Fantasy Do Not Go Gentle [Lore: In Depth]

[Bang Bang]

Do Not Go Gentle

The world of fairy tales is one of a certain breed of magic; no heroes fire bolts of flames from their hands, but there are men who shall steal your firstborn infants in return for a granted wish you once made as a child. Here, to prick you finger on a thorn is to drop down dead, and little girls stuff unsuspecting crones into ovens.

Astara is a kingdom of folklore gods and immortal Witch Queens. The rules this land obeys are strange and twisted; Equal parts wonderland and nightmare, there are those who know how to play the game, and those fair pawns who are cast across the board by hands unseen and unknown.

This is a world where morality might win you a glass slipper or a curse for a hundred years. Protection is as easily lost as it is won. The fair are strong one second, victims the next. The wicked are your captors, or your dragons waiting to be slain.

This is a kingdom of stories. Words - written, spoken, thought - command more sway than the swing of a sword. Logic shall sift through your clenched fingers as soft and smooth as sand. The world shall show you many things: wonder carried on the wind, fear in a handful of dust.

This is the beginning; There are stories to be told.

And now, you can only hope that you are the one writing yours.

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Spoiler: Plain Text

The world of fairy tales is one of a certain breed of magic; no heroes fire bolts of flames from their hands, but there are men who shall steal your firstborn infants in return for a granted wish you once made as a child. Here, to prick you finger on a thorn is to drop down dead, and little girls stuff unsuspecting crones into ovens.

Astara is a kingdom of folklore gods and immortal Witch Queens. The rules this land obeys are strange and twisted; Equal parts wonderland and nightmare, there are those who know how to play the game, and those fair pawns who are cast across the board by hands unseen and unknown.

This is a world where morality might win you a glass slipper or a curse for a hundred years. Protection is as easily lost as it is won. The fair are strong one second, victims the next. The wicked are your captors, or your dragons waiting to be slain.

This is a kingdom of stories. Words - written, spoken, thought - command more sway than the swing of a sword. Logic shall sift through your clenched fingers as soft and smooth as sand. The world shall show you wonder carried on the wind, fear in a handful of dust.

This is the beginning; There are stories to be told.

And now, you can only hope that you are the one writing yours.

 

[Bang Bang]

L O R E: IN DEPTH

Important Note

You do not need to read this. This is the in depth details for Do Not Go Gentle's Lore, largely composed by the players themselves. It is for fleshing out the world in as much detail as you would like to know it.

Thread Navigation
Dragons
Sol Drop Temple - Area Details
Alt Religions: Part I
Faen Altitude Map
​

 

[Bang Bang]

D R A G O N S

All Lore by Squared

• General
• Aquatic
• Forest
• White
• Fairy
• Metallic
• Crystal
• Magma
• Corrupt

• 
  General: Dragons cannot speak through their mouths, but they can project their voice inside others’ heads. They are capable of understanding an speaking every language. Between their own kind, dragons usually communicate through a series of rumbling noises and growls, though they still project their voice for more complex discussions.
  
• 
  
  Aquatic Dragons: Aquatic dragons are the ones with the largest variety in shapes and sizes. While sweet water dragons tend to be quite small, ocean dragons can grow to be as large as islands and are said to feast on whales. Aquatic dragons can communicate with a variety of sea creatures, and the larger ones have the power to affect the tides. They are capable of surviving on land, though they will begin to weaken after a number of weeks without becoming submerged in water. They are not capable of flight, but they are the fastest and most agile dragon kind when in their element. The younger ones tend to be quite energetic and playful. Aquatic dragons allied themselves with the mermaids, when the humans begun to hunt them down. Nowadays, sweet water dragons are slightly more common, while ocean dragons haven’t been sighted in decades, preferring to live their lives in the depths of the sea, rather than risk having their hearts taken.
  
