Character Castle
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March 14, 2023 at 4:06 pm #156975
Cathy- That sounds interesting!!!
I can’t wait to read about your worlds!
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WORLD CHARACTER CHART TEMPLATE
Name of World: Yabni
Time period: 3523 (Since the beginning)
Landscape:
– In Farran: Woods (but not too many), Ocean (all along the western border), rock quarries (up North), mostly covered in sloping hills/fields (for livestock and produce), the start of a mountain range (up north).Only ten real ‘cities’ in the country. All the rest are villages that originated with single families. Everyone knows everybody else in them.
40% of the population, or more, live even away from villages, only traveling to a city/nearest village a few times a year to sell their produce. (If they even do that. Another large portion of that 40% choose to be completely self-sufficient/reclusive except for special occasions.)
The Eastern half of the country is almost deserted, at the moment. Ravaged with war.
-In Aden: Woods (almost the whole country, though many places are denser than others), desert (up North), mountain range (up North), mountains (splotched other places), fields (for livestock), giant mud pits (from draining swampland).
They have several larger ‘cities’, the capital being Aden. But the villages/homes are much set up the same as Farran. Except, Aden as a whole is much more engaged in national/international trade.
The people are largely just scraping by, and fed with hatred by their city/village leaders. Their Western border is greatly ravaged by war, as well.
Extra features: Two suns. The Steady Sun, and the Second Sun. The Second Sun is praised in almost every nation, even deified in places.
No moon.
People’s skin is thicker in Yabni. It’s rare to see anyone’s skin paler than olive toned, and in many places skin is much darker. All the vegetation is thicker as well, and usually darker greens. There’s an actual dome-like thing surrounding Yabni, placed there by the Creator, that serves as a sort of ‘sun screen’.
‘Seasons’ are very unpredictable, virtually non-existent because of the wonky movements of the Second Sun, but… the people haven’t ever known anything else.
Is there magic: No. The only all-powerful force is the Holy One.
No angels, no demons, no ‘spiritual realm/dimension’.)Is magic accepted: It depends… Some might deify/revere one who used magic, thinking they were the Creator, or from him. Others might murder one who used magic out of fear. dx
Are there powers or worldbuilding quirks that aren’t considered magic/Are they accepted: The ocean’s alive in the same way the stars are alive. Some peoples deify it, others ‘befriend’ it, some ignore the very idea it could be sentient.
There is also a type of… living living tree. They were almost hunted to extinction, out of fear, a few thousand years ago… They’ve been in hiding, in the mountains, ever since. Most believe they’re just a legend, by now.
Three common fantasy animal characters might bump into: None. You might bump into a walking tree, but it’s unlikely. They can fake being… normal… if they want to.
Natural phenomenon(s) that might be problematic: It’s almost never ‘night’. It might bug those not used to it. dx
In fact, when it is night everyone celebrates until it’s light again, basking in the cool darkness, having fun with family/friends, telling stories, singing, or just staring at the stars.
The Yabniens go off the Steady Sun, to know when it’s time to sleep/work. There are two meals a span. One when you wake up, and one before you go to sleep. (:
Non-human races: Every race is human. Unless you’d include the Ocean, rivers (children of the Ocean), lakes (grandchildren of the Ocean), trees, and stars?
Jominkreesa
'Forth now! And fear no darkness!'
March 15, 2023 at 9:00 pm #156983I’ll just deposit this here. This is far from everything – we haven’t even gotten into politics lol. But a good start…
Name of World: This Place (Kudos to whoever gets the reference. You’ve probably figured out my plot twist.)
Time period: fantasy with modern trappings (so, phones, internet, and other pieces of modern civilization that can reasonably develop in their world).
