards, to solve problems within rather than constantly look without.

I see an incredible culture clash as the two lifestyles meet and try to adapt to one another.

>>17196520
Captcha: Ugener of Life

Of the many shrines and temples that dot the Animar landscape, there is a temple that skirts the eastern wilds- The Ugener of Life. Located on a peak which overlooks a small valley, the Ugener of Life is a small pagoda that is relatively featureless, save for a small spring of water that is inside. It is said to have sprouted after Ugener travelled the very width and breadth of Tabula Gloria, only to sit and collapse on top the peak, weeping at the sight of the beautiful valley before him. His tears are said to have created the spring, and he settled and created a family in that bountiful land. But, despite the wondrous origin, the water holds no secret to immortality or poison to death. Instead, the water that flows from here is crystal clear, and pure to the point where nothing can taint it. The pool is open for whoever wishes to visit it, but the 20,000 steps required to reach it are daunting for all but a few. The path itself can only be reached by the valley aforementioned, which is populated by monks of Ugener, reclusive people who live a humble life, farming fruits and vegetables. They believe that they are descended from the great Ugener himself, and are a culture of rich storytelling and playacting. They are friendly, especially to travellers, and their religion consists of meditation and celebration on all that is or can be seen in the world. It is not uncommon for the youth of Ugener to emulate their ancestor and they are often found as bards or troupe players in the eastern continent.

>>17196664
Interesting. So maybe the Godless are beings from the World Itself stranded in the centre of the loop, unable to break back into their homeworld except through a particular beacon, like you mentioned.

In a similar manner, the Obsidian Leviathan seems like a being who was torn from this other side of the loop and brought to the world itself in a single, powerful ritual, unable to return to its own world. So when it is forced out by the Lord of the Tempest, perhaps it simply dwells in the Empty Space like the Godless, unable it is to return.

Perhaps the other side has its own analogues for the Godless and the Leviathan, magical beings who try to escape to the physical world but are trapped between, only able to return to their own world through certain beacons, and physical beings summoned there from the World Itself, only to be forced back and made to dwell in the Empty Space until they can return to the other side through another beacon.

>>17196726
I like it, although Tabula Gloria is simply the name for the setting and the capitol; for now we're settling on calling the world the World Itself, I think. Still, it's nice that we're fluffing out the Earth's Cry at last.

>>17196774
thanks. I thought it would be a good area to start since not much was there on the wiki. Postin this and writing if noone grabs it in a few. I didn't see it in any of the previous threads.

>>17195928
Rift, a dark place in the heart of Aeva, the home of the Raptorlords. Stuck in a cold, rocky valley, no Cairn claims this land or wants to. This is the home of pariahs and outcasts, shunned by all others, forced to live as wild men by the ones who were once their brothers and sisters, abandoned by the land they love and even the winged guides they have for companions. At Rift, the corvids are instead cruel and malicious, eagerly circling above, waiting for a very specific event.

Being cast out to Rift is the second worst of all the punishments that the Raptorlords have to offer. Those who commit the worst crimes of all, such as fighting for men outside of their Cairn or killing one of the Secondborn, are dragged kicking and screaming to the valley, usually by a relative nearest to them in age. In grim silence, the heretic is tied to one of these posts, their body spread bare to the cruel birds of the region.

Once their family say their farewells and abandon the heretic to his fate, the feast begins. After seven dawns pass, the one who punished the criminal returns to Rift to collect the skull, the unfortunate's skeleton picked bare by the carrion corvids. It is taken to one of the Secondborn, who smashes it into countless fragments with a strike of his fist and pours the shattered pieces of bone into a satchel, to be cast in the ocean by the heretic's executioner.

Raptorlord tradition is a strange thing.

>>17196726
>>17196774
>>17196834
I definitely like this fluff! I'm sure there's tribal and monk-like people in the far east of the Animari continent.

>>17196749
Now I can see a campaign based around a man's journey through the Empty Space and the surprising amount of beings and places stuck within it.

>>17196993
Just to clarify, the Heavens Above and the Depths Below are seperate points of the lopp from the World Itself? So, someone who travels through the Depths far enough and deep enough could eventually tunnel their way to the other side? The same with someone who travels far enough through the Heavens Above, possibly the fate of the Heavenriders.

