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>>86786753

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>>86786778

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>>86786787

1 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/84774616/
2 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/84847594/
3 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/84864673/
4 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/84877899/
5 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/84890048/
6 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/84918731/
7 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/84930206/
8 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/84943450/
9 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/84963046/
10 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/84990296/
11 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85001905/
12 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85025361/
13 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85034498/
14 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85074457/
15 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85181021/
15#2 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85273765/
16 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85357735/
17 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85442583/
17#2 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85499731/
18 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85554910/
21 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85580942/
22 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85686282/
23 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85775039/
24 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85865971/
25 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85981957/
26 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/86150840/
27 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/86258892/
28 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/86355397/
29 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/86504173/

>>86786811
The archive list is now too long for one single post, gentlemen.

30 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/86662491/

Google Doc Link for the timeline. As updated as it can be.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Weiu2IWHLvwzuWaCnggBT0nYVzJvvHEeD0ec3KB16WI/edit?usp=sharing

>>86786745
at least it's not an embarrassing wojak meme this time

Just finished the rough draft of the Ogre History pre-the Ogre Swamp Kingdoms.
I am gonna go over it to make sure names and dates make sense and then post it here . It should fit snugly into the current canon without much confusion.

>Pre- Khenomeric Empire
The first written records of Ogres show up in the Pre-Khenomeric coastal city-states, describing the inhabitants of what would later be known as the Peacock Ogre territory.
Ogres show up intermittently in the historical record since then, as warriors, traders, and raiders amongst the Interior Horse Nomads and South Coast Khenomerics. When the Inland-Coast Alliance began to form, pockets of Ogre territory began to constrict under the pressure of the emerging great power.
As the loose alliance gradually condensed into an empire, Ogres began to migrate north, taking their language with them. This cultural band would gradually intermix with groups found along the way, forming the Isâni-gu culture.

>>86788184
> Post-Khenomeric Empire
By the time the Khenomeric Empire consolidated, most Ogres had left the Empire proper. Its gradual expansion would slowly lead to the displacement of the Ogre-influenced Isâni-gu culture with the Human-influenced Khenomeric culture.
When The Magoclergy was overthrown, many Green Order mages fled to the north, which was at the time still populated by villages of the Isâni-gu culture. Green Order magic and Isan-Gui natural knowledge laid the foundation for what we could call Druids, and the region is considered a core of Druidic magic to this day.
A key reason why Druidism spread so quickly was the development of the Orginian Script. (Also transliterated as “The Orcinian Script’) It took the hundreds of symbols of the Khenomeric Script and simplified them into 16 elemental symbols that a magic system, and later writing system could develop around.
While considered by some to be cruder than Khenomeric, its simplicity was its advantage.
Khenomeric Symbols worked for an Empire of disparate tribes and people. A Horse Nomad and a Coastal Citizen, even if they spoke different languages, would understand the sign for “Horse” as “Horse.” But this required hours of memorization, something only an elite Scholar-Mage class could afford.
The Orginian Script, on the other hand, used 16 symbols that a laborer could remember without missing work, and that could be arranged to create words of many unrelated languages. Even after the dissipation of the wider Isâni-gu culture, the Orginian Script and its descendants became the primary writing system for many nations in the area, and several Druidic Spells are still spoken in Elder Orginian.

>>86788190
>Western Expansion
As the Khenomeric Empire reached and fell from its peak, several successor Human-led states began to rise in the East. Once again, Ogres were pushed to migrate, eventually settling in the Swamplands to the west. Adapting cultural practices honed on the Carsibi and Sea of Wrath, the Swamp Ogre civilization thrived and eventually developed into several Ogre Kingdoms

>Rise of the Bog-Witch
When the Bog Witch started her conquest of the Swamp, the Ogre Kingdoms were her first victims. When they fell, their druidic knowledge reinforced the power the Bog-Witch, her daughters, and their thralls would have in their emerging domain.
After some time of oppression, the Ogres Unified under the semi-mythical Satuye the Liberator. Satuye’s forces overthrew the yoke of the Bog-Witch and created an independent Ogre Kingdom once more.
But once Satuye died, the Ogre Kingdom was divided into several warring states, each with its own agenda. Many Kingdoms took to raiding each other and neighboring civilizations outside the Swamps, ignorant to the Bog-Witch's counterrevolution until it was too late. One by one they would fall until all that remained were refugees that rallied around an idea. Return.

>>86788196
>Return to the West
The Refugees returned to a Khenomeric Empire far weaker than the one that had pushed out their ancestors. Wars between mages and non-mages had weakened it and Gnoll raids were picking at its edges.
The Ogres at this time were led by a religious revivalist movement. Perhaps influenced by the dark magics of the Bog-Witch, this Ogre Priesthood syncretized the druidism of their ancestor with the worship of the demonic Great Maw. The political goal of returng to their lost homeland melded with the religious goal of pilgrimage to the Great Maw, and within a generation, the sprawling bands of clans and tribes united under the shared authority of a higher religious class. A Bagamu Ogre might kill a Ché Ogre but both would listen to the judgment of a Priest of the Maw.
The Ogre Priesthood came in contact with the Gnolls and began the process of organizing the Gnolls in the image of their fallen Kingdoms. This new alliance began to devastate what was left of the Kheneoric and it gained the attention of the Immortal Necromancer Vandervax.
Together, the Ogres, Gnolls, and Undead destroyed the Kheneorc Empire, unifying to become the core of the Gnoll Empire.

>Gnoll Empire
The Early Gnoll Empire was led by the Ogre Priesthood, which spent a generation finding and cultivating a Gnoll they saw fit to serve as the first Gnoll Emperor
The current Gnoll Emperor holds absolute control over the Empire, but the Ogre Priesthood still holds much power, and Ogres in general are often in positions of authority across the Gnoll cultural sphere.

Actually, the fuck is a neepus?

>>86788313
It's on the bestiary.

https://crumbling-giantstep.fandom.com/wiki/Giantstep%27s_Bestiary#Neepus

>>86788336
This bestiary is insanely imcomplete.
Really needs a rework.

Reminds me of Amalgama

>>86786745
On the topic of a system, any opinions on what it should look like if made? I'm thinking that if we made a system we'd have to start with player characters, then NPCs.

How do we organize different types of players?
How does magic work in this system and in what ways can it be acquired?
How powerful should players be able to get to compared to NPCs?
How much do magic items matter compared to player abilities?
What should the theme of the system be to accommodate for the expected playstyle?
Do we make a system for one specific region first as a test?

I believe that magic items should matter a lot, players shouldn't be able to get too powerful, we should start with something regional as a test, and make compatible rules for other regions later if it works out. On the topic of magic, we can't just have it all lumped together, so we'll have to make a few different types, probably based upon either how they access magic.

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>Bayukmen Marsh Kingdom

>History:

The Bayukmen have been around as far back as anyone cares to remember. It is one of easternmost branches of “true” Westerling culture, though Westerling descended peoples can be found further east in Florinth and Tarot.

The Bayukmen are mostly famous for their millennia long resistance to the servants of the Bog-Witch and various other swamp based unseelie fey, however, other events of note have happened here as well, such as the use of the coastal areas by Northmen as a stepping stone to reach lands further west, or brutal fighting with the Ogre Kingdoms. The Bayukmen have also gotten involved in the civil wars that occur in the Land of Windmills from time to time, mostly to fight against rulers seen as too friendly to the Bog-Witch.

>Government:

The Bayukmen are in theory a feudal society, though in practice it is more tribal than anything. The Marsh King rules over a number of regional lords, who in turn rule over the heads of a number of villages.

>Economy:

The Bayukmen are hunter-gatherers, where able bodied folk spend most of their time fishing, frogging, collecting berries or roots, and hunting crocodilians or salamanders. Some villages will have small vegetable gardens, or a few pigs or other livestock.

Bayukmen are fairly skilled at working with wood to make boats and bows and such, and even possess a few small iron mines, but they tend to rely on trade with the Land of Windmills for many types of crafted goods, not that the typical Bayukman has many.

>Foreign Relations:

Dominion of the Bog-Witch – The Bayukmen have resisted the forces of the bog-witch for ages, in particular, the forces of Norn.

Glutton Island – In theory, this large island of semi-dormant volcanoes, barren hills, sulfur lakes, and chilly salt marsh is of no value to anyone, but according to the legends, it is sometimes possible to enter a realm of the Gluttony God from the island. Like most folk, the Bayukmen avoid it.

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>>86792287

Platanus Bog, Zorya, Zyla Gora, and the Fairy Woods – The Bayukmen see these regions as ruled by vassals and allies of the Bog-Witch and therefore hate them. In particular, they deeply hate the human vassals of the Bog-Witch.

Land of Windmills – The closest cousins to the Bayukmen, the two get along by Bayukman standards (unfriendly but not always hostile). The Bayukmen sometimes back certain factions in the many wars of the Windmill Region, and even sometimes send patrols into the chronically lawless eastern province to suppress worship of the Lady of the Woods. Most people in the Land of Windmills find the Bayukmen nearly as fearsome as the swamp creatures, but a few will sell them weapons, armor, and other goods for the right price.

>Geography:

The Bayukmen lands are fairly inhospitable. Much of it is either at sea-level, or poorly drained, creating a maze of salt marshes, freshwater marshes, bogs, swamps, and small lakes. Due to volcanic activity, there is also some jagged hills, sulfur pools, hot springs and geysers. Some areas are unseasonably warm due to said volcanic activity, while others are unpleasantly cold and damp except during the summer.

