World Creation Superdraft 7: July 2023

[Pariah]

Sounds straightforward enough. We identify the one deity who's the stand-in for Zeus, and everyone else can be his illegitimate children. 👍

 

"Who's your Daddy?"

[Hermit]

(So I don't forget about the bonuses)

 Player 7. Hermit Goddess of Hope, Nadiya Brightbringer

    Geography. Elven Lands

    Sentient Life. Elves

    Gift to Civilization.

    Fauna/Flora/Ore:

    Interference: .  

    Mythic Monster or Guardian.

    Secondary Domain.  Resilience

    Secondary Domain: Intuition

    Secondary Domain / Option.

   (Bonus #1) Sentient Life:

   (Bonus #2) Fauna/Flora/Ore:

[DShomshak]

Etterskell is not so much a God of specific mortal interests or activities, as a God of the background conditions in which activities take place. As such, not many mortals worship Etterskell singly or directly, but the God often turns up in prayers or the interests of other Gods.

 

For instance, someone might pray for bad luck to befall someone they hate. That kind of spite is the proper domain of Mister Rancor, but bad luck falls within Etterskell's purview of Accidents. So whichever God the mortal prays to, the prayer is divided among them.

 

Similarly, one of Clarkent Kal's paladins, praying for a lucky break in finding an elusive malefactor, needs Etterskell to provide that bit of good luck (bad luck for the quarry). Likewise, folloowers of Nadiya Brightbringer may find their last hope from a lucky break.

 

Alchemists know that Etterskell made their discipline possible, but the systematic learning needed to practice the art, and the research needed to advance it, belong to Alitheon. So alchemists' prayers tend to be divided as well. Though they pray directly to Etterskell in hopes or reducing accidents in the lab!

 

Most visitors to Hedonia direct most of their prayers to Nagus Sterling, of course, in hopes he will bless them with wealth. But Etterskell receives many prayers as well. The house always wins in the long run... but along the way, a gambler might receive a string of good luck and consequent wealth. Still, wiser gamblers say never to take a lucky streak for granted or assume the favor of Etterskell can last. The bet you think is sure is the one Etterskell will use to wipe you out!

 

Etterskell has a deep connection to Fitz. Bastards are often the result of accidents, or at least carelessness. The God who broke the world also ensured that the Chimney shall ever be full of small thing, especially to confound the great and remind them of Strangecharm's power.

 

Of all the Gods, probably Masque's followers least desire the attention of Etterskell. The Worldbreaker's influence ensures that there shall never be a perfect, foolproof scheme... though with Wit and Intelligence, one might improvise cleverly to exploit a sudden accident.

 

Etterskell's chosen people worship this God above all others -- but that requires another pick to explain who they are and why they fall so completely under Etterskell's purview.

 

Dean Shomshak

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

Today's SMBC seems apropos.

 https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/bang

[L. Marcus]

Do we have a porpoise, Lord?

[csyphrett]

With my domains out of the way, I am placing the Watch Tower at the center of the world. This is where the forces of good go to rearm and reequip. Millions of heroes/adventurers are constantly entering and leaving the city, and it has never fallen to any enemy force foolish enough to try to sack it because its inhabitants are armed to the teeth and inflict so many losses that an army could die on the fields outside the city before they could breach one of the walls.

CES 

[L. Marcus]

Gift To Civilization: Espionage!

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

Nagus Sterling, The Tyrant of Trade, was limited in his influence on other races. Like any good entrepreneur, if he wanted something done right, he would have to do it himself. And so, he created the Dwarves. With Etterskell’s impact, they were divided into multiple clans, but all had a lust for wealth. His chosen people, however, were the Fog Born clan. Where others took to hills and mountains, the Fog Born took to the water. They used their innate engineering prowess to build boats and ships and learned to navigate the living rivers better than any other people. That made them undisputed masters of trade as they moved goods far more efficiently than others. No other race could have supplied Hedonia with the necessary materials to build a city. And so, they ran Hedonia, capitalizing on their own potential to build greater wealth.

 

The Dwarves are a shorter, stockier race. (You all know the stereotypes.) They average 5 feet in height and weigh 14 stone. Coloration varies throughout the clans. The Fog Born are pale, and their skin is tinged with gray or blue. Their hair is white to silver with flecks of deep green and black; eyes are black to blue.

 

Sentient Race: Dwarves! How could ye have a fantasy world wi’out the Dwarves? Though with a slightly different flavor te keep some new aspect. Och! 

