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Raz_Fox
2008-10-19, 08:02 PM
Alright, this is where you write down all yer juicy worldbuilding.

Races, orginazations, countries, famous blokes - it's all goot. Feel free to write anything that doesn't contradict already-established fact! To start us off, I'll post the Raven Queen's Knights and Tiefling Breeding. (I feel unclean! :smalleek:)

Edit: Players in the Blank Parchment PbP ONLY, please. I don't understand how this 'un keeps getting other people's posts here. :smallsigh:


Offical Fluff change - ho!
Tieflings can breed with the following creatures:
Human
Elves
Eladrin
Tieflings
Shadar-kai (Stygian sub-race only)
<Insert some fire-based medium humanoid from the MM here - I can't find any!> (Non-Stygian Tieflings only)

If the mother is the tiefling, the baby will be a tiefling do to prolonged exposeure to the racial curse in the womb.
If the Father is a tiefling, there is a 25% chance that the child will be a tiefling.
"Normal" Tiefling bloodlines trump Stygian Bloodlines. A Stygian Male and a non-stygian Female Tiefling mating would result in a 25% chance of a Stygian offspring. Stygian females with a Male non-stygian mate would have a 75% chance of resulting in a Stygian Tiefling.

Stygian-on-Stygian and Tiefling-on-Tiefling action will always result in a Stygian or Tiefling, respectivly.


The Blackshields are an order of Raven Queen Paladins who track down cults of Orcus and destroy Undead. The order is not evangelical, and their members are known for a remarkable lack of piety, especially compared to other Paladins. The order has no hierarchy, and members rarely travel or work together--except in circumstances where both Blackshields coincidentally meet. They have no headquarters outside of temples to the Raven Queen, and membership in the order gives no benefits outside of those already accorded to Paladins.

Blackshields are often quite gregarious, and enjoy the company of others; in fact, generally the only people who Blackshields don't get along with are other Blackshields. This is perhaps because their lack of organization allows for dramatic differences between members--some members are totally devoted to their Goddess, and it isn't uncommon for other to render only lip service and hunt undead only for the spoils found in tombs and catacombs.

frogman55
2008-10-19, 08:29 PM
While speaking of Tieflings:

(Infernal) Tieflings have long been shunned and persecuted for their demonic appearances, and have never been able to wholly integrate with outside communities, other than a few notable exceptions. Because of their isolation, most Tiefling communities end up banding together, and forming large trading caravans that travel the globe. Their unique appearance and isolation, along with a degree of cosmopolitanism combine to create a culture almost entirely separated from the rest of the world, with clannish and secretive societies that only deepen the divides.

These caravans are made of up clans, large extended families that often have their own traditions and customs. They are among the more successful traders - raiders and bandits only rarely feel confident enough to attack a caravan consisting of hundreds of very intimidating Tieflings. Of course, the distrust that the cities feel towards Tieflings and the restrictions placed on them keep the worlds wealth from concentrating in the hands of the nomadic Tieflings. The only real threat towards the caravans are essentially natural.

Nefarion Xid
2008-10-19, 09:16 PM
180 years ago the Gray Elves (lead by the revolutionary hero Haleth and following the teachings of the philosopher Nethilen), broke away from the Elven nations and renounced their sylvan heritage. Spurred on by the advances in alchemy and machining, Nethilen embraced new technologies and began comprising a doctrine for a new culture based on rationale and science. Both Nethilen and the new marvels of engineering were rejected by the elven people at large. 30 years after the death of the philosopher, Haleth took up his cause and rallied the educated and eclectic elven youth and shepherded them to found a new nation in the northern mountains. A few battles followed in the inevitable clash; neither side is proud of that fact and most elves refuse to talk about it.

In the time since, the Gray Elves have hollowed out a niche for themselves in the mountains where they continue to refine their alchemical techniques. The study of philosophy, ethics and psychology thrives even today. Small numbers and constant conflict with the goblin nations have prevented the Gray Elves from expanding their influence. Many fear that military conquest is inevitable with their superior technology. For that reason (and because they're often viewed as amoral) many common folk do not trust Gray Elves.