The Bayukmen are said to have floating castles and villages, but this seems to be mostly a myth based on certain tribes living on large log rafts or floating islands made of reeds, combined with the tendency for outsiders to get disoriented in the fog and maze-like networks of water channels.

Different Bayukmen subcultures have different housing designs, but generally they are primitive structures of wood and thatch, designed for defensibly and sometimes mobility.

Some ruined castles and other stone fortifications can be found scattered around, the legacy of both foreign invaders and the occasional non-traditionalist marsh king. Despite the Bayukman disdain for such structures, many end up forming the linchpin of defensive campaigns against swamp creatures and other foreign invaders.

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>>86792326

>Demographics:

Humans – Make up most of the region’s population. Most are technically Westerlings, but some coastal tribes also have significant Northman ancestry.

Swamp Creatures – The followers of Norn, a daughter of the Bog-Witch, frequently raid the Bayukmen.

Miscellaneous Fey – A few swamp oriented fey not associated with the Bog-Witch live in the Bayukmen lands, including uncorrupted versions of swamp gnomes and kikimora. They keep a low profile though as nearly any fey found in Bayukmen lands will likely be considered a spy of Norn and attacked.

>Religion:

The Bayukmen worship the Ancestor Trees. Believed by many scholars to be a different interpretation of the elven creator god, worship of the Ancestor Trees mostly consists of individual rituals and prayers held at well hidden groves where faces have been carved into old trees.

Some aspects of the Northmen Pantheon can also be found among the beliefs of the tribes with Northman ancestry.

The Lady of the Woods has some followers in the area, mostly folk from the Land of Windmills living in the lands bordering Bayukmen territory. It is unclear whether she is a faerie lord or something darker, and even more unclear if she associated with the Bog-Witch. Generally the Bayukmen attack her followers though, seeing them as likely vassals of the Bog-Witch.

The Bog-Witch and Norn are worshipped by their followers who intrude into Bayukmen lands. A few Bayukmen traitors have also been known to ally with them.

A few non-humans in the region follow minor faerie lords or stranger beings.

>Military:

Bayukmen tend to be small and poorly equipped, and also have a distrust of magic. Despite these disadvantages, they have driven off countless raids and invasions with ruthlessly underhand warfare. Common tactics include constructing traps, springing ambushes, using poisoned weapons, and luring enemies into local wildlife (which are nearly as dangerous as those in the Bog-Witch's lands).

>>86788204
*return to the east

Also cool lore though I feel like the OG feel of the Gnoll Ogre relationship gets fucked by making ogres smart

>>86792175
This setting is clearly DnD considering all the DnD races pranzi g around l vote we use 4th edition

>>86792987
>Also cool lore though I feel like the OG feel of the Gnoll Ogre relationship gets fucked by making ogres smart
I agree, the relation between ogres and gnolls work because ogres are slightly more intelligent than gnolls, but way stronger and tougher. If they were way more intelligent, they'd be reigning over the gnolls.

>>86788864
What species are lacking there?

>>86792987
>>86794154
Agree the ogres seem way too smart compared to how they were depicted earlier

Also the Green Order is partially based on pre-existing fey druidic traditions taken from the north, so having them and the ogres be the founders of druidism seems like a bit of a retcon

And the ogre-bog witch history is already a mess, if the bog-witch anon was still around I am sure he would object to more changes

>>86797555
didn't see the Bayukmen lore, my bad.

>>86792287
so the westerlings are

>Waldemarians
>people of the Land of the Windmills
>Bayukmen
>Gvilderstaaten people
>Baalps people

assuming that people from Zapalovach descend from the Zemylanders/Elanxans and the humans near Azan are their own sub-group.

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>>86797597
This is the interpretation of the main racial groupings I have been using

Westerlings are basically northwest european type peoples, the term was first used by northmen to refer to people in the Waldemaria area, but it has since then been adopted by scholars to refer to all similar-ish people

>>86797285
>And the ogre-bog witch history is already a mess, if the bog-witch anon was still around I am sure he would object to more changes
I wrote the Ogre Kingdoms lore. About the "how did the ogres beat the Bog Witch" question, I kinda want to leave that question unanswered. That is why I wrote the story from the point of view of the nearby countries, instead of the ogres' themselves.

>>86798026
I don't think this is accurate at all:

1. The center of Giantstep is full of barriers that impede regular crossing from one side to another. So no way we can have groups present at both sides.
2. Azan ethnic group should be expanded more, considering how big it was. Especially in the northern Scimitarian and the Isle of Wizards, since those areas were under azanese control for a long time.
3. Most of the old lands of the Khenomeric Empire should belong to the same groups, at least when talking about the lands south of the Forest of Getting Lost.
4. How are Littlestepians related to Northmen? They'd be much more related to the populations to their south.
5. The Greater Elanxan expansion to the south of Zemyland makes the zemylander kingdoms more elanxan-related than native-related.
6. How does the South khenomeric works in your map? Leng was barely inhabited by the Khenomeric, and Gilgemash has never been mentioned as part of the Khenomeric sphere of influence (Gilgemash has barely been mentioned at all in fact). And Okhost could not be inhabited by the living, that's why it's an undead kingdom.
7. Nogar and Drunigzar should not be part of the Merfolk area, they never belonged to it.

Also, I'm assuming this is all for humans.

>>86799197
The answer to most of your questions is that racial/cultural groupings don't always line up with political groupings

>1. The center of Giantstep is full of barriers that impede regular crossing...
Many of those barriers didn't exist in ancient times

>2. Azan ethnic group should be expanded more, considering how big it was...
Azanese Empire was multi-ethnic, it wasn't their way to genocide people and replace them with settlers

>3. Most of the old lands of the Khenomeric Empire should belong to the same groups...
Khenomeric Empire was even more multi-ethnic than Azanese

>4. How are Littlestepians related to Northmen? They'd be much more related...
I figure they are kind of mixed between Northmen and Westerling given they seem to be Germanic inspired. I figure they lean more towards Northman though because they are right next to the Northman heartlands

>5. The Greater Elanxan expansion to the south of Zemyland makes the...
???

>6. How does the South khenomeric works in your map?
I figure all Mediterranean type peoples in the south east should be related. Maybe I will think of a better name for them later.

>Leng was barely inhabited by the Khenomeric,
It was resettled by people fleeing the remains of the Khenomeric Empire

>and Gilgemash has never been mentioned as part of the...
see response to 6.

>And Okhost could not be inhabited by the living...
there were some people living there before the undead showed up, south khenomeric seem most likely

>7. Nogar and Drunigzar should not be part of the Merfolk area...
Merfolk area is a bit of a mess, I figure Drunigs and Anchovians are some northman-south khenomeric mix, but I didn't have time to highlight every small exception

Nogar are southeast asian inspired, so I guess they are closest to plains nomads in terms of major groupings

>Also, I'm assuming this is all for humans.
Correct, I only included human groupings, even in areas they don't live anymore

>>86792991
Hmm... Maybe. If I can get around to making a regional system as a test(I think I'll try one themed around the Laurentian crusade related areas like the Zapalovach and Mossovy) I will.

>>86800213
I'll try basing it off of 3.5e without the insane amount of rules.

>>86797285
>Also the Green Order is partially based on pre-existing fey druidic traditions taken from the north

I know the Green Order was based on fey magic discovered in the North, but I also recall it being said much of modern druids being culturally descended from Green Order mages.

The way I saw it

Fey Magic>The Green Order>Druids

Was the chain of development

>>86800000
Also it's not like every group with a heavy Southern Costal Khemoric population had to join the OG Khemoric empire.

I can imagine a few exclaves of Southern Coastal culture that never joined or were annexed by the central empire

>>86800285
fair enough, it is just unclear to me what the ogres contributed in this scenario

you got nature oriented mages going to ground in areas with nature oriented humans and fey, so why are the ogres needed to teach them nature knowledge?

also, in some areas druids have already been established as getting their magic directly from powerful faerie lords, so "druid" is probably a bit of a catch-all term for nature oriented religious spellcaster

>>86801747
When the Green Order went north they mingled with the Humans and Ogres that were already there. This is the cultural exchange that led to the Orginian Script being adapted from the Kheneromic script, which was much easier to learn and therefore lead to magic spreading from the isolated class system of the Kheneromics to the more spread out system of the druids

>>86794506
Most of them honestly.

>>86804520
Can you point at the missing critters? I'll add them to the wiki when I have a moment.

>>86798026
The Aruandans, the savannah people and the Kinalonga natives should be their own category, given as they are the only "black" people in this setting.

>>86806068
"Southeners" are the tentative name for all the black ethnic groups in the setting.

In addition to the ones you mention, there is also dark skinned people living in the Mumak Mahudom, Terrania Free Holds, and the Eldritch Jungles.

I figure the people living in Bakir, Chakobsa, and Jeraxih are fairly mixed.

>>86806258
I think the Mumak are mixed southerners with Gilgemash

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Marezige harbour

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>Forest of Getting Lost

>Flora and Fauna

The little we know of this labyrinthian forest's inhabitants come from the testimonies of hermits that used to call the forest their home. As such, there is little guarantee to their validity.

Several species of creatures have been described to exist in the Forest of Getting Lost. One of them is a man-eating fox that is able to shapeshift into a woman in order to lure unsuspecting travellers. Another creature described by these hermits is the Vermithian, a giant chameleon that lurks in the forest's canopy which uses its elastic tongue to capture humans, digesting them alive.