Diplopia: is the one habitable place. A little underground country inside an ocean. Everything outside of this cave-system is water and there is nothing else beyond this. There is no concept of sun, moon, sky – nothing. Diplopia is divided into 3 major sections: The Five Hives, The Shifting Lands, and the Edgelands
· The Five Hives: this is the ‘big city’ part of Diplopia and the seat of government. It is the most stable region, well established and settled. There were (surprise) five major parts of the city but these days only the Government, the Archives, and the Fields remain. Everything else gave way to the Fields (food). The Archives are smaller now that everything is online. Most people don’t even remember what the other two parts of the city were. There is an Orb in the ceiling of the Five Hives that glows for eight shifts (hours) and then is dim for eight shifts (hours). The Hives are the highest point in Diplopia and, among the Edgelanders, is called the ‘OverRealm.” They can be a bit disconnected from the world around them.
· The Shifting Lands: these are in a ring around the Five Hives and, once upon a time, were the majority of Diplopia. They are inhabited by nomads and change every shift (hour) – the term comes from here. These areas are heavily populated by Cold Shadows and very hazardous. In recent years the shifts have become erratic and less predictable. Many Rangers – Runners and Scouts mostly – have been lost while trying to find out what is changing. (Burn has very nearly been one of these Rangers on numerous occasions.)
· The Twelve Chambers: these are how the Nomads can live in the Shifting Lands. Twelve areas that are entirely still, like the Hives. They settle in one for the night and then get moving the next day. However, the nomadic life has gotten less and less tenable. Most Nomads now make a living not off what can be found in the Shifting Lands, but by transporting goods from the Hives to the villages of the Edgelands.
· The Edgelands: these are the places beyond the Shifting Lands. Like the Hives and Chambers they are still. They are considered the last step you can take before the edge of the world and the Abyss beyond. Edgelanders have little use for the Hives who scorn them as crazy people who live too close to the Abyss. Many pioneers have died from collapsing tunnels and floods. But they have more room than the people in the Hives.
Extra features:
· Blue Moss: a highly toxic moss growing on the walls of This Place. It is especially prevalent in uninhabited areas – it is very enticing to children because it glows in the dark – brightly – so people pull it up and destroy it when they are living in the area. Legend has it that it used to be a lot brighter. That people could use this instead of lamps.
· Fire Opals: a recently discovered gem in the coal seams deep, deep in the lower Edgelands. People are still nervous about burrowing under the marked ends of the shifting lands but this can be found at the edges.
Place/places they land in/could land in: They are more likely to survive past the first night in the Hives. Anywhere the Cold Shadows are is kinda advanced – especially for someone with no context.
Worldbuilding quirks that aren’t considered magic: Talents are an innate superpower that is magic but is not considered magic. They are widely accepted and necessary to survival.
Many people also display small mutations – for example, Burn has claws instead of fingernails which he can retract like a cat but keeps trimmed in a more human shape (he got tired of poking holes in himself). Drake – I’ve mentioned him before – had six fingers on one hand, his parents had it removed so that he has a long scar over the side of his hand. It is pretty common to remove possibly troublesome mutations if that can safely be done.
Three common fantasy animals characters might bump into:
1. Dire Lizards: They have poison teeth and long snaky bodies. Think of a tiny Eastern dragon. They also hiss very, very loudly and love to live near the coal-seam fires and warm, smoking places. (Are you seeing why Burn doesn’t like them now?)
2. Fell Wolves: a wolf with dragon horns (between 4 to 15), claws, and scales as ‘stockings’ over their paws. They are very common in the Edgelands but becoming less common as they are dangerous and actively being hunted. Hunting has eased up since people realized they help keep the Cold Shadows under control.
3. Cold Shadows: probably the most common least wanted. A group of shadows is called a scream. They are vanta-black and have a humanoid shape (hence the name). They have long, sharp teeth, very long claws, and seem to survive solely off human flesh. In the tunnels they are deadly and they are attacked to human settlements.
Natural phenomenon(s) that might be problematic: The High Tide happens once a year. This is when the waters from the Abyss overflow into Diplopia. This year has been troublesome and people are predicting an apocalyptic flood. While about half the population has dissed this, there have been more disastrous preludes to the High Tide (floods, washed out villages, and all the rivers are running higher). It’s slated to be the worse one on record.