The city state of Nethril is located (somewhere) in the Nantir Mountains.

Vadin
2008-10-19, 09:57 PM
On the other side of the Nantir Mountains (next to the Gray Elves, on the opposite side of them to the Elves) are the Goblins, colloquially known as the 'Lesser Fey'. The naturalized servants of ancient Eladrin nobles, the little gray-green monsters often have small conflicts with the Gray Elves over mine access.

loopy
2008-10-19, 11:09 PM
I was thinking of creating a formerly evil-tinged (think medieval Christianity during the crusades) religious sect that was turned to a more benevolent path by a Lawful Good vampire*. Unfortunately, I can't think of anything for the Formati to believe in, that would set them apart from say, the church of Pelor.

* A good person, though his predatory instincts reassert themselves whenever he gets emotional**.

** For example, when a certain dashing human rogue steals holy relics.

frogman55
2008-10-19, 11:28 PM
Make it a martial order, rather than a divine one (think Red Dragon vamps from Warhammer).

Could the Formati be a quasi-monastic order devoted to things like discipline, order, and peace?

And/or
Previously they were led by worshipers of Bane and Gruumsh, but the Vampire you mentioned is instead a worshiper of Erathis, and his lieutenants have supplanted worship of the dark Gods for Erathis and Kord.

Nefarion Xid
2008-10-19, 11:43 PM
Go back to Lords of Creation, Vadin! This is where all the cool kids hang out :smallbiggrin:

Seriously though, bug Raz if you'd like to be a part of this. Raz, I'll vouch for Vadin, he's a good guy.

Now...I'm all for subverting tropes like everyone else here. But, I think I'd like to leave my goblins as the filthy little monsters of the world. They're fast breeding bellicose nuisances only good for target practice - at least they're certainly what Gray Elves think of them.

The Gray Elves are usurper in goblin country. The goblin tribes have lived in this part of the mountains for hundreds and hundreds of years. Then just 180 years ago some uppity elf just rolled in to the neighborhood with his buddies with their cannons and bombs and spyglasses and decided they'd carve out a city and turn ancient goblin warrens into coal mines! The goblins are still pissed.

loopy
2008-10-20, 01:00 AM
So are we still using the 'default' D&D pantheon then?

frogman55
2008-10-20, 09:00 AM
We have been so far. We've already got 2 raven queen worshipers. I suppose it wouldn't hurt any to come up with new ones.

Thanatos 51-50
2008-10-20, 10:26 AM
Unless you want to make an offical ruling otherwise, Loopy. We've all got our hands in this pot, you know. Just make sure to write up appropriate curnch on each new diety. Along with all the fun fluff.

frogman55
2008-10-20, 10:56 AM
I don't really have much motivation to play with new panthons -- I'm just letting Loopy know it's ok with me.

Shades of Gray
2008-10-20, 02:11 PM
Lolth is the god of scorpions, not spiders. She is depicted similar to a Drider. The drow worship her as a benevolent being, bringing shadows to the harsh desert land. Other people see her as a horrible goddess of darkness, a blight on the land.

Lolth is regarded as the first dark pact warlock, and since then dark pact warlocks have been revering her as the first of their kind. She supposedly made the deal to protect her people, but the being she made the pact with (a primordial) also made it a curse. The dark pact causes a blight on the lands.

This doesn't matter much since Aedrus is an atheist, but still. I made her the god of scorpions since they are more associated with the desert.

Raz_Fox
2008-10-20, 05:31 PM
Alright, I'd like your opinion on a couple of things I wanted to do in this setting with Dragons, Orcs and Gensai. Here goes:

I wanted Dragons to be lords of the seasons, much like Chinese Mythology. A white dragon is Winter Incarnate, a red is Summer Incarnate, a green Spring Incarnate and a black Autumn Incarnate. Their personalities vary - a Green could be good and devoted to new life, or evil and devoted to chaos and the breaking of order.

I also wanted Orcs to be bellicose, haughty mercenaries in the setting. Got a war to fight? Hire an orc band to fight it for you! Got a big war to fight? Hire an orc band at reduced prices!

