Worldbuilding exercise

[Curufea]

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[Killer Shrike]

Re: Worldbuilding exercise

 

How were they founded? Thats usually a good place to start.

[Basil]

Re: Worldbuilding exercise

 

Just a name:

Ordum Custodium Laternae Veritatis

 

in English: The Order of the Keepers of the Lantern of Truth.

 

You can change the last word. E.g., Rationis/Reason, Sapientiae/Wisdom, Artis Magnae/The Great Art, etc.

[Curufea]

Re: Worldbuilding exercise

 

How were they founded? Thats usually a good place to start.

I was thinking it started out as a mutual banding together to survive the oppression and mage-hunting groups of the Church. Much like other oppressed groups have done in the real world.

 

However there may have been two paths from there - revenge, or help. Either they seek to damage the Church (which is basically what Loki's Hand does) - or they seek to help everyone despite the Church.

 

There are areas of magic that the Church cannot help with because they are so beaurocratic, organised, and close minded to magic. They are not able to create spells on the fly, or even customise them very much. The way they look at magical creatures/races is such that they wouldn't be able to deal with them in many ways open to secular magic users.

 

Think of it as the difference between U.N.I.T. and the normal military.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Worldbuilding exercise

 

Okay, this is just a first pass. I don't really have the time at this moment to work out the details, so I'll just give my initial thoughts:

 

The Runic Ring

 

The Runic Ring began as an attempt to reign in some of the depredations of magicians who believed their powers placed them above the moral constraints of "lesser" beings. The founders of the group, among the foremost wizards of their era, established a school of magic ostensibly to train others in the art. Many were drawn to the school by the wizards' collective reputations. However, in addition to magical instruction the wizards also inculcated their students in a code of honor, ethical conduct and responsibility to others, not unlike the code of chivalry. The new-made mages went forth to use their knowledge and skills to help and protect their fellow men.

 

However, under mounting persecution from the Church (ironically caused in no small part by acts of the unscrupulous mages that the school opposed), the school was forced to disband and its members flee or go into hiding - at least that was the public perception. In fact the founders and graduates of the school simply changed their tactics. Concealing any display of or association with magic, the members of the group assumed the guises of other roles and professions, some prominent and influential, others innocuous: noblemen, merchants, scholars, wandering healers or peddlars. Each member would be aware of the identities of only a few others, to prevent the Church from discovering and dismantling the entire group. Members are able to identify each other by special rings that they wear; the rings can be of any style, plain or elaborate, but all are carved on the inside of the band with distinctive runes which only members can read. This was the origin of the group's name.

 

The Runic Ring has two major divisions. Actual members, who are fully aware of the Ring's purpose and have access to its knowledge and resources, are called the Inner Ring. The Outer Ring is made up of people with useful skills and abilities, and the proper ideals and motivations, who have been contacted by Inner Ring members to act as their agents. Those in the Outer Ring have no knowledge of the Runic Ring's existence and never hear the terms "Inner or Outer Ring." One of the Inner Ring approaches them under the guise of an employer or patron to undertake specific tasks, or is approached by them as a useful contact. The Inner Ring is constantly on the lookout for such people. Only those of the Outer Ring who have proven their quality repeatedly may be told of the Runic Ring, and if they have talent with magic may be invited to join the Inner Ring and learn deeper lore from the Ring's masters.

[i3ullseye]

Re: Worldbuilding exercise

 

"BRAEDRALAG AF HIN SANLEIKUR"

 

Brotherhood of the Truth

 

Just a name idea.

[Curufea]

Re: Worldbuilding exercise

 

Cute- but I kinda like the latin name. Although It may be better as Ordo Custodes Lanternae Veritas.

 

As to a school of wizardry origin of the Runic Ring - it would have to predate the establishment of the Church to exist (in my setting). Not impossible, but tricky...

 

And Rep to all who helped out here

Thanks!

[Basil]

Re: Worldbuilding exercise

 

Cute- but I kinda like the latin name. Although It may be better as Ordo Custodes Lanternae Veritas.

My Latin <-> English dictionary gives it as laterna, -ae. I believe the other "n" came in post-Empire, among the Romance languages.

 

And Rep to all who helped out here

I'll be waiting.

