Fantasy Guild Archive (LORE)

[Kylesar1]

All lore will be posted here. If you have something you want to add to the lore page, post it and tag me. If I hit like on it, it is approved
I just gotta make sure it doesn't contradict or break established lore

 

[Kylesar1]

Log of Magic, Curses, and Abilities

All of these will be posted here with a description of what it is and what it does, as they are activated/used in the RP

• Blood Empowerment- Passive ability: After consuming blood, for 60 seconds, the user's strength, speed, and reflexes doubles

 

[Kylesar1]

The Arachnis People (WIP)​

The Arachnis are people who.........you guessed it, are Arachnid in nature. Their variance is extremely high in terms of what they do, so to speak about generalities for this VAST species is actually quite a task. The only common ground across the almost entirety of the Arachnis is that they are grounded (wingless) and antennae-less, and these distinctions are a thing that they are EXTREMELY prideful about. Commonly compared to insectoid counterparts, those are fighting words to Arachnis.

Arachnis is the umbrella term to describe the people as a whole. If you do not know which of the 3 variants of Arachnis people they fall under, it is better to call them an Arachnis than the wrong term.



The Types of Arachnis


Arachnida

As the derived namesake of the species, Arachnida are exactly that, arachnids in their most conventionally natural state, relatively speaking. The big difference is that Arachnida People are usually MUCH larger. These aren't your common house spiders taking up a corner of your house. Arachnida people are usually life-sized. They are visible from a distance. So if you see what looks to be a giant spider trying to talk to you, it is indeed an Arachnida Person, not a normal wild spider. Normal wild spiders just don't get that big.

Since Arachnida have neither vocal chords or ears, their territories are in almost complete silence and they communicate in ways not even a Trace Relic can pick up. Without a Relic that allows you to communicate with them, it is impossible to communicate with an Arachnida. The easiest way to communicate with them is to give them a Telepsychic Relic which projects their thoughts as audible words. Otherwise, you'll have to use a triple combo of a Trace Relic, Vocal Relic, and Cochlea Relic, which is impractical

Besides wild (normal) spiders, Arachnida make up the bulk of the Arachnis people



Arachne

Arachne appears to be that in-between of Arachnida and Humanoid, having the appearance of what's essentially a spider centaur. Humanoid upper body, Arachnida lower body. Arachne have over their full Arachnid counterparts is their vocal cords and ears, which allow them to audibly communicate with others. They have over all Arachnoids the Arachnida body which allows them to interpret the vibrations of the Arachnida. Thus, they are will known to serve as a bridge of communication between Arachnoids and Arachnida, specifically the Arachnoids who have no spider appendages, which prevents them from interpreting well enough the vibrations that make up most of Arachnis communication.

This puts them into an excellent niche as to their contributions to Arachnis society. Putting them alongside Arachnoids in the outer levels allows them to serve as Human-Arachnis interpreters (though this tends to go more to Arachnoids) or Arachnoid-Arachnida interpreters, which is a role specialized to them.

Unfortunately, Arachne are less accepted than any other form of Arachnis among outsiders. Despite having all the advantages of both Arachne and humanity, most would sooner accept a giant spider or a 6 armed human than a human upper body on a spider lower-body. God Anansi has given every Arachne the latent magic to temporarily shift into Arachnida form or Arachnoid form. This revelation has given rise to the belief that God Anansi uses Arachne as the faithful bridge that holds Arachnis society together as well as the bridge between Arachnis and all others.



Arachnoids

Arachnoids are the most humanoid of the Arachnis, hence the name. Possessing the most similarities to outsiders, they are most commonly seen as human bodies with limbs adding to 8. The common rule is that the legs are that of a human, not an Arachnida.

• 2 human hands, 2 human legs, 4 spider appendages in the back (most common)
• 4 hands, 2 legs, 2 spider appendages
• 6 human hands, 2 human legs (2nd most common)
• 6 spider appendages, 2 human legs
• 4 human hands, 4 human legs (least common)

Arachnoids tend to live either the furthest inside of Arachnis territories with the rest tending to reside around them, or they tend to live closest to the outskirts of Arachnis territories. This isn't out of any kind of reverence or spite. It is simply due to the fact that them being humanoid make them the least biologically compatible with Arachnis territories. Maybe they're too heavy or they tend to destroy webbing accidentally. It is simply a biological reality, though that's not to say that such racism doesn't exist at ALL

Arachnoids tend to occupy a special role in Arachnis Territories: Interacting with outsider humans/humanoids. Contrary to popular belief, the most common Arachnis are not inherently hostile. Just sensitive to outsiders due to their clean nature and web sensitivity. Perceptions of hostile outlook comes from the either actually hostile variants or common arachnophobia-shaped views. Arachnoids are the most compatible to interacting with outsiders for the purpose of trade or diplomacy since most would absolutely take a 6-armed human(oid) over a human(oid) with the body of an Arachnis. For that, Arachnoids are the most common Arachnis merchants, travelers, dignitaries, and diplomats. Not out of reverence or spite, but out of practicality

