ramses1079
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It puts the lotion in the basket
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Post by ramses1079 on Jul 8, 2017 5:28:22 GMT
Wow that Celtic sword and The Gladius of my wet dreams just stared me down and won!! Paul, that was mean!! Well there goes my lunch money for the next 3-months 😅 Any ballpark figures on prices for these beautiful pieces of steel.....which I'm kinda assuming is 5160??
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sevicler
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Post by sevicler on Jul 8, 2017 7:29:12 GMT
YESSS AN UPDATE
*SNORTS UPDATES*
HNNNNNNNGGGH
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That should sate my curiosity for a bit. Maybe for 2 hours or so.
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Post by Croccifixio on Jul 8, 2017 11:25:58 GMT
I had that blade before. Pretty tough and beautiful leaf shape!
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ramses1079
Member
It puts the lotion in the basket
Posts: 549
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Post by ramses1079 on Jul 8, 2017 15:15:33 GMT
Awwww sure Crocc rub it in why don't ya? 😉That settles it......wallet, prepare to be emptied.......TO PAYPAL!!!
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Post by celegon on Jul 8, 2017 17:25:21 GMT
that may be the coolest gladius ive seen lol
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admin
Site Admin
Posts: 2,085
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Post by admin on Jul 9, 2017 6:58:59 GMT
Another quick update, this time on the Fantasy World itself. This is very much version 1.0 as the continent that is the focus of our adventures does not even have a name yet and many of the minor civilizations and city states that make it up have not yet been added or fleshed out, but here is is a first draft map along with the major Geo-political divisions that I whipped up a little earlier..  MAJOR CIVILIZATIONSThe EmpireThe Empire is basically the dominant political force on the continent and has been for the last 1000 years, expanding ever Eastward. It is loosely based on the Roman and Byzantine Empires but is tempered by powerful Warrior Clerics who advise and guide the Emperor with a holy counsel. The Capital is the pinnacle of this worlds civilization - all roads lead to it.. NorthmenNordic Raiders from the Icy North - the Northmen have been and continue to be a threat to the Empire. Despite being blocked and contained on the land by the Empires Northernmost Bastion (which was only completed in the last 200 years) the Northmen continue to menace the coastal waters with their Longships. BadlandsEvery fantasy world needs a 'no go zone' and the Badlands is our version, dividing the Elven lands from the lands of men. Dominated by Orcish and Hobgoblin Warbands, it is not a pleasant place to visit and incursions from its barren wastelands an ongoing concern for man and elf alike.. Land of the DeadMilitarily, it rivals the Empire but to date while relations between the two Kingdoms is frosty at best, to date distance and the relative equality of their armed forces has prevented war. But as the Empire expands, War is inevitable.. Much older than the Empire, it is a place of great secrets - for the Regent is but a puppet of an ancient, Undead benevolent dictator Lich-King Pharaoh who has ruled the Kingdom for thousands of years and who has no plans of giving up his power anytime soon.. Standard Army with Undead reservists and an elite Skeleton Warrior Praetorian Guard. The Elven LandsThe name says it all. Where the elves live.. Separated from the rest of the continent by mountains and accessible only by sea and a narrow pass near the sea where the Elven forest begins in earnest. OTHER MINOR NATIONS NOT ON THE MAPThere are some other Nations and City States that are not on the map yet. The Empire is Suzerain of several allied city states surrounding it - most of which joined voluntarily. Directly to the South of the Empire, beyond impassible mountains, is the 'mysterious east' - an oriental land dominated by monks and an ancient sleeping oriental Dragon as King. Between the Badlands and the Empire are several recently conquered Kingdoms. PLOTS AND STORY- Naturally, all is not well in the Empire. While for the last thousand years the Emperors have been benevolent, bound by a code of laws and deriving a mandate of heaven from the high priest of the good aligned clerics, the heir apparent to the throne is in league with dark forces who plan to take over the Empire from the inside out and use it to achieve their own ancient, nefarious ends. If the current Emperor dies, his son will plunge the Empire into chaos, persecuting the clerics, creating a new order and drive the Empire into a war it is doomed to lose..
- Something drives the Lich King to go over the edge and his Undead troops war against the living in a civil war of unholy proportions. Perhaps he is killing all his subjects due to a prophesy that one of them will de-throne him and return his lands to the living..