>>17196834
Captcha: lum tfurtsu

Tfurtsu Stones

Hidden amongst the Earth's Cry the Tfurtsu Stones are named after their discoverer, Tfurtsu Eo, an eccentric old man who was always rambling about some theories or the other. The stones were discovered when Tfurtsu was looking for some mineral samples. After wandering for tree days through thick forests, he hit upon the stones which surrounded a large unbreakable glowing crystal. Elated by his discovery, he set up camp, and within a week, a multitude of scholars, artists and scientists joined him, and a joint expedition was launched to discover the meaning of the stones. In the end, is was Tfurtsu himself who came up the the answer. The stones were laid by people of long ago, who used the stones as a calendar. they were set up so that once a month, the sun would bounce off the stones and enter the various holes cut in them. There, they were guided by mirror tubes until they hit the giant crystal, which shone with a brilliant light. Any crystal bathed by that glow would remain lit for what seemed like forever, but, when broken would promptly fade into a shade of itself, forever black, and forever sharp. It was not long until a small industry rose up, selling the crystals and their dead versions. However, interest soon died off, as the prices were too expensive. Now it lays there, abandoned, except for a few visitors who wish to gain such a light. As for old man Tfurtsu, he died, happy at his discovery. He lies buried at this place, close to the crystal that would bring about both his fame and his end.

>>17197075
Among other things, a diagram of this might be pretty useful too. It's fairly boggling.

>>17197082
Yeah that would help. Hey, JSC are you gonna put the other maps with the points of interest on the wiki as well?

>>17197075
>>17197082
>>17197106
The Heavens and the Depths are /on the way/ to the Pure Ethereal Existence and the Pure Physical Existence themselves. If you put the World Itself on a compass rose as East, the Pure Ethereal at North, and the Pure Physical at South, then the Heavens would be at Northeast and the Depths at Southeast.

Creatures can't travel through the Pure Existences as they come from worlds which are comprised of a combination of the two. Hence why things get weird and fudgy when you go far into the Heavens and the Depths. A person in the Pure Physical would be a mere husk acting on nothing but instinct, incapable of thought and planning, abstract ideas of the Ethereal. A person in the Pure Ethereal would reduce to a cloud of ideas, unable to focus into one body, a benefit of the Physical.

Also, diagram forthcoming.

>>17197285
And diagram. Heading to the wiki to post pics.

Aaaaaaaaaand map keys are up on the wiki!

>>17197604
Nice.

>>17197618
Thanks!

>>17195850
To precisely determine the location of the Odamei Fortress, one must first know many other places in the Animar.

At the Eastern border of the Nation of Animar lies a stretch of water carved into the land as if by a god's sword, slicing through the soil and into the Earth's Cry itself, seperating the Northern regions of the Eastern Continent into two. The name of this border of water splitting East from West is translated rough into Old Claw Bay. Flowing into this treacherous bay, filled with icy water and jagged rocks that make boat trips almost impossible, is the Aminae River, streaming down from Earth's Cry. Trapped between the Aminae and Old Claw Bay lies a sheer cliff on the Northern side of the mountainrange and built into it is the Odamei Fortress.

Odamei used to be one of the old kingdoms before the Nation of Animar was born and is renowned as the last fiefdom to surrender its power to the nation. Even today, it is vastly different from the rest of Aminar. It looks down on the Empire as soft and weak, refusing Westerners access to the fortress unless their visit is sanctioned by the king and they are led by an Animari guide at all times. Rather than embrace the common Eastern philosophy of inner peace with oneself, they are strict advocates of total discipline and mastery of the self, viewing peace as a lie and conflict as the one truth of the World Itself.

>>17198259
As such, Odamei Fortress is the home of Animar's finest soldiers, men and women with nerves of steel and unbreakable. Clad in their kingdom's black and grey silk and cold, featureless steel, they fight with long, slender cleavers designed to slice through flesh and joints, effortlessly severing limbs with well-aimed strikes. The most experienced of these swordsmen become the Stormclad (>>17195444), sellswords who fund the Odamei by hunting Animar's worst criminals.

While these hunters are greeted with polite smiles, no one enjoys the company of the Odamei for long. Their direct, serious and almost mechanical personalities are known to scare and frighten many Animari, even the farmers and tradesmen that the fortress lords over. Thankfully, they keep mostly to themselves. Their staunch, isolationist policy means that they hardly seen outside of their fortress, with their Matriachs often never leaving their fortress throughout their entire lives, although they train their bodies and minds just as rigorously as the rest of their kingdom does. Even when the time comes to elect a new King or Queen for the Grand House, the Matriarchs of the past have never attended the election, simply sending a messenger with a regiment of guards to deliver her choice. Never once has there been an Odamei Queen of Animar, as the Matriarchs always bow out of the election. The prospect of such a ruler is enough to send a shiver down the spine of even the hardiest Animari.

I'm going to ask the hard question.

For people who want to play in this setting, what system would you like to see used for it?

