World from a Question: Formerly Quote Based, now Q&A Based Worldbuilding

[TheTeaMustFlow]

This is a continuation of the World From A Quote (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?405077-World-from-a-Quote-Quote-Based-Worldbuilding) thread started by spikeof2010. (a catalogue of the thread can be found here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?444026-World-From-A-Quote-Catalog))

Now that we have something of a feel for the setting, we have now moved on to a more descriptive format:

Poster 1 asks a question about the setting. "How was the Empire of Valtara founded?"
Poster 2: gives a short answer. "Odul the Great unified the five city states of the proto-Valtaran culture through diplomacy. His son, Ardan the Conqueror, used this power to conquer all the lands from the Shevra Strait to the foothills of the black mountains." They then give the next question.

The most recent question is:

What exactly was Riker Garrosh the madman prophet of?

[Jurai]

Riker Garrosh, as noted by Toyin Zakat shortly before his execution, is both prophet and projection of the old deities of the southern lands, and therefore prophesies about whatever god is currently using his body as its shell in the material plane.

With regards to the Fourth Voyage Across the Sea, what nations or their ships were involved in it?

[Belac93]

Nearly all, including Nessa and Valtara. The Suzerainty of Yuvata was one of the few that was not

Were and what is the Fereign Forest?

[Jendekit]

Nearly all, including Nessa and Valtara. The Suzerainty of Yuvata was one of the few that was not

Were and what is the Fereign Forest?

Roughly 250 miles (give or take) from the sea from which the four famous voyages launched, it is renowned for being the only forest composed of various mushroom-like fungi rather than trees. In fact, all forms of plant life you would expect to find in a forest instead have some form of fungal analog instead. No one is sure exactly how large the forest is, but attempts to measure the outer edge of the forest are never able to come up with consistent results. Despite what many would assume, those that enter the Fereign Forest have never reported the presence of undead. Not even so much as an animated squirrel.


Who are the Myst Disciples of Klendagon?

[Eldan]

The Myst Disciples, or more formally, the Initiated Disciples of the Azure Mystery, came into being in the generation after the monstrous Voradrosh emerged below the so-called Golden States, including Nessa. In that generation, many children were born with piercing, almost luminescent blue eyes and pale hair, who were originally called the Starborn, until it was found out that they were the result of Vordarosh corruption on the souls of unborn children. An organisation was formed who rounded up, indoctrinated and trained these Starborn into fanatical, psionic shock troops that had the power necessary to get close to a Vordarosh and slay it.

What was the original purpose of the Court Tenebrous, and how was that purpose twisted by later generations?

[Benthesquid]

The Court Tenebrous was originally the personal household and entourage of the Shadow Princess. It was only after the Shadow Princess's posthumous coronation and subsequent immolation that the Court Tenebrous began consolidating power, originally in the name of punishing the desecrators. By the time Eidel Schwartz came to power, the Court had little purpose but maintaining it's own iron rule of the city of Muz'dahim.

How was the Second Gornwast-Krieger war ended?

[Jurai]

The Second Gornwast-Krieger War was ended when Duke Gornwast and Duke Krieger's children married each other. The dukes killed themselves from the shame.

What is the Second Arcane Right, and whatever caused it to split from the First Arcane Right?

[RogueishScholar]

The Second Arcane Right was formed when a small, but extremely vocal, sect of the First Arcane Right (then known as simply "The Arcane Right) considered current Arcane Right leaders to have gone soft. Alpha Rodnick was the focus of the Second Arcane Right's ire. Eventually, the numbers of the Second Arcane Right swelled, and anyone who spoke against them were silenced through magic or a blade in the back.

Why was Hamish Greenthumb, gardener in Bulford, once teleported to the throne room of the Tarbean Emporers?

[Jurai]

Hamish Greenthumb had infuriated the local druid by cooking the prized pig of the druid for bacon. So the Druid sent a tree to the court, then pushed Hamish through a tree stride portal to the tree in the court. It was QUITE scandalous.

What is the Tarbean Dominion?

