World Creation Superdraft 2: July 2018

[Pariah]

Pack your sunscreen, kiddos!

[death tribble]

Cancer,

 

Unborn is valid. Thanks to you and Sociotard for the explanations

[Pariah]

1 hour ago, death tribble said:

Pariah,

 

You have three more choices to catch up.

 

And so I shall make one of them now.

 

In her role as the Mistress of Light, Yshic also stands as the Arbiter of Truth, shining the Light of Truth on that which really is, that which really was, and, in limited fashion, that which really will be. In this role, she also acts as the revealer of hidden things, which sometimes puts her at cross-purposes with Dee-Ell,  the Keeper of Secrets.

 

Secondary Domain: Truth 

[Pariah]

1 hour ago, Cancer said:

Hm.  Separated by 4 or 5 diameters.  Likely to be a nice RS CVn system.  Lots of ultraviolet, episodically.

 

Canes Venatici. I though that abbreviation looked familiar.

[Cancer]

14 minutes ago, death tribble said:

Cancer,

 

Unborn is valid. Thanks to you and Sociotard for the explanations

Thank you!

 

Now to figure out what else I'm drafting.  Another two domains, a gift, a guardian, and an interference.  Cultivating wild ideas over the weekend, now that futbol is over for a few days....

 

hmmmm ....

[Cancer]

No, this is more a Goddess of War thing, I guess.

[death tribble]

(This is just scene setting)

 

Warriors threw themselves at each other as Aerobell the Goddess of War urged them on. The other gods were watching nearby and not interfering.

Amora sighed. 'We are all represented here' she said.

'Oh' said Ut-Mark 'How so ? This is Aerobell's domain, what makes you think the rest of us can be seen in this conflict ?'

'See the lines of warriors as they go to fight ? That is Order. But they do not die in an orderly fashion, that is Chaos' Amora replied

'The fighting is taking place in the Wilderness which must have your blessing' she continued nodding to Ut-Mark'

'It will continue all day and into the night which are your domains Anuanu and Yschic. Sadly it also means that it will bring light into some souls but darkness into others'

'Some will die here and some will be reborn which is how Arepo is represented.'

'Some will discover themselves and others will find freedom which is the way of Vyago'

'Who knows what secrets will be made because of this or forever lost ?' she continued looking at Dee-Eli

 

'How exactly is Roy represented ' said Ut-Mark. 'We are well away from from the Oceans and any rivers. Unless you mean he sets the weather for the battle ?'

'I was thinking of the Oceans of blood that are spilled' said Amora

'What of you ?' said Ut-Mark, 'How are you represented here ?'

Amora looked out at the engagement and Aerobell who was lost in the adulation of her followers.

'There are those who Love this. Who find beauty in the creation and use of weapons. Who find pleasure in fighting and killing'

'And you don't like it ?' said Ut-Mark

'No. I do not. But that is no secret' she said smiling at Dee-Eli

'Then why do you allow it ?' said Ut-Mark

'Because Aerobell needed me to' said Amora

[Cancer]

"Why must the death in Darkness be more horrible than the death in the light?"  whispered a voice not immediately localizable.

[death tribble]

15 minutes ago, Cancer said:

"Why must the death in Darkness be more horrible than the death in the light?"  whispered a voice not immediately localizable.

'It does not say that' said another.

'What you meant is why must war bring light to some souls but darkness to others ?'

[Cancer]

"War is not limited to light, or Darkness, or half-Dark intermediate, of course.  When it happens, there is glory, and death, and pain, and woe, victory, and waste.  Darkness knows of all these things, and remains silent."

[Sociotard]

Okay, trying to remember all my picks

 

Domain: Secrets

Gift: Psionic/Chi Martial Arts

Species: Human-Cat Symbiots 

 

Lets proceed.

 

Geography: The Lost Path Archipelago

 

Description: a shallow subtropical sea, above which is an "archipelago" of floating mountainous islands. A few do intersect the sea surface, but do not connect with the sea bed. Over the course of decades the mountains do rotate and move, in a complex pattern that somehow avoids collisions. The mountains generally have a Cloud Forest ecology.