When life knocks you down, wait 'til it passes over you and then attack it from behind.
March 16, 2023 at 10:31 am #156986@hannahrenner – Ooh! That sounds really cool, Hannah!
Jominkreesa
'Forth now! And fear no darkness!'
March 17, 2023 at 3:23 pm #156997@kimlikesart @hannahrenner Ya’ll’s worlds look awesome!!!
*cracks knuckles* Now…to actually write my world’s worldbuilding
(THIS IS GOING TO MOTIVATE ME TO ACTUALLY WRITE THAT CASUMBRAN ENCYCLOPEDIA I KEEP MEANING TO WRITE BECAUSE I KEEP FORGETTING THE NAMES OF EVERYTHING I MADE UP ON THE SPOT FOR THE PLOT!!)
WORLD CHARACTER CHART TEMPLATE
Name of World: Casumbra
Timeperiod: I have no clue anymore with my timeline but it’s a medieval timeperiod
Landscape
There are 12 Kingdoms but the current axis powers are Hesgmarde and Avonia.
Hesgmarde: (capitol Eluan) It’s pretty hot and humid through the year, with tiny rivers and waterfalls like veins throughout many towns between large stones pulled together. The fields are planted in inclined muddy slopes kind’ve like swamps but filled with flowers until it’s time to harvest when the flowers start to wither, and the people pull them up to harvest the beans it grows in its roots.
Oh and there’s lots of draekons that live deep in the riverbeds as long as there’s enough room. As soon as there’s too many the draekons start ravaging and attacking for territory so they’re hunted pretty regularly.
Also it’s a very status-based culture, so it’s like, not fun if you’re not a noble.
Avonia: (capitol Tarelin) Still hot, but a lot dryer, it’s to the west of Hesgmarde, on the other side of the Sioan Forest. Not as much greenery, they grow trinch thistle which looks kind’ve like tumbleweed but it’s heavier and doesn’t blow around as much. Aside from that, not much can grow there.
Extra features: There are two moons and plants that glow in the dark, and nixies that move the water however they want and can be “soothed” into watering places or providing marine foods if they hear beautiful music (nevermind that if you hit one sour note they might eat you alive) There’s upsidedown rain that pulls water out of the ground (it can cause draughts if it happens too frequently).
Is there magic: Yes, and it is entirely evil.
Is magic accepted: Since the Great War, yes. After ability-borns were overthrown and outlawed, wizards took positions of power, filling in the void left by the shift in power and popular sympathy.
Are there powers or worldbuilding quirks that aren’t considered magic Are they accepted: There are ability-born – which is the most politically neutral term for people born with special powers – who can have any variety of powers that are tied to their soul, their personality traits, their charism.
Ability-borns used to be called gifteds and were strongly associated with religion and a duty to love and care for others but when some became corrupt and abused their powers the people rebelled and there was a huge massacre after which ability-born were referred to as aberrants and were hunted down. It wasn’t one-sided either, many ability-borns formed guilds to seek revenge against the atrocities done to them and that’s about the current situation.
Also! Not all powers are obvious; gifted powers can be divided into active or passive powers. Active powers being like fire, or memory projection but passive powers can be a particular ability to inspire or extreme determination. Many powers can be buried deep deep down, especially if a person is suppressing their identity. Old schools of thought believed that all people were gifted or were meant to be gifted according to their state in life and their charisma, but gifts actually activate the most when reflecting a person’s core motivations such as the desire to save life or the desire to be understood/understand. Every gift can be used selfishly, especially when the core motive shifts others to self in an imbalanced, negative way.