[RogueishScholar]

The Tarbean Dominion was formed by Karolus Xavir I in the year 1798 after he and his followers were exiled from Valtara. The dominion's purpose was to further all knowledge and research at all costs (often at the expense of human life). By the time Karolus Xavir VII took the throne, the Dominion had become a Dynasty.

How did Fell Knight Ridley of the Empire of Valtara fall?

[Belac93]

He got a call for help from the eastern holy empire. On his way there, he was visited by a demon, who showed him the truth of the world. His life haunted, he attacked the eastern holy empire, defeating dozens of warriors before he was finally riven off.

What are the warbeasts of Nessa?

[DoomHat]

More ugly leftovers from the Vordarosh. Though often the 'Myst Disciples' are dismissively counted among them, the Nessan Warbeasts are corrupted animal life (or Vord-spawn) that have been rounded up and mostly tamed for use on the battlefield. The military of Nessa keeps the secret of how they manage the beast under tight wraps, for no one else has been able to so effectively control them.

The Warbeasts of Nessa give the country such an absurd military advantage it's resulted in their influence spreading exponentially, without ever needing to actually field the the cursed things. Such is their sheer terror, neighboring nations are quick to fold in negotiations rather then risk armed conflict with Nessa.

----
What countermeasures are other nations attempting in order to match Nessa in the continental arms race?

[Rift_Wolf]

----
What countermeasures are other nations attempting in order to match Nessa in the continental arms race?

Valtaran Shapeshifters, while unable to match the warbeasts of Nessa due to conservathon of mass, are able to pass for Nessans, and are orchestrating a daring espionage and assassination plan. The only downside is time; it's taken years to get as far as they have, and the likelihood of Discovery has increased since Nessa has gained access to the Stones of Trueform.

----

How did Barul the Ignominious, formerly Barul the Valiant, finally meet his end?

[DoomHat]

Barul was a magus knight loyal to the First Arcane Right before the great split. Though the nature of his actions and strength of his character arguably never changed, the growing political clout and propaganda skills of the Second Arcane Right made him a target of public scorn. He was branded, "Everything wrong with the First Right".

While attempting to investigate the leadership of the Second Right, he had a "tragic fall", apparently slipping on some slick cobblestones while walking the streets at night, and tumbling into an open sewer. Or at least that's what the Valkin City guard (which received significant financial and material aid from the Second Right) reported once his body was found.

Few in the public at large felt they had cause to doubt the story. After all, what more likely fate could one expect for tottering, limp wrested, old Barul the Ignominious?


---

What is the stated mission and public function of the Arcane Right?

[Rift_Wolf]

---

What is the stated mission and public function of the Arcane Right?

Historians have argued this ever since the Second Arcane Right ordered a restructuring of its archives. The first Arcane Right may have been as simple as their name; the right to practice Arcane studies without fear or prejudice. As the movement grew in power, it's stated missions have been 'order above might', 'order, might and justice', 'truth over all' and 'arcane power for the good of humanity'. The current Arcane Right governs magical freedoms in allied nations and ensures these freedoms are properly restricted when necessary. It's current motto, 'fear not the Right', is a misquote from the former Valtaran Noble Antalain the Keen. The full quote is 'fear not the Right; fear those that wield it'.
(sorry if I've run off with someone else's idea but 'the Arcane Right' can be read in so many ways!)

---

Was there gold in the Adderspine mountains, and if so why did the Goldharker Expedition fail to find it?

[RogueishScholar]

(No worries, this thread is built for the express purpose of running off with ideas! :smallbiggrin: )

Rumors of gold in the Adderspine Mountains started when a young wizard's apprentice thought it would be funny to cast Fool's Gold all along the mountain range. By the time anyone gathered enough supplies to reach the rumored 'unclaimed dragon's horde', the spell had worn off. The Goldharker Expedition was the first to reach the mountains, and even saw a glimmer of gold ringing the peaks, but their attempts were in vain. They stayed in the mountains, searching, for years, and eventually became mad.