Lastly, I hatehatehatehate with a burning passion the weird-looking crystal people that Gensai have become in 4th Edition, especially as I love the concept. My suggested change is that the elemental fury is directed inward, not outward. Wind Gensai are easily distracted, sometimes cold and always injecting new insights into discussions. Fire Gensai are brash, wild and tend to hurt the people around them - or inspire them to new power.

As for Storm Gensai - I have my own plans there... :smallamused:

However, they are easily mistaken for normal humans if an onlooker is unwise or not actually looking for a Gensai.


So, whatta you guys think? :smallsmile:

Shades of Gray
2008-10-20, 05:40 PM
Genasi could have some elemental traits.

Oddly coloured, or even glowing eyes.
Oddly coloured hair.

frogman55
2008-10-20, 06:40 PM
Would the orcs be disciplined or wild? If you hired a band and used them to invade somewhere, would they only attack the military or would they burn everything? (or somewhere in between). Could you use orcs to garrison an area or would they be more damaging than an invading army would be?

Raz_Fox
2008-10-20, 09:27 PM
Well, they'd have enough honor not to hurt women and children, but anyone who tries to fight them would probably be ripped to shreds. And they'd probably use fireballs or explosives on any military complexes, because that's cool. They're wild by nature, but they also have an obedient streak to one or two individuals they'd die for - usually the chief or warlord.

You could use Orcs to garrison an area, but they'd be unpopular - everybody knows how vicious and cruel Orcs are, silly! They're just waiting to steal our wives and kill our children!

They're warriors at heart, but they can be as good as they can be evil. They view fighting and slaughter as a morally neutral act, it's just who you kill and slaughter that's important.

Oh, and I like the elemental eyes for the Genasi.

loopy
2008-10-21, 01:12 AM
Unless you want to make an offical ruling otherwise, Loopy. We've all got our hands in this pot, you know. Just make sure to write up appropriate curnch on each new diety. Along with all the fun fluff.

The problem with me creating a pantheon is that it always ends up with about 30 variations of "God of Thieves". Hey, I likes what I likes :smallbiggrin:. Besides, I'm not the religious character in the party, I wouldn't want to screw with the Raven Queen worshipper.

Manthus
2008-10-21, 07:18 AM
The God-Forest of Averon is infinitely large, and required an entire other plane of existence to make. It is said to go on forever in all directions, trees touching the sky, the famed Neverending Ravine, everything is forever. It is also the resting place of dead animals, where their spirits frolic for an eternity.
Sentient animals are as common as dead ones. Building their cities in deep gorges, and tree branches, they live in perfect harmony with the natural world, living, giving birth, passing on, reincarnating, and the circle goes on and on. They say the elves planted a single seed, and from that seed a forest emerged.

LurkerInPlayground
2008-10-21, 10:49 PM
Well, they'd have enough honor not to hurt women and children, but anyone who tries to fight them would probably be ripped to shreds. And they'd probably use fireballs or explosives on any military complexes, because that's cool. They're wild by nature, but they also have an obedient streak to one or two individuals they'd die for - usually the chief or warlord.

You could use Orcs to garrison an area, but they'd be unpopular - everybody knows how vicious and cruel Orcs are, silly! They're just waiting to steal our wives and kill our children!

They're warriors at heart, but they can be as good as they can be evil. They view fighting and slaughter as a morally neutral act, it's just who you kill and slaughter that's important.

Oh, and I like the elemental eyes for the Genasi.
So orcs are basically the Jagermonsters from Girl Genius?

loopy
2008-10-22, 05:58 AM
So orcs are basically the Jagermonsters from Girl Genius?

Do they ride flying red bulls and bomb things?

Raz_Fox
2008-10-22, 06:20 AM
Based on, you could say. Not all of 'em have nize hats, but a lot wear tattered foppery like formal coats or evening gloves.

I like GG a lot, but try to change stuff from the source to make it more interesting. :smallwink:

So what does everyone think about the Genasi and the Dragons? :smallconfused:

frogman55
2008-10-22, 12:09 PM
I dunno about the dragons stuff. I depends on what you mean by <season>incarnate. I mean, it could mean about the same thing Robins do in relation to spring or it could mean an autumn god is a literal god of harvest.