Also! Also!! Gifts can be attached to items or weapons if the person “bonds” with it, so that the item responds especially to them (like dolls or needles…). Natural bonds increase the person’s ease and ability to tap into their powers and can even increase their powers. But! Forced bonds (which can be done magically or scientifically) never work correctly – the person is never the same, because abilities are tied to the soul a forced bond can cause anything from extreme personality change to full insanity. The only advantage it might provide is if people learn to transfer powers using the item but that’s not worked out yet.
😅👌
AND DIMENSIONS!!! There’s a ton of dimensions in Casumbra but using them is kinda contraband because things can come out of dimensions too! (Like ghouls!) Casumbra is connected to nine different worlds including earth (which is where the humans originally came from) and the dimensions are like portals or pockets in the world and there’s tons of different realms.
Dimension holes can be used as training, puzzles, prisons, storage units and more but reader-powder is used to access them and that’s pretty toxic, plus the more holes there are the more likely people are to fall through dimensions and never come back!
So there’s that! But people keep using it cos it’s cheap and easy to get ahold of.
Three common fantasy animals, characters might bump into: (Just three? Ok ok narrow it down to three…)
1. Wulflings: A stale-grey feline breed with batlike ears bushy tail and flecks of gold on its fur. Originally they were breed for nobles but during the Great War they were trained as bloodhounds that hunt in packs, but now they’re mostly strays that can smell negative emotions. Alone they’re more likely to be drawn to people who are hurt and follow their nobility-breed instinct to comfort and be a nice companion animal, but in packs they’re likely to ravage and kill whoever seems like the weakest. Wulfs, though, are much much larger like bigger than a person and they’re trained specially to hunt by smelling a person’s fear and it can trace that emotion in individual people like everyone’s fear smells different to them!
2. Synq: Squirrel like steads used by the dryiniads (forest-race), they’re perfect treeclimbing and rockclimbing steeds with long jumps. They have white, glassy skin. Pointed muzzle, two curling horns and no ears.
3. Meirdogs: Fuzzy beast roughly the size of a sheepdog, but shaped kinda like a bear and a otter with an otter tail. They’re super-duper fuzzy and playful, they have orange pelts and black semi-circle patterns over their face and they can smell illness. They’re not especially plot-important but they’re really cute and I want you to know they exist 😁
Natural phenomenon(s) that might be problematic: In Avonia there’s the Swarm that usually occurs during high heat strikes. Large insects with four wings and a tailbone that looks kinda like a bony finger with a sharp point on the end all swarm through destroying crops and carrying contagion. They can’t stop flying without dying and they come in such
large groups they’re as murderous as army ants and all the people hide in basements or secure storage places until they pass (takes anything from a couple hours to a couple days).
And there’s the Sioan Forest but they should totally not land there at all it’s crazy!!!
Non-human races: There’s werecreatures, they can’t use magic and magic doesn’t have any effect on them, they’re kind’ve a minority in this particular area of the world but their eyecolor changes according to their mood (this varies some with intermarriage depending on the degree of someone’s heritage etc, so you’re more likely to see people who can change eye color but can’t fully shift to whatever animal their parents can shift to). The one exception to the eyecolor rule is the werefoxes they always have red eyes. Also! Were-creatures are so strange and interesting to many people because they only shift to one other animal of course but any animal they shift to has to be an actual animal from earth and animals from earth don’t exist in Casumbra. It’s kinda part of their gift so it’s otherworldly. Literally.
Glassfolk, you’re more likely to bump into them, they’re an amphibious race that immigrated farther inland a while back, they have translucent skin which turns transparent when they’re embarrassed and it glows faintly in the dark. They have bright and silky hair like dolls’ hair and usually they have poor eyesight but they have heat and vibration sensing glands in their hands and feed. Also they can like disconnect their arms and legs and throw them at people (especially when bored…). They injure verrrrrry easily but they don’t feel pain or temperature changes as much and they heal very very quickly! They have sticky blue blood that clots fractures/dents and stuff as it expands and they basically glue themselves back together.
They’re super friendly usually because they’re culturally used to a very friendly and informal environment of family-tribes and communities. They basically talk to everyone the exact same way so there is pretty much no concept of respect for authority.