- The Orcs have a new King, and with demonic backing, he raises the largest army of Orcs the world has ever seen on an orgy of destruction hell bent on destroying the Empire.
- Evil ships arrive from the misty seas, bringing a new, unknown and extremely powerful inhuman enemy that even the might of the Imperial Army cannot hold back.
- The Capital is suddenly destroyed, exploding into fire from below or above, and from the crater where it once stood, an army of hell claws its way out and wars against the off-balanced remaining Imperial forces, which come from every corner of the known world to beat them back to whence they came..
- A powerful city state resists the Empire, stopping their uninterrupted history of conquest in its tracks and beating them back. Now the city state is on the march for the capital, and for the first time the Imperial army looks like it may lose..
- All of the above, happening at the same time..!
A NOTE ON ERAS Most of the countries and cultures within this world will approximate historical weapons close to the design and style of the culture that they closely represent. For example, the Land of the Dead would have Khopesh. The Empire, Gladius. But there would also be medieval and early renaissance period swords and weapons..
For the Land of the Dead, the reason they have not upgraded their technology could be because the Lich King, who does not like change, forbids it. That and the fact that they use a lot of magic and have not had to fight any technologically advanced neighbors who made them reconsider the weapons efficiency.
For the Empire, an imaginative reason why they continue to use a kind of Gladius.. How about they discovered some magical meteoric steel that forces them to forge a shorter blade as the magic only works when the steel is a certain weight, and so can only be made into a stout shortsword or a long, thin rapier.. This could also be the key to the Empires meteoric rise (pardon the pun) - every soldier is effectively issued a +1 weapon, which allowed the army to take on monsters that can only be hit by magic weapons and clear out new lands for the Empires grateful citizens..
SUMMARY The map will be fleshed out and redesigned as we add or subtract cultures, city states, etc. Rivers and main roads will be added, the trees growing out of the sea near the Northmen will be replanted in soil somewhere. And the swords and the characters who you guys have developed will all be added into the milieu..
And that's when it will start to get really interesting..
So guys, from here, feel free to submit any ideas that challenge, compliment or otherwise flesh out this fledgling world. If you have any ideas for the names of the Kingdoms, cities in the Kingdoms, main players (the Emperor, his son, the Lich-King, etc) - feel free to submit them. Got an image in your head of what one of the scenes or characters described here looks like and can draw it? Then submit it here..!
Finally, Vince - is there a way you can do what is necessary to your photobucket account to restore the images in your posts? You have at least one sword in the short list, but without the pics I am having trouble identifying which sword(s) was selected..
That's all for now, we are in the final stages of creating the true shortlist, have confirmation from the forge that all the designs we have selected are feasible and we are getting close to making both the fantasy world and the swords within it come to life..
It is extremely hard narrowing it down, indeed, there are so many good designs here that there will definitely be a round 2 and quite possibly a third round just from the designs submitted to date..
So stay tuned, slowly but surely, this collaborative project of ours is taking shape..!
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sevicler
Member
How do I edit status?
Posts: 272
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Post by sevicler on Jul 9, 2017 7:11:47 GMT
Another quick update, this time on the Fantasy World itself. This is very much version 1.0 as the continent that is the focus of our adventures does not even have a name yet and many of the minor civilizations and city states that make it up have not yet been added or fleshed out, but here is is a first draft map along with the major Geo-political divisions that I whipped up a little earlier.. MAJOR CIVILIZATIONSThe EmpireThe Empire is basically the dominant political force on the continent and has been for the last 1000 years, expanding ever Eastward. It is loosely based on the Roman and Byzantine Empires but is tempered by powerful Warrior Clerics who advise and guide the Emperor with a holy counsel. The Capital is the pinnacle of this worlds civilization - all roads lead to it.. NorthmenNordic Raiders from the Icy North - the Northmen have been and continue to be a threat to the Empire. Despite being blocked and contained on the land by the Empires Northernmost Bastion (which was only completed in the last 200 years) the Northmen continue to menace the coastal waters with their Longships. BadlandsEvery fantasy world needs a 'no go zone' and the Badlands is our version, dividing the Elven lands from the lands of men. Dominated by Orcish and Hobgoblin Warbands, it is not a pleasant place to visit and incursions from its barren wastelands an ongoing concern for man and