  
  
• 
  Forest Dragons: Forest dragons, as their name suggests, are the protectors of forests, and their eggs are incubated inside trees. They can communicate with forest creatures and plants, and place a very high value on life of all kinds. They and the Organa may not share many words throughout their lives, but they greatly respect each other, and are always willing to offer help, should the need arise. Their nests are built on top of large trees, or inside large, hollow tree trunks, and they share it with any critter who may find itself in need of shelter. A forest dragon’s blood is said to have healing properties, and the power to give life itself to even the most infertile grounds. Legend has it that if a Forest dragon’s home burns down, such is the sorrow the dragon experiences, that it will lay down on the burnt ground, and give its life to regrow the entire forest. In place of the dragon’s body, a great tree will sprout, at the heart of which will be a new dragon egg, the dragon reborn.
  
  
  
• 
  White Dragons: White dragons are the true masters of the sky. While most dragons are capable of flight, White dragons are the only ones who spend the largest portion of their lives in the sky - they even sleep while airborne. Their nests are usually found in the highest mountain peaks, though they are mainly used for hoarding purposes rather than actual living. White dragons hunt for their food from high up in the sky, able to spot their prey miles ahead. An alternate source of energy for them is lightning, which they absorb through their wings —this is why white dragons were often seen soaring through thunderstorms. Nowadays no one knows how many White dragons are left in the world, if any. When dragons begun to be savagely hunted, Whites —never the best of fighters— took to the skies and refused to come back down. White dragons tend to be, both literally and metaphorically, above it all. They fancy themselves “kings of dragons,” though no other dragon kind has agreed to such a characterisation.
  
  
  
• 
  
  Fairy Dragons: Fairy dragons tend to be considered “lesser” by other dragon kinds, because of their small size - between the size of a cat and a deer - but also because they “sold themselves to the Wytches.” Back when humans begun to hunt dragons, the Fairy dragons and the Wytches made a deal —the Wytches granted them the power to adopt a human or elven form at will, so they could easily hide their true identity, and the Fairy dragons vowed to always answer a Wytch's calling, helping them out with all sorts of mischief. Fairy Dragons have a reputation for being tricksters and skilled thieves —despite what other dragons may think of them, they are a very clever species, and great at adapting. The only vegetarian dragon species, they feed mainly on fruit and mushrooms, while they find the nectar of flowers to be especially delicious. Fairy dragons can fly, but they cannot reach great heights, and usually require long resting periods between flights. Because of their humanoid forms and their cunning, they are the largest in number of remaining dragon kinds.
  
  
  
• 
  
  Metallic Dragons: Metallic dragons are separated in gold, silver, and bronze, with bronze being the most common and gold the least. Though their skin is not actually made of metal, they get their name from the metallic sheen of their scales. They are the most social of dragons, and experience loneliness very strongly. They seek the company of dragons of their kind, but also of every other species, even humans. Metallic dragons are average in size, about the size of an elephant, though they can sometimes be a bit larger or smaller. They have intelligent, understanding eyes, and love long, complex conversations about anything and everything. Nowadays it is not as easy to gain their trust, but if someone does, they are fiercely loyal, and will protect their loved ones to the death. Metallic dragons are the only dragon species who do not find the idea of someone riding them offensive.
  
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  Crystal Dragons: Crystal dragons are arguably the most impressive of their kin —though don’t let a White dragon catch you saying that. They are covered in beautiful shining crystals, which reflect the light in beautiful colours, as if they are living, breathing diamonds. Their beauty, unfortunately, was also their undoing, as they were hunted twice as much as other kinds, both for their hearts and their beautiful crystals. There is only a handful of them left across the world these days. Crystal dragons were never the most friendly, preferring to live their lives in solitude, but the way they have been treated over the decades has made them especially aggressive and distrustful. They live in frozen landscapes, spending most of their time in icy caverns. They can fly when necessary, though the weight of their crystal wings can tire them out quickly. Crystal dragons have quite the ear for music, and can actually produce beautiful melodies by making their crystals vibrate in different frequencies. They do not require food to live, and can instead survive by absorbing light through their crystals.
  