They’re pretty common now but they probably work servant type jobs because Hesgmarde’s status-based system. In Avonia they’re still like pretty recent immigrants there, it’s not the best place for them to be because it’s so hot and there’s not a lot of water and they usually live around water and if they overheat they explode into a million pieces. And they usually don’t notice when they’re overheating! So there’s a high fatality rate in hot areas that don’t have too much water.
I SWEAR I JUST HAVE ONE MORE RACE TO RANT ABOUT THEN I’LL BE DONE!!!! *sends several races scurrying to the back, hiding*
Ok, dryiniads live in the Sioan Forest, they’re pretty isolated from humans usually and can see humans as inferior (but that’s still a controversy like not everyone there believes it).
According to the treaty between humans and dryiniads, humans may pass through their forest but if anyone strays from the Soral Path (I…think that’s the name I stuck with…) then they’re “fair game”. Dryiniads may adopt, or enslave or leave be any humans they find off the path (widows and widowers frequently adopt).
They do not look humanoid, they’re much more like elongated branches or a tangle of branches they have two eyes that move around their trunks independently, they communicate their clicks and vibrations and they’re naturally very sound-sensitive.
Place/places they land in/could land in: They could land somewhere in Hesgmarde, and then they’d see Alessio’s home. The only downside to that is everybody thinks he’s dead, the entire political higherups group wants him dead, and a lot’ve things have changed since he left (including his brother’s arranged marriage with a genderfluid shapeshifter gifted who’s disregarding all the rules and solving murders behind his back). But the people love him!
Or they could land Avonia and meet a couple of Alessio’s future friends (@ragnarok yes, the glassgirl, the glassgirl brawler is one of them!!) The only problem thereeee would Avonia’s currently at war with Hesgmarde and they might think our whole group is a group of spies! And there’s a sort’ve zombie apocalypse-scale plague coming up if we stick to the timeline…
To be a light to the world you must shine in the darkness.
March 18, 2023 at 6:17 pm #157002hey. @this-is-not-an-alien. I thought this was supposed to be a one-shot story. Not Middle-Earth. lol
When life knocks you down, wait 'til it passes over you and then attack it from behind.
March 18, 2023 at 7:32 pm #157003I thought this was supposed to be a one-shot story. Not Middle-Earth. lol
To be a light to the world you must shine in the darkness.
March 18, 2023 at 7:32 pm #157004To be a light to the world you must shine in the darkness.
March 18, 2023 at 7:38 pm #157006To be a light to the world you must shine in the darkness.
March 24, 2023 at 6:44 pm #157051That’s so cool Cathy!!!! I love the upward rain, and the glass people, and that the were-people can only change into creatures from earth, and the first people!!!! (
I love Ents, so very much, and they remind me of them. <3)Thanks for sharing!
Jominkreesa
'Forth now! And fear no darkness!'
March 24, 2023 at 9:06 pm #157055WORLD CHARACTER CHART TEMPLATE
Name of World: Planet: Omicron. Planet Earth.
Place/places they land in/could land in: If group travels to this world, they’ll likely end up on Omicron because that’s Hades’ homeland and where most of the story takes place.
Timeperiod [sci-fi, medieval fantasy, modern fantasy etc]: 2312 A.D. (Sci-fi).
Landscape [ forests, towns, deserts etc]: most of Planet: Omicron is desert, aside from the Hierarchy Cities and a few territories. The North Pole and South Poles are mostly frozen, with only a few Hierarchy Cities. The North Pole is extremely dangerous, because there are huge amounts of damon.
Extra features [several moons, several suns, purples trees etc]: A powerful, crystalized energy is mined from Omicron. This energy, often called stardust, takes the form of a crystal or an unstable powder. This energy can be ‘programmed’ with nanotech to make it controllable. According to Hierarchy laws, only Ehrenvoll Knights and their families are allowed to use stardust. This law, however, was removed when Earth conquered Omicron.