[Curufea]

Re: Worldbuilding exercise

 

Already did

[The Monster]

Re: Worldbuilding exercise

 

Just to stir my pot:

 

"The setting is a highly beaurocratic and oppressive norse religious country of political intrigue and backstabbing (ie my Western Shores where non-church magic is illegal (or strictly licensed)."

 

Norse - is this simply a Scandinavian flavor, or is the oppressive religion based on the Norse mythos (Thor, Odin, etc.)?

What era - medieval quasi-European? Modern? (I assume the former, but clarity is good.)

Is the oppressive church more or less a national organization, or is it a Roman Catholic type international, even continentwide or beyond group? (I.e., is there any element of foreign intervention/influence?)

 

Just so I don't offer nothing but questions...

 

In earlier times, people were able to use magic as the gift was given to them, with whatever training they could find. Often, these magicians (more like shamans, really) would find themselves in the place of healers and restorers of the people left behind as casualties or collateral damage in the wake of the struggles of the great deities and their monstrous creations. Occasionally, when the depradations of some deity's crreation became too much to bear, they would band together and use their mystic knowledge to remove the threat, either by direct sorcerous power or by exploiting the creature's weaknesses to send it away - preferably to a deserted area (where it would only bother the wannabee heroes and saint who seek out such confrontations). Sometimes the best they could do was bind the monsters for a limited time ("limited time" could mean years or decades, or until their prison was opened). Sometimes all they could do was drive the creature out of their territory, unfortunately inflicting the curse on some other region, but at least saving their own lands and families.

Besides defending against leftover monsters created for the gods' wars, magical items or energies were often left uncontrolled, and resulted in cursed areas, unnatural weather, and other hazards. The early shamans shared knowledge and effort in cleanign these up as well - though often with the sme limitations as they ran into with the monsters: divine/demonic forces are tricky to deal with, and often cannot be eradicated by mere human effort.

 

These shamans never founded a formal organization - they gathered together as need or desire drove, then scattered to their homes and individual paths to seek such wisdom as they could.

 

Then, as the Church began to impose its organization on the land, they found themselves first under suspicion and then anathema, since they lived by rules other than that which the Church defined, and often seemingly in defiance of the very gods the Church served. After all, the main reason they banded together was to clean up messes the gods left behind! The Church had its own sorceries, carefully controlled to avoid offending the gods and linked to its rigid hierarchy. As the Church gained power and influence, the shamans were driven out to the frontiers or underground - at least the ones who did not submit to ecclesial discipline and instruction.

 

Today, the spiritual and intellectual heirs of those shamans are more tightly linked with each other. They have to be, to keep the ancient knowledge alive and find support and instruction among themselves, as well as their purpose of protection, healing and restoration where the gods no longer care to tread. Their sorceries and mission is largely forgotten even by the Church; the edicts and trials were so long ago that only a handful of church historians and obscure theologians even know of the shaman's existence in anything besides old fairy tales for children and fools.

 

The Wardens of Human Spirit and Flesh (they are known as simply "The Wardens") keep the lamp of hope and knowledge alive as a secret underground society, a network of sorcerers and supporters who still hold mere mortals to be of greater and more enduring value than the constant bickering and clumsy manipulations of "higher powers." Their secrecy and subtlety has refined to the point that hardly anyone even knows they exist, and their magics reflect that subtlety, focusing on small effects that go unnoticed to causal observers. Only a minority are actual sorcerers; most are simply people who have found a way to resist and oppose the rigidity of the Church, or people who have been helped by the Wardens and want to help in return.

 

The Wardens are scattered throughout society: the gift of sorcery knows no class or gender boundaries, nor is it always helpful in mundane business or politics. Wardens can be found among tradesmen and laborers as often as among scholars and professional. Most towns have a posse of Wardens; groups of up to half a dozen will meet on a few key holidays. Cities, because of the heavy hand of Church influence, rarely have more than that, while villages on the frontier may actually have a dozen or more Wardens - sometimes as an open secret, where everyone knows about their presence and at least claims to know at least one personally.