In general, making dragons into symbols of the seasons or zodiak would be ok with me. Actually giving them various powers over their given seasons not so much.

Raz_Fox
2008-10-22, 12:39 PM
I was thinking an impact on the enviroment in opposite ways:

Red Dragons bring the sun and heat wherever they go, White Dragons bring frost and cold.

Green Dragons bring abundant growth wherever they go, while Black Dragons are a blight on the land.

They don't control the seasons, but they have a strong affinity to the different seasons.

Oh, and what do you think of dividing the year into four Marks? Green Mark is spring, Red Mark is summer, Black Mark is autumn and White Mark is winter. :smallsmile:

frogman55
2008-10-22, 12:56 PM
How limited would their seasonal effects be? If it was too strong, the dragons would have to be migratory for the world to work at all (Perhaps 4 mythological uber-dragons are migratory, slowly flying around the world?).

I think it would be cool if the effects on most dragons only really affect areas where they have spent alot of time--basically their immediate lairs would show the effects, not the surrounding countryside.

Shades of Gray
2008-10-22, 08:09 PM
Areas of extreme life, death, cold, and heat are the burial grounds. When a powerful dragon dies, it's life force seeps into the land.

Red: Deserts
White: Tundra and cold areas
Black: Wastelands
Green: Forest

You seem to have forgotten blue dragons in your descriptions, eh?

Raz_Fox
2008-10-22, 08:15 PM
Blue Dragons = Storm Dragons. In this world, there is such a thing as the essence of the storm, and Blue Dragons as well as some Genasi can harness it.

Indeed, the Storm King in the Nantir has made great leaps in understanding the perfect essence of the storm, and uses it in his Ulshani warriors to give them a spark of life and sentience.



...I'm doing it again!!!!! :smalleek: Iwillnotmakeuptheentireworld Iwillnotmakeuptheentireworld Iwillnotmakeuptheentireworld...

Really though, would you players mind if I made up as much stuff about the world as you guys? I'm a natural worldbuilder, and I love to contribute, too! :smallsmile:

frogman55
2008-10-22, 08:19 PM
Really though, would you players mind if I made up as much stuff about the world as you guys? I'm a natural worldbuilder, and I love to contribute, too!

No problem, it's probably a good idea that you do alot of it--you've got a better idea about whats coming than we do.

We're mostly going to be concerned with what we're dealing with right that moment.:
For example, I just declared in dialogue that nobles regularly finance bandits in the mountains. Minor, I know, but it could have long-reaching effects in our campaign.

Raz_Fox
2008-10-22, 08:38 PM
No problem, it's probably a good idea that you do alot of it--you've got a better idea about whats coming than we do.

We're mostly going to be concerned with what we're dealing with right that moment.:
For example, I just declared in dialogue that nobles regularly finance bandits in the mountains. Minor, I know, but it could have long-reaching effects in our campaign.

...YEEEESSSSSS!!!! BWAHAHAHA!!!

*Clears throat* :smallredface: You could be right, this could have long reaching effects in the campaign. :smallamused:

And this is exactly the kind of worldbuilding I love - showing that there is a world outside of our metagame knowledge that these characters know and understand. Well done, frogman.

Thanatos 51-50
2008-10-22, 09:28 PM
Aasimirs were wiped out by the Olde Tiefling Empire in a Xenocidal war which collapsed the Olde Empire's economical system, and brought it into ruin. The Tiefling race barely survived - mostly due to the women interbreeding with various other races.

They are now as common as any "other" PC race. Aasimir are all but extinct.

frogman55
2008-10-23, 08:33 AM
Halfling communities tend to be insular, isolated, and ignorant. While individual halflings and especially those halflings that live in communities with large numbers of different races are as cheerful and friendly as the player handbook indicates, halfling towns are suspicious and fearful of outsiders. As a result, they are superstitious and prone to mob violence, and will regularly expel outsiders with force. (Start with the Shire and mix in a healthy amount of Deliverance and the Crucible.)