  
  
• 
  
  Magma Dragons: Magma dragons nest in volcanoes, or caverns deep under the surface of the earth. They are a slow but powerful kind, only matched in size by old dragons of the ocean. They are calm, wise, and patient, but push them too hard and you will be faced with their terrible wrath. Magma dragons can create earthquakes, or cause volcanoes to erupt, as well as spit out actual lava. Their diet consists mostly of minerals, though they do go hunting for fresh pray on special occasions. They are not unfriendly towards other species, but they generally find that the world moves at far too fast a pace for their liking. Though they have not been hunted as much as other dragon kinds, they do not mate often, leading to an increasing decline in their numbers. Magma dragons are the most ancient ones —it is said that some of them have been around since the beginning of time. Legend has it that some dormant volcanoes are in fact Magma dragons, who have been hibernating for thousands of years.
  
  
  
• 
  
  Black Dragons or “The Corrupt”: Black dragons are actually not a separate species, but the result of a dragon losing their heart. Killing a dragon is incredibly difficult, so humans who wanted to eat their hearts to gain immortality sometimes tore it straight out of their chests, without actually killing the dragon. Without their hearts, dragons slowly become corrupt, losing their mind over the years. This process can be slowed down by eating other dragons’ hearts, which is why Black dragons have a fearsome reputation even among other dragons. Adding to their bad reputation, they are capable of releasing a toxic cloud from their mouths, which can go as far as destroying entire forests. Though dragons nowadays are rare, Black dragons are perhaps among the most common dragons found across the land. They tend to wander barren lands, or ruins, and do not have nests, nor do they require sleep. It should be noted that Black dragons are not inherently evil, and some of them even go out of their way to make sure they do not hurt anyone, completely isolating themselves.
  
  Black dragons are also found in the Knight’s Republic, though those are not savage beasts. They are tame creatures, who obediently follow the instructions of their master, and are always willing to help. However, it is impossible to strike up conversation with them, as they apparently lack a will of their own.
  
  
  

 

[Bang Bang]

SOL DROP TEMPLE - AREA NOTES

​

• The Temple
• The River Sol

• 
  
  

  

  Sol Drop Temple is the kind of place where one cannot avoid being overwhelmed by a sensation of awe and reverence just for the majesty of the place. Though the religion it served is long lost to the passage of time, there is, for anyone capable of feeling such a thing, a sense of spiritual richness even in the ruins. Beyond the temple itself, a garden of disintegrated statues forms a semi-circle around the land-facing side, where the entrances are located. This 'garden' is decadently proportioned, the equivalent of a small town or village. This land, filled with half-there giantesses of stone and eroded faces, is home to all kinds of creatures drawn to the magic of the place; Pixies, gnomes, elk, and more. Despite this prosperity, few humanoids dwell there; Hunting on these grounds seems to lead to unfortunate fates...
  
  

  

  

  Reclaimed by nature, the temple itself is about the size of three football stadiums back to back; It is evident that many people once dwelled here, worshipped here, and studied here. The libraries and dormitories are expansive, half-rot but clinging on nonetheless. Rumour of locals tells that the place is haunted, though not by malicious wanderers, rather benign spirits who seek to protect and carry on the legacy of the place. It is a common sight to see wispy, golden figures disappearing through doorways if you wander the Temple's halls and passages.
  
  Beneath the temple, a labyrinth of tombs and burial grounds networks all beneath the statue gardens and right up to the waterfall; Erosion has left several passages dropping off right beneath the downpour of water, graves slowly being eaten away by the fall.
  ​
• 
  
  

  
  Surrounded by lush, fertile lands and a seemingly benevolent strain of magic, the River Sol attracts people from all over, and is nearly as diverse and teeming with life as Knights Republic, though nowhere near as commercial or technological. Life there is lead on simple principles of living in harmony with the land; Small fishing boats drift up and down the waters, spears and hands used for harvest, whilst people wash and clean in the river water. A kind of religious reverence is given to to the river, and it is considered sacrilege to pollute it or kill its inhabitants unless it is for consumption or self defence.
  
  During celebrations, rituals, etc. rafts and petite boats float across the water, filled with lights and music; Here, even the Maidens are said to join in the celebrations, and bring fish for the landfolk. The river is the largest in all of Faen, around 400 metres long (for comparison, the Thames is around 250 at London Bridge) and is roughly 100 metres deep at the mouth of the waterfall. It gradually widens as you go further downstream.
  