A more ferocious animal is the Saber-Tooth Tiger, a beast so large but yet so agile to the point where it has learned to masterfully navigate between the thick navigation of the forest. It is also said that it can blend with the environment in a way that even the Vermithian would be envious of.

Even though their appearance suggests nothing devillish, the Oakcritters are anything but cute. These little imps with their wooden skin are known to trick humans into consuming hallucinogenic mushrooms, only to call their tribe to eat them alive little by little, all while the human is into a pain numbing trance.

All of these creatures pale in comparison with the Leshen, the Spirit of the Forest. The previous descriptions' details all vary from person to person, but every hermit (mad or not) has stayed consistent in his description of this beast. Standing over 4 meters tall, its body is made up of tree bark, while its head is made up of a stag's skull and antlers. It is unknown if it is a singular creature or part of a species, but all accounts agree on the fact that the Leshen dwells in the most ancient parts of the forest and in the giant cave complex underneath it. Whenever the forest is threatened, the Leshen is able to call other creatures to fight for it.

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>>86807074
Although it's difficult to say, many naturalists have speculated that the Leshen was created by the spells of the Khenomeric wizards when they first cast their spell that gave birth to the Forest of Getting Lost. If this hypothesis is true, then perhaps part of what makes this gargantuan forest impassable to this day is the power of the Leshen, which still retains some of the enchanting prowess bestowed upon by the Magoclergy eons ago.

Ok, I'm going to write the Cowmen Grasslands' lore. Let's see how it goes.

>History
The lands around the Rhallaco River are rolling plains of green grasslands, extending for miles and miles with little interruption from geographical accidents. Frequent but moderate rains keep the area green all year long, with the exception of a brief period of cold winter. Ferrets, moles, foxes, rabbits, wolves and even wild horses populate the area. This land seems ideal farmland, and yet, very little agriculture is done in this area. This is because it is the sacred lands of the “Mataandura Haishü”, or as the outsiders usually call them, the Cowmen.

>>86807359
The Mataandura Haishü have inhabited the region around the Rhallaco River from time immemorial. By the time the Khenomeric Empire first arrived to the area, the Mataandura Haishü had already lived in the prairies for millennia. The Mataandura Haishü were proud and fiercely independent, caring little for the affairs of the two-feet outside of their homeland, so they refused the initial offer to join the empire. It would be only after a long fight, and the increasing use of magic as a weapon, when the Mataandura Haishü relented, and allowed themselves to be absorbed in the empire. In exchange of cowmen service in the Khenomeric armies, and allow parts of the grasslands to be used for agriculture, the Mataandura Haishü would be allowed to rule mostly themselves. And while the Mataandura Haishü accepted the deal at first, they utterly hated the rule of the khenomeri. Their interactions were not completely negative, though: the khenomeric brought with them the knowledge of metal crafting and weapon making, turning the already feared Cowmen warriors, fighting with their bare fists and horns, into extraordinarily powerful combatants. Their lands were not particularly fit for these new crafts, since there is a considerable lack of rock and stone in the vast planes, and even less metals to extract, so the cowmen mostly bought their weapons and equipment from the outside.

>>86807369
The relation between the Khenomeri and the Mataandura Haishü did not improve with time. The Magoclergy did not trust these “cowmen”, and kept them watched over constantly in search for any conspiracy against them, just in case that they could be exiled and put the entire area to agricultural use. The fall of the Magoclergy was well received by the Mataandura Haishü, but this did not mean their relations with the rest of the Khenomeric authorities improved, on the contrary. Most of the empire did not have a good opinion on the Mataandura Haishü, seeing them as just big dumb beasts, barely more intelligent than the ogres within the empire. This lack of any mutual knowledge or respect for one another inevitably led the Mataandura Haishü to the path of independence, yet they did not wish to spill blood to reach their independence: they saw the need for diplomacy to achieve their wished for freedom, and they concocted a plan. The great matriarches of the Mataandura Haishü, the leaders of the herds, began talks with the groups within the empire that would support a rebellion against Khoraqualumum.

>>86807378
In the year 1.801 ABE, a big rebellion in the Northern Khenomeric Empire, typical by now considering the politics of the region, became quite a lot bigger than expected, which forced the Khenomeric Empire to pay attention in the area. At the same time, the Mataandura Haishü, along other provinces, also began their rebellion, threatening to tear the empire apart from all sides. However, the matriarches, in secret, contacted the khenomeri authorities and offered them a deal: in exchange of Khoraqualumum granting the Mataandura Haishü independence, they would tell them the names of the rebel heads they had contacted. The Khenomeric authorities, having too many problems already and not wanting to fight for a territory that was barely profitable in the first place, agreed to the deal, allowing the cowmen independence in 1.802 ABE. The humans who had settled there were allowed to stay, but most went back to the empire in peace.

>>86807384
Around 2.441 ABE, the Mataandura Haishü began noticing something was wrong. The increasing amount of humans from the Khenomeric Empire crossing into the grasslands was strange, since the two did not have the best relations after the failed rebellion. However, these humans were not intending to conquer the land, they were fleeing from something: the tales talked about gnolls, in amounts unthinkable beforehand, were being ordered around by ogres. Acting as great armies, they ravaged and murdered everything on their path, and even the still mighty Khenomeric armies were not enough to contain them. The cowmen had already interacted with the gnoll in the past, in small numbers. The cowmen used to hunt and pummel them beneath their powerful hooves as a proof of one’s strength, but these stories told something previously unimaginable: organized gnolls, acting as authentic invading armies, burning and consuming everything that they came across. Unlike many of the khenomeric neighbors, the Mataandura Haishü immediately believed these stories, and readied for war. For many years, the cowmen sent help to the Khenomeric Empire, wanting to know information about how to defeat the monsters should they arrive to the sacred homeland. In the year 2.476 ABE, the capital of Khoraqualumum fell to the gnolls, ending the empire for good. The survivors of the atrocities that arrived to the Cowmen Grasslands began helping the Mataandura Haishü to prepare for the invasion. They were the ones who build many of the great weapons used by the Cowmen to fight the gnoll, and many of those would survive into the present.

>>86807392
However, it took a long time to see the invasion arrive to the lands of the Mataandura Haishü. On the meantime, the mass of gnolls ended up coagulating into the Gnoll Empire, with the first litch emperor, Grabagrorr the Great, ordering a massive expansion towards every direction they could. In 2.720 ABE, the first gnoll attacks against the Cowmen began. The numbers of gnolls being unlike anything they had seen before, the Mataandura Haishü had to organize all herds into a single unified command, if they wished to offer any resistance to the gnolls: the rolling sprawls of plains and the lack of fortresses offering great advantages to the gnolls over the Cowmen warriors and human auxiliaries. And yet, the fight between the two sides became titanic. The great charges of the cowmen were even stronger than great heavy cavalry charges, and they rolled over many, many gnoll armies, who just charged in a straight line against the charging Mataandura Haishü. The losses of the cowmen began mounting, however, and the longer the war dragged on, the more it seemed that all hope was lost. Yet, surprisingly, in 2.737 ABE, the gnoll forces began retreating. It is said that Grabagrorr the Great’s lack of strategy and aggressive strategy had overextended the seemingly numberless gnoll, and had to retreat from many battlefields, the Cowmen Grasslands included. The Mataandura Haishü celebrated this, though with some bitterness, knowing that they had only survived by the merest chance. They swore an oath of eternal hatred and revenge against the gnoll, purging and sacrificing all gnolls that could not retreat in time, or those who had been born in the wild and become feral. Nowadays, it is frequent to see the Mataandura Haishü brandishing gnoll skulls and bones as personal decorations.

>>86807401
The damages caused by the gnoll are great. It is believed that more than a third of the total population of the adult Mataandura Haishü died during the conflict. This has made them prepare for a second invasion ever since, but the politics of the Nameless has managed to keep an uncertain peace between the gnolls and the Cowmen… with the exception of the occasional slave raid, of course.

Speaking of politics were are akin to something like the late 1700s early 1800s here.
We even have an analog to the Olympics revival.

I think we could have some early international interaction lore. Something like the Grand Coalitions or Congresses of Vienne or Westphalia or something like that

>>86806514
>I think the Mumak are mixed southerners with Gilgemash
their lore mentions some linkages to the Gilgemashi and the Gokmavi, but in the one clear image we have of them so far they look pretty dark, so there is probably at least some Mumak tribes that are relatively pure Southerner

>>86807674
>We even have an analog to the Olympics revival
I must've missed that. What are you referencing?

>>86809057
The Gnoll Olympiad.

>>86809268
>not gnollympics

>>86809567
It's the old Khenomeric olympiad, but turned into something completely different by the gnoll.

Where is the footie in this setting

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>Platanus Bog

>History:

The ancient history of the Platanus Bog is largely forgotten, but likely involved some changing of hands between various faerie lords and Westerling tribes.

More modern records show that there have been on and off attempts to colonize the area since the peak of the Khenomeric Empire. Most humans living there now descend from exiles and fugitives from the Orange Marquisates, Faarowt, and Florinth.

>Government:

The Platanus Bog doesn’t have a central government. The humans are organized into autonomous tribes, villages, family units, and/or mercantile companies. There are no faerie lords of note in the Bog, so the fey are either loners or organized into loose tribes.

>Economy:

Like their northern neighbors the Bayukmen, the humans of the Platanus Bog (known as the Platani) are hunter gatherers, though they place more emphasis on fishing and foraging, and less on hunting monsters.