Shades of Gray
2008-10-25, 08:46 AM
Valenethir was an old famous Wood Elf. He fought in one of the Elven civil wars. He had a small area of land that was conquered by Varenis. Valenethir was an extremely old elven conjurer, famous for turning the tides of battle by summoning great beasts of war.

The Drow Elves often acted as the mediator between the civil wars. The Eladrin were just plain uninterested in the affairs of their "more rural" kin. Drow ambassadors were common during war council meetings. They had a strict "no interference" policy however. The Drow (officially) didn't fight in these wars, but many rebel Drow mercenary fought on one side or another.

Aedrus hasn't really heard current events about these things, he studied elven history in school. That's why he didn't know about Varenis. He mixed up there names by accident.

frogman55
2008-11-04, 08:21 PM
@ Raz: You mentioned the Storm King a couple of times, do you have any plans for him? It seems as though he is a blue dragon, with some kind of construct/genasi soldiers--what exactly are Ulshani?

@ Tenet: Do you have any more ideas for your Formati? It would be interesting to have more of their history/beliefs/etc. to shape the Blackshields off of.

@Nefarion: It seems like Calenthir has a definite militant and mercenary streak, is that common in Gray Elfs in general or is it just Calen and we're visualizing him as a stereotype of Gray Elfs?

I've noticed that dwarfs have so far gone unmentioned.
Would it be interesting to relocate Dwarfs from their mountain and cave strongholds to giant floating city islands that they build themselves? The dwarves then would be still be expert stone-crafters, but they limit themselves to mostly volcanic rocks, both floating stones like pumice and hard polished obsidian stone work.

The dwarves sail ships both of conventional design (wood hulls, sails, etc.) As well as great floating stone castle structures, that mostly just follow the currents but also have great mechanical water turbines that can generate a small amount of speed, enough at least to avoid foundering on reefs and washing against shore lines; though not enough to even catch a rowboat.


Also, while we are tiptoeing around some steam-punk fantasy elements, I'm going to come out right now and put my vote against any sort of ornithopter/airship. If we want to fly we need to either cast a spell or find ourselves some giant eagles. No real reason other than the fact that I've always kinda hated flying machines in fantasy, much like Raz seems to hate crystalline elemental people thingies.

Raz_Fox
2008-11-04, 08:52 PM
Interesting ideas, frogman. I'd make them ravening cannibals as well, but I just like Zamonia novels too much. :smallwink: I'm also planning to have them eat rocks if you ever meet them, just so I can make jokes about Stone Soup.

The Storm King? Yeah, I've got Girl Genius-fueled plans for 'im. Decided to mix it up a bit, so if you've read the series don't imagine you know what he'll be like. Ulshani? Let's just say that there are those in the Nantir who would freak out at seeing Dorian's arm, especially war veterans. :smallamused:

frogman55
2008-11-04, 09:28 PM
Well, if the Ulshani are, ahem, unnatural...

So far elves are basically elves, Humans are human, and Halflings are inbred. Tieflings are outcasts or gypsy style nomads. Dwarfs are Waterworld extras.

Which means that the only player handbook race still left out of our world is Dragonborn. Anybody got any plans for them?

Nefarion Xid
2008-11-04, 09:41 PM
@Nefarion: It seems like Calenthir has a definite militant and mercenary streak, is that common in Gray Elfs in general or is it just Calen and we're visualizing him as a stereotype of Gray Elfs?

Gray Elves are known to be pretty no-nonsense, terse and even rude when compared to other cultures - Calen is no exception. If there's gold on the line, they want to know the when where why and how much immediately without beating around the bush or haggling over the price.

They do have a strong military tradition. There's the rebellion against their Wood Elf cousins in recent history and they're constantly defending their home from goblin tribes. But, they're not very militaristic. They don't raise children to be soldiers, they don't conscript citizens to serve in the army; military service is totally voluntary. For especially talented elves (like Calen) they just happen to offer you more compensation than you could refuse. Their army is very small, but exceptionally skilled and well trained with vastly superior weaponry. Calen wasn't exaggerating when he said he could hold a bunker with 5 riflemen against multiple goblin warbands.