What are The Seven conscripts of the Sanctified Lords, and who were they meant to control?

[Jendekit]

What are The Seven conscripts of the Sanctified Lords, and who were they meant to control?

The Seven Conscripts are actually a collection of documents named after an ancient alliance of seven churches, each dedicated to the patron deity of the city-state in which they were located. Collectively called the Sanctified Lords in later eras, these deities embodied things like Music, Justice, Law, etc.

The first Conscripts were thought to serve as a peace treaty between the warring city-states, contemporary documents describing the occasions as "...bringing men that hated the others more than any and all things together, by seizing them by the base of their metaphysical snarglies." What exactly the word snarglies referred to has been lost to history, though all historians agree that it must have been painful.

Later conscripts included plays, songs, trade agreements, political concessions, essentially the seven churches acted to lessen the loss of life by taking over inter city trade and diplomacy.

~*~

What exactly is up with House G'kal?

[Eldan]

House G'Kal has gained infamy for simply abandoning Nessa and the entire Golden States when the Vordarosh emerged, in the process breaking every feudal oath they had sworn. House G'Kal became known, for centuries after, as The Craven House. However, as they left with all their assets and retainers, they were still a considerable force. Furthermore, they managed to save six of the Golden Principles, those functions after which the Golden States were named, which gave them considerable magical superiority in many fields.

The religions of Tarbean and Valtara are of course similar, since the nations share an origin. On which main point of doctrine do they differ?

[Rift_Wolf]

The religions of Tarbean and Valtara are of course similar, since the nations share an origin. On which main point of doctrine do they differ?

While both follow the Seven Conscripts, problems arose seven hundred years ago when the genuine Fifth Conscript was damaged during the Tarbean Siege. The ruined page ends with the line 'extend no* **ur hand to your enem-' before the page is illegible. Tarbeans who rewrote the Fifth Conscript finish with 'extend not your hand to your enemy, they will always betray you' while Valtaran scribes insist the actual line was 'extend now your hand to your enemy, and make peace'. Although the argument would have been considered trivial at any other point in history, the growing resentment between the two nations meant the church split, Valtaran altering it's reading of the Conscripts to be more peaceful and negotiable, while Tarbeans took the harder, judgemental readings as the basis for their religion.

---

How did Nessa acquire the Stones of Trueform?

[Eldan]

The Stones of Trueform are black monoliths, twelve feet on a side, which were found by the Myst Disciples in the Vordarosh tunnels. Apparently placed by some older civilization, or in some interpretation the gods, they prevent any changing of shape, not just magically but even some radical forms of natural transformation, as from a caterpillar to a moth. These were what originally kept the Vordarosh contained. Due to their effects on livestock and pregnant women, they are placed around, but not in settlements.

As a reminder:


...from black-crowned Terrador to Valtara...


and



"When stones weep and rivers burn, when the sun bleeds and the sky is made ash, when castles of stone fly through the air like clouds and the trees of the forest fight in the wars of men, then and not before shall the Deliverer be returned to you."
An Inscription on a stone in Mount Terrador.


Why do even the bravest heroes tremble at the thought of climbing Mount Terrador, and why are there still pilgrims going there?

[Rift_Wolf]

Why do even the bravest heroes tremble at the thought of climbing Mount Terrador, and why are there still pilgrims going there?

You mean beyond the wild Vord-spawn, trans-planar fissures and areas severed from life-force?
The only 'safe' path that reaches the summit is know as the Prophets Footsteps. This narrow gully is too thin for the Vord-spawn, and bypasses the worst of the chaotic magic. However, just as the Stones of Trueform suppress transformation, the magic of the Prophets Footsteps suppresses falsity, much like an epic level zone of truth. Lies are mercilessly stripped away, even lies someone tells themselves. Heroes go mad trying to follow the path, as all their justifications for violence and murder are taken away, leaving only the harsh truth; a hero is just a killer with the peoples support. Those who haven't taken a life can make the pilgrimage and find the Prophets name (a guarded Secret) inscribed on a standing stone. The journey is distressing, even dangerous, but rarely maddening to such pilgrims.