Is there magic: No, but people who broke the laws on Stardust were often labeled as witches or wizards.
Is magic accepted: No magic.
Are there powers or worldbuilding quirks that aren’t considered magic: Stardust bending could fall under this category, but you need nanotech to do it.
Are they accepted: Ever since Earth took over, they started to cultivate stardust bending. Ehrenvoll Knights deeply resent these acts, as they believe the stardust belongs to their people and their people only.
Three common fantasy animals characters might bump into:
Fur-child: A small mammal that bonds with the first creature it encounters. Oddly enough, predators do not hunt any fur-children that bond with them. Its behavioral patterns are dependent on who or what they bond with (if it bonds with an herbivore, it will develop similar eating habits. Same thing with predators. That being said, they do not hunt). Often kept as pets.
Most common types of Damon.
1. Barghest: wolf-like Damon. A full grown one can stand up to four feet high. Hunt in packs and can get up to forty mph when pushed to their limits. Basically Planet: Omicron’s equivalent of a bear issue. Have been documented to kill for sport.
2. Troll: Similar to an ape appearance-wise. Very territorial. A full grown Troll can be over six feet and can move at twenty mph at best. But they’re generally rather slow and usually only go this fast, because someone is on their territory.
3. Hybrid: It is merely a rumor, but some have heard that the ones called wizards or witches practice mutations by using Damon Cells. No evidence to support this rumor however.
Natural phenomenon(s) that might be problematic: Damon, creatures made of stardust, often spawn from Planet: Omicron’s core. Whenever they spawn, other creatures generally leave. Ehrenvoll Knights are often formed to hunt these creatures.
Non-human races: Artificials, genetically modified sub-humans, are the majority of Planet: Omicron’s population. Technically still human. Other than that, no genuine non-human races.
Miscellaneous:
You can only come to the morning through shadows: Tolkien
March 24, 2023 at 9:08 pm #157057
@kimlikesart @hannahrenner @this-is-not-an-alien-
This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by
Ragnarok.
You can only come to the morning through shadows: Tolkien
March 24, 2023 at 9:18 pm #157059That’s so cool Cathy!!!! I love the upward rain, and the glass people, and that the were-people can only change into creatures from earth, and the first people!!!! (I love Ents, so very much, and they remind me of them. <3) Thanks for sharing!
Thankssss, I love your many suns and the night only coming occasionally!! And the living sea and stars!
(Ents are sooo cool!!!) 🥰❤️
NOW EVERYONE HAS MADE A BIO!!!!!!! WE MUST FALL INTO ONE OF THE WORLDS WHICH WILL BE FIRST, EVERYONE VOTE ON WHICH ONE YOU THINK WILL DEVELOP YOUR CHARACTER THE MOST AT THIS POINT IN THEIR ADVENTURES OR JUST WHICHEVER ONE YOU LIKE MOST!!!! EVEN IF YOU DON’T HAVE A PREFERENCE PLEASE VOTE RANDOMLY THEN!!! THE ONE WITH THE MOST VOTES WE’LL GO TO NEXT!!!!! IF THAT SOUNDS GOOD TO EVERYONE?
(The bold type is just cos the caps lock block hurts my brain without bold type too…XDDD)
To be a light to the world you must shine in the darkness.
March 24, 2023 at 9:23 pm #157060Fur-child
*squints accusatively* I swear I stopped calling Bingley that!!!
To be a light to the world you must shine in the darkness.
March 24, 2023 at 9:24 pm #157061…Mostly
To be a light to the world you must shine in the darkness.
March 24, 2023 at 10:47 pm #157063I love your fur-children idea, Ragnorak!
Cathy- Voting? Shucks…. *tinks*
I vote Hannah’s! Character development-wise, but the other two would be cool/helpful, as well! 🙃
Jominkreesa
'Forth now! And fear no darkness!'
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This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by
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