>>17199009

I've heard good things about 7th Sea, and it seems set in a sort-of-Renaissance setting, so I suppose that could be used. I guess people will inevitably say GURPS since that always comes up. And then there's always D20 of some kind.

But personally? I'd run it in FATE. That's the system I have the most experience with.

>>17200274
Never played with FATE myself. How does it work?

y does the western contiunent just look like china?

>>17200814
Wow. I can see some similarities, yeah, but just like would be the wrong way to describe it. Only the Eastern half of it looks anything like China, the rest is awfully mishapen for that.

Good morning folks!

>>17198259
>>17198275
Pretty nifty. A prideful people with reason to be so, but with a very condescending air about them. At least they can back it up.

>>17200814
>>17200840
I didn't notice that til now and it sure as hell wasn't my intention. Whoops?

>>17201474
Thanks.

Had a few small ideas for Animar, as I imagine the Western lands being rather dense with small kingdoms and their captiols, with six or seven being prime numbers for this. So far, we have four cities so two or three more might interesting. Something I've found out about the Animari though is that they actually have very, very little mainland. Easily half of the nation qualifies as being coastal rather, which leads to imagine that most of their kingdoms are based near the ocean, rather than being landlocked. In my opinion, Aradis is an exception what with its proximity to the Onal River in my minds eye. I can't help but imagine the rolling plains probably being fairly difficult to live in, home to hardy villagers making the best of the land rather than anyone of any significant wealth, who would rather make themselves fat off the riches that large bodies of water bring, from lakes to rivers to oceans.

With only four kingdoms composing Animar so far, it seems a little too small for anything like a Grand House or a congress of leaders to be necessary, which is why I advocate six or seven as reasonable numbers. Here's a quick image I made, depicting where I see the unmapped kingdoms of Animar possibly placed.

>>17201963
Correcting a stupid spelling error, Chaktani, durr. Apparently I heard the word differently in my head.

Brings a tear to my eye to see a simple beastiary idea realized into a full-fledged world. Good job /tg/, wish I could've contributed more.

>>17201963
I personally see Aradis along the Onal River myself. Good eye! As for the Nation itself, I was initially thinking that the Kingdoms would be tightly packed along the coast, but now that Aradis and Odamei are in the picture, perhaps the Nation claimed all of the western lands, save for the Chaktani - they otherwise have no civilized opponents in the area. This would allow for more of the wider-spread Kingdoms.

>>17202010
You can always contribute more. If unable to contribute here, then help with adding to and editing the wiki would be appreciated!

>>17201990

Looking at the original post here:suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/17098851/

It seems to be Chaktari. Just saiyan.

>>17202010
Contribute more then, you arse.

Whether in the form of posting pictures or describing pictures, plenty of which are still left without details in this thread, and even in previous threads, if anything finds your fancy.

In a thread like this, contribution's an easy thing!

>>17202031
Heh, and I just realized that I misspelled it too. It is indeed Chaktari. Derpage.

I'm going to edit the wiki on Eastern Continent fluff in an hour or so, going to start with the easier ones, Bythene and the Chaktari, any tips/requests on this?

I realised that the Bythenian Military Academy, Magicians Guild and Catacombs haven't been fluffed out yet. Since it's got a Hellenic feel to it maybe someone will be so kind as to post some fanatsy-ish helennic images?

Thanks in advance.

>>17202027
>>17202035
Unfortunately, as much as I'd love to, it's finals week and I'd very much like to not fail. Doesn't stop me from wasting time on /tg/ though.
Could probably dig up a few pics though.

>>17202031
Oh, thanks for the correction.
>>17202027
Restricting them to just the Western coast would be too tightly packed, but I understand the idea of creating wilderness further in the East, using that strip of water. In my description of it, where I called in the "Old Claw Bay," a name I'm happy to have changed, it's full of threats in the form of wandering icebergs and sharp, jagged rocks, making any form of naval transport practically impossible. The treacherous nature of these waters could be due to an ancient curse, or natural phenomena, or whatever you want to think of.

>>17202413
Well, when I drew out the continent, I thought the Old Claw Bay (I personally like the rustic name) could be the result of an ancient spell or some ungodly natural disaster before the time of Animar, the Old Empires, or even the Temratu. So that could very well be a good explanation. It's already hard enough to get to, say, the hermit Kadast on the southeastern part of the continent, so just imagine the difficulties trying to bob and weave through errant icebergs in the north of the continent.

As regards characters (NPC's for a game) is there an option in 1d4chan to have a table? It could be spoilered if it's too big and colour-coded to corresponding region.
Or separate character tables per region.