  The People
  
  Maidens: The Maidens of Sol are little like their Astara siblings; Though they share similar biologies, the Maidens of Sol are usually golden-bronze in colour, though varying between ruddy coppers to the bright hues of silver. They are reserved and quiet to strangers, but those local folk who befriend them find them chatty, and a bunch of incessant gossips. For those they like, they will often bring offerings of fish in return for pretty rocks or scraps of brightly coloured fabric, which they seem to enjoy wearing around their wrists and ankles. Hunting them is punishable by stoning.
  
  Elfen Sol Tribe: Long ago the Sol Tribe of elves were nomadic, travelling up and down the river as the year waned and waxed. Some still follow this lifestyle, but now many have settled at the head of the river, gradually opening up to and accepting outsiders into the fold. Nowadays, the non-elven folk are just as 'part of the clan' as the elves, though certain sacred rites and ceremonies are still reserved for elves. They are a proud race with a rich culture, characterised best by their reverence for the cyclical element of nature, and for the Ten-Horned Stag whom they worship as a God made Flesh. They view technology and dense civilisation with distaste, believing the Knights Republic elves to have lost touch with their heritage.
  
  River Folk: Those who have settled along The Sol who are not elves tend to be Organa, Humans, or, perhaps surprisingly, Orcs. It is here that Orcs least face the prejudices of their past slavery, and they are greatly valued as skilled craftsmen and woodworkers amongst those of Sol. Almost everything the river folk want for can be found along The Sol or out in the surrounding forest, and the diverse population has aided them in utilising the land in a variety of ways, finding unique solutions to problems one race might struggle to solve. In particular, the Organa are the unofficial spokesmen of forest activities, and their leaders are always consulted regarding changes to how their people utilise the forest.
  
  The government of the Sol River is run by elected leaders of each species that form the Sol Council. People do not 'work' as law enforcement, but volunteers are a part of a brigade used to deal with misdemeanours. Family feuds are resolved by the council and its elected leader, as is other crime; Similar to Viking tribe law.
  
  The people of Sol are one of the few groups to hold the slaughter of and stealing hearts of Dragons as punishable by death.
  ​

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[Bang Bang]

ALT RELIGIONS - PART I

All Lore by Sir Galahad II

• Paladins
• The Order of The New Gods
• The Disciples of Wulnir
• Imagery

• 
  Paladins are an elite group of knights who serve the Knight’s Republic. While they aren’t all religious, most of them are, essentially acting as both chaplain and soldier for those they serve with. They pray to their various gods for blessings, and are often assigned to groups of soldiers that follow the same faith for maximum synergy. It is a title that carries respect. Along with regular supplies, they also carry various religious objects such as holy icons, censers, and holy water. Not only is this because these objects are used in religious ceremonies, but also because paladins are used to fight creatures deemed unholy, and these objects are believed to rebuke these vile beasts.
  
• 
  According to legend, the Order was founded by a man named Edwin Werner, who through discovering magical artifacts and training, supposedly ascended to godhood and liberated the world from its eldritch creators. These eldritch gods are called Old Ones, and they are widely feared because Edwin had to lock them in the center of the world to defeat them. It is believed that the Old Ones exert their influence across the world, an explanation as to why there is so much evil. Others followed Edwin’s footsteps into ascension, and together they encourage their followers to do good and improve themselves.
  
  Though there is little in the way of evidence supporting the legends, people across Faen, but especially in the Knight's Republic, pray to the Order often. Edwin Werner is the most common target for prayer, especially for blessings of endurance and hope. His icon is that of himself lifting a boulder on his back, and the icon of the Order resembles a cross. Followers of this religion also believe in afterlifes created by the gods, and divine beings such as angels. They have their own holy book, and much of the clergy teaches themselves a language known as Celestial, which is believed to be spoken by the gods and their agents. Souls are judged after death; The good ascend to Heaven, an eternal paradise, while the evil descend into hell, a place of punishment where they suffer until they are purged of sin and sent to Heaven.
  