The Platani do regular trade with Orange Marquisates with stuff they gather from their own territory, as well as goods traded from with inhabitants from the Bog-Witch’s lands. Due to vague boundaries, particularly reckless inhabitants of the Platanus Bog sometimes settle along the eastern shores of Toadpond in the Bog-Witch’s lands, sometimes to trade (the Toadpond forms a stretch of the Dominion’s main internal trade route), and sometimes to fish. It is unclear why Muckra allows this, though it is probably to help lure human children to her territory, while certain other players in the Dominion find the Platani to be useful trading partners.

Some Platani have a reputation for prioritizing purchases of luxury goods like fine clothes, spices, or silver plated utensils over more useful items like tools or weapons. Others prioritize alcohol and other narcotics. Although some foreigners see this as a sign of stupidity, others feel it makes sense given the often nihilistic mindset of many Platani.

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>>86813899

>Foreign Relations:

Dominion of the Bog-Witch – It is unclear why the Bog-Witch has never attempted to conquer the Platanus Bog, though perhaps she already gets everything she needs from the place, and openly ruling it would scare away trade and potential victims. The two regions are trading partners and generally considered to be neutral to each other (which is about as close to friendly as one gets to the Dominion).

Orange Marquisates – Is the Bog’s main connection to the civilized world. Mercantile companies employ locals and foreigners to harvest valuable animal parts and alchemy components.

Bayukmen Marsh Kingdom – The Bayukmen see the Platani as traitors for trading with the Bog-Witch’s followers. Although the two rarely pick deliberate fights, chance encounters often become unpleasant.

Zyla Gora – The Zylani see themselves as the more civilized of the two, not that that is saying much. The two sometimes trade, but generally don’t think highly of each other.

The Fungest – The Platani and Bog dwelling fey sometimes raid the northern regions of the Fungest for edible mushrooms and alchemy components. The mushroomites in this region will aggressively defend their mushrooms, but are rarely much of a threat unless they significantly outnumber their opponents.

Glutton Island – The Platani are aware of Glutton Island’s reputation, but as they generally aren’t seafaring people, they generally lack the means to visit the island even if they wanted to.

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>>86813964

>Geography:

Despite the name, most of the Platanus Bog is forest or swamp, though there are also some true bogs, salt marshes, hills, and coastal sandbars as well. Trees adapted to surviving in sitting water are more common here than in the marshy Bayukmen lands, providing a visible difference between the two regions.

A stretch of hills and low mountains along the border with the Dominion of the Bog-Witch helps keep out many of the more dangerous aquatic creatures.

The Platani make their buildings entirely out of wood, typically mounted on stilts when in flooded areas.

>Demographics:

Humans – The Platani descend from exiles and fugitives from the Orange Marquisates, Faarowt, and Florinth. The Bog is a hard place to live, and many would probably leave if they knew how much better living standards are in nearby nations. However, trade with the Orange Marquisates is dominated by secretive middlemen, so few know much about the outside world.

Wisplings – A bit of a catch-all term for several impish but weak fey species, wisplings rely on their natural camouflage to hunt prey and harass other races. Some are plant-like, others resemble various animals.

Oafs – These rare child-like shapeshifters seem to enjoy causing problems for other folk out of sheer spite, but they sometimes can be forced to serve other beings if enough threats are applied. They occasionally pretend to be human children so they can serve as spies.

Other Fey – Other fey of the Bog include uncorrupted versions of mushroomites, cave goblins, kikimora, toadlings, swamp gnomes, fairies, froglings, and woggles, as well as a few pondmaidens, boglins, will-o-wisps, swamp ogres, and grutzlings. Most of them keep to themselves, but certain cave goblin, boglin, and kikimora tribes are hostile, and pondmaidens, wisps, ogres and grutzlings are almost always trouble.

Dwarves – Are occasionally seen in the region. It is believed they are based somewhere in The Fungest.

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>>86813987

>Religion:

Few human inhabitants of the Bog are religious, but many do have strange rites they use for warding off bad luck and unseelie fey. There are a few witches who have bargained with the likes of Gogotha, the Glutton God, Mg’umba, Uruc, or certain faerie lords like Norn, Mordrak, or Mutaa for power, but they rarely try to form cults, instead folk seek them out when they are desperate enough.

Some Platani and many wisplings worship Demon-In-A-Tree. Appearing to be a large beating heart surrounded by the branches of a large tree, it is said to be the remains of a demon who defied the Bog-Witch. It is unclear if there are any practical benefits to worshipping it.

The mushroomites, dwarves, and certain other fey have their own strange practises, which are poorly understood by outsiders.

>Military:

The Platani are hardy survivors that prefer avoiding fights when possible. However, if their villages are threatened in a winnable fight, they will form militias, or even seek out the assistance of a witch.

The fey of the Bog tend to be individually weak, but can still be dangerous in large numbers.

>>86813899
>>86813964
>>86813987
>>86813997
So is the great Platanus Tree just a Banana tree? A magical banana tree?

>>86816173
Platanus is actually the scientific name for a sycamore tree

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left the cowmen as orange as I'm unsure whether or not their lore is "complete"

>>86816884
>sycamore tree
Were slwoly getting there. Props to all of you guys! What are we going to do when this map is finished?

>>86817957
>Characters.
>How Magics work.
>More animals and plants.
>Storytelling.
>More "Current year" stuff.
>Gods and mythology.
>Special items.
>The entire underground.

There's A LOT to do.

Continuing the Cowmen lore.

>The Cowmen
The Mataandura Haishü are an ancient species, one of the most ancient that roam the lands of eastern Giantstep. They have upper body half of similar complexion to humans, and the lower half of bovines. All in all, they can easily reach up to 2m of height, with hyper muscular features. Their upper half is considerably bulkier than the average human, and their arms are somewhat longer than a human’s, simply because they have much more body to reach. Their faces are somewhat elongated to the front, and have powerful neck muscles that allow them to support their great horns. The size of the horns vary from individual to individual, but they are usually big enough that their neck is very limited in what movements it can do, and so they have to move their torso to look aside.

>>86818067
They are a sexually dimorphic species. In general, the males are bigger and more muscular than the females, and they also have a much bigger set of horns. However, once every many hundreds of cases, a female Mataandura Haishü is born with innately magical abilities, who can reach up to three meters height. These are called the Matriarches, and once they are born, they are groomed to become the leaders of the herd, and can usually live hundreds of years.

>>86818079
>Society and Culture
The Mataandura Haishü are a nomadic society. They move all year long around the great prairies and grasslands, which are sacred to them. They search for the best and most fertile areas for the grass and sprouts of the highest quality and freshness, which they ear directly from the ground. The look of a human-like being eating like this usually causes a great shock to the outsiders who see them, and thus they have usually been the target of ridicule and mockery from the populations around them. They are also known for taking care of great herds, usually cow or sheep, to feast upon their milk. Once again, the sight of cowmen milking regular cows is a sight that usually confuses any visitor, which can cause dangerous friction between the Mataandura Haishü and them.

The Mataandura Haishü usually avoid contact with other members outside of their species, and when they do meet, it is usually for matters like trading. The behavior of the Mataandura Haishü is quite different from other sentient species. Cowmen do not laugh, they literally have no sense of humor, and they do not partake with each other in any kind of levity. As such, they can clash quite easily with outsiders, especially those who deal frequently with humor or irony. They have proven to be highly aggressive to any provocation and feeling of mockery done to them, usually ending with the provocateur mangled up in the floor with many broken bones.

>>86818092
The Mataandura Haishü society is highly violent. The leader of a herd is the matriarch, massive females that can tower over even the tallest cowmen. Their word is law, but they will usually allow the members of the herd to solve their differences by themselves. Ritual duels are frequent, and for reasons that many that many would think are trivial, and due to the Mataandura Haishü’s natural strength, damages can be severe, though they usually stop before being fatal. Young members of the herd are trained in unarmored combat since they can walk by themselves. Males are usually more violent and prone to fights than females, and play the role of warriors of the herds. Expressing great pride in their strength, they will dedicate almost exclusively to fighting, leaving the females to the care of the children, the livestock and most crafts. Great fights between the males of different herds are a frequent sight when they see each other, displaying their power, strength and stamina to impress a female from a different herd to marry. This helps avoid consanguine problems within the different herds. Many male cowmen also cover themselves in piercings, rings and other small decorative items, showing their toughness and decorating themselves alongside their scars.

>>86818104
The Mataandura Haishü worship the god Lamagash, the Great Winged Bull, the progenitor and protector of the cowmen and the sacred grasslands. This figure is highly important to the cowmen, having dedicated to him the only permanent settlement of the cowmen. At the center of the grasslands, there is a large shine dedicated to Lamagash. Every matriarch is expected to go on an individual pilgrimage to the shrine and offer a great trophy to the god, to keep the blessings of Lamagash upon their herd.

Highest shows of Mataandura Haishü culture are rarer. Cowmen have no written language, their culture survive purely as spoken tales and legends.

>>86818092
Why would they feed grass to cows and drink cow milk instead of just eating that grass themselves?

>>86818447
>Why would they feed grass to cows and drink cow milk instead of just eating that grass themselves?
They do. But they also drink milk.

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>Tower of Insanity

>History

The island of Rukan has always been uninhabited, save for the few castaways that were left stranded after being shipwrecked on the island's rocky shores. It is not hard to imagine why; Rukan's barren lands and lack of natural harbors would make it hard to establish both farms and fishing towns. As such, all the regional powers ignored this island.