elf alike.. Land of the DeadMilitarily, it rivals the Empire but to date while relations between the two Kingdoms is frosty at best, to date distance and the relative equality of their armed forces has prevented war. But as the Empire expands, War is inevitable.. Much older than the Empire, it is a place of great secrets - for the Regent is but a puppet of an ancient, Undead benevolent dictator Lich-King Pharaoh who has ruled the Kingdom for thousands of years and who has no plans of giving up his power anytime soon.. Standard Army with Undead reservists and an elite Skeleton Warrior Praetorian Guard. The Elven LandsThe name says it all. Where the elves live.. Separated from the rest of the continent by mountains and accessible only by sea and a narrow pass near the sea where the Elven forest begins in earnest. OTHER MINOR NATIONS NOT ON THE MAPThere are some other Nations and City States that are not on the map yet. The Empire is Suzerain of several allied city states surrounding it - most of which joined voluntarily. Directly to the South of the Empire, beyond impassible mountains, is the 'mysterious east' - an oriental land dominated by monks and an ancient sleeping oriental Dragon as King. Between the Badlands and the Empire are several recently conquered Kingdoms. PLOTS AND STORY- Naturally, all is not well in the Empire. While for the last thousand years the Emperors have been benevolent, bound by a code of laws and deriving a mandate of heaven from the high priest of the good aligned clerics, the heir apparent to the throne is in league with dark forces who plan to take over the Empire from the inside out and use it to achieve their own ancient, nefarious ends. If the current Emperor dies, his son will plunge the Empire into chaos, persecuting the clerics, creating a new order and drive the Empire into a war it is doomed to lose..
- Something drives the Lich King to go over the edge and his Undead troops war against the living in a civil war of unholy proportions. Perhaps he is killing all his subjects due to a prophesy that one of them will de-throne him and return his lands to the living..
- The Orcs have a new King, and with demonic backing, he raises the largest army of Orcs the world has ever seen on an orgy of destruction hell bent on destroying the Empire.
- Evil ships arrive from the misty seas, bringing a new, unknown and extremely powerful inhuman enemy that even the might of the Imperial Army cannot hold back.
- The Capital is suddenly destroyed, exploding into fire from below or above, and from the crater where it once stood, an army of hell claws its way out and wars against the off-balanced remaining Imperial forces, which come from every corner of the known world to beat them back to whence they came..
- A powerful city state resists the Empire, stopping their uninterrupted history of conquest in its tracks and beating them back. Now the city state is on the march for the capital, and for the first time the Imperial army looks like it may lose..
- All of the above, happening at the same time..!
A NOTE ON ERAS Most of the countries and cultures within this world will approximate historical weapons close to the design and style of the culture that they closely represent. For example, the Land of the Dead would have Khopesh. The Empire, Gladius. But there would also be medieval and early renaissance period swords and weapons..
For the Land of the Dead, the reason they have not upgraded their technology could be because the Lich King, who does not like change, forbids it. That and the fact that they use a lot of magic and have not had to fight any technologically advanced neighbors who made them reconsider the weapons efficiency.
For the Empire, an imaginative reason why they continue to use a kind of Gladius.. How about they discovered some magical meteoric steel that forces them to forge a shorter blade as the magic only works when the steel is a certain weight, and so can only be made into a stout shortsword or a long, thin rapier.. This could also be the key to the Empires meteoric rise (pardon the pun) - every soldier is effectively issued a +1 weapon, which allowed the army to take on monsters that can only be hit by magic weapons and clear out new lands for the Empires grateful citizens..
SUMMARY The map will be fleshed out and redesigned as we add or subtract cultures, city states, etc. Rivers and main roads will be added, the trees growing out of the sea near the Northmen will be replanted in soil somewhere. And the swords and the characters who you guys have developed will all be added into the milieu..
And that's when it will start to get really interesting..
So guys, from here, feel free to submit any ideas that challenge, compliment or otherwise flesh out this fledgling world. If you have any ideas for the names of the Kingdoms, cities in the Kingdoms, main players (the Emperor, his son, the Lich-King, etc) - feel free to submit them. Got an image in your head of what one of the scenes or characters described here looks like and can draw it? Then submit it here..!
Finally, Vince - is there a way you can do what is necessary to your photobucket account to restore the images in your posts? You have at least one sword in the short list, but without the pics I am having trouble identifying which sword(s) was selected..
