Steve Long

I took it as a metaphorical F-U to the gods: "You made us wear this face to try to shame us? We're gonna own it!"

TA has a decent representation of cat-people, too, what with the Pakasa (and their sub-species, the Simburu and Dumawe), and the Leomachi (lion-centaurs). In the case of the latter, I was intrigued that their culture appears inspired by the cattle-herding Maasai people of East Africa, particularly since killing a lion was a rite of passage to manhood in traditional Maasai culture, but the Leomachi are themselves part lion.

Incidentally, dog/wolf-people have a surprisingly wide presence in Eurasian myth and folklore. At least I was surprised when I found Myths of the Dog-Man in the University library. If someone wants to e the next Tolkien, this might be a place to start.
 
I like the Erqigdlit's apparently casual acceptance that, yeah, they're cursed.
 
Dean Shomshak

I believe the Erqigdlit are inspired by Steve Long's research into Inuit mythology -- I know he's covering that in his long-anticipated Mythic Hero.
 
P. 20 of the free Encyclopaedia Turakiana tells you how to pronounce it:  "air-KIG-dlit."
 
For my game I gave them a more prominent presence in the Far North of the continent of Arduna, an area where Steve deliberately left much room for development.

I was very fond of the unpronounceable dog men of that setting myself.

The Erquigdlit? Pronounced like it's spelled, man.

There are also a few examples of racial unorthodoxy in TA. The Drakine we've already touched on in several posts here; in some ways they're a reptilian parallel to Men, generalized in their skills and adaptable to almost any environment. But they are culturally distinctive, have several ethnic sub-types, and are otherwise not just reskinned Men.
 
Trolls are also rather distinctive. These are not the infamous D&D regenerators, but more like trolls from Norse mythology -- giant humanoids, brutish in appearance but intelligent, masters of smithcraft, with their own exclusive style of magic.
 
I haven't seen anything in fantasy quite like the Migdalars. Dwelling beneath the Earth, with formidable telepathic powers and a tyrannical attitude, they fill an ecological niche in Ambrethel similar to the Illithids/Mind Flayers in D&D. But physically Migdalars are massive and powerful, with four arms, no heads (their brains housed within their torsos), and their "faces" on their chest and stomach.
 
I really appreciate how Men in TA aren't just generalized. There are quite a few ethnic groups represented, with distinct appearances, languages, cultures, clothing, and so on; usually inhabiting specific areas.

At this point it's tough to come up with something truly original in the fantasy genre -- so much ground has been explored already, often repeatedly. But for my part, I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with revisiting something familiar, if you execute it well. The subject of this thread can be considered an example of that.

Always nice to get validation from one of the guys who created this stuff.
 
My mind tends to work that way -- looking for potential connections in things, whether or not they were intentionally connected. I've used that principle to weave the Dragon, in one guise or another, into all the eras of Hero Earth's history.
 
But that would probably be a little too much thread drift.
 

Oh I did that for the s Jaggiri.  But I extra pair of eyes on what I have written would not hurt. They are a few threads below this posting.
 
 
The writing on the Lupines is still a first draft. Basically they have no native unified outlook and other than “leaders” tend to be conformist to the culture surrounding them. 

High Fantasy can work with such non-Fantasy intrusions -- LL mentioned Andre Norton's "With World" series in another thread, with the invasion of the technological Kolder -- but that setting was built with such an intrusion in mind. Intrusion from Beyond runs throughout the entire series; it isn't just the Kolder. Even the hero of the first few books, Simon Tregarth, is such an intruder -- an Earth man who came to the Witch World through a magical portal.
 
Dean Shomshak

Ah, I missed that.
 
Since the Turakian Age is part of the Champions Universe, one could invoke forces exterior from the immediate setting to explain how/why the Spearlord and Kal-Turak can get so far without the gods slapping them down. Perhaps the Spearlord is empowered by one of the less pleasant Lords of Order such as Bromion to impose one law upon Ambrethel. Or he could be a renegade Malvan or Mandaarian. Kal-Turak likewise could be drawing on outside forces (it's been awhile, I don't recall if Krim is of Earth or not).
 
