havocfett
2011-05-18, 02:32 AM
The World of Xyn Düm
Xyn Düm is the great experiment of the gods. An enormous, hollow sphere. A sun is in the center, providing light and warmth to the habitat inside. An enormous torus, thin on one half and wider on the other, provides an unevenly divided 4 section day. A Frame of Illusion Magic surrounds the sun and divides the sphere into eight sections, green, blue, bright red, yellow, orange, purple, scarlet, indigo. The 'Top' and 'Bottom' of the Sphere are noted by an enormous spike jutting towards the sun on one end, and a round-tipped cone on the other. Both can be seen in detail with a basic telescope, or as points of light with the naked eye almost anywhere on the sphere.
Instead of North-South-East-West being used, spikewards, spinwards, counter-spinwards and tipwards are used. Magnets point tipwards.
Ghrakh
Small, platypus like bipeds. Ghrakh evolved as ambush predators with five distinct genders, one of which lays eggs, three of which are involved in fertilization and the genetics of the offspring, and one of which supplies the eggs with the enzymes necessary to actually hatch.
There is distinct dimorphism among the genders.
Klata, the gender that lays eggs, are significantly larger than other Ghrakh and are protected by society as they are far rarer than other genders. They tend to be politicians or Hatchery-Kings and run society. They have light brown or darker fur.
Drakalk, the first of the three fertilizing genders in the order that they fertilize the egg, tend to be mottled yellow or white with brown spots and smaller than the other genders. Drakab have a roughly average distribution and can take any job without real censure. They have poisoned barbs in their tail.
Mrakalk, the second of the three fertilizing genders, are nearly indistinguishable from Drakab, though significantly larger. They're denser and stronger than most other genders, and tend to be raised as laborers, militiamen, nest-tenders and civil guards.
Grakalk, the third of the three fertilizing genders, are of middling height (For Ghrakh) and have the same range of colors as Klata. They have prominent poison barbs by their hands. They tend to be merchants, guards and make up the majority of the actual army. They are considered the 'expendable' gender due to an oddly high rate of birth compared to other genders.
Molag, the last gender, are comparatively small and have white, yellow or gold fur. They have the same barbs as Grakalk, but tend to act as professors, researchers and scientists due to relatively low numbers.
Rough number ratio:
Klata: 2% births
Drakalk: 24% births
Makalk: 18% births
Grakalk: 51% births
Molag:5% births
Note: Varies slightly by country
Ghrakh Society: Ghrakh society is heavily communal. Due to the sheer size of a clutch and the nature of breeding among the species, family units simply do not happen.
Newly hatched Ghrakh are put into clutch groups, groups of Ghrakh of roughly the same age. They are raised by the Hatchery-Kings, a term for the Ghrakh put in charge of the nursery.
They are raised in nurseries and taught in public schools, and legally own nothing until they are 15. At 17 they choose a profession based on what they seem to excel at, and either go into training or start work depending on the profession they've chosen.
At this point they are effectively free citizens and may live as they wish, though most stay in contact with a large portion of their clutch group for most, if not all, of their lives.
Ghrakh Nations:
Mulka: One of the largest Ghrakh nations. Mulka is Spikewards of the continent of Nazar, based in the Vedan archipelago. They're highly expansionistic, and have been raiding the northmost countries of Nazar for years. The population is mostly Ghrakh, though Humans and sentient Spirits are allowed citizenship and have a growing population.
It is ruled by a republican government, some genealogical records are kept in order to prevent inbreeding.
Ghrakhal: A nation formed after the slave revolt in Ersteland, Ghrakhal is highly hostile towards Ersteland and viciously acts against intrusion. They keep the Ersteland slave-naming scheme, the first name being a noun in Gothic, and the last name being the nursery name. Extensive genealogy trees are kept to prevent inbreeding.
Humans are mostly unwelcome, though several cities along the Sharan border have begun to allow them in. Most cities are based in valleys that are virtually uninhabitable to humans, the local wildlife is highly venomous, and though Ghrakh are immune even the flies can cause human fatalities, causing colonization efforts to fail.
Ghrakh shares its tipwards border with Ersteland and Aldese, and its spikewards border with Shar. It has an uneasy peace with Aldese, never signed a peace treaty with Ersteland and is a firm ally of Shar.
