World Building Dark Fantasy World-Building

[Shireling]

WHat of this @Shireling?

I like the monsters. And the ever-dead trees. 


Also, I looked up the story I started the Black Banner thing on. It states that the Black Banner War was in the Third Age, but I'm going to change that. Additionally, I found the name of the guy who led the army: Lord Deramire. He'll be important because any necromancer will have to get him to sign the Black Contract to get the services of his army. 

 

[Spacekitty]

I like the monsters. And the ever-dead trees. 


Also, I looked up the story I started the Black Banner thing on. It states that the Black Banner War was in the Third Age, but I'm going to change that. Additionally, I found the name of the guy who led the army: Lord Deramire. He'll be important because any necromancer will have to get him to sign the Black Contract to get the services of his army. 

What of the twisted hags?  They would be a good substitution for plain old willow trees.


Although they are better suited for a Fog Bank esqe terrain imo as they were designed for it


So Lord Deramire is still alive?  Or do they need to reserect him to get him to sign the contract?

 

[Shireling]

What of the twisted hags?  They would be a good substitution for plain old willow trees.


Although they are better suited for a Fog Bank esqe terrain imo as they were designed for it


So Lord Deramire is still alive?  Or do they need to reserect him to get him to sign the contract?

He's a wight. So they would have to find wherever his corpse is---wherever his army is "camped." After each time his army is contracted, he tries to hide them harder and harder because he is still the same person he was when he was a free man---just cursed. 

 

[Spacekitty]

He's a wight. So they would have to find wherever his corpse is---wherever his army is "camped." After each time his army is contracted, he tries to hide them harder and harder because he is still the same person he was when he was a free man---just cursed. 

Ah yes.  I like the different type of undead you have.


What else do we need to work on for this world?  Just Beasties, important people, the history and the map?

 

[Spacekitty]

I can create a long list of floral, Beastie and terrain ideas if you want

 

[_Line 213]

We already have a "constantly dying forest" area, so I don't want to repeat that twice. I would rather we take one region or the other, and change up the other one.


I don't think we should have mountains right down the middle of the world, because I think that would steer us too far into the "fantastical fantasy" in terms of geography, and farther from the "plausible darkness" sort of feel that we want to have for the terrain at least. It's very rare for something to deposit portions of extreme height (constantly snowy mountains) next to something at or below the water table (swamps and marshlands) on a very small location, such as an island, which is already an extremely small piece of high ground (when the ocean is drained away).

 

[Spacekitty]

We already have a "constantly dying forest" area, so I don't want to repeat that twice. I would rather we take one region or the other, and change up the other one.


I don't think we should have mountains right down the middle of the world, because I think that would steer us too far into the "fantastical fantasy" in terms of geography, and farther from the "plausible darkness" sort of feel that we want to have for the terrain at least. It's very rare for something to deposit portions of extreme height (constantly snowy mountains) next to something at or below the water table (swamps and marshlands) on a very small location, such as an island, which is already an extremely small piece of high ground (when the ocean is drained away).

We could just add the Ever-deads into the Redfields as a different type of forest or intermix the two types within the redfields.  Although I dont see why both couldn't happen.  If there are forests in the proposed snowy north they would likely suffer a similar fate, perhaps be worse off even due to the cold.


The short story mentioned a mountain so I was just suggesting placement.  Im no geographer however and I dont know the realistic placement for them, if there is one at all.  The "mountains" could simply be more of large hills like the Appalachian mountains.  Perhaps on the segmented fourth of the island.  If there are to be mountain at all.

 

[Spacekitty]

How big is this island anyways?

 

[_Line 213]

How big is this island anyways?

British Isles sized.

 

[Spacekitty]

British Isles sized.

Britian has a few mountains.  But agreed, an extensive range and very large mountains would be unreasonable.  

 

[_Line 213]

Britian has a few mountains.  But agreed, an extensive range and very large mountains would be unreasonable.  

I'm aware. I never said that mountains aren't being added in, merely that adding them in a massive strip down the middle of the island did not seem like a good idea.

 

[Spacekitty]

I'm aware. I never said that mountains aren't being added in, merely that adding them in a massive strip down the middle of the island did not seem like a good idea.

The question is of placement I guess now.

 

[_Line 213]

The question is of placement I guess now.

The top of the island, as previously mentioned.

 

[Spacekitty]

The top of the island, as previously mentioned.

Ah I must have missed that.  It is hard  to digest 9 pages in a day

 

[Spacekitty]

Would It be helpful if I took all the information written thus far and comprised it into a single Google Doc for ease of reading?  Hard for new people to join in when they have to read through all these posts and digest everything.  

 

[_Line 213]

Isn't this what you just posted?

 

[Spacekitty]

Isn't this what you just posted?

I dont know why that was just posted.  I didnt post anything lol


I removed said post

 

[Spacekitty]

Would It be helpful if I took all the information written thus far and comprised it into a single Google Doc for ease of reading?  Hard for new people to join in when they have to read through all these posts and digest everything.  