---

How did the Great Corruption almost end the royal lines of the Kalmankan Isles?

(does anyone mind if I collate all posts into a single document? I'll credit contributors of course)

[Belac93]

The great corruption was a mutating plague that was caused by magic. People infected were turned hideously deformed. The plague left them with their minds though, but the noble families, who used sorcery to protect themselves, banished the corrupted. After years of this, the corrupted fought back, decimating the noble houses. This eventually led to an organization of magic-hunters, called the Ziguranth.

What exactly are shimmerlings, and were do they come from?


The trick to fighting shimmerlings is that, obviously, they aren't real. Therefore, you cannot fight them with swords of steel or arcane fire. Though the fate of those they Rend is all too real, they are imaginary enemies, and thus can only be harmed by imaginary weapons. If you suspect that there are shimmerlings in the area, you must lay up stockpiles of children's wooden toy swords and drill your soldiers on throwing sock bombs, shooting scrunchies, and similar methods of pseudo-warfare. Alternately, simply draft whatever children you may have on hand, as this is probably faster.

[Rift_Wolf]

What exactly are shimmerlings, and were do they come from?

An astute, but unsolvable question. Shimmerlings are inexact by nature, without definition and unapologetically woolly. Attempts to define them creates a paradox to their existence which destabilises their intrinsic vagaries, either destroying them, rendering them inert or causing them to adopt a more definite, sensible shape. The best definition of a Shimmerling is 'that which cannot be defined, but can nonetheless kill'. Their origin is well documented, however; Shimmerlings are formed from ethereal chaos and lucid Dreams. They are the result of sentient Creatures falling asleep in extraplanar spaces. Crazed 'shimmerneers' will wear bags of holding during prolonged hallucinations to try to create obedient Shimmerlings. The results vary from 'torn apart by non-obedient Shimmerlings' to 'asphyxiated'. We did point out that shimmerneers were crazed.

What were the greatest exploits and triumphs of the kobold folk-hero, Twisttooth the Undaunted?

[TheTeaMustFlow]

What were the greatest exploits and triumphs of the kobold folk-hero, Twisttooth the Undaunted?

Undoubtedly, Twisttooth's greatest success was his creation of the most successful whiskey distillery in the world. While Twisttooth Whiskey is only the second best whiskey known to man, beast, or Garrosh, it is far easier than the best, as well as being rather less dangerous.

What is the best whiskey known to man, beast, or Garrosh, and where can it be found?

[Jurai]

Whilst Twisttooth indeed claims second, only the finest (and mad) connoisseurs of whiskeys and liquors (and Dwarves) can withstand the potent flavor of Ironhold Bourbon. Flavored with the finest mushrooms picked from the graves of the greatest Dwarven heroes, as well as the finest hops in the entire multiverse, Ironhold Bourbon is singlehandedly responsible for destroying more Voradorsh than any weapon, as the beasts are, unusually enough, attracted to alcohol.

Who is Tarakat, and what race worshipped him/her/it?

[Rift_Wolf]

Who is Tarakat, and what race worshipped him/her/it?

It's important to note that 'worshipped' is past tense. The Valtaran religion usurped veneration of the False Deities, of whom Tarakat was undoubtedly the most powerful. Even the most powerful lie is still untrue, however; Tarakat would appear as a Red Dragon, a burning skull, a seducer and Enchantress, but couldn't transform into the divine. When an Emissary challenged Tarakat to prove its power, the feeble magical constructs it had created were scattered like autumn leaves. Tarakat was in fact a Shapeshifter Sorcerer, more powerful than any other of its kind. It was executed for heresy, and it's bones were paraded through Valtara as a condemnation of false Worship.

While Tarakat is still the subject of Shapeshifter children's stories (in the few native communities where Shapeshifters have cultural autonomy), it's own race was one of the few tribes not fooled by Tarakats tricks. Predominantly it was the isolationist Mist Elves who fell for its tricks. Having no experience of Shapeshifters, Illusory or Transmutation magic, the Mist Elves were quickly swayed to Tarakats service, and the promises of power to the elves is a source of much speculation in Tavern tales.