There are "secret paths" through this forest. Take just the right turn and you will find yourself on a different island altogether. These paths have very peculiar rules (e.g. "this only works on the third full moon of the year, but if you wear red shoelaces and hum this lullaby, an opening will appear just around the corner that will take you to the peak you're looking for") These rules are changeable and fickle. They don't seem to like many people  knowing about them; the more people find out the specifics of a path, the more likely it will stop working. So, traders and other travelers often put on blindfolds for certain parts of their trip, while local sherpas guide them while keeping the path secret.

 

Narrative: And in those days was Gravitus wroth, for Dee-Ell made a work in his domain of Stone a work which violated his domain of Order, For this work was great islands and mountains that floated over a sea as the stones were not meant to do, and was filled with paths that knew not the order Gravitus commanded. And he came unto Dee-Ell saying "wherefore hast thou delt upon my domain?"

"And Dee-Ell spake "was I not commanded to make a land, for the inhabitants of this world to live in? And it is done, and it done according to reverence of secrets which is in me." Nevertheless, Dee-Ell did cause a hidden temple to Gravitus' honor be built on a floating mountain.

 

Now, as I understand it the "Fauna" pick can be sentient (the rules give the example of Audrey II), but as a sort of Non Player Race.

 

Fauna: Oozes and Oozemen

 

Oozes are hulking balls of slime. They can photosynthesize, and will grow happily in direct sunlight, but are opportunistic ominvores as well. There are domesticated versions that can be eaten (cooked, they are a bit like eggs), or driven to take a yoke or saddle. There are also wild versions, which can be dangerous, as a javelina compares to a pig. If nothing else, they can devour fields in short order with there enzymes and acid.  But, Oozes have a secret. Through a ritual, it is possible to give an Ooze a mind. This does require the sacrifice of a sentient being. The resulting oozemen retain the corrosion attacks of normal oozes, and have excellent shapeshifting abilities to boot. They infiltrate the communities of the world. They try not to make too many of themselves though; secrets are best kept when they are small.

[Old Man]

 

"Master," I complained, after a particularly grueling day of walking, "have we not been walking in the same direction these past few aeons?"

 

"Indeed we have," Vyago said.

 

"Should we not have fallen off the edge of the world, then?  Or, if it were shaped like a globe, come around the other side?"

 

"You are wise," Vyago said.  "But you are also fortunate, for your world has no such constraints.  There is no edge, nor does it return upon itself in any way.  It is truly boundless.  And so you may journey in any direction you wish, for as long as you wish, the possibilities of discovery are endless, and you are truly free."

 

--the Forgotten History of Vyago the Infinite

 

Geography: Infinite Earth

[death tribble]

I thought about an archipelago as well.

 

Dee-Eli saw Amora looking on his Lost Path Archipelago and smiling with Love and Pleasure. She beckoned to him.

'I have an idea and I need your help but also that of Vyago and Roy'

The two gods waited until Vyago discovered them and then all three came to the edge of the sea where Roy rose to meet them.

'Dee-Eli has given me the idea for a land but I thought of all three of you in creating it.'

'You want an island ?' asked Roy, 'A Love Island ?'

'No' said Amora 'An archipelago. A whole set of islands out in the ocean which cannot be seen from any other land and this is why I need the help of all you'

'These lands will not be like yours' she said speaking to Dee-Eli 'but they are a secret that only a few will know of'

'Those who seek Freedom may discover the secret and find the Islands' Amora said to Vyago 'Which is why I need you'

'Roy I need you to alter the weather around them so that they cannot be reached normally as maybe heat hazes and fogs obscure them at times but also the waterways and sailing around them are unique and pleasing to you'

'You may all claim refuges here or temples or something unique to your faiths for allowing my dream to become reality.'