• 
  Like the Order of the New Gods, the Disciples believe in a man who transcended his mortal body and became a god, and fought evil beings called the Old Ones. Unlike the Order, the Disciples believe his name was Wulnir, and that through flagellation and repentance purged his body of all sin and became a perfect being. While the Order is much more lenient with what one may do on their own, according to the Disciples, activities such as drinking and sex are sinful. The Disciples too believe in afterlives: Heaven, the eternal paradise where the good go, and Hell, where the evil go.
  
  The key differences between the Order and the Disciples is that Heaven is reserved for the faithful, and Hell cannot be escaped; Sinners are punished for eternity. Those who are deemed “in-between,” i.e. those who do not follow the faith but still have redeemable qualities, go to Purgatory, where they suffer until they are deemed worthy enough to ascend. According to the Disciples, Hell is also where the Old Ones reside, making it especially undesirable. To avoid hell, followers of the Disciples punish themselves in life so they do not have to suffer in death, i.e. through flagellation. While the Disciples and the Order do not hate one-another, there is still a sort of odd tension between them, especially during social gatherings where their different customs come into play.
  
• 
  The holy icon of the entire pantheon of the Order:
  
  

 

[Bang Bang]

MAPS - FAEN LAND HEIGHT

Map by KnightSergeant who is a blessing.

Colour Code
In order from lowest to highest:
Yellow - Green - Red - White

​

 

[Bang Bang]

SPECIES ENCYCLOPEDIA

• Ugani
• Maggots
• rats

• 
  Ugani - A broad sweeping term for goblinoid creatures that stand on average at around three feet tall and with a stocky, wiry build they are not particularly imposing by any means. Their skins tones range from a sickly bog like green to a deep, bark brown in order to match with the colors of the deep forests in which they dwell. They are adorned with short, droopy noses that are fitted with specialized hairs in order to smell distinct smells (such as wet matted fur or the stench of their blood) from a long distance away even through the smelly wet seasons of the stomping grounds. The short nubby digits hanging off of their long, usually knotted and scarred, arms and legs are adorned with small, sharp claws useful for cutting bare flesh and grabbing things but not much else.
  
  While they have what could be easily considered shamans or priests they seem to have no or very strenuous ties to magic, with the latter coming in the form of the rarest of their young having the ability to create a mental connection with their “master” or in the case of the more endowed being able to use their scant abilities to scour the forest for strong creatures to follow, or even coming dangers and herds of creatures to hunt. These ‘shamans’ are the most cunning and devious of the Ugani. While they are commonly known as (pedonsoit) beastbringers or (soittaja) herdcallers they are the most free thinking of the bunch, usually using their influence over their companions to gather a small horde of baubles. There are stories of some of these shamans being taken by (susikieltä) wolf’s tongue and attempting to kill the great beast and having his head ripped from his pathetic body as a punishment. The creature was given twelve more to feast upon in order to appease its now roused appetite and atone for letting such a blasphemous cretin speak for the beast.
  
  As a whole they are semi-sapient creatures, having a crude civilization that is prone to worshiping larger, smarter or stronger creatures that would otherwise kill, eat or enslave them either as a defense mechanism or because they are simply drawn to these types of characters. Because their whole cultures are based around these creatures that they refer to as basically gods it is rare for their leaders, when not simply left to the creature itself, to resemble anything more than a high priest type of character, simply another servant of the creature itself.
  
  Every time a group of Ugani find a new creature they will stop everything to build around it. In more extreme situations they will even abandon their fellow Ugani to ‘worship’ the creature, such as a group of hunters that stumble across a rather savage beast and go off to follow it back to its lair, never to return. Additionally, when one of these so called god beasts die the Ugani have a great feast on its flesh before moving on and looking for another, anxiously waiting in whatever hold they have created until they find one. Despite the short lived nature of their culture there are still a few tales and stories that persist, repeated generation by generation and solidifying in the minds of the young, reducing into a sort of strange religion that they commonly consider to be truth.
  
  They make their homes in the hollowed out trunks of dead trees and have a quite peculiar strategy of using trees that are not obviously dead to get the jump on nearby travelers or small animals. Additionally, they are capable of crafting pathetic weapons out of bone and stone as well as controlled hunting and gathering that allows that their food does not move out of reach. It is noted that while they have a rather particular control over fire they do not use it for cooking, either out of ignorance or rather a preference for the easier food.
  