 

[Hermit]

Trees already exist in the shattered world/s , the many elven lands alone would have seen to that. And as this world was varied, those trees came in many forms.  But Nadiya grew alarmed as the Dwarves began eying the various elven woods with hungry eyes. She knew Sterling's brood prefered trade to war, and some of the elven lands had NO interest in even benevolent dwarven 'enterprise' (Outlet malls and fast food chains in your ancient woods can be very alarming). In hopes of relieving future tension, she made many forests even beyond the elven lands...
and one special type of tree in particular, hopefully of use to all.
A type of tree that's branchs never slumped, for the wood it was composed of was lighter than feathers yet stronger than oak. There was a faint cast of blue lines throughout the bark. The leaves were vibrant blue rather than green and in moonlight gave off a soft matching glow in azure light though not too bright less it offend the God of Illumination as intrusive. Depending on how the wood was treated, it could be flexible or rigid. A master carpenter (Or shipwright or carriage maker etc) would know how to bend it just so before treatment made it properly rigid and get the best of both worlds.
But it was light, so light, that it almost seemed to float rather than fall. While it did not fly off, something feather light but oak strong was just the thing dwarves might want for ships, humans might want for carts and carriages, and yes, even Elves might appreciate for bows and the like (in fact, rumors had it at least one elven kingdom knew how to shape it into a kind of leaf scale armor).  It had amazing buoyancy.

They called it Skywood. And it was surprisingly easily to cultivate if one bothered to do responsible forestry by reseeding regularly.
Flora Pick (#1): Skywood

[Hermit]

Addendum: The way I imagine skywood, more cargo can be carried, ships and other transport made of it goes faster, arrows and javelins made of it probably fly farther but that's just the tip of it. I am sure some folks smarter than I in the ways of science..err excuse me, 'Natural philosophy' can find uses for such stuff that I wouldn't imagine. While each species might have their own idea how best to use it, it's intended as a 'something for every people' gift.

[Old Man]

On the fifth day, Alitheon said,

 

“As my radiance reveals Creation

to its inhabitants, may it show them

their way, that they may negotiate

life without danger or straying.”

 

Secondary domain: Guidance

 

 

 

On the sixth day, Alitheon encountered a strange bird.

It was nigh invulnerable, enduring extreme temperatures,

high salinity and causticity, jagged mountains,

searing deserts, and impassable swamps.

It could fly almost four miles high, travel 400 miles in a day,

and subsist on nothing but mud and pond scum.

And it was huge, measuring five feet in height and wingspan.*

 

Impressed, Alitheon decreed,

“I bestow upon these mighty birds

The ability to shine with bright light,

And the instinct to find the lost and wayward

And show them the way to salvation.”

 

 

Mythic monster or Guardian: The Flaming-eaux

 

* None of these facts are fictional.

[Hermit]

1 minute ago, Old Man said:

 

* None of these facts are fictional.

 

Okay. I kind of want that phrase on a T shirt. Would be quite the conversation starter!

[Hermit]

It should be noted that the division of the elven lands does affect their language somewhat. While they all speak Elvish, and most non elves might not notice the differences, each has a regional/tribal accent, some more similar than others.

 

Elves of the Erui Bar Land have a Swedish accent. No, not like the muppet Chef.

Ylves of Ar Bar have a Norwegian accent. Which might explain their reclusiveness until someone gets them alcohol.

The Elb of the Calen Bar sound Icelandic. Perhaps because they seem a bit more remote than others but only a bit.

The Aelf have lost much, as they seek to remake Estel Bar. A sign of this? They sound mostly like Minnesotans. Tragic.

Those of the land of Dur Lo Bar are not well known, but all signs point to them having a Danish accent with just enough German influence to make you nervous if you live on the other side of one of their borders.

[Psybolt]

Mythic Monster:  Pontianak

 

Mister Rancor moved around the lands devastated by his son's handiwork and an idea sprung forth from his head.  "A little revenge..." he thought, raising a spirit of one of the dead, a woman, who had been with child.  "You shall be named Pontianak" Rancor said, sending the vampiric-spirit off for vengeance against those who survived over her.  

 

 

[death tribble]

I like that. Have another Mythic Monster/Guardian as a reward.

[Old Man]

Thanks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DShomshak]

7 hours ago, Logan D. Hurricanes said:

Where others took to hills and mountains, the Fog Born took to the water. They used their innate engineering prowess to build boats and ships and learned to navigate the living rivers better than any other people. That made them undisputed masters of trade as they moved goods far more efficiently than others.

 

Especially valuable if you can persuade a river where it should flow -- I remember that they don't have to obey gravity. What you can trade to a river to obtain its cooperation should be a worthy challenge to the followers of Nagus Sterling.

 

Dean Shomshak

[Sociotard]

On 7/6/2023 at 2:53 AM, death tribble said:

I'll think on this. You did not miss water or rivers or oceans etc being picked.

 

I do think that you needed to pick Water as a domain before you could specify that the rivers are alive,

I'll give you a decision after the weekend.

Have your thoughts had time to pickle?

 

I'll take another domain:  Midwifery and Birth Control

[DShomshak]

Sorry, no flash fiction here. Let’s get to the point.

