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Post by Daos on Jul 9, 2022 13:06:54 GMT -8
I could also use a different currency for each culture. The Inlanders use magical flower petals, the Kanatas use some kind of never-melting ice chips, the Siyouans use magically grown crystals, and the Cascadians use magically grown coral chips. That's probably too complicated, though.
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Post by Daos on Jul 14, 2022 13:04:58 GMT -8
I think races are pretty much done. It's pretty bare bones, since race isn't really important in this setting, as much as culture, religion and nationality are. The main takeaways here are that all races have a human lifespan and Genasi/Tieflings/Aasimar/Dragonborn aren't a separate race, so much as a mutation. New races may be added in future games, but for now, I'm limited playable ones to these.
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Post by Daos on Jul 17, 2022 13:22:44 GMT -8
Moving on to classes, here's Barbarian.
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Post by Daos on Jul 20, 2022 15:50:08 GMT -8
Here are Bards:
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Post by Daos on Jul 23, 2022 15:45:36 GMT -8
Work on the new setting has been progressing, slowly but surely. But rather than just slowly post updates, I thought I'd mix things up a bit. So consider this an AMA--Ask Me Anything about this new setting that you are interested in or curious about. If I know the answer, I'll give it. If I don't, I'll be forced to think about it and come up with an answer. This may help me consider things I might have overlooked otherwise, and will help give me an idea what needs more work or focus. However, I will still reserve the right to keep some secrets about lore, for storytelling purposes.
So go ahead, take your best shot. See if you can stump me. Ask me anything.
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Post by GravityEmblem on Jul 23, 2022 16:03:24 GMT -8
What sorts of monsters are common in the setting? What sorts of magic are considered taboo? What does the average person do to earn a living?
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Post by Daos on Jul 23, 2022 17:46:24 GMT -8
What sorts of monsters are common in the setting? Pretty standard depending on the terrain. So owlbears, displacer beasts, dragons, and so forth. One thing in particular, for the Cascadia region, is dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures (mastodons, sabre-tooth tigers, etc.) can be found in the wild. What sorts of magic are considered taboo? Divine magic is a key part of the lives of Elonnori, but the arcane not so much. The Ancient Ones relied heavily on the arcane, so depending on the nation, it varies between tolerated but frowned upon to outright taboo. I'm speaking in pretty broad terms, though, it really depends on the specific culture and nation, and even sometimes the sub-class. Archfey Warlocks would be more accepted than Great Old One Warlocks, as an example. Storm Sorcerers are more accepted than Shadow Sorcerers. Wizards are quite rare. There are no formal schools or academies, so it's usually taught in secret. One teacher, one student, usually, and they often dwell in the wilderness and are treated more like witches than say, academics or professors. That said, Elonnori tend to be fairly open-minded, compared to some. Arcane persecution is more of a 'dirty looks' and 'we don't serve your kind here' sort than the 'pitchforks and torches' sort. Some of the more fanatical Inlanders, though, might veer into that territory. What does the average person do to earn a living? Really depends. The Inlanders are tribal, so people don't work 9-5 jobs, per se. They are mostly hunters, gatherers, warriors, and such. The other Elonnori cultures are another story. While some live in the wild, many congregate toward cities, which are known as gardens. The Cascadian nations have among the largest of the gardens. There, you'll find more typical jobs, like innkeepers, farmers, merchants, sailors, laborers, soldiers, craftsmen, and what have you. Adventuring, as a career, is pretty rare. Maybe about 1% of the population takes that route. So in a garden of 1,000 people, maybe 10 of them have class levels.
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Matt4
Paragon
Posts: 3,540
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Post by Matt4 on Jul 23, 2022 18:03:21 GMT -8
Can you name 5 important historical figures of this setting, and the main reason they went down in history?
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Post by Daos on Jul 24, 2022 4:03:57 GMT -8
Perhaps the most important historical figure would be Aquaria Freewaters. She was a brilliant warrior of unparalleled skill, and the daughter of the Cascadia tribe's chieftainess. Legends say that one day while on a war raid, she was separated from her squad and wound up lost in the woods. She came upon a beautiful and sacred tree in the middle of a clearing. It is said Elonna appeared to her there, and told her the story of the Awakening, and warned her that the people must follow her tenants or ruin would visit the world again. Aquaria became the first follower of Elonna and swore an oath to unite all of the local tribes under her faith. Thus she began a massive campaign across the land, first uniting the Cascadians into one single nation, then slowly conquering nearby tribes--the Inlanders, the Kanatans, and the Siyouans. Thus was the kingdom of Cascadia first built. The Freewaters would rule this nation for a hundred years, before it fell apart again.