  Their relations with others species are varied, with them usually simply avoiding the middle of the road species (such as humans, elves and orcs) as they are usually not strong enough to pique their interests. Many of these species can live their whole lives without ever meeting one of these creatures, with the exceptions of heroes that hunt creatures that many of the times also happen to be the overlords of Ugani - though they notably never seem to defend their lords when these strangers come strolling into their lairs. There are of course exceptions - most notably strong Orcs, Serpun and Dragons. As for their relations with the other creatures of the forest they avoid most of everything, given that most of everything else in the forest is out to feast on them, and hunt the small remainder of creatures, herding them by hunting around their settlements in sections. Because of this they are commonly found in their hollows or much more rarely in out in the forests hunting.
  
  There are 53 tribes - though that number may have swelled or shrunk by the time you read this - but there are only 11 that are important to an outsider in what could be considered "tribe politics". This is one of the few aspects of life that is not determined by the beast that the tribe serves, but rather the innate strength of the tribe itself - whether that be derived from a surplus of Ungani, the particular savagery of a cunning Soittaja, or the gift of particularly strong bones from their last beast to make weapons with. These tribe politics come to head in a single gathering of the most important tribes - whether you are important or not is simply determined if you are able to spare the manpower, foodstuffs and other supplies to send a representative - where they discuss matters of importance such as war and "trade".
  
  Tribe to tribe relations differ based on a lot of circumstances, such as the type of overlord they follow or the waning of the hunt, but on the whole they are aggressive to each other and openly war against each other in constant skirmishes. The scarcity and savagery of these wars range from hardly and with only a few scratches to constant assault after assault with such brutalization as to be wrought into the minds of generations of survivors and this is often determined by the whims of the Soittaja's in charge. These wars either end in the destruction of the tribe, enslavement of its members and the killing of their beast (the irony is not lost upon me while I write this) or just continue to simmer for generations upon generations. There are rare exceptions where they are not particularly aggressive towards each other for one reason or another, one such reason being Keskipäivä, a festival rooted in tradition of celebrating surviving the to the midday and steeling themselves till the night that provides cause for close tribes to come together and feast.
  
  (created by KnightSergeant )
  
• 
  
  
  
  The Maggots of Folklore are the most tangible part of the Wolf Queen legend. For centuries, they have been perfectly benign. Tree-dwellers, they nurse themselves and fatten within the base of large trees, whilst simultaneously fertilising the forest floor for the slighter flora that struggle to obtain nutrients around such giants.
  
  Maggots then infect the seeds of their host tree, and thus when new trees grow, they foster new Maggots in their roots. Despite their parasitic nature, Maggots were considered helpful spirits up until about a century or so ago. Before this change, they were similar to their prettier tree-dwelling counterparts, Dryads, and often aided travellers in navigating the forest, or in finding safe nutrients.
  
  Lately, however, they have been known to attack any and all wanderers. They do so in groups of about six or so, using numbers to overwhelm stronger foes. They are not particularly strong, but once they have latched onto a target it is extremely difficult to shake them, especially since they are capable of rapidly growing their own ‘root’ like extensions from all over their body to bind a victim. They will then drag the body with the back into the earth and speed up the process of decomposition to fertilise the ground.
  
  Maggots shape is malleable and varied; Some are similar to serpents, though made from woody, knobbled bodies, whilst others walk on all fours in either crab or spider like fashion. They have no visible eyeballs, but rather hollows for eyes. They are capable of rapidly vanishing beneath the ground, and move surprisingly quickly. They do not tend to attack ‘locals’ of the forest, unless said locals seem to be harming the trees. However, more recently, in the last decade or so, they seem to be attacking on sight should they have enough numbers to pose a real threat to the target.
  
• 
  
  
  Rats were once the squires, servants, and soldiers of The Wolf Queen, or so they claim. Emerging into the public eye some five centuries ago, the Rats claim that it was seeing the fleeing founds of Knights Republic escaping through their land that inspired them too to rebel against their mistress. Ever since going rogue, they have proven to be a far more nebulous, enigmatic, and terrifying threat than the Maggots could ever hope to be.
  