 

Because of the Big Oops, all things can be separated into parts and those parts can be reassembled into new wholes. That includes living creatures – and that goes far beyond chopping up plants and animals and reassembling them into dinner. (Though cooks seeking a new recipe might be prudent to send Etterskell a prayer.) Using alchemy, you can remove parts from one living creature and graft it, still living, to another living creature. Including between people.

 

Wild Card Secondary Domain/Gift to Civilization: Transplant Surgery

 

Through these arts, chirurgeons save many lives and make whole the maimed. Severed limbs can be replaced; the blind made to see; those doomed to death from organ damage receive a new chance at life. Praise be to Etterskell for the gift of fungible flesh!

 

 

The only limit to what can be transplanted is the skill of the chirurgeon and alchemist. Chirurgeons of great skill can transplant brains. Or minds. Or parts of minds. Such possibilities can, it must be granted, get a little oogy.

 

 

But most gods, and their folowers, have an interest in transplantation. Some possibilities:

 

Alitheon: The techniques of transplantation require great learning. Followers ofAlitheon may also seek to supply guidance in how, and why, these techniques are used.

 

* Aziza: The ability to separate and recombine parts of minds, of selves, raises interesting questions about the nature of identity for Aziza’s philosophers to ponder.

 

* Ceass: Those who struggle can repair the damage taken in their battles. Or rebuild themselves to struggle and strive more effectively.

 

* Clarkent Kal: Ditto the crusaders of the God of Heroes. Though there is the darker temptation to “part out” condemned criminals as a way to redress the damage they have done to others…

 

* Crax: Indeed, some people in need of transplants might not inquire too closely where a lifesaving part comes from. Murder can be useful! And the option of moving minds between bodies might create whole new kinds of murder.

 

* Fitz: Likely curses transplant chirurgery, for the neglected of society — the “disposable people” — are the easiest and most frequent victims of organlegging. Sorry, Fitz; but Etterskell knew that introducing transplantation would have multiple consequences.

 

* Masque: You mean I can change my appearance completely? Even usurp a trusted person’s identity? Yes, please.

 

* Mister Rancor: Oh, the things you could do to an enemy who has fallen into your power…

 

* Nadiya BrightBringer: In principle, at least, any harm short of death can be fixed, a hope for those who suffer and a reward for resilience. And speaking of resilience… you can change yourself to better survive your circumstances. Or hope to become the person — or creature — of your dreams.

 

* Nagus Sterling: Did someone mention organlegging? That sounds profitable. And mind transfer? That sounds even more profitable. How much would people pay to become young again? (‘How much would you have to pay someone to become old in return’ is not a question asked very often.)

 

* Oeneous: Yes, some people might want new, improved, or just different, ah, “equipment.” Feed your fetish!

 

* Strangecharm: Fixing a broken or malformed body may be a small thing to the world at large, but can be enormous to the individual. Can the arts be used for the “little people” of the world, as well as the rich and powerful?

 

* Thoal Anni’in: Umm… Sorry, I got nothin’.

 

This is only the beginning.

 

Dean Shomshak

[Pariah]

Strangecharm's unexpected Secondary domain: Coincidence.

 

"I believe in coincidence. Coincidences happen every day. But I don't trust coincidence." ~Elim Garak

[L. Marcus]

Ooo ... Masque does not like coincidence. 

[death tribble]

7 hours ago, Sociotard said:

Have your thoughts had time to pickle?

The decision is that you would have to use another pick to make rivers sentient. It is like Nymphs and stuff.

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

[death tribble]

I am waiting on replies to certain questions from people before I make my next official choices. So yes Murder is afoot and working away in the background.

[Sociotard]

7 hours ago, death tribble said:

The decision is that you would have to use another pick to make rivers sentient. It is like Nymphs and stuff.

Very well:

Sentient Life: Rivers

 

How do you communicate with a river? Their language includes murmurs, splashes, and knocking rocks.

 

How do you barter with a river? They are fond of cleaning services; they tend to accrue garbage as they meander so dredging out rubbish is welcome. Likewise weirs of activated carbon or highly vegetated land they can relax into marsh. They may also enjoy entertainment or religious services.

 

I'm angry at a river, or afraid of it. What are my options? Steep walls can dam them; they can flow uphill but they have limits. Hit both ends and you can trap it in a canyon. Another option is dirtying them up with excessive dust and sediment. Enough filth can make them sick or even kill them.

 

I've been one pick behind, so I should have one today as well:

 

Animal: Wolves.

 

The wolves of this world will almost never attack children or infants. If they find one abandoned or neglected or abused they are perfectly happy to suckle them and raise them as their own.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Romulus_and_Remus_suckling_the_she-wolf_on_a_riverbank_MET_DP878752.jpg

 

 

Edited July 11, 2023 by Sociotard