But I dislike this approach. The Turakian Age isn't about such possibilities, or such conflicts. It might be logical to ask how Earth of this period interacts with the wider Champions Universe. But I think it would badly compromise the integrity of the setting.
 
Dean Shomshak

I appreciate your concern about not "tainting" TA with the wider CU, Dean. My own rationalization for why the Ravager of Men and his father got away with so much does involve a type of outside influence, but not outside the setting itself. The reason I use is that these figures are aligned with godly powers from outside the High Faith, over which Kilbern Skyfather has no authority.
 
In the case of Kal-Turak the alignment is provided in the book: he's the nephew of Krim. Krim is given almost no definition or backstory in Hero books, aside from being a king of demons sometimes worshiped as a god, who created his Crowns to corrupt mortals. In this instance I find that lack of official detail helpful.   I decreed Krim to be one of the names/aspects of The Dragon during this age, whom Kal-Turak propitiates with sacrifices and enforced worship from his slaves, in exchange for power and protection from godly interference. (Mordak and the Scarlet Gods probably receive some of that treatment as well, just to keep both teams satisfied.)
 
The Lord of the Graven Spear was a little trickier to explain, but after I noticed the assertion from TA that he avoided conquering the Drakine Realms under command from his supernatural patrons, I crafted a little original myth of my own. In this "legend," as Men thrived and spread while the Drakine declined, Mordak's holdings in the Netherworld increasingly encroached on those of Berrem-Seh, the Drakine god of the dead. Gradually Berrem-Seh was forced back, but only in the face of ferocious battle and great cost to both sides. Then Mordak proposed a treaty of peace between them, in exchange for Berrem-Seh crafting a mighty weapon for Mordak's Earthly champion. The Drakine god agreed, on condition that Mordak swore a binding oath that the weapon would never be used to conquer the lands of the Drakine.

Hm, that works. And a good example of how to use blanks spots and obscure hints. Heck, if Krim is the Dragon and Kal-Turak has a pact with it, then K-T's relationship with Mordak is a bit like Giacomo Sylvestri's relationship to the Descending Hierarchy: Carefully polite on both sides. And Kilbern can go whistle, because the King of the Gods is not the king of the Dragon.
 
The Dragon would be less of an intrusion on the TA than, say, a Malvan would be because mysterious, ancient powers of evil whose place in the metaphysical system is uncertain is an established  High Fantasy trope. Think of Ungoliant in Tolkien's mythos.
 
Dean Shomshak

I remember discussing governments with you, aeons ago, using that strange form of communication we now know as "snail mail."   I think I still have those letters around somewhere, though it would probably take me a while to find them.

I usually pronounce that as "The best fantasy setting ever presented by Hero Games." 
 
Mostly because it's not the lowest-common-denominator-yet-again setting. 

MILITARY GOVERNMENTS
 
STRATOCRACY: Autocratic/Oligarchic. Rule by leader or leaders of a military organization which has siezed power by raw force. There may be just one leader, or a junta of high ranking officers. Stratocracies are notably unstable. (Many Third World nations have been stratocracies.) Also called an ARMY STATE or POLICE STATE.
 
 
WARLORDISM: Oligarchic. There is no real government, just leaders of non-legitimate militias. Whatever the militias may call themselves, they are really just bandits. The warlords are probably all mutually hostile. (Somalia was a classic case of warlordism.)
 
There's really not much to say, here. It's hard to build a government on nothing but the use or threat of force. Or maybe I just lack imagination.
 
Dean Shomshak

ECONOMIC GOVERNMENTS
 
FEUDALISM/MANORIALISM: Landowners govern tenants.
 
PLUTOCRACY: Only those with sufficient wealth have power.
 
SOCIALISM: Government controls, or at least influences, production and distribution of goods and services. (Yes, I know that's a gross over-simplification of socialism.)
 