  What is perhaps most unnerving about the Rats is that they have no one unifying form. All have one thing in common: They can take the form of beautiful young men, boys on the cusp between boyhood and adolescence. As such, they’ve had a history of seducing their way into fine houses, either by playing to noble women’s maternal instincts or by romancing her vanities.
  
  It should go without saying that these cherubic boy-masks they wear are not their true form.
  
  
  
  Supposedly fashioned from the corpses of the dead, enchanted to give them new life and new purpose, Rats are a seemingly never ending possibility of nightmare forms. From their boy-masks, they can shift into millipedes with human faces, oversized, malnourished giants with oversized faces, great beastly things or simply strange, spindly near-people that give the term ‘uncanny’ new depths. Their physical forms do not seem to obey logic, physics, or common decency; They can walk on their backs with their hands and feet, heads can twist thrice round, and their jaws have a habit of distending like a snake’s.
  
  
  This diversity once made them excellent citizens and workers, but now they use their skills for intimidation, slaughter, and harvest. Rats dwell on decaying flesh, and were once said to serve to ‘clean’ the forest of plague bearer corpses and help prevent the spread of infection. Nowadays, they kill their own food, and leave it out in damp caverns to rot until they are satisfied. Or, if rumour is true, they’ve taken to burying people half-alive with room to breathe, and let the worms do what death is to slow for.
  
  
  
  
  Some towns even have Rats offering their services as bounty hunters, mercenaries, offering to terrify foes and haunt spurning lovers. They are enormously greedy, ambitious, and seemingly without loyalty or morals. They covet gold, or anything which they think could bring them power. They are also one of the most arrogant races in Faen, and insulting their pride or abilities is a cunning way to gode them into actions you wish them to take. However, they are moody, irritable, and tempramental, so always be cautious when handling.
  
  
  Should one hunt the Wolf Queen, they are always eager to, as they say, ‘see the bitch dead’. Just make sure when they lead you out into the forest, it is to serve your purposes, not their own.
  

 

[Bang Bang]

L A N G U A G E S

• Common
• High Elvish

• 
  
  Originally conceived in Knights Republic, Republica, or 'Common Tongue' as it is known by most, is, as the name implies, Faen's most commonly spoken language. With Knights Republic being such a mishmash of cultures and species, it proved necessary to devise a language known by all to allow communication to be possible.
  
  Though there was initial resistance to Common Tongue, for it is considered crude, rough, and derivative of too many existing languages, nowadays almost everyone in Knights Republic can speak the language. Additionally, those who wished to do trade with the land's most prosperous region found learning it useful, and as such it has spread throughout Faen. About 60-70% of the population can speak Common, and ~20% can write it.
  
  In Astara, despite patriotic pride, Common Tongue has proved necessary for selling lumber to KR, and as such even there it is the dominant tongue.
  
  Regions where Common is rare are the south east, islands, and among the snow elves.
  
  As a written language, common makes little use of punctuation, and has 21 letters. The romanised versions of these letters are:
  
  a - r - e - z - b - t - v - w - n - y - k - ā - sk - dh - gh - dr - th - ne - de - shīn - sīn
  
  Opposite to English, it is structured so that the subject of a sentence goes at the end, usually connected with the connector 'ne'.

  
  Common Phrases
  Drask ne vaar? How much is that?
  āaskk! Fuck!
  krez dra ne tzra? Where are you from?
  shīnāsk edh ne trza I love you
  nārsīn Hello (formal)
  nashīn: Hi (familiar)
  
  Common Female Names
  bydrz, skyne, vāsk
  
  Common Male Names
  naadre, draz, skatv
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  Little spoken nowadays, save by the elves of Knights Republic, High Elvish was once the tongue of the clan now settled in KR, the Quinyx. It is the language used for almost all elvish texts, and thus is considered the language of 'learned' elves. To be able to speak it will grant you much respect among the elves of KR, though other tribes tend to resent the implication of the title 'High Elvish'. Despite this, almost all tribes use it in religious and magical chants, as it is considered superior spiritually.
  