With this in mind though, this DOES put Arachnoids in the unique position of being able to take on roles that Arachne or Arachnids simply cannot, and the role of diplomats, dignitaries, interpreters, etc. tend to be almost exclusively prioritized for Arachnoids




Broodmite (Broodmother/Broodfather)

The Broodmite is the gender neutral term for their official name, which is Broodmother or Broodfather. Since residents of Arachnis Territories are considered children of the Broodmite (regardless of biological relation), the Broodmite is the leader/chief/president of the Arachnis Territory. The Broodmite can be either variant of the Arachnis species (Arachnida/Arachne/Arachnoid). The Broodmite is known to be immensely powerful and is effectively the Queenpiece of their kind. Should the Broodmite be taken down, the entire colony disperses. It is currently unknown how Broodmites are most commonly chosen, and such information tends to be held in deep secret by the Arachnis people

Broodmites are seen as direct prophets of God Anansi



The Culture

How are Arachnoids and Arachne made?

Everything has an origin. For the most part, a lot of them can be traced back to the God they serve. The Arachnis people are all created in the image of the God in which they serve, God Anansi the Spider Trickster. Trickster in this context isn't necessarily malicious, but more witty, resourceful, and cunning in His Heroic deeds. The Arachnida is what's essentially his "animal" form, while the Arachne and Arachnoid are His playful experimental forms between His Arachnida form and His human form. He fell in love with both of these forms as well and thus the Arachnis people and Arachnids as a whole were created. The Arachnis people take great pride in their origin, and insulting their God is a surefire way to end in your organs liquidized by their poison


Combat

Arachnida are as versatile as they are varied across region

With the before entry in mind, it's best to speak about them from the most common or popular viewpoint. Since most are afraid to venture anywhere near Arachnida Territories, what is known is based on what is observed via magic or what is consolidated from what the Arachnida who venture out of their territories tell people. There is a lot of word of mouth to sift through

So a lot of Arachnida are known to be extremely clean, valuing as close to spotless a home as possible, whatever that home takes the form of. An easy way to make and Arachnida uncomfortable is to put them in a dwelling that they aren't allowed to clean beforehand. A pigsty dwelling is a quick turnoff to Arachnida. When it comes to recruiting

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

The Lungborne Locathah​

The Lungborne are one of the few races of freshwater fishfolk, and hold the crown of being the only Locathah that's truly amphibious. Free to leave and return to water as they please, which was an ability Goddess Marianna of the Sea granted their ancestors to find refugee from an oppressive sea. It's a rarity to find one anywhere outside of the secluded Springs they've claimed as their home, where they ceaselessly give their prayer and thanks for the quiet utopia their ancestors found.


BASIC

Formal Name: Lungborne Locathah
Common Names: Walking Locathah, Walkers, Mudskipper/Mudfish (offensive)
Lifespan: 180 yrs, max 210 yrs
Diet: Omnivorous, emphasis on crustaceans with their strong, crushing teeth (look up lungfish skull and be mildly uncomfortable)
Social: Communal, Religious, Reclusive
Homeland: The Tearstream Springs; a massive network of natural springs surrounded by monster-infested marshland


MORPHOLOGY

Spoiler: Visual Ref

Body Type: Lungborne are tall Pisceoids (Piscean-Humanoid) with long, cylindrical bodies. Though any humanoid resemblance begins and ends at their typical upright stance, as all other traits mark this race as a Locathah repurposed for reverse diving. They're wrapped in thick layers of muscle and fat to support their lifestyle of constantly switching between environmental densities, with most of that weight in their hips and tail. Their limbs are short, favoring an aerodynamic body plan for swimming over waddling on land, but their flexible spine allows them to assume a quadruped gait for more speed though it puts more strain on their thinner arms. In less academic terms, think of them as fish ferrets.
Their hands and feet start with wide, paddle-like palms, but taper in four thin points, allowing for dexterous tool use.
Size:

• Height: 6-8 ft on average, standing; not a lot of variance beyond outliers
• Length: Tail can be anywhere between half or as long as the length of their body. For example, a 6' ft Lungborne with a short tail would be 9' ft in length, and with a long tail would be 12' in length. Longer tails are regarded as attractive, but come with the disadvantage of being extra weight to lug around above water.
• Weight: 350-650 lbs on average, with a lot of variance given tail length and differing body types. The biggest factors of weight fluctuation are from stress level and seasons; a Lungborne under great stress will enter a low-metabolism survival state. In particularly cold and barren winters they can enter a torpor state

