SilverFlight
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Guide to choosing your species
It took me way longer than it should have to realize that not many people know the scientific definition of a species, and when choosing your bug, this is actually really important, so here is my crash course on animal classifications:
The classification system is a way to categorize all life in relation to all other forms of life on earth. It's a tiered system that describes the groups of animals based on their evolutionary relationship with each other. Animalia is a kingdom, within that kingdom, Arthropoda is one of the phylums. Arthropoda is the group we'll be working with in this RP. That includes all insects, and arachnids, millipedes, centipedes, isopods etc. But, each one of those classes actually has several orders, and in those, families, genera and then finally, species.
Technically a single species is given a 2-part Latin name, so, a honey bee's name is Apis mellifera, "Apis" is the genus, the species is "mellifera". There are other honey bee species besides mellifera, like Apis dorsata, cerana or florea. Honeybees are in the family "Apidae" which includes all other types of bee. The order is hymenoptera, which includes wasps, ants and sawflies. The common name of a species doesn't always line up with its scientific name. Example: The European honey bee is Apis mellifera and includes some of the subspecies of honeybee, but the African honeybee is a subspecies, just one: Apis mellifera scutellata.
**Note, do not worry if this seems like a lot, if you have a picture of a bug you would like to play, I can probably ID it to species for you, or at least to genus.
It took me way longer than it should have to realize that not many people know the scientific definition of a species, and when choosing your bug, this is actually really important, so here is my crash course on animal classifications:
The classification system is a way to categorize all life in relation to all other forms of life on earth. It's a tiered system that describes the groups of animals based on their evolutionary relationship with each other. Animalia is a kingdom, within that kingdom, Arthropoda is one of the phylums. Arthropoda is the group we'll be working with in this RP. That includes all insects, and arachnids, millipedes, centipedes, isopods etc. But, each one of those classes actually has several orders, and in those, families, genera and then finally, species.
**Note, do not worry if this seems like a lot, if you have a picture of a bug you would like to play, I can probably ID it to species for you, or at least to genus.
((Map coming soon))
The edge of the forest is an ideal place for a city: it is protected from the brunt of storms by the gnarled oak, slender birch and towering pine, it is open to the bright gifts of the sun. The stream’s gentle course tempers the hot days and soothes the chill of the night. The earth is soft, humus and moss make it perfect for walking, and even better for burrowing.
The fields beyond the forest hold a kaleidoscope of different blooms, and the tall grasses protect worn trade routes to and from the city. There are many old logs, decaying and hollow, that provide spaces for bazaars and homes nearby. Some of the field grass has been cleared for farming where precious tiny shoots and little mushrooms are grown for sale in the town, and plants are cultivated to raise livestock like aphids and hard-shelled scale bugs. The forest is cool and quiet; it holds the morning mist, and filters the sun’s light into an ever-moving cascade of green. Up in the treetops there are still more homes, many flying insects live here. Honey bee hives, wood beetle burrows and many flies make their nests in the safe embrace of the canopy.
Deep into the forest a set of stone caves guard rare lichens and fungi that have rare properties highly-coveted by potion masters and healers. Some of it is luminescent and used for decoration, but only the brave dare go retrieve it, for there are monsters lying in wait in the darkness.
The fields have their own dangers; great titans with four carapace-crushing hooves the size of boulders. Most in town simply call them “hoofers”, but the clearings they form in the tall grass make traveling a little easier for large caravans.
Beyond the field, about two days’ travel for any land-walking bug, is a pond where the dragonflies dwell. There are many others that share this land, but it is fiercely guarded by the winged warriors and strangers provoke much suspicion.
Food in the world:
Most bugs rely on a diet of plants, nectars and fungi, but there are also a slew of arthopods that are not sapient and used as farm animals: Aphids are farmed for their meat and their honeydew, silverfish provide a great source of protein for carnivores in the city. Slugs and worms are reared in Sunhaven and Barrowlore and their meat when smoked or tenderized is commonly used in stews and dried for travel.
Much of the grass and soil has been cleared, to make way for masonry and brick. The town square is paved with the help of magic, and a large fountain sprouts from the center, depicting many bugs, lifting chalices in harmony, spilling water into a shallow central pool. Children like to play here, and you can find many a musician or performer hired to provide the citizens with joy. The surrounding stone buildings house the more permanent shops, crafters and artisans. The library is at the edge of the square, and just beside that is the town hall, where the unified council lives and works. At the other end of the city square, close to the main gates is the entrance to the underground, a stone gateway, intricately carved with a beetle and a spider forming the arch by holding up a shovel and pickaxe.