  For those who speak it, High Elvish is used for carving into objects as protective sigils, to consecrate magical talismans, and are sown into clothes, printed upon sacred candles, and so froth. It is common for elves to wear a word or letter from the alphabet as a protective charm. Other races, too, have taken to wearing them as pendants or on their clothes, though few understand their meaning; Non-elves are forbidden from learning this language, and for one to speak it in the presence of an elf, even someone not of Quinyx descent, is likely to get you reviled.
  
  High Elvish is largely understood and spoken in Knights Republic among the elves. Some other tribes have a few who speak it, mostly holy figures who learn it for religious purposes. Of the elvish population, ~25% speak it, and around ~20% can write it. It is considered rude and arrogant for those outside of the aristocracy to name their children/have names in High Elvish.
  
  As a written language, High Elvish is prone to long words, extended sentences, and some punctuation. It contains 21 letters, which when romanised are:
  
  

  Letter A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T V X
  Letter name ā bē cē dē ē ef gē hā ī kā el em en ō pē qū er es tē ū ix
  Letter pronunciation aː beː keː deː eː ɛf ɡeː haː iː kaː ɛl ɛm ɛn oː peː kuː ɛr ɛs teː uː iks​

  
  [hint: It's classical latin]
  

  
  Common Phrases
  Salve Welcome
  Quid agis? How are you?
  Undes es? Where are you from?
  Quanti constate? How much is this?
  Siste! Stop!
  
  Common Female Names
  Aeliana, Aurelia, Florentina
  
  Common Male Names
  Atticus, Felix, Septimus
  
  
  
  

 

[Bone2pick]

Pack Face Additional Lore​

Often mistaken for werewolves, a Pack Face (or, Garoul in their own tongue) is a separate breed of shapeshifter. In point of fact the two species have traditionally despised one another. Garoul have powerful instincts to never consume the flesh of intelligent humanoids, whereas werewolves generally have no such compunctions. Whenever the creatures cross paths blood is usually spilt.

Pack faces have two forms of being: pack form - between four to six wolves at creation, and figure form - a combined human avatar in the likeness of their alpha's vision. The figure form is dominated by the will of the alpha, and per tradition it takes the alpha's name, but other packmates can exert their influence. The end result is a permenantly conflicted "human" who suffers from sudden shifts in mood and mindset. Older and more assertive garoul have greater figure control.

Forming and splitting takes roughly two minutes to accomplish, and severe trauma to the figure form can force a split back to pack form - their natural state. Wounds suffered in figure form primarily carry over to the alpha, but other packmates can bear some damage. Should a garoul suffer an injury, another packmate can lick the wound and greatly speed its healing.

Creation Myth: If a mother wolf should ever lose all her pups, and if she howls her grief underneath the light of a full moon, she can receive a new litter. Green-eyed mystical fur babes conjured by the mighty Wolf Queen of the Dark Forest. More intelligent, more courageous, and more ferocious than standard wolves, garoul quickly outgrow their foster pack. But the mother wolf is at least awarded temporary comfort. Or so the legend goes.

Other Information
• Should a packmate die, they are never replaced. The garoul is forever weakened. Older garoul, while typically wise from experience, often harbor small packs. The horrors of the Dark Forest inevitably take their toll.
• The entire pack is required to combine into their figure form. When the garoul is finally thinned down to one wolf they are forever trapped in their bestial state. At that tragic time it's common that they seekout an honorable death. For a Pack Face without a pack cannot bear existence.
• As wolves garoul must remain within a howls distance from one another, and even that range is uncomfortable. Beyond that and the separated garoul will begin to transition into a normal wolf. And once a tipping point is reached the transition can never be reversed.
• Prominent scars and disfigurements of the alpha carry over into the figure form.
• The alpha is established sometime after the pups reach four months in age. And once a figure form's likeness has been shaped it cannot be altered unless the the alpha is slain and replaced.
• Garoul prefer to fall in battle before they reach their senior years, but should they avoid a premature death they can live roughly sixty human years.