That's all for now, we are in the final stages of creating the true shortlist, have confirmation from the forge that all the designs we have selected are feasible and we are getting close to making both the fantasy world and the swords within it come to life..
It is extremely hard narrowing it down, indeed, there are so many good designs here that there will definitely be a round 2 and quite possibly a third round just from the designs submitted to date..
So stay tuned, slowly but surely, this collaborative project of ours is taking shape..!
We are allowed to expand the world beyond this map, right? Adding continents, island nations, and other types of terrain and their own unique civilizations and cultures would make the story very interesting. |
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Ifrit
Member
More edgy than a double edge sword
Posts: 3,284
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Post by Ifrit on Jul 9, 2017 7:17:46 GMT
Thats awesome paul. Love the layout
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admin
Site Admin
Posts: 2,085
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Post by admin on Jul 9, 2017 7:58:20 GMT
Sure thing, I did kind of hint that there was a dark, invading army that arrived from across the seas so the world may or may not be a Pangaea.. (my original thoughts were that there are several large unknown islands, an island continent and a similar sized continent elsewhere on the planet - but the Empire has not explored the vast seas yet and probably believe that the seas extend in all directions until they fall off the edge of the world in some gigantic, magical waterfall.. That said, I would prefer if we concentrate on fleshing out the continent that we will be focusing on as a priority. Any ideas for new lands can be incorporated fairly easily, either by adding more landmass somewhere or slotting it into the many vacant areas of the map. |
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Post by Croccifixio on Jul 9, 2017 8:06:45 GMT
From swords to worldbuilding. Hahaha
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Post by celegon on Jul 9, 2017 8:16:22 GMT
heres a few names and ideas ive made up and have been saving,though im not sure about them being 100% oringinal lol so we may need to check into that
lochhaven ( the name of settlement on an island in the middle of loch/lake)
Tarynvale ( elf city)
Ahshawn ( female name)
krawgon( goblin,orc or giants name)
Gnarlfron( goblin,orc or giants name)
Helgrim( a northmans name, maybe a chieftain?)
Shadewyn ( mage name maybe?)
Finoroth(elf )
Frostfen ( name of a northmens village)
Hilltown( the name of a simple settlement with peaceful people)
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Post by Vincent Dolan on Jul 9, 2017 8:40:31 GMT
Finally, Vince - is there a way you can do what is necessary to your photobucket account to restore the images in your posts? You have at least one sword in the short list, but without the pics I am having trouble identifying which sword(s) was selected.. Unfortunately, I deleted my account shortly after I found out about that whole fiasco, so I can't restore them directly; I have reuploaded all my designs to my Pinterest account, but as I can't edit my original posts, I'll repost them here if that's alright with you. City Guard  Claymore Saber  Will-o'-Wisp  Amalgam The Bastard  Paladin  Watchman  Khopesh  Wood Elf  |
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Post by Vincent Dolan on Jul 9, 2017 8:53:21 GMT
That said, I would prefer if we concentrate on fleshing out the continent that we will be focusing on as a priority. Any ideas for new lands can be incorporated fairly easily, either by adding more landmass somewhere or slotting it into the many vacant areas of the map. In that case, what does everyone think about naming that slip of land outside the Empire's southern borders the Solitary Plains? Or something to that effect? Seeing the way that mountain range neatly divides it from the Empire but for a few narrow passes got the juices working somewhat; if the story is to have a chosen one, well, chosen ones have to come from somewhere and somewhere is usually an isolated, pastoral village where they can easily be kept ignorant of their true destiny. Alternatively, since it's outside the borders of the Empire, and thus beyond the arm of their law, it could be a haven for those who had to flee the Empire for one reason or another; those who got caught stealing just one too many times, those who killed the wrong person, and just those who wanted a place to settle down without the ever pervasive influence of the Empire. A semi-lawless place that, while not quite the wild west, is certainly not as orderly and controlled as the cities within the Empire. Perhaps a group of communities just on the very edge of becoming a nation that could, perhaps, one day challenge the Empire itself... Or whatever succeeds the Empire following its inevitable collapse. |
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Ifrit
Member
More edgy than a double edge sword
Posts: 3,284
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Post by Ifrit on Jul 9, 2017 8:53:59 GMT
Don't suppose I got a design in the short list eh?