A second one might be Ferna Wildfire. About 40 years ago, there was a massive seismic event, that included a volcanic eruption. The event brought devastation to all parts of Cascadia, with fire consuming many of the sacred forests and massive waves destroying coastal settlements. Not only was much of the land devastated and thousands killed, but the Elonnori were faced with the question of why their goddess had punished them with this catastrophe. After the queen failed to provide recovery for many of the gardens around the capitol, a charismatic peasant leader emerged as leader of a religious movement known as the Sect of the Vengeful Mother. This new sect was an extremist version of the Elonnori faith that believed people had strayed too far from the goddess' original message, and was willing to take violent action to ensure such decadence and weakness were curtailed. Her army of fanatics stormed the capitol, as well as taking the holy site of Rain Mountain, killing the queen. Although Ferna was captured and executed for her crimes, her movement lived on and grew particularly among the Inlanders. With the queen dead, a succession crisis began, and the various tribes began bickering with each other over who should lead. This ultimately led to the nation breaking up into the numerous petty kingdoms of today.
A third one would be the great Kanatan explorer, Zeph Icetrailer. He discovered a number of things. Legend says a white dragon taught him the technique to create never-melting ice after he outsmarted it. Perhaps his most known legend is his exploration of Rainshadow Island, a particularly large isle to the north off the coast. He discovered a large lake there that was filled to the brim with salmon. He eagerly prepared to fish to his heart's content, when a giant salmon, bigger than a house, emerged from the water and begged him to leave her spawn alone. She claimed to be a water spirit, a Spirit of Salmon, and that all salmon originated from her in this very lake. Zeph agreed and declared the lake sacred to all Elonnori; nobody would ever fish there. Unfortunately, not long after Cascadia fell, the Ravenites invaded and took the land, and have held it since. Many fear that they may be fishing in that lake, as they are heretics who do not honor Elonna.
A fourth one would be the Siyouan inventor, Ignee Gemfinder. They were the first to invent paper, allowing people to communicate with each other from great distances by sending letters, as well as produce books, maps and other useful things to contain collective knowledge for others to consume. They were also known for the many medicines and herbal remedies they discovered, as well as finding ways to hybridize certain plants to create new variations. But many consider their greatest invention to be wine, which ironically was said to have been discovered completely by accident. The story goes that they left out some grapes in a jar and forgot about them in their focus of their work. Weeks later, Ignee came upon the jar and not realizing it had long since gone bad, tried to drink it. They were shocked to discover how good it was.
A fifth one would a Cascadian known as Fin Saltshore. Fin is something of a cautionary tale, known colloquially as Fin the Fool. Fin was a wizard, which was already a strike against him as far as the Elonnori were concerned. He not only practiced arcane magic, but he was deeply interested in Ancient magic, as well. In his arrogance, he believed he could break any taboo, no matter how severe. He would sometimes delve into Ancient One ruins, searching for lost relics of power. One day, about seventy years ago, he came upon such a ruin and delved into it without a second thought. Nobody is quite sure what happened, although most versions of the story agree that he unleashed something he should not have. Many believe it was the Rot, a mythical demon that is said to have been left behind by the Ancients, a sort of cancer inside the planet itself that formed from all the pollution they created. What is known is that shortly after Fin left that ruin, he grew sick. Nobody could determine what was wrong with him, and healing magic had no effect. He would vomit profusely, his hair would fall out by the handful, and strange burns appeared on his skin from no apparent source. He died horribly, in great pain. But shortly after, others in the nearby village that treated him started to fall ill, too. The entire region was cursed, and abandoned out of fear that the Rot would claim them all.
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Post by GravityEmblem on Jul 24, 2022 10:15:40 GMT -8
Since I’m planning on being a Paladin in this setting’s first game, what’s their role in society?
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Post by Daos on Jul 24, 2022 12:39:08 GMT -8
This is my write up on Paladins.
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Post by GravityEmblem on Jul 24, 2022 13:02:33 GMT -8
So, there aren't individual orders for each type of Paladin? An Oath of Ancients Paladin might be a part of the Church of Elonnari, but they don't have their own order?
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Post by Daos on Jul 24, 2022 13:13:49 GMT -8
No, Paladins are rare enough in this region there aren't really enough of them to form orders. Most either work for the church directly, or are more like knights errant--wandering the land, looking for wrongs to right and people to help.
That said, there is an order of holy knights known as the Keepers of the Green. They aren't paladins exclusively, although I imagine a few have likely joined their ranks. They're more of a standing army for the church, mostly to fight off incursions from other faiths. They refuse to get involved in local politics and will never fight against other Elonnori.
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Post by GravityEmblem on Jul 24, 2022 13:15:42 GMT -8
I see! I might have to rework my character concept, then. What's music like in this setting?
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Post by Daos on Jul 24, 2022 13:49:39 GMT -8
Music varies with culture. Kanatans prefer woodwind instruments, while Siyouans prefer something lower in bass, like drums. Cascadian music is complex and diverse. Everything from sea shanties to full blown symphonies, but Inlander music is rather simple, as they don't really have the resources to make complex instruments.
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