This is what I meant to post, not sure what happened lol

 

[Shireling]

So new beasties set to roll out, some from Bob and some not: 


Omore, plural Omoren: A humanoid creature whose name means "Tall Ears" in the Old Tongue. These man-height, stringy creatures have mottled grey skin, large ears akin to a rabbit's, and are known to veil themselves in burlap and other dingy fabrics. They live in the forest and use magick, having the ability to teleport and mesmerize plants: usually using the roots of trees or branches to kill their victims. They enjoy the taste of human flesh, specifically the internal organs and the skin. They are known to flay men alive. 


Aerokin: a humanoid avian creature about one and a half times the size of a man consisting of a black, flat body reminiscent of a gliding squirrel covered in black feathers, a sleek head with a long grey beak and beady black eyes, long-fingered, gnarled hands, and bird-like feet. They can fly and are known to abduct human children. 


Reed-Demons and Walking Fish will definitely make an appearance. 


Tree Jumpers may make an appearance in a modified form. 

 

[Spacekitty]

Is everything here hostile?

 

[Spacekitty]

Also, yay I helped!


CAN WE ADD FENNECS???????????

 

[Shireling]

Is everything here hostile?

Nope. But most things. 

Also, yay I helped!


CAN WE ADD FENNECS???????????

Probably not. But I need ideas for rodents and small vermin so. 

 

[Shireling]

I'm trying to think of something like a shapeshifter, but not. 

 

[Shireling]

Also, I'm working on "the Sanguine" a barbaric tribe of degenerate humans said to be descendant of a horribly inbred family line from a remote part of the island. They're call the Sanguine because they bleed constantly from their eyes. 

 

[Shireling]

@_Line 213


Here are the descriptions for the first two animals in the bestiary.

Spoiler

The Feathered Hound


 


Out of all of the creatures in this work, the Feathered Hound is by far the most amiable to humans. I'm sure that you all, at some point or another, have had a pup imprint on you and know the fierceness of their spirit and their loyal drive.


Featherhounds are quadruped creatures sporting a set of powerful hind legs and smaller, more nimble, double-jointed forelimbs. The overall shape of their body suggests the “dogs” of the mainland, if you have heard of them. For those who have not, they possess a sleek, wiry frame terminating at the front in a long, beaked snout and at the aft end in a prodigious plumage of various hues. Their bodies, likewise, are covered in colorful feathers. The pattern of these feathers can be used as a determinate of sex, besides the usual means of determination, as the males of the species exhibit a radiating red, blue, and yellow pattern whilst the females display an alternating mottle of orange and russet. Their eyes are set to the front of their head, such as most carnivorous animals, and consist of very human-like irises and pupils of various hues. Each leg terminates in a taloned paw, used for gaining traction on loose ground. Yet, these creatures retain the ability to retract their claws: usually when interacting with humans.


Featherhounds found in the wild display avoidant behaviors to humans, and are typically leaner and faster. They subsist on small vermin, roots and tubers, and various other nutritious plant fibres. They are especially fearful of fire when found in the wild.


Those that are in the early stages of domestication, after trapping, no longer exhibit avoidant behaviors to humans. They do, however, show a tendency to violence and are best used as solitary guard animals or sentinels. Domesticated feral hounds should be kept away from children, as they are often unpredictable. In my experience, a fourth of these creatures usually abandon their masters and return to a wild state.


After a generation of breeding in captivity, the hounds will no longer display such a propensity for violence and are actually quite docile---especially towards humans. They are creatures of endless utility as they are well-suited to vermin hunting, pointing, retrieval of water game, and use as sentries as their distinctive high-pitched wail is not only useful for alerting humans of the presence of dastardly creatures, but also for scaring these creatures off in their own right. I have attributed the fierceness of their attachment to humans to a system of imprintation. When a litter of pups is born, they will typically imprint on a human at a 1:1 ratio. This is most likely because they are not teet-feeding creatures.


 


The Great Wagon Beast


 


Since the first settlers arrived on the isle, we have used wagon beasts to pull our carts, wagons, and trucks necessary to commerce in the interior portions of the isle. Needless to say, wagon beasts are invaluable to our society, and thus have rightly earned a place of great esteem among the domesticated fauna.


The wagon-beast is possessed of six legs, the foremost pair being by far the most powerful followed by two sets of stabilizing appendages that prevent the creature from having an unwieldy gate. At the foreshoulder, these beasts typically measure seven and a half feet from the hoof to the top of the back. Their overall shape suggests a sort of rounded triangle with a gently-sloping back going up at an angle from the lowest point behind the third set of legs to the high shoulder. The distance from the ground to the high point of the back hip is roughly five and three quarters feet. The head of the beast is round, slightly bulbous, and possessed of a good-natured cattle face with side-set eyes and a somewhat endearing protruding bottom lip. The whole of these creatures is covered in a shaggy, waterproof fur coat that insulates them from the elements and allows them to press on in the most morbid weather.


They are often hitched with a harness about the shoulders, with no bit or other such instrument being necessary, and they are possessed with incredible faculties of navigation. Once a route is learned, they will be quick to repeat it without any input from the driver. However, with gentle pressure on the reigns, they can be guided by an unskilled hand. They generally have an uncanny ability for spatial awareness, even of the wagon they are pulling, and a complete inability to crash except by willful force of the driver. One downside is, of course, their prodigious weight which often causes roads to fall into disrepair. Additionally, they have a lamentable terminal speed of only six miles per hour.