'Oh' said Amora turning to Dee-Eli 'If it amuses you you may confuse anyone into believing the secret of your archipelago maybe found on mine or even that my archipelago is yours and vice versa' 

 

And so it was that the goddess Amora created The Ocean Archipelago. It is off the main shipping routes and can be dismissed as a myth or a lie but it can be reached by intrepid and faithful worshippers. It is not in a shallow sea and you have to navigate it normally but the Archipelago can be confused with Dee-Eli's. Which Amora, Dee-Eli, Vyago and Roy all find amusing. And some are unsure who the god or goddess behind it is.

 

Geography: The Ocean Archipelago

(I was NOT going to call it Love Island, Love Islands or the Isle of Love)

[Hermit]

"Well, Aerobell be praised," The seasoned warrior priest said as he eyed the sword. The blade should have been ordinary, it had no gems in its hilt, no fancy Damascus pattern in the steel.  Yet there was something about it that seemed to demand respect. Something that made one yearn to touch it, "You know what this is?"

 

"I know who owned it, that bastard and his squad near killed five times his number, I thought Aerobell was on our side?" the young warrior complained. While they hadn't been traveling with this army long, he'd made some allies among them and lost more than a few today. Yet as he gazed at the sword, he did feel it, a pull. Not a greed per se, but a yearning that he could not identify.

 

"She' can be fickle," He conceded, "But I think this might explain it as well. This sword is, well, it's beyond enchantment. Go on, put it in your hand. Close your eyes, and tell me what you see, tell me what you feel and hear."

 

"See with my eyes closed? Is this another blind fighting practice?" But the younger man took the blade up, and did as his mentor asked and...

gasped.

Visions of a life that was not his own streamed through his mind! For a moment he seemed as if he were in a battle from the century before! 

"Hold the hill! For the love of your nation hold the hill!" A voice declared rallying all allies. In the vision, he realized the voice was HIS!

No, not his. But it was as if he said it anyway. If as if HE was leading the outnumbered band at the battle of Black Knuckle HIll,holding the line on a day that was still sung about by minstrels and recited by old men around campfires to impressionable young boys who craved glory.

 

"Enough" he almost begged the sword, and to his surprise, the blade obeyed. The young warrior focused as he returned to his own life, the present, muttering "That's impossible, Fand Canaoft defended Black Knucklehill over a hundred and fifty years ago!"

 

"So he did, and far from here," The Warrior priest says "What you're wearing is a Relic of Glory. Relics of Glory are weapons, some call them 'Saga swords' probably because its nice and alliterative, but they're not always in sword form. Anyway, they're weapons that have been wielded in a great moment of glory, heroism, and battle. They don't decay, and they are empowered by their act. They cut sharper, pierce deeper, and so on. But there other magic blades and spears that can do that. No, the real treasure is what you experienced. Relics of glory remember the lives of the ones whose greatness made it. Not just the moment where glory was found, though that's what you get first, but rather their whole life story , more or less. It's like a dream of someone else's life. Historians and scholars love these things, they'll pay a fortune for them. Of course they're rare, the goddess doesn't crank one out out willy nilly. So I'd say they damn well better pay top gold for it."

 

"I should sell it?" The young warrior frowned "That seems wrong somehow."

 

"Spoken like a true follower of the faith" the war priest nodded, "Just testing you. no, keep it, it'll make you a better swords man. Not only is it supernaturally sharp and durable, it will teach you. It'll be like Fand Canaoft was giving you guidance to improve your technique and maybe even tactics."

 

"Fand himself," A glance down, "Or at least his memories...wait, this isn't going to possess me is it?"

 

"Don't be a baby, no. Fand, the real Fand, has gone onto his reward or next life. But thanks to that Relics of Glory, some warriors, not so famous as Fand; well, their story, their saga, lives on. Maybe one day you'll do something grand enough to add your life into the blade. Though  it's unlikely for any of us. It's probably the closest thing to immortality a warrior can achieve"

 

The young warrior saluted his mentor smartly with the sword, "I'll try to give you a somewhat tolerant role in my saga if it should come to past. Least a future legend can do and.." 

He looked around, "Ah, where's the scabbard?"

 

"Lost on the battle field, your legendariness. You've got more scrounging to do." The war priest smiled.

 

The young warrior sighed, "Well, that's..typical" And went looking.