 

On the Church's part, the Wardens are considered old wives' tales, to be ignored or suppressed. The few churchmen who know the truth can rarely get the support they want for the nitpicking, detailed search to root out half a dozen people in a town of thousands, so they must content themselves with keeping an eye out for Warden activities. Not many churchmen even know how to recognize, let alone counter, the ancient shamanic magic any more.

 

...

 

Howzzat?

[Curufea]

Re: Worldbuilding exercise

 

http://www.curufea.com/games/western

 

Norse that has been basically "catholicised" and been around for thousands of years. Aesir and all.

Still animal sacrifices, some human (criminals are hung for Odin) - some drifting of the Gods to fit the current culture.

The PC's country-dejour is between 15th century and Italian City States, though with some technological gaps (filled with magic).

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Worldbuilding exercise

 

Lots of good content, but -- and don't take this the wrong way -- the organization leaves a little to be desired.

 

Any plans to give the site a facelift?

[Curufea]

Re: Worldbuilding exercise

 

Yes.

 

I'm currently wiki-erising it on my server at home. As I'm doing my entire website, it may take a while before I upload it

[Thia Halmades]

Re: Worldbuilding exercise

 

I dont' believe I missed this originally. My apologies. Unless you think my material bites, then by all means, dismiss it. Once I realized the objective, I actively stopped reading other people's posts, preferring to put up my own ideas without mental interference. So, if anything is redudant, it's purely a result of coincidence and people with the same hobby coughing up similar ideas.

 

Originally Posted by Curufea

I am looking for an X-Files type troubleshooting organisation of secretivr mages who investigate the weird, solve problems, and fix up mistakes that the Gods make throughout the Gods' petty squabblings.

 

I want an impressive name, a description of the organisation, and a way for them to contact PC magic users who aren't aware of their existence, to give them help or ask assistance.

 

So magicians who correct the errors of the Divine. Interesting concept; if nothing else you could reasonably submit that magic is clearly the Divine Tool used to shape the world put in the hands of the people, and that may, or may not, have been a terribly good idea in and of itself. First things first. Who dey, as the Bengals fans say.

 

Since you are using a Norse pantheon structure, might I suggest "Eyes of the Ravens?" You can translate that as necessary, but as Odin is King, and Huggin & Munnin are his Memory & Thoughts, then "Eyes of the Raven" is a direct relationship to:

 

- The Church, and service to Odin

- The element of Odin which acts as observer

- A double entendre as Ravens act as spies & emissaries

- A triple entendre as they can also be a portent of Death (see: A murder of crows, an unkindness of ravens). This could also turn into a series of presumptions about this particular unit and their ultimate objective. Any time you introduce a secretive organization, you're going to have some mangy git who's trying to corrupt (or has already corrupted) the power base to the extent that he can alter the flow of information, assignments & move acquired artifacts. Food for thought.

 

Impressive Name: "The Eyes of the Ravens"

 

Description of the Organization: Established approximately (X) years ago by the Church, in direct response to (major event which was possibly avoidable based on pre-existing campaign material), the Church determined there was a major flaw in its policy. Because of its reactive stance, and inability to properly focus its energy, events unfolded beneath many eyes scanning from a distance, that a single set of eyes, determined to find the problem, would have uncovered.

 

No doctrine had previously existed which covered the idea of paranormal activity; to a certain extent, there was no need for it. Spell casting was generally under the control of the Church, and any rogue constructs or creatures were usually swiftly handled by Thor's Hammer or Odin's Spear, the two most active units within the church military. The adage "You cannot kill what you cannot see" holds true, however. Rather than punish any single group for the failure and subsequent catastrophe, the Chruch created a new, special operations unit.

 

Eyes of the Ravens was designated as an investigative unit with Search & Seizure capacity, which could be called on to directly intervene with extensive investigations. A unit in the Eyes is held to extremely high standards, and even within the Church they are, at times, regarded with some suspiscion. Their proximity to the bizarre - and their apparent fearlessness of it - has earned them a reputation as being brave, fool hardy, and possibly insane.

 

Few people actually understand the mission, or that there are some agents within the Ravens who have no interest in ever finding anything; they view themselves as professional debunkers, out to correct minor problems. Glorified desk workers who occassionally are forced to go on field assignments. The people who make a difference, though, are those members who love this job. Who are not only excited about their next assignment, but recognize the importance of their work. That in the wrong hands, the Tools of the Gods can wreak so much havok that the damage may be irreperable.