>>17202638
I know you can do tables in wiki format. Check out the editing help there for more. I also think you can set sections to be automatically hidden to where a viewer has to click something to show it, I don't know.

Still writing up on the Bythenians, any thoughts on their magic? I was thinking of something aquatic and biological.

Also, should we have a tribal villages of Espartum section? Not much to mention there.

>>17203644
Well, I'd think that the magic of the Bythenians are more utility than anything else, given that they're navigators. Perhaps weather-fuckery, which can in turn affect biology and such.

Also, I put it in there if someone is simply interested in working that out.

>>17203688

Also, perhaps 'pidgin' or 'pig' Latin would be better than 'butchered pseudo-Latin'.

Been searching for pictures that could be used for Animar cities. Art of decent fantasy cities that are both colourful and oriental are rarer than stink.

>>17204077

Perhaps you could also use real life paintings and depictions.

>>17204077

>>17204138

>>17204169

>>17204429

>>17204468

>>17195973

The people of the Ash tell confused and contradictory stories of the Bleak Walk. Some boastful few say it was the ancient Ashlanders themselves that built those abandoned ramparts and forlorn, haunting watchtowers that line the Walk, when they first came to the Ashen Lands, before the arrival of the demon-gods. Others will tell you that the mountains were rent asunder by the wrath of the demon-gods during the First Annihilation, and only afterwards was the Walk built by the survivors.

But by far the most convincing legend is that the Bleak Walk is older than any realize, a creation of an ancient people who broke the mountains and split the earth in their attempt to master nature, to harness the unquenchable fires deep inside the world, and made way the path for demon-gods of the Ash who dwelled on the other side. Whether eradicated by those terrible masters of the Ashen Lands for their hubris, or twisted by dark magics into the Ashlanders themselves, it makes little difference, for no trace remains of that once mighty people. However, the legend says that the Bleak Walk was where the few Ashlanders that survived sheltered during the First Annihilation, and that the abandoned watchtowers protected them somehow.

What I can commit with certainty is this - The Bleak Walk is the only way into the Ashen Lands, short of scaling the interminable peaks that surround it. While others may say the way is safe, I have seen the watch fires light of their own accord on some rare, black and moonless night, and I would advise none to tarry long upon the Bleak Walk.

-Translated from The Black Tome, by the wanderer magus Auseil Zann

>>17204481

>>17203688

The Bythenian Guild of Sages is organized into three separate branches: The Shepherds of the Streams, The Guild of Shipmages and The Society of Chymerwrights and Lifeweavers.

The Sheperds of the Streams deal with manipulation of meterological and hydrographic phenomena. They predict and subtly alter the movement of warm streams in the sea as well as wind flows in the heavens, ensuring a pleasant climate and good harvest as well as plentiful fishing for the island of Bythenia. Streamshepherds are the most venerated of Bythenian mages, held in high esteem by nobles and common folk alike. A Streamshepherd will usually be at hand to bless newborn children, place the ceremonial seal on a business arrangement and provide protective spells to farmland and fishing vessels. They traditionally dress in ceremonial robes and hats, emphasizing their status in Bythenian society.

>contd.

>>17206473

The Guild of Shipmages is probably what most outsiders consider the quintessential Bythenian mages. Serving on ships from their apprentice days, Bythenian shipmages are capable navigators, sailors and cartographers. They learn to read the tides, winds and stars, and similarly to Streamshepherds, Shipmages can manipulate the weather, but that is not where their true strength lies. For the Shipmages of Bythenia are consummate elementalists, attuned to the element of water to a degree rarely seen elsewhere. Undines, brine elementals, and all manner of water-based constructs are summoned and controlled by shipmages, for defensive and menial tasks. Rugged explorers and merchants, shipmages often rise to the rank of privateer captains.

>contd.

>>17206569

The Society of Chymerwrights and Lifeweavers is the most esoteric and rarely seen school of magic in Bythene. An order that guards its secrets jealously from outsiders, the Society was founded by exiled Channarian biomancers that opposed the formation of the University of For'Channar. In Bythenia they found asylum and the means to pursue their quest for knowledge into manipulating and restructuring the very matter of life itself. Since a former Chancellor of the Society, Otto Lupitter, went rogue and created the Aqueans that still menace Bythene, the Society has been keen on avoiding publicity and maintaining a low-key image. But it is rumored that some factions within the Society wish to see Lupitter's work continued and improved...

Bedtime bump y'all. Hope to see some more in the morning!

>>17208818

Are we autosaging? Should a new thread be made?

>>17210746

New thread here:

>>17213660