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sevicler
Member
How do I edit status?
Posts: 272
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Post by sevicler on Jul 9, 2017 9:07:05 GMT
Sure thing, I did kind of hint that there was a dark, invading army that arrived from across the seas so the world may or may not be a Pangaea.. (my original thoughts were that there are several large unknown islands, an island continent and a similar sized continent elsewhere on the planet - but the Empire has not explored the vast seas yet and probably believe that the seas extend in all directions until they fall off the edge of the world in some gigantic, magical waterfall.. That said, I would prefer if we concentrate on fleshing out the continent that we will be focusing on as a priority. Any ideas for new lands can be incorporated fairly easily, either by adding more landmass somewhere or slotting it into the many vacant areas of the map. Truth be told, of the 7 plot and story options you gave us my favorite is VI. It can easily become a unique fantasy story that doesn't take too much from Lord of the Rings or some other standard fantasy tale where its always Good vs Evil. I've always wanted to read a story where the stakes aren't too high. Where the antagonist has no interest in conquering the world nor destroying the world nor are they even motivated by revenge. It would be interesting if the antagonist has just as much reasons for doing the things he did as the protagonist has for fighting them. I personally feel that in any tale where the stakes are incredibly high such as 'the world' or anything similar has no real tension because the reader/audience would know immediately that the protagonists will win, no matter what happens in the story. My least favorite would be II, especially if it turns out to be a typical Chosen One story. There are too many chosen one stories already in circulation and making a new one interesting would be extremely difficult. Of course, it can be easily changed when we begin world-building because its just an idea at the moment but I'd just like to warn people about 'Chosen One' stories and the fact that they are no longer interesting and that a LOT of things can easily go wrong. Oh and making the chosen one powerless or starting the story as being 'useless' in order to make them 'relate-able' does not always make a good story. Often times it simply makes them extremely boring or bland. It could also make the audience wonder why they are the 'chosen one' in the first place, and if the explanation isn't satisfactory, could easily kill a story. Also one more thing; Lets avoid medieval stasis. I posted an article earlier in this thread that explains, in detail, why medieval stasis should not happen to any civilization. One might argue that their particular civilization embraces an ideology that hampers technological progression. Unfortunately, people want to survive. Its literally impossible for the entire world to suddenly be convinced that not inventing things are good for them. After all, a civilization that doesn't constantly improve themselves will die to disease, famine or invading enemies. Unfortunately, this kind of disrupts Paul's note on the Land of the Dead and the Lich King's stance on technological progression. After all, if he's thousands of years old he should know better. I'll post more ideas on magic and maybe design a magic system. I actually want to design 2 magic systems that work in tandem or exists at the same time in the world, instead of the more common single-system that most fantasy has. I think I'll consult with Vincent on this. My $0.02 |
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admin
Site Admin
Posts: 2,085
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Post by admin on Jul 9, 2017 10:19:16 GMT
Super quick reply:
Croccifixio: It is a natural progression. Heh.
Celegon: Nice! I like Hillton best of all. Helgrim would be a good name for the current King of the Northmen..!
Vincent: Awesome, thanks. Solitary Plains has a nice ring to it, lets put it in!
Djinnobi: Oops, I opened a can of worms there.. I don't plan on making the shortlist public yet, and would prefer not to answer the 'did I make the cut?' or 'are we there yet' questions, but since you asked so nicely AND as I can give you a nice answer.. Yes, you did.. :-) But no more questions on that please folks.. All will be revealed soon enough..
Servicler: Some really great points raised here. Agreed that a low key scenario in a magical world is flavor enough. With regards to the least favorite scenario (Lich-King starts killing everyone in a desperate attempt to kill a 'chosen one') - his genocidal actions on his people would not spread beyond his kingdoms borders.. It would instead be a catalyst for the Empire to take action and declare war on the land of the dead.. Or just a very unsettling distant tale that may or may not be true told within the Empire.
To make it more interesting (as I agree that a straight out 'chosen one/golden boy' main character has been done to death and is not fun anymore) how about take the generic story and give it some TWISTS like:
A) The Prophecy is a lie, either propgated by enemies of the Lich King or even covertly by the Lich King himself to identify potential enemies and rebels (i.e. like living in a magical police state, but in this case the Lich King is Big Brother, and the Prophesy his Goldstein..)
