World from a Quote: Quote Based Worldbuilding

[Eldan]

The last words of Vestin Fischer, War profiteur.

When last I set
My foot on sand
And set my eye
Upon that land -
Where shadows breed
And mirrors break,
Where grows no seed
In winter's wake -
There was not yet
All hope forlorn
And those now dead
Had not been born.

When now I set
My foot down there,
Where none may live,
And souls lie bare,
My eye sees nought
But blood and sand,
Where once we thought
Could be our land.

If I return,
In future days,
And brave again
Her dreadful gaze,
My only cause
Can be her death,
To be pursued
With every breath.

'Cause I will know
What She suspects:
That is not dead
Which yet reflects.

[spikeof2010]

The last words of Vestin Fischer, War profiteur.

When last I set
My foot on sand
And set my eye
Upon that land -
Where shadows breed
And mirrors break,
Where grows no seed
In winter's wake -
There was not yet
All hope forlorn
And those now dead
Had not been born.

When now I set
My foot down there,
Where none may live,
And souls lie bare,
My eye sees nought
But blood and sand,
Where once we thought
Could be our land.

If I return,
In future days,
And brave again
Her dreadful gaze,
My only cause
Can be her death,
To be pursued
With every breath.

'Cause I will know
What She suspects:
That is not dead
Which yet reflects.

"My Journey To An Island Unknown" by Penning Dantlefol, navigator of the Royal Ruby Fleet for Astrodoria

"If you happened to find yourself to look up into the skies for answers, you will not find one, for the gods do not reside there. That was their former shelter, and they have found somewhere else to live. Somewhere far away."

Spoiler: OOC

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Maybe if someone did a 3.5e or PF game I'd be down with it.

[Eldan]

Spoiler

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Is there really enough, yet, to make a game of? We have a lot of names, but only very little idea what most of them are.

[ReaderAt2046]

"My Journey To An Island Unknown" by Penning Dantlefol, navigator of the Royal Ruby Fleet for Astrodoria

"If you happened to find yourself to look up into the skies for answers, you will not find one, for the gods do not reside there. That was their former shelter, and they have found somewhere else to live. Somewhere far away."

Jake Tinderwick, Leader of the Second Arcane Right.

By cheese and chocolate and powdered sugar I call you! By flour and frosting I bind you! By the Name I command you! Do as I have bade you!

[JNAProductions]

By cheese and chocolate and powdered sugar I call you! By flour and frosting I bind you! By the Name I command you! Do as I have bade you!

Chief Anduriel of the Baker's Guild, summoning a Venerable Pretzelclad Breadnaught to lead his army.

"Sir, the approaching army... It's us!"

[Jurai]

"Sir, the approaching army... It's us!"

Mage-Commander Forseti Lamarck, with regards to the forces of the illusionist Idris Conant.

"MORE MUSTARD THAN HONEY, MEN! FIRE!"

[JNAProductions]

"MORE MUSTARD THAN HONEY, MEN! FIRE!"

Marquis Prince Ellington, viscount Ellington's son, in his favorite pastime of "Table Warfare". His nanny was not pleased.

"I confess!"

[spikeof2010]

Marquis Prince Ellington, viscount Ellington's son, in his favorite pastime of "Table Warfare". His nanny was not pleased.

"I confess!"

Axxege, Rotal Automaton, confessing to the Rotalese Court about violating the Automatic Code 187.

"These beings, they are not beings of soul, as we are, they are artificial. You ask us to give rights to them? You're asking us to give rights to a hunk of metal, and what's next? A bunch of rocks? Come stand with me, gentlemen, let not the general populous sway you in letting these heathens to the great Lord Askali get in the way of what is right!"

[RogueishScholar]

"These beings, they are not beings of soul, as we are, they are artificial. You ask us to give rights to them? You're asking us to give rights to a hunk of metal, and what's next? A bunch of rocks? Come stand with me, gentlemen, let not the general populous sway you in letting these heathens to the great Lord Askali get in the way of what is right!"

Maylin, High Priest of Askali, whose sermon on the front lawn of the Rotalese Court sparked localized riots and protests. Most warforged fled the country, but some stayed and were driven into the slums.

"What is this you ask of me? SPEAK! ...Oh, never mind. It was probably foolish anyway."

[Jurai]

Maylin, High Priest of Askali, whose sermon on the front lawn of the Rotalese Court sparked localized riots and protests. Most warforged fled the country, but some stayed and were driven into the slums.

"What is this you ask of me? SPEAK! ...Oh, never mind. It was probably foolish anyway."

Ricard Arcas, half-dragon mage-knight of Rotal, spoken to Riker Garrosh. The brawl would go down in Rotal history for taking out half the royal palace and ending in a draw.

"Come to me, Lord of Falsehood, Caller of Deception, reveal to these foolish mortals that all truth is naught but a lie with consensus."

[JNAProductions]

"Come to me, Lord of Falsehood, Caller of Deception, reveal to these foolish mortals that all truth is naught but a lie with consensus."