---

What were the circumstances that began the War of the Unrecognised? How long did it last, and ultimately who was the victor?

[TheTeaMustFlow]

What were the circumstances that began the War of the Unrecognised? How long did it last, and ultimately who was the victor?

Almost entirely unknown. The series of clandestine conflicts known as the War of the Unrecognised lasted years, claimed thousands of lives in collateral damage, and was fought across the known world and beyond, from the peak of Mount Pentor , to the streets of Muz'dahim (both before and after it lived), even onto the deck of the IRS Extortionator just before its disappearance. Yet not one of the combatants has ever been identified. If one tries to describe them, one cannot find the words, if asked to sketch them, one cannot put pen to parchment, and the less said about attempts to use divination magicks the better. Thus, the circumstances, belligerents, objectives, and outcome of the War are an utter mystery - indeed, we do not even know if it has truly ended.

What happened in the end to Admiral-Dictator (once Grand Inquisitor) Eidel Schwartz?

[Eldan]

Damnatio Memoriae. Though he is technically still honoured for some of his earlier deeds, the last ten years of his life were struck from all records with extreme prejudice, going so far as to hire psions to wipe the memory of that time period from the mind of his lieutenants. As such, what exactly he did is known to none, not even his judges or executioners.

Magnus the Magnificient flooded the planes of Atallah. What now lies in the depths of that accursed sea?

[Rift_Wolf]

Magnus the Magnificient flooded the planes of Atallah. What now lies in the depths of that accursed sea?

Sailors on the Atallah Sea will tell you of the great Storm at its centre, surrounded by boiling water and steaming Elementals; this hints to the answer. Until two hundred years ago, Atallah was a vast desert, at the centre of which was a portal to the Elemental Plane of Fire. When the Ifrit invasion began, the desertification began to spread to the surrounding Highlands, forcing an exodus and leaving new territory for the incursion. Magnus' great spell was essentially a misuse of teleport spells to drop a sizable chunk of the plane of Elemental Water onto the ifrits fledgling empire. While this destroyed the ifrits, the portal remains; the resulting heat from it boils the Sea and fuels the rainstorms that Atallah is famous for. A side effect of this is that the Highlands and plateaus surrounding the former desert are now the most fertile farmlands in four hundred miles, making it capable of supporting not only the former refugees, but an influx of travellers, and turning former villages into the port towns and city states we know today. They didn't call Magnus 'the Magnificent' for nothing, you know.


The little village Of Yanth is completely landlocked, with no nearby lakes or large rivers, and surrounded on all sides by densely forested mountains. So why do sailors swear by Yanthian hulls, and merchants spend thousands to export them?

[Jurai]

Yanth is the sole source of Drakwood, which, when properly processed, is nearly indestructible, rot-proof, fire-proof, and, with proper enchantments, makes excellent airship hulls as well as good old fashioned seagoing ship hulls. However, Drakwood has a bit of a reputation as also being mighty temperamental to grow. This is because Yanth is built on the grave site of an entire circle of druidic great wyrms. The people of Yanth, and their ancestors, used to live at the foot of Mt. Silverflare, called such because the igneous rock it created had high concentrations of silver. Mt. Silverflare was going to blow, but the circle sacrificed themselves to put the mountain to rest, their last command being to maintain the trees and the seal on the mountain. To this day, the leaves of all the trees have silver streaks in them, and if an unworthy hand tries to harvest Drakwood, the tree will refuse to be cut down, dulling blades and shattering handles.

What prompted Tavian the Omnicidal's rampage?

[avr]

What prompted Tavian the Omnicidal's rampage?
The guerilla tactics of the Laughing Prince in magically influencing Tavian's vizier, his wife and his dog to attack him on successive days and the lethal consequences of Tavian's defences on those attackers broke the former Tavian the Windlord's mind. The resulting tornados wreaked the most visible destruction, but it was the undead he unleashed that did most of the killing.