 

Gift to Civilization: Relics of Glory can arise from items of ordinary weapons (Be they steel, iron, bronze, or even wood) thanks to the greatness of a moment (Usually battles)  and tell the stories of the heroes who wielded them. 

 

 

 

 

[Hermit]

I believe that all my Monday through Friday picks so I have to wait until Monday to start picking again

[death tribble]

There are only a few people who have not had five picks,  Lucius, Pariah and Logan principally.

 

I'll post a roster by the end of the day or before Monday starts in the States so everyone can see where they are.

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

I'm back home so I can finally start posting some ideas!

 

Geography: The Valley of Justice

 

The valley is a very large, perfect square with completely level land. There are two rivers coming down from waterfalls in the northernmost and easternmost mountains. Both rivers run through in almost straight, perpendicular lines and flow down the mountains on the opposite sides of the valley. The mountains are treacherous, but not unpassable. Weather in the valley is predictable without extremes.

 

 

 

 

[death tribble]

Roster Update

 

 

WORLD CREATION SUPERDRAFT

OUR WORLD CREATORS THIS YEAR ARE. . .

Pariah Yshic, Mistress of Light!

• Geography. 

• Sentient Life. 

• Gift to Civilization. 

• Flora/Fauna. 

• Interference.   

• Mythic Monster or Guardian. 

• Secondary Domain. The Suns

• Secondary Domain . Truth

• Secondary Domain: 

Death Tribble, Amora Goddess of Love!

• Geography. The Ocean Archipelago

• Sentient Life. Humans

• Gift to Civilization: 

• Fauna/Flora. 

• Interference: 

• Mythic Monster or Guardian. 

• Secondary Domain. Beauty

• Secondary Domain. Pleasure

• Secondary Domain. 

csyphrett, Roy God of Oceans!

• Geography. 

• Sentient Life: 

• Gift to Civilization. 

• Flora/Fauna: 

• Interference: 

• Mythic Monster or Guardian. 

• Secondary Domain. Waterways

• Secondary Domain. Weather

• Secondary Domain. Sailing

Old Man, Vyago God of Paths and Journeys!

• Geography. Infinite Earth

• Sentient Life. 

• Gift to Civilization. 

• Flora, Fauna, or Ore. 

• Interference. 

• Mythic Monster or Guardian. 

• Secondary Domain. Time

• Secondary Domain. Freedom

• Secondary Domain: Discovery

L. Marcus Ut-Mark, the Green One, great God of the Wild (Wilderness)!

• Geography. Svartveden, The Unmeasured Forest

• Sentient Life. Di Sma Undarjordi

• Gift to Civilization. 

• Flora, Fauna, or Ore. 

• Interference: 

• Mythic Monster or Guardian: 

• Secondary Domain: Magic

• Secondary Domain / Option: 

• Secondary Domain / Option. 

Logan.1179 Gravitus, God of Order!

• Geography.  The Valley of Justice

• Sentient Life. 

• Gift to Civilization. 

• Flora/Fauna: 

• Interference: .  

• Mythic Monster or Guardian. 

• Secondary Domain. Earth and Stone 

• Secondary Domain: 

• Secondary Domain / Option.

 

Cancer Anuanu, The God of Darkness!

• Geography. Alam Ghaib, the Unseen Realm (a cavern system)

• Sentient Life. T’skha’morch

• Gift to Civilization. 

• Flora, Fauna, or Ore. Stone Ears (Edible Fungus)

• Interference: .

• Mythic Monster or Guardian. 

• Secondary Domain. The Unborn

• Secondary Domain. 

• Secondary Domain: 

 

Lucius Arepo, Goddess of Death and Rebirth!

• Geography. .

• Sentient Life: 

• Gift to Civilization. Priestcraft

• Flora, Fauna, or Ore. 

• Interference. 

• Mythic Monster or Guardian. 

• Secondary Domain / Option. 

• Secondary Domain: Interference: 

• Secondary Domain / Option. 

Hermit, Aerobell Goddess of War!

• Geography. The continent of Gelmir

• Sentient Life. 