A mysterious voice, spoken at high noon in the Emerald City from no visible source. Dubbed 'The One', 'The Speaker', and 'The Mighty' among other names.

"It's you? You're Ice Men? You're pathetic!"

[kopout]

"It's you? You're Ice Men? You're pathetic!"

Climactic plot twist from the best selling pulp novel Terror of the Ice Men

" Against any but Varanos' rat-hoards, 90% enemy casualties would be a victory."

[spikeof2010]

Climactic plot twist from the best selling pulp novel Terror of the Ice Men

" Against any but Varanos' rat-hoards, 90% enemy casualties would be a victory."

Sergei Forn, Vivianos General on the Age 1633 War of the Reshans

"Watch your back, my brother wants you dead."

[ReaderAt2046]

Sergei Forn, Vivianos General on the Age 1633 War of the Reshans

"Watch your back, my brother wants you dead."

Riker Garrosh, to the Master Of Guards of Yuvata.

Some business of the Society of The Elegant Rose, or the Fraternal Brethren of Edgedancers, or possibly the Order Of The Oaken Pancake. I belong to a lot of secret societies, and they tend to get a bit mixed up.

[spikeof2010]

Riker Garrosh, to the Master Of Guards of Yuvata.

Some business of the Society of The Elegant Rose, or the Fraternal Brethren of Edgedancers, or possibly the Order Of The Oaken Pancake. I belong to a lot of secret societies, and they tend to get a bit mixed up.

Charli Tenner, Street Name of Oblora the Thief

"I'm the one on top, I'm the one who rides history."

[TheTeaMustFlow]

"I'm the one on top, I'm the one who rides history."

Elteier, styling himself Karolus Xavir XIII, Pretender Emperor of the Tarbean Dominion.

"Most of you were there at Traeth Beach. You all know what it's like to be driven into the sea. In a few hours, we're coming back from the sea. And this time, we're going to stay there. There's no time for any crying about Court, Home and Beauty, but remember our people have suffered for a century. They've earned their vengeance.

Let's give it to them."

[Qwertystop]

I feel like this is never really going to fill out the setting beyond lots of little details, and having enough details to make a world without filling out the gaps between them will take forever. Does anyone have an idea for how to integrate that part into it?

Separately, I have a quote that seems like it's got to have a character behind it, but doesn't seem right for setting-building the way we're doing it (it's more of a quote from narration than from a character). Does anyone want to do a game in this setting where characters are made from exchanging quotes like that for ideas, to fit the setting theme?

[Jurai]

"Most of you were there at Traeth Beach. You all know what it's like to be driven into the sea. In a few hours, we're coming back from the sea. And this time, we're going to stay there. There's no time for any crying about Court, Home and Beauty, but remember our people have suffered for a century. They've earned their vengeance.

Let's give it to them."

Knight-Meister Alma al Varan, Nymph of the Glorious Grove, within the Tarbean Dominion and noted sparring partner of Riker Garrosh.

"Black sand and silver death, white lies and golden outrage, that's all the court ever gives us sailors, boys, and we're not going to take it anymore."

[Eldan]

Spoiler

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How about we stop with the quotes and go to a kind of stage 2?

We could do a similar, but more descriptive format. We have a kind of feel for the setting now. Lots of wars and strange magics and twisted divinities and suffering. For the next step, how about we do something like this:

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."

[Jendekit]

Spoiler

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How about we stop with the quotes and go to a kind of stage 2?

We could do a similar, but more descriptive format. We have a kind of feel for the setting now. Lots of wars and strange magics and twisted divinities and suffering. For the next step, how about we do something like this:

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."

I'm up for it, so I'll start.

How did Muz'dahim, the living city, come to be?

[TheTeaMustFlow]

I'm up for it, so I'll start.

How did Muz'dahim, the living city, come to be?

Precisely ninety-nine years and ninety-nine days after the city's destruction by the Second Arcane Right, Admiral-Dictator Eidel Schwartz enacted the Ritual of Hate Vindicated on it's ruins, sacrificing the souls of the long-dead inhabitants to create a weapon of terror with which to reforge the Court Tenebrous.

What exactly was Riker Garrosh the madman prophet of?

[RogueishScholar]

Spoiler: OOC

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Now that the thread is taking a more specific turn, I'm thinking of cleaning up the index thread. I'll alphabetize the list sections, for one. For the new info being added on to each individual/place/etc; do you guys think it would be better to start a new post with the histories or just edit them into the list posts?

[JNAProductions]

Spoiler: OOC?

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Honestly, it might be time to start a new thread with the history in the first post.

[Jurai]

Indeed. A new thread sounds good.

[Qwertystop]

Spoiler

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Yeah, that makes sense, so it's organized.

[Belac93]

Spoiler: ooc

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Whoever does it, make sure to post a link

[TheTeaMustFlow]

I've posted the continuation thread.