How many noble families claim descent from the Rat King?

[Rift_Wolf]

How many noble families claim descent from the Rat King?

This is undoubtedly the most contentious subject in Kalmankan history. There are three viewpoints on the issue;

1) None of them. Enemies of the Rat King and his Nezumi allies proffer this one. The Rat King (if he ever did exist) was a charlatan and pretender, who spread lies as easily as his ratfolk spread disease.
2) All of them. The viewpoint of the Under-court and it's allies, who believe the Third Rat King sired multiple children in each Noble house during the Great Corruption. While the noblemen could stave off the worst effects of that plague, it left them unable to continue their family line. The Rat King was immune to the disease, and through use of polymorph spells was able to perform in the nobleman's stead. Although the child of two disparate species will favour the mothers race, rumours of Nezumi traits or personalities are often whispered.
3) All of them except us: The Vaygor and Marith houses claim this; that only their Bloodlines are guaranteed free from plague or vermin, and that true humans should be in power, not the halfbreed gutterskulks that preside the other houses.
4) None of them except us: A fairly unpopular viewpoint, claimed by only three minor houses; Nezumar, Balussant and Lonshor. These three share Islands with the Nezumi Kingdom and have regularly intermarried with the Rat Kings progeny, including the current Rat King (The tenth) having a Balussant wife and seven human son-in-laws. However the houses discredit the stories of the Rat Kings cuckoldry as characteristic boasting. Ratfolk are tricksters at heart, and nothing can rile the pompous as much as questioning their parentage.
In short, only Nezumar, Balussant and Lonshor claim descent. The other houses have descent thrust upon them.

---

Who is the most famous playwright in Valtara, and why is their most famous play so notorious?

[Eldan]

Sheskai Malgar, of course. The name is well known, as is his most infamous play, The Duke's Bedchamber, a shockingly deviant that in most rude and tasteless terms describes the alleged perversions and excesses of a thinly veiled expy of Duke Vahar the Third and his three daughters. While three actors were executed after the premiere, the playwright escaped on a very fast horse before the play even started and was never seen again.

What is less well-known is that Malgar was in truth Ambra Carthain, son of an innocent craftsman the Duke had executed two decades earlier.


Tarakat was the strongest of the False Deities. Who were the other two?

[Rift_Wolf]

Tarakat was the strongest of the False Deities. Who were the other two?

Tasimar the Much-Vaunted, and Lanceling, Peddler of Pearls. While false Gods and Prophets are inevitably more numerous than true ones, only Tasimar and Lanceling may have had powers to back up their claim.
Tasimar may have started out as a great Warrior among his people, but he soon learnt that the storytellers can tell lies as quickly as truths, and so employed a multitudes of bards, minstrels, poets and playwrights to laud his meagre endeavours. When the tales reached preposterous heights, such as caging the Uncageable Stork and mastering the Cyclops of Thard, the bards quickly covered themselves by claiming Tasimar had these powers due to challenging Death Itself to a duel and fighting to a stalemate. Claims that this duel led to immortality and godhood soon followed. The fickle God of Death, however, let Tasimar live a long, pampered life; long enough for Valtaran Inquisitors to drag him in chains through every city that knew his name, then long enough for their torturers to extract his sins, then long enough for his every follower to publicly denounce him. He died of a heart attack before the Valtaran headsman, however, proving that even the Inquisition is subject to the whims of Death.
Lancelings tale is less brutal, but no less sinister. In a world where people felt the absence of the greater, Lanceling offered wisdom and self-delusion for a price. The strange thing was, unlike other charlatans and false Prophets, Lancelings Teachings came true, and he was far more specific than he needed to be. He even predicted the events that would lead to his death, but the Inquisitors proved him false by sparing him. After this, his promises and foresight quickly came undone; his followers realised that one selling wisdom only trades with fools, and everything he had predicted had been in their power to fulfill. Stripped of potential godhood, Lanceling was bought before the presiding Grand Inquisitor, who asked him 'can you predict how you'll die?' They gave him unlimited guesses, and the process lasted for months, but even in his last seconds Lanceling couldn't foresee his Doom (after all, who'd predict they'd be killed by salt deficiency in a torture chamber?).