• Gift to Civilization. Relics of Glory

• Fauna/Flora: 

• Interference. 

• Mythic Monster or Guardian. 

• Secondary Domain. Weapons and Warfare Technology

• Secondary Domain. Fire

• Secondary Domain. 

Sociotard, Dee-Eli God of Secrets!

• Geography. The Lost Path Archipeligo

• Sentient Life. Human-Cat Symbionts

• Gift to Civilization. Psionic/Chi Martial Arts

• Fauna/Flora. Oozes and Oozemen

• Interference. 

• Mythic Monster or Guardian. 

• Secondary Domain. 

• Secondary Domain. 

• Secondary Domain. 

Psybolt, Brother Chao, God of Disorder!

• Geography. 

• Sentient Life. 

• Gift to Civilization. Gold

• Fauna/Flora. 

• Interference. 

• Mythic Monster or Guardian. 

• Secondary Domain. Manipulation

• Secondary Domain: Temptation

• Secondary Domain: Gambling and Games of Chance

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

Dwelling within the Valley of Justice are Gravitius' favored people, the Mondrinu.

 

Sentient Life: The Mondrinu

 

Appearance: Mostly humanoid, with very large eyes and broad flat noses. Heads are hairless, but they are adorned with horns or antlers. They have two fingers and two opposing thumbs on each hand. Large black nails adorn each digit; their feet have four toes, also with large black nails. Skin colors are various earth tones.  Ambidexterity is common.

 

Society: The Mondrinu are a very ordered society. Cooperation and efficiency are driving forces. Outsiders see them as ‘neat freaks’ with no independence. The truth is that they are not lacking in independence, but they have a predisposition to order; their first thoughts are to the greater society and their role in it. (They are neat freaks, though.) Order is a spiritual thing for them, it offers peace and tranquility.

Crime is virtually unheard of in The Valley. It is not a repressive society; it is just that they don’t think that way. No police force exists, and they only created a defensive guard after meeting certain outside forces.

 

Culture: Symmetry is a guiding aesthetic in their culture. Barbers (or the equivalent) in Mondrinu society spend time shaping and trimming horns and antlers to be perfectly symmetrical. Tattoos are symmetrical, and scars will be made so. Such is the drive for symmetry that when Prime Elder Vallejo lost a finger in war, he had the opposite finger on the other hand removed.

Young, rebellious Mondrinu opt for asymmetry in their personal fashion. This is referred to as going through an asymmetric phase and they almost always grow out of it. (Elder Imola is a notable exception. He has one horn and wears clothing with off centered designs. They say it is the reason he will never be Prime Elder despite his wisdom.)

 

Combat: The Mondrinu are not a warlike race. War is chaotic and messy and often without reason. However, if the cause is just, they can be driven to fight, and they can be fierce. They have a martial art which they use for ritual combat. It resembles boxing but includes striking with the head. Ritual combat, or Cuono, is an important part of the culture.

Warriors don’t use shields. They use two-handed weapons or they wield identical weapons in each hand (that slavish devotion to symmetry).

 

Water: No Mondrinu willingly goes on the water. Rafts are terrifying to them and ships are unheard of. It seems to be an inborn racial phobia. Perhaps it is the chaos of the waves. When they transport goods by water, a raft is pulled along by nearby land animals. They don’t swim.

As if to make up for this, they can climb with unbelievable agility. The nearby mountains are not the barriers to them that they are to outlanders.  

 

Architecture: The Mondrinu are astonishing builders. Their towers are taller and stronger than anywhere else. Perhaps even more impressive are their bridges which crisscross the valley and the surrounding mountains.  Gravitius has blessed them with knowledge** of mathematics and engineering and they use it well.

Their designs are not ornate or flowery. They believe in the elegance of simplicity. Much of their art is mathematically inspired.

 

Competition:  The Mondrinu are very competitive. They are not above gambling, but only on games of skill. Gambling on games of chance is simply not done. They love physical contests, and they hold regular Cuono tournaments.