 

They are observers who are organized to strike before the enemy ever knew they were there. Investigators who delve into the darkest mysteries of their world. If you ask them, they may tell you they, like their name sakes, only answer to one authority: Odin Himself.

 

There's your flavor text (or at least an initial pass at it). Hope it helps!

[theFatMan]

Re: Worldbuilding exercise

 

Why not the Brotherhood (of whatever) of Heimdall?

Considering that Heimie (as those of us who know him like to call him) is the sentinel of the gods, tirelessly watching for the signs of ragnarok, it would make sense that an order dedicated to standing sentinel against darkness would be his followers.

[Old Man]

Re: Worldbuilding exercise

 

Ordo Orichalcum

[Curufea]

Re: Worldbuilding exercise

 

So magicians who correct the errors of the Divine. Interesting concept; if nothing else you could reasonably submit that magic is clearly the Divine Tool used to shape the world put in the hands of the people, and that may, or may not, have been a terribly good idea in and of itself. First things first. Who dey, as the Bengals fans say.

 

Not the errors of the Divine - deliberate non-benign, or accidentally malignant acts. Minimising the damage done when the Gods war and mortals are caught in the collatoral damage. Mostly, this is trying to fix Loki's pranks. However - this is only half their job - the other half is magical monsters, and sociopathic mages.

 

Since you are using a Norse pantheon structure, might I suggest "Eyes of the Ravens?"

 

Why not the Brotherhood (of whatever) of Heimdall?

Considering that Heimie (as those of us who know him like to call him) is the sentinel of the gods, tirelessly watching for the signs of ragnarok, it would make sense that an order dedicated to standing sentinel against darkness would be his followers.

 

Nice ideas - but Mages don't like the Gods, believing them to be just uber-mages. Which is almost true. Mages specifically avoid anything that hints at religion. They are athiests. Not only that - to be able to use their magic, they need to by almost active, almost proselytising athiests - as magic is linked to belief.

 

Ordo Orichalcum

 

No more caffeine for you!

 

heh.

 

Anyhow - magical materials I haven't had appear in the setting yet - I'm not sure if I'll have them or not. The only fantasy material that has occured so far is Halay steel, which is in the previous edition Fantasy Hero book under Western Shores - which I think of as either an alloy of aluminium, or titanium.

Other fantasy tropes not going to appear in my setting (as in they don't exist) are - dimensions, resurrection, reincarnation, heaven/hell, time travel, wandering monsters. If you have read the Western Shores 5e Campaign thread and are confused by the demon/hell bit described there - then you also need to read the Alien Invasion thread

[Thia Halmades]

Re: Worldbuilding exercise

 

Well, that changes everything dramatically, doesn't it? I will rethink my otherwise perfectly good (but utterly useless) idea. Huzzah!

[Curufea]

Re: Worldbuilding exercise

 

It's still good for other GMs though

 

I kinda like the whole concept of a fantasy wizard X-Files bunch of troubleshooters

 

You could build a campaign on every PC being a member.

[Thia Halmades]

Re: Worldbuilding exercise

 

Heh heh.

 

I did. I'm running it now. Where do you think some of the post came from?

[Curufea]

Re: Worldbuilding exercise

 

Kewl - so, when are you posting the session reports?

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Worldbuilding exercise

 

Hmm... it just occurred to me that your group could have started as a reformist movement within the Church. One that accepted the premise that the gods were fallible, or at least that conflicts between them could have unintended detrimental consequences; and that therefore there is a role for mortals in dealing with those consequences. These mortals would be spellcasters whose powers did not derive from the gods, so as not to risk offending them or drawing the gods' attention to themselves. The ultimate triumph of orthodox doctrine forced the reformers underground.

 

Certainly the history of our own world's religions is fraught with even more esoteric doctrinary wars, and more than a few cults which continued in secret to avoid persecution.

[Thia Halmades]

Re: Worldbuilding exercise

 

It actually never occured to me to post session reports, actually. I don't think I'd know where to begin, what with the whole mess being three years old and going strong. It's something I may consider for the future, though. Right now most of my effort is going towards building everything I need in HERO while keeping up on my plot design.