B) The Prophesy is real, but the twist is that the chosen one is actually a necromancer posing as a holy man, who will if successful, lead the armies of death into direct conflict with the Empire. The Lich King himself is of Neutral Alignment.. (maybe Lawful Neutral, while the necromancer is Chaotic Evil).
C) The Prophecy is a half truth, and widely known only OUTSIDE the lands of the dead. Perhaps because the shadowy Lich King (who does not openly rule, but rules from deep within the ruins of the old Capital to the West) is such a powerful, but mysterious and hidden entity, the Prophesy and the legend that the Lich King will soon be (or is in the middle of) slaying his own people is an outsiders reaction to the influence of his undead hand on his Kingdom and a way of expressing the dread and disgust outsiders feel knowing an ancient dead god-king rules far to the West..
Keep the ideas and discussion coming folks. Things are really taking shape and the more back and forth and the more ideas are challenged and/or fleshed out, the richer and more realistic this fantasy world (working name 'Forumia') will become.
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Post by Vincent Dolan on Jul 9, 2017 10:24:31 GMT
Also one more thing; Lets avoid medieval stasis. I posted an article earlier in this thread that explains, in detail, why medieval stasis should not happen to any civilization. One might argue that their particular civilization embraces an ideology that hampers technological progression. Unfortunately, people want to survive. Its literally impossible for the entire world to suddenly be convinced that not inventing things are good for them. After all, a civilization that doesn't constantly improve themselves will die to disease, famine or invading enemies. Unfortunately, this kind of disrupts Paul's note on the Land of the Dead and the Lich King's stance on technological progression. After all, if he's thousands of years old he should know better. I'll post more ideas on magic and maybe design a magic system. I actually want to design 2 magic systems that work in tandem or exists at the same time in the world, instead of the more common single-system that most fantasy has. I think I'll consult with Vincent on this. My $0.02 Definitely agreed. I dislike medieval stasis as a rule because I feel the only being that could possibly justify it are elves; well, them and anything else that lives for several thousand years. When a single being can live for minimum 1,000 years, with many elves in fiction living 3,000+ if they're not just flat out immortal (as in, eternal and never aging, but can be killed), then there's really little hurry to innovate, especially as many elven cultures tend to be fairly traditionalist. That said, it could also depend on a nation's circumstances. Is it isolationist? Look at Japan during the Tokugawa era: 300 years of minimal development thanks to a lack of contact with the outside world; come the Meiji era and they advanced about 250 years in the span of about 20-30 (less in some areas). That could actually be an interesting set up for a Chosen One story: the Chosen One is raised in a very isolated culture, like, say, the Solitary Plains (if we go with something like that for that area below the Empire) and is given the Sword of Might and sent forth to slay the great evil, whatever it is, only to find the rest of the world is using flintlock muskets or even early revolvers. It would be interesting if the Sword of Might is the only thing that can slay the evil, but the rest of the world has progressed so far, technologically, that the Chosen One has to just carry it on his back as a status symbol, while he fights with a musket and bayonet most of the time. Another circumstance that could bring about a moderate form of medieval stasis is a lack of conflict. It's a sad truth, but war breeds innovation in just about every single field. If a few nations have somehow been at peace for a few centuries, then technological development will probably stagnate quite a bit. This, too, could give rise to an interesting dynamic. Maybe they've developed advanced technology for things like transportation, manufacturing, and medicine, but have almost completely neglected warfare due to their peace... Which is shattered when some new entity sees their prosperity and decides to take it for themselves with their technologically superior armies; though, in such a case, balance would be key. You can't really have something like WWI-era weaponry going up against knights in armor, because if you wanted the knights to be the victors, you'd have to pull way too many asspulls to make it happen. Like one side is using bronze equipment while the other is using early handgonnes and grenades, which are simple enough that they could be replicated fairly easily by a society with relatively advanced manufacturing. Those are the only two ways I could think where a medieval stasis is plausible without elves, but the key to the interest, at least in longer stories, is breaking the stasis. RE:Magic systems; I'm game. I've read a fair few series where there was more than one magic system, so I have a rough idea of how it could be done. I'd just need to find a way to make sure I don't start channeling my own magic system, which is fairly expansive in how it can be used. |