However, this all changed less than 30 years ago. With the rise of Avangar and the expansion of the Elyrians, a nobleman of House Yekindar from the city of Marecs in eastern smallstep got wind of the situation and acted upon it. Gathering his family and the servants of his estate, Lord Yekindar fled to Rukan and build a tower that would protect him from any Elyrian invaders.

Many years afterwards, however, the Tower fell victim to a terrible plague, and only the lord's son and a few servants remained. The Tower fell into ruin and the young Lord went mad, and it is said that his screams and muffled manic laughter can still be heard echoing across Rukan. No one has seen anyone entering or leaving the Tower ever since.

Spotting the Tower of Insanity is considered a bad omen, and for that reason alone most sailors avoid Rukan, choosing longer routes for their voyages.

>>86816868
Aw, I was imagining enchanted banana monsters roaming the swamp...

>>86824119
Awwww.

I've been thinking: How many nations actually have the technology to sail all over the world? Most nations do not seem to have ships that can withstand sailing all around...

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Is there a place for some ostritch lady tribes in the zulutaur streppes?

>>86826494
You can add it yourself if you write it.

>>86826350
Possibly Azan, Drunigzar and Hithlone

>>86826765
And Changrila.

>>86818092
Are there any cowmen in the frozen lake?

>>86826796
From the wiki.

>The northern grasslands bordering the frozen lake is home to a subspecies of cowmen known as muskoxmen. Hairier and dumber than their cousins, they enjoy the colder climate near the lake, and rarely venture south. They do not worship Lamagash, and should they meet a cowman they often end up fighting because of this.

A bit more to finish the Cowmen lore:

>The humans in the Grasslands
Over the centuries, many groups of humans have found a home in the Cowmen Grasslands. Back during the Khenomeric Empire days, the empire had sent people to colonize some areas of the land, seeing as their natural conditions make them excellent agricultural soil. These farmers were sent in small numbers, to not cause a cowmen uprising, so these colonies were mostly of small families working relatively reduced portions of land. Their productive output is generally great, so even these small numbers of settlers were able to produce more than enough for themselves and to pay the empire its taxes. Their relation with the Mataandura Haishü was poor at first, but the cowmen quickly learned how to ignore them, and even began a decent trade with them, exchanging settlers’ agricultural produce with the cowmen’s herds.

>>86828432
These settlers have been in the grasslands ever since, though since the independence from the Khenomeric Empire, the population has been gradually going down. The land only really appeals for those that see a rural life dedicated almost exclusively to survive of the land. The isolation of the grasslands is quite apparent, since the Mataandura Haishü are not particularly cozy or talkative neighbors. Low population has become such a problem that it’s even causing consanguine troubles, as the few families living there have married with each other over and over again. Many farms have been abandoned simply because the families simply disappeared without more progeny. The arrival of many khenomeric refugees helped this to a point, but most of the refugees went across the grasslands to some other areas, and didn’t stay there for long.

>>86828438
The newest inhabitants of the grasslands are the drunig merchants that often come to sell their goods to the cowmen. Some drunig youth that aren’t attracted to the life at the sea may decide to dedicate themselves to land trade, and many of them end up in the Cowmen Grasslands, due to the relative proximity with Drunigzar. This trade is quite profitable for both parties: the Mataandura Haishü obtain many different tools and weapons they cannot manufacture themselves (not because they don’t know how, but because the grasslands are very poor in metals and mines), and the drunig obtain great amounts of livestock.

>>86828454
>The Muskoxmen
At the north of the grasslands, bordering the Frozen Lake, there lives a different race of cowmen. They are believed to be more primitive and brutal than the Mataandura Haishü, and they have been at odds with the cowmen from the grasslands for millennia. They call themselves the Mataanduva Emme, but the outsiders call them the Muskoxmen. Little is known about them: they are actively bandits and thieves, attacking and robbing whatever tries to cross that area, and do not bother to talk to anyone who’s not a muskoxmen. The records tell us little about them as well. The only ones who apparently know who they are and where they come from are the Cowmen, and they haven’t really told anyone.

>>86828463
What we do know is that these two races have a seething hatred against each other, and they will go to great lengths to fight one another to the death. When these two groups meet, there is nothing of the ritualistic honor the cowmen display when fighting with themselves. There is just violence, brutal and direct, with the intention to either maim or kill.

The Muskoxmen seemingly do not share the religious beliefs of the cowmen. They do not worship Lamagash, instead following their own secret cult.

>>86799197
>Forest of Getting Lost
Has a Monty Python ring to it.

Is the original OP still around? He's the admin of the wiki and there are a lot of pages that need editing (titles) or getting removed.

>>86829889
No idea. The wiki admin appears once every couple of blue moons, does some adjustments, and disappears again.

>>86829889
If he ever reads this:

Please fix the typos in the wiki pages' titles

>>86829889
I'm super busy with my job lately and can only lurk. On the weekend if possible I'll transfer wiki ownership to someone.

How many flying mounts and/or vehichles do we have?

>>86786745
Its been a Long time i left when people raged over the magic system/world creation.

Its good to know that the setting creator threads are still active. As i see the wiki expanded a little bit. We have a timeline (finaly!)
But i am a little curious what major things happened. Cause the wiki and timelonw does not cover everything.

>>86835046
>But i am a little curious what major things happened.
We mostly wrote tons of lore and made many maps. Plus a couple of memes.

So did we reacj a consensus about what astromancy is?

>>86837769
>So did we reacj a consensus about what astromancy is?
No, and it will probably never happen

In their first post they were described as mages, and many following posts described them as one of the four branches of Khenomeric magic, and later on as high-tier magic users at a similar level to the Wizards

But there is also one anon that still insists they are scientists, though has never really explained what that means

Given the stuff they are capable of though, I doubt they are scientists in a way people in the real world would recognize. I figure they have a strong interest in the underlying physics of the universe, as well as tendency to work with material with innately magical properties, which sort of makes them scientists. But given the nature of the material they work with, most of them are also capable of magic themselves.

>>86838436
I'm going to try to add all the (admittedly little) lore astromancy has. Any details anyone might want to add or to talk about before I start the writeup?

>>86838610
it actually has a lot of lore scattered among many threads

stuff they are stated as being able to do:
- are mages - and astromancy been stated as a branch of field of magic several times
- predict future
- control weather
- knowledgeable on demon breaches
- imprison a god in an orb
- make a floating city
- improve magical abilities of others
- manipulate underlying metaphysics of universe
- nullify magic
- create magic constructs/golems

>>86838852
>- are mages - and astromancy been stated as a branch of field of magic several times
In the Alchemy wiki page, it's said that many doubt that astromancy is either magic or alchemy.

>>86839022
there has been several attempts to reconcile the science/magic debate, but astromancy being one of the branches of magic in the Khenomeric Empire is thread 1 lore, and there as been several references to astromancy being a type of magic since then

probably in-universe there are just as many pendants as in the real world who base their arguments around super-specific definitions

Ok, a bit of lore about astromancy, let's see how it goes.

To explain what astromancy is to try to solve a question millennia old. Since the beginning of the professional studies of magic, astromancy has been in the minds of some of the wisest men that have walked the arcane roads, and even they struggle to define it. It has been the bane of many academies and schools of thought, but in the end, all that these entities can agree with is that astromancy centers around the study of aether.

>>86840051
>Aether as a field of study

As the single unifying element that all schools of astromancy share, aether is the key to understand this field of thought. The first known accepted definition of aether (or quintessence, as many alchemists like to describe it) was proposed by Da’ihash Kamatmur of Khenomeri:

“For all the secrets that lay yet uncovered in our land, the aether is surely one of the greatest. Coming from the skies beyond our own, this substance contains an unmeasurable potential. It is purer than water, but runs like it. It is stronger than steel, but it shines like it. It moves and dances like fire, yet it contains an energy from the suns themselves. It is the essence of the souls of the stars themselves.”

>>86840064
More modern definitions usually are more specific about the nature and qualities of aether. The chemical compound that is aether has many forms and properties, but it’s usually considered a light semiliquid in its natural state, of color similar to clear water, but that can react changing its hue into many different tones. Its shape and consistency also changes when in contact with different matters and under different temperatures. The study of how aether reacts under different circumstances is a great field of research in and of itself.

>>86840076
The natural properties of aether are well known in arcane circles. Aether has been known to emit light and energy under certain circumstances, and that energy can be focused into many uses, capable of even twisting and turning the rules of nature and physics. It has been used to give life to the unanimated, constructing of golems and automata that would form part of the ranks of the Khenomeric armies at its peak. It has been used to break gravity, creating flying machines and buildings that defy comprehension, with the floating island of Fehrum Edzulair being suspected of using aether to make it float. It is said that certain forms of aether are able to pierce to the veil of time, telling the users about many things that may come to pass, though only as a shadow of the possible futures. Other more basic uses is that aether-based items are surprisingly good at nullifying certain magical effects, though they need specific crafting and a deep knowledge of the field.

>>86840086
The origins of aether is actually well known for a change. Astromancers have demonstrated that most of the aether reserves in the step come from the outside of the world, usually in the form of meteorites. It is believed that the space between the sky and the stars is filled with great amounts of aether, and under certain circumstances, it will solidify and fall to the ground. The aether will then take up a form similar to the materials present at the area where it collided. This makes finding aether quite a difficult task, since many caches will be either very deep underground, or hidden at plain sight, not knowing the properties of the material unless a trained eye happen to come by. Extraction of aether is a complicated matter, both due to the varied state the substance can be found in, and due to the unpredictability of how it will react. Both dwarves and drows, experts at living and working underground, consider finding a vein of aether a bad omen: its great value makes its exploitation mandatory, but with it always comes certain calamity for those who mine it. In the past, it was believed that mercury was a form of aether, but further study (and many poisoned astromancers and alchemists later) proved that these two substances are completely unrelated.