Ghrakh is a loose confederation of city-states, mostly united via common currency, trade laws and defense agreements. Each city-state runs differently, with the federal government being a republic based on each states population.
Thurand: Thurand is actually a spirit run nation, but the Ghrakh population is far larger than either the spirit or human populations, and as a result the state's culture is heavily Ghrakh influenced. It is based in Tipwards Nazar. It is a monarchy, a line of Hill Spirits run the country, each giving up the throne to their descendants at around 500.
It has very little genealogy tracking.
Grakh Druka: Ghrakh Druka is two things, the name of the continent where the Ghrakh originate, and the name of the empire that spans its length. Ghrakh Druka is Spinwards of Thareth.
It has incredibly detailed genealogy tracking that is used to track the god-blood in the population.
They are hostile to almost everyone and are on a near-war footing constantly.
Ghrakh Warfare:
Ghrakh, unlike humans, are ambush predators by design. As a result, the long, drawn out sieges and battles of humans are eschewed in favor of quick skirmishing battles and ambushes.
As a result Ghrakh warfare is utterly different from Human warfare. Ghrakh armies rarely ever fight in open combat, and a pitched battle is instead a series of skirmishes and ambushes, mostly aimed at removing the armies supply line or destroying the countries ability to wage war as opposed to removing their defense force.
Ghrakh armies are, as a result, smaller than human ones, with most of the force being trained stealth units and guerillas, what Humans would consider line troops are actually trained decoys or guards of important installations.
In addition, chemical and biological warfare, as well as civilian casualties, are far more ingrained into Ghrakh warfare than Human warfare.
The idea of the unborn not being valid targets in war is considered invalid by most Ghrakh cultures, eggs are resources of the state, like iron or bullets, and are therefore valid, priority targets for destruction or theft.
Humans
The most prolific species on the explored part of the sphere, humans are endurance omnivores that have become the dominant mortal species in the past 3000 years, arguably due to the rise of the Ersteland empire.
Next section:
Geography
Technology
Politics
Religion
Spirits (May be part of Religion)
More information later, sleeping and have IB tests on the morrow.
Could use some help stating up the Ghrakh as a PC race. Gender would be a cosmetic difference despite reasonably major dimorphism.
Xyn Düm is the great experiment of the gods. An enormous, hollow sphere. A sun is in the center, providing light and warmth to the habitat inside. An enormous torus, thin on one half and wider on the other, provides an unevenly divided 4 section day. A Frame of Illusion Magic surrounds the sun and divides the sphere into eight sections, green, blue, bright red, yellow, orange, purple, scarlet, indigo. The 'Top' and 'Bottom' of the Sphere are noted by an enormous spike jutting towards the sun on one end, and a round-tipped cone on the other. Both can be seen in detail with a basic telescope, or as points of light with the naked eye almost anywhere on the sphere.
Instead of North-South-East-West being used, spikewards, spinwards, counter-spinwards and tipwards are used. Magnets point tipwards.
Ghrakh
Small, platypus like bipeds. Ghrakh evolved as ambush predators with five distinct genders, one of which lays eggs, three of which are involved in fertilization and the genetics of the offspring, and one of which supplies the eggs with the enzymes necessary to actually hatch.
There is distinct dimorphism among the genders.
Klata, the gender that lays eggs, are significantly larger than other Ghrakh and are protected by society as they are far rarer than other genders. They tend to be politicians or Hatchery-Kings and run society. They have light brown or darker fur.
Drakalk, the first of the three fertilizing genders in the order that they fertilize the egg, tend to be mottled yellow or white with brown spots and smaller than the other genders. Drakab have a roughly average distribution and can take any job without real censure. They have poisoned barbs in their tail.
Mrakalk, the second of the three fertilizing genders, are nearly indistinguishable from Drakab, though significantly larger. They're denser and stronger than most other genders, and tend to be raised as laborers, militiamen, nest-tenders and civil guards.
Grakalk, the third of the three fertilizing genders, are of middling height (For Ghrakh) and have the same range of colors as Klata. They have prominent poison barbs by their hands. They tend to be merchants, guards and make up the majority of the actual army. They are considered the 'expendable' gender due to an oddly high rate of birth compared to other genders.
Molag, the last gender, are comparatively small and have white, yellow or gold fur. They have the same barbs as Grakalk, but tend to act as professors, researchers and scientists due to relatively low numbers.