Adaptations: Having a separate pair of lungs and gills that function independently makes it very easy to switch between land and water. The protective slime coat that forms over their bodies in water dries and hardens to a smooth, pliable cover when out of water. Though they are limited to freshwater, not having touched salt for thousands of generations, and they're susceptible to dehydration. Their slime coat and scales help keep moisture in when above water, as well as nictitating membrane to make up for the lack of eyelids.
Senses: Lacking vocal chords, Lungborne communication is a mix of acoustic sounds, electroreception, and pheromones. They have superior smell and taste, good hearing and sense of touch (with a lateral line system fine-tuned for water and air), and slightly lacking eyesight. The ear-like lobe fins on their head are for emotive display as much as hearing, and they have nostrils as well as pairs of facial barbels for scent.
Reproduction: Eggs are laid in markedly smaller clusters for Locathah, 10-12 per clutch. They're externally fertilized, so reproduction and recreational sex are generally regarded as two separate things. Fry growth takes about as long as it would for a human child. There's slight sexual dimorphism in that the females are larger.


CULTURE

Government: Oligarchy
Religion: With their Mother being Goddess Marianna of the Sea, it's no question who the Lungborne serve. They're big on proactive forms of worship, ranging from things as simple as expressions of gratitude to complex displays rich with cultural symbolism. They hold a reverence for the natural world, so magics that tap into that source like Alchemy and Elementalism are regarded as praise towards their Goddess. They often give offerings of harvested food and valuable minerals, their way of giving thanks for the peaceful home their ancestors found.

These aren't specific Tenants their Goddess gave to them, but as with every culture, the Lungborne value things that maintain the traditional status quo (and frown upon perceived dissidence)

• Virtues: Gratitude, (emotional) Temperance, Attunement with Nature
• Taboos: Ungratefulness, Violence and displays of anger, Harm towards Nature

Crime and Punishment:

• Common + Customary Law
• No death penalty; highest punishment is exile
• Focus on rehabilitation
• Petty crimes are punished with community service, serious crimes imprisonment; probation case-by-case

Economy:

• Traditional
• Trade-based, goods and services as currency

Politics: Members of the oligarchy are connected to the most powerful, prestigous families. The more members in a family that are deemed "exceptional" (ie, accomplishments, displays of worship, and especially Divine Favor), the more prestige a family has. A family's size can "water down" its prestige, so Lungborne who seek to leave their family to join another have to make a case for themselves before being accepted. Common, less prestigious families are far more accepting than the higher ones that could be equated to nobility, of which the acceptance rate can be incredibly steep.
Communication:

• Primary - Complex pheromones and electroreception
• Secondary - Sigil-based written language
• Tertiary - Acoustic, simple percussion language

Lifestyle:

• Communal families consisting of blood relation and adoptees
• Non-Monogamous; polycules and free-love most common
• Fry are raised communally
• Hunter/Gatherer, with some Agriculture and Animal Husbandry
• Very light industrialization, but mainly a reliance on raw, natural resources

HISTORY

Origin: They are the last living descendants of a now extinct clade of seadwelling Locathah, which were wiped out in a great war that ended in genocide. This clade resembled and was more genetically similar to the snake-like reedfish, making their genetic relation to lungfish as far away as they are to landwalkers. This branch happened around 2,000 years ago, making them a very new species in relation. Goddess Marianna blessed them with specific adaptations that developed over just a few generations, accelerating their evolution.
It's speculated that them developing lobed fins was a bit of cheekiness on Goddess Marianna's part, alluding to the ancient fish from millennia ago that made their first steps onto land and paved the way for most modern species.
Migration: The Migration was the pivotal time in Lungborne history that made them what they are today. Fleeing from a violent, racially-motivated war that would have wiped them out, their ancestors pleaded with their Goddess to find a way to escape their fate. She answered their prayers, directing them close to the shore where sea branched into estuaries, then to rivers, and eventually to the great network of springs they live in to this day. Their bodies changed to adopt freshwater, and to spend longer and longer times out of water until that time became theoretically indefinite. This allowed them to traverse even further, away to where their oppressors could never hope to find them, as the springs are not only landlocked and isolated from any body of water, but are also surrounded by a treacherous marshland full of dangerous creatures.
Eternally grateful for their Goddess for granting them refuge, yet possessing ongoing generational trauma of the plight that sent them away in the first place, very few Locathah throughout the centuries have left the Tearstream Springs, a place given its name in remembrance of those left behind and those lost in the grueling travels.

Spoiler: Note

Segments that are mostly bullet points are aspects that I either haven't developed much yet, or are things I want to explore more in detail with RP narration. Consider this a WIP, as I'll make edits the more developments I make, and the more stuff is revealed IC.

Kylesar1