Are Gray Elves sell swords? Absolutely not. Calen happens to be a mercenary, but you can only buy his gun for something he'd be inclined to do anyway (shooting monstrous humanoids in this case). Many Gray Elves may actually be pacifists...Goblins and Kobolds just aren't counted among the sentient races that should be afforded innate and inalienable dignity. To his race? Goblins are nothing but rats.

The city of Nethril is a lot like walking around a college campus. Except dark, cold, and surrounded by gray mountains. You're likely to run in to any sort of view point - and someone espousing the virtues of their philosophy.

Unlike many Gray Elves, Calen is also surprisingly, sometimes randomly altruistic. He may come off a gruff hired gun at the moment...but if an innocent were in genuine and immediate danger, he's spring to action and put a cap in evil.

Random stuff: The arts have suffered since the Gray Elves renounced their heritage. Their machines and weapons are always beautifully and delicately crafted, with etched calligraphic designs like you'd expect form Elves. But they've totally lost things like wood working...and music and poetry are in steep decline.

Edit: If you've played Final Fantasy 6...Nethril would look an awful lot like the city of Narshe.

loopy
2008-11-05, 10:35 AM
@ Tenet: Do you have any more ideas for your Formati? It would be interesting to have more of their history/beliefs/etc. to shape the Blackshields off of.

First off, who are the Blackshields?

frogman55
2008-11-05, 10:38 AM
The Blackshields are an order of Raven Queen Paladins who track down cults of Orcus and destroy Undead. The order is not evangelical, and their members are known for a remarkable lack of piety, especially compared to other Paladins. The order has no hierarchy, and members rarely travel or work together--except in circumstances where both Blackshields coincidentally meet. They have no headquarters outside of temples to the Raven Queen, and membership in the order gives no benefits outside of those already accorded to Paladins.

Blackshields are often quite gregarious, and enjoy the company of others; in fact, generally the only people who Blackshields don't get along with are other Blackshields. This is perhaps because their lack of organization allows for dramatic differences between members--some members are totally devoted to their Goddess, and it isn't uncommon for other to render only lip service and hunt undead only for the spoils found in tombs and catacombs.

As seen in both post #1 of this thread as well as my character sheet background. :smallwink:

Thanatos 51-50
2008-11-05, 07:34 PM
Kobolds love onions, no exceptions.
Yes, this is random.

frogman55
2008-11-05, 09:31 PM
Hmm, I can't help but wonder how many onions Quill is carrying. :smallbiggrin:

Thanatos 51-50
2008-11-05, 09:41 PM
None.
Thank the Raven Queen.

Shades of Gray
2008-11-05, 09:56 PM
In the old days the Drow's mages guild connected with the guilds of the other elves, they kept great communication through these links. After the Blight plague*, the disease spread to the far off elven lands, and soon after the magic links were abolished.

* A disease caused by a Drow Archmage, awakening the blight from the dark pact that spread throughout the land. The archmage was slain by Aelander, a great paladin of Lolth.

The Capital city of the Quintean Desert, is built around a great desert oasis. The neighboring mountains protect this city from all sides. The mage link portals are buried under tons of ruins. The city has a silk road, and the major exports of the county are spices, salts, special fermented cactus wine, and silk of course. The country's economy has suffered slightly, since the blight plague. Even though the disease has been sealed into a gem, hidden in the great temple of Lolth. Dark Pact warlocks draw on this blight plague energy, however sanctioned warlocks' spells do not have this impurity.

Since Aedrus wasn't officially sanctioned as a warlock, he does not have the blight plague purity in his magicks. This doesn't change much, however if he uses his powers too often, he might temporarily show signs of aging, something not usually seen until the late 300's of an elf's life.

loopy
2008-11-05, 10:58 PM
As seen in both post #1 of this thread as well as my character sheet background. :smallwink:

*headdesk*

Anyway, I kind of just threw the name "Formati" out to give some potential story hooks for my character. I also liked the idea of a lawful good vampire. To be honest I haven't had all that much inspiration for them.

frogman55
2008-11-07, 09:03 PM
Do you like them as an actual order of some sort, like a religious or martial organization? Or maybe more of a ruling family, like the Medici in Venice?