Almost Autumn
Hit Me!
World building help greatly appreciated. I am absolutely, 110% looking to RP this specific world somewhere down the line, but first and foremost I need to know if anyone would be interested in it. The details that I have so far are a little scattered and choppy, but to sum it up:
This will be a fantasy role play set sometime between 790-1066AD, in the mythical land of Jotunheim. It is an RP that revolves around heavy action/fighting, world building, and character development. We will be RPing as a made up species of were-folk (so yes, this does include anthropomorphic beasts and the like). Scroll down to read what I have solidly developed of the world so far.
The Basis:
The whole story takes place in Jotunheim, and is steeped pretty deeply in Norse/viking culture. Jotunheim, for those who don't know, was home to the giants. It consist mostly of rocks, wilderness and dense forests. There is no fertile land, so hunting, fishing, and gathering are the primary ways of feeding one's self. The Hamramr are a species of human-esque beings who worship a group of deities. There is one deity for each element, the elements being air, water, earth, fire. These deities represent different traits, and are not physical beings, but they can manifest in physical ways as animals. Each element then has a whole pantheon of animals and traits associated with them (i.e. an owl would be an air spirit and would be representational of great wisdom, while a raven would also be an air spirit, but would represent cunning tricksters, and so on).
Among the Hamramr there are different tribes and villages, etc, and each tribe has their own selected Dróttin, who is essentially the leader of the pack. The Dróttin only rules until they are pushed out of power by a younger, stronger individual. Dróttin are selected through physical altercation, and anyone can challenge the current Dróttin to a battle if they think they can lead the pack. They are a strong and prideful people.
When Hamramr come of age (I'd say around 14?) they are sent off into the forests to go on a spiritual journey to find their spirit animal, essentially. If the young Hamramr successfully goes through this spiritual journey and emerges from the forest with their spirit guide, they are bound for life, and the spirit guide gives the Hamramr their power. The Hamramr are shapeshifters, and they can take on the shape of their spirit animal (think werecreatures, they have a human shape, an anthro shape, and a full out animal shape). When in the form of their spirit guide, Hamramr are larger than the natural animal that they become. So say there's a Hamramr who is able to transform into a wolf, and an average wolf is about 5-6.5 feet from nose to tail, a Hamramr wolf would be 7+ feet from nose to tail.
Hamramr as a people are taller and sturdier/more naturally muscular than the humans of Midgard, but are not as large as natural born giants. Hamramr are a fierce warrior race, where fighting is done not only for victory, but for fun and sport.
Randomly ordered blurbs of information (FAQs):
Keep in mind, despite viking culture to be very patriarchal, women were still very powerful in viking society. Men were always to report back to their wives. Women had the ability to divorce men, leaving the men shamed. Women were also thought to have magical abilities and thought able to see into the future. For this RP however, I would like to work those values into a warrior-race with a sort of pack mentality (meaning the women were also warriors). It's a hunter/gatherer society.
Their human form generally resembles their spirit animal in some way (for example, my female character is a snow leopard. She has gray hair and dull green/blue eyes). Their ears are ever so slightly pointed at the tip, warning wary humans that they aren't quite normal, along with their added height and bulk.
There are those in the clan who are unable to shift, but they are not looked down upon. Instead they are responsible for gathering and taking care of the clan. Those that cannot transform tend to be farmers, craftsman, tailors, and blacksmiths, etc. They are seen as just as important as the warriors for the multiple services they provide for the clan.
The deities are not actual physical beings, and are never shown as such. There are no statues or figures of the Elements themselves, but there are idols created for specific spirit guides depending on what village you visit. I'm also thinking that there is a 'great hall' in each village that's sort of like the town square. It's a huge, huge structure in the middle of the village where meetings, celebrations, etc are held. The walls are lined with portraits or maybe even idols of past, major Dróttin who impacted the village in some way. Many Dróttin rule villages for years and years, and it is rare that a Dróttin is ever over-thrown before the age of 35
This will be a fantasy role play set sometime between 790-1066AD, in the mythical land of Jotunheim. It is an RP that revolves around heavy action/fighting, world building, and character development. We will be RPing as a made up species of were-folk (so yes, this does include anthropomorphic beasts and the like). Scroll down to read what I have solidly developed of the world so far.
The Basis:
The whole story takes place in Jotunheim, and is steeped pretty deeply in Norse/viking culture. Jotunheim, for those who don't know, was home to the giants. It consist mostly of rocks, wilderness and dense forests. There is no fertile land, so hunting, fishing, and gathering are the primary ways of feeding one's self. The Hamramr are a species of human-esque beings who worship a group of deities. There is one deity for each element, the elements being air, water, earth, fire. These deities represent different traits, and are not physical beings, but they can manifest in physical ways as animals. Each element then has a whole pantheon of animals and traits associated with them (i.e. an owl would be an air spirit and would be representational of great wisdom, while a raven would also be an air spirit, but would represent cunning tricksters, and so on).
Among the Hamramr there are different tribes and villages, etc, and each tribe has their own selected Dróttin, who is essentially the leader of the pack. The Dróttin only rules until they are pushed out of power by a younger, stronger individual. Dróttin are selected through physical altercation, and anyone can challenge the current Dróttin to a battle if they think they can lead the pack. They are a strong and prideful people.
When Hamramr come of age (I'd say around 14?) they are sent off into the forests to go on a spiritual journey to find their spirit animal, essentially. If the young Hamramr successfully goes through this spiritual journey and emerges from the forest with their spirit guide, they are bound for life, and the spirit guide gives the Hamramr their power. The Hamramr are shapeshifters, and they can take on the shape of their spirit animal (think werecreatures, they have a human shape, an anthro shape, and a full out animal shape). When in the form of their spirit guide, Hamramr are larger than the natural animal that they become. So say there's a Hamramr who is able to transform into a wolf, and an average wolf is about 5-6.5 feet from nose to tail, a Hamramr wolf would be 7+ feet from nose to tail.
Hamramr as a people are taller and sturdier/more naturally muscular than the humans of Midgard, but are not as large as natural born giants. Hamramr are a fierce warrior race, where fighting is done not only for victory, but for fun and sport.
Randomly ordered blurbs of information (FAQs):
Keep in mind, despite viking culture to be very patriarchal, women were still very powerful in viking society. Men were always to report back to their wives. Women had the ability to divorce men, leaving the men shamed. Women were also thought to have magical abilities and thought able to see into the future. For this RP however, I would like to work those values into a warrior-race with a sort of pack mentality (meaning the women were also warriors). It's a hunter/gatherer society.
Their human form generally resembles their spirit animal in some way (for example, my female character is a snow leopard. She has gray hair and dull green/blue eyes). Their ears are ever so slightly pointed at the tip, warning wary humans that they aren't quite normal, along with their added height and bulk.
There are those in the clan who are unable to shift, but they are not looked down upon. Instead they are responsible for gathering and taking care of the clan. Those that cannot transform tend to be farmers, craftsman, tailors, and blacksmiths, etc. They are seen as just as important as the warriors for the multiple services they provide for the clan.
The deities are not actual physical beings, and are never shown as such. There are no statues or figures of the Elements themselves, but there are idols created for specific spirit guides depending on what village you visit. I'm also thinking that there is a 'great hall' in each village that's sort of like the town square. It's a huge, huge structure in the middle of the village where meetings, celebrations, etc are held. The walls are lined with portraits or maybe even idols of past, major Dróttin who impacted the village in some way. Many Dróttin rule villages for years and years, and it is rare that a Dróttin is ever over-thrown before the age of 35
Might know some possible interested people if you allow me to tag?