SYNDICRACY: Oligarchic/Pluralistic. Major business leaders have taken over (de facto or de jure) government functions. One leader may emerge as a dominant “merchant prince,” but this leader often remains “first among equals” rather than a true autocrat. If corporate managers and owners control the government, this is CORPORATE SYNDICRACY. If the government is run by trade unions, it is GUILD SYNDICRACY.
 
Syndicracy does not preordain any particular standards of freedom, enfranchisement or civil rights. Such a state could range from totalitarian, in which people are controlled through drugs and constant surveillance, to virtual anarchy, in which anyone can get away with anything if they have enough money.
 
Dean Shomshak
IDEOLOGICAL GOVERNMENTS

CAESAROPAPISM: Secular leader is also the head of an ideological organization, such as a Church or Party. The head of government appoints the acting directors of the Church or Party.
 
CHARISMATIC: “Cult of personality.”
 
PARTY RULE: Only members of an ideological organization are enfranchised.
 
THEOCRACY: Autocratic. Rule by a supposed god or divine representative such as a High Priest.
 
Although normally there is just one head of state, oligarchic forms are possible through juntas (a “college of cardinals”) or a confederacy of cults or cultic states.
 
Dean Shomshak

BUILDING GOVERNMENTS
 
So far, I've discussed using the Pentangle analytically. You can also work synthetically, starting with particular forces and building societies around them. A fully developed society will involve all five forces, but a government might emphasize one or two. Examples follow.
 
These examples also use Aristotle's classification of governments as autocratic/monarchic (one person rules), aristocratic/oligarchic (a small group or class rules), or democratic/pluralistic (a large segment of the population rules, at least in theory). When I went looking for some systematic guide to all possible governments, I found Aristotle gave the first analysis, and apparently nobody had done anything since. So I tried using social forces as an aid to see new possibilities.
 
SAMPLE POLITICAL GOVERNMENTS
 
DEMOCRACY: Pluralistic. Government by taking a vote on all decisions. The voting franchise may be limited in various ways. Purely political franchise limits include: by gender (ANDROCRACY, GYNOCRACY); by age (GERIATOCRACY); by race (ETHNOCRACY). (For instance, ancient Athens was a pure democracy, but only freeborn male property-owners could vote.)
 
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC: Pluralistic. Government by elected officials. Both who can vote, and who is eligible for office, may be limited in various political or non-political ways.
 
Note that for all elective forms of government, voting franchise limitations can be Ideological as well as Political, depending on how conscious the people are of the limitation. If the limitation is practiced just because of tradition (“But women have never had the vote!”) and the government doesn’t have to work to maintain the limit, then the government remains purely political. If the limitation is conscious — indeed, if the government claims to be legitimate because of its limited franchise (“God has commanded that women shall ever be slaves to their husbands, and the State upholds the will of God”) — then the government becomes ideological.
 
ELECTIVE DICTATORSHIP: Autocratic/Pluralistic. The head of state has absolute power, but is elected by popular vote or by a parliament. The position may be for life, or may be limited by a fixed term of office or some means of popular deposition. (Roman Republic dictators were appointed by the Senate in times of emergency and held office for one year.)
 
ELECTIVE MONARCHY: Autocratic. The head of state’s power is more or less absolute, but the monarch is elected from a pool of candidates who are considered legitimate for some reason — anything from aristocratic birth to omens. (Late Medieval Poland apparently used something like this.)
 
HEREDITARY ARISTOCRACY: Oligarchic. A confederacy of nobles, clan chiefs or other politically-defined hereditary leaders.
 
HEREDITARY MONARCHY: Autocratic. The head of state is legitimated by descent from the previous monarch. Selection is theoretically automatic, although in practice disputes arise about who is the proper, legitimate heir. The monarch may be absolute or their power may be limited through a constitution.
 
JUDICRACY: Oligarchic. Rule by judges, on the theory that all government is basically arbitration between competing interests. Judges could be elected, hereditary, or for a pure judicracy, appointed by other judges.
 