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Ifrit
Member
More edgy than a double edge sword
Posts: 3,284
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Post by Ifrit on Jul 9, 2017 10:44:22 GMT
Super quick reply: Croccifixio: It is a natural progression. Heh. Celegon: Nice! I like Hillton best of all. Helgrim would be a good name for the current King of the Northmen..! Vincent: Awesome, thanks. Solitary Plains has a nice ring to it, lets put it in! Djinnobi: Oops, I opened a can of worms there.. I don't plan on making the shortlist public yet, and would prefer not to answer the 'did I make the cut?' or 'are we there yet' questions, but since you asked so nicely AND as I can give you a nice answer.. Yes, you did.. :-) But no more questions on that please folks.. All will be revealed soon enough.. Servicler: Some really great points raised here. Agreed that a low key scenario in a magical world is flavor enough. With regards to the least favorite scenario (Lich-King starts killing everyone in a desperate attempt to kill a 'chosen one') - his genocidal actions on his people would not spread beyond his kingdoms borders.. It would instead be a catalyst for the Empire to take action and declare war on the land of the dead.. Or just a very unsettling distant tale that may or may not be true told within the Empire. To make it more interesting (as I agree that a straight out 'chosen one/golden boy' main character has been done to death and is not fun anymore) how about take the generic story and give it some TWISTS like: A) The Prophecy is a lie, either propgated by enemies of the Lich King or even covertly by the Lich King himself to identify potential enemies and rebels (i.e. like living in a magical police state, but in this case the Lich King is Big Brother, and the Prophesy his Goldstein..) B) The Prophesy is real, but the twist is that the chosen one is actually a necromancer posing as a holy man, who will if successful, lead the armies of death into direct conflict with the Empire. The Lich King himself is of Neutral Alignment.. (maybe Lawful Neutral, while the necromancer is Chaotic Evil). C) The Prophecy is a half truth, and widely known only OUTSIDE the lands of the dead. Perhaps because the shadowy Lich King (who does not openly rule, but rules from deep within the ruins of the old Capital to the West) is such a powerful, but mysterious and hidden entity, the Prophesy and the legend that the Lich King will soon be (or is in the middle of) slaying his own people is an outsiders reaction to the influence of his undead hand on his Kingdom and a way of expressing the dread and disgust outsiders feel knowing an ancient dead god-king rules far to the West.. Keep the ideas and discussion coming folks. Things are really taking shape and the more back and forth and the more ideas are challenged and/or fleshed out, the richer and more realistic this fantasy world (working name 'Forumia') will become. Thank you so much for answering. I didn't expect you to. I am honored.  |
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Post by Vincent Dolan on Jul 9, 2017 10:45:40 GMT
To make it more interesting (as I agree that a straight out 'chosen one/golden boy' main character has been done to death and is not fun anymore) how about take the generic story and give it some TWISTS like: A) The Prophecy is a lie, either propgated by enemies of the Lich King or even covertly by the Lich King himself to identify potential enemies and rebels (i.e. like living in a magical police state, but in this case the Lich King is Big Brother, and the Prophesy his Goldstein..) B) The Prophesy is real, but the twist is that the chosen one is actually a necromancer posing as a holy man, who will if successful, lead the armies of death into direct conflict with the Empire. The Lich King himself is of Neutral Alignment.. (maybe Lawful Neutral, while the necromancer is Chaotic Evil). C) The Prophecy is a half truth, and widely known only OUTSIDE the lands of the dead. Perhaps because the shadowy Lich King (who does not openly rule, but rules from deep within the ruins of the old Capital to the West) is such a powerful, but mysterious and hidden entity, the Prophesy and the legend that the Lich King will soon be (or is in the middle of) slaying his own people is an outsiders reaction to the influence of his undead hand on his Kingdom and a way of expressing the dread and disgust outsiders feel knowing an ancient dead god-king rules far to the West.. ... And this is why I miss the old function of the thread alerting me to a new post when I try to post; you ninja'd this in while I was replying to Servicler. Otherwise I'd have just replied to both in one. I personally like a mix of Options A & B). If there is a prophecy, it's real, but was propagated by enemies of the Lich King. The Lich King (I like the name Tshering for the Lich King; it's a Tibetan name that means "long-lived" and can apply to a male or female) is a neutral figure who just rules over the undead and is actually a pretty decent person. They're basically Hades from Greek mythology: faithful to their loved ones, dedicated to their job if a bit overworked, but gets a bad rap because of the whole "death" thing. The prophecy to defeat the Lich