Rough number ratio:
Klata: 2% births
Drakalk: 24% births
Makalk: 18% births
Grakalk: 51% births
Molag:5% births
Note: Varies slightly by country
Ghrakh Society: Ghrakh society is heavily communal. Due to the sheer size of a clutch and the nature of breeding among the species, family units simply do not happen.
Newly hatched Ghrakh are put into clutch groups, groups of Ghrakh of roughly the same age. They are raised by the Hatchery-Kings, a term for the Ghrakh put in charge of the nursery.
They are raised in nurseries and taught in public schools, and legally own nothing until they are 15. At 17 they choose a profession based on what they seem to excel at, and either go into training or start work depending on the profession they've chosen.
At this point they are effectively free citizens and may live as they wish, though most stay in contact with a large portion of their clutch group for most, if not all, of their lives.
Ghrakh Nations:
Mulka: One of the largest Ghrakh nations. Mulka is Spikewards of the continent of Nazar, based in the Vedan archipelago. They're highly expansionistic, and have been raiding the northmost countries of Nazar for years. The population is mostly Ghrakh, though Humans and sentient Spirits are allowed citizenship and have a growing population.
It is ruled by a republican government, some genealogical records are kept in order to prevent inbreeding.
Ghrakhal: A nation formed after the slave revolt in Ersteland, Ghrakhal is highly hostile towards Ersteland and viciously acts against intrusion. They keep the Ersteland slave-naming scheme, the first name being a noun in Gothic, and the last name being the nursery name. Extensive genealogy trees are kept to prevent inbreeding.
Humans are mostly unwelcome, though several cities along the Sharan border have begun to allow them in. Most cities are based in valleys that are virtually uninhabitable to humans, the local wildlife is highly venomous, and though Ghrakh are immune even the flies can cause human fatalities, causing colonization efforts to fail.
Ghrakh shares its tipwards border with Ersteland and Aldese, and its spikewards border with Shar. It has an uneasy peace with Aldese, never signed a peace treaty with Ersteland and is a firm ally of Shar.
Ghrakh is a loose confederation of city-states, mostly united via common currency, trade laws and defense agreements. Each city-state runs differently, with the federal government being a republic based on each states population.
Thurand: Thurand is actually a spirit run nation, but the Ghrakh population is far larger than either the spirit or human populations, and as a result the state's culture is heavily Ghrakh influenced. It is based in Tipwards Nazar. It is a monarchy, a line of Hill Spirits run the country, each giving up the throne to their descendants at around 500.
It has very little genealogy tracking.
Grakh Druka: Ghrakh Druka is two things, the name of the continent where the Ghrakh originate, and the name of the empire that spans its length. Ghrakh Druka is Spinwards of Thareth.
It has incredibly detailed genealogy tracking that is used to track the god-blood in the population.
They are hostile to almost everyone and are on a near-war footing constantly.
Ghrakh Warfare:
Ghrakh, unlike humans, are ambush predators by design. As a result, the long, drawn out sieges and battles of humans are eschewed in favor of quick skirmishing battles and ambushes.
As a result Ghrakh warfare is utterly different from Human warfare. Ghrakh armies rarely ever fight in open combat, and a pitched battle is instead a series of skirmishes and ambushes, mostly aimed at removing the armies supply line or destroying the countries ability to wage war as opposed to removing their defense force.
Ghrakh armies are, as a result, smaller than human ones, with most of the force being trained stealth units and guerillas, what Humans would consider line troops are actually trained decoys or guards of important installations.
In addition, chemical and biological warfare, as well as civilian casualties, are far more ingrained into Ghrakh warfare than Human warfare.
The idea of the unborn not being valid targets in war is considered invalid by most Ghrakh cultures, eggs are resources of the state, like iron or bullets, and are therefore valid, priority targets for destruction or theft.
Humans
The most prolific species on the explored part of the sphere, humans are endurance omnivores that have become the dominant mortal species in the past 3000 years, arguably due to the rise of the Ersteland empire.
Next section:
Geography
Technology
Politics
Religion
Spirits (May be part of Religion)
More information later, sleeping and have IB tests on the morrow.
Could use some help stating up the Ghrakh as a PC race. Gender would be a cosmetic difference despite reasonably major dimorphism.