MATRIARCHY/PATRIARCHY: Autocratic. Government by the oldest woman or man in the ruling family. This sort of government is limited to societies organized by kinship.
 
SENATORIAL REPUBLIC: Oligarchic. Government by voting, but the franchise is limited to non-elected heads of aristocratic families. (I guess the Roman Republic began this way, though there were also "Popular Assembles" I don't know much about. Later some purely elected offices were added. Rome's such a big inspiration for Fantasy cultures, I really should look this stuff up.)
 
Dean Shomshak

Incidentally, I re-watched the ST: TOS episode "Journey to Babel" the other night, and it gave a good example of using the Five Forces to create and develop a dramatic situation. The Enterprise is carrying a bunch of ambassadors to a special meeting on admitting the planet Coridan to the Federation -- a political shindig, and giving a glimpse of how the Federation operates. Coridan is of special interest because it's rich in dilithium crystals -- the economic angle. That wealth creates conflict between those who want to secure the crystals for the Federation while ensuring the Coridanians enjoy the profits, and those who see advantage in getting the crystals at the expense of the Coridanians. Some of those exploiters are outside the Federation; some, it is hinted, are inside. But the stakes are high enough that someone is willing to commit murder and try to destroy the Enterprise -- perhaps unraveling the Federation in war -- for the militaryt angle.
 
On the personal scale, Spock won't turn over command when Kirk is injured, even to save his father's life, because Vulcan ideology places duty above personal interest. As he points out to his human mother, his father would agree with his reasoning. Technical power enters peripherally through the mystery of the attacking ship, which seems impossibly powerful for its size -- though Spock figures it out, and Kirk is suspicious when he sees the ship uses ordinary (if powerful) phasers. And Uhura finds the spy by localizing the transmissions to the attacking ship.
 
Dean Shomshak

We're currently trying just such an experiment with Champions International, and if that works well for us the possibility of creating more Fantasy settings, or expanding on TA and the others we have, is a definite possibility. Like many of y'all, I love creating worlds. (Which reminds me, at some point I need to get back to working on my Worldbuilding Guidebook, based on the methods and tips I often teach in seminars at gaming cons.)

The only other thing I've written for Tuala Morn (which is part of an overall setting I call "the Northlands" or "the Septentrion") is my PDF detailing Acquitaine (which is the "France" part of the setting, where Tuala Morn is the "Ireland"). I believe that's on sale in the Online Store (and is on DriveThruRPG as well). I'd love to do more stuff with the setting -- it's one of my most favorite of the many I've created -- but they usually require a certain amount of research and "detail" that make them harder to produce than most stuff. But still, one of these days, some of my notes will get turned into more Tualan stuff.

I hope you enjoy CB! 

The only other thing I've written for Tuala Morn (which is part of an overall setting I call "the Northlands" or "the Septentrion") is my PDF detailing Acquitaine (which is the "France" part of the setting, where Tuala Morn is the "Ireland"). I believe that's on sale in the Online Store (and is on DriveThruRPG as well). I'd love to do more stuff with the setting -- it's one of my most favorite of the many I've created -- but they usually require a certain amount of research and "detail" that make them harder to produce than most stuff. But still, one of these days, some of my notes will get turned into more Tualan stuff.

I hope you enjoy CB! 

The only other thing I've written for Tuala Morn (which is part of an overall setting I call "the Northlands" or "the Septentrion") is my PDF detailing Acquitaine (which is the "France" part of the setting, where Tuala Morn is the "Ireland"). I believe that's on sale in the Online Store (and is on DriveThruRPG as well). I'd love to do more stuff with the setting -- it's one of my most favorite of the many I've created -- but they usually require a certain amount of research and "detail" that make them harder to produce than most stuff. But still, one of these days, some of my notes will get turned into more Tualan stuff.

I hope you enjoy CB! 

The Turakian Age is wonderful, stands with the best fantasy world books ever written for our hobby! 
Finding a group of players for HERO System has been the challenge in enjoying it fully.
 
Worldbuilding Guidebook? Take my money please!