>>86840095
The rarity of aether makes astromancers keep an eye on the starry nights at all times, paying special attention to any celestial phenomena that might bring any aether from beyond the sky. It’s this that has made astromancers great at studying the heavens, something they also continue as to develop further philosophical pursues.

Insider here astromancers are basically a ripoff from edge chronicles Sanctaphrax academics who are scientists/alchemists focused on weather and meteorology. I'm the guy that introduced them in the first thread and always imagined them as scientists for as much as that's worth.

>>86839466
Astromancers strike me like renessaince men or ancient philosopher's. I think they'd practice all disciplines.

Both scientific observation of the stars and magical harvesting of their powers.

>>86840064
>>86840076
>>86840086
>>86840095
>>86840101
>>86840388
...what? I'm not a fan of this and aether came out of nowhere. I swear the only thing we agreed up until now is that the Astromancers study the stars or do star magic.

That's where the astrology, callendar making stuff came from. Now it's aether from meteorites...?

>>86826785
Will write some lore about the Moreaux and the Lotus Islands later on today

>>86840697
The aether part was mentioned in the Alchemy part a long time ago.

https://crumbling-giantstep.fandom.com/wiki/Alchemy?so=search

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>Zyla Gora

>History:

The history of the Zylani is very similar to their Platani cousins. However, the fugitives from the Orange Marquisates and Florinth that settled these lands found them more hospitable than the swamps and bogs of the Platanus Bog. As a result, their settlements were larger and more sophisticated, and at times, a rudimentary feudal system even developed. Unfortunately for the Zylani, certain locations in their nation are considered to be sacred by witches and hags serving the Bog-Witch. As a result, the servants of the Bog-Witch have long kept this region under their thumb.

>Government:

Each Zylani village has a spokesperson, who also has authority over outlying homesteads and hamlets. There is also usually at least one resident spellcaster in each village, sometimes a local shaman, other times a hag or witch from the Dominion.

Each village is a vassal of the Dominion, and is expected to pay a tithe in children, as well as other resources.

>Economy:

Zyla Gora is a rough, hilly area, not particularly well suited for agriculture, though many try anyways. Vegetable gardens are common, and some land can even grow wheat, but goat herding tends to be the most common occupation. There are also some small mines for coal, iron, and occasionally gold. A few coastal villages also fish.

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>>86843915

>Foreign Relations:

Dominion of the Bog-Witch – Zyla Gora is essentially a vassal of this nation. Aside from paying tithes and allowing free movement within their territory for sabbaths and other rituals, some Zylani also operate within Dominion territory as merchants or craftsmen. The Festerroot Tree, located in the heart of Zyla Gora, is one of the most sacred sites of the Dominion.

Platanus Bog – The Zylani see themselves as more civilized than the Platani, as well as higher up within the hierarchy of the Dominion. The Zylani often travel through Platani territory, though the reverse rarely occurs.

Bayukman Marsh Kingdom – The Bayukmen see the Zylani as fully fledged servants of the Dominion and kill them when they can. However, the two races rarely interact.

Orange Marquisates – The Zylani do some trade with the Orange Marquisates, but not as much as the Platani. This is due to the fact that the Zylani are more closely associated with the Bog-Witch, which makes even the greediest of merchants reluctant to deal with them. The fact that many Zylani are mentally unbalanced doesn’t help either.

Glutton Island – The Zylani rarely visit Glutton Island. Aside from the fact it is the territory of a rival demon lord, there really isn’t much there unless you are able to somehow reach the alternate dimension it contains.

The Fungest – The Zylani sometimes visit, or even deliberately raid the northern reaches of The Fungest. Unlike the Platani, some Zylani have no qualms about eating sentient flesh.

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>>86843921

>Geography:

Zyla Gora is made up of a series of low mountains and plateaus, in between which are barren hills, forests, and some wetlands, ponds, and small lakes. Although well inhabited by the standards of the wider region, it is still nearly empty by the standards of developed nations, and large stretches of uninhabited land separate the pastures, fields, homesteads, and hamlets found near the villages.

It has an unpleasant climate, prone to rain, dense fog, and wet, sleety winters.

>Demographics:

Humans – The humans in the area are known as the Zylani, and they mostly descend from fugitives of the Orange Marquisates and Florinth. They are an unfriendly lot, distrustful of outsiders, and with a skewed sense of morality that tolerates acts of evil in return for survival. Repeated exposure to dark rituals has unbalanced the psyche of most of them, leading to a wide range of behavioral disorders, including mania, chronic depression, paranoia, and assorted obsessive behaviors.

Wisplings – A name used to describe a wide range of small, weak fey. Unlike their cousins in the Platanus Bog, the Zyla Gora wisplings tend to be more humanoid, as well as melancholy rather than impish.

Hags and Witches – Some hags and witches of the Dominion travel to Zyla Gora for their sabbaths. A few stay all year round, keeping an eye on sacred sites and/or lording it over local villagers.

Miscellaneous Fey – Other fey in the region include harpies, cave goblins, gnomes, kikimora, and mushroomites. Some are servants of the hags and witches, others semi-feral independents, barely more civilized than animals.

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>>86843929

>Religion:

The Zylani worship Gogotha (often known locally as Gorgotha). Zyla Gora is seen as sacred territory of Gorgotha, and the Zylani see it as entirely natural to worship her, given her power over their lands.

Zyla Gora is one of several locations where sabbaths happen. These wild celebrations are said to honor ancient pacts made between Gorgotha and certain fey like the Bog-Witch. The sabbaths in Zyla Gora are known for being particularly wild. Villagers who are healthy enough dress in painstakingly crafted costumes of various demon-like creatures and have frenzied dances and orgies around bonfires or sacred trees or menhirs. Often succubi and incubi will be attracted to these rituals, and occasionally the villagers themselves will be temporarily transformed into demon like creatures.

>Military:

The villagers will put together militias when needed. Sometimes the local hags and witches will also assist against threats if they feel it is in their interest.

>>86843915
>>86843921
>>86843929
>>86843945
Bogwitch anon here. I dig it. Good job on the writing!

>>86843915
>the fugitives from the Orange Marquisates
what were they running away from? And when?

>>86826785
why isn't the realm of the goddess of harmony removed?

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The Leopard Jellyfish is a common animal in the coast of the southwestern Giantstep. It can reach the size of a rooster, and it's characterized by the spotted pattern it generates over time. It can live up to 10 years, and during this time, it builds up many chemical substances within its body. Depending on its diet of fish, it is able to create certain substances over others, from cooking ingredients to alchemical substances. As such, it is widely hunt all around the area.

Central-Northern giantstep sounds like a hellhole

>>86786787
Will this map ever be finished?

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>>86848890
But that map is technically finished. I finished making all the borders, and then erased everything that was not a nation or a place where an important society lives.

>>86848890
I think we should wait for every nation's lore to be "finished" before we make any attempts at making the political map more comprehensive. Same for the religious map

>>86848909
What about the white spots though?

>>86848959
The upper white space in western giantstep is the forest of sunflowers, the one in southeastern giantstep is part of the mountains of Ooze. The one near the frozen lake is the Dren'Ui Peaks.

How many months does a year have?

>>86840101
>>86840095
>>86840086
>>86840076
>>86840064
>>86840051
So is everyone fine with this Astromancy bit? I'd like to continue it, but before I do that, I want to confirm I don't have to go back and rewrite it.

>>86853441
Maybe keep it a little more down to earth (no pun intended).

>>86853554
In what sense?

>>86852264
It's complicated we discussed this a few times already. Everchanging time and astral bodies etc.

Check old threads.

>>86853839
I mean, it's jind of important. Not only to know how much time are we talking about exactly when discussing the calendar, but also for the seasons. How do seasons work on a flat world, anyway?

More history of astromancy.

>History of Astromancy
The field of astromancy has many different roots, many of them from times immemorial. Since the beginning of time, the sentient races have studied the sky and the stars, trying to figure out how they work or what they represent. Many tried to figure out the rules and laws of the world by looking at the heavens, while others saw them as a means to tell the future. These wise men would eventually find common ground, and alongside the other mystical branches at the time, and in 1.673 BBE the School of Light Astromancy was born. At this point in time, Astromancy was still finding its footing as one of the great Khenomeric Schools of Magic, and as such, its members studied tirelessly to try and develop many great uses for their knowledge, though they still lack a common purpose. It would be around 50 years after the founding when a meteorite fell near the Lake of Wolves. Astromancers had detected the stellar phenomenon a long time ago, and had predicted not only its fall, but also the approximate destination of the stellar body. This allowed the astromancers to find the meteorite relatively fast, and so were able to discover for the first time the substance known as aether.

>>86855950
The newly discovered material fascinated the early astromancers: studying its properties, nature and behavior helped resolve many of the many questions they had gathered over the years, and then helped create so many more. It was quickly established that aether was not a substance natural to the world, but an alien element that was related to the space beyond the sky. Astromancers began investing great amounts of time and effort to track any other sources of aether to continue their studies, which they slowly found over time. Many astromancers dedicated great amounts of resources to improve their tools and methods to explore the sky and the spaces between the stars, with the purpose of finding the original source of aether, as well as to track any other asteroid that could contain the element. At this point, a brewing schism between astromancers began appearing. Some believed that the study of aether was the future, and that it would help find out many of the great questions the order had asked themselves for decades, and to also create wonders never before seen in the world. Others believed that astromancy needed to separate itself from aether, seeing it as a misleading element, a mere intermediate element between the stars and themselves, and thus not really able to reliably answer the many questions of the astromancers.