King is real and is being propagated by the Lich King's enemies who have some legitimate grievances against the Lich King for being incapable of 100% control over their undead citizens, which results in wandering skeletons and zombies and such, but mostly they're just creeped out by the death thing. They'd take the Lich King out themselves, but their armies are fairly evenly matched, so it'd result in mutual destruction. In comes the Chosen One, who I like the idea of being an evil necromancer. But perhaps instead of just "evil", which has also been done to death, what about "tragic"? Like, say, the hero is young, on the cusp of adulthood, when they find out their destiny and are raring to go because a pack of skeletons killed their family; also a bit cliche, but it gives a motive to pursue the prophecy beyond "because destiny said so". Maybe add onto it that their family pet died shortly before they were told their identity. They're then told by the organization responsible for training them that they have to learn necromancy, because they can hijack the armies of the undead and turn them on the Lich King, allowing the "Armies of Light" to invade and finish off all the remaining undead. Once they start learning, the first thing they do, naturally against the orders of their mentor, is try to raise their pet. Only, naturally, it comes back wrong (but only because of their inexperience rather than necromancy being inherently wrong or something), as a slavering monster that tries to attack them so they have to put it down (like the scene with Will Smith and his dog in I Am Legend; I almost tear up just thinking about it) and the experience just breaks them. From that, they dive into necromancy more fervently and secretly begin raising their own army to combat the Lich King, but again, inexperience rules the day and they start running rampant. The new Necromancer fully gives into their insanity and becomes a bigger threat than the Lich King that necessitates a 3-way battle between the Necromancer, the Lich King, and the Empire, the latter two of whom briefly put aside their differences to combat this greater threat. The Lich King gives their life in the battle, bringing the part of the prophecy about the Chosen One defeating the Lich King, but every person the Necromancer kills becomes another soldier in their army, making for an endless wave of darkness. From there, though, I got nothing that doesn't sound exceptionally cheesy. |
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Post by demonskull on Jul 9, 2017 12:14:53 GMT
Sure thing, I did kind of hint that there was a dark, invading army that arrived from across the seas so the world may or may not be a Pangaea.. (my original thoughts were that there are several large unknown islands, an island continent and a similar sized continent elsewhere on the planet - but the Empire has not explored the vast seas yet and probably believe that the seas extend in all directions until they fall off the edge of the world in some gigantic, magical waterfall.. That said, I would prefer if we concentrate on fleshing out the continent that we will be focusing on as a priority. Any ideas for new lands can be incorporated fairly easily, either by adding more landmass somewhere or slotting it into the many vacant areas of the map. Also one more thing; Lets avoid medieval stasis. I posted an article earlier in this thread that explains, in detail, why medieval stasis should not happen to any civilization. One might argue that their particular civilization embraces an ideology that hampers technological progression. Unfortunately, people want to survive. Its literally impossible for the entire world to suddenly be convinced that not inventing things are good for them. After all, a civilization that doesn't constantly improve themselves will die to disease, famine or invading enemies. Unfortunately, this kind of disrupts Paul's note on the Land of the Dead and the Lich King's stance on technological progression. After all, if he's thousands of years old he should know better. I'll post more ideas on magic and maybe design a magic system. I actually want to design 2 magic systems that work in tandem or exists at the same time in the world, instead of the more common single-system that most fantasy has. I think I'll consult with Vincent on this. My $0.02 I agree with the medieval stasis thoughts except where discussing the Undead and the Orc/Goblin/Giant areas. The Lich has a vast amount of Ancient Magic(possibly even a forgotten Magic System that no one else knows: Necromancy) and a horde of undead. He doesn't need to update his equipment and the humans he has enslaved to maintain the Undead equipment would not be motivated to come up with new tech. As far as the other group goes, Giants are typically thought of as "not too bright" and Orcs/Goblins are lazy bullies. Neither would come up with new tech. They'd use new tech if they took it in raids or combat but not create it themselves. Regarding Magic Systems, we could take something like D&D's spells : magical and clerical or something like those described by Lyndon Hardy in his book Master of Five Magics or even go with something like the spell types used in Skyrim. |
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Things have changed!