In the sheltered nooks of grass clearing and hollow logs you may find a myriad of shops and stalls, selling everything you could possibly imagine. Fruits and vegetables, livestock bugs, textiles like spider and moth silks, potions, talismans, art and books upon books written on every subject imaginable.
Sunhaven is surrounded by eight stone guard towers, manned day and night and thought the city is not walled, there are guards patrolling the perimeter. The small hills and valleys surrounding the central city are filled with little houses, hidden inside mushrooms, or built from wood or stone.
The council is a democratically elected body with none of the eight members being from the same clan or species. This ensures that most clans are represented in the decision-making of the city. The council regulates urban affairs like upholding the peace rules, providing infrastructure for merchants and artisans both resident and transient and keeping the city clean and safe. The taxes they levy from traders and residents help keep the city and its people in the best condition, so poverty is non-existent.
The best magic of this town is its laws of peace. No matter what the customs, or history between clans, discord is strictly prohibited. Fighting is punished with either community work or banishment, depending on the gravity of the crime. The worst offenders can have their entire clan banned from the area. Any caravans or traders must leave their weapons at the gates unless given special permission by city authorities. Weaponsmiths must always send their wears to the gates for pickup by the customers. Generally, if the non-violence rule is obeyed, there isn't much you cannot do in the city. Stealing is bound to get you into trouble with the guard, and many guards favour citizens over foreigners on these matters. The myriad of shops, theaters, the library and the architechture is usually enough to keep most out of trouble. There are so many bugs coming in and out of the city is it easy to find work. Most bugs in the town are very open and accepting to newcomers, especially if you are looking to make a home there. The city is dedicated to providing housing for new residents and its bordeers are slowly expanding out into the forest and the field.
The underground is an extension of the city with its own name: Barrowlore, and its own mayor governing affairs. The gated entrance leads into a massive central chamber with spiraling walkways ringing it and leading deep into the earth. The central chamber is lit by a large cone-shaped lichen colony growing down its center, that glows different colours depending on the moisture and temperature in the soil: blue in the morning and when it rains, yellow in the brightest, driest of days. And green in between. Along these spiraling walkways are shops, and built into the walls of the chamber are little homes, joined by rope bridges. There are tunnels leading from every level into more private apartments and tunnels leading to other places. The ant colonies have their private entrances to Barrowlore. The mayor of Barrowlore, although mostly autonomous, must adhere, as the council does, to a strict, no-violence policy within the limits of the city, and ensure that taxes are levied appropriately.
There is little protection beyond the city, and no regulation in most areas. Though banditry close to the city is rare it is not unheard of, and there are always predators lurking in the shadows. It is very wise to carry weapons outside the confines of the city or Barrowlore, as the peaceable nature of some clans only exists within those walls. The mercenary trade is thriving and there are many schools of combat that take in students from all walks of life and every clan.
There is no one single belief in the city or outside of it. Most clans have their own spirituality and or deities, and they are worshiped to a greater or lesser extent depending on clan or individual. There are no religious buildings inside the city, but monasteries and temples exist in the lands nearby. Some of these are known for their specialty products like wines, cured meats or cloth, and they come into the city to trade.
Long ago there was a great war. Clan fought clan in an ocean of battle, each struggling to be the one to climb above the rest. Five orphans were born from this conflict, left to fend for themselves, and by a miracle, they managed to find one another: A beetle, a moth, a bee, a mantis and a spider. They called for an end to the conflict, and created a safe home for those who would come without arms. This home was Sunhaven. Through their tireless efforts they approached the bugs, clan by clan and convinced each to lay down their weapons. The five founders of Sunhaven ushered in a long-lived era of peace in the lands and to this day these heroes are celebrated, or at least acknowledged by all the clans. The council of Sunhaven was modeled after the system built by those five, and though there are more council members now, representing many more bugs, originally there were five to symbolize the five orphan founders of the city.
Now there is the occasional conflict between some clans, but nothing to the scale of what is chronicled in the histories, and hopefully there never will be again.
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