---

What were the Teeth of the White Panther, and why are they associated with shipwrecks?

[Eldan]

The Panther Isles are a small group of islands a few hundred miles from the nearest coast. When a Tarbean fleet discovered them and tried to subjugate the locals, they soon found out that their ruler, an elderly albino named the White Panther, was singularly skilled in Earth Magic and wrecked their entire fleet in one night by surrounding the islands with a chain of unpassable reefs now called the Teeth. Since then, no one has reached the isles alive.


What was the Gornwast Hecatombe?

[Rift_Wolf]

What was the Gornwast Hecatombe?

During the First Gornwast-krieger War, the Barbarian tribes were terrified of losing their strongest warriors to Kriegers superior weaponry. The Hecatombe solved this problem; using the mummified remains of their shamans, the Hecatombe made all who passed through its dark processes equal. If a man was too strong to risk losing, his strength would be spread among the weaklings. The result was uniform fighters, all striking with the same force, all capable of enduring the same hardships. Those who went through the Hecatombe were marked with a pair of scales, representing their equality.
However, even though the Hecatombe reshaped physical bodies, it took a toll upon the mind. Even the most wilful of the Gornwast lost their identity as their souls were carefully and evenly distributed, and entire armies would be lost when their generals succumbed to fugue states. After three years, Gornwasts losses were too great, the Hecatombe was destroyed and the barbarians were forced into uncomfortable alliances with the Trolls to stop the Kriegers army. It's just as well the Hecatombe was destroyed and it's Secrets forgotten; can you imagine if the Krieger had managed to perfect it?

How did a broken finger start a ten year siege?

[Belac93]

Ah, the tale of the broken finger. Once upon a time there was a wererat. This wererat was named 'Hisgrahigalr', in the tradition wererat way. His friends called him Higs.
Now, Higs once was walking through a small town of little consequence, called Bean-rat. On his was through, he tripped on a loose rock, and fell under a wagon. Miraculously, only his finger was harmed, broken. Higs decided it was too important to get were he was going to waste time finding a healer, so he trudged on. The finger got worse and worse, until eventually he passed out from the pain. His wererat kin found him, and begged him to deliver the message that he had been sent out for. He only managed two words before dying from infection. " **** Bean-rat!" Unrealized by poor Higs, the message he was supposed to deliver had been a kill order from the rat counsel. The wererat proceeded to attack the village, which was much more fortified than they expected. The battle raged for 10 years, and the village was eventually conquered. It has since grown into a profitable city, and has acquired a name, famous now, but originally a parody of the villages first name.
Tarbean.

What is the name of this world (might be a poll or something? Probably not just one person should decide).

[TheTeaMustFlow]

What is the name of this world (might be a poll or something? Probably not just one person should decide).

Trick question - like any good world, this one has a million names in a thousand languages. Most of these simply translate to `world`, `home`, `earth` or something similarly obvious, but there are a few oddities, which have often caused trouble - one contributing factor for the Sappers' invasion of Nessa was the disagreement over the fact that, while the Vorad word for `world` also means `hell`, the nearest Nessan equivalent translates best as `paradise`.

(I feel a little bad about unilaterally answering a question this big, but seeing as no one else had... any objections to my not-really-an-answer?)

How are John Tinderwick (Prophet of the Transhumanist Society) and Jake Tinderwick (self proclaimed "Wisdom Wizard" and well known psychopath) related?

[Belac93]

Trick question - like any good world, this one has a million names in a thousand languages. Most of these simply translate to `world`, `home`, `earth` or something similarly obvious, but there are a few oddities, which have often caused trouble - one contributing factor for the Sappers' invasion of Nessa was the disagreement over the fact that, while the Vorad word for `world` also means `hell`, the nearest Nessan equivalent translates best as `paradise`.


Good answer :)