 

Outlanders: Mondrinu don’t leave the valley very often. Some feel it is their duty to go forth into the outside world to share their knowledge, but others disagree. Most that do leave the valley return very shortly; they cannot handle the chaos of the outer world. Those that do stay are highly valued as tireless administrators and incorruptible judges.

 

 

**Gift to Civilization: Mathematics and Engineering

 

 

[Cancer]

Rats, sniped.  I was hoping to repeat Mathematics, first as Trickster, then as Darkness.  Ah well.

[csyphrett]

I'm one pick behind.

 

My mythic monster and servant is the Water Kraken.  This beast, formed of water, is known to serve as Roy's messenger, proxy, and executioner. It is as big as it needs to be and the constraints of the source of the water involved.

 

A tiny creek is a tiny cute thing, an ocean is a titanic beast of war with as many tentacles as it needs.

 

Roy can create as many of these as he needs, but only usually needs one to get his message across.

CES

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

Gravitius' gift of Fauna, Horses. Powerful, noble beasts that can be tamed with great care to aid the sentient races. Horses can be found throughout the continent of Gelmir, but the horses found in the Valley of Justice are a special breed, prized above all others.

 

And that should catch me up, just in time to start week 2.

[death tribble]

Actually that is six and I'll take that as today's entry Logan.

I think you forgot your gift of Civilisation.

 

And Good Grief !

 

csyphrett has unleashed the Krakken !

[Hermit]

"So, you and that saga sword seem to be talking a lot lately," The warrior priest noted.

"More like it's talking and I'm listening" The younger warrior replied, "But it can be hard to sort it all out. His reasons for fighting aren't what the stories say, not exactly. And he didn't like his men always. Yet he never gave up."

"Well, of course, what do you think keeps wars going? What keeps men in a fight? It's not just courage.. men want something to fight for! Wars can die on the vine if there isn't enough belief in their worth."

"Now hold on, you can't say every army went out with the same cause?"

"Each man or woman holding a blade has their own reason for fighting, lad. Everything from 'Fame and Glory will be mine' to 'This castle belongs to ME' to "I shall earn my spurs so I might marry the chesty nobleman's daughter" to  'By the goddess, I'm going to make it home to my family alive.  It doesn't matter that they always share the same ones, no. What matters is that they carry on, they keep fighting, and to that, you need a cause, and you need Conviction."

"Hence the goddess title 'The Resolute'" The younger man responded.

"You have been paying attention, does an old warrior's heart good"

"Oh yes, keeping your heart intact is MY reason for fighting"

"If sarcasm were a weapon you'd be lethal boy"

 

 

(Last) Secondary Realm of Influence: Conviction !

 

 

 

 

[Cancer]

Anuanu creates and proclaims Its Mythic Guardians.

 

The mythic guardians of Darkness are collectively called the Sansez Kthp, which means the Uncountably Many.  When they are seen (which is rarely) they are in the shape of large bats, varying from hand-size to elephant-size, completely black except for teeth of a variety of lurid colors.  One legend holds that in truth there is only one of them, and its name is Camazotz, who can make arbitrarily many duplicates of itself and collectively swarm the designated target.  The bite is held to be venomous, though the effects of the venom are highly variable, and many tales tell of heroes and armies being overwhelmed by clouds of Sansez Kthp so numerous that the Sun was blotted from sight, and vast numbers of small individuals mobbed their targets and drank the blood from the wounds, to induce weakness and (usually, but not inevitably) death.  One strange tale tells of them immobilizing an army by enmiring them in vile mud produced from a deluge of urine and droppings of many millions of bats, a slurry so foul that the wounds it touched suppurated in seconds and exposed flesh rotted away in mere minutes; when it penetrated the ground, the mud was so bafflingly fluid that an entire army was engulfed and vanished, sunk into the unspeakable mire in an afternoon.

 

Other tales tell of a single bat leading heroes through the dark (both the Alam Ghaib and lesser dark places), away from enemies, into foes' weak rear areas, or to ultimate safety elsewhere in the world, and of crucial advice conveyed to a desperate figure in the squeaking of a bat flittering nearby in deep twilight.