>>86855960
This peaceful debate would be settled, not by the astromancers themselves, but by the Magoclergy. At this point in time, the Magoclergy ruled the Khenomeric Empire, and sought to use magic to gain as much power as possible. This meant that the more practical and direct branches of astromancy would be supported over the more esoteric and philosophical ones. This push against the less practical branches of astromancy would make them abandon the School of Light Astromancy, though they never really abandoned their studies. The remaining astromancers would dedicate their efforts at this time to the creations of things like automata, floating structures, or the control of divine energies. Even the branches that studied the reading of the future were boosted, but these were not that effective, since the future is a fickle and foggy thing even at the best of times.

>>86855970
These efforts, however, were in vain. The defeat of the Khenomeric Empire, the fall of the Magoclergy and the banning of magic in the empire forced the order of astromancers to leave the empire in search of better and safer places to continue their studies. Astromancers, however, had much better luck hiding from the magical purges. The many astromancical researches that centered around the study of the stars and the many philosophical and metaphysical debates about it made them look less like dangerous wizards and more like a branch of alchemists and philosophers. This allowed them to settle near what would become the Kingdom of Tarot, having friendly ties with their alchemists. The astromancers managed to avoid most of the debates about magic and wizards in the Northern Khenomeric Empire by publicly showing their image of scientists and philosophers while behind closed doors they continued to study aether.

>>86855987
The final independence from the Northern Khenomeric Empire finally granted them the independence from scrutiny the sought for. This would allow their teachings to slowly spread around the world, even having a small organization that represent their interests in the Isle of Wizards, known as the Order of Astrologers.

>>86855279
How closely the wandering sun's and moons come to the world I imagine also how many they are.

Are there any "trickster" deities in this settings?

>>86858433
I'd say the God of Action is very trollish in its own way.

>>86858433
What about Erlkönig?

Wasn't Asvaran written before we established that the south was warmer and the north was colder?

>>86859596
He sounds like a trickster to me.

>>86844851
>the fugitives from the Orange Marquisates
>what were they running away from? And when?
probably criminals, evil cultists, political malcontents, that sort of thing - no real date, they have been showing up off and on since Khenomeric Empire times

>>86858433
>Are there any "trickster" deities in this settings?
There are quite a few faerie lords that fill this niche in the northwest and probably the northeast as well.

There are several pantheons we don't know much about that could potentially contain a trickster god

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>Seagardian Rusalochka Cultist

So were there mermaids in the merfolk empire?

>>86860321
looks like it

>>86865403
there was one merfolk kingdom and four human kingdoms within the merfolk empire

>>86865403
looks like they are extinct now

>>86866643
they have been mentioned as living off the coast of a number of nations, though they don't seem to have a nation of their own these days

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>Seagardian holding his merfolk bastard child

>>86867323
We need to write about the different species. Especially the minor and nationless ones.

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>>86868304
>the mother

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>>86868329
>the mothers brothers

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>Seagardian Sea

>>86868307
Way back on thread 14, I did some short write-ups for some prominent monsters and semi-feral sentient races living in the northwestern part of the world, maybe someone could use that to start a new page on the wiki. I think the write ups for monsters ended up in the bestiary, but the write-ups for sentient races didn't get put anywhere.

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>Lotus Island

>History

Most of this island's history is clouded in myth and mystery, due to the fact that very few who step on its shores ever leave. This island was first described by a Drunig historian, no less than 2000 years ago.

Oral history from Anchovia states that the island was discovered by an Ellesian expedition sailing back home. The sailors stopped by this -uncharted then- island in order to rest and resupply, thinking they had landed on the shores of Drunigzar. Instead of villages, however, they were met by a strange looking tree whose flower seemed all too attractive for them, as was its smell. The sailors feasted on the flower of the Lotus, and succumbed into addiction. Their ships were abandoned, and the search party that went after them met the same fate.

Since then, there have been numerous attempts to colonize the island and take advantage of its hallucinogenic treasure, particularly by colonizers from Drunigzar as well as other opportunistic mercenary groups. It's fair to say that all these attempts have been met with failure, as the Lotus Eaters are still to this day idling and getting high of the flower's juices. It's still unknown how the island is able to maintain its population, given that in their state the Lotus Eaters would be unable to procreate. Most people theorize that the Lotus' fame has reached every corner of the world, and for that reason sailors from all over visit the island in order to indulge themselves in this idyllic bliss.

In Drunigzar, there have been talks of neutralizing the strong addictive effects of the flower in order to set foot on the island and profit from the Lotus, but previous failed attempts have stalled these efforts considerably.

>>86870340
There must be hundreds, if not thousands of ships abandoned at the shores of the island. A near reward for some treasure hunters.

>>86872434
..w-what is that?

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A bit of a thing that I just thought of.

>The Goddess of Greed.
The Goddess of Greed, also known as the Goddess of Avarice and Ambition, is one of the gods that rule of Giantstep. She is the patron of desire, protecting those who crave what they don’t have, to those who yearn for more. She represents the realm of “wanting”, the desire to obtain more than one already has, and to obtain said things by any means necessary. The Goddess of Greed is seen as a negative figure, a shadow that will strengthen some of an individual’s darkest desires, aiming to fulfill them regardless of the cost and morals. The Goddess of Greed goes beyond mere materialism: things such as love, friendship, fulfillment, success, glory, revenge, vengeance, punishment… these things are also in the realm of one’s wants and needs, and as such, they are within the purview of the Goddess.

>>86876967
The Goddess of Greed is not a major god of the pantheon of Giantstep. She is considered a dark god, a bad omen to those who do not have deals with her, and an inevitable doom for those who have. She is a goddess of excess: she will give those who accept her offerings the will and strength to pursue the mortal’s goals and aspirations, but if so, they will do so at the cost of everything else: family, friends, fortune, stability, future, even one’s own life. All will be sacrificed if need so to reach the goals. However, once reached, it is not so simple as to part ways with the Goddess of Greed. She will have her claws on the mortals in question, and their desires will only grow and grow. The initial objective, that which had made them deal with the Goddess of Greed in the first place, will start looking like it was not enough. The mortals will start desiring for more, and she will continue to push them forward and forward, until they are just empty husks, having become nothing but vessels of greed itself. As such, the worship of the Goddess of Greed is forbidden in many mortal kingdoms, only really present in those areas outside of civilized law or hidden from them.

>>86876977
An interesting fact of the Goddess of Greed is that, while she is the patron of desires and wants, she repudiates the concept of wishes. In her and her followers’ judgement, wishes are those desires that one wants but will never pursue, and thus they are of no interest for the Goddess of Greed. She wants goals, aims, targets, concrete things that one can focus their energies on, to take action and pursue at all costs. Something vague as wishes are a different kind of want, and as such, they are not of her purview.

>>86876988
The Goddess of Greed is usually represented as a young woman with long, elaborate dresses and red hair. Her face, while beautiful, is scared by some other gods, who did that to her after she tried to steal from them. That is why her left eye is also missing. She sits on a golden throne, on top of mountains of treasure: gems, gold, silver, pearls… always keeping check on her hoard, so as to never let anyone take it away from her. Her single green eye always watches the mortal realm, for new things to appropriate, she is seldom represented smiling, as she still does not own enough to make her happy, and she is never satisfied with what she has, she never will.

>>86876967
Also, this is the best thing I got from Dreams. If anyone can get anything better, be my guest.

What else do we need to add to the astromancers article?

Ok, so we have a lot of species in the setting. Maybe we can organize them this way:

>Human
Includes all races of humans.
>Fey
Includes all kinds of elves (wood elves, sea elves, snow elves, drow?, witchelven…), fairies, gibberlings, gnomes, hobbits, goblins, fake humans...
>Dwarves
>Trolls
>Orcs
>Ogres
Including Peacock Ogres, Swamp Ogres, Pig Ogres...
>Beast People
Including Joos, Werewolves, Hogmen, regular ratmen, Cowmen, zulutaurs...
>Outsiders
People who come from outside the world. Star Men, and possibly the drow? It's said they came from another dimension...
>Lizard People
Runaan, tiefling...
>Sea People
They come from the sea, or they have elements of sea creatures. Ancient mermaids, Ra, Voydanick, Kresteneg, Pondlings...
>Gnoll
>Snoloths
>Automata and artificial beings.
>Demons and purely magical beings

Any other sentient beings left?

>>86879885
I never quite understood; Are the tieflings still the ruling class of Azan, or are they exiled in siudeverland (or were those demon tieflings only?)

>>86879956
Considering how many tiefling puges there have been, I doubt they have any power.

Anyone got the lore map?

>>86879956
Currently they rule is what the lore was established to say

>>86879885
Is there any other species missing there?

>>86879956
dragon tieflings and demon tieflings are different things, though certain types of demon tiefling can pass as dragon tieflings

the purges were targeted against demon tieflings

which are the most important nations that lack any lore atm?

>>86886616
The Gokmavi. And possibly Gilgemash, that has zero lore.

>>86886616
I think Aruanda is the nation that has the most lore but is not yet "complete" (that, and the goddess' realm)

Continuing with the astromancers' stuff.

>Astromancer culture and society
At first glance, the world of astromancy is very similar to the other mystical areas of study, they at least share many similarities with wizarding and alchemical societies to fool the untrained eye. However, the world of astromancy gives a lot more weight of philosophical and metaphysical debate and discussion than regular magic or alchemy. Unlike these two, astromancy was for a very long time more a science and philosophy, and those roots still exist within astromantic society. Public debates about the shape of the world, the universe, the movement of the stars and other celestial bodies, the meaning and effects of said movements, the possible existence of universal phenomena unseen by our eyes… The debates and public speeches are a daily occurrence within astromantic society, and they are not shy to teach the willing public their knowledge and ideas. Many plazas have been carefully designed to accommodate impromptu discussion and crowd gatherings, allowing the spread of astromantic philosophy. These activities are so important that every year they celebrate great debate competitions about the latest astromantic topics, and winning even a single bout of debate is considered a great honor, since they can gather hundreds of the wisest men of the land to discuss and present their ideas.

>>86889207
More practical studies of astromancy, especially in regards to the study of aether, are done in private, usually in their laboratories or their personal chambers. Astromancers develop their own individual studies by themselves, with only the occasional help of their apprentices or some fellow astromancer if the task is complicated enough. And while the development of the practical uses of astromancy has grown over time, the general opinion of its wider use is discussed, having no wish to spread their crafts as much as the wizards or the alchemists have. Hiring the service of an astromancer for something other than theoretical studies or philosophical discussion can be a tall order, and their skills can only be bought for a lot of money or the correct connections.

>>86889242
Astromancers pride themselves in their eccentricity. Unlike wizards and alchemists, who tend to blend into the societies they live in, astromancers always keep themselves apart from the rest of the population. They will wear the clothes and garments typical of their order, even if they completely clash with the population around them. They will show mannerisms and customs that are seen as strange, and even uncouth. In many cases, they will barely bother learning the local language, only knowing the most basic elements as it’s necessary. Really, astromancers only feel comfortable around each other, and around those familiar with their order. This is why astromancers are rare outside of their nation, and those few cases outside are seen as odd by other astromancers. Still, many will move around the world if that allows them enough funds to continue their experiments and investigations.

>>86889254
Astromancers are great lovers of art and culture. They will invest greatly in matters such as geometry, arithmetic, mathematics, physics… applied to the more creative matters. They tend to collect great galleries of art, which surprise many of those who are not privy to this custom. Their taste of arts, however, can be seen as strange to the untrained eye, since they do focus more on the application of the scientific elements rather than their aesthetic value.

We need more fantastic plants.

>>86892184
Seconded.

>>86879956
Tieflings are probably my least favorite part of this setting.

>>86892688
>>86886184
>>86879956
I wrote all of the Furlaniya lore and I'd say about a bit less than a fourth of Azan lore and I still don't really understand what the hell the tieflings are meant to do/be, which is why I limit myself to the later dynasties.

>>86892688
All DnDshit is bad

>>86892754
>and I still don't really understand what the hell the tieflings are meant to do/be
Dragon tieflings are probably pampered nobility that does nothing at all. Demon tieflings are there to be purged.

>>86892754
Speaking about Azan, is there any azan lore bit still to be added to the wiki?

>>86898532
A significant amount.
Backgrounds on various Dynasties
The make up of the High Council

>>86898692
Where are those?

>>86893849
doesn't the gluttony island have tons of scattered lore from random pages?

What is the best AI image generator for people? I want to try to get a better version of the Goddess of Greed, but Dreams only does so much.

What exactly makes a fey a fey in this setting? It looks like a mishmash...

>>86900276
I assume elves and generic sentient fantasy creatures fit the bill? It could be just an in-world characterization that's vague on purpose

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Found this slightly amusing portrait. Could be some sort of halfling noble?

>>86901468
But they do include a lot of very different species. Hell, elves themselves should probably be its own category, considering how many there are...

>>86901691
So does he practise sports? How many sports do we have in the setting, the great olympiad aside?

I'm going to write the lore for the many small islands scattered around the map before moving on to bigger nations.

>>86892754
Since (most) dragons are divine, it sort of makes sense that the descendants of those with dragon parents would also be seen as semi-divine. It is less common in the modern era though since it has been a while since a major divine intervention, plus magic is weaker than it once was, plus demon tieflings are a thing, plus the new azan faith rejects putting too much emphasis on symbolism. These days most dragon tieflings derive influence from the fact they are from rich noble families.

The original dragon tieflings probably looked like dragonborn, but these days their bloodline is so watered down many just look like humans with a few patches of scales or weird shaped eyes.

>>86900276
>>86901468
>>86903488
I figure true fey are innately magical, near immortal, and fairly rare, but lots of other races get lumped in with the fey because some fey have the ability to modify or create new races.

So an ogre living in the northwest who cultivates mushrooms for the mushroom king and has mushrooms growing from his body would be considered fey, or at least fey-like, while an ogre living in gnoll territory worshipping the glutton god would not be seen as fey

Where are the thuleans from?

>>86893849
Isn't Kinalonga that one Drunigzar colony? If so, it should be removed.

>>86905756
There's the Mancescul & related rowing races.

>>86913711
Plot twist: the dark knight is hunting a party of bandits.

>>86913711
This also reminds me that we have a lot of underground stuff to work with.

I'm going to get an article on the wiki with the sentient species. If someone wants to write some generic stuff about the groups, be my guest.

Also, coming up with a way to define fey. It's too broad as it is...

>>86906676
Nice. Which ones? The ones in the east, south or in the west?

I'm writing the lore of the Ra'Ga. Let's see how it goes.

The Ra are a species of crab-like humanoids that live in the bogs and swamps of the Crimson Plateau and the surrounding areas. They have been an isolationist species for most of its existence, until the gnoll invasion and the arrival of the legendary thuleans forced them to break their stagnation and develop into somewhat of a modern society. Despite this, they are still quite far apart from the rest of the world, though they are quickly establishing relations with the sea traders of the region.

>>86919546

>Biology
The Ra are hulking figures, easily reaching 2m of height, though their size has to account for their crustacean carapace, which extends from above their head to their tail. The Ra always look like they are hunched, with their shoulders being above their head. They can have up to eight appendages: three pairs of legs, necessary for them to stand upright; three pairs of arms sharp, pointed dactyls; a pair of bigger arms with pseudo-hands; and a pair of great claws, strong enough to cut down tree trunks with them. The many appendages are needed to move around in the incredibly dense waters and grimes of their home, but this leaves them as lumbering, bumbling and very slow if the are outside of the marshes. Their pseudo-hands have only three fingers, and can barely make an opposable movement, which limits its uses. Many say this is the actual reason why it took so long to Ra society to advance beyond their hunter-gatherer state, and why their technology is still considerably backwards, even with the increased contact with the outside world. Their most defining feature is their pair of giant pincers. Full of incredibly dense muscle, they are not only able to cut an adult human in half with ease, but also pummel to dust whatever they somehow aren’t able to slice. The Ra use this claws frequently, both to travel, to open the shells of turtles and oysters that live in the swamps and to defend themselves from the anacondas and the crocodiles living in the area (with a bite so strong it can even pierce the Ras’ shell).

>>86919560
Their outer shell protects most of their body, with the exception of behind the legs and tail, and it is hard enough to be able to stop lances and swords by itself. The Ra have an especially hard carapace around their head and on their back, and it’s shaped in such a way that the Ra can hide their face wholly within their protective shell, though this obviously means they will not be able to see or hear anything while protected. The Ra are not born with a shell: while they are newborns and during most of their childhood, the Ra are near completely exposed, quickly growing a thin shell and shedding it just as fast as it grew. To counter this, the youngsters usually craft armor to wear out of the giant oyster shells, wood planks, rocks, barnacles and pretty much anything that could protect them. This artificial shell is expanded all throughout their childhood, and it’s abandoned right when they reach adulthood and grow their definitive shell.

>>86919569
The Ra’s head have two black protruding eyes, which are not particularly effective. The Ra can only discern the outlines of objects and bodies, and are apparently colorblind. They are sensitive to bioluminescence, but can be sensitive to natural light, hiding their eyes back into their sockets to protect them from excess shine. Their mouth is composed of dozens of moving parts, taking the role of teeth to chew and cut the meat they eat. However, this complex system makes the Ra unable to breathe or exhale through their mouth, and thus their communication is done through their noses. The Ra have big gills at the sides of their faces, as well as at the sides of their torso, easily protected by the carapace if the need arose. They can emit sounds from there, using a wide range of tones and pitches to communicate with each other. They enjoy a great sense of hearing, detecting vibrations through their many antennae, and also through the many sensory organs they have below their tail, which is especially useful when in the murky waters of the swamps.

>>86919585
The Ra are a sexually dimorphic species. The males are considerably bigger than the females, and their right claw is much bigger than their left one (unlike the females’, whose claws are the same size). The males also have different coloration patterns on their shells, which they work as a show of beauty and health. The females are a paler shade of orange altogether, and in general have longer and more dexterous arms.

Ra’s reproduction is oviparous. The female Ra will lay 5-10 eggs and then the male will fertilize them. Ra’s incubation periods are long, about nearly a year, and this makes the females gather together to protect their spawn for the duration of the incubation. The males will then protect the females, attacking any predator that might threaten them and bringing food to the nests. Ra’s lives are very long, nearly 150 years old, but they tend to have a high mortality rate when they are young, due to the many diseases and dangers that lurk in the bogs.

Also, before I write the history bit, who are the Thuleans? Am I missing a nation? I can't find them